Monday, May 28, 2012

Gay Bar Bans Bachelorette Parties

I was so glad to see Mr. David Cooley owner of The Abbey in Los Angeles publicly come out and take a stand against Bachelorette parties in his gay bar on CNN today.

"We love our straight girlfriends," the bar’s owner, David Cooley, said in a statement released Thursday. "But it's also a slap in the face to my customers and my life that we can't have that same celebration.

“It was just kind of, enough is enough,” The Abbey spokesman Brian Rosman told the Daily News.

I posted about this last month asking women to please call ahead to the bar they were thinking of going to and see if it was O.K. with the management before traipsing in with all their giggling girlfriends in tow to oogle the dancers and other men at the bar.

If you do not realize that a big debate is going on in this Country about marriage equality than you have been living under a rock. 

I am sad to say I am living in a State that proposed Proposition 8, Thankfully it has been overturned and it is working its way to the Supreme Court where I know eventually, if not ever so slowly, what is right and fair will win out.

Six states - New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire and Iowa - allow gay marriage, as does Washington, D.C. In addition, about 18,000 same-sex couples married in California during the summer of legalization in 2008, and their unions are valid regardless of the outcome of the Prop 8 case.

As a straight women who has always had the right to marry I am embarrassed, irked, annoyed and sometimes disgusted by the insensitivity we have to the LGBT community.  That is why I felt the need to post an Open Apology at the very top of this blog.

Gals, the gay community and gay bars have shown you respect by not discriminating against you and allowing you access to their bars and clubs.  And lets face it, they probably have better entertainment and dance floors than most of the straight clubs.  However it is time to show them the same respect and UNTIL they have the same right to marry as you do please stop rubbing your rights in their face and take your Bachelorette party somewhere else so we do not force these clubs to ban us.







.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

WINNER HOP AGAINST HOMOPHOBIA

I am sorry this took a couple days to post but that nasty thing called "work" kept interferring with what I consider the most important thing, the Hop.

I am happy to announce
K-Lee Klein of Chaos In The Moonlight blog is the

winner of $100.00 being donated in her name to PFLAG which stands for Parents Family & Friends of Lesbians and Gays a very worthy cause that welcomes even straight folks like myself. :-)
I tried to get to the over 280 some blogs who entered WOW!  Unfortunately even with staying up late each evening I was not able to get to all of them however I will be continuing to visit your blogs if you all do not mind!

Thank you once again for letting me, a person who does not even write fiction, to participate in such a worthwhile event that is very important to me.
Shadow Sterling


Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Hop Against Homophobia

Welcome to the Hop Against Homophobia

An extremely important cause that is dear to me and I appreciate being included today.


Please click on the EVENTS PAGE for details.

Saturday, May 5, 2012

International Day Against Homophobia and Straight People

So straight person what are you going to do on May 17th, named International Day Against Homophobia?


“Oh that is a day for gay people not me”………............WRONG!

The LGBT community has been assaulted by homophobia for years and most of it comes directly from the straight community. I know there are those “who protest too loudly” against same sex relationships who are probably struggling with their own sexuality but the vast majority comes from us, the straight community.


This is a day that “we” the straight community need to do more than just pay lip service to our views of equality for all.  It is a day to get out of your comfort zone and do something positive for your LGBT community.

There are still places in the U.S. and around the world where you can be denied housing, lose your job, be beaten, jailed and even put to death for being gay.  You know this is true!

The LGBT community have worked hard enough, they are tired and they need your help!

 WHAT CAN YOU DO?

1. Reach out to someone you know is gay or being bullied and say you are sorry.

2. Join Straight For Equality and read what they have been so kind to write for us.

3. Post something positive on your blog, Twitter, FB page. This is not a day to give any time to those who are seeking negative attention.


4. Send a letter and/or donation to a local LGBT outreach organization. It takes so little to turn someone’s day around.


WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?
I am going to spend the day apologizing.

If just one person hears me or reads this and believes it to be sincere and from my heart then I feel I may have taken a tiny step in the right direction.

AN OPEN APOLOGY
I am straight and I am sorry for taking for granted all the entitlement and privileges I receive in this world that you do not.


I am sorry for the cruel things I said to you in school.
I am sorry my thoughtlessness embarrassed you in front of others.
I am sorry for not extending my hand in friendship when I could have.
I am sorry for the tasteless jokes I said at the office.
I am sorry I made your work environment tough to go to each day.
I am sorry for the thoughtless comments you overheard me say to others.
I am sorry if your family did not support you when you came out or even rejected you.
I am sorry that you have to always be careful what you say around me.
I am sorry that I made you feel less of a man or woman.
I am sorry this is too little and too late in coming.

I am sorry.


I was wrong and you did not deserve any of it.

With great respect,

Shadow Sterling
 



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(If you know of someone who is hurting and you think this apology might help, please feel free to pass it on)

Acknowledgments
1.  http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/clintonbullying.html
2.  http://www.towleroad.com/2012/05/gay-iowa-hs-student-acted-as-anonymous-twitter-angel-for-fellow-bullied-teens.html
3.  http://dan14lev.deviantart.com/journal/Homophobic-ToMyUnbornChild-tweets-turned-into-PSA-294126272
4.  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120406234458.htm
5.  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/29/opinion/sunday/homophobic-maybe-youre-gay.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
6.  http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/public/NCAA/Resources/Latest+News/2012/April/Athlete+Ally+-+Hudson+Taylor+tackles+homophobia
7.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/08/sports/hockey/08avery.html?ref=sports
8.  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/sports/two-straight-athletes-combat-homophobia.html?pagewanted=all
9.  https://twitter.com/#!/homophobes
10. http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/05/163529.htm
11. http://www.adl.org/hate-patrol/homophobia.asp
12. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/assault/etc/quiz.html
13. http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/html/sexual_prejudice.html
14. http://www.endhomophobia.org/homophobia.htm

15. http://www.fangsforthefantasy.com/2012/04/international-day-againt-homophobia-and.html