The Closet Professor

Moment of Zen: Just Because

2013-05-18T10:32:00.001-05:00

Exam Time

2013-05-16T22:59:00.002-05:00

I was working late into the night last night making out exams and study materials for my students. Semester exams are next week and today and Monday are review days. These are always busy days trying to help the students prepare for their exams. Other than that, there is not much to write. Students never realize the amount of work teachers put into preparing their education. If they did, maybe they would study harder. Nah, probably not.

Proper Grammar

2013-05-15T23:20:00.002-05:00

On his 77th birthday, a man received a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man living on a nearby reservation who was rumored to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction. After being persuaded by his wife, he drove to the reservation, handed his ticket to the medicine man and wondered what would happen next.

The medicine man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to the 77 year-old, and with a grip on his shoulder, warned, "This is powerful medicine and it must be respected. You must take only a teaspoonful and then say '1-2-3.' When you do that, you will become more manly than you have ever been in your life, and you can perform as long as you want."

The old man was encouraged. As he walked away, he turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?"

"Your partner must say '1-2-3-4,'" he responded. "But when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon."

The old man was very eager to see if it worked so he went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited his wife to join me in the bedroom. When she came in, he took off all his clothes and said, "1-2-3!"

Immediately, he was the manliest of men. His wife was excited and began throwing off her clothes. And then she asked, "What was the 1-2-3 for?"

And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition! One could end up with a dangling participle!

The Great Gatsby

2013-05-14T22:55:00.000-05:00

The kids at my school have gone gaga over the movie "The Great Gatsby." I have not seen it yet, and I probably won't until it comes out on DVD. (The next movie I will go see is the new Star Trek movie "Into Darkness."). Have any of you seen "Gatsby"? I'm glad to see the kids excited about The Great Gatsby; many of them are even looking forward to reading the book. Personally, The Great Gatsby is not my favorite Fitzgerald book. I prefer This Side of Paradise and Tender Is the Night , but The Great Gatsby is a classic.

With all of the excitement over the movie, I have had several of the kids in my Drama Club show an interest in doing the play The Great Gatsby. However, it has a large cast and a large number of male parts. I have mostly girls in my Drama Club, and they are never keen on playing male parts. However, I would love to do a 1920s era play that would have a small cast of 8-12 and have mostly women, but I haven't been able to find or think of anything that fits that description. So, since I know some of you have experience in theater, I would love to know if any of you have a suggestion or two. If you know of anything, please let me know.

Not by Sophie Cabot Black

2013-05-13T21:47:00.000-05:00

Not

by Sophie Cabot Black

that you are unloved

but that you love

and must decide which

to remember; tracks left

in the field, a language

of going away or coming back--

and to look up

from the single mind,

to let untangle

the far-off snow

from sky

until no longer

held as proof

is also where birds

find agreement

strung along branches

each with their own song

for the other,

every note used

to sing anyway--

how to hold the already

as the not yet

About This Poem

"This was written for a friend who kept asking me if anyone would ever love her. Always that question, and what is there to say except to endure enough to see what happens. Maybe even to be brave enough to start first, to love without expectation, even hope."

--Sophie Cabot Black

Sophie Cabot Black is the author of three books of poetry. Her most recent is The Exchange: Poems (Graywolf Press, 2013). She divides her time between New York City and rural Connecticut.

Precious Memories

2013-05-12T23:13:00.002-05:00

Precious memories, unseen angels

Sent from somewhere to my soul

How they linger, ever near me

And the sacred past unfold.

Precious memories, how they linger

How they ever flood my soul

In the stillness of the midnight

Precious, sacred scenes unfold.

In the stillness of the midnight

Echoes from the past I hear

Old-time singing, gladness bringing

From that lovely land somewhere.

Precious memories, how they linger

How they ever flood my soul

In the stillness of the midnight

Precious, sacred scenes unfold.

I remember mother praying

Father, too, on bended knee

Sun is sinking, shadows falling

But their prayers still follow me.

Precious memories, how they linger

How they ever flood my soul

In the stillness of the midnight

Precious, sacred scenes unfold.

As I travel on life's pathway

Know not what the years may hold

As I ponder, hope grows fonder

Precious memories flood my soul.

Precious memories, how they linger

How they ever flood my soul

In the stillness of the midnight

Precious, sacred scenes unfold.

Yesterday at church, we sang the hymn "Precious Memories" in honor of mothers. This is my first Mother's Day without Grandmama, who passed away in July. As I stood singing this hymn, all I could do was cry. I thank God though for those "precious memories" that I have of my Grandmama.

Mother's Day

2013-05-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

The Virtues of a Woman/Mother

An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels.

The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life.

She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands.

She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar.

She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens.

She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.

She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.

She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night.

She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.

She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet.

She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant.

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her:

"Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.

Proverbs 31: 10-31

I hope that we all think of our mothers today. I love my mama, but like all mothers, she drives me crazy sometimes. She has been in a long period of depression since she found out I was gay, but that was relieved somewhat by the birth of my niece, so she now has the grand-baby she always wanted. She is still convinced I am going to hell, but she doesn't say it as much anymore. As long as it is a "don't ask, don't tell, don't discuss" situation, we get along great.

So even if your mother drives you crazy, I hope that you still have a good relationship with her and tell her how much you love her today.

I love you, Mama.

(She would surely die if she ever saw this blog, but I did choose a picture of sunflowers because they are her favorite.)

Moment of Zen: His Smile

2013-05-11T09:19:00.000-05:00

Gaysome: Gaydar

2013-05-09T20:51:00.001-05:00

For more, visit GAYSOMECOMIC!

Doctor Dumbass

2013-05-08T23:22:00.000-05:00

When I think of my profession, first and foremost, I am an historian. I'm also a teacher, who wants to share his knowledge of history. Currently, I teach high school, mainly because college jobs are hard to find. I honestly don't think that once I complete my PhD that the job market will be much better for history professors, which is why a news article I read yesterday pisses me off so much. Harvard history professor Niall Ferguson recently made what I consider some idiotic remarks. At a May 2013 investment conference in Carlsbad, California, Ferguson was asked about his views on economist John Maynard Keynes's quotation that "in the long run we are all dead." Ferguson implied that Keynes was indifferent to the future because he was gay and did not have children.

Ferguson did post an apology for these statements shortly after reports of his comments were published, saying his comments were "as stupid as they were insensitive". In the apology, Ferguson stated: "My disagreements with Keynes's economic philosophy have never had anything to do with his sexual orientation. It is simply false to suggest, as I did, that his approach to economic policy was inspired by any aspect of his personal life." However, how seriously can we take Ferguson's apology. If you read his full apology "An Open Letter to the Harvard Community" in the Harvard Crimson, you will see that he does not back down from saying that Keynes's homosexuality influenced his decision making, he just gives it a different twist this time. His apology sounds much more like when someone says, "Yeah, I was told to apologize, and though I should not have said it and I am 'sorry,' I was still right."

Bruce Bartlett, an American historian whose area of expertise is supply-side economics and served as a domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan and as a Treasury official under President George H. W. Bush, argued that right wing critics of Keynes have long used his homosexuality to "defame him and discredit his theories" and that Ferguson was simply the latest. Paul Harris, writing in The Guardian, suggested that Ferguson had borrowed his controversial view of Keynes from similar opinions expressed by historian Gertrude Himmelfarb and economist Joseph Schumpeter. Several commentators pointed out that the views Ferguson expressed on Keynes and his sexuality at the conference can be found in previous lectures and published work by Ferguson himself. Bartlett, among others has argued that Ferguson misunderstands Keynes' view that one cannot simply ignore the short term in the interest of the long term.

I probably should backtrack a bit here for those not familiar with John Maynard Keynes. Keynes was a British economist whose ideas have fundamentally affected the theory and practice of modern macroeconomics, and informed the economic policies of governments. Keynes is most famous for Keynesian economics, which bears his name. Keynesian economics is an economic theory stating that active government intervention in the marketplace and monetary policy is the best method of ensuring economic growth and stability. Supporters of Keynesian economics believe it is the government's job to smooth out bumps in business cycles.

As for Keynes's personal life, his early romantic and sexual relationships were almost exclusively with men. At Eton and at Cambridge, Keynes had been in many homosexual relationships; significant among these early partners were Dilly Knox and Daniel Macmillan. Keynes was open about his homosexual affairs, and between 1901 to 1915, kept separate diaries in which he tabulated his many sexual encounters. Keynes's relationship and later close friendship with Macmillan was to be fortuitous; through Dan, Macmillan & Co first published his Economic Consequences of the Peace. Attitudes in the Bloomsbury Group, in which Keynes was avidly involved, were relaxed about homosexuality. Keynes, together with writer Lytton Strachey, had reshaped the Victorian attitudes of the influential Cambridge Apostles; "since [their] time, homosexual relations among the members were for a time common", wrote Bertrand Russell. One of Keynes's greatest loves was the artist Duncan Grant, whom he met in 1908. Like Grant, Keynes was also involved with Lytton Strachey, though they were for the most part love rivals, and not lovers. Keynes had won the affections of Arthur Hobhouse, as well as Grant, both times falling out with a jealous Strachey for it. Strachey had previously found himself put off by Keynes, not least because of his manner of "treat[ing] his love affairs statistically."

Ray Costelloe (who would later marry Oliver Strachey) was an early heterosexual interest of Keynes. Of this infatuation, Keynes had written "I seem to have fallen in love with Ray a little bit, but as she isn't male I haven't [been] able to think of any suitable steps to take."

In 1921, Keynes fell "very much in love" with Lydia Lopokova, a well-known Russian ballerina, and one of the stars of Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. For the first years of the courtship, Keynes maintained an affair with a younger man, Sebastian Sprott, in tandem with Lopokova, but eventually chose Lopokova exclusively. They married in 1925. The union was happy, with biographer Peter Clarke writing that the marriage gave Keynes "a new focus, a new emotional stability and a sheer delight of which he never wearied." Lydia became pregnant in 1927 but miscarried. Ferguson at least had the good graces to acknowledge this fact in his "apology."

Back to Ferguson, it is abhorrent to me that Harvard University, one of America's most prestigious centers of learning, would employ someone such as Ferguson. However, Harvard is know for employing controversial historians, which in my opinion, Harvard should be ashamed of itself. Niall Ferguson is the worst kind of historian, one who is politically bent and has no sense of objectivity. It makes him one-sided and therefore not creditable. So as Leslie Winkle referred to Sheldon Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, so will I refer to Niall Ferguson as "Doctor Dumbass."

Team Blake

2013-05-08T17:02:00.000-05:00

I'm not much for reality TV, or the different contest shows, but every now and then I really get into one of these shows. This year it is The Voice on NBC. With Shakira and Usher replacing Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green, season four couldn't be better. I'm also fully behind Team Blake, who has chosen some tremendous talent this year. If you aren't a fan of The Voice, and you love great country music (I'm not a huge country music fan, but I love a great country song. There is some other music as well besides country.), then you should be watching The Voice. Coach Blake Shelton has chosen all country singers this year, and in my opinion, he should be blowing all of the rest of the competition out of the water. All of the judges have talented team members, but to me, none compare

to Blake's. So, I will introduce them to you.

MY FAVORITE: The Swon Brothers

THE ALABAMA BOY: Justin Rivers

SWEET SIXTEEN: Danielle Bradbury

THE KNOCKOUT: Holly Tucker

I don't want to see any of Team Blake go, but one will be eliminated on tonight's show. If I were to chose the one to go in this knockout round, it would have to be Holly Tucker. Colton and Zach to me are the strongest as The Swon Brothers. They have the energy and the talent, and as Shakira said last night, "There music is comforting." As a fellow Alabamian, I have to also pull for Justin. He's cute and has a star quality about him that can't be denied. Danielle is going to be the darling of this competition. At only sixteen, she has a big voice, one that will take her far. Holly though just did not stand out that much for me. Blake chose great songs for his team and I wish them all the best tonight.

UPDATE: I can't believe that America voted Holly Tucker as their favorite from Team Blake. Their second favorite was Danielle, leaving Blake to have to chose between Justin Rivers and The Swon Brothers. Blake chose The Swon Brothers. I hated to see Justin go.

Queer by Frank Bidart

2013-05-06T21:41:00.000-05:00

Queer

by Frank Bidart

Lie to yourself about this and you will

forever lie about everything.

Everybody already knows everything

so you can

lie to them. That's what they want.

But lie to yourself, what you will

lose is yourself. Then you

turn into them.

For each gay kid whose adolescence

was America in the forties or fifties

the primary, the crucial

scenario

forever is coming out—

or not. Or not. Or not. Or not. Or not.

Involuted velleities of self-erasure.

Quickly after my parents

died, I came out. Foundational narrative

designed to confer existence.

If I had managed to come out to my

mother, she would have blamed not

me, but herself.

The door through which you were shoved out

into the light

was self-loathing and terror.

Thank you, terror!

You learned early that adults' genteel

fantasies about human life

were not, for you, life. You think sex

is a knife

driven into you to teach you that.

Frank Bidart

Frank Bidart was born in Bakersfield, California, in 1939 and educated at the University of California at Riverside and at Harvard University, where he was a student and friend of Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop.

His first volume of poetry, Golden State (1973), was selected by poetRichard Howard for the Braziller Poetry series, but it wasn't until the publication of The Sacrifice (1983) that Bidart's poetry began to attract a wider readership. Bidart's early books are collected in In the Western Night: Collected Poems 1965-90 (1990).

His recent volumes include Star Dust (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005),Music Like Dirt (2002), and Desire (1997), which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, and was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critic's Circle Award. He is also the co-editor of Robert Lowell's Collected Poems (2003).

About his work, the former U.S. Poet Laureate Louise Glück has said, "More fiercely, more obsessively, more profoundly than any poet sinceBerryman (whom he in no way resembles) Bidart explores individual guilt, the insoluble dilemma." And about his career as a poet, she said, "Since the publication, in 1973, of Golden State, Frank Bidart has patiently amassed as profound and original a body of work as any now being written in this country."

His honors include the Wallace Stevens Award, the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Foundation Writer's Award, the Morton Dauwen Zabel Award given by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Shelley Award of the Poetry Society of America, and The Paris Review's first Bernard F. Conners Prize for "The War of Vaslav Nijinsky" in 1981. In 2007, he received the Bollingen Prize in American Poetry.

Bidart was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2003. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has taught at Wellesley College since 1972.

Gay and Southern

2013-05-05T23:21:00.001-05:00

One of my readers, blog buddies, and a dear friend, Jay, sent me a link to an article about the realities of coming out in the South, and I wanted to share it with my readers. ("Coming Out in the South" by Damon M. Banks) My experience with coming out were much like those of the author of this piece. Before the ready access of the Internet, there were no sources of information to find. Yes, you might could find a book at the local library, but who wanted the librarian, who you either knew or your family did, to know you were checking out that kind of book. I remember when the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil came out and I wanted to read it, so I checked it out of the library. When I began to read it and realized the number of gay characters in it, I was afraid of what someone might think of me reading it, so I immediately took it back. It was a few years before I had the courage to go back and read it.

Nowadays, if a kid wanted to read a book, they can just download it on one of their many electronic devices. If they have a question about homosexuality, they can Google it on their smartphone or any other Internet connected device. They can also use the Internet to connect with a wide range of people with similar interests on the many social networking sites. The Internet is a wonderful tool to help someone reach out and discover who they are.

As the author of the piece above pondered, what would my life have been like if I had the technology kids have today? Would I been brave enough to come out earlier? Or would I have understood my sexuality earlier and been able to come to terms with it sooner? Being Christian, gay, and a Southerner, is not the easiest qualities to come to terms with, but I and many others have.

What was your reaction to the article linked above? For those of you in the South, is it a pretty accurate description of your coming out?

It’s Okay To Be Gay And Christian

2013-05-04T23:47:00.000-05:00

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Romans 14:1-4 ESV

This week, Jason Collins came out as a black, gay, professional basketball player in Sports Illustrated. His bold and courageous move was met with encouragement and support from a wide cross-section of America. Many notable figures, including Magic Johnson, Father James Martin, Kobe Bryant, Nancy Pelosi, Rev. Al Sharpton, and both the Clinton and Obama families offered words of support and encouragement.

This outpouring of support was not shared, however, by Chris Broussard, a commentator on ESPN's "Outside the Lines" who was asked for his personal opinion about Collins' coming out. Broussard stated that he was a Christian, and as such, he was compelled to say that being gay was "open rebellion" against God. When asked about the fact that Jason Collins was also a Christian, Broussard stated that one cannot be gay and Christian at the same time.

The following clergy and religious leaders in America responded to Broussard:

Rev. Gil Caldwell, TruthinProgress.com, National Board of PFLAG, Asbury Park, NJ
Bishop Yvette Flunder, Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, San Francisco, CA
Rev. Darlene Garner, Metropolitan Community Church, Prince George's County, MD
The Very Rev. Gary Hall, Dean, Washington National Cathedral, Washington, DC
Rev. Cedric Harmon, Many Voices, Washington, DC
Rev. Candy Holmes, Metropolitan Community Church, Prince George's County, MD
The Reverend Luis Leon, St. John's Church – Lafayette Square, Washington, DC
The Reverend Dr. Jacqueline J. Lewis, Middle Collegiate Church, New York, NY
The Rev. Dr. Pamela R. Lightsey, Boston University, Boston, MA
Rev. Irene Monroe, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
Gene Robinson, IX Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire
Pastor Joseph Tolton, Fellowship of Affirming Ministries, New York, NY

Here is what they said in a jointly written Washington Post editorial:

As Christian leaders in America, we know that Christians hold a wide variety of viewpoints on human sexuality. It is not necessary, nor is it right, to reject lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people out of hand due to the Christian faith. To do so, misrepresents the ever widening nature of the gospel of Christ, who engaged with those on the margins, and placed in leadership people who were not powerful by worldly standards.

We are pastors and leaders who have discovered that LGBT people are often the most faithful members of our congregations and denominations. We have received blessings upon blessings when we free them to be the people God made them to be and use the gifts that God gave them. In the same way, we are thankful that Jason Collins has been able to use his God-given gifts for athletics, and now has the freedom to be faithfully and authentically himself with the world. That is a cause for rejoicing, not of condemnation.

When Broussard uttered his words of condemnation, LGBT-supportive people of faith sprang into action. Faithful America has already gathered over 24,000 signatures, asking that the Bible not be used to bash gay athletes on EPSN. GLAAD is helping faith leaders like us formulate a challenge to the false claim that Christians must uniformly reject LGBT people and LGBT athletes. And thousands of people of faith are offering a prayer for thanksgiving for Jason Collins and the role model he is for thousands of LGBT athletic young people, including people of color.

As Christian leaders, we also encourage the media to report the reality that an increasing number of people of faith, including many Christians, are embracing and supporting their LGBT friends and family. They do so, not despite their faith, but because of it. As GLAAD demonstrated in last year's 'Missing Voices' report, too often, stories like that of Jason Collins becomes one of "gay v. Christian," when the reality is that Collins is a man of strong Christian faith, as are many who support him.

We pray that God will open the eyes of Chris Broussard and help him mature in his faith. May Broussard see that Christianity is not a faith that is closed off to those who are different from him, but one that continually expands, reaching out to the neighbor and the stranger, sharing the good news. We encourage Broussard to listen with humility to LGBT Christians, their lives and stories. It is through listening that we learn.

We are among those who give thanks for the life and witness of Jason Collins. May he always know that God has created him and loves him just as he is. May he exemplify the courage and grace that he has displayed in the last two days. And may God use him to send that message of love and inclusion to others, telling everyone of the ever widening love of God.

Those who read my blog, and especially those who read my Sunday posts, know that I am gay and Christian. I can't understand those people who reject someone merely because they are judging that person for some perceived wrong. Matthew 7:1 clearly states, “Judge not, that you be not judged." God is our ultimate judge, and Jesus, who welcomed all people, especially those on the margins of society, is our advocate before God. There will always be those dissenting voices who spew spurious lies and hatred toward LGBT people, but we must remember that God loves us unconditionally.

Moment of Zen: Coffee

2013-05-04T10:41:00.001-05:00

On a morning like this, my moment of zen is coffee! It's cold and rainy, and I just didn't want to get out of bed.

Why I Love Baseball!

2013-05-02T21:14:00.001-05:00

I find baseball uniforms sexy. What can I say! I also find the body type of a baseball player to be my ideal of a near perfect physique. Anybody else feel the same way?

May is National Masturbation Month

2013-05-01T22:27:00.003-05:00

In case you were wondering, May is National Masturbation Month. The celebration of May as National Masturbation Month began in 1995 in San Francisco as a response to the forced resignation of then U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders.

After a speech at the United Nations World AIDS Day in 1994, an audience member asked Elders about masturbation's potential for discouraging early sexual activity. She answered,"I think it is something that is part of human sexuality and a part of something that perhaps should be taught."

That was the end of Elders' career as America's first black Surgeon General, but the spark for National Masturbation Month. Offended by Elders' ouster, the ever progressive, pro-sex staff of San Francisco's sex toy and education company Good Vibrations decided to find a way to keep the focus on Elders' unjust firing, and to bring talk about masturbation into the mainstream in just the way Elders had envisioned.

Realizing that large number of folks lacked support and advice to help them enjoy the simple, basic act of masturbation, Good Vibrations sought to provide support, advice, and reassurance for people looking to open their own personal sexual horizons.

And so was born National Masturbation Month. Among the first steps Good Vibrations took was to promote masturbation as healthy, safe and natural way to express one's sexuality, thereby removing much of the shame and stigma have so long colored the act masturbation.

So, is it true, as so many believe that masturbation is so commonplace, natural, pleasurable and healthy that "ninety-eight percent of us masturbate, and the other two percent are liars?" If so, why do we need an entire month to educate people on something they're already enjoying?

The answer is twofold: First, to help those already enjoying themselves to delve further. Second, and most importantly, it looks like plenty of people might still benefit from some encouragement and education.

A recent cross sample study of American adults asked the question: "On average, over the past 12 months, how often did you masturbate?" Only 38 percent of women said they'd masturbated at all during the past year, while 61 percent of men had done so.

A 2007 article in Sexual and Relationship Therapy notes that masturbation may help men improve immune system function, build resistance to prostate gland infection, promote overall prostate health. Moreover, Australian researchers have shown that frequent masturbation may lower a man's risk of developing prostate cancer.

A survey of men found the more frequently a man masturbates between the ages of 20 and 50, the less likely they are to get prostate cancer. In fact, those who masturbated more than five times a week were one-third less likely to develop prostate cancer.

These findings were the subject of a 2003 Doonesbury panel by Pulitzer Prize-winning Garry Trudeau. In the panel, one character alludes to masturbation as "self-dating." Nearly half of the 700 papers which normally syndicate Doonesbury did not to run that strip, proving that public discussion of masturbation is still a thorny issue for some, and perhaps attesting to the need for an observance like National Masturbation Month.

Earlier studies have shown that rates of masturbation are higher for both men and women with higher education, more frequent sexual thoughts, sexual experimentation before puberty, and more lifetime sexual partners. Moreover, masturbation has documented physical benefits for both men and women, to say nothing of likely emotional and psychological benefits.

A Brave New World

2013-04-30T23:46:00.001-05:00

Before Monday, I had never heard of Jason Collins. I'm not a huge pro sports fan, though I do love college sports, so it shouldn't be a surprise that I was not familiar with him. After his announcement, I did some reading about him. In case you are not familiar with the story, NBA player Jason Collins took the sports world by surprise when he came out publicly on Monday, becoming the first openly gay athlete ever in major U.S. professional sports. Collins wrote in a Sports Illustrated op-ed, "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation."

So far, Collins' announcement has been received with much support, which is fantastic. One can only hope that this will influence the next generation, who will learn that it is possible - despite all the stereotypes that suggest otherwise - to be a gay man and an athlete, and also that gay men can lead successful, proud, open lives in all sorts of fields, including athletics.

Imagine being a young person who dreams of a sporting career but believes that sports teams are homophobic, unwelcoming places; Collins is proof that this doesn't have to be the case. We just have to hope that he faces no difficulties due to being openly gay and proud, and that more athletes come out soon too.

Of course there has been some backlash. Rush Limbaugh lamented on Tuesday what he called the lack of "tolerance" for anti-gay reactions to Jason Collins' coming out. Even though the NBA, the White House and Bill Clinton have praised Collins for his announcement, Limbaugh felt differently, which should come as no big surprise. "Why can't everyone just put your sexual preferences on Facebook and call it a day? Why do we need to stop everything and have a national day of celebration, or mourning, depending on your point of view... about this?" the radio host wondered on Tuesday. "And this tolerance only goes one way."

Limbaugh is missing the point, by a long shot. In this day and age, we need publicly out figures to be an encouragement. We need people like Collins to come out, so that others can as well. We need the role models. For a celebrity, it can't be a subtle coming out. Someday, it won't be like this, but someone has to begin the process. As tennis player and gay rights activist Billie Jean King has suggested, this news item is great, but it's also a shame in a way - it would be better if people didn't need to come out, and if instead everyone were accepted for who they are. We shouldn't have to defend ourselves, but since the world isn't yet at that stage, unfortunately we still need people such as Jason Collins.

Collins was extremely brave to come out, especially since he becomes a free agent on July 1 — meaning that he will first have to sign with an NBA team and wait until next season to see if teammates, coaches, opponents and fans will treat him any differently. So the question now is whether any general manager will sign Collins to another deal. With it would flow all the attention and scrutiny that comes with signing this modern gay-rights and sports icon. It would also mean that young athletes around the country would get to watch a publicly gay basketball player on the court on a regular basis.

Brooklyn Nets veteran Jerry Stackhouse, who has called Collins a friend for years, stated, "I think the real response will be once he gets a job....It's not like he's under contract next year and guaranteed to go back to a team. I think once that happens, then public opinion or whatever or players' opinion will start to loom a little larger then. But right now we've got the summer to kind of digest what has happened, and I'm pulling for him." I'm pulling for Collins too.

Golden State Warriors President and COO Rick Welts, the highest-ranking executive in men's professional team sports to publicly acknowledge he is gay, said he thinks there will be a place in the league for Collins. "He absolutely will receive more opportunities," Welts said. "A lot more doors will open for Jason than are going to close because of what he did (Monday)." We can certainly hope so.

His coming out has already been an opportunity for me as a teacher. One of my students, the same one I spoke of in an earlier post who came across some evidence that another student was gay, asked me if I had seen the news. I didn't immediately know what he was talking about, but then he asked me if I had heard about the NBA player who came out. From there we had a very good class discussion about why this was such a momentous event and how brave Collins was to do so. I had just finished teaching the Civil Rights Movement last week (not an easy task when you teach at a majority white private school that was in the center of the civil rights struggle). We had also begun discussing the Vietnam War this week. I was able to bring up the Stonewall Riots, which is not in our textbook, and to discuss the role of the early homophile in attempting to remove the ban on gays in the military, how that had changed as the reality of Vietnam became known, and how we have eventually been able to repeal DADT.

Besides having a great discussion about equal rights, not a single person said anything negative about gay people. Nearly everyone saw Collins's coming out as a positive thing. Someone did mention something about the locker room situation, but someone else countered with, "He's the same person they've always taken a shower with, what difference should it make." Truthfully, though I didn't point this out to the kids, if a guy has been to a gym, then there is a high likelihood that they've already showered with a gay man.

I have one last thing to add that I found quite interesting about Jason Collins's coming out. Collins has gone even further than many others in regard to coming-out statements, because he also noted the importance of his race and religion to him, and his desire to start a family. So besides shattering the idea that professional sports are not queer spaces, he also has helped remind people that gay men can be black, they can be religious Christians, and they can be looking to create nuclear families; gays are from every walk of life, just like straight people, which is one of the most important lessons that people can learn. I think that because a few of my students knowing that a fellow classmate is gay has given them a new perspective. Knowing is different from suspecting, and it puts a real face to LGBT people, and I honestly believe that it is making a difference, just as Collins becoming the first out gay man in a major U.S. professional sport will make a difference.

A Greek Island by Edward Hirsch

2013-04-29T21:58:00.000-05:00

A Greek Island

by Edward Hirsch

Traveling over your body I found

The failing olive and the cajoling flute,

Where I knelt down, as if in prayer,

And sucked a moist pit

From the marl

Of the earth in a sacred cove.

You gave yourself to the god who comes,

The liberator of the loud shout,

While I fell into a trance,

Blood on my lips,

And stumbled into a temple on top

Of a hill at the bottom of the sky.

About this Poem:

"The poem takes a phrase ('C'est l'olive pâmée, et la flûte câline') from an obscene parody of Albert Mérat by Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine ('Sonnet du trou du cul') and develops it into an erotic poem. Now the body of the body becomes a sacred site, a Greek island."

--Edward Hirsch

Edward Hirsch is the author of numerous collections of poetry including, The Living Fire: New and Selected Poems(Knopf, 2011). Hirsch is a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and the president of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

Sometimes...I Have to Write About Nothing

2013-04-28T23:12:00.000-05:00

The only problem with writing a daily blog is that every now and then, I have nothing to write about, or I can't find anything to share with you guys. Sometimes, it's the opposite. I have what I think are two or three good ideas, and I have to decide which one to use, and then I have to decide if the others can be used another day. On Tuesdays, I know I can always find a poem; Saturdays, I can usually find a "Moment of Zen;" and on Sundays, I can usually find a Bible verse if nothing else. Today, is one of those days that I just can't think of anything to write about. I've checked out the gay news sources, and nothing popped out at me. Nothing else has struck me as interesting either. I'm sure there is something, but it eludes me right now.

So today, I am writing about nothing, because I can't think of anything to write about.

Temptation

2013-04-27T21:29:00.001-05:00

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread."
But he answered, "It is written,
"'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
"'He will command his angels concerning you,'
and
"'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"
Jesus said to him, "Again it is written,
'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.". Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written,
"'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'"
Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Matthew 4:1-11

As the passage above shows, Christ faced temptation, though because he was God in flesh, he only faced temptation by Satan, but was not tempted. Temptation is something we all face as Christians, no matter how long we have been following Christ. There are a few practical things, however, that we can do to grow stronger and smarter in our struggle against sin. We can learn how to avoid temptation by practicing these five steps.

Recognize your tendency toward sin.

James 1:14 explains that we are tempted when we become enticed by our own natural desires. The first step toward avoiding temptation, is recognizing our human tendency to be tempted by our own fleshly desires. Temptation is a given, so don't be surprised by it. Rather, expect to be tempted. Be prepared for it.

Run away from the temptation.

1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." When you are face to face with temptation, look for the way out that God has promised and then run as fast as you can.

Resist with the Word of truth.

Hebrews 4:12 says God's Word is living and active. Did you know you can carry a weapon that will make your thoughts obey Jesus Christ? If you don't believe me, read 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 One of these weapons is the Word of God.

Though it can be helpful to read God's Word when you're being tempted, sometimes that's not practical. Even better is to practice reading the Word daily, so that eventually you have so much of it inside, you are ready whenever temptation comes. If you are reading through the Bible regularly, you will have the full counsel of God at your disposal.

Refocus with praise.

How often have you been tempted to sin when your heart and mind were fully concentrated on worship to the Lord? Praising God takes your focus off of yourself and puts it on God. You may not be strong enough to resist temptation on your own, but as you focus on God, he will inhabit your praise. He will give you the strength to resist and walk away from the temptation. May I suggest Psalm 147 as a good place to start.

Repent quickly when you fail.

In several places the Bible tells us the best way to resist temptation is to flee from it (1 Corinthians 6:18; 1 Corinthians 10:14; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:22). Yet still we all fail from time to time. We fail to flee. Notice I didn't say, repent quickly if you fail. Having a more realistic view—knowing that at times you will fail—should help you to repent quickly when you do. It is not the end of the world when you fail, but it is very dangerous to persist in your sin. Going back to James 1, verse 15 explains that sin "when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."

The following prayer may also bring some solace when we face temptation:

Dear Lord,
You know the temptations that I am facing today. But your Word promises that I will not be tempted beyond what I can bear. I ask for your strength to stand up under the temptation whenever I encounter it. Your Word also tells me you will provide a way out of the temptation. Please, Lord, give me the wisdom to walk away when I am tempted, and the clarity to see the way out that you will provide. Thank you, God, that you are a faithful deliverer and that I can count on your help in my time of need.
Amen

Moment of Zen: Staying in Bed

2013-04-27T08:48:00.001-05:00

Knowledge

2013-04-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

Acquire knowledge, it enableth its possessor to distinguish right from wrong; it lighteth the way to Heaven; it is our friend in the desert, our society in solitude, our companion when friendless; it guideth us to happiness; it sustaineth us in misery, it is an ornament amongst friends, and an armour against enemies."

― Muhammad, quoted in The Sayings of Muhammad

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

― Marcus Garvey

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.

― Kofi Annan

Wisdom cannot be imparted. Wisdom that a wise man attempts to impart always sounds like foolishness to someone else ... Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it.

― Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

If you have knowledge, let others light their candles at it.

― Margaret Fuller

Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information on it.

― Samuel Johnson, quoted in Boswell's Life of Johnson

The end of man is knowledge but there's one thing he can't know. He can't know whether knowledge will save him or kill him. He will be killed, all right, but he can't know whether he is killed because of the knowledge which he has got or because of the knowledge which he hasn't got and which if he had it would save him.

― Robert Penn Warren, All the King's Men

A society that fears knowledge is a society that fears itself.

― Bernard Beckett, Genesis

Blue Week

2013-04-24T22:57:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have one of those weeks when you just feel down and depressed? I seem to be having what I call a blue week, a week when nothing seems to go right, you're in a constant bad mood, and you just feel down and depressed. There have been a few bright spots, but it's been two to three bright spots for a hundred dreary spots. I just feel like the universe is aligned against me this week. The thing is, it's not just one or two things I can name, but so many different things have happened that all seemed to be bad. Hopefully, the end of week will be an improvement on the beginning. Quite honestly, it will have to be, I don't think I could handle it getting worse.

I do like the picture above though. It just seems melancholy and hopeful at the same time. Plus, I love the colors, the purples, yellows, blues, and browns just blend together perfectly.

First Openly Gay NFL Player?

2013-04-23T21:29:00.001-05:00

Alan Gendreau is nothing if not unique. A devout Christian and a Florida native, Gendreau was a superstar kicker for the Middle Tennessee State's Blue Raiders; he is also openly gay. As an athlete at a Southern college, Gendreau was not only a successul team member, but he also felt accepted by his teammates. Now, he has his sights set on the National Football League (NFL).

Gendreau gave an exclusive interview to OutSports' Cyd Zeigler about life as an openly gay college athlete and his NFL prospects, revealing that when he came out to his MT team in freshman year, they fully embraced him.

"Everyone just saw him as a football player," MT holder and team punter Josh Davis told OutSports. "He was just one of the guys. The fact that he proved himself on the field, there was a respect for him."

The 5-foot, 10-inch kicker, who graduated from MT last year, knows the NFL is a long-shot for him this year. Gendreau is currently a free agent, and only the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers are likely to draft a kicker this year. Still, it isn't impossible.

"It's totally legit that he can get into the league," Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe, who is also a gay rights advocate, told OutSports. "Place-kicking is all about doing this one specific skill set. And if you can do that, you can make it whether you've been out of football for one year or 10 years."

If he does make it into the NFL, Gendreau would not only be the first gay professional football player, but he would also be the first professional player to enter the league openly gay.

Gay players in sports have been especially controversial lately. Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo revealed earlier this month that as many as four current football players are in talks to come out in the near future. Following this statement, the NFL met with gay rights groups to discuss enacting policies to end homophobia and combat discrimination.

The NFL would likely embrace a player like Gendreau, and why not? The first openly gay, male athlete will likely rake in millions in endorsement deals and garner major attention for the team.

"We have seen time and time again that diversity is a benefit," Hudson Taylor, founder and executive director of pro-tolerance nonprofit Athlete Ally, previously told The Huffington Post. "It's a benefit in corporate America; it's a benefit in schools; and it's a benefit in sports. An athletic culture that welcomes and includes LGBT athletes will ultimately draw improved talent and create more unified and respectful team cultures."

"These ideas are resonating for the sports community at all levels, from the leagues to the players to the corporate sponsors. And perhaps most importantly, they are resonating for fans," he continued. "Though a player's decision to come out is intensely personal and something about which only he or she knows best, it is a promising time as the sports community welcomes those decisions and the corporate community incentivizes them."