One thing that stood out to me, aside from the plethora of vagina in my face, was that the music could totally make or break the girl’s performance. It appears that the girls were choosing the two songs for their own dance sets, and some were just disappointing.

Afterwards, while visualizing my life as a stripper in an alternate universe, I decided to put together a little playlist of what my signature songs would be. Plus I needed some tunes to play in my apartment while I practice the new moves I learned at the always classy Cricket.

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD IT HERE OR LISTEN BELOW

]]> http://outspokennyc.com/mixedout/strip-tastic-playlist/feed 0 http://outspokennyc.com/shoutout/one-proud-mom-responds-to-im-christian-unless-youre-gay http://outspokennyc.com/shoutout/one-proud-mom-responds-to-im-christian-unless-youre-gay#comments Thu, 05 Apr 2012 18:35:32 +0000 Jon http://outspokennyc.com/?p=11345 We’ve all witnessed the endless amounts of hatred from religious groups attempting to make airwaves regarding those seedy gays and their brainwashing ways. With the media in our favor, a narrowed focus on hatred in the U.S. has infiltrated everything from the A.M. papers to documentaries on bullying to the numerous campaigns attempted to [...]]]> We’ve all witnessed the endless amounts of hatred from religious groups attempting to make airwaves regarding those seedy gays and their brainwashing ways. With the media in our favor, a narrowed focus on hatred in the U.S. has infiltrated everything from the A.M. papers to documentaries on bullying to the numerous campaigns attempted to strengthen efforts to keep our youth safe; some efforts thriving over others, but that’s a matter of opinion. While browsing through my Twitter feed this morning, a friend brought to my attention a blog post containing a response email from a mother who had to learn through her own actions how her religious beliefs can coincide with her love for her son. The problem? A community filled with looming unacceptance and judgment.

After her 15 year old son brought home an article assignment from school, entitled “I’m Christian, Unless You’re Gay,” the outlandish threats of getting the teacher fired forced the teen to flee to a safer space to clear his head. Here’s the full response and story, followed by a link to the original article. Give it a read, share it with your loved ones and continue to be a voice to advocate acceptance. I’ve already emailed my mommer, what’s stopping you?

Hello Mr. Pearce,

I am the Christian mother of a 15 year old teenage boy and about a month ago he came home from school with a copy of your article “I’m Christian, unless you’re gay”. The teacher gave his class a homework assignment to read it and write a 500 word essay about “what it meant to them”.

He came home and showed me your article and asked me what I thought about it. I read just the title and became furious at his teacher and at you (even though I know you had nothing to do with her handing out the assignment). Anyway, I confiscated it from him and told him he wasn’t to do anything with it till I had a chance to read it first.

And then I got madder and madder as I read it as I felt like it was a direct attack against our beliefs and our Christian religion and that it was promoting homosexuality, a practice that around here is a huge “sin”.

I gave my son an earful about homosexuality and God and told him that he could tell his teacher that he would not be participating and if she had a problem, she could come talk to me and then I threw the article in the trash. My son didn’t say anything just walked into his room and shut the door.

Long story short, a couple hours later it was supper time and I still hadn’t seen him come out of his room. I didn’t expect it to be that big of a deal to him but I went and knocked and told him to come out, he didn’t answer so I opened his door and he wasn’t there, he had left the house and gone somewhere. Of course I got more mad and tried to call him but he sent it to voicemail. I sent him a text and told him he better get home and he was grounded.

This is the text he sent me in return: “I don’t care. I’m at my friends house writing that essay and I’m not coming home till you read it.”

I think you would have seen steam coming out of my ears if you saw me. I started preparing to go talk to the school the next day. I sent a few angry texts to my son that he didn’t answer. I got the article out of the trash so I could take it into the school and get this teacher fired. My anger got a little out of control and while I was sitting there fuming and planning what to do, I got another text from my son that said “Just emailed it. Love, Jacob.”

My son’s name is not Jacob, and it took me a minute to realize that he was talking about your friend Jacob in your article. And when I realized that I suddenly started shaking in fear and anger at what he might be telling me. I started out of control crying because I couldn’t handle having a gay son and what if that’s what he was trying to tell me? After a long time I finally got the courage to go look at my email and see what he had sent. And this is what he wrote:

I am gay and only my one friend knows so far. My mom doesn’t know yet. My dad doesn’t know yet. You didn’t know it when you gave us this homework. I am only 15 years old and I have never felt so alone. My mom and dad always are being angry about gay people and talking about how they are bad and going to hell and they also always talk about how all the gays should be shipped off to their own private island or something so that the rest of us could live God’s commandments in peace.

I have been so scared of them finding out that I’m gay because I know that they would hate me and would want me out of their life and at the same time I can’t keep this secret anymore because it is not something I asked for, never in a million years would I ask to be gay in a town like this where everybody would hate me. And anyways I can’t keep this secret anymore because I’m about to do something crazy like run away or hurt myself or something. I just want to be dead sometimes.

And then you gave us the assignment to write this essay for our homework and I read it like ten times I even skipped lunch and just kept reading it in the bathroom and by the time I went home I decided that maybe I am only 15 years old but maybe this town will change if I can be honest about who I am and maybe my family will change if I can be honest about who I am with them too. I don’t see why I don’t deserve love just like everyone else. I see some crazy stuff that so many people do and people still love them but for some reason everybody around here thinks its ok to hate gays and stuff. And I don’t know really I think I just realize that I don’t want to be Jacob in ten years and still live my life in secret and scared of being hated.

So I go home and I tell my mom to read this handout you gave us and she got so mad at me and started going crazy about how evil gays are and how all of this was just the devil spreading his work and everything else she said. But this time I just got mad myself and I got so mad because I suddenly realize that this is the woman that my whole life made me go to church where they talk about love just like the writer said but she and every other person I pretty much know just hate so many people especially gay people. So I got madder and madder and madder and then I snuck out and came to my friends house to write this essay because its time to stop letting people’s hate stop me from being happy. I mean should I really have to hate my life and want to die because other people are so hating?

And I don’t know what will happen but I am done playing like I’m something I’m not and if my parents don’t love me anymore because of this then I realize that’s not my problem and it will hurt but not as much as the way I hurt right now. I feel like if my mom and dad would just think about things they’d realize that what they always say and how they always hate gays is not what Jesus would do and maybe there is a chance that they will some day love me like Jesus would. I am their kid afterall.

Tonight I am going to send this to my mom and see what she says I guess. I don’t know what will happen but I know that I deserve to be loved just like everybody else does I just hope she thinks so too.

Obviously you can imagine the emotions and thoughts that were going through my head when I read that…

I started crying and couldn’t stop for the longest time. I don’t know why I was crying exactly, just so many emotions came over me. I didn’t know what to do or how to respond. I finally stopped and went and read your article once more only this time I tried to read it through my son’s eyes and the whole thing was so different than it was a couple hours before. By the time I finished I felt as big as an ant and I realized just how much hatred I have in my heart toward others.

You see, Mr. Pearce, you are right. It’s not about what other people do. It’s about whether or not we are loving them. Nothing else matters at all. And it took all of this for that to finally sink in.

I texted my son back that I loved him and left it at that. He came home that night and didn’t try to talk to me about it, I just told him I loved him at least ten times that night and made sure not to talk about anything else. My love for him was the only thing I wanted him to feel and I knew he’d talk to me about it when he was ready.

That was a month ago and in the last month my son and I (his dad lives three states away and still doesn’t know) have grown much closer than we ever were before. We have both stood up against hate several times when we hear it coming from the people around us. You see, where we live people really do have problems “being Christian unless…” But no longer in this home.

I’ve shared your article now with countless people. I have made my sisters read it. I talked about its message to my parents. I sent it to my friends and neighbors. And I’ve had some people get really upset by it, but a change is starting to happen around here and it’s because one teenage boy finally had the courage to stand against what he felt was wrong. He believed he could make a change. And I’ll tell you right now, it makes me happy to see him so happy. I never knew how unhappy he was until I could finally see how happy he could be.

So thank you. I know this is long, but I thought you’d like to know what your article has done in this little town we live in. And it’s just the beginning.

Sincerely yours, one proud mom.

I would love to hear everyone’s thought on this, their struggles, their experiences, their family stories. Storytelling, in my opinion, is always a far better start in educating, as open dialogue isn’t always offered in every community.

Original article from Single Dad Laughing: “I’m Christian, Unless You’re Gay”

Although it’s been speculated that this song is the anthem dedicated towards her ex-husband, a recently arrested Russell Brand, Perry premiered the song at the Grammy Awards after it’s demo leaked well over a year ago. “Some people that I work with were like, ‘You should just say you wrote it a couple of weeks ago,’” she recently told MTV News. Her response? “I’m like, ‘I’m not a d***, I’m going to tell the truth.’” A recent collaboration with her maid of honor and best friend, Rihanna, is also in the works.

Part of Me is the quintessential breakup pop song that begs for long pensive runs filled with extra aggression and silent single-tears. It’s refreshing new color on Perry, normally covered in confectionary-coating, the pop tartlet is giving us a dark layered cake. If Katy Perry continues with her message of “I’m better without you and I’ve learned through your mistakes,” I’m definitely on board for the next album. The gays are always sucker for good breakup anthems, myself included. The only way it could be improved is if Kelly Clarkson had sung it herself.

Will “Part of Me” guarantee a sequel to Rihanna’s “Battleship?” I’m hoping not but I sure hope she keeps covering inappropriate song choices to keep my bushbaby eyes in check.

Check out the video and you be the judge of the Billboard chart topper‘s performance. Definitely her catchiest hit to date, in my honest opinion.

Pre-order Teenage Dream – The Complete Confection on Itunes.

Follow Katy Perry on Twitter.

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