| (no subject) |
[Oct. 13th, 2009|01:16 am] |
"So, today I was asked to come here and say a few words. I spent so long trying to think about what words I would say, in fact, I spent longer on this speech than I did on this outfit, and my Dave will tell you, that has never happened before.
When I think about equal rights, there are always three words that stick in my mind, three words repeated ad nauseum by those who would deny us our rights, or by those who sit on the fence when discussing this topic. First of all, to the fence sitters - you really should be on our side, because we have a lot in common - we both have something up our asses on a regular basis. Those fence posts have gotta hurt, right?
Anyway, joking aside, when I was thinking about this speech and doing a little research into the arguments against equal rights, I kept coming across three words.
Seperate, but equal.
And the more I thought about those words, the more ridiculous they seemed. The statement "seperate but equal" is a complete oxymoron. If we are kept seperate, than we are not equal.
People will tell you that this is a complicated issue, a delicate subject, but that's something I have to disagree with. This is not complicated, it has never been complicated, and the only people complicating it are the very people who would deny us the right to get married, the same people who cringe when I kiss my partner in a restaurant. This issue is not complicated. We want equal rights. As human beings, we deserve them. We are being denied our rights. How is that complicated?
As passionate as I am about this subject, I feel the need to at least acknowledge the inane arguments spewed forth by those who would deny us our rights. First of all, they will claim that the way we live our life goes against God, that we are evil because a book over 2,000 years old claims it. But that book that they put so much value on? It also states the adultery is a sin - how many Christians have cheated on their partners? But it also says that men who need glasses shouldn't be priests! If you believe that the words of Leviticus are enough to deny gay men and women equal rights, then you also believe that those with glasses can't be a priest. My message to those who would hide their homophobia behind their Bible - don't you dare use one law to persecute me, when your religion pays no mind to the other laws laid down in the very same book!
Then there are those that will say that marriage is reserved for a man and a woman, and it's always been that way. Those people need a history lesson. In the early days of the Roman empire, same sex marriage was commonplace, and the ceremony contained the same rituals performed at a heterosexual ceremony. How can it be that thousands of years ago, a civilisation was more evolved than we are now?
There are more arguments against us. Some argue that legalization of same-sex marriages will open the door for the legalization of polygamy. How that link was made is beyond me. I've only ever loved one man, and I've been with him for more than half my life. I will never love anyone the way I love my Dave, I will never have another relationship as long as I live. He's it for me, he always has been. I want to marry him, not everyone that catches my eye! Then there are those that claim that recognition of same-sex marriages would erode religious freedoms. Two words, ladies and gentlemen, refute that argument: Adam Eden. The only peole eroding his religious freedom are those who supposedly share his faith! He's been turned out of churches, he's been denied access to the Vatican City, he's been told that he is not a Catholic and is going to Hell - so who is truly eroding religious freedom here? He's not free to walk into a most churches and pray, so to those who claim that equal rights for us will somehow impact their religion - look at yourselves and your treatment of Adam Eden before you make some outrageous comment. But the one that really gets on my nerves? Is when they say that legalising gay marriage will have a negative effect on the family, and the raising of children.
I have a son, as I'm sure most of you know. He is a wonderful little boy, he's the light of my life. I love him the way any father loves his son. Dave loves him the way any father loves their son, even though biologically, they aren't related. My son wants for nothing. He is bright, funny, kind and sweet. He goes to the best school in California, he has all the toys he wants, and he is raised by Dave and I, not by a nanny. He is loved, and he is so precious to us, and he loves us as well. I recently had the pleasure of meeting an incredible young man called Oscar Alexander-Wild, who was raised by a gay couple, and he's a remarkable person. He's a musical genuis, graduated high school at just 14, has played with some of the best orchestras in the world. He's articulate, passionate and dedicated and he was raised by two gay rights activists. If my son grows up to be anything like Oscar, I'll be so, so proud of him. There is no proof that gay people make bad parents, just like there's no proof that every heterosexual couple will make good parents. My abilities as a father have nothing to do with my sexuality, and my son is an absolute treasure. I challenge anyone to spend five minutes with him and honestly say he's not a well adjusted, awesome kid.
So what argument is left? Gay marriage does not have a negative effect on the instituition of marriage itself, look at the Netherlands! When they legalised gay marriage, they found that both divorce and suicide rates dropped. And let's face it, with fifty or so percent of heterosexual marriages ending in divorce, it's not as if there's much more damage that we can do, is it?
There you have it - there is no logical reason to deny us equal rights, there just isn't. But I understand that a lot of these people, these hate filled and scared people, won't think about this matter logically. Denying us our equal rights, our HUMAN rights, is due to homophobia, hatred and misconceptions. This is supposed to be the land of the free for Christ's sake! How can we be free if we are persecuted, put down, and told we are less than? For that statement to be right, it should say: "Land of the free - unless you're different than the foolish notion of what's right".
I'd like to end this speech with a quote from a gay rights activist called Jason Yanowitz. He said: "if somebody doesn't have equal rights, then none of us are free".
So if you're straight...if you have any sort of compassion, or heart, if you think you have morals and ethics, I want you to think about the fact that when you go to sleep tonight, there are people out there who do not have equal rights, who fight every single day just to live their lives the way they want to. Think about gay kids who lie awake wondering if there's something wrong with them. Think about the gay men and women who watch their partners sleep and worry about what will happen to them if something horrible should happen to us. Think about the man lying in a hospital bed, with his partner forced to wait outside because their ten year relationship isn't legally valid. Think about your kids, your grandkids, who are going to look back on all this and wonder why something so foolish was ever an issue in the first place.
Think about the rights you have, and imagine a life without them. Imagine not being able to tell the world you're married. Imagine not being able to make decisions about the welfare of your partner if they end up in hospital, while the parents who abandoned him can. Imagine knowing that at this moment in time, you can't have a happy ending because a bunch of strangers think some deity doesn't want you to have it. Imagine what it would be like to not have your basic human rights - that's our reality. We live with it every single second of every single day. You have the power to change that. It only takes a split second to put a cross in the right box. Don't do it because you pity us, do it because you know in your heart that it's right, because you believe in equality for all. Do it because you believe in this great nation.
Do it because you know if you were in this situation, you would want the same compassion.
So when the time comes - and it will come soon - make the right choice. Vote for equality - because it is the right choice. Thank you."
- Fay Adams. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 8th, 2009|11:14 pm] |
So, to celebrate the fact that there's going to be a gay rights march in Washington this weekend, I've already penned a gay rights-esque chapter of The New Divide that'll be posted sometime this weekend. In the meantime, I thought I'd do another of the Emo Boy Series FAQs, this time, answering most of the questions I get about one of the gayest characters ever.
Ladies and gentlemen:
( Sonny Jackson: The FAQ ) |
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| "The Red Sun Rises" info post! |
[Sep. 29th, 2009|09:17 pm] |
Ok, so, I've had a few people from FP asking me about The Red Sun Rises, because I know it's a bit weird to see me writing something in a different genre and style.
So, I've put this post together just to answer a few questions that people have, and to explain a little bit about the story and where it came from.
First of all, The Red Sun Rises is a story I've been writing on and off for a while now. When I first started writing seriously, when I was 12/13, it was supernatural/sci-fi/teen horror fiction that I produced. It was really just a reflection of my own interests - I'm a huge, huge Anne Rice fan, I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer and that kind of thing, so it wasn't a major leap for me to start writing that kind of material. In fact, some of it is still up on my fictionpress I think.
A year or so ago, I started writing a story called Beyond Redemption, which was a supernatural/religious story about the Devil falling in love with a human man. I did a lot of research for it and worked a lot on the plot. It's still something I hope to go back to in the future, but at that time, it wasn't really going anywhere because I was still so focused on the Emo Boy series.
I started working on The Red Sun Rises a little time after that, mostly because vampires were back on the reading list. As much as I love Twilight, I felt like the whole vampire genre was getting really watered down, so I started writing the story purely to entertain myself. Again, it ended up being put aside so I could work on other projects, but now I'm working on it again, and really enjoying it.
The plot of The Red Sun Rises is a bit more complicated than what I usually deal with. It's about a boy named Eren Anderson. His father, Robert, is an Elder in something referred to as "The Order", but they also call themselves "Children of Nature". They're not crazy hippies, there supposed to be some kind of Wiccans, or something in that sort of field. Basically, they have the ability to "cast", they use magic that's rooted in nature.
Eren was told by his father that his mother was just a regular person, who died shortly after childbirth, and as such, Eren doesn't have "the blessings of the Mother" - which means he doesn't have the ability to cast at all. His father raised him as part of the Order, but essentially, he's an outsider. His friends have started their education in casting, and Eren's discovered some secrets about his past that his father kept hidden.
But Eren's not the only lead character in the story. Vampires Lilith (who is actually Eren's mother, as revealed in the introduction but unknown to Eren himself) and Corbijn are also really important. Corbijn is basically someone who has been reincarnated every single time he has died for thousands of years. The Master of the All Hallows (that's the town where Eren lives) Vampire Coven discovered Corbijn's secret in 1791 and has been discovering him ever since. In Corbijn's current life, the Master found him when he was only a baby, killed his parents and kept Corbijn locked away as a human pet in the Coven house. After meeting Lilith and agreeing to help her stop the Master from killing Eren, Corbijn is changed into a vampire, essentially stopping his reincarnation as he is now immortal, and frozen in the form of a 17 year old boy.
The Master is planning to kill Eren because of a prophecy made about him when he was born, but I'm not going to say what the prophecy is, because it'd give too much away! But the story deals with Eren's transition from outsider to leader, accepting his own fate and discovering who he is and what he really believes in.
The inspiration behind the story is kinda varied. A lot of it is inspired by music - AFI, Kill Hannah, My Chemical Romance etc. But I'm also inspired by the current interest in vampires, and how many different takes there are on such a popular myth. The Red Sun Rises was a chance for me to acknowledge all those brilliant writers, and to contribute my own thoughts and ideas.
Plus, it was a chance for me to get back to where I started, and to write something completely new, something that has always interested me. I'm pretty sure there will be a sequel in the future, depending on how much fun I have with this story.
So there you have it. That's The Red Sun Rises. I'm working on a re-write just now, but hope to post more in the future. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed working on it :) |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 10th, 2009|06:17 pm] |
So I'm thinking, maybe putting my e-mail address on my fictionpress profile was a bad idea - I've been getting lots of questions lately, and no reviews! So, for those interested, here are a few more answers. Enjoy :)
( Emo Boy Series FAQ Part 2 ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 11th, 2009|05:45 pm] |
Front This Scene has had 3,000 hits this afternoon :) nicole did some light promo for the My Passion album review that was posted today, so sometime today we had our 20,000th blog view. Happy times!
Jump on the bandwagon at www.myspace.com/frontthisscene |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 28th, 2009|12:55 am] |
In the words of Chester Bennington: can I get a HELL YEAH! |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 20th, 2009|02:24 am] |
My American friends:
You have until 1am to dial these numbers:
1-866-436-5701 - 1-866-436-5703 -1-866-436-5705
Please, please, call in and vote for ADAM LAMBERT to win American Idol.
He's easily the most talented contestant of the season.
He's different, and he's interesting, and a vote for him isn't just a vote for the outcast kid or the true winner, it's a vote for change. I hate to get sentimental, but I kinda feel like it's true. Kris Allen is the sweet but dull little kid who just doesn't compare.
Also, I'll be very, very happy if he wins :)
So please, it'll take two seconds and I can't think of any contestant - past or present - that deserves it more. |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 5th, 2009|11:57 pm] |
Just posted a live review featuring Madina Lake, The Audition, Flood of Red and Yashin AND! A review of Madina Lake's new album "Attics To Eden" over at the webzine, so check them both out here:
www.myspace.com/frontthisscene |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 24th, 2009|11:40 pm] |
Nathan Leone answered my question on an AP.net chat tonight :)
Made my whole freakin' day! |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 30th, 2009|12:10 am] |
Day 1 of Kurt Cobain week is up NOW at Front This Scene.
For the next six days (as today has already been done), we'll be posting articles and reviews about one of rock's greatest frontmen. So be sure to check it out and spread the word:
Heavier Than Heaven: An Introduction to Kurt Cobain |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 16th, 2009|05:45 pm] |
Woah, woah and double woah.
The webzine blog - where we post all of our articles - has had over 2500 today.
Yeesh. |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 16th, 2008|12:41 am] |
Tonight was the OFFICIAL LAUNCH of the webzine I co-own/run with Nikki and Nicole!
I can't begin to tell you guys how excited I am :)
I'd really love for you all to check it out, add us, read Nikki's awesome review, comment, and keep checking back in the future!
www.myspace.com/frontthisscene |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 3rd, 2008|01:05 am] |
Nikki, it sounds like you're having a tough time at the minute :( that sucks, sweetheart!
So, seeing as how we've been discussing this lately, here's the latest, up to the minute Emo Boy Cast List
( The Cast List 08 )
Ta da :)
x |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 10th, 2008|01:50 pm] |
Ahhhh, the Strathy Telegraph arts editor liked my piece on Catcher In The Rye, so it's going to be in the first issue of the new semester :D Look out for it!
x |
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| (no subject) |
[Sep. 10th, 2008|01:14 am] |
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The boy himself is at once too simple and too complex for us to make any final comment about him or his story. Perhaps the safest thing we can say about Holden is that he was born in the world not just strongly attracted to beauty but, almost, hopelessly impaled on it. |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 15th, 2008|08:14 pm] |
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So far, the new TAI album, Fast Times At Barrington High is...ok. I think it's going to be a grower, but it's not stunning at first listen. eep. They're on their third album now, I thought they'd have become really spectacular, but I guess not :( See how I feel in a few days though! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 22nd, 2008|11:46 pm] |
The article I wrote about the My Chemical Romance fan protest has just been uploaded to Pageant :) You can read it by clicking the clipping. All comments appreciated! |
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