Dan Savage was recently in Seattle speaking at the National High School Journalism Conference; many found his speech offensive and walked out. This video made me uncomfortable, but I think it's impressive that the Savage Love writer and It Gets Better campaign creator seemed unfazed by the negative response from his audience. He's secure in his convictions, and even if his tone and wording were slightly abrasive, there is truth in his words.

"We can learn to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about gay people," he said, "the same way we have learned to ignore the bullshit in the Bible about shellfish, about slavery, about dinner, about farming, about menstruation, about virginity, about masturbation. We ignore bullshit in the Bible about all sorts of things."

It was astoundingly rude that so many people walked out. Even if they disagreed with what he was saying, you're never going to learn things in life, especially if you want to be a journalist, if you're unable to make it through uncomfortable moments. That's usually where the story is, after all.

This is the report from GLAAD:

According to the incident reports (and later confirmed to us by an executive for Clear Channel, the station's parent company), the anti-gay remark was made by Dominic Dieter, one of the "Rover's Morning Glory" cast members. Responding to an e-mail from a father who (for reasons unknown) wrote to the station to say that he'd happened upon his teenage daughter kissing another girl. Deiter responded to the father, on-air, by saying:

"You should get one of your friends to screw your daughter straight."

This is not okay. Not on any level, and not in any context. We trust that the majority of fair-minded Americans will agree. Make no mistake, if this young woman is, in fact, gay - or if she's simply not interested in having sex with any of her father's friends, then what Dieter is suggesting is rape.

If you want to let WMNS know your thoughts on all this, you can email them at feedback@wmns.com. Personally, I think he should be fired. I normally believe in second chances, but when you're a grown man saying insanely stupid/offensive/horrifying things -- you don't necessarily deserve one. 

Off with his head mic!

Spokespeople at Ogden OUTreach, a resource centre for queer youth in Utah, have released a statement to weekly gay magazine Q Salt Lake about the suicide of Jack Reese. 

On Monday, April 23, 18-year-old Alex Smith spoke on a community panel at a screening of “Bullied,” telling the packed room about the bullying his boyfriend, Jack, experienced at school. What no one in the room yet knew, including Alex, was that Jack had already taken his own life.
 
The death of Jack Reese is the latest known suicide of a gay teen in Northern Utah.  One official says, off the record: “It happens here about once a week,” but then quickly adds, “but officially, you know, it doesn’t happen here.”
 
OUTreach is hosting a community response: “A Community Stands up – Northern Utah Addresses LGBT Bullying and Suicide.” It will take place May 1^st, 6:30 pm at the Ogden Amphitheater, 343 E 25^th ST, Ogden, UT.  The purpose of the event is for the community to stand in solidarity with (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) LGBT youth, to speak out and express grief and outrage at yet another loss of life in Northern Utah and to witness for the need for immediate change in schools, churches and society. 

Every. Week.

RIP, Jack Reese, and stay strong, Alex Smith! 

Out magazine recently released its annual "Out100" list, celebrating 100 out celeb . . . oh wait, you don't actually have to be out to be on the Out100 list. You just have to be probably, hopefully, totally perceived as gay without making that admission publicly. I don't really get it. I think if you want a place on that list, you know the Out100 list, then you should be, you know, out. And it doesn't really make a difference to me if you're out in your personal life but not publicly (I'm shading you, Anderson Cooper, who has the number-six spot; your cute girlish giggle can't get you out of everything).

This year, the person who got the number-one spot isn't out. Tim Cook may very well be gay and deserving of the position as the most eminent gay of 2012, if the words, "I'm gay" had ever come out of his mouth publicly. Personally, I think everyone has a right to choose who they are open with about their sexuality, but if they choose not to be open about it to the masses, I don't think they deserve this honour.

There was a definite look-over with this year's top 100, since Oscar-winning screen writer Dustin Lance Black wasn't included on the list, despite having a pioneering year producing the highly publicized Prop 8 play, as well as writing the screenplay for the most commercial gay film of the year, J Edgar.

Check out the full list here, and if you don't agree, let Out know your pick for the top (and bottom) gays of the year.

A few days ago I posted a video of members of the Illinois Safe Schools Alliance talking to themselves at 40, and now a group of Western University students have joined a movement called Get REAL and have made a video to their seventh-grade selves. 

"Get REAL is a university student-driven initiative aimed at eliminating homophobia in creative and dynamic ways. It is open to any and all who wish to stand up and speak out against discrimination. We started in February of 2011 with the aim of running workshops in junior high and high schools, led by university students; this remains our long-term goals. We currently run awareness and advocacy campaigns at Western, as well as wider-reaching initiatives, like this video."