SC Pride 2023 festival photo gallery - Pageantry, perfection, & love

SC Pride 2023 was wonderful.

Even after all of the lies you hear about Pride events, it only takes an afternoon spent at one to see the truth. These latest attacks on our culture and lives make us defensive. We get so scared at being accused of awful things that we give up ground when we should be standing firm.

So let me be clear about this - Being an LGBTQ is a blessing. It's not a lifestyle, it's not an abomination.

Kids are not too young to learn about LGBTQ people and families. They will not lose any innocence by simply being aware that we exist. And yes, it should be mentioned in schools. LGBTQ families raising kids exist. LGBTQ kids exist. Those are facts. Normal facts. Children being told these facts won't warp them. 

We are a diverse group of people. We come in different shades, forms, nationalities, backgrounds, social groups, etc. etc. We are not going to be confined into closets. We will not have our lives dissected, whittled down, or altered in any way to suit the comfortability of the ignorant. Folks who oppose our lives can believe whatever they want about us, but that does not give them the right to make us believe their lies or live our lives according to their false ideas of who we are. Name-calling will not harm us. Lying about us won't defeat us. Attempting to pass laws against our existence and dignity will only make us stronger.

'Right-wing influencers specifically targeting LGBTQ kids for harassment' & other Fri midday news briefs

Right-wing influencers fuel harassment against LGBTQ youth - This is a g@d@mn disgrace. They are deliberately and specifically targeting LGBTQ kids.

Matthew Shepard’s mom calls anti-LGBTQ bills a ‘vicious attack’ 25 years after his murder - And she's right. 

15 Quotes from the third hearing on HB 183 to ban trans individuals from bathrooms in Ohio schools and colleges​ - Ohio legislators are trying to put anti-trans laws on the books. And the attempt is a hot mess. 

Georgia to Cover Gender-Affirming Care for State Workers Under Settlement of Lawsuit - Congratulations to all of those who put in the hard work to get this victory. 

LISTEN: This ’80s R&B jam about two men hooking up was somehow both ahead of its time & really homophobic - Well. This was . . . it was something.

Former FL legislator who authored 'Don't Say Gay' law sentenced to four months in prison for fraudulent COVID relief dollars scheme

Former Fl legislator Joe Harding

When Fl Gov Ron DeSantis began all of this nonsense with his 'Don't Say Gay' bill which later became law, it was an attempt to cast him as a strong conservative culture warrior in anticipation to his upcoming presidential campaign. Fast-forwarding to now, DeSantis' presidential campaign is miserably flailing because in spite of his bravdo, he comes across as a creepy phony.

But he is not the only Florida state official (in this case, former Florida state official) whose heavy push of the 'Don't Say Gay' bill hasn't garnered a happy ending.

From Florida Politics:

Former state Rep. Joe Harding will spend four months in prison and another two years of probation. A judge ordered the sentence nearly seven months after the Williston Republican pleaded guilty to wire fraud, money laundering and lying to investigators. Prosecutors sought charges in connection to Harding seeking COVID-19 relief dollars for businesses no longer operating. U.S. Attorney Jason Coody announced the sentence.

 . . . Prosecutors say Harding secured $150,000 in federal relief funds from the Small Business Administration. Bank records showed he immediately transferred money from an Economic Injury Disaster Loan to personal accounts and a credit card. U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor sentenced Harding to four months in federal prison for each of these criminal counts, and the former lawmaker will be allowed to serve those sentences concurrently. 

 Harding must surrender to authorities no later than noon on Jan. 24. Once he completes his prison sentence, Harding will remain on probation for another two years. 

 Harding was the author of the 'Don't Say Gay' law. 

 Harding drew national attention after he authored the much-maligned “don’t say gay” law in Florida, which initially forbade public school teachers from teaching about gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade. Since Harding left the legislature, the Florida Board of Education extended the ban through high school, and the legislature grew the statutory ban through eighth grade. 

 He also pushed for an amendment in law which would make teachers out LGBTQ student to their parents. However, after public outcry, he withdrew the amendment.

So, yet another conservative 'pro-family,' 'pro-traditional values' lawmaker turns out to be a hypocrite, thereby ruining his career in an embarrassingly public fashion.  

And in other more pressing news, I'm making garlic fries tonight. With malt vinegar.

A word from your blog master - The future of Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

 

I'll make this as short as I can.

Unlike other writers, I have a problem with putting my business out there. I believe in certain elements of privacy, so I tend not to give details about my life as way to bind myself to the readers.

But  . . .

Some of you may have - or may have not noticed - that I am not posting as regularly as I used to. It's been deliberate on my part. There have been some changes. As a lot of you know, my mother passed last year. She was my heart and soul and things in my world just isn't the same without her. It hasn't been easy dealing with it.  It continues to be something which I can't put into words. . . 

Subsequently, this has affected my mindset about things. I'm a bit angrier, harsher, and somewhat more cynical. My threshold for politeness has been steadily receding and my outlook is a bit grimmer.

Granted, I still believe in the equality of LGBTQ people, and I know that no matter how difficult things get, we will win like we've always had in the past. But these days, I acknowledge how darker the roads are getting with the rise of social media wannabe superstars instigating crap against our community with their rage tweets and lies. Not to mention rise of attacks on our culture, the pushing of anti-LGBTQ legislation. or the attacks from within our community (the "LGB without the Q and T" and "Gays Against Groomers" astroturfed bullshit) all backed by dark money.

Mentally, while I am as ready to fight as I have always been, I have to acknowledge that I'm getting older and more measured with the things I say and do on this blog.  I'm probably not going to post as much, but I will be posting steadily. Also, I probably won't be as nice as I was in the past. When it comes to anti-LGBTQ lies and such, the reality is now no matter how much proof you put out there refuting them, there will always be an element of folks ignoring it.

And sometimes exposure alone don't mean shit.

So, if you have read this far, here what to expect from this blog in the future - steady commentary but with a little less posting. And above all, I'm going to be less polite in how I categorize certain people and groups. 

Because they deserve it.

'Ohio Supreme Court tosses drag ban initiative from ballot' & other Wed midday news briefs

Massive win: Ohio high court tosses drag ban from the ballot - Drag wins again. This also happened last week.

Ohio Supreme Court blocks Bellefontaine vote restricting drag shows, rules Secretary of State Frank LaRose ‘abused’ his discretion - More details. 

 ‘My dad isn’t scary’: Kids of trans parents are countering hate with family photos - I love this. Trans men and women are parents too. 

GOP school board candidate caught discussing “fire-breathing” lesbians, “grooming” - Well doesn't he sound nice?

 9 LGBTQ historic residences that you can visit now - You can also come to my house. I won't even charge.

Federal judge keeps ban against Montana anti-drag law in place while harshly criticizing it

 

Editor's note - It's sad when there is so much misery and chaos in the world that you miss positive news. This took place last week and I'm just getting news about it.

Last week, a federal judge kept in place a ban on enforcing Montana's anti-drag law. What makes this ruling significant was how harshly he criticized the law.

From The Advocate (with me highlighting the crucial part of the article):

A federal judge on Friday extended his stay on Montana’s controversial ban on drag queen story hours in schools and libraries. H.B. 359 was passed earlier this year and bans minors from attending all drag performances. The law was challenged in court by a collection of performers, activists, and businesses who claimed they had been harmed by the ban, which they believe is unconstitutional. 

 U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris on Friday continued his stay, finding the state had presented no evidence to show that children would be harmed by watching a drag show. The stay only prevents the law from taking effect as the case continues in court, but Morris harshly H.B. 359 and its backers in his decision, in effect calling their case baseless and highlighting how the law negatively impacts the greater LGBTQ+ community. 

 “State Defendants presented no evidence before the Court to indicate that limiting children’s exposure to speech and expression critical of gender norms or by gender non-conforming people bears any relationship to promoting children’s welfare,” Morris wrote in his 54-page ruling, but instead relied “largely on statements by members of the Montana legislature and witnesses at the hearings on H.B. 359.”

 . . .Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed House Bill 359 into law in May. The law took effect immediately and was the first state law to ban drag queen story hours entirely. The stay was first granted in July after the plaintiffs complained it would force the cancellation of the upcoming Helena Pride celebration. The stay allowed the annual event to continue. 

Judge Morris' brutal statement against Montana's drag ban law underscores that this hysteria against drag queens is a con by wannabe social media influencers and pathetically bigoted sad sacks with nothing substantial going on in their lives. All they did was rage post and lie about drag queens, thereby creating a frenzy fueled by ignorance about drag culture, the fear of children being harmed, and hidden prejudices against LGBTQ people. 

Please note how these losers are conveniently absent when their whipped-up hysteria has to be defended in a court of law.

The gayest horror movie of the 1980s : A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 vs. Fright Night

 Being that it is October, and I was trying to work in a post about two of my most favorite subtextual gay horror movies, I figure why not now. Usually, my blog focuses on the anti-LGBTQ industry, but there are times in which I feel we need a break. Also, I love sneaking little bits of LGBTQ culture in from time to time.

Others may disagree but, in my opinion the two most subtextual gay horror movies of the 80s were A Nightmare on Elm Street Two: Freddy's Revenge (1985) and Fright Night (1985). They come from way back in the day in which openly gay characters weren't dared to be shown on screen, so there were a lot of implications and homoerotic undertones. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 is considered by many to be a very subversively gay horror movie. Of course, when I watched it, I was surprised and pleasantly pleased by the amount of male nudity is showed. Now, as our community has moved out of the closet and into the warm glow of sunshine, it turns out that the undercurrent of homosexuality in this movie was in fact intentional.

As further proof of this, you can either watch my friend Matt Baume espouse about it:

 

 

Or just skip to the good stuff: 

    

 And then there was Fright Night which I absolutely adored. This movie was about a young man (Williams Ragsdale) who discovered that his next-door neighbor (Chris Sarandon) was a vampire and rather than simply ignore it (which the vampire actually told him to do), he decides to save the day. 

Unlike Nightmare on Elm Street 2, the gay undertones weren't as blatant. But they were there:

 

 There was one specific scene which I watched repeatedly. It's when the vampire corners the young man's friend (Stephen Geoffreys) in an alleyway. Instead of simply attacking him, he seduces him in a nonsexual (but highly sexually hinted) way:

 

Many of Fright Night's cast members have places in LGBTQ cinema history.

Chris Sarandon (the vampire) received an Oscar nomination for his motion picture debut as Al Pacino's pre-op transgender boyfriend in Dog Day Afternoon. Amanda Bearse (Charley's girlfriend and the damsel in distress) became an LGBTQ icon when she came out while starring in the long running television show Married With Children.

Jonathan Stark (who played the vampire's attendant) later became a television writer and shared an Emmy award for co-writing the landmark episode of Ellen in which Ellen DeGeneres's character came out. Roddy McDowall (Peter Vincent) had been dogged for years about rumors of his sexual orientation. And even Stephen Geoffreys cemented a dubious place in LGBTQ film history by starring in several gay pornographic movies. He has since made a comeback to horror movies.