For the first time, a President of the United States, stands up for bullied kids, including LGBT ones

Coming home to the Land of Enchantment

I arrived in Northern New Mexico last night and I am so happy to be home, the place where my Conquistador ancestors settled over 400 years ago, the place I was conceived and born, and the place where my ashes will eventually be scattered. Some of the things I love here: the Santo Cristo mountains, the scrub brush against the color of the high desert earth, the charming sing-song spoken English that mimics the local Spanish dialect, the taste of green chiles, and the smell of frying sopapillas. This isn't a rich or intellectual place, but New Mexicans tend to be big-hearted, tough, family-oriented, Democratic, and supersticious. I love these people and this land, and I can feel my beloved grandmother's presence around me today, even more than usual, now that I am home.

Glee breaks more new ground: talking about gay sex

Via Towleroad.com:

On last night's Glee, Burt Hummel had a talk with Kurt about the birds and the bees. It'd be great if all gay teens (or teens in general) had a parent who cared this much.

Said Burt:

"When you're intimate with someone in that way, you gotta know that you're exposing yourself. You're never gonna be more vulnerable, and that scares the hell out of a lot of guys...With two guys you've got two people who think that sex is just sex. It's gonna be easier to come by and once you start, you aren't gonna want to stop. You gotta know that it means something. It's doing something to you, to your heart, to your self-esteem, even though it feels like you're just having fun...When you're ready, I want you to be able to do everything. But when you're ready, I want you to use it as a way to connect to another person. Don't throw yourself around like you don't matter, because you matter."

This show is reaching and shaping the minds of millions about LGBT people.

A favorite TED talk: the power of vulnerability

A leading English cricketer comes out...this is a big step for a gay male professional athlete

Good news: for the first time, our movement for marriage equality reaches the tipping point

Yes! More Americans now favor marriage equality than those who oppose it. Read about it here.

Via The Daily Dish

Remembering those brave Libyans who are fighting tyranny and tanks with stones

Facing some of the old challenges, a new generation "comes out" in their own way

What snow looks like in San Francisco. Saturday AM

Today, the Iranian government jailed Mir Hossein Mousavi, a former presidential candidate and opposition leader, for advocating democracy

With the call for freedom and democracy sweeping the Middle East, the Iranian government is running scared and today ordered the immediate imprisonment of Mousavi and his wife, without trial. The above video shows the street support for Mousavi in June 2009.

While the Iranian theocracy try to suppress its people through fear and murder, in the long run, Iranians are eventually going to rise up and throw off the shackles of control. Just as the Libyans are doing right now.

My heart is with these people, including their LGBT ones who carry the additional burden of fighting ignorance, bigotry, and prejudice.