Stonewall Awards...

[fajrdrako]

The First Annual Stonewall awards were given out at the Royal Academy in London last night. John Barrowman won an award as "Entertainer of the Year". He said:

Thank you for this honour. It means a great deal to me to be recognised by my community and peers. Congratulations to the other nominees. We are the few who are proud of who we are and not afraid to talk about it. We are proof that you can be honest and have a great career. I hope others can live by this example.

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Scary, isn't it? I am utterly thankful that I live in a country where equal rights for gays is ensconced in the constitution, gay marriage is legal, and we shouldn't have to be afraid to be uncloseted.

At the same time I know how precarious these rights are, and the Harper government would like to reverse all the previous rulings about marriage and rights. It's reason... not to panic, but to look nervously over our shoulders.

I hope no one dies in your gay pride parade. It makes me want to fly over there and march with them, just to prove - I don't know what it would prove. Maybe just that it isn't 'all right' to have a world where people can be threatened and scorned for their sexual orientation. Or worse.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Last parade three people were stabbed.

This was meant to be a "World" event, with lots of tourists, with "look how open minded our country is" - not to mention, with TONS of money to the city from the people who'd come in. Of course, it was rallied against (somehow the police could afford to work with the rally *against* but not with the actual gay parade, for *that* they had not enough manpower, see), and postponed, and lots and lots of stuff, and now no tourists would come here. No "World Pride" for us, just another political fight.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Last parade three people were stabbed.

Fatally? I hope not. Not that it's 'okay' either way.

"look how open minded our country is"

Sounds as if that idea backfired quickly. The world needs to grow up a little more. No wonder we have so many wars, with tolerance at such a low point.

Another political fight is the last thing you need.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

No, no one died. Yet.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

No, no one died. Yet.

Good. I hope you can still say this after this year's gay pride parade.

There was trouble and controversy over the gay pride parade in Ottawa this year too - I heard rumours about infighting in gay groups and hostility from the City, but I suspect it's mostly that the City is cutting back budgetarily from all festivals and such.

The scariest thing is that so many people think it is a virtue to attack gay people. (Shudder.)

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

They think their God wants them to.

I never heard him say such a thing.

Oh, here the city has plenty of money to spend on what they want, which is a minority thing, but not enough to keep the city clean, or send cops to protect gay people from people with knives. It's a matter of priority, see.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

They think their God wants them to. I never heard him say such a thing.

Neither did I, but I have a feeling that their God wouldn't talk to me, anyway. (Except maybe for a random smite. I suspect that wouldn't involve conversation anyway.)

Priorities. Right.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty sure their god isn't talking to them much either. Too busy throwing up in the corner and holding up signs saying "IT'S NOT ME!" whenever they do something like this.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I suspect you're right! With the occasional "I NEVER SAID THAT" thrown in.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

And then on occasion he smites the fuck outta them, and instead of going, "man, were we wrong", they say "we all get hit because GAY PEOPLE HAVE TEH GAY SEX!!113134".

At which point, God headdesks.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So true.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

I took part in a parade in Strasbourg in 2005: it was fun! I happened to be there for a work-related conference, and the march was going on, and so I linked arms with a French lesbian as the parade went past.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I've been in the Ottawa pride march a few times; it's tiny and fun. I've marched in Toronto twice - it's big and exciting. And one year (the 25th anniversary of Stonewall, whenever that was) I went to New York to march in the big parade, which was quite amazing and wonderful and even a little overwhelming.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Where is this?

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Jerusalem.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

I know there are quite a few places where it's still not safe to be gay...
Commiserations.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Thing is, it WAS safe. The first parade was doing just fine.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

And now the God-Squad's up in arms...

I joined the National Secular Society the other week because here in the UK, the religious of all kinds seem to be throwing their weight around.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

It's all over the place, sigh. Just sign of the times, history in the making, all that shit.

I still wanna move the hell away from *here* though.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I still think it would be better to have a world where progress happens, where people treat each other well instead of badly... if only people could get the hang of doing it consistently.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I think the same thing is happening here, though not so blatantly. Mostly they're acting through politicians; the Harper government likes to appeal to the conservative religious element. Interestingly, the politicians who ran on a Christian platform in the last election were mostly soundly defeated.

[silverwhistle.livejournal.com]

Alas, we've got Blair (who wasn't voted in on a religious ticket - it's not a UK thing), and Ruth Kelly, who's an Opus Dei member. Various pressure groups, Christian and Muslim and others, are now making more noise than their numbers give them any right to, and are trying to intimidate.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

who wasn't voted in on a religious ticket - it's not a UK thing

I don't think it's a Canadian thing either - as evidenced - but I do occasionally live in fear, as American ideas have a way of creeping northwards sometimes.

We've had some problems with Muslim influence in provincial politics, which actually led to a greater division between church and state, which I consider a very good thing.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

I think it still is safe, in normal daily life. And the first 3 parades were fine. It's some extremist religious factions that lost their political goal and are looking for another outlet. So they incite and inflame and are very good at PR.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So why aren't the gays as good at the PR as the homophobes? I know who I think has more creativity and talent.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Don't know about "gay people", but personally, when people are this stupid, this disgusting, I don't feel like explaining my side, trying to help them see the light, or saving their pathetic, unsalvageable souls.

I've seen people try to explain, try to appeal to logic and to common decency. They got nowhere. There is no one on the other side listening. Hey, just like any other debate in human history.

I'm sorry. I'm not having a very good week, and my tolerance level hit zero just before plummeting further down.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Good points all. The fantaics will never listen. But the people who aren't yet committed to the fanatics might - I'm not sure how to get through to them, though.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

The anti side is heavily fuelled by the extreme right wing who organized massively in last year's pullout from Gaza. That's when the trouble started. Tehy realized they were no longer in concensus, and we are the extreme marker of liberal secular Israel. So they're united *at least on this front* and haev a well-oiled mechanism in place. Our side is internally divided and therefore harder to mobilize in a single direction, and also not as loud. Rioting and inflamed inciting make more headlines.
A lot of people keep saying Jerusalem is a holy city full of religious people and forget (stupidly or conveniently, depending on side) that a. its' the largest city in the country with over 70% of the local population secular and b. this is the capital of the nation and what happens here is representative of the values of the country.