I like soundtracks more than single CDs. You get a better mix that way.
Television
Queer as Folk (The Original UK Series): This series first aired from February 23, 1999 to February 22, 2000. It chronicled the lives of three gay men living in Manchester's gay village around Canal Street. I only saw the first season so I have no clue how it ended.
Queer as Folk (The U.S. Version): This version migrated to the US on December 3, 2000. It ran until August 15, 2005. The stories in the first few series resemble the original UK version. The show was filmed on Church Street in Toronto but the story pretends to be in Philapedia. Again, I never watched the final season. The story got lame and predictable after 4 season, but the first 3 were incredible!
The L Word: This series first aired January 18, 2004 on Showtime where it continues to play today. The show portrays the lives, loves and learnings of a group of lesbian and bisexual women and their friends, family and lovers in Los Angeles. The fifth season is scheduled for broadcast early in 2008
Noah's Arc: Set in Los Angeles, the show features the lives of four male African-American gay friends dealing with everyday trials, tribulations, triumphs and tragedies. Noah's Arc premiered on October 19, 2005 on the Logo television network.
Books
1. The Case for Gay Rights: From Bowers to Lawrence and Beyond by David A. J. Richards
2. Gay Rights and American Law by Daniel R. Pinello, Gay Rights On Trial: A Handbook with Cases, Laws, and Documents by Lee Walzer
3. Created Equal: Why Gay Rights Matter to America by Michael Nava and Robert Dawidoff
4. The Morality of Gay Rights: An Exploration in Political Philosophy by Carlos Ball
5. Lesbian and Gay Rights in Canada: Social Movements and Equality-Seeking, 1971-1995 by Miriam Catherine Smith
6. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Cases, Materials, and Commentary by Sarah Joseph, Jenny Schultz, and Melissa Castan
7. Gay Rights, Military Wrongs: Political Perspectives on Lesbians and Gays in the Military (Political Science) by C. Rimmerman
8. Equality Practice: Civil Unions and the Future of Gay Rights by William N. Eskridge Jr.
9. Gay and Lesbian Rights Organizing: Community-Based Strategies by Yolanda C. Padilla
10. International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: Treaties, Cases, and Analysis by Francisco Forrest Martin, Stephen J. Schnably, Richard Wilson, and Jonathan Simon
11. Gay Rights by Tricia Andryszewski, Laboring for Rights: Unions and Sexual Diversity Across Nations (Queer Politics, Queer Theories) by Gerald Hunt
12. 1984 by George Orwell
13. That's Why They're in Cages, People! by Joel Perry (see picture below)
Heroes
Cindy Sheehan, The Fantastic Four, Rosa Parks, Wonder Woman, Father Steve Kelly, Christopher Hitchens, Tinky Winky, The Philsbury Doughboy, Mr. Clean, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Seuss, The Letter R, and the Number 4.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss
"If an issue is not on the tips of their constituents' tongues, it's easy for them to ignore it." -Al Gore
"Men will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest." -Denis Diderot
"All men have equal rights to liberty, to their property, and to the protection of the laws." -Voltaire
"Just living is not enough... One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." -Hans Christian Andersen
"In every country and every age, the priest had been hostile to Liberty." -Thomas Jefferson
"Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression." -Pythagoras
If this is your first time visiting this page or your first time reading this, please click
here and send a email to these Missouri legislators. I simply wrote, "Please give same-sex marriages legal recognition." The goal is merely to remind politicians that we are still demanding equal rights. Please take 2 second to participate.
Add a Marriage Definition Banner to your profile!
A lot of people keep asking me about this picture of Rachel Powell, Raydra Hall and I getting arrested in Shreveport, Louisiana. Here is the video explanation: www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8ZwThYwvXA
Simple things you can do for the gay rights movements:
1. Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper which supports marriage equality, ENDA, or ending the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. Politicians never read our emails or return our calls, but they do read the newspaper. Also, it sends some words of encouragement to fellow activists. 2. Keep yourself informed on the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) and Don't Ask Don't Tell so that you can talk intelligently about these issues that affect us all. LGBT-friendly politicians rely on us to inform them about our community. If we don't understand all the issues, how can we explain it to them? 3. Come out of the closet. Let family and friends know that we are part of the community and more common and normal than they may think. 4. Visit senate.gov and contact both your Senators. They may not read our emails, but their staff does tally them up and report which issues are of the greatest concerns to their constituents. Also, by producing hundreds of thousands of emails we demonstrate to politicians that we are just as politically active as our foes. 5. Support the Red Wednesday Campaign. Wear red on Wednesday if you support giving gay marriages legal recognition.
6. Financially support the organizations that support us. The best way to know if an organization is worth supporting is by how often and how viciously they are attacked by the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly, and Michael Savage). Organizations like Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union are two of our greatest allies. 7. Contact me and suggest what else I should add to this list!
