My column 'drops' on Saturday

I have just received final confirmation that barring anything out of the ordinary, my column on the importance of Black prides and how the African-American community ignores lgbts of color will be appearing Saturday as a part of the State newspaper's Saturday Opinion Extra package.

This means that it will most likely appear online but not in the printed newspaper, which is okay by me. Progress is progress.

Of course I reiterate the "barring anything out of the ordinary part" because as many of you know, South Carolina is in the middle of a huge controversy regarding our Governor (Mark Sanford) and his refusal to accept $700 million of President Obama's stimulus package.

The General Assembly passed a budget including the stimulus money and Sanford vetoed it. The General Assembly overrode his veto thereby causing the situation to go to the State Supreme Court.

The court today ordered Gov. Sanford to accept the budget and thereby apply for the $700 million.

So in the middle of all of this lovely hullabaloo, my column will come out - the equivalent of finding out that you have won the Pulitzer Prize 60 seconds before Jesus comes back to Earth.

Still, my column appearing is a remarkable achievement which I will forever be proud of. As far as I know this will be the first time that the State newspaper will address lgbt issues from an African-American gay man's perspective on its editorial pages.

I've done a lot of good things with my book and this blog, but this column is special. It's personal. What I wrote isn't just for me but every lgbt of color, living or dead, who have been marginalized by an intentionally ignorant African-American community. Trust me when I say I am very proud of what I wrote. It's to the point and makes no apologies, especially about the role of God in our lives.

I have no idea what the fallout, if any, will be. I'm not going to lie about what I hope to accomplish. I want a nice controversy just in time for South Carolina Black Pride (June 18-21). I want comments both positive and negative, I want pastors to talk about it in church, and I want definitely want it to be read by as many folks as possible.

Like the proverb says, a man is like a turtle in that they both have to stick their necks out to move forward.

Thursday midday news briefs

Gay groups grow impatient with Barack Obama - I am of two minds about this.

Yes, we need to be very vocal and very pushy about our rights. But other than getting angry and bitching about how President Obama is being slow, is there anything else we can be doing?

It's as if we have surrendered all action to President Obama.

It reminds me of the small but very interesting argument the community is having about holding a national march.

Both ideas (i.e. a national march and dependence on President Obama) seem to push the notion that if something big and showy is done, then the lgbt community will be successful in getting our rights. This idea that if we all come together in a huge showy march or if President Obama does something demonstratively decisive for us then everything will be alright is simplistic.

Just like I hate the idea of a national march (when we should be building community power on a state and city level), I don't like the idea of depending too much on a "Great Father Figure" to come down from the Heavens and make things right for us. The struggle for lgbt equality does not belong to President Obama. It belongs to us.

And the struggle is not going to be won by a huge showing march nor will it be won from a legislative thunderbolt thrown from the White House. It will be won by us pushing forward and pressing on with dignity for what belongs to us. And sometimes that does take time.

Okay, I've rambled too much. If I haven't bored you or gotten you angry, read on:

Gay partner language could doom immigration reform - You cannot be serious

EXCLUSIVE: California lesbian couple allege discrimination at Fresno hospital - This is why those "court documents" are sometimes useless.

In NH and Iowa, gay marriage has political angle - Ya think?

Never fear, Chick Publications is here! or What some people really think of gay marriage

Maybe it's just me but marriage equality coming to New Hampshire seems to have left some members of the religious right a bit dazed.

One News Now has yet to report on it and my usually reliable anti-gay Peter LaBarbera hasn't said a word yet.

Even Focus on the Family have been strangely silent.

But not everyone is silent.

Someone alerted me to this tract from Chick Publications. Chick Publications is a site that publishes cartoon gospel tracts. You may have seen these various tracts in a doctor's office or at the bus stop.

It is an old tract (it was created in 2004) and while it does not address marriage equality in New Hampshire per se, it's safe to say that the creator doesn't exactly care for gay marriage at all.

The following are some snippets from the tract:










Judge for yourself but I tend to think that minus the little imps, this is exactly the argument the religious right uses against marriage equality.

It's not exactly a logical argument when drawn out, is it?