Random Musings

Another year and another Cinco de Never survived.

It was a nice party — good friends, both old and new — with great food and plenty of alcohol — margaritas, sangria, cerveza, wine and an open bar — to satisfy anyone.

We served chips and my Aunt Norma’s Salsa—which is so easy to make and is always a hit—and guacamole; we had Roasted Lime Chipotle Peanuts to nibble on and Chorizo-stuffed Sopes — little masa boats topped with cheese and cilantro. For dinner, we offered homemade Tamales stuffed with Pork, along with Carlos’ Pasilla Pepper Salsa; we had Shrimp Ceviche with Capers, Green Olives and Avocado; Pinto Bean and Corn Salad; Cilantro Lime Rice and Refried Beans.

The weather was kind of iffy, but the rain stayed away until well after the last guests left, at which time Carlos and I cleaned up the house and then collapsed, vowing not to do this again and yet already making changes to the menu for next year.

It’s just 360 days away … time to get moving.

So, over there to Ghana, where violence and harassment of gays and lesbians is way up, a Muslim cleric has announced that he believes he has a new reason to hate The Gays.

Mallam Abass Mahmud, said “Allah gets annoyed when males engage in sexual encounter and such disgusting encounter causes earthquake.”

Yes, The Gay Sex causes earthquakes. And, well, I have felt the earth move a time or two hundred so maybe there’s some truth to his statement?

In Arkansas, Mitchell McCoy is a reporter for both KARK and FOX16 News. Not a big deal, except for the note he received from a viewer:

“Dear Mitch,

I watched KARK before you joined and it was a reputable broad cast until now. I have been holding back for months but I can’t stand your gayness. You are on television every night and our children should not be watching people like you. You are a disgrace to Arkansas and I will be asking your boss to take you off. Do not be offended but society is not ready for gay men reading news.

Sincerely, kark Channel 4 fan”

McCoy shared the note to his Twitter feed with this response:

“I get many emails but this tops it. I’ve dreamt of being a reporter since I was 9 and I won’t stop on your behalf. With that said, no matter who you are or what you believe in – dream loudly and don’t let anyone get in your way. The minute you stop…is the minute you stop being who you are. It’s not worth it.

#DreamOn #StepUpStopBullying“

Hats off to Mitchell McCoy for gay-reading the news … whatever that means!

Okay, I will confess that Dutch actor Michiel Huisman has been a Random Musings Hottie before when he appeared early in the series run of Nashville. But over the weekend, whilst channel surfing, I came across a film called The Age of Adeline which co-starred Huisman.

He is all kinds of dreamy but when he appeared onscreen, fresh from a shower, wrapped in a towel, I felt he just oozed sexiness.

It took Carlos about ten minutes to get me to stop licking the TV screen. Just sayin’.

Ali Chaney, a thirteen-year-old Texas student was sent home by her school for wearing a t-shirt that read:

“Some people are gay. Get over it.”

Ali was told by school administrators that her shirt was “disruptive” to other students and when she refused to change into a school-provided shirt, she was sent home. Her mother, Cassie Watson, said Ali called her crying because she felt school leaders were discriminating against her for being gay:

“I would never, ever have expected it from the administration. I would think that the administration would be the first ones there to support her.”

They should support her, but then again, this is Texas and, well, they hate The Gays.

District Spokeswoman Wendy Sledd released this statement:

“Our purpose at CCISD is to educate children, first and foremost. According to CCISD’s dress code in the student handbook and code of conduct, clothing that is disruptive to the learning environment based on reactions by other students is prohibited. The student was offered a school shirt to wear and declined.”

I guess if other students don’t like your clothes, you have to change; not the students with the tiny bigoted minds. And Ali did point out that one student wore a shirt that said President Obama is a communist Muslim and he was not forced to change.

But again … Texas.

Victor Gutiérrez, member of the Spanish water polo team, and an Olympic hopeful, has come out as gay:

 “I’m out of the closet in my environment. My family knows I’m gay, my friends too. And I’m living in such a positive way with my sexuality that I felt a responsibility to share it with others.”

And one reason Gutiérrez chose to come out now is because of a rise in gay bashings in Spain:

“There have been more than 70 homophobic attacks in Madrid so far this year. It is a reality that we live in. And there are almost no athletes who are out of the closet. But in my experience, people have changed. As an athlete, my experience has been absolutely positive.”

The best part of all is that Victor says he didn’t sit his teammates down and tell them he was gay; he simply introduced them to his boyfriend like anybody else would.

“I never sat down with the president of my club, the coach or teammates. In the end, it is my life and I do what I want. I hope my coming out serves to break a taboo within the sport. You have to be judged not by your sexuality but by your sporting merit.”

Welcome out, Victor, and please accept as our gift the Official Coming Out Toaster Oven and a copy of The Gay Agenda. The toaster oven is perfect for warming your Empanadas!

And for those of you who don’t know, an empanada is a beef turnover so get your minds out of the gutter!

Last month Time ran a story about the fight over transgender persons suing the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity. It was a good article, but …

Time used the rainbow flag on the cover to promote their article and some people — I was one — were annoyed that they used that flag and not the one that represents transgender pride. I mean, the rainbow flag is widely considered representative of the LGBT community but there is a separate flag solely for the trans community.

Luckily, Rachel Sharp, an author from New York, re-created Time’s front cover with the right flag, the transgender flag: