Best Music Video of the Year

Happy Halloween everyone! I was going to do a whole Halloween post, but I really don't get into it that much except for movie marathons on Disney and ABC Family (btw, who's excited for HP7?!). But this Halloweekend was actually a lot of fun. Went to an Obama rally yesterday during the day with UConners and the Trail of Terror at night with family. It was only moderately terrifying though, unless you count the fear of spraining an ankle on the uneven ground and of contracting Tetanus from the old rusty sets. But we had fun anyways. Then today was back to my boring online student life, handed out candy between readings (costumes were really lame this year except for the adorable toddler dressed as a skunk).

Onto this post's topic. Best music of the year...and the Vu Music Award (VMA) goes to...*drumroll* Katy Perry for Fireworks! This is what responsible media is all about folks. Great song with empowering lyrics accompanied by an inspiring music video that addresses overcoming obstacles from all different types of issues, including being gay, body image, domestic violence and bullying. It's all about bursting out and showing everyone how wonderful you truly are.

I included the lyrics and took the liberty of putting the poignant parts in blue (yes, that did involve making all of them blue)

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It's always been inside of you, you, you
And now it's time to let it through

'Cause baby you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh
As you shoot across the sky

Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Sorry Clint McCance...Apology Unaccepted

Arkansas school board member, Clint McCance, put out a statement today expressing his intent on resigning from his position, and rightfully so. Most of you who read my blog can tell that I'm a big supporter of our Constitutional rights, especially the freedom of speech, but some of the outrageous posts published on Mr. McCance's Facebook is not the type of speech that is meant to be protected. I consider them more on the side of hate speech. Some of his comments were:

"Seriously they want me to wear purple because five queers killed themselves. The only way im wearin it for them is if they all commit suicide. I cant believe the people of this world have gotten this stupid. We are honoring the fact that they sinned and killed thereselves because of their sin. REALLY PEOPLE."

"No because being a fag doesn't give you the right to ruin the rest of our lives. If you get easily offended by being called a fag then dont tell anyone you are a fag. Keep that shit to yourself. I dont care how people decide to live their lives. They dont bother me if they keep it to thereselves. It pisses me off though that we make a special purple fag day for them. I like that fags cant procreate. I also enjoy the fact that they often give each other aids and die. If you arent against it, you might as well be for it."

"I would disown my kids they were gay. They will not be welcome at my home or in my vicinity. I will absolutely run them off. Of course my kids will know better. My kids will have solid christian beliefs. See it infects everyone."

The last comment falls into the realm of acceptable speech. Sure Mr. McCance may still have been fired for it because we have employment-at-will in the U.S., but the comment itself falls more into the category of a close-minded opinion from an ignorant person. The first two comments, however, are potentially dangerous. They express support for the suicide of queer people and the death of queer people from AIDS. These kinds of hateful words could encourage violence by anti-queer individuals ("yea, he's right they should all die") and suicide from queer youth ("wow, even this guy my own school board is telling me that queer people should die"). Mr. McCance's actions were flat-out wrong and I'm glad to know that he will no longer be in a position of influence in regards to educating our youth.

Accompanying his resignation was an apology. He claimed, "I would never support suicide for any kids...All I can do now is extend my apologies for my poor speech...I give everyone a chance and try to love everyone." Forgive me, Mr. McCance, if I don't necessarily believe you. But please, I invite you to prove me wrong. Right now, I don't see how someone who doesn't support suicide, someone who is so loving, could ever write those atrocious posts. And there is surely more that you can do. How about trying to further educate yourself about queer issues? You say you give everyone a chance - PROVE IT

The Closing of a Chapter

I observed the Rainbow Center Speakers' Bureau for the first time today. I'd been a speaker on it since I was a freshman at UConn and then became the coordinator when I was a junior, but today is the first time I found myself on the other side of the classroom and I gotta admit, it was a surreal experience.

But those days are gone and it's time to move on and reassess my role in the queer community. In college, being gay was literally part of my job. I would do workshops and visit classes and I knew what I should do to get involved. But now what? What does activism in the real world look like? Well, here are a few actions steps I did figure out:

1) Be a good person. I always considered this the greatest form of activism, more than any rally or protest. I think it is so helpful when straight folks can see gay people and recognize them as human beings before sexual beings. So I may be an intelligent gay accountant, but that's not how I want people to see it. I would rather them say that I'm a smart accountant that happens to be gay. They should be able to look favorably on my character before judging me based on my orientation. I also want to serve as a good role model for gay youth.

2) Affect your own communities: This really starts with friends and families by speaking up when derogatory or ignorant comments are made. I know, I know, easier said than done. But try your best and keep it light if you need to. Say something like, "That joke is whack" (except use something you cool cats are actually saying these days). Friends and family are just my starting point though, I want to do more. So I'll be visiting my high school within the next couple weeks to see if I can help out their GSA (updates to come).

3) Be informed, be active and vote: A week from today, you all know what to do. Make sure the candidates you vote for support equal rights. I won't tell you who to vote for because that's a political choice. But whoever you are, remember to vote because if the population doesn't participate, the government doesn't work.

This list will probably evolve over time, but I'm new to this whole non-university thing.

Best and Worst Qualities

This is going to be another one of those "Dear Diary" entries where I write about myself a little bit. In the spirit of introspection, I thought it'd be interesting to figure out what my three best and worst qualities are. Interestingly enough, my three worst qualities are extreme version of my three best worst qualities. So I guess my defining worst quality is being totally extreme... haha not so much.

Best Quality 1: Intelligence. I consider myself to be a pretty intelligent person. My GPA is always in the 3.9s or a 4.0. I graduated summa cum laude and I really enjoy teaching people things, which is why I became a tutor at Manchester Community College (set up an appointment with me Monday/Thursday mornings if you want some math or accounting help!)

Worst Quality 1: Intelligence. I can sometimes over think things when it would've been better if I had just went with my gut. My obsession with academics and high grades also has a known effect to make people nauseous.

Best Quality 2: Kindness. I try to be really friendly with anyone that I meet (and not in the dirty way that those of you with your minds in the gutter are thinking). I just know how much better my day gets when I have friendly people around me, so I want to be that for other people.

Worst Quality 2: Kindness. I can be a pushover at times and let people walk all over me. It's one of my more annoying qualities that I get infuriated with myself at. I just want to help everyone, but am getting better at telling people no.

Best Quality 3: Positivity. I have my moments where I can cheer people up. That was really my selling point as a cheerleader to make up for my inability to do a back handspring. When you're smiling...the whole world smiles at you.

Worst Quality 3: Positivity. I hate being negative so I avoid it all costs. I just don't think it's a good look for me. but usually that ends up with me suppressing anger and then blowing up later about it. I call it my version of that "time of the month."

OK, so now you know my three. Leave a comment and share one of YOUR best and worst qualities.

Hey Obama! Let Mama Marry Mama!

The title of this one is probably one of my favorite chants that I learned at the National Equality March last October. Now, it's time to call upon Obama once again to be the fierce advocate for equal rights that he promised to be around this time last year.

Has there been steps? Yes. He's called for hospital visitation rights for LGBT couples; openly expressed disagreement of the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy; even made a video for the "It Gets Better" Project. But it's not enough! I watched the video for the first time the other day and I genuinely wanted to say, "Good for you Obama, nice way to stand up for our community." But instead, the thoughts in my head were going, "This is so hypocritical." At one point during his message, he tells queer youth that they have done nothing wrong. Well, if that's true why is the queer community being punished? And not by high school bullies, but by our federal government. How can you tell them that they did nothing wrong and then say they shouldn't be allowed federal marriages? How can you say they did nothing wrong and then let your administration slap an injunction on the ban of DADT? How can you say they did nothing wrong when you are constantly making them feel like second class citizens who don't deserve all the rights their peers get? How do you say that?

Kind and supportive words are great, probably more than we might have gotten with the alternative candidate, but it is not enough. There MUST be action or else those kind words are just examples of the meaningless rhetoric that politicians are always accused of. And don't take this as an attack against Obama. I think he's done a decent job so far. But as the President, decent isn't good enough. He must be held accountable for the promises that he made that got him elected into office. He has the power and the ability, now he just needs the courage.

WalMart Sells Anti-Gay Book

I was presently surprised today when I got my online edition of UConn's newspaper, the Daily Campus. The paper has historically gotten criticism for its lack of sensitivity to certain cultural issues, so when I saw that there was a pro-gay editorial, my eyebrows definitely went up. After reading it, I was pretty happy with what they wrote, but oddly enough, I really didn't think the issue was that big of a deal.

So Wal-Mart recently put a children's book on its shelves titled, "Chased By An Elephant: The Gospel Truth About Today's Stampeding Sexuality." It's supposedly about how homosexuals can be cured...one of those pray away the gay tactics. I definitely don't agree with the purpose of the book. I agree with the editors of the Daily Campus that it's based off of ignorance and is insensitive to the queer community, especially the youth that have been highlighted in the media lately.

As much as I disagree with the contents and message of the book...(get ready to boo)...I don't really have a problem with WalMart selling it (boooooo...Vu, you're such an idiot). All right all right, WalMart is guilty of some pretty heinous behavior, including greedily closing down small businesses and using the sweat of underpaid foreigners to produce their cheap products. But I think this time, we're letting their reputation bias our judgment of the company's actions. Would it be great if they didn't sell it? Of course. But by selling, they're only giving the people access to information.

There have been no definitive studies that suggest curing homosexuality works. There have also been no definitive studies that suggest curing homosexuality doesn't work. So we can't say that this book is definitely wrong. It's an opinion and we all have a right to those. If I want to get my constitutional rights respected, then I can't oppress the rights of others to freedom of speech and freedom of the press. We all have a right to read or not read whatever we want. Parents who are tolerant won't buy these books for their kids and parents who are intolerant have probably been telling these stories long before there were books to illustrate them.

So I'd ask for WalMart to stop selling the books, but if they choose not to, I wouldn't be shocked or appalled. Nice work though Daily Campus. Good to see the UConn is getting a newspaper it can be proud of.

FCK H8

So there's this new YouTube video that's gone viral called FCK H8. It's basically the new radical queer rights PR campaign and it's gained a lot support. I personally don't get it. Well, I kinda get it. We don't like hate...it's stupid...f*&# hate. I just don't get what it's supposed to accomplish. I guess if it's supposed to be a motivator among the community, it can serve some purpose. But am I supposed to believe that this is going to become a movement?

I've never been a huge fan of profanity and to have kids dropping the f-bomb left and right makes us look like the jerks. I remember when I went to NYC Wedding March a couple weeks ago and of course there was a bunch of chanting. Most of them were the boring standby's of "What do we want?"..."Marriage equality"..."When do we want it?"..."Now." So needless to say I welcomed more creativity when it came to chanting. I threw in a "Hey-hey, ho-ho, homophobia has got to go" and some other people did a few new ones too. Then one woman started, "We're here, we're queer, we're fabulous, don't f*&# with us." Reallyyy??? Did we really have to go there? I mean there are kids and families watching us. Is that really the image we want to portray?

I understand passion and dedication and that feeling of not backing down and standing up for ourselves. But using profanity does not help our cause. First off, it's not original. People say eff this and eff that whenever something bothers them. It serves no other purpose than to shock people. It can also turn people off to our cause pretty quickly. Someone who might've been open to hearing us out before could choose not to because they don't want to be attacked by a slurry of curse words. Reacting with profanity closes the lines of communication and just further alienates the two sides. We can't get anywhere if we don't allow ourselves to have open and honest discussions. C'mon folks, get it together!



P.S. We couldn't get better shirts? Really? Those shirts like they're made with the cheapest fabric ever, ready to come apart in the spin cycle.

Diversity in the Queer Community

Today, a Fox61 crew showed up at the Rainbow Center to film a student panel that they'll incorporate in a special feature about LGBT issues. There were ten students, including myself, most of whom I knew pretty well. But after hearing all the stories and opinions shared during the interview, I became truly aware of how diverse our community is.

I always preach about how there are LGBT people in all areas of the world and in all facets of life. I witnessed it once again today first hand in our small panel. There were students from different races and ethinicities. Students from different familial backgrounds. Students with different religions; and even the students with the same religion had different takes on what that religion meant to them. We all had our own unique stories. These ten UConn students, mostly residing in Connecticut for most of their lives, could make it seem like we had few things in common, except for our support of the queer movement.

When I go into classes sometimes, I'll be asked how the gay community feels about this or that. And my response is, "It depends on which gay you ask. You can ask ten different gay people and get ten different answers." We're often all pushed into boxes by society and expected to behave within the confines of those boxes. With minorities, there is the added expectation to represent the entire minority community, just because there are fewer of us. But the reality is that we can't represent the entire community, we can only be true to ourselves. Some people will fit stereotypes, some people won't and most people fall in between. But no matter how a person acts or behaves, their individual identity is still valid to who they are. So if you're going to try to put people in boxes, you better find a seperate box for everyone. Decorate mine with glitter please =)

Introversion

Disclaimer: I have a feeling this one is going to turn out pretty deep, so if you were looking for the light and fun blog post, this one isn't it haha. This is something I usually don't even like to think about, much less talk about. This one is all me. So with that, welcome to my world.

Wow, a 1 AM drive from Storrs to South Windsor can really open up the floodgates and cause some serious soul searching. Ever since I graduated from UConn in May, I been trying to be more of a grown up and really get to know myself. Most people who meet me would think I'm an extrovert. I'm involved with a bajillion things. I speak in front of lecture halls. I was a UConn cheerleader. But about a year or two ago, I came to terms with my introversion. I remember I used to be so attached to being an extrovert that I would rationalize myself into choosing the "E" answers on MBTI surveys. I thought I was supposed to be an extrovert, so I tried my best to come off as one.

Once I discovered that I'm an introvert, I started to ask myself why? I figured out that I've been introverted for as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I was always content with being alone and doing my own thing. Then, when I came out to myself, I took it to an extreme and used my introversion as a defense mechanism. I figured that if I withdrew enough, no one would bother me about it. I just kept to myself and became my own best friend; that way, I knew my best friend wouldn't hurt me. Being in the closet put a huge dark cloud over my life. I didn't know what I was. I didn't know who I was. I was scared of being abandonned by my friends. So I decided to become dejected before I could get rejected.

Once I got to UConn, I was immediately pulled into the Rainbow Center and I was in shock. I'd never been around that many people who wanted to be friends with me, the real me. I didn't know what to do. So what did I do? I ran. Not literally, but figuratively. How? Oddly enough, by acting really extroverted. I started getting involved with anything and everything that looked interesting to me. Sometimes it got to the point where I could barely breathe from all the commitments I'd gotten myself into. But that was exactly what I wanted. I wanted to be so busy and so involved that I didn't have time to hang out with people and foster relationships. I didn't realize it then, but I was still that scared high schooler who didn't want to get rejected. If I didn't put myself out there, I wouldn't get hurt. So I put up a forcefield of homework and meetings and clubs to keep people away.

I've toned it down a little since then. I've allowed myself get closer to people, but it's definitely something I still struggle with. As sad as it sounds, having friends isn't something that comes natural to me. But I'm working on it. Definitely can't do it on my own though and still kind of reluctant to reach out to others. So if you can help/be my friend, I'd appreciate it =)

I Am Somebody!

I honestly wasn't informed about Don't Ask Don't Tell at the beginning of the year. I didn't think it really applied to me because I never plan on serving in the military. But I've recently realized that all these issues are interrelated. Queer rights are civil rights and if we don't ALL have civil rights then none of us really do.

I'm not sure from which perspective I'm more disgusted with this policy: as a gay man or as an American. The ban on open military service is just another privilege being dangled in front of the queer community. It doesn't really shock me though. Unfortunately, I've become used to this type of institutionalized discrimination. I came to terms with its existence a long time ago. But when our country is willing to defend these homophobic policies at the expense of our national security, I find that repulsive. Most Americans would agree that we have one of the most (if not THE most) well-trained armed forces in the world. So to claim that the soldiers cannot handle "forced cohabitation", I feel like that's an insult to their character. If they can't handle fighting aside a gay soldier, I question if they're really qualified to fight for our country at all.

Earlier today, I got to see Lt. Dan Choi speak at UConn. He is AMAZING!!! He's inspirational and funny and nice and on and on and on. He's also a great leader for our community (especially the gay Asians....woot woot). On this occasion, Lt. Choi didn't focus on the logistics of DADT, like how 14,000+ soldiers were discharged and how over a billion dollars were wasted. All those things we can find with a quick google search. Instead, Dan Choi focused on something more meaningful; he shared with us the internal struggle of hiding his true identity. He related it to being in the closet, which really hit home for me because the military isn't the only place with a Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. There are DADT church versions and campus versions and home versions too. And most queer youths can tell you how scary and miserable it can be holding on to such a big secret. I couldn't imagine doing it in the military while risking my life everyday for my country. For that, Lt. Choi is truly a special individual.

The biggest message I took away from his speech is that, "I am somebody". We are all somebody. Nobody is more of a somebody than anybody else. And all of us somebodies should share in the constitutional rights that are promised to everybody. So readers, it's time to help somebody. Dan called the queer movement the ultimate transcendent civil rights movement. It goes beyond race, sexual orientation, gender identity, political affiliation, religion and all the other trivial demographics. This great movement affects our families. It affects our friends. It affects us. It affects us by preaching tolerance and making the world safer. It affects us by shaping the society we live in and the values we teach our children. It affects us by allowing people to love themselves so much that they could never imagine committing suicide. That is how it affects us. That is how it affects YOU!

Queers and Allies Activate!

So I usually joke that people who quote themselves are pretentious, but I wrote such a sweet Facebook status today that I couldn't resist! =)

"Just like equality only some of the time isn't good enough. Activism only some of the time isn't good enough. We can't wait until these monumental decisions come about to get involved. We have to start earlier. Because if everyone waited, there wouldn't be any monumental decisions to rally around." ~ Vu Tran

As some of you may know, the honorable Judge Phillips of the FEDERAL District Court for the Central District of California issued an injunction on the anti-gay Don't Ask Don't Tell policy (more commentary on that one tomorrow). Kudos madam! And almost immediately after the ruling, the tweets and Facebook statuses erupted in warranted celebration. Yay, another win for the queer community!

But my question is, where was all this enthusiasm for the past 17 years since the policy was implemented? I remember dancing on the Connecticut capitol building's steps when same-sex marriage was passed in this state, along with many other elated supporters. I wonder how many of those supporters were active in the movement to get same-sex marriage.

The point is that we can't just come out to celebrate when good things happen. We have to be proactive in making those good things happen. If we can do that, there will be a whole lot more celebratory dancing...but next time it will be on the steps of United States Congress.

Not-So-Happy Columbus Day

As many students are enjoying their 3-day weekend, UConn students are sitting in class getting an education. And even though this decision was probably made to give students a week break for Thanksgiving, I'm glad that UConn is not taking today off. Today, October 11, 2010, is also National Coming Out Day, a day for queer people to escape the oppressive closet; so it's ironic that many Americans are using today to honor one of the original oppressors.

I made a joke on Facebook just past midnight last night wondering what I should come out as for National Coming Out Day. After all, coming out as gay is sooo 2009 for me. I think people know by now! So instead, I'm coming out as an activist; and not just a queer activist, but an activist for any group or community facing injustice. And today, the group I would like to advocate for is the indigenous people of the Americas, otherwise known as Native Americans.

We celebrate Columbus Day, but usually do not pay respect to the sacrifices and sufferings of the people who originally inhabited this land. I am as a patriotic as anyone and could not imagine living anywhere else in the world. So I am grateful that we have this country to live in. But I am not naive as to all the people that died to make my American dream a reality. So what are we to do? We can't turn back time. But we can begin showing respect for the Native American people. So instead of celebrating Columbus Day, let's reconsider what this holiday should truly be about. Let's celebrate the indigenous peoples of America!

Happy Anniversary!

Two years ago today, the Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the state ban on same-sex marriage, allowing couples to get married in the Constitution State. After this ruling, the most common question I got was, "What does this decision mean to you as a gay man?" And the basic answer is, "It means having a future."

Queer youth growing up in Connecticut now know they can fall in love when they're older and get married in this state. It helps legitimize their sexual orientation and it reduces the gap between them and their straight peers. It's not just about marriage, it's about civil rights. I may not choose to get married in the future, but the important thing is that I would have the right and the opportunity to get married, just like any male-female couple out there. Having the right to marry in this state means getting closer to equality and feeling less like a second-class citizen.

But it doesn't stop at state marriage. Unfortunately after the monumental win in Connecticut, there has also been more complacency in the queer community in this state. We have gay marriage here; that means we're all set, right? Wrong! We should not rest until there is full federal equality. What if I don't want to live in Connecticut all my life? Should I be constrained to the few states that do accept same-sex marriage? And plus, there are 1,138 federal rights that won't come with a state marriage license. I want those rights. Wouldn't you?

Religion Does Not Equal Hate

So being the good, informed queer activist that I am, I decided to visit the HRC's website this morning to catch up on what's going on with the movement. And before even going into the website, this message pops up, "Mormon leader gives anti-gay sermon after recent suicides."

AHHHHHHHH!!! (Sorry, just had to get that out). I'm tired of religious leaders using their faith to rationalize discrimination and oppression. That's the reason why people often say that religion is the source of wars. I disagree. Religion is inherently a good thing, the problems arise when leaders manipulate religion in order to push their agendas.

There are plenty of religious people out there who are tolerant and accepting of LGBT people. But instead, what we normally see is self-righteous people listing the verses that call being gay an abomination. Well, I could probably find a few abominations that they are guilty of as well.

I apologize if this offensive to some people because I know how difficult it can be to reconcile queerness and religion. I'm not saying that people are bad if they struggle with accepting LGBT people because of their faith. I'm just asking that people reconsider and reassess what their faith is telling them. Are we really supposed to be damning each other or should we be trying to achieve that "love thy neighbor" concept instead?

Check out this documentary if you're interested in this topic.

Missing Undergrad Life

Surprise!!! This blog is not all about queer things! OK, most of it probably will be, but this blog is also an outlet for me to talk about my everyday life. So forgive me as I indulge myself in a little online journaling.

They say college is the best four years of your life. I'm not ready to buy into that quite yet (because it's kinda depressing to think I hit my peak with 60 years to go), but I do find myself going through college withdrawal. Even as a grad student, it's not the same (probably because my program is online). I'm really missing that campus life.

They make it so easy to get involved there. There is a club you can join for just about anything you're interested in. I was part of QUAD and AQUA (UConn's version of a GSA), the Sexperts (wellness peer educators), the cheerleading squad and a whole bunch of other things. Those opportunities don't come as easy when you are out of school and live in a small suburb. You can't just take a stroll to the Union to see what's going on. You have to go online and research what activities are available in the city that's a 20 minute drive away.

So my message to college students right now is to take advantage of where you're at. Try to get involved as much as you can because this opportunity doesn't come around again. It's a great way to make friends because you automatically have something in common with the other people. It's especially great for queer students (OK I couldn't resist, I had to throw it in somewhere). Gaydar is not all what it's cracked up to be, but when you walk into a club that focuses on queer issues, you know you're going to be accepted. And who doesn't like feeling accepted?

I Just Don't Get It!

My friend just talked to me because she was upset that one of her acquaintances told her he's totally intolerant of gay people. What does that even mean? I just don't get it. How can you be totally intolerant of gay people? Can someone please explain this to me?!

What is there to be intolerant of? Are we really faulting people for the way that they're born? Contrary to unpopular beliefs, this is not a choice. Just as much as heterosexuality is not a choice. I can't choose to be gay just as much as a straight person can't. There is nothing I can do about it, so what are you going to do about it?

Are you going to kill all of us? Well I hope you're ready to have a massacre on your hands. Are you going to institutionalize and imprison all of us? Well then I hope your taxes can fund the restraint of 10% of the population. We're here to stay. So get over it!

Give Me a Break! Then, Give a Damn!

I love Lady Gaga and Kathy Griffin. No, not just because they're talented and hilarious, but because they're speaking out for LGBT rights. And they're doing it better than a lot of those highly paid political pundits. They bypass the boring mumbo jumbo and just use common sense: Discriminating against people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity is wrong and unconstitutional. End of story. They explain things in ways that their fans and everyday people can relate to. So why are they getting so much heat for it?

You'll figure out through this blog that I'm a YouTube addict and I love watching speeches online about queer issues. I was watching the one Lady Gaga gave in Maine right before the infamous Senate vote on Don't Ask Don't Tell (booooooo!). Per usual, there were a few commenters who disagreed. I expected the usual homophobic comments like, "the american constitution allows us to hate whoever we want." But whenever a celebrity figure chooses to speak out, there's also comments like, "Can someone can tell her to STFU, please?? OMG, she better keep doing music and keep her mouth close, for who does she take herself??" (for my less Internet savvy friends, STFU = shut the f$*# up).



Since these celebrities are standing up for my rights, it's only fair that I return the favor and stand up for theirs. To the YouTube commenters...here goes:

You want to know "for who does she take herself"? Well, let's try an American citizen who is protected by the same Constitution that your friend hides behind to justify his hate. It's called the First Amendment, which gives her as much right as anyone in this country to speak about what's on her mind. So what if she's a celebrity? At least she's using her notoriety to strengthen the call for social justice. Heaven forbid that they show us more than how to be spoiled and get a DUI. And Lady Gaga is not alone. People all around the world, celebrities and otherwise, are uniting their voices to show that they GIVE A DAMN!

Stop the Hate!

Welcome to my new online blog! Some of you may know me from my YouTube videoblog series: How Vu Views It (HVVI). But after realizing I don't like the sound of my voice recorded and how bad I am at speaking to the camera without messing up and restarting, I decided to switch over to writing instead. Plus now I don't have to do my hair to make a blog post :)

This inaugural entry is dedicated to the recent victims of suicide that resulted from bullying, especially anti-LGBT bullying including:

Tyler Clement, 18, Rutgers University
Raymond Chase, 19, Johnson & Wales
Billy Lucas, 15, Indiana
Asher Brown, 13, Texas
Seth Walsh, 13 California

The loss of human life here is nothing short of a tragedy and what's even more tragic is that this isn't a new story. From media portrayals, you would think that gay teen suicide is this huge new problem, but it's been a problem long before the recent deaths. It was a problem when I was a freshman in college and even when I was a freshmen in high school and probably for decades and centuries before then. I remember high school and how hard it could be. No I never tried to commit suicide, but I remember feeling like an outsider, like I didn't belong and I remember being disappointed in who I am.

The problem at hand here folks, is not restricted to the schoolyard or to college campuses, it's rooted deep in our culture. Young people are getting messages from everywhere about what they should be and what they shouldn't be. You should be straight and you shouldn't be gay. Then when queer youth come out to themselves, their self-esteem immediately suffers. Instead of putting all these expectation on children, we should be telling them...as Bruno Mars would put it, "You're amazing just the way you are."

And that's my message to everyone reading this post. You are amazing. You are special. There will never be anyone else quite like you. So if you're feeling down, just remember that IT GETS BETTER. Comments hurt less and you become stronger. And I know it may be hard right now, but hang in there because you are too special of a person for the world to miss out on.

And that's how Vu views it.