Month: June 2016

Dear readers, I could use some assistance

Tony Thompson10 Comments

E-begging time, y’all.

Unemployment sucks (and since I quit, I cannot receive unemployment compensation). I’m living in a small town that doesn’t have many job options*. For the last few months, I’ve been paying bills by selling items on Ebay and some help from relatives. There are not enough items moving on Ebay sadly, but my family has thankfully been able to help with rent. I have half of what I need ($412) at present, so if anyone is in a position to donate (here’s my PayPal), it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance to anyone and everyone!

If you can’t donate, no worries. I understand that many people might not be in a position to donate. If you can’t, please consider spreading the word on social media.

*I have a tentative bright spot on the horizon, but the restaurant doesn’t open until the middle or the end of July so that cannot help me at the moment.

Dear readers, I could use some assistance
{advertisement}

Don’t understand privilege? Maybe this will help.

Tony Thompson, , , 6 Comments

Warning:  This post may offend some readers bc I’m going to talk about that most dreaded of words: P R I V I L E G E.  While there are many types of privilege and multiple social groups that benefit from the concept, all too often, I hear the whines of white folks who deny the existence of White Privilege. Denial to the point of Losing. Their. Shit. The way some of them (please note the wording for you #notallwhitz people) react to that word, you’d think speaking it conjured a demonic entity that spews vomit, does 360º head spins, masturbates with a cross, and wants to spend eternity joined in unholy matrimony by their side. Common refrains of “I’m not privileged. I’ve had a hard life” or “I grew up poor, how can you say I have privilege” can be heard by these poor beleaguered souls doomed to an eternity of matrimonial bliss by the side of a demon from the nether regions of hell.  But really, I need you folks to calm down. Stop being so damned testerical. Breathe. Engage those logical thought processes that you are so fond of proclaiming you possess and listen. Yes, it’s that time again. That time when you sit down, shut up, and listen. I’m going to attempt for the umpteen thousandth time to explain the concept of privilege. I have no idea why bc to be honest, bc some of you nincomfucks are *still* not going to get it. But here goes:

Continue reading “Don’t understand privilege? Maybe this will help.” →

Don’t understand privilege? Maybe this will help.

Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 6.27.16

Tony Thompson, , 3 Comments

The United States is saturated with guns. We have a population of more than 300 million and there are nearly enough guns in this country for every child, woman, and man. Thankfully out of that 300 million, only a minority own guns (source). Unfortunately, among

images (1)
that minority exists a number of people who are irresponsible gun owners. Whether its improperly cleaning a gun, carrying a gun into a bar, shooting someone’s pet out of anger, shooting a spouse because they don’t perform housework, or shooting someone because your religious beliefs prohibit the consumption of clamato juice, many gun owners demonstrate a lack of responsible handling of firearms. Here are five recent examples:

Continue reading “Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 6.27.16” →

Irresponsible Gun Owners of America 6.27.16

This is Rape Culture: Exhibit A

Tony Thompson1 Comment

0
You know how sometimes you’ll read a story and think “there’s no way this could get any worse”, and you quickly find out how wrong you are? I’m talking about stories like the Jerry Sandusky rape case, the near five-dozen allegations of sexual assault and/or sexual harassment against Bill the rapist Cosby, or the deluge of shit that continues to spew forth from the Brock Turner rape case.

Continue reading “This is Rape Culture: Exhibit A” →

This is Rape Culture: Exhibit A

Observations on the Orlando Shooting

Tony Thompson, , , 2 Comments

When I awoke on June 12, I reached for my cellphone as I always do upon waking, and saw a group message from my sister to our parents and myself.  The message was about the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. She was letting us know that she was safe. See, my sister and my parents all live in Orlando. In fact, my sister lives with a roommate just a few miles from Pulse. Moreover, she’s friends with many people in the queer community down there, and has been to that club before. I was deeply, deeply heartened to know that she wasn’t among the victims of that horrific tragedy (nor was her roommate, who actually considered going there that night.Normally when I wake in the morning, I need about half an hour to become alert and “with it”. Not on that day. The news immediately rocked me out of my post-sleep slump. I searched around for more information on the shooting and found that 20 people were listed dead with many more injured. A few hours later, that number shot up to 50, though it was later learned that one of the people listed among the dead was actually alive. Wielding a semi-automatic pistol and an AR-15 rifle (both quick-reloading weapons) that he was able to buy with ease roughly a week before his attack, Mateen ruthlessly, maliciously, destroyed dozens upon dozens of LGBTQIA lives. His actions also irrevocably altered the lives of those victims who survived, some of whom are still fighting to stay alive. The act of terror also had a ripple effect, extending outward from Orlando to the rest of the state and beyond. How could it not? It felt like….it WAS an act of terror upon a community constantly faced with an oppressive heteronormative, cisnormative society that says YOUR LIVES DON’T MATTER. Like many, I was struck by the horror of that day. I was affected as were so many others. I do not pretend to have been victimized like those that died, or the survivors. But as a member of the LGBTQIA community, the events of that night did have an effect upon me. The following is less a blog post and more of an attempt to get my thoughts out in something resembling a coherent form.

Continue reading “Observations on the Orlando Shooting” →

Observations on the Orlando Shooting

It’s Pride Month! Any questions?

Tony Thompson

It’s June , which means Pride month has begun. Pride is a time when TBLG people around the world celebrate their queerness, and their ability to be open and honest about it. It is also a time when many in the TBLG community reflect on the struggle for equality waged by activists over the decades and to offer thanks to the people who worked hard in the name of queer equality. Pride month can also be a bitter pill though, as there are people across the globe who continue to have their human rights trampled. People continue to be ostracized, beaten, jailed, and even killed for the non-crime of having a sexuality or gender identity that lies outside the accepted norm. Thus, even as Pride is a time to celebrate what we’ve achieved and to reflect on how we got here, it is also a call to recognize how much more work needs to be done before we all of us can stand in the public and proudly proclaim who we are without social, political, or economic oppression and discrimination.

This post was originally published on 6/23/15.  It serves as a Q&A regarding Pride. It was written to serve as a go-to for anyone who had questions about the history of or the need for Pride. I’m reposting it in part because the audience for the Pub has grown since I joined the Orbit, and I think there are readers for whom the information in this post may be of benefit to. Enjoy!

Festivals!

Marches!

Events!

Oh my!

Yep, it’s that time of year again-LGBT Pride Month.  What is Pride? Who celebrates it? Who hates it? What groups don’t need to celebrate Pride? When did it begin? Let’s fire up my first ever Shoop FAQ for the answers! To the Shoop-mobile!

Continue reading “It’s Pride Month! Any questions?” →

It’s Pride Month! Any questions?