Standing Up to NOM in St. Louis

Church of the Holy Hipsters and Gays

The September 2010 issue of Details Magazine has hit the stands with a Zac Efron cover that little gay boys all of the country are drooling over. Past the cover is a feature article titled "The New Face of Faith," that highlights an up-and-coming church in the Los Angeles: Reality LA. What sets Reality apart from other churches is its young, modern, hipster congregation, which also attracts some of Hollywood's young celebrities, including Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus, and Joe Jonas.

In addition to the young Los Angeles hipster crowd, Reality has also attracted the gays, well the "ex-gays" that is. My perception of Reality after reading this article is that the congregation is full of a bunch of young, healthy, celibate, Hollywood fashionistas, socialistas, homosexuals, etc.

Reclaiming the "F" Word

The other day I was walking through a large crowd on my way to the pharmacy and that’s when I heard it. The one word that makes every little gay boy’s stomach knot and heart stop: “FAGGOT!” The exclamation wasn’t targeted towards me, and I’m unsure if it was it was targeted towards anyone else. With the crowd being so large, I couldn’t find the source of this anti-gay outburst.

But what I want to focus on was my physiological response to hearing someone use this word. My body pretty much entered into a “fight or flight” mode. In a sense, I felt threatened by just hearing the word. This makes me wonder though, can we ever reclaim the term “faggot” as an LGBTQ community?

Reclaiming Our Aspirations

As a child I was always reminded by my teachers that I could grow up to become anything I wanted to be. I really took that to heart as I was growing up. I went through many different phases of wanting to become a lawyer, a doctor, Spanish teacher, veterinarian, Broadway actor, you name it, I probably wanted to be it at some point.

If I were to ask my 8-year-old self, even my 17-year-old self, if I could imagine being where I am today, the answer would be no. Even though I didn’t grow up to become the things I imagined, does that I mean I have to give up on those passions and dreams?

The Queer Question

Justice and equality rang loudly in the state of California yesterday after Judge Walker announced that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional and thus overturned the legislation that defined marriage as being between only one man and one woman.

LGBTQs and their allies celebrated across the country, taking their joy to the streets to proclaim loudly that every person deserves the right to marry. It was a great day, not only to be a California, but definitely a great day to be queer. I definitely celebrated from my new home in Massachusetts, but as a Californian, I was more than excited and proud to be a part of the Golden State.

However the fight for marriage equality is not over. Not even in the state of California. Proponents of the marriage ban already filed an appeal and they will continue to work towards stripping same-sex couples of their right to marry one another. The fact that every Californian now has the right to marry is not good enough for Prop. 8 supporters. Therefore, they have to do whatever they can to ensure that every Californian is not treated equally.

I was taken back when I came to the realization that I stand there and celebrate Judge Walker's decision, but that decision isn't good enough. My right to be treated equally under the law is still threatened. By the mere fact that we are queer, our citizenship is called into question; thus raising "The Queer Question."