bobbryar:

screaminggetsyounowhere:

idreamaboutfrankiero:

singitforgerdways-fashionsense:

howboutyoumoikoii:

staticpoison:

jpierrepontcriss:

cracktastic:

pandatreat:

firithnovwen:

freakingpotter:

thisisnotbruce:

Westboro Baptist Church comes to Long Beach, CA

…a dance party ensues

Everyone should do this

omg this is brilliant

this makes me ridiculously happy

this put me in the greatest mood

I am smiling so much right now!

omg i love this

i love this so much omfg

Lol god bless long beach

Best thing I’ve ever seen. 

GOD BLESS LONG BEACH. 

We gays throw the best parties. :D

(Source: thisisbrucebanner, via phantasmik)

pompadoursandpincurls:

brofisting:

wildguess:

lisamdavidson:

thedailywhat:

Breaking Same-Sex Marriage News of the Day: Maryland today became the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s marriage equality bill passed in the state Senate by a vote of 25 to 22.
The state House passed the bill last week, and Gov. Martin O’Malley has already vowed to sign it.
If the legislation avoids a challenge from opponents who want a referendum on same-sex marriage — a scenario which remains uncertain — same-sex couples can begin tying the knot in January. 
If, however, the issue does get added to November’s ballot, the result is currently unclear. The latest polls show Maryland voters evenly split on same-sex marriage.
[bmoresun / photo: flickr.]

Oh, god, I hope this stays. I’m so proud of my home-state. I’m so proud of live in Maryland. 

I like it when Lisa is so happy she can’t grammar (yay marriage equality!)

AW YES

God, California, get your shit together! We have San Francisco, the gayest city in the United States, and we’re laggin behind 8 states with this.

Fuck yeah home state. \o/

pompadoursandpincurls:

brofisting:

wildguess:

lisamdavidson:

thedailywhat:

Breaking Same-Sex Marriage News of the Day: Maryland today became the eighth state to legalize same-sex marriage after the state’s marriage equality bill passed in the state Senate by a vote of 25 to 22.

The state House passed the bill last week, and Gov. Martin O’Malley has already vowed to sign it.

If the legislation avoids a challenge from opponents who want a referendum on same-sex marriage — a scenario which remains uncertain — same-sex couples can begin tying the knot in January. 

If, however, the issue does get added to November’s ballot, the result is currently unclear. The latest polls show Maryland voters evenly split on same-sex marriage.

[bmoresun / photo: flickr.]

Oh, god, I hope this stays. I’m so proud of my home-state. I’m so proud of live in Maryland. 

I like it when Lisa is so happy she can’t grammar (yay marriage equality!)

AW YES

God, California, get your shit together! We have San Francisco, the gayest city in the United States, and we’re laggin behind 8 states with this.

Fuck yeah home state. \o/

(via aimsme)

"

I’ve had librarians say to me, “People in my school don’t agree with homosexuality, so it’s difficult to have your book on the shelves.” Here’s the thing: Being gay is not an issue, it is an identity. It is not something that you can agree or disagree with. It is a fact, and must be defended and represented as a fact.

To use another part of my identity as an example: if someone said to me, “I’m sorry, but we can’t carry that book because it’s so Jewish and some people in my school don’t agree with Jewish culture,” I would protest until I reached my last gasp. Prohibiting gay books is just as abhorrent…

Discrimination is not a legitimate point of view. Silencing books silences the readers who need them most. And silencing these readers can have dire, tragic consequences. Never forget who these readers are. They are just as curious and anxious about life as any other teenager.

"

David Levithan - Supporting Gay Teen Literature (via cake-light)

SERIOUSLY!  I’m sick of LGBTQ culture being treated as just some political issue.  Queer people aren’t just a handful of people who want to get married, okay?  We’re real, and we’re fucking important, and we need to be represented accurately and positively in the media and on the book shelf, especially in schools, where kids are still discovering who they are and maybe they feel really alone and they need a book they can relate to …

(via riotisnotquiet)

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE TALK ABOUT IN CHILDREN’S LITERACY.

Okay, when I was a little girl, I was a tomboy. I was loud. I was passionate. And when I discovered Jo March, EVERYTHING changed. She gave me so much power because hey, there’s a character exactly like me.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED DIVERSE LITERATURE. Relating to a literary character gives a reader power AND gives that reader more reason to keep reading. Try and disagree with me on this. You won’t win.

(via twenty4mixtapes)

You know I actually can’t think of a canonically queer literary hero or heroine to look up to, male or female. There are a few more in tv now but even then there is nothing like the bredth and scale…

The closest I ever got was Nymphadora Tonks in Harry Potter but even then a lot of it was assigned from my own head. Its so scary feeling alienated and alone even in something that otherwise provides solace and a place to belong, and one of the most frustrating things is not being able to show someone a character and go “this is me. They understands, I AM NOT A FREAK.”

(via doctorabbywatson)

I think the closest I ever got as a kid was George from the Famous Five, and even then- I dunno. It was like all bookish characters were girly girls and all tomboys loved the outdoors and hated reading, and I could never have both.

I mean, granted, I’ve become a lot less of a tomboy over the years, but it would have been nice to have someone like me in my library.

(via aimsme)

I remember how completely fucking overjoyed I was when I read Tamora Pierce’s Will of the Empress, in which one of the main characters (and one of my favorites in the Circle series) comes out as a lesbian and has a relationship with another woman. I thought something seemed awfully familiar about the way Daja reacted to Rizu, so I flipped through the book for scenes where they appeared together and hoped it wasn’t just me picking up on slashy subtext, that maybe this time the author meant it to be there and visible and important all along. I found the scene where Daja and Rizu kissed, and I was overjoyed. So overjoyed. 

I was so hungry for that spark of recognition. I’d discovered slash by that point, and I’d more-or-less accepted that the moments in most of the media I consumed that tripped my queerdar weren’t indicators that the canon would go in that direction — but that I could appreciate those relationships and moments anyway, and seek out or write stories that went where the canon wasn’t going to. Still, though, I kept hoping that those little prickles in the back of my head of wait, are they…? would get answered with an unambiguous yes, the way they did for so many straight relationships. I learned not to expect that yes, to resign myself to the fact that most of the movies and shows and books and comics I liked wouldn’t actually risk alienating part of their fanbase (or whatever) and depict queer relationships. But I kept searching, and I still do, and even today I can’t help smiling when finally, finally, I get that yes, when that prickle of recognition turns out to be real. It means I’m not just making up stories in my head; other people want to see and tell the same kinds of stories that I do.

(via aimsme)

kookielawlyuki:

aaaaand i love her that much more. i didn’t think it was possible.

This gay’s happy to have you in the family, Anne. <3

(via ecarlate)

"

You know I was married for 23 years to the love of my life, and he died six years ago. And I think of all the years we had, and the wonderful fringe benefit of having three beautiful children. I don’t miss the sex, you know? And to me that’s kind of what this boils down to. I don’t miss that. I mean, I certainly miss it, but I don’t, it’s not — (Laughter from chambers) — it is certainly not the aspect of that relationship, the incredible bond that I had with that human being, that I really, really, genuinely wish I still had.

And so I think to myself, how can I deny anyone the right to have that incredible bond with another individual in life? To me, it seems almost cruel.

You know, years ago, my daughter went to, she was in elementary school. Many of you have met my daughter. She’s a fabulous girl. She’s wonderful. My boys are great too, but my daughter is just something special, and she was the light of her father’s eyes. And she went to school and there were some kids that were, a whole group of kids that were picking on another kid. And you know, my daughter stood up for that kid, even though it was not the popular thing to do. She knew it was the right thing to do. And I was never more proud of my kid, knowing that she was speaking against the vocal majority on behalf of the rights of the minority.

And to me, it is incumbent upon us as legislators in this state to do that. That is why we are here, and I shudder to think that if folks who had proceeded us in history did not do that, frankly I’m not sure I would be here as a woman. I’m not sure that others would be here due to their race, or their creed. And to me, that is what’s disconcerting.

And someone made the comment that this is not about equality. Well yes it is about equality. And why in the world would we not allow those equal rights for individuals who truly were committed to on another in life to be able to show that by way of a marriage?

You know, my daughter came out of the closet a couple of years ago. And you know what? I thought I was going to just agonize about that.

Nothing’s different. She’s still a fabulous human being, and she’s met a person that she loves very much. And someday, by God, I wanna throw a wedding for that kid. And I hope that’s exactly what I can do. I hope she will not feel like a second-class citizen involved in something called a ‘domestic partnership’ — which frankly sounds like a Merry Maids franchise to me.

"

Washington State Representative MAUREEN WALSH, Republican, on why she voted to legalize marriage equality in her state.

Dear New Jersey governor Chris Christie and others in the Republican Party who continue to demonize those who want marriage equality: this is what courage, and not cowardice, looks like.  This is what it sounds like when you choose not to run away from your responsiblity to govern and ensure equal rights for all people.

(via inothernews)

(via aimsme)

persideraiuro:

sheissupermanscousin:

ghost-plot:

quirky-turkey:

catchthisreason:

lettersfromtitan:

1. This is very triggering about bullying and suicide. Proceed with caution.

2. This is from Rolling Stone’s Valentine’s Day issue.

3. If you are a straight person in the Glee fandom, oh god, do I want you to read every word of this.

Everyone needs to read this. This isn’t just me and my silly Glee fannishness this is horrible and horrifying and people need to know about it because I definitely hadn’t heard about this before today.

This needs to be read. Share it everywhere, Quirkls. I am so heartbroken and sad. No one should ever have to feel so alone, or so hated, or so unloveable. 

I am always here if anyone needs to talk. I hope you all know that. 

I will be here for anyone. If I can’t help you, I will do my hardest to help you find someone or something who can. This is terribly sad.

What ^^^ they said

This was so emotionally intense. Like, I hate death on such a primal and instinctual level and it just hurts physically to hear that people are okay with some people, some children, dying for absolutely no reason. 

Every time I hear about another kid killing themselves because they’re told that they’re sick and deranged and perverted, every time I hear about adults who could have stopped this shit and remained silent, every time I hear about kids living in fear and isolation and shame because they don’t feel safe in their own fucking communities and schools, my heart breaks.

I don’t understand these far-right groups in willful denial about how the hateful messages they send make queer kids — or kids perceived to be queer, or kids who just aren’t sure yet — feel like their lives aren’t worth living. It’s monstrous. It really is.

I’m working with a group of LGBT elders right now, and we talk a lot about what it’s like to be queer these days, and what it was like for them growing up. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard them say, “I thought I was the only one,” or “I felt like there was something wrong with me,” or “I was so afraid.” And kids are still getting those messages, especially in places where there isn’t a queer community they can go to for support and understanding. (Heck, even in those areas that’s no guarantee of safety.) Yes, there’s been change. Undoubtedly. But sometimes that change doesn’t feel fast enough.

I wish I had something more eloquent to say, but I’m still too shaken to.

(Source: rattydarling, via aimsme)

aimmyarrowshigh:

husssel:

So, I was reading through my comments the other day when I came across one that really disturbed me…This girl is really pretty. NO HOMO. I know what you’re thinking “It’s 2012 who still says that”. I thought the same thing too. But for those of you who don’t know. No Homo is a qualifier that is used to assure your present company that you are not in fact a homosexual. Because this phrase makes my skin crawl. I decided to make up a few qualifiers of my own and with your help I hope that I can make these really popular in 2012. - Chescaleigh

edwardspoonhands:

weasleycansaveanything:

John Green: GAY is NOT an INSULT (x)

EPIC SET. Thanks for doing this…whoever did it.

Where is that “bless this post” cat macro when you need it?

(via llamrei)

lassarinarose:

lifeofkj:

rhiannon42:

I ran into my friend Kate one day and she was with this brooding, James Dean–type guy in a leather jacket who gave me the head nod and then turned away. I assumed he was Kate’s boyfriend and said, “Nicely done.” And she said, “David? He’s not playing on my team, but he has a boyfriend.” So, then I just kept seeing him on the periphery, and in turn, catching up on him, but I didn’t want to be that guy who was creating some sort of romantic interference. So, I was always around when he was around, hoping the stars would align. When we all hung out for the first time — I was invited by Kate to an American Idol viewing party — I just stammered around him. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.

There’s something kinetic about him and his being. He’s classically sexy, yet he’s very much a boy in his energy. It’s a great dynamic. When I see people who are equally attractive, they tend to seem more quiet and kind of Marlboro Man-y, and David’s the antithesis of that. He’s more like Tigger. I’m, in turn, very introspective — the thinker, rather than the doer. I tend to weigh options before making decisions, and David is the polar opposite of that. We’re hyper similar and also incredibly opposite. We share a wardrobe. We have the same shoe size, body size, height, and weight. We’re both Gemini. We both like the idea of family — not a nuclear family, but a social family. Yet, we’re incredibly opposite in the way we process information.

I remember being in my mid-twenties, lying in bed thinking, I’ve never taken a shower with anyone before; I’ve never had any kind of long-term relationship. I remember thinking that the rest of my life would be solo. I wasn’t weepy when I thought that — it was just a realization that I had gone this long being self-sufficient. Thankfully, the world changed and perceptions changed, and my life went to the East Coast, where there’s a much greater acceptance of anonymity and freedom. In New York, I was able to date with my head held higher. In L.A., it felt much more gossipy.

It’s all baby steps: You have to be OK with telling your friends you’re going on a date; you have to be OK with the people in your world meeting and judging them; you have to be OK with breakups. I’m infinitely grateful all those steps led to Mr. Burtka — once we started talking, we never stopped.

Staying with each other didn’t seem like going to the next level because we were sort of transients at the time. We thought if we were both going to be paying $5,000 a month to use someone else’s sheets and towels, we might as well do it together.

We found a place in Harlem that a woman had been living in for 40-odd years, and it was roomy and reasonably priced. We went to L.A. and got this moving truck and collected his mattress and bed frame and some stuff we each had in storage, and we started a journey across the country. We stopped in Albuquerque, where my family is, and they gave us some stuff. And we went through Memphis and up to Michigan, where his family is, and picked up his parents’ piano. We went slowly across America, filling up this truck, and by the time we got to New York, we had a new life full of furniture.

I initially fell for David harder than he fell for me. I was in love with him before he was comfortable saying it, and I think that speaks to our past experiences. I remember saying, “I think I love you,” and he was like, “That’s really nice,” which is not necessarily what you want to hear. But I appreciated his honesty in not jumping the gun and saying something because he felt obliged to.

Two of the things I hold dear, as tenets, are creativity and authenticity. Creativity can be on any level, but authenticity is key, too. If we have a fault, it’s probably over-communication. When I’m cranky, I’m admittedly cranky. When I’m in a hurry and distracted, I can’t act like it’s any other way. And he’s good with that, too. So we talk things out. I don’t want to paint our relationship like we met and it’s been happy family fantastic-ness ever since. What defines a relationship is the work that’s involved to maintain it, and it’s constantly changing. Sometimes I’m deeply in love with David and head-over-heels, and sometimes I question whether it’s going to work out and is meant to be. It’s like a business relationship, as well as a personal one; we have a business together and that’s maintaining our love for one another.

David first proposed to me five years ago on the actual street corner where we met. We were on our way to an event at an Indian casino 45 minutes out of town in a limousine, and David wanted to stop for some reason that I didn’t quite get. I thought he wanted to get some booze or something. And then he got on one knee and proposed, and I was so freaked out by it that I said, “Yes,” but I didn’t know what it meant. Then I got the ring and loved it, and a year later, on Valentine’s Day, I proposed to him in Santa Monica. That was four years ago. The callous on my right hand is long-formed—and not from masturbation. I’m dying to move over to the other hand. I’d also like to call him my husband. I’m not the biggest fan of the word “partner”: It either means that we run a business together or we’re cowboys. “Boyfriend” seems fleeting, like maybe we met two weeks ago. I’ve been saying “better half” for as long as I’ve been able to. I think it’s a little self-deprecating and clearly defines that we’re in a relationship, but it would be nice to say “my husband.”

Children were always talked about, but there was a certain point — when David was in L.A. and I was working on How I Met Your Mother, maybe season two or three — when we both agreed that if we wanted to have kids, we didn’t want to do it super late in the game. We wanted our parents to enjoy the process and to be young and vibrant enough to throw a ball with them, or to chase them around without using a walker. That was the eternal game-changer — now we rarely fight in the big ways. What’s the point? We’re in this for a major long haul.

DAVID BURTKA

I’ve always known I was going to have a monogamous relationship, raise children, and be happy in love. It was the one thing in life that I never doubted for a second. I was in another relationship when I met Neil and was doing the long-distance, New York–to-L.A. thing. It was sort of on the rocks. Long distance is so hard. I was performing in the Sam Mendes version of Gypsy on Broadway when I ran into Neil on the street. He was doing the Mendes version of Cabaret at the time, and I was with a friend who knew him pretty well. I wasn’t a big Doogie Howser fan — I had probably seen it once or twice when I was growing up — so I gave him a, “Hey, what’s up, nice to meet you,” and that was really it. I thought it would be nice to know him, but I didn’t think in a million years I’d start dating him.

We began hanging out with other people, and we had a lunch or so, but nothing romantic. I thought he was adorable, though, with these amazing blue eyes that are just hypnotizing to me. I ended up breaking with my boyfriend, and a week later, Neil and I had a date. We went to see a movie — I think it was Taking Lives with Angelina Jolie. We started hanging out every single night, and after three months, it was just non-stop. We talk on the phone at least eight times a day and text at least 25 times a day. We are, in a way, very codependent. He’s my lifeline, in an amazing way. Without him, I can’t breathe. The biggest thing is that he makes me laugh, but he’s also smart. He can do everything. I’m not kidding; I think he’s half robot. He makes me a little more grounded, and I bring out the wild side in him. Don’t get me wrong — we fight. Our fights last five minutes, then we’re over it. And we’re both Gemini — we have a good twin and a bad twin, and the four of us get along really well!

The first three years was our honeymoon period. Then you settle into the relationship, and it morphs into just living, breathing. It becomes more comfortable, but it becomes a necessity — something you can’t give up, like an addict. How has it changed me? I basically have diarrhea mouth — I am brutally honest to the point of being a negative thing. Now I think more before I speak.

Even on that first date, we talked about kids. If he hadn’t wanted kids, I don’t think we’d be together. I always thought that family was the most important thing in life, and no matter what I do, whether being a chef or an actor or a dancer, being a dad is what I do best. I am the maternal one in the relationship. For the first year, I didn’t miss a nighttime or morning with them. I think it’s important to have other lives and feed your relationship, but it’s also important that your children are raised by you. We named Gideon after an artist we collect, Gideon Rubin, and Harper after Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of our favorite books.

I don’t want people to think we’re a perfect couple. Nothing’s perfect. A relationship is work and it changes. And you go with the changes. It’s more good times than bad times, but it’s not always good. You have to overcome those issues and move on. We have a really great recipe for a wonderful relationship, but we don’t want to be the poster boys for gay relationships. We’re not trying to pretend that we are perfect. We’re just trying — in a good, positive, loving way — to live our lives.

Thank you, gentlemen, for making me believe that my standards for relationships aren’t quite so unrealistic. (Also for being adorable and happy and generally wonderful human beings.)

A beautiful love story.

*_*

(Source: zeggy)