No on Prop 8: The Musical!

Die Prop 8, Die!

Prop 8, which re-banned gay marriage in California, is ridiculously depressing, and reading about the thousands and thousands of people who turned out to protest it, while inspiring, isn't exactly happy-making. This, however, is a form of protest against Prop 8 that can make us all smile:

Cast (in order of appearance):

California Gays and The People That Love Them--

Jordan Ballard, Margaret Cho, Barrett Foa, J.B. Ghuman, John Hill, Andy Richter, Maya Rudolph, Rashad Naylor, Nicole Parker

Proposition 8'ers and The People That Follow Them--

Prop 8 Leader - John C. Reilly

Prop 8 Leader's #1 Wife - Allison Janney

Prop 8 Leader's #2 Wife - Kathy Najimy

Riffing Prop 8'er - Jenifer Lewis

A Preacher - Craig Robinson

Scary Catholic School Girls From Hell - Rashida Jones, Lake Bell, Sarah Chalke

The Frightened Villagers - Katharine "Kooks" Leonard, Seth Morris, Denise "Esi!" Piane, Lucian Piane, Richard Read, Seth Redford, Quinton Strack, Tate Taylor, Brunson Green

Jesus Christ - Jack Black

A Very Smart Fellow - Neil Patrick Harris

Piano Player - Marc "Marc" Shaiman

Have I mentioned that Neil Patrick Harris is the best thing ever?

Anyway, hope everyone has a good rest-of-weekend, and remember, you can submit anonymous questions for answer by the GSA by clicking HERE.

Answers (finally!)

Hey guys! Sorry sorry sorry for the delay; there was some ridiculous miscommunication junior/senior year business... Anyway, we now present, finally, the long-awaited next installment of: [Answers to] Questions for the GSA

Questions for the GSA

Q: Have you ever come out? How did the person you came out to react right after? The same or differently?

     A: I've come out to several people. The reactions differ from person to person. Some of the best reactions I've had were along the lines of, "ok, but why is that a big deal?" Many of my friends were willing to accept me no matter what, and didn't have any problems with my sexuality. One of my friends was very angry when I told her because she felt I had snubbed her by not letting her know about it sooner. I had to explain that I hadn't always been completely aware of my sexuality and that I was not trying to keep secrets from her. It was a strange experience.

     The worst experience I have ever had with a friend was over the internet. He was the first person I told and I was very scared that he would have a problem with it, so I told him over email (never a good choice). He responded, "so, is this just a phase, or is this a lifestyle choice you are making?" It hurt. I was unable to think of anything to say back, and I didn't talk to him for a couple of days because I was so afraid of the comments he would make, even in passing. I was justified in my fear – a few days later, I met up with him at a party and the first thing he told me was that I looked very "Katy Perry".

Q: How can a straight friend support gay friends/acquaintances?

     A: Generally, people who are GLBTetc. (for simplicity I'll just say 'queer' from here on out) just want to be accepted. So, to that end: don't make a big deal about their queerness. You don't need to vocalize at every moment that you're supportive, because more often than not that just indicates awkwardness and discomfort with the whole issue. When sexuality becomes a non-issue, people feel truly accepted. Don't treat your friend's sexuality as if it were made of glass--accepting doesn't mean never bringing it up ever ever ever. Don't be afraid to talk about sexuality (theirs and in general), even joke about it, good-naturedly, in a way that doesn't bother them. If something confuses you or you want to know something or you're curious about something... ask! Because people would rather you understand and have all the facts, plus we generally appreciate candor. Don't be ignorant--if you don't know something, then ask. Don't be offensive--no stupid jokes where gayness is the punchline, no gay slurs, etc. Other than that... just be natural, speak your mind, don't be afraid of sexuality. Let them know that you're still their friend.

     Outside of social stuff, you can look around on websites of some GLBT organizations (HRC, for example, or GLSEN, which is a very good one for students) and even ask your friends if there's some social cause you can volunteer for, or some event you can participate in. Go to GSA meetings. Do Day of Silence. When people are being homophobic, inadvertently or not, call them on it.

Q: I am a high school boy, I am physically attracted to guys, and I came to terms with this a long time ago. However, I have recently realized that my emotional/romantic attraction is more with girls. This sort of puts me in a dillema, what should i do?

     A: Is the problem that you get romantically attached to girls, but it's not enough to give you a physical attraction to them? If that's the case, I wouldn't consider this much of a dilemma. My advice is to look past the binary. I'm not a believer in destiny, but my experience is that whatever your specific needs or desires, there are people out there who fill them. There are women who have male bodies, and while some of them are looking to change that, not all are. Seek out individuals who identify in this way (or have other non-binary identities you might be attracted to). I advise you to so a little bit of research into trans identity (G/SA will have a discussion on it pretty soon, we swear), and start thinking about ways in which the lines might blur favorably for you. Keeping in mind that not all people are just girls or just boys could help you find romances that satisfy you on multiple levels.

     A: Unless you are feeling an attraction towards on specific girl, I see no dilemma here. Sure, classifying yourself becomes a little trickier, but you're in high school. What you call yourself now may be completely different from the label you identify with ten years from now. Sexuality is very, very flexible.

     If there is a specific girl, well, that becomes an i-have-a-crush-on-this-girl problem, and I am not the best one to answer your query. If you are worried that this girl does not know you are (also?) attracted to girls, and you want to make this known to her so as to pursue a relationship, that's your prerogative.

     Otherwise, labels are for soup cans.

Q: Am I bi/bicurious? i'm a girl, and although i would never want to have a relationship with another girl (way too much moodiness) i would NOT mind AT ALL making out with some of my friends. i'm also attracted to guys, but i obviously know more about girls' bodies. so i'm not really sure, honestly. any ideas? but remember i would NEVER HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A GIRL.

     A: I think you should try to think about why you so emphatically insist that you would NEVER HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH A GIRL. If it's because you genuinely do not form romantic attachments with girls, then you're probably straight, and just not repulsed by the idea of kissing girls. Not minding something is not really the same as actively desiring it. On the another hand, if your reason for never wanting a relationship with a girl is that they're too moody, (or some latent ingrained heterocentrism you might not even recognize), then you're probably bi or curious, and you just need to avoid moody women. i promise that some women are laid-back. Also, with knowing more about women's bodies, I presume the implication of adding that was that you know more about how to please women's bodies, though I could be wrong... just keep in mind that knowledge is all about how you use it and how you want to use it. There's no harm in trying things and seeing how you like them, and there's no harm in letting your partners know when something is just for fun, or just an experiment. We in the queer community advise you to conduct these experiments in areas where they won't be misinterpreted (most notably not at parties), but it's really up to you how you go about it.

Q: I am an out lesbian member of GSA, but I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable asking this question in person so I'm doing it anonymously. Recently I was talking to a friend about dressing in drag and I began almost unconsciously to take back everything I'd said. This is not an isolated incident; in general I've been more timid about expressing myself and being out to most people or flamboyantly gay to even my close allied and queer friends. I feel really comfortable with myself, so why am I having this problem? Even the fact that I've chosen to send this question without my name attached makes me doubt myself. I'm not really sure what to do.

     A: I'm not 100% positive what you're asking, but I'll try to answer anyway. I get the sense that you're worried because you feel yourself going back on your coming out, so to speak. Well, the first thing to do is ask yourself whether you're becoming any less gay. (I guess a better way to put that is, are you feeling yourself more attracted to guys, or less attracted to girls, or some other such shift in your sexuality?) There is NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS. Don't feel like you're wishy-washy, don't agonize about having made a mistake by coming out too early, don't do the straight-people thing of hoping it's a phase, and that soon you can go back to being plain ol' gay. Sexuality isn't simple. Sexuality is fluid and shifts a lot, and very few people are completely monosexual. So if you feel your sexuality shifting, don't stress. It doesn't mean you were wrong when you came out as gay, it doesn't mean you necessarily aren't gay... basically, all it means is that you should slow down a little and think things through, and figure out what label, if any, best suits you.

     There's another big possible reason for toning down the flamboyance, which is simply that you're starting to feel too flamboyant. I know that personally, when I first came out, I was ridiculously flamboyant and outspoken, because I wanted to be out to absolutely everyone, and I wasn't all that secure in my sexuality. But after a while I started to realize that my loud, obnoxious GAYNESS was... well, loud and obnoxious. I was only doing it because of my insecurities, because I wanted everyone to know that I was gay-hear-me-roar. And of course, my loud obnoxious gayness got me branded my grade's "token lesbian." I thought about all this stuff, and I realized that sexuality isn't as big a deal as some people (like myself) made it out to be, and I toned down the flamboyance.

     So, you may be wanting to tone down for a number of reasons. (For me, it was a combination of realizing I was obnoxiously flamboyant, and starting to question my sexuality in the other direction--so I maybe didn't want to be called a "lesbian" anymore.) It doesn't mean you're uncomfortable with yourself or that you're not expressing yourself--it sounds to me like you're just a little hazy on what "yourself" is at the moment. If being yourself around the people you love and trust feels uncomfortable, then there's a good chance yourself. So basically: don't stress. Relax, let things be what they'll be. Slow down, think things through, and don't feel bad/indecisive/whatever for having to slow down and think things through. Just figure out how you feel comfortable.

That's it for now! Check back later for more stuffs. Read the blog, tell your friends, email us at hchs.gsa@gmail.com if you want to get in touch, or drop us a comment. Click HERE to ask us questions (completely anonymously!) for this week. Peace out!

November's Group Question, Answered

In keeping with our whole getting-the-blog-back-on-track thing, here's the GSA's answers to the last group question we had up here, which was: Are homosexual or bisexual (or transgender or whatever part of the spectrum you belong to) folk really bothered by the derogatory words used to describe them, even if not aimed at them?

Here are our answers: 

      A: Hmm. See, this is completely just my opinion but like I notice that I'm less bothered when it's aimed at me, than when its aimed at other people; whether I know/like them or not.

As far as it not bothering me specifically, it could just be a matter of thicker/thinner shelled personalities, etc. but I always feel more obligated to say/do something about it when its aimed at others.

     When it comes to general conversation among other people though, that isnt specifically attacking a certain person or idea I always feel like it'd be super out of place to leap in and correct them.

     I dunno. It's all so situation/mood/enviroment based.

      A: Well, yeah. I mean, if someone called you a terrible name, you'd get offended too, right? The way I see it is that the Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender, etc...community is a minority group, just like any racial group or religious group. Along with the territory of being a minority group comes the words that you shouldn't say. Truthfully, I am okay when my friends or fellow gays say words like fag and queer, but that's because they're basically allowed to say it. 

     When someone says something in a conversation that I'm not in, I feel tempted to say "hey, can you not?", but it seems out of place. Maybe that's something I can work on.  But, just to be blunt, yeah, just how people within any minority can throw words around that they themselves identify with, it works the same with the LGBT community. Words like fag, dyke, queer, homo, all of these are completely inappropriate if not said in a joking manner between two friends who do identify with the community. Otherwise, it's actually just inappropriate. And yeah, sometimes friends who I am very, very, very close friends with who aren't gay can sometimes throw these words out. But, if someone I barely know calls me a faggot and thinks it an endearing term, it's really not.

      A: I'm not personally offended, no. When someone says "That's so gay!" or something, it's not that I feel insulted. The problem I've always had with that sort of talk is that people simply aren't thinking about what they're saying; it's become so accepted a phrase that people don't even think about homosexuality when they say it, and that's the real issue.

      A: I am offended when people toss around derogatory words for LGBT people. I'm disgusted with the current atmosphere in which it's okay to equate homosexuality with "stupid." If things get to a point where I can say "I'm gay" and people might very well respond with "really? Why? What did you do?" then I'm a bit afraid for the future. Okay, so maybe I exaggerate, but you get the point. Being gay is a significant part of who I am. It's been damn difficult to accept myself and my identity and all that goes with it. So yes, when I hear someone say the word "gay" in the halls, I turn around. And if it turns out they're just bitching about, say, a CD they didn't like, it gets me pretty goddamn angry. I'm constantly hearing a part of myself associated with the stupid and the inconvenient, and it hurts. People say that things have changed and "gay" now just about means "stupid," so why fight it? Well, words change meaning, yeah, but the meaning of this word hasn't completely changed yet, and there's no reason why I can't fight to keep the word 'gay' from becoming a symbol of intolerance and hate.

Thanks for reading! I promise, we're actually doing this thing now, so check back--you can follow the blog via blogspot's own little method, RSS, or using some other method that I don't know about yet because I've never used Blogger before. Click HERE to ask us questions--just leave a comment with your question, and we'll post up an answer some time next week, completely anonymously! Feel free to leave us any other sort of comment, fun anonymous pieces of poetry/artwork, shoutouts, whatever. S'all good!

Ask Questions for 12/5-12/14

Okay, take two! Let's get this thing up and running (again...)

So... Hey all! If you have a question concerning LGBT issues, be it personal, social, political, whatever, leave it as a comment below. All comments are anonymous and private, and will not appear!

This is for 12/5/08-12/14/08! We'll start answering those questions on the 14th and hopefully have answers up by that Friday, the 19th. 

Also, if you have anything else you want to see up here (an anonymous poem, picture, story, shout-out, whatever) feel free to send that in as well (anonymously as well!) Spread us around!