Ex-Gay Survivors, Transgender Surgeries & More
Thanks to Noa Resare, I began to use Google Reader for the first time. What a great way to keep track of news' stories and my favorite blogs. I can use it on my phone as well off-line on my laptop. So here is a little round-up of some of the things happening in the blog world.Myths over the "Gay Plague"
Jim Burroway over at Box Turtle Bulletin published some articles about MRSA, the staph infection that was in the news this past week. Lots of hype and misinformation going around about this, and some anti-gay folks locked onto the story and gleefully announced a new gay disease. Seems it is not so new and not a gay thing at all. The media now has begun to set the record straight. Check out Mainstream Media Retreats From MRSA Hysteria--Where are LaBarbera's and Barber's apologies? and Testing The Premise: Is MRSA The New Gay Plague? Not according to the medical literature.
Quaker Response to violence in Kenya
Peggy Senger Parsons, who has done work with victims of trauma in Eastern Africa, has published some blog entries about the recent violence in Kenya and the Quaker response. Peggy quotes from and links to a beautiful and powerful pastoral letter out of Friends Church in Kenya. She also shares an e-mail from a trauma counselor in Burundi she helped train and his efforts to reach out to and train Kenyans in trauma work.
The Kinder Gentler Marriage Equality Debate
Bruce Garrett quotes an article about the gay marriage debate in Vermont. They have had civil union for awhile now, but the discussion has now opened to consider actual marriage (like real grown-up straight people get to do). Seems this time around the discussion is tamer. A similar debate is happening in Sweden where they also had something less than marriage for same-sex couples. And all these years I heard anti-gay preachers talking about gay marriage in Sweden (along with drunken orgies, anti-god citizens and the decline of civilization as we know it. Having been to Sweden three times now, I have learned a different story).
Joe G is less sucky
Joe G admits that his podcast is getting "less sucky," so check out Bored Beyond Belief episode #15 (but according to Joe, avoid the first few). In episode 15 Joe terrorizes his family with a serious thoughtful question, and we learn that his family members are much funnier than Joe himself (but Joe sounds sexier).
Mila and Jayna go under the knife
Also, episode 29 and episode 30 of Trans-Ponder Podcast are excellent. Mila and Jayna have gone to Boston for some important surgeries and talk pre- and post-surgery. Great conversation about growing up trans and trying to figure that all out and about the Orchi surgery. They don't have the shows listed yet on their episode page, but you can get them through iTunes.
Ex-Gay Survivor speaks out some more
Finally, Eric Leocadio shared two more videos produced by Box Turtle Bulletin and Beyond Ex-Gay. In one Eric talks about the isolation and exclusion he experienced in the church and among church friends (and also mentions flirting with veganism after an awesome meal we shared in LA.) In the second one he talks about the Side X (or ex-gay) culture.
Labels: blogging, ex-gay, ex-gay survivor, podcast, Quakerism
posted by Peterson Toscano @ 3:26 PM
12 Comments:
I have also started using Google Reader recently. Bloody marvellous.
No mention of my exciting blog though... I mean I have it all... books, parties, men in Wonder Women outfits and how to make Christmas decorations out of chillies. What more could you want? ;) Hmmm.... maybe I am lacking in serious content these days!!!
Glad you are home safely sweetheart!
auntie doris, as you know, I am an ardent follower of your blog. I scoured it to see what entry I should cross-post, but decided I didn't want to share you with anyone else.
Oh Peterson. You say the sweetest things ;)
I second the praise for Google Reader. Do you use the feed sharing feature? If so, where's your page?
andy, I believe I have a feed setup for Google Reader. Just do a search and you will find me. In fact, Google Reader, in their recent recommendations, suggested I subscribe to my very own blog. Tee hee.
Peterson,
It's so sweet for you to mention my podcast again. I realize that the true agenda is that you want to be ON the podcast rather than reporting about it. But, I'll assume that you have no hidden agendas other than to spread your love everywhere you can.
{ahem}
None but my best,
Joe G.
Joe, btw, my appearance fee has gone up, but you can still pay me in vegan baked goods.
Oh, so now you call them "appearance fees". Nice euphemism.
PS: You missed a label or tag for this post: "Joe G."
PPS: Even I'll eat those vegan goodies here in the Midwest.
Wow, I was totally unaware that MRSA had been labeled a 'gay disease' by anyone. I also don't understand all the sudden hype surrounding it. Having worked in medical establishments, I can tell you that it has been widespread for years. I've seen it most frequently in elderly nursing home residents and especially folks who have just been in/visited the hospital. Staph germs have been around for a very long time and our antibiotic-obsessed society as well as doctors inappropriately prescribing antibiotics are the definitive cause of this drug-resistant bug. Attributing MRSA to gays is reminiscent of people who got their neighbors murdered for supposed 'witchcraft' because the weather was not favorable for their crops (thus their neighbor must be casting a curse on them). If they wanted to create some sort of marginally defensible argument against homosexuality, the least they could do is come up with factual material. It never ceases to amaze me that propagandists forget how quickly the truth can come to light.
BTW... great poem Peterson. Simple and beautiful in it's conciseness.
your awesome! love catching up on your blog, thanks for mentioning us once again. We recently got another mention from someone praising the interview you did with us!
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