This soon to be released documentary looks excellent and I am sure it will be a deeply emotional experience.

According to their Facebook page:

Bully is coming to a theatre near you on March 30. 2012 Bully: This year, over 13 million American kids will be bullied, making it the most common form of violence young people in the U.S. experience. Directed by Sundance- and Emmy-award winning filmmaker, Lee Hirsch, Bully is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary—at its heart are those with the most at stake and whose stories each represent a different facet of this bullying crisis. Following five kids and families over the course of a school year, the film confronts bullying’s most tragic outcomes, including the stories of two families who’ve lost children to suicide and a mother who waits to learn the fate of her 14 –year-old daughter, incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus. With rare access to the Sioux City Community School District, the film also gives an intimate glimpse into school busses, classrooms, cafeterias and even principles offices, offering insight into the often-cruel world of children, as teachers, administrators and parents struggle to find answers. While the stories examine the dire consequences of bullying, they also give testimony to the courage and strength of the victims of bullying and seek to inspire real changes in the way we deal with bullying as parents, teachers, children, and in society as a whole. Through the power of these stories, Bully aims to be a catalyst for change and to turn the tide on an epidemic of violence that has touched every community in the United States—and far beyond.

Our say in the sun in full costume.

First time I have played in Carnival since Peter Minshall ( a decade ago) and K2K was worth the wait. Incredible vibe, beautiful costumes and that was just Monday the real band and costumes come tomorrow.

What a ride it has been these last few weeks.  I work for a very small TV company so when I returned from Canada  another manager decided she had to go on vacation which resulted in me working for 39 days non-stop.   That sucks so much I can’t describe  and add writing for Fodor’s when I got home at night and you see what a hell my life has been. On the wonderfully happy side, I also sent my first article to Gaylaxy Magazine ( India) and  my first article on ACTUP.org both of which made me incredibly proud.

On Thursday my 39 days of working producing the news,interviews and my  call-in show came to an end  so yesterday the ‘gay agenda’ dictated that I had to clean. Thankfully my wonderful Ex  came and helped enormously – with the blessing of his current.

This evening I was wandering on the internet and discovered an article by an amazing young gay person called Troy Roness and I noticed that Randy R Potts also posted him on Facebook.  To make a long story short the article is the grittiest article I have ever read – the title alone says it all : “It’s time: Yes,  I’m gay, and I’m unapologetic”

Staring at myself in a mirror, I internalized my shame, guilt, and insecurities. I believed my appearance defined my existence. The perfect grades, the perfect body, and appearing flawless would somehow make me complete. I’ve learned, though, that we aren’t mean to be “perfect”; we’re meant to be whole.

Read the Huffington Post article here.

Beautiful.

ORAM provides clients with free legal counseling and assistance, including representation at UNHCR proceedings. We assist refugees through their passage to safety, often until they are permanently resettled in new countries.

Visit their website here.

The organization has released a series of  narration free animated videos telling the  personal stories of what the reality of life is for LGBTI people living in hostile environments. Deeply thought provoking and maddening. The countries featured  in these three videos ( in order ) are Jamaica, Iraq and Iran.  A warning – although they are animated some of the images are disturbing.

JAMAICA

IRAQ

IRAN

Damascus, Syria. Feb. 2012.
Syrian Rules, By azzedine Jamal
People are fighting for “freedom”.
Freedom of All ?

The only choice for a lot of gay syrian is to sucide themself or to get arrested.
Revolution, yes. For all, no.

I don’t have a firm position on suicide as to me circumstances can make it a reasonable choice in cases such as terminal and painful illness. I can’t see suicide as an acceptable option for a gay Syrian or Arab in general even though I don’t have to live in such an overtly oppressive society.

Perhaps the solution is to  move to a more gay accepting society like Canada (despite PM Harper) or to bravely work to make a change in Syria – despite the threat to your life – ACTUPorg  is there for you.

There are no easy answers – just stay safe.