Author: Randy Slovacek

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NOM denies any of their followers could be biased against LGBT folks

Brian Brown of the anti-gay National Organization for Marriage

In an addendum to the post I made about ABC News’ “What Would You Do?” regarding gay parents being insulted at a restaurant in Texas, the National Organization for Marriage is angry at the portrayal that ANYONE would ever be discriminatory towards gays:

Let’s note first of all that the behavior of the “waitress” in this setup up is outrageous. No boss, and no customers would tolerate it. Not even in the “conservative” towns of Texas. Good news for American common sense. The insidious propaganda point from ABC News is the suggestion that millions of good Americans who believe marriage means a man and a woman because children ought to have moms and dads, would or are behaving like this. Shame on ABC.

Ummm… as a gay man at the age of 47, I can tell you that there are folks who discriminate against gays every day – much like the way the waitress was portrayed in the experiment.  To think otherwise means you probably like to pet unicorns and wish on rainbows.

NOM needs to get real. I know they don’t want to admit their own attacks against the LGBT community aren’t “hate” – but if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…

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Soldier writes about serving during the repeal of DADT

TIME Magazine has posted an essay by a gay soldier currently serving in our military.

He wrote about what it’s like to go through training regarding the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

I held my composure as I stood in the back of a small but crowded room with standing room only. The formal briefing was a slightly awkward attempt at a conversation between one of my superior officers and the 40 or so of us squeezed in that room. He was clearly not used to talking about the topic of homosexuality as he seemed uneasy, but his overall message was a good one: “Soon you will be working around openly gay people. This change is akin to the integration of blacks into the military and the key to a successful transition is professionalism and mutual respect.”

As with any other conversation about gays in a setting where I am not “out,” I found myself reverting to old defense mechanisms. I tried to laugh, but not too hard. I listened intently while trying to look as if I was barely paying attention. I looked to see how everyone else was reacting only to mimic their posture, their level of attentiveness, and their own reactions to the conversation.

A good friend of mine, also gay, was standing next to me throughout the briefing. We barely looked at each other the entire time. His posture was much like mine, only he didn’t laugh. He didn’t smile. There was a cold emptiness in him which I had rarely seen before. I guess that was his way of not drawing attention to himself.

For an institution that prides itself on integrity and honesty, it’s a bit tough to read how self-aware some of our soldiers have had to learn to be to hide who they are just so they can serve the country they love.

Read the whole essay at TIME Magazine.

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Olivia’s new dance single “Magic” hits #5 in 24 hours

“Magic” first hit #1 in the USA back in 1980 and stayed there for 4 weeks. Now – 31 years later – it’s climbing the charts again.

A brand new remix with new vocals from Olivia was released exclusively on iTunes on Sunday – reaching #5 on the dance chart and #39 overall in 24 hours.

This new mix is a charity single, with all proceeds from sales going to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre.

Click here to read more.

Congratulations to a great star. A great star who continues to make a difference.