U.S.S. Harvey Milk? Maybe…

I was unaware that Harvey served in the US Navy. It just made me love him a little more, as if I needed more reasons. lol

Harvey Milk is a gay icon. In death he has been memorialized, idolized, and the mere mention of his name inspires activist ideas, commercial boycotts, and the notion that gay and lesbian people can run for and be elected to political office. In life Milk, who ultimately became a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors until he was assassinated along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in 1978, was also a U.S. Navy Veteran of the Korean War. Under his leadership, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the city’s landmark gay rights law in 1977. Milk was, without a doubt, a trailblazer and a courageous politician with an honorable military record to match, which is why State Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) introduced a resolution urging the Navy to name a ship after Milk. After a long, passionate debate on August 20, Senate Resolution 36 was approved. Harvey Milk, veteran, activist, leader, is one step closer to having a U.S. Navy ship named in his honor. 

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS VOTE FOR SHIP TO BE NAMED AFTER HARVEY MILK

On Monday, after a long, passionate debate over a proposal to name a vessel after slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk, supporters of the resolution had cause to celebrate when news of its passing circulated.

It is important to note that state lawmakers have no power to name U.S. Navy ships. Instead, the resolution is viewed as a recommendation to the Secretary of the Navy, and in no way guarantees Milk will get a ship in honor of his namesake.

State Sen. Christine Kehoe (D-San Diego) introduced the resolution urging the Navy to name a ship for Milk, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who was assassinated by a political rival.

Kehoe noted that Milk began his public service in the Navy, serving during the Korean War as a diver aboard the submarine rescue ship Kittiwake and later as a diving instructor before eventually leaving the Navy as a lieutenant.

“It’s more than appropriate to my constituents and to all of us that Harvey Milk be remembered for his service in the U.S. military,” Kehoe said.

Republican senators opposed the resolution, saying Navy ships are traditionally named after states, cities, presidents and admirals. They said Milk’s military record did not rise to the level of justifying his name on a ship.

Kehoe noted that President Obama posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Milk, and that the state has designated May 22 annually as “Harvey Milk Day.”

In the end, Senate Resolution 36 was approved on a 25-8 vote, with no Republicans voting in favor.

The original article was published by OutServe Magazine. It’s an excellent resource for those interested in both the LGBT community and the military. Check it out. :]

Life, Lessons, and Drag Queens

While I no longer consider myself a Christian, I almost always appreciate John Shore’s view on things. Yesterday’s post was no exception. 

I like hanging out with drag queens because the more knowledge someone has about life the more I’m attracted to them. And drag queens know stuff about life that Yoda himself won’t even start to figure out until at the very least he walks by a mirror and notices that burlap frock he’s wearing.

Bottom line: anyone who doesn’t value what drag queens bring to the big movable feast that is life wouldn’t know a well stocked spice rack from a block of Velveeta cheese.

Here are ten essential truths of life that every drag queen not only knows but constantly evinces. If there’s a greater bundle of Life’s Truths to have in your pocket or purse, I wish I knew of it.

1. The world belongs to the confident.
2. To become who others want you to be is to become no one at all.
3. Style is substance.
4. If all of life is a stage, why not head for the spotlight?
5. Identity (thank God) is malleable.
6. Life is about layers.
7. Beauty is attitude.
8. Some of the best views are from the outside.
9. All life is sexy.
10. A day without fun is like death.

I’m definitely taking those lessons and putting them in my pocket. <3

For the full post: What drag queens taught this straight Christian guy.

Why It Matters

I know that everyone is tired of hearing about this, but I believe this post is too important not to share. It is the best synopsis that I have found of why this issue matters to me and so many others. It’s not about freedom of speech or chicken. If that’s all you think this is then you’ve missed the point entirely. Please read this with a soft heart and an open mind. Thank you.

What is friendship to you? What is loyalty? How important are human life and dignity to you? Are they more important than fitting in with your social group? Are they more important than loyalty to a corporate brand, or a political party, or some misguided church teaching?

To read the article follow this link: The Chick Fellatio: stuck in the craw.

Never Stop Fighting

Yesterday was a bit of a strange day for me. It was filled with moments of self-realization, anger, sadness, determination, laughter, nostalgia, and at the last letting go.

It’s funny. When you’re a kid you never really know where your life will lead. I certainly didn’t. I never would have guessed that by the age of 28 I would be an out, proud lesbian who while attempting to be as centrist as possible typically ends up landing on the liberal end of life.

I look back at my 8 year old self, all skinned knees and crazy hair, and I laugh with the memories that flood my mind. My mother never had to worry about bringing toys for me when we went out. She would just pull a few pens and pencils out of her purse and hand them to me. I proceeded to give them names and was entertained for hours. I remember how I used to drive my sister’s friends crazy because I loved hugging people so much. They just thought I was weird. I hated dresses and whenever my mother forced me to wear one I usually ended up getting it dirty somehow. Don’t get me started on the color pink either. That was a wussy color [as though I was tough lol]. I loved The 101 Dalmatians and even had a Patch doll that I slept with so much his head started detaching where I would hug him so tightly. Almost every night I would beg Mom to read just one more chapter or get in trouble for trying to read just a little more myself. My imagination ran free, and my friends loved playing “Adventures” with me, as I used to call it. My stories were always complex, took us all over the house, yard, and sometimes even the neighborhood. I loved soccer, basketball, drawing, and Jesus.

Fast forward to age 18. I was deeply in like with my best friend, and she had no clue. We were both extremely religious, conservative, and gay simply was not OK. I hated myself for getting tingles when she hugged me or touched my hand. I opted to go to bible college and threw myself even further into studying the book on which my life was based. Already I knew it better than most of my friends’ parents, but that wasn’t enough. I was still queer and still couldn’t make it go away. I had to study harder. I considered god my friend and begged him regularly to “remove this thorn from me.” He didn’t.

Fast forward another 10 years to today. I actually enjoy wearing dresses on occasion and pink is my favorite color. I have a bachelors degree in christian counseling with a minor in bible, as well as an associates in web design. Bible verses flood my mind as quickly as some of my favorite movie, song, or book quotes. Even so, it’s been a few years since I’ve so much as opened one of the 12-15 bibles now collecting dust in a box in my closet. While I fully believe you can be both queer and a believer, I am not. I no longer center my life around this one book and the god to which it introduced me. I once believed it to be inerrant, infallible, ineffable, and inspired. Now it’s simply another book to me, filled with wisdom and folly alike.

Ask me at 8 if I would no longer believe in Jesus as my lord and savior, and I would have laughed at the very idea. Ask me at 18 if I would just yesterday have watched the bridge between myself and my former best friend burn into nothing, and I’d have called you mad.

Learning who you are, accepting yourself, and figuring out what you believe is a long, hard journey. Words can’t express how grateful I am to be where I am today, but I won’t pretend that the growing pains have left me without scars. I am far from perfect and still have a great deal of learning to do, but each and every day I learn and grow. I count that as success. There are moments where I cry and hurt, but I also know that every scar serves as a reminder of a moment where I grew stronger.

“To be nobody but yourself — in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.”

— E.E. Cummings

Never stop fighting, not for anyone or anything.