Well, this is my first attempt at writing a blog. I have wanted for years to do this & after recieving Ralph's message I was intrigued and ready to give it a chance.
A little history on me. I have owned the Gay Community Yellow Pages in Atlanta for over 20 years and I also am one of the owners in Carma Productions Inc. We produce Gayborhoodapp the nation's most comprehensive resource directory for the LGBTQ community. I am married to a wonderful woman & have 2 beautiful children.
Last week I had the honor of helping with a rally at Chik-fil-A and sent out an invitation to Dan Cathy to have dinner with my famly and me so he can see we are a normal family and that we would like him to stop putting funds into groups that try to quell my rights.
To date he has not responded. I'm not surprised. What I am surprised about is that over 25,000 people have signed the petition that is live on change.org inviting him to have dinner.
The purpose of this blog is to inform our community and answer any questions one may have about the LGBTQ community.
Does it bother you that so much attention and focus is paid to this one part of you - your sexuality? In other words, if the goal is to be treated as equal, and I mean culturally as well as legally, does drawing attention to labels such as LGBTQIQ inhibit this goal? I understand it is far easier for me to take my sexuality (hetero) for granted since it is the norm, not to mention the fact that sexuality, even what is considered "normal" let alone what is deviant or immoral to some, is repressed to an unhealthy extent in our culture. To me, the root of this issue is much the same as in many conflicts we see and hear about - the extremism of people personally identifying with a label or group. And it's not just one, mind you, but many simultaneously. I'm Male. I'm Hetero. You're a Parent. She's Christian. He's Socialist. She's Black. And the whopper of them all - We're American (or They're Mexican). How many lives have been damged, laid down, or taken away, under some pledge of allegiance for one of these groups or against their opponents? When you identify your "self" with a label, you create a barrier between you and others. Each of us is human - that, Yes. Maybe it's like Gandhi said - Be the change you want to see in the world. A simple idea, but it takes great awareness to do it.
Local family invites Chic-fil-a owner to dine at their home. No response from Mr. Cathy so far. I admire their willingness to be gracious hosts a person who spends money to curtail their civil rights. Having a meal with an avowed enemy puts a faces on an otherwise faceless issue.
Looked at who they are as a person.
Contrary to popular belief, the gay community is not a monolithic demographic. The same applies to Nigerians, computer nerds, liberals, etc. The mainstream gl(bt) lobby focuses too many resources on marriage and assimilation. Meanwhile, issues of discrimination still affect those who are not Caucasian, male, middle-class, or cisgender. There are so many young, gay people in your town and mine, who have a parent inducing mental anguish, physical pain, or homelessness. I agree, that is more important than sammitches and marriage.
I can also name several "Christian" politicians and evangelists who visited East Africa to participate in anti-gay conferences and to draft anti-gay legislation. Some of them represented organizations funded by Chick-fil-A. Death penalty for gays is a reality, and it's partially funded by chicken bites. That. is. the. point!