Jason Howard Green

Jason Howard Green

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Always Check Your Balls



So the video is amusing, but the message is serious. Learning how to check yourself for testicular cancer is something we should all do. These British rugby players swallowed their pride and dropped their towels in this entertaining PSA. Hope you enjoy.

Monday, May 26, 2008

Homophobia at Morehouse College


Morehouse College has been the center of much discussion over the past few weeks. The two things focused on include 1) a white valedictorian at the predominately black school and 2) gay men on campus standing up trying to end the homophobia at the school.

Regarding the first topic. I don't understand the controversy. If the kid has the highest GPA, then the kid had the highest GPA. No need to make an issue of this. Get over it.

Regarding the second issue, Morehouse has been listed several times by the Princeton Review as one of the most homophobic schools in the country. Keeping it real, historically black colleges have NOT done a great job addressing the issue of homophobia and taking care of the needs of its LGBT students. Also keeping it real, many gay and lesbian students at all black schools live an invisible life, so these schools could honestly live under the delusion that there is no need to address the issue.

This brings us back to the men of Morehouse. Last week several openly gay students held a candlelight vigil in honor of victims of homophobia. Kudos to these men for being true to themselves and showing the campus (fellow students and administration) that there is a need to address this problem. It is only by visibility that we can start a dialog about homophobia and hopefully come to some resolution.

Gays Should Not Be Allowed Rights

Great video. Please watch.

Major Alan Rogers - You Inspire Me

Memorial Day is here again and for many of us we celebrate, not because of the sacrifices of our veterans but because we have a day off from work. For those that actually recognize the day for the significance it has, they still generally don't recognize the contributions from the gay and lesbian soldiers that have risked life and limb defending their country.

I want to take a moment to recognize one of those amazing soldiers - Major Alan Rogers. Major Rogers lost his life in Iraq by an IED (improvised explosive device). He used his body to shield two others from the explosion. Because of his sacrifice, two other soldiers are alive today. He was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on March 14 of this year.

Though it shouldn't be relevant, it is very important for me to say that Rogers was gay. This man who laid down his life couldn't even live an authentic life because he had to hide who he was in order to serve. But still for some reason, out gays and lesbians are denied the call of duty.

Major Alan Rogers - you inspire me. You are a role model for all of us. Know that there many of us that do thank you for what you've done defending the rights of us and our allies.

Also, thanks to all of those Stonewall Veterans - those that we have lost, those that have retired and ended their service, and those that are still active and doing their part for freedom.

HAPPY BLACK PRIDE


Happy Pride to all of those that made it out to Washington, D.C. this weekend to partake in their annul Black Pride Celebration. I hope everyone had fun and played safe.

I just have to say I love Black Pride. Don't get it twisted, I love all gay pride festivals, but for people of African descent, Black Pride is just a bit more special. Our celebrations are different. Yeah - there are some similarities. But there are many differences. I love this quote from Rev. Irene Monroe as she discusses this years Black Pride in D.C.

Sunday gospel brunches, Saturday night poetry slams, Friday fashion shows, bid whist tournaments, house parties, soul food, Caribbean cuisine and beautiful displays of African art and clothing are just some of the cultural markers that make Black Pride distinct. 

Black Pride isn't held to exclude others. Black Pride is held to celebrate our uniqueness in a way that is fun and fulfilling to us. If you can appreciate the fabulousness that is Black and gay then please join us at the table. You're more than welcome.

I honestly don't know if non-Black people don't appreciate the difference or feel that they aren't welcome at Black Pride festivals. But I'm not here to dissect that one. I'm a Black gay man with a white partner (New Hampshire born and bred - so quite white) and he can hang with me no matter where we go. So I want to encourage all of those that have never celebrated Black Pride to do so this year.

There are many more Black Pride celebrations coming this summer. So if you didn't make it to D.C., please try to make it to one of the upcoming events.

To learn the dates of all upcome Black Pride celebrations, please visit this link:
http://gaylife.about.com/od/gaypride/a/2008blackparade.htm

To read the entire article by Rev. Irene Monroe about Black Pride, please visit this link:
http://www.washblade.com/2008/5-23/view/columns/12644.cfm

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Gambia To Kill All Homosexuals

The President of Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, has stated that he will "cut off the head" of any homosexual caught in his country. This is part of his plan to clean up his country and make it one of the best places in the world to live. He stated that his country is made up of people that believe in God and that immoral and sinful acts like homosexuality would not be tolerated.

He has promised that legislation stricter than that of Iran will soon be introduced. But his legislation will not only vilify the homosexual, he also promises that anyone that houses or helps homosexuals would also be in violation of the law and would also be dealt with.

It is so very difficult for me to respond to this. Now I know I sometimes (well, oftentimes) say things about our president. But OMG, he hasn't tried to kill off his own citizens. Hard to believe that things like this still happen.

I'm waiting now to see the response from the international community. There is no way he will be able to get away with this. I'm afraid for all LGBT people that live in Gambia.

Jamaica Continues Homophobia

Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding made the statement yesterday that he would not allow gays in his Cabinet. The comment was made during a visit to London in an interview with the BBC. Many gay and lesbian activists in Jamaica and human rights organizations internationally are condemning Golding for his homophobic actions.

While I acknowledge that his actions are vengeful and perpetuate the environment of hatred in his homeland, I must also add that I am SOOOO not surprised by this. Come on - it's Jamaica. Who can be surprised when anyone from there does something homophobic.

Kudos to everyone calling him on this. Though his actions are expected we still have the responsible of speaking out against them. If we don't speak out against this, he may go forward thinking that no one will challenge him.


Special kudos to the gay and lesbian activist in Jamaica. It's tricky being an activist in Jamaica. Because of the environment (and the threat of bashings, stoning, and lynchings), you have to simultaneously be vocal and invisble. Not an easy thing to do. Maybe one day things will change.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

ABC News Reports - Gay Kenya


ABC News has posted an amazing article about gay life in Nairobi, Kenya. The article is titled Searching for Love Where Being Gay Is a Crime. It discusses the challenges and successes for the LGBT community in a place where homosexuality is not just frowned upon, it is illegal. Men that identify as gay face seven years jail time if convicted. However, they usually don't have to deal with the courts. They're usually just beatened and stoned by Kenyans. Please check out the article . . .

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Travel/BusinessTravel/story?id=4719894&page=1

Mildred Loving - You Inspire Me

At this moment in history when the LGBT community is fighting for the right to marry, we've lost another hero in a different (but similar) right to marry battle. Mildred Loving, the African-American woman that took the right to marry inter-racially all the way to the Supreme Court passed away last Friday. Loving, a fitting name for this phenomenal woman, and her husband Richard faced jail time when they married in 1958. Though they lived in Virginia, where inter-racial marriage was illegal, they went to D.C. for their ceremony.

Does this sound familiar? People not allowed to marry the person they love in one state so they go to another state where this is allowed. But I digress.

Back to Loving, upon their return home, they were arrested and convicted on charges of "cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the Commonwealth." The couple was sentenced to a year in jail but were offered a second option - leave Virginia. Richard and Mildred left Virginia and moved to Washington D.C. It was while in D.C. that they started their legal battle against Virginia that went all the way to the high court.

In 1967, the Loving family had their victory. The Supreme Court of the U.S, under the direction of Chief Justice Earl Warren overruled all states that still outlawed inter-racial marriage. Any persons of any color could marry the person [of opposite sex] of their choice.

So the Supreme Court recognized human rights were being denied and they stepped up and did the right thing. But it took the undaunted courage of Richard and Mildred Loving to set this into motion.

Mildred Loving - you inspire me. The LGBT community should look to your audacity to fight for what's right as motivation as we continue with our right to marry battle.

I'm Just Saying - Did She Really Out These Students?

I have to admit that I was outraged at this principal when I first heard this story. The story is about Principal Daphne Beasley of Hollis F. Price Middle College High School in South Memphis. And the story goes that she outed two of her gay students. She posted a list of couples at the school and included the names of two male students that were an item. She additionally placed a phone call to the parents of one of the students and revealed to his mother that he was gay. The story sounds vengefully homophobic - until all the details are revealed.

The list was generated because many students were engaging in inappropriate public displays of affection. Inappropriate PDA may be an understatement. "Some kids were engaged in sex acts in plain view on campus," according to Kenneth Whalum, School Board Commissioner for this district.

I know a lot of high school students. I believe the commissioner. That being said, was the action of the principal inappropriate. She didn't single out the gay students. The list was of many couples at the school, one couple happened to be a gay couple. Wouldn't it be discriminative to only list the straight couples if you're listing all couples on campus?

Now let's talk about this "OUTING." According to another South Memphis parent, all the students knew the guys were a couple and most of the teachers knew the guys were a couple. The list was compiled of known couples. Are you really outing someone if everyone knows their sexuality.

The mother that received the phone call claims she did not know about her son's orientation. But if everyone at the school knew, how could the principal have known that the mom was in the dark about this. I don't know enough about the nature of the phone call to make any assumptions. Were other parents called? Was the call done to inform about the list?

I think the situation could have been handled better, but I can't hate on the principal for wanting to do something to stop inappropriate sex/ PDA in the classroom. I don't want to label this lady as a homophobe when I don't know all the details (I can make assumptions because this is Memphis and the South is a land of bigotry and hatred). But the list was of all couples in the school - not just the gay couples. And if the couple were closeted, how would they have made the list. There is a lot here that we don't know and may never know.

Homophobia Hurst

This is an amazing video. It had me teary eyed.