My partner and I decided to go all out this holiday season. We are hosting a Christmas Eve dinner party at my home followed by a New Year’s Eve party at his home. It has been almost a year since we had our first date at a favorite Indian restaurant. January 4th is our one-year anniversary and it is hard to believe that almost a year has passed. Continue reading
A man that I recently met told me that he liked to have sex with men, but that he did not consider himself gay or bisexual. He did not feel any need to have gay friends and wanted nothing to do with the gay community. I asked him if he ever saw himself having a boyfriend or developing an intimate relationship with another man. He did not. He said that he simply liked sex with men, period.
Ok, I admit it. I am a bit of a political junkie. I love when the presidential election cycle comes around. I like to listen to the daily election news and watch the presidential debates. This election cycle I have satellite radio. On my way to work I have been listening to CNN’s New Day with Chris Cuomo and MSNBC’s Morning Joe, hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. And then of course there is P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States) radio, which is always fascinating.
The Family Leader is a Christian organization whose mission is to, “Strengthen families, by inspiring Christ-like leadership in the home, the church, and the government.” They do this, according to their website by, transforming the culture; impacting elections; and influencing policy. While the organization has chosen not to publicly endorse a presidential candidate before the Iowa Caucuses, they have encouraged their leadership to speak out. Bob Vander Plaats, President and CEO of The Family Leader, who the New York Time calls, “an influential leader of Iowa’s Christian right” has endorsed Sen. Ted Cruz. The Family Leader, said the New York Times article, is “staunchly opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage.”
One of the fun things about watching a three and a half year old for the weekend is that you get to go places with other three and a half year olds and their dads, who are mostly in their twenties and thirties.
With my niece’s temperature spiking above 102°F last evening, I was worried that it would spike even higher overnight. Every time I woke up to go to the bathroom, which was 3 times last night, I went in my niece’s bedroom to check her temperature. Every time she called me for a drink of water, which seemed to occur like clockwork throughout the night, I checked her temperature.
I came down to Philadelphia to watch my three and a half year old niece for three days while my brother and sister-in-law went to Las Vegas for the birthday of one of his oldest friends. Yesterday, day one, was easy. My niece was in pre-school most of the morning so I got to go to the gym and run some errands. Today, day two, was another story.
The Advocate reported that the White House would give LGBT Syrian refugees priority for entry given the persecution they face under ISIS. The Advocate writes, according to White House spokesman Josh Earnest, “the administration would instead prioritize letting in those refugees ‘deemed to be the most vulnerable.’ LGBT people would be among those meeting that definition.” The article goes on to say that the State Department has said that, “priority would be placed on those facing extreme persecution,” and that the definition of those being persecuted included LGBT refugees. Another interesting dimension the article described was a change recently in the State Department definition of the word, ‘spouse’, which now includes LGBT. So LGBT spouses of Syrian refugees are now seen differently than they might have been, thanks to marriage equality.
Sitting in a coffee shop this morning I was surprised by the number of cute, sexy men who came in. Some alone, some with other guys and some with women. Texting my partner as I sipped my coffee I told him that there were a lot of cute suburban guys in the coffee shop this morning. It was difficult not to stare. It seemed like the men were cuter then the women. Maybe it is my perspective, I texted. His reply, “You are seeing the world through boy colored glasses.” I guess am.
Tonight I attended a screening of the film, Desert Migration. The film is a documentary about long-term survivors of HIV/AIDS. The film tells a powerful story of different individuals, all long-term HIV/AIDS survivors, living in Palm Springs, CA. I have read about the complex set of issues facing long term HIV/AIDS survivors but have no personal experience in this area. I was very moved by the film and the filmmaker’s powerful way of letting each men tell their story in a raw, unfiltered manner.
