"It Gets Better" — Love, Pixar (Video)

via youtube.com

Just lovely. Well done Pixar team. Love the moments of humor in it too.

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Young Gay Student Defends Teacher At School Board Meeting (Video)

Graeme Taylor, a 14-year-old openly gay student from Ann Arbor, stood up in support for his teacher, Jay McDowell, at a recent school board meeting. McDowell was disciplined on Oct. 20th, 2010 for removing two students who had made anti-gay remarks in class.

This is beautiful. I wish I had the courage as a teen to speak up like this. It takes a certain type of person to do this.

via towleroad.com

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Anderson Cooper has always been my hero

And this is just one reason why...

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It gets better... via The White House. Gobama! :D

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It gets better... via music

File this one under very cool. Another great addition to the It Gets Better Project.

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Why I (Still) Love Working For Google: It loves the LGBTQ Community!

Sometimes you need those small reminders to keep you in check as to why you love something or someone.

Having been at Google for nearly 5 years (in January 2011!), I love how supportive Google employees and its founders/executive staff are toward LGBTQ causes. Small touches such as:

• An employee resource group (Gayglers, Gaytubers) and discussing them during Noogler (New Googler) orientation
• Sponsoring local organizations, tables at LGBTQ events
• The founders donating huge amounts against Prop 8
• Sponsoring Pride Floats in Local Pride Parades
• Teaming up with orgs like HRC, GLAAD, etc.

Well, the Gayglers finally have a YouTube Channel Up @ BetterInTech. They've created the following video for the "It Gets Better Project."

I'll be adding one of my own to the mix, soon enough. Everyone has a story to tell, including me.

P.S. - My roomie already created one:

 

Eddie, Ty, Alan & Will | From SF Pride 2008 - Sunday Parade

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Well said, Mr. Lambert

If you give them the power to affect you, you're letting them win.

Another great clip for the "It Gets Better Project."

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Give Yourself A Chance

I think Fort Worth City Councilman said this best, "Give yourself a chance to see just how much better life will get. And it will get better." If you haven't been on of the 1+ million people who've seen it, check it out. It's worth watching.

The recent press coverage of LGBT teen suicides in schools has given birth to the "It Gets Better" project. Keep in mind that this topic of internet bullying has been around forever. I can't help but be curious as to why NOW it's suddenly covered by the press. I guess that's my realistic side talking.

I can honestly say that growing up being bullied for being fat (and sometimes) or being gay (well, more like not masculine) has made me a stronger person. That isn't to say I haven't had many weak moments (of which there were many). When I look back at all the hard, difficult and tear shed moments, they seem menial in comparison to how much better my life has gotten. I've got amazing friend and family. All of which have stuck by me.

Not one person, not a single person that I can recall has dropped me as a friend for being gay. (Note: People have dropped me as a friend for being an asshole. So, don't be an asshole, okay?) Did I think they would drop me as a friend for being gay? You bet. In fact, most of the time, people were curious as to the topic. Curiosity has only grown from the straight community I know since I came out in 2005/2006. The people who I thought would be the most homophobic turned out to be some of my strongest supporters. I think a lot of LGBT youth like to make assumptions without actually asking directly what someone's opinion may be.

When I was younger I associated actions or comments with whether someone was homophobic or not. Then from there I would assess my comfort level of hanging out with them. I eventually learned that assuming got me nowhere. Not only that, no one likes to directly ask whether or not someone is gay. That is tremendous amount of pressure. It's your responsibility as a LGBT person to take the plunge and educate your friends/family on your experience. No one is going to pull your teeth to get you to talk.

Rejection is a fear that is common amongst most people. Rejection in and of itself isn't a bad thing. In fact, it's the one thing that usually gets people to get their shit together. Rejection is a chance to be free. A chance for you to focus. There are so many positives that come out of rejection. I often find that people forget that side of rejection (including myself).

So, with that said, I gave myself a chance because I knew I was worth it. I just with everyone on this planet would realize that. :)

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Sometimes You Need A Laugh (and a Sassy Gay Friend)

I've been in love with this short web clip series called "Sassy Gay Friend" put on by the Second City Network. It essentially inserts a witty gay man in Shakespeare plots as he tries to prevent the tragedy that inevitably would occur.

I've also been in love with the "It Gets Better Project" (as associated with the Trevor Project). I first heard about the Trevor Project several years ago when watching the PBS show "In the Life" which highlights stories from the LGBT community.

When the two worlds collide, you have the following:

And just for a laugh, my favorite "Sassy Gay Friend" episode on Othello. (One, he's crazy, Two, he wears pleated pants.):

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AYCJ Observation #3: "Family" sticks together

So I was at Las Vegas (McCarran) Airport (LAS) heading to Terminal D.

This Asian guy, whom I later find out is from Thailand, asks me to take a picture of him in front of a mural that depicts several international cities as thought out by school children.

He seems a bit chatty and wanted to strike up a conversation. His english was a bit broken so I had a hard time understanding him at first.

He first asks where I'm from, what I do, where I'm traveling to, etc. As it turns out, he used to work for the Embassy but recently quit to travel around the US for 6 months. He spent 3 weeks in San Francisco and stayed in the Castro.

Badaboom, he just subtly let me know he's "family" (the term used by gay men to subtly refer to another gay man).

He let me know he's going to be in NYC for a week. I let him know I'll be there for a couple of days in the near future. I gave him my email address in case he wanted to hang out.

Funny enough, he asked why I like San Francisco so much. He let me know he liked the natural beauty but not the cold weather (he preferred NYC and Chicago). I let him know San Francisco Summers are like Winter and that Fall is like Summer. He was a bit confused, but got it eventually.

So why do I in fact like San Francisco? It's small but feels large. It's easily navigable. Clearly has the best mass transit on the West Coast (although, that's not saying much if LA is your major competitor). You can run into friends really easily. You can be yourself and no one will really judge you (kind of the opposite of NYC --- but NYC helps you grow balls). A city doesn't get more liberal than this. Like Food? So do San Franciscans. Care where your food is from? So do San Franciscans. Like innovation? It's the soul of the Bay Area. I generally love what the Bay Area stands for. It pushes the envelope on initiatives that help this country move forward. No matter how large or small the initiative, the Bay Area paves the way. (Think Gay Marriage, Banning Plastic Bags, Cell Phone Radiation Laws, etc.)

I finally found out the Thai man's name was Pock. A funny moment is when he asked me whether I was famous in San Francisco. I said, "Of Course! Everyone knows me." :P I later told him I was just being silly.

Anywho, when traveling, gay men clearly like to stick together. I'm not entirely sure why sexuality is the common binder when it comes to gay men. With my straighties, it's usually a common hobby or a common city that helps bind people together. Whatever floats your boat...

A mural depicting Berlin at Las Vegas Airport in Terminal D; An example of one mural that Pock wanted me to take a photo of him in front of

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Interesting thought on Gay Marriage

I happened to be on my sister's Twitter and saw the following image. It made me smile slash laugh. It also has a good point. ;)

I'm actually surprised my sister posted this to be honest. She always used to cringe whenever I would mention the word "gay." I think she's been surrounded enough by LGBT's over the past few years, including myself, to be educated on our perspective. I remember when she told me when her really good friend started to date a girl after being in a relationship with a man and having a kid. I think at that moment, the tide turned for her. One of these days, I'll get her out to a gay bar. Shit, I've had to go to sporting events with her....

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The Gay Mexican

Well, in a sense, I'm a gay Mexican. But that isn't what this entry is about.

A few weeks back, I was in a bar in the Castro while waiting for friends to arrive. I used to clam up at the thought of being alone in a bar, but I got over that over time with an improvement in social skills and self esteem. So while alone and sans alcohol, I just observed the crowd and listened to some good tunes [*untz untz untz*].

Next thing I knew I felt my chest being groped. I looked to my right and this man in what appeared to be in his late 30's had a grin on his face. I'm not gonna lie, he looked like a creepy guy slash potential child molester.

There was something about him that made me want to talk to him to see what he had to say. Normally, I'd just scadadle on my merry way after asking their name and politely finding an exit strategy.
The mystery man was like, "You [pronounced like "Jew"] have a nice chest. Are you from here?" I said yes and asked where he was from. He was from a small town a few hours from Mexico City but used to be a professor at Diablo City College in the North Bay of San Francisco. He hadn't been to San Francisco since 2002. He was here for a conference on the "Law of Attraction." Okay, first sign he wasn't a total creepster just out to touch man pecks.

I asked more about his background and it turns out he has a Ph.D. in Electrical or Computer Engineering. He asked me about myself and my background. I let him know that I'm also Mexican but that I was curious as to what it's like to be Mexican and Gay, in Mexico. He said it was hard because he's in a smaller town and there are no gay specific bars. You kind of have to guess who's gay and hope you're right. Otherwise you could totally offend someone and pay the consequences. He also said it's kind of fun in a sense to guess. It's always a mystery. He also said most gay men to try assimilate into a masculine sensibility.

We probably had a 30 minute conversation. He even asked why I was single. He kept on saying, "You look like Ricky Martin. You are so handsome." He repeated that a few times throughout the conversation. Funny enough, that's not the first time someone thought I looked like Ricky. I don't really think so, but I find it flattering.

He finally asked me to dance, but I didn't really feel like it at the time.

In the end, I learned a lot that evening, quite unexpectedly, mainly because I didn't discount someone purely based on appearance.

The Gay Mexican re-invigorated my passion to learn more about my Mexican Heritage and finally travel to Mexico. It's too bad there is so much political instability in the country, or I'd be there on a plane tomorrow. NPR reminded me last week of this with their story, "Amid Mexico's Drug War, A Rush for Bulletproof Cars." I'd like to practice my spanish and learn what the local culture is about. I'd be curious to see what being gay is like in the country as well.

 
Download now or listen on posterous

NPR_-_Amid_Mexico's_Drug_War_-_A_Rush_for_Bulletproof_Cars.mp3 (2741 KB)

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Inspiration over Google Chat: The Best Straightie Awards

I was talking with Jon Jon over IM and I was discussing "My Best Straightie." This is in reference to my best straight male friend (not that I need to make a distinction between the gay v. straight friends but I tend to.)

Then we randomly got sidetracked and discussing how we can create an award show for them. You know, those straight people in the lives of gays that deserve to be honored for just being awesome. Sticking by our side. Having the talks about romance even when they can't relate. You know the type. They're just awesome and we love them for it.

I totally think we should wrangle together a bunch of straight folks and surprise them. Honor them... for being them. Now I need to wrangle the gays to get on board.

Jon Jon: "Aaaaand, the Best Straightie for 2009 goes to.........."

Me: You know what would be cool. if we ACTUALLY did that and we had a ceremony

Jon Jon: totally. it could be so fabulous... like the emmy's and stuff

and then there'd be the whole best/worst dressed gossip after the ceremony

"Best Dressed Nominee John Doe should have just handed back his nomination for his awful awful combination of plaid and polkadots. Clearly the queen who nominated him didnt have a fashion bone in her body"

"....and back to you at the Red Carpet, Will..."

Me: yea. you've totally mapped this out in your head already. we'd make it fabulous. the straigties never get nods.

Straight Up Veto Power

Last weekend I was having a conversation at Verde with Adi when he talked about a concept he practices with his straight friends that I found fascinating and might even adapt into my life.

It's the concept of Straight Veto Power. Being a gay man in your 20's is a very difficult balance. You're getting to know yourself, the gay community and often times neglect your straight friends. You always end up doing 'gay things.' So Adi's straighties, once a month, get to veto a gay event that Adi goes to and instead hang out with him.

There may be cases where Adi looks like a flake because he said he would go somewhere but at the last minute gets struck down by the straighties.

I know that it sounds ridiculous having such a need for this power. But as it turns out, the gays like to plan... and plan a lot. We're talking having a calendar booked at least a month in advance. Thus BOOM... VETO POWER comes into play. :D

The Relation Between Racial Attraction & Weight Loss

There are so many topics I feel I can write about dealing with achieving a major weight loss. I probably should just make time to write a book about it.

One of the more intriguing and controversial has to deal with the gay racial hierarchy of perceived attractiveness. Whether we like to believe it or not, there is definitely a social hierarchy revolving around race in the gay community. Perceived physical attractiveness in the gay community has many factors --- one among them being race. Some might throw in masculinity, muscle build or height/weight ratio.

People can argue different points or opinions on the subject, but I'm going to present you what I feel is a pretty good correlation between my weight loss and the point in time a particular race found me attractive.

Here goes it:

~ 300 lbs --> Black Guys and Overweight guys found me attractive.
~ 250 lbs --> Latino Guys found me attractive
~ 200 lbs --> Asian Guys found me attractive
~ 175-180 lbs (Present) --> White Guys found me attractive.

This is not to say that Asian, Black or Latino guys now don't currently find me attractive, but it's at a certain point where there was clearly more interest from White guys.

Ty told me about a study he did in college about race and the gay community --- we both kind of agree about the underlying racial hierarchy in the gay community. There are obviously more races than those listed above. There are also subcategories of race... e.g. Vietnamese vs. Chinese that have some untold hierarchy in the gay community.

This observation was definitely more of an afterthought than something I noticed at the time it was happening. I find it intriguing and it's something I wouldn't mind doing more research on.

Barack Obama's LGBT Agenda on Change.gov

I hope Obama really pulls through. I'm happy the LGBT community has a section on his chage.gov website. :)

----------------- 

Support for the LGBT Community

"While we have come a long way since the Stonewall riots in 1969, we still have a lot of work to do. Too often, the issue of LGBT rights is exploited by those seeking to divide us. But at its core, this issue is about who we are as Americans. It's about whether this nation is going to live up to its founding promise of equality by treating all its citizens with dignity and respect."

-- Barack Obama, June 1, 2007

The Obama-Biden Plan

·   Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: In 2004, crimes against LGBT Americans constituted the third-highest category of hate crime reported and made up more than 15 percent of such crimes. Barack Obama cosponsored legislation that would expand federal jurisdiction to include violent hate crimes perpetrated because of race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, or physical disability. As a state senator, Obama passed tough legislation that made hate crimes and conspiracy to commit them against the law.

·   Fight Workplace Discrimination: Barack Obama supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. While an increasing number of employers have extended benefits to their employees' domestic partners, discrimination based on sexual orientation in the workplace occurs with no federal legal remedy. Obama also sponsored legislation in the Illinois State Senate that would ban employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

·   Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: Barack Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

·   Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: Barack Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.

·   Repeal Don't Ask-Don't Tell: Barack Obama agrees with former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff John Shalikashvili and other military experts that we need to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The key test for military service should be patriotism, a sense of duty, and a willingness to serve. Discrimination should be prohibited. The U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops kicked out of the military because of their sexual orientation. Additionally, more than 300 language experts have been fired under this policy, including more than 50 who are fluent in Arabic. Obama will work with military leaders to repeal the current policy and ensure it helps accomplish our national defense goals.

·   Expand Adoption Rights: Barack Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

·   Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, Barack Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies. The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. Obama will support common sense approaches including age-appropriate sex education that includes information about contraception, combating infection within our prison population through education and contraception, and distributing contraceptives through our public health system. Obama also supports lifting the federal ban on needle exchange, which could dramatically reduce rates of infection among drug users. Obama has also been willing to confront the stigma -- too often tied to homophobia -- that continues to surround HIV/AIDS. He will continue to speak out on this issue as president.

·   Empower Women to Prevent HIV/AIDS: In the United States, the percentage of women diagnosed with AIDS has quadrupled over the last 20 years. Today, women account for more than one quarter of all new HIV/AIDS diagnoses. Barack Obama introduced the Microbicide Development Act, which will accelerate the development of products that empower women in the battle against AIDS. Microbicides are a class of products currently under development that women apply topically to prevent transmission of HIV and other infections.

Video My Vote

Now that I work at YouTube, I thought it would be appropriate to video my vote. I don't really do that much in terms of videos, mainly still photography. Maybe I'll beef up my video editing skills one day.

Anywho, I woke up at 6:30am so I could vote before going to work. I got to the polling place, Sunnyvale's Crosswalk Community Church, around 7:10am, already arriving to a line. It took about 50 minutes from beginning to end. Of course I voted No on Prop 4 & 8 and Mr. Obama for President!

Here is a video of my experience, running a little over 3 minutes long.

Official Statement from MySpace's Tom on Political Proposition Ads

As many are aware, certain proposition ads were blasted on advertising networks near election season. People were offended and uncomfortable. MySpace's Tom DeLonge wrote an email to his users that reads:

MySpace supports equality. I personally have always welcomed diversity as part of the very fabric of the MySpace community. Over the last few days, ads related to various political propositions that spoke in direct conflict to that ran on our site. These ads came through a third party ad network and we worked to immediately remove them. Like most websites, we do not always have a direct relationship with advertisers that use the ad network, so it was difficult to get them removed. As we fought to remove one advertiser, another would pop up immediately after. I'd like to apologize to anyone who was offended by these advertisement and you have my commitment that we will continue to work to prevent similar happenings in the future. MySpace is for everyone, and we do not want to offend our users by running ads that make them feel uncomfortable.

Former 49'ers Quarterback, Steve Young, Sports 'No On 8' Signs Outside Home

Former San Francisco 49'ers Quarterback, Steve Young, puts up several 'No On Prop 8' signs outside his Palo Alto home.

Interestingly enough, he's Mormon. His wife apparently donated $50,000 to No On Prop 8.

Watch the CBS 5 Video Here:
http://cbs5.com/video/?id=41267@kpix.dayport.com

No on Hate, No on Prop 8 - Cupertino, CA Rally 11.1.08

A large contingent of No on Prop 8 supporters stood out in the rain to get out the word on No on 8. We stood at 4 corners at the intersection of Stelling & Stevens Creek. We had representation from Campbell City Council Member Evan Low, Cupertino Mayor Dolly Sandoval, Vice Mayor of Mountain View Margaret Abe-Koga, Congressman Mike Honda and Paul Fong. We got lots of love and honks. A few haters, but that's to be expected.

Pictures on Facebook

Congressman Mike Honda speaks out against Proposition 8

Cupertino Mayor Dolly Sandoval Speak Out Against Proposition 8