GLAAD Cuts Staff Cites Economy

I usually don't use The Advocate as a reference point for commentary postings but as it seems to be the originator of this story I'll briefly use them.

According to the once fab fag rag, TA reports that GLAAD has cut 11 of its staff of 45 blaming the economy and some of this past year's controversy with former GLAAD President Jarret Barrios at the helm.

Interim President Mike Thompson says GLAAD will continue forward doing what they do best. What they do best is subjective and in this writer's subjective opinion all GLAAD has to offer is feigning outrage when LGBTs are offended by groups, corporations, media or individuals and pander to the Hollywood and LGBT elite crowd with the GLAAD awards all for the sake of filling GLAAD's contributionary coffer.

This writer holds the view that GLAAD is no longer relevant in what it "does" for LGBTs, after all when there is outrage over something, LGBTs take it upon themselves to start email, phone call or boycott campaigns via Twitter, Facebook, other social media and blogs.

Frankly it's time to send this old horse to the glue factory with HRC following closely behind and I can't think of better way to give them a send off than from a popular music group of the 70's who were from my state of Connecticut.

Singalong now boys and girls ... Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Hey Good Bye.

Zenne Honor Killing Of A Gay Man

I've just come across a film which opened on January 13 in Turkey titled Zenne Dancer which was inspired by the "honor killing" of Ahmet Yildaz in 2008 allegedly by his father who according to reports still remains a fugitive from justice.

Filmmakers Carner Alper and Mehmet Binay who were friends of Yildaz center their film around three characters who forge a friendship, one of which is coming to terms with who he is as Cole Araibus writes in an article at the website Film School Rejects.

Araibus' piece is based on a Reuters article which has reported the movie is creating controversy in Turkey. A conservative newspaper in Turkey calls the film "homosexual propaganda". That has the familiar ring of the Conservative Christians and their affiliated media here in the US.

So deep rooted in Islamic religion that the disgrace of someone being homosexual the Reuters' article reports, After he was killed, the family did not claim Yildiz's body for a proper Islamic burial -- an indication of the deep shame the family felt and that they had ceased to consider him one of their own. He was buried instead in a "cemetery for the nameless."

The articles are worth a read with the one from Rueters giving more background on Yildaz's family life and what it is like to be LGBT in Turkey. The first link in this posting is to a 2008 article from The Independent which was one of the first of the international press to discuss Yildiz's murder.

The film has won five awards at the prestigious film festival in Turkey, the Antalya Golden Orange. Hopefully the film will eventually be shown here in the United States.

Santorum/Gingrich Will Beat Obama

As early as it is in the primary season, after watching the Republican debate in Charleston I do believe I have seen a turn in the tide and my "political junkie gut" has erupted.

Besides the now "almost official" official tally of Iowa in which Rick Santorum has beaten Romney by 34 votes, remember a win is a win, Thursday night's debate was the strongest outing (no not that kind) for Santorum.

All that piffy-piffy about Newt Gingrich's second wife and her claim of de Newt wanting an open relationship had some of the CNN experts saying that will hurt de Newt with the women folk.

Oh really ? ... remember all the potty-poo when Clinton was running for office, didn't seem to hurt his bid any. No, Thursday night and up until I was seeing Romney as the Republican candidate, but something within erupted and I now see a Santorum/Gingrich ticket and one which this writer who has covered politics could very well beat Obama this fall.

Between the two of them they can pull voters, including Tea Baggers and the Conservative Right, from all sides and middle of the Republican party. And that ticket could very well take key states to get to the magic electoral vote count.

Now I've been wrong before, however when it comes to political predictions I've been correct more often that wrong. If this holds true right through November remember you read it here first.

The above being said before the South Carolina primary and now that Gingrich pulled off an upset thanks to that debate one thing for sure it is going to be a longer Republican Primary season than most have expected even in this early running. And the final decision may come down deals made in smoke filled backrooms as to who will end being the GOP ticket.

In any case when all is said and done we need a ticket which can defeat Obama.

Those Gay White Men Can't Jump

It never fails when someone tries to do something good there will always be someone to crawl out from under the dust ball infested carpet who will find fault and often from the LGBT Blogging World of The Elite.

Case in point the young and talented 23 year old filmmaker Ryan James Yezak who has put together a mini-documentary on YouTube using various clips from a multitude of sources showing some of the struggles of the LGBT community.

Before I get into the critic's unhappiness let me first explain to the critic about selection of footage. In order to make a short documentary in which time is limited one must make an editorial decision as to what will go in and what will not in an effort of story telling. In order to make said documentary it is done to give a limited view of a given subject matter and not done to necessarily make the masses happy with inclusion or exclusion.

Now to the critic of Yezak's short documentary, Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend who writes in part, Aside from clips of Ellen DeGeneres talking about the murder of Lawrence King (and a blink-of-an-eye clip of her coming out on her sitcom), you’d think lesbians are practically non-existent in the movement. And it’s definitely “gay rights” only – don’t expect anything related to trans folk here either. If gays and lesbians are second-class citizens, you have to wonder what society considers transgender citizens if we render them invisible from the movement (as bis already are).

And people of color? Well, aside from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (an opportunity to show gay activist and organizer of the March on Washington, from which the clip is taken, Bayard Rustin, was missed), one unmistakable landmark event in gay rights history is Lawrence v. Texas, which revolved around an interracial couple, John Geddes Lawrence and Tyron Garner. Not in the clips. Note: if Dan Choi hadn’t been in the DADT-related clips, then the vid would have been a complete whitewash. It’s kind of sad.

Yes Pam it is kind of sad that even though you half-heartily give some praise to Yezak for his effort that is over shadowed by your discontent of what isn't included in the documentary.

As I've written many times in the past in other editions of Focus On The Rainbow to critics of film makers, if you can do a better job then pony up and make your own. Until that time I say politely, STFU ! --- BTW another elite has reared his pointy head ... here.

I'm sure there will be others (H/T to NGBlog for the BTW).

CROWOLF has called all this complaining The Whine Heard Round The World.