Blood in the Pool

I’m usually treated with professionalism and respect.  I’d like to think that it’s because I treat everyone I work with with the same level of professionalism and respect.  I do my best to be not only friendly, but to meet the needs of my employees.  And event though I bring the baggage of my personal life into work with me occasionally, I do my best to make sure those who work for me go home knowing they were appreciated.

Let’s face it, everyone hates to work for an asshole.  Having that horrible feeling of dreading going into work day in and out eventually takes its toll on other aspects of my life.  I’ve got enough to deal with.

Today, in the course of “just kidding around,” other people thought they would be cute to make light of the fact that I’m quite different than the other men who work there.  Granted, I can usually play the role of Mr. Macho, but today for some reason my “gayness” was exploited.   I can usually handle a barrage of jokes when I know people aren’t intentionally being insulting or trying to hurt my feelings.  We all need thicker skin.

But once I tell someone they need to cool it, and they continue to taunt, I become incensed at their lack of maturity to slow down and remember we’re in a professional environment.

I wasn’t the only one who could see people were pushing the limits of respect.  A friend looked over at me at one point and gestured if I enjoyed being a pinata and if I was going to spill candy on the floor.  Later on, when he told me he felt uncomfortable with the level of crudeness going on, he thought of telling the other guys that there was “blood in the pool,” an image he used to identify that I’d really taken the barrage of their verbal refuse.

I tried to hold onto my pride.  I ended up later retreating to my office, where I finally let out a few tears knowing I had to be stronger than that, and that I would have to confront them once again to let them understand that I expect to be able to work in a professional environment.

I feel like they missed the dog on the way to work and kicked me right in the gut.

Yelp.

But even a dog will bite back if it’s kicked too much.

transGENDER bashING and SOLIDarity

REPOSTED FROM MY FRIEND LORI’S SITE:

Wow, sometimes teenage girls amaze me.

Usually, they annoy me. I know I kind of AM one right now being in the middle of a second puberty. My spouse tends to think so.

But this time, I’m just peeved. Today I stumbled onto a video on YouTube of a couple of teenage girls sitting in class listening to their teacher try explain the differences between being gay and transgender. As the teacher rambled on, apparently clueless that a video was being recorded, let alone even aware that a majority of the kids weren’t even paying attention, the two girls kept studying an entertainment magazine that had images of the then “Pregnant Man” Thomas Beatie.

I noticed that this video had dozens of replies to it, so I decided to keep watching to see what the fuss was about. Watch and judge for yourselves:

The video was stupid. I was stupid for watching. Their ignorance is beyond comprehension.

But I noticed something positive happening as a result of this trite video: It was all about the video responses by everyone else. (If you double click on the video above and go directly to the video’s youtube page, you’ll see the posted video responses below.)

I actually took the time to watch every one of them. Here’s what I came up with:

32 = number of responses decrying their opinions as ignorant and hurtful, calling for the girls to remove it from YouTube.

1 = number of responese who were upset with others’ responses (i.e. calling these young girls “bitches, dumb ho’s, etc.).

And the number of responses supporting their opinions or their actions in keeping this video up:
ZERO.

I initially contemplated not even justifying a response. However, seeing the nearly unanimous SOLIDARITY of trans and non trans people alike for them to remove their video, I can see how we as a community can take what was clearly done out of ignorance and use it to promote understanding.

Another thing, there are always “haters” on youtube. They seem to troll for videos of trans people just to tell them how “like, freakish and stupid you are, ” or how trans people are going to burn in hell, citing out of context passages from the Bible.

But I don’t know many people who actually DO a video adequately justifying being hateful and intolerant to anyone transgendered. In light of the Angie Zapata murder, and knowing that people young and old are still uneducated about trans issues out there, we have a lot of work cut out for us.

So I’m glad this video is out there in a way. I hope others will see not only the video, but the overwhelming response by those who support not just trans people, but who support a message of tolerance.

The girls, they’re young. This is the time to educate them and hopefully show them how painful and oftentimes tragic it is to be trans. Other young teenagers will no doubt stumble upon this and judge for themselves as well.

Me? I’m about to post my own video response.

Our opportunity in reaching them awaits.

Pretty Handsome – the link and the review…

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

PART 6

PART 7

PART 8

She, The Host.

Welcome to my celestial oasis.  I hope you find yourself surrounded by angelic hosts and enveloped in a sea of love and nonjudgment.

Jadzia.  My name means “female warrior.”  I’d like to believe I am one.  I’d like to believe my strength has grown enough to fight the battles in my life.

But for now, I’d like to just be me.

I have not been killed.  Another symbiont has not taken me.  I live and breathe in this Deep Space where I am free to believe, and to love freely, no boundaries, no rule books.

I sometimes feel as if I could have lived seven lives.  Our conflicts and endeavors make me oftentimes feel like an old man.

So I slip into reverie in an attempt to escape reality, yet they are one…
and we are the same.