Author: Randy Slovacek

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Casey Heynes – the bully victim who fought back

Casey Heynes became a youtube sensation recently when, after being bullied for most of his days in high school, he stood up for himself and turned the tables on a bully.

I personally applaud him for his courage to say “enough” to the bully who wouldn’t leave him alone. I went through a lot of this in school and wish I had turned things around the way this young guy did.

In the clip below, he gives an interview describing how he suffered being bullied for years, contemplated suicide and finally how he found the strength to stand up to one of his bullies.

Good for Casey. I don’t condone violence, but he gives hope to everyone who’s ever been bullied that the day will come where the courage and confidence come together to say “enough.” I think he’s a hero and an inspiration.

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Ricky Martin at GLAAD Media Awards in NYC

Film and Broadway producer Craig Zadan, presented the Vito Russo Award to Grammy Award-winner, Ricky Martin, whose decision to speak about his life as a gay man has had a tremendous impact worldwide, especially for Latino youth and their parents.

The Vito Russo Award is presented to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting equality for the LGBT community.

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Mammoth Ski Weekend 2011 – part 1

Mammoth Ski Weekend 2011.

Michael and I had a great time with our partner in crime for these events, Russell Todd.

Russell was a successful actor on TV and in movies: he was a leading actor in Friday the 13th part 2, the remake of Where The Boys Are, a star of the long running day-time drama “Another World” as Dr. Jamie Frame, and on the prime time TV series “High Mountain Rangers.”

All that aside, though, Russell is a great guy: very funny, very personable in every situation, and even though he’s handsome and smart – he’s very self-deprecating in any situation. Most men as handsome as he is would take themselves very seriously. Russell is the opposite – he ignores how handsome he is, and always has fun in any situation. He talks to everyone in social settings, makes jokes at his own expense and makes everyone feel comfortable. Most of the time he’s asking you questions about yourself rather than talk about himself.

One of my favorite credits of his was in a recent fun, stylish, international commercial for Lawson’s Scotch as Sharon Stone’s boyfriend. It’s perfectly suited for Russell – looks great, star quality and a terrific sense of humor:

Russell as Dr. Jamie Frame opposite Anne Heche’s “Marley” on “Another World”:

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Sarah Palin: the gift that keeps giving…

In recent interviews, Sarah Palin said:

“NPR, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, all those kind of frivolous things that government shouldn’t be in the business of funding with tax dollars — those should all be on the chopping block as we talk about the $14-trillion debt that we’re going to hand to our kids and our grandkids.”

Mind you, debt reduction would scarcely be affected by defunding the federal arts agency, which currently operates on a $161-million annual budget. That $161 million is a very small drop in the bucket in terms of reducing the multi-trillion dollar deficit.  Also, the arts and humanities programs are those that teach our children to think “out of the box,” to think creatively and to learn to find new ways of connecting ideas to come up with new solutions in life.  What frivolity!

One thing she didn’t mention about her home state of Alaska – which she is constantly proud of declaring runs a state surplus – Alaska gets $1.84 for every $1 it sends to Washington D.C. in tax revenue. In other words, Alaska is a welfare state running on the subsidy of the federal government. This is in addition to the fact that Alaska has a special fund that rewards it’s citizens annually based on oil profits the state makes. Wow – and they STILL need federal dollars. BUT, they run a surplus. Amazing, isn’t it?

Sarah Palin also, while in India, participated in a Q and A session with India Today Editor-in-Chief and Session Chairman Aroon Puriein which she declared she and John McCain didn’t win in 2008 because – and I quote – “I wasn’t the top of the ticket!”

Well, finally. She finally said what we’ve all known she’s been thinking. She finally threw John McCain under that 2008 Republican bus. I’m guessing she figured she was so far away in India, that no one would know she said it.

Ah, Sarah. The gift that truly keeps giving.

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Good day of skiing at Mammoth

Good first day of skiing at Mammoth today. Didn’t kill myself the way I usually do.

Most trips you have to drag me off the slopes but being a little older, and not dancing the way I used to do, my legs aren’t what they used to be. God, the burn half-way down the slopes. I do everything I can think of to get oxygen to the muscles – deep breathing, prayer, whatever it takes to get down safely.

But it’s great fun. Love doing this with Michael and our friend Russell.

More skiing tomorrow. However, it’s supposed to be colder and snowing off and on during the day. Not my favorite.

It’s so rare that Michael and I get to travel together between our two schedules AND getting a dog-sitter.

Good times! More wine!

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Former NYC Mayors join “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality”

 

Former New York City Mayors David Dinkins and Ed Koch have join the “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality” campaign by appearing in videos supporting these important civil rights. I’d like to point out that former Mayor Rudy Guiliani, who has several gay friends, has yet to join the campaign.

From a news release: Two recent New York polls show a strong majority of New Yorkers support marriage equality. A Siena Research Institute Poll found 57 percent of New Yorkers support marriage for same-sex couples and another recent poll by Quinnipiac University had support at 56 percent.

The New Yorkers for Marriage Equality campaign is centered on video testimonials from New Yorkers who support the right of same-sex couples to marry. To date, HRC has released videos from Former Mayors Ed Koch and David Dinkins, Ethan and Ryan Hawke, Russell Simmons, Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo, John Slattery, Joan Rivers, Barbara Bush, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Whoopi Goldberg, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon, Fran Drescher, Moby, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Julianne Moore and Kenneth Cole.

In addition to rising acceptance in New York state, a Washington Post/ABC poll today found 53% of Americans support marriage equality. That’s the first time to show majority acceptance in the 7 years of the poll.

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Slight Majority of Americans support marriage equality

A slight majority of Americans now support marriage equality according to a poll by the Washington Post and ABC:

Five years ago, at 36 percent, support for gay marriage barely topped a third of all Americans. Now, 53 percent say gay marriage should be legal, marking the first time in Post-ABC polling that a majority has said so.

“This is very consistent with a lot of other polling data we’ve seen and the general momentum we’ve seen over the past year and a half,” said Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry, a leading pro-gay-marriage group. “As people have come to understand this is about loving, committed families dealing, like everyone, with tough times, they understand how unfair it is to treat them differently.”

Opponents of marriage equality weren’t happy with the results and pointed to the language of the poll “Do you think it should be legal or illegal for gay and lesbian couples to get married?” Opponents said those polled thought the word “illegal” meant gays would be imprisoned which sounded harsh.

However, the poll has used the same language since 2003, when polls leaned in opponents direction. I notice they didn’t get mad about language then.

Other polls by the Pew Research Center, the Associated Press and CNN show similar trends.

Forward, kids. Forward.

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Indiana may ban civil unions

Several hundred people rallied at Indiana’s Statehouse in Indianapolis Monday, chanting “Nix Six,” referring to the measure, House Joint Resolution 6, The Indianapolis Star reported.

The proposed legislation has passed the state House 70-26 and is set for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, the Star said.

The measure must pass the current Legislature, then the one that will be elected in 2012, and finally get voter approval in a referendum in the 2014 general election to become an amendment to the state Constitution, the newspaper said.

The amendment would not only limit marriage to the union of one man and one woman, but would also bar civil unions or any other arrangement that would afford the same legal rights as traditional marriage, opponents said.

“Every generation has that thing they have to fight for,” said Dorothy Vanore, 19, of Indianapolis, referring to struggles for women’s right to vote and minorities’ civil rights. “It’s our turn to fight for who we want to marry.”