Category Archives: Video

December 24, 2010

Thank You All and Merry Christmas

By Joe

In an effort to thank all of those who read and support my blog, I am going to endeavor to give each of you a special Christmas song. The other day, I was discussing with Bobby of My Big Fat Greek Gay Blog about what to get my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas. He suggested the best gift of all, “My undying love and dedication.” It’s a beautiful sentiment, but I think I will give them a gift card instead. However, I want you all to know that you have my undying love and dedication. Thank you all for reading and for your friendship.

For Bobby, Καλά Χριστούγεννα! and here is Bruce Springsteen & E.-Street Band singing “Merry Christmas Baby” Live on Conan Dec 12, 2002:

Bruce Springsteen & E.-Street Band ** Merry Christmas Baby ** Live

For Fan of Casey, Mele Kalikimaka:

Bing Crosby – Mele Kalikimaka

For Mike, Mark, and Jayson who are on the west coast, I present “White Christmas” which had this as the original first verse (One story is that Irving Berlin wrote it in 1940, poolside at the Biltmore hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.):

The sun is shining, the grass is green,
The orange and palm trees sway.

There’s never been such a day
in Beverly Hills, L.A.
But it’s December the twenty-fourth,—
And I am longing to be up North—

Diana Krall – White Christmas

For Jay in VA, Justin, Crotchdiver, Uncutplus and all of my blog friends in the South, it wouldn’t be Christmas without “Christmas in Dixie”:

Christmas in Dixie

For Denis and Doug in the Great White North (AKA Canada), I want to present you with Enrico Caruso’s O Holy Night (1916 in original French):

Enrico Caruso – O Holy Night (1916 in original French)

I also want to wish Buon Natale to (In)consapevole. And a Merry Christmas to my favorite storyman Jay and to bignate.

If I left anyone out, I am truly sorry because the sentiment goes for all of my readers, those who comment and those who don’t. These were just the ones I knew off the top of my head where they are.

Merry Christmas to all!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; Geseënde Kersfees en ‘n gelukkige nuwe jaar; Mahigugmaon nga Bag-ong Dag-on kinyo tanan!; Gëzuar Krishtlindjet e Vitin e Ri Aleut Kamgan Ukudigaa; E güeti Wïnâchte un e gleckichs Nej Johr; መልካም ገና; መልካም አዲስ አመት ; Gozhqq Keshmish; أجمل التهاني بمناسبة الميلاد و حلول السنة الجديدة; Շնորհավոր Ամանոր և Սուրբ Ծնունդ; Շնորհաւոր Նոր Տարի եւ Սուրբ Ծնունդ:; Բարի կաղանդ և ամանոր; Bones Navidaes y Gayoleru añu nuevu!; Zorionak eta urte berri on; Божым нараджэннем ; শুভ বড়দিন ; Sretan Bozic i sretna nova godina; Nedeleg laouen ha bloavezh mat; Честита Коледа ; Bon Nadal i feliç any nou ; ᏓᏂᏍᏔᏲᎯᎲ & ᎠᎵᎮᎵᏍᏗ ᎢᏤ ᎤᏕᏘᏴᎠᏌᏗᏒ; 聖誕節同新年快樂; Sèng-tàn-chiat Khòai-lo̍k (聖誕節快樂; Yukpa, Nitak Hollo Chito; Afvcke Nettvcakorakko; Sretan Božić!; Sretna Nova godina!; Veselé vánoce a šťastný nový rok; Glædelig jul og godt nytår; Prettige kerstdagen en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!; Maligayang pasko at manigong bagong taon!; Hyvää joulua ja onnellista uutta vuotta; Zalig Kerstfeest en Gelukkig nieuw jaar; Noflike Krystdagen en folle lok en seine; Joyeux Noël et bonne année ; Bon Nadâl e Biel An Gnûv!; Bo Nadal e próspero aninovo; გილოცავთ შობა-ახალ წელს; Froue Weihnåcht’n, und a guad’s nei’s Joah; Frohe Weihnachte unn ein gudes neus Jahr; Καλά Χριστούγεννα!; Juullimi Ukiortaassamilu Pilluarit; Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou; חג מולד שמח ושנה טובה; शुभ क्रिसमस; Kellemes karácsonyt és boldog új évet; Gleðileg jól og farsælt komandi ár; Selamat hari natal dan tahun baru Inonhan Malipayon nga Paskwa kag Masadya nga Bag-ong Tuig sa inyo tanan; Nollaig shona duit; Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo; メリークリスマス; QISmaS DatIvjaj ‘ej DIS chu’ DatIvjaj; 즐거운 성탄절 보내시고 새해 복 많이 받으세요; Natale hilare et annum faustum ; كریسمس مبارک; Feliz Natal e próspero ano novo; С наступающим Новым Годом; God jul och gott nytt år; Maligayang Pasko, Manigong bagong taon

6 Comments | posted in Video

December 23, 2010

Coming Out at Christmas

By Joe

Coming Out at Christmas – London Gay Men’s Chorus

When I came out (albeit, under duress) to my parents, it was a Christmastime. It was not my choice, and I would have either chosen a better time or never told them at all. I can’t say that coming out at Christmas is the best time, but it is up to you. There is always drama to coming out, even if your family is very accepting, it is still dramatic to you. If you are going home to spend time with your family, or seeing family you don’t see often, then the holidays are full of drama as well. Needless to say, that Christmas 6 years ago today when my parents found out I was gay was dramatic.

3 Comments | posted in Coming Out, Video

December 18, 2010

Moment of Zen: Winter Wonderland

By Joe

Here is a very nice version of Winter Wonderland by the very cute Jason Mraz. I was searching for a good Christmas song to add to this post, and I came across this one and fell in love. I hope you enjoy it too.

Jason Mraz – Winter Wonderland

4 Comments | posted in Moment of Zen, Video

December 8, 2010

Snow Flurries in Hell!

By Joe

We received snow for the first (and likely the only) time this year. It did actually snow in March, but I tend to think of the year on a school calendar. It snowed at school for about 2 hours today. None of it accumulated but it was coming down fairly heavy for a little while.

Kylie Minogue – Let It Snow (Christmas in Rockefeller Center 11-30-10)

4 Comments | posted in Video

November 26, 2010

Photos of gay service members make statement about policy

By Joe

(CNN) — A soldier and his shadow sit alone on wrinkled sheets. With his knees pressed tightly up against his chest, he wraps his arms around his legs and bows his head.

In another photo, a soldier stands before a mirror. His raised hand covers just enough of his reflection to protect his anonymity.
But it’s not photographer Jeff Sheng from whom these men are hiding their identities.
It’s the military.
Sheng’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” exhibit, two years in the making, conveys the stories of the gay and bisexual men and women who serve in the U.S. military. And because his subjects are forced to keep their sexual orientations under wraps in order to serve, Shen’s photos are portraits without faces.
The Los Angeles, California-based artist said many of his subjects were grateful for the opportunity to make a statement “without fully revealing themselves and losing their jobs.”
“If this person got outed, they would lose their pension, their retirement benefits — their 20 years of service in the military would be gone,” he said.
Sheng asked many of those he photographed why they continue to serve despite the inequality.
“I asked, ‘Why do you still serve with this policy in place? Why would you do it?’ ” Sheng said. “And they all looked at me and said, ‘Because it’s serving the country. It’s the most honorable thing that I can think of doing right now in my life.’ ”
Sheng is also the creator of “Fearless,” photographs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered high school and college athletes who are public about their sexual identities. He is working on a project focusing on undocumented Americans.
The “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” photos were exhibited last week in Washington at the Human Rights Campaign headquarters, and Sheng said he hopes to bring them next to Chicago, Illinois.
The exhibit couldn’t have been unveiled at a more relevant time.
On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to suspend enforcement temporarily of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Though a lower court has deemed the law unconstitutional, the controversial policy will remain in effect until the appeals process is complete.
President Obama is on record favoring abolition of the policy but has said he wants the issue to be decided by Congress, not in the courts.
The new commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. James Amos, opposes repeal of the policy. “There is a risk involved,” Amos told reporters in San Diego, California. “I’m tring to determine how to measure that risk. This is not a social thing. This is combat effectiveness.”
Ryan Vincent Downing, a former Air Force captain and one of the 60 service members Sheng photographed, said he has confidence “that people in the military can handle change.” He is no longer in the service and said hiding his sexuality took a toll.
“I found myself making up lies, and then making up more lies to cover the lies I had told before,” Downing said.
Sheng said he hopes his photographs open eyes to the way the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy affects closeted service members who are fighting and dying for their country.
“This idea that they’re hiding, in many ways … they can’t reveal who they are,” Sheng said. “[It] has a really profound effect on the way that people see these images and think about the issue.”

This was originally published online by Chuck Conder of CNN on November 15, 2010.

Leave a comment | posted in Art, Book Review, Politics, Video

October 26, 2010

UPDATE: Gay student teacher ‘thrilled’ to get Beaverton job back

By Joe

On Sunday, October 3, I wrote a post “Teacher Fired For Telling Student He Is Gay” which told of Seth Stambaugh who was fired when he told one of his students that he was gay. I was horrified when I heard about this, and if you’ve been reading the blog, you know that I am a teacher who is in the closet, but wish that I didn’t have to be. Some places in America will take longer to be more accepting (I live in such a place), but you expect the Northwest to be more open and accepting. That is what made this story so discouraging when I first read it. I was very happy to read an email from a new reader named Phil that informed me that on Thursday of last week, that Mr.. Stambaugh was reinstated in his position as a student teacher. Parents in the school district wrote the following letter to the school board requesting that he be reinstated:

This is a message from concerned parents whose children are in the classroom at Sexton Mountain from which the Beaverton School District removed our appreciated student teacher, Mr. Seth Stambaugh.

We as parents were grateful that Mr. Stambaugh was going to be an additional educator and mentor to our students this year. We were pleased that he had begun to develop lesson plans for our children. We know that he had a positive rapport with our children and that he worked well with his mentor teacher.

Our children are now deprived of that additional educator in their classroom at a time when our school is already struggling with budget cuts to education. We are deeply concerned about the messages the District’s action, and continued inaction, sends to our children: that some people are more equal than others and identifying differences can lead to expulsion.

We are not pleased that we learned about the District’s summary removal in the news, and not directly from the District or from Sexton Mountain. We are concerned that the District and the School made such a dramatic and rapid choice that affects the future of our children’s education after speaking to only one or two parents.

The good news is that this is a repairable situation and an opportunity to show our children that when a mistake is made we must take every opportunity to correct it. We believe that Sexton Mountain, and the Beaverton School District, can be better than this. The first step is for Mr. Stambaugh to be unconditionally re-instated to our children’s classroom without delay.

Sincerely,

Concerned Parents

Thankfully, the school board responded positively and reinstated Mr. Stambaugh. Below is the video of the news story and then the article about his reinstatement.

BEAVERTON, Ore. – A gay student teacher told reporters he was thrilled to have his position back after being dismissed for a conversation about gay marriage.

Seth Stambaugh, a Lewis & Clark Grad School student teacher, had been removed from Sexton Mountain Elementary School following a complaint by a parent, based on a conversation Stambaugh had with a student about his marital status in which he stated it would be illegal for him to marry because he would choose to marry a man.

Stambaugh was reinstated Thursday by the Beaverton School District. His lawyer, Lake Perriguey, said the offer of reinstatement came at an afternoon meeting at Lewis and Clark College.

“This is a huge teachable moment,” Stambaugh said in a press conference Friday. “I’m glad I can be back in the classroom with the students I gained a great rapport with.”

When asked whether he planned to file a discrimination lawsuit, Stambaugh said, “I’d prefer not to.”

Perriguey said, “Mr. Stambaugh is joyous beyond belief. He is celebrating privately with friends and family.”

Stambaugh will resume his student teaching duties at Sexton Mountain Elementary School next Thursday, returning him to his regular Thursday and Friday schedule.

At the time of the incident, Stambaugh was paired with a teacher in a fourth-grade class at Sexton Mountain. He was leading a writing lesson when a fourth-grader asked him if he was married. Stambaugh said no. The student then asked why. Stambaugh replied that it would be illegal for him to get married because he would be choosing to marry another man.

On Sept. 15, the school district informed Lewis and Clark that Stambaugh would not be allowed back as a student teacher at the school. Stambaugh said that he was only told his comments were “inappropriate.”

Earlier this week, 22 parents of students at the school wrote a letter in support of Stambaugh, calling on the district to reinstate the student teacher, whom they said had “positive rapport” with his students.

The two schools released the following statement on Thursday:

The Beaverton School District and Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education have jointly agreed to offer Seth Stambaugh the opportunity to return to his original student teaching placement at Sexton Mt. Elementary School starting late next week. Lewis & Clark and the Beaverton School District will continue to provide Mr. Stambaugh with a high level of support as we do for all student teachers as they begin to serve students and the greater community. We are moving forward with our common values and principles of equity, respect and inclusion.

Thank you Phil for letting me know about the update on this story.

11 Comments | posted in Politics, Video

October 19, 2010

LOL: Clock Tease

By Joe

2 Comments | posted in Funny, Video

October 11, 2010

National Coming Out Day

By Joe

National Coming Out Day is an international event which gives gay, lesbian and bisexual people the opportunity to “come out” to others about their sexuality. It also provides a means of increasing the visibility of gay people. In the United States, the day is facilitated by the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out Project (NCOP).

The first National Coming Out Day was held on October 11, 1988. This date was chosen for the annual event in commemoration of the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. It also marks the anniversary of the first visit of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Washington, D. C.

Many communities and college campuses sponsor activities such as dances, film festivals, workshops, literature booths, and rallies on National Coming Out Day.

PsychologyDegree.com recently posted a list of the “50 Brave Blog Posts About Coming Out.” My friend Bobby’s (My Big Fat Greek Gay Blog) coming out story made the list. Here is an excerpt from the introduction of the post:

One of the most important, impactful moments of a gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, asexual, pansexual or queer individual’s life is finally breaking free from the socially-constructed closet and accepting that particular facet. The decision to come out comes fraught with a maelstrom of psychological, social, filial, emotional, mental and physical stresses – and due to the GLBTQ community’s status as marginalize minorities, they also have to fear discrimination, intolerance and (saddest of all) violence. Not to mention criminalization, occasionally punishable by death, in some nations. Because of this, it takes an impressive amount of personal integrity and strength to slough off society’s heteronormative expectations and be true to one’s own self. These incredibly brave blog posts represent a broad spectrum – though most of them sport positive and hopeful tones – of people coming forth to proudly accept their sexuality and asking loved ones for their support.

50 Brave Blog Posts About Coming Out

Click on the link above to visit the site and find all the links to these 50 blog posts.

As some of you know, I have talked some about my coming out experiences on this blog. If you want to read these posts, please click Coming Out. The last two posts in this category are not my personal stories, but the rest of them are. Here are links to the individual posts:

National Coming Out Day is merely a day of encouragement. I would not suggest to anyone that they come out before they are ready. Always know that there is support out there and come out when you are ready.

Sometimes that decision is not made by us, but for us. I hope that none of you face the problems of being outed. I hope it comes naturally when you are most comfortable with it. Best of luck to all of you, whether you are fully in the closet, partially in the closet, or completely out of the closet. Coming out is never a one time thing and it is a continuing process.

3 Comments | posted in Coming Out, Resources, Video

October 3, 2010

Some Like It Hot

By Joe

Always remember, nobody’s perfect. Accept people for who they are.

2 Comments | posted in Inspiration, Video

September 10, 2010

Gay Anthems: Perfect for Coming Out

By Joe

First up is the gay classic, the theme for gay clubs around the world: “I Will Survive.” I am posting two versions of this song. Primarily, because my all-time favorite band in Cake, who did a wonderful version of “I Will Survive.” In fact it is played at the end of the gay movie Mambo Italiano. After the Cake version, is the classic Gloria Gaynor version.

Here is another one of my favorite singers, and a request by our friend fan of casey, John Barrowman. In the first video he sings “I Am What I Am” from La Cage Aux Folles and in the second as the lovely Captain Jack from Torchwood – anything really does go, when the background music to the clip is John singing the Cole Porter classic, “Anything Goes.”

And of course, if I am going to do a post that is a soundtrack for coming out, how can I leave this song out?

FYI:

John Barrowman‘s memoir and autobiography, Anything Goes, was published in 2008 by Michael O’Mara Books. His sister, English professor and journalist Carole Barrowman, helped write the book using her brother’s dictations. In 2009, Barrowman published I Am What I Am, his second memoir detailing his recent television work and musings on fame. In the book, Barrowman reveals that when he was just beginning his acting career, management sent a gay producer to talk to him. The producer told Barrowman that he should try to pretend to be heterosexual in order to be successful. Barrowman was offended by the incident, and it made him more aware of the importance of his role as a gay public figure: “One of my explicit missions as an entertainer is to work to create a world where no one will ever make a statement like this producer did to me to anyone who’s gay.” To this end, Barrowman is active in his community supporting the issues that matter to him most. He worked with Stonewall, a gay rights organization in the UK, on the “Education for All” campaign against homophobia in the schools. In April 2008, the group placed posters on 600 billboards that read, “Some people are gay. Get over it!” Barrowman contributed his support to the project asking people to join him and “Help exterminate homophobia. Be bold. Be brave. Be a buddy, not a bully.” In the same month, Barrowman spoke at the Oxford Union about his career, the entertainment industry, and gay rights issues. The event was filmed for the BBC program The Making Of Me, in an episode exploring the science of homosexuality.

Cole Porter wrote hit Broadway musicals and many 20th-century pop standards, including the songs “You’re The Top,” “Night and Day” and “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall In Love).” Porter was one of the greats of an era that included Iriving Berlin and Richard Rodgers. But Porter was no poor New York immigrant who lived the rags-to-riches dream — he was the son of prosperous midwesterners, a star pupil at Yale and a privileged expatriate who lived the gay life in Europe while writing hit Broadway musicals. His first popular success came in 1929, with Fifty Million Frenchman. Between the 1930s and 1950s he became one of Broadway’s biggest stars, writing music and lyrics for Anything Goes (1934), Kiss Me Kate (1948) and Can Can (1953), among others. His most famous songs include “I Get A Kick Out of You,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Begin the Beguine,” and “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.” Since his death his songs have become part of the canon of American pop music, and stories of his private life — his long “marriage of convenience” to wealthy divorcée Linda Lee Thomas and his well-known homosexual leanings — have contributed to a continued interest in his career.