Don't let labels define us.

Labels are meant to divide us not unite us. Don't let labels define us.

International Holocaust Remembrance Day

The Pink Triangle Victims.

Never Forget.

In total, during the Nazi's time in power, they arrested 100 000 people for homosexuality, imprisoned half of them including up to 15 000 in concentration camps. Many of those imprisoned died, some of sickening experiments by scientists trying to find a "cure" for homosexuality.

Unfortunately, after the allied liberated the concentration camps, many of the gay people who were imprisoned were not set free. Instead they were transferred to prisons, then under the control of allied forces. Their crime, homosexuality, something outlawed before the Nazi's took power, and it remained on the statute book until 1968 in East Germany and 1969 in West Germany.

Unlike other victims of the Nazi persecution, homosexuals were not offered reparations and it took until 2002 for the German government to officially apologise for the Nazi's crimes against homosexuals.

WARNING: Graphic Images.

The Gospel According to Me.

The Bible has been a best seller of all time and obviously the authors of the book did not make money from it whatsoever. So who profits from the sale of the book and who agreed to that contract?

Well, actually the Bible is copyrighted and each company who owns that copyright makes money off it. In order to create a new copyright there must be substantial changes to the Bible which means the Bible most Christians read today is not a true reflection of the original version. Which led me to wonder, which parts of the Bible have been changed and how did this impact on the first love story of all time in Genesis which is the one between Adam and Steve.

I have frequently heard that it was just Adam and Eve and not Adam and Steve in the Gardner of Eden when religious freaks try to condemn homosexuals to hell. Well, how the fuck would they know? Were they there? Also, which printed re-written copy of the Bible are they reading?

I believe Adam and Eve were not alone in the Garden of Eden and that Steve was also there (you are welcome to prove me wrong). You know, to give Eve options. We all know how women are. The one thing that could not be foreseen was the fact that Adam and Steve would fall in love and that Eve would become their much begrudged beard. Was Steve God's back up plan for Eve? Who knows. Was it planned that Adam and Steve would be gay, I think not.

Eve felt cheated out of her deal in the Garden of Eden and obviously developed resentment. I mean who wouldn't. She did not have a guy or even the option of becoming a lesbian? Was this because she was not skinny enough, her boobs were too small or maybe she had the personality of a hedgehog. Who knows. But the fact that she was lonely, did not have a lover and possibly developed some body image issues is very plausible. For most people that would be depressing but not for Eve, she was a woman on a mission so she got her shit together and made a plan. She would tempt Adam to commit the primordial sin: Eating the forbidden fruit. Apparently she got this tip from a snake which is highly unlikely because you know, snakes can't talk. Her plan was all her own and kinda genius when you think about it.

As most of you know in the Garden of Eden there was an apple tree which God told them they may not eat from. Which is stupid because it's like putting a treat in front of a puppy and telling him he cannot eat it. They were kinda set up to fail if you ask me. Adam had great will power and listened to Steve who was the responsible one in their relationship. There were a lot of fruit in the garden, including them, and there were no reason to develop an appetite for apples, even if one apple a day keeps the doctor away. Not that there was a doctor with them but you get what I am saying. But Eve was a temptress and knew exactly what she was doing. You see she had a short term and long term plan for Adam who was the butcher one and Steve more on the fem side.

Her short term plan was to roofie Adam and make him eat the apple so that they can be thrown out of the garden, hence getting him away from Steve. The long term plan was to get Adam to fall in love with her. So that is exactly what she did. Adam ate the apple and fucked up his relationship with Steve. He got thrown out of the Garden of Eden leaving Steve all alone with his spring collection made of flowers and leafs who he now had nobody to model it for.  Eve was cruel but her plan succeeded and she soon found herself in a brokeback marriage. It was not ideal but it was what it was. What happened to Steve nobody knows. You see the authors could only focus on one narrative because the people back then didn't like to read and papyrus leafs were very expensive.

In the later printed copy of the Bible the publishing companies decided to remove Steve and the dinosaurs from the narrative entirely and tweaked the original version. Poor Steve was written out of the Bible and hence he never got the credit for decorating the Garden of Eden or for styling Adam with the newest fashion and Haute Couture. Basically he got screwed and dissipated into obscurity. 

Then we get to Leviticus in which everything is a sin. According to this chapter everyone is going to hell and their puppies and kittens to. And I mean everybody. In the chapter you are also allowed to stone your neighbors to death which I think many of us secretly wish we could do today. But that's against the law.  Everything sex related is a sin and pigs are evil, shell fish is from the devil and masturbation is a death sentence. Do you even know how many men and women are going to hell because of masturbation. That's like 99% of the population with the 1% being people in comas!

When Leviticus was re-written the author(s) was in all likelihood in a bad mood and probably terribly hung over. Frankly that is the only reason why he would condemn 99% of the population to hell, including himself. Hangovers will do that to you and are major assholes. There are too many sins in Leviticus to deal with as it seems to be the most hateful chapter in the Bible. So if you haven't read it yet skip it - it will ruin your day and you will go to hell. Ignorance of the scripture is no excuse but hey, when you have to start making lists of sins it becomes very annoying.

I wonder what the original version of the Bible was like. I also wonder when people thought it was ok to go and make substantial changes to it. Fiction novels are not suppose to be re-written just because you don't like sections of it. You don't see people going and re-writing the classics in our literary history. So why would the oldest fiction novel in the world be changed and copyrighted? The only reason I can think of is that is that it is meant to be used for sinister purpose.

Too often people use the Bible to condemn people, to justify discrimination and in the past even rationalize racism. The Bible has been changed to fit certain people and organizations agendas. The book people are reading today is the byproduct of bigotry, politics, religious oppression and the justification of hate. The people in a 100 years from now will read a completely different Bible than the one we have today. Who knows, there might even be transgender aliens in it. Unfortunately we will not be around to see it. For now we are stuck with the most judgmental book known to mankind. It is a poorly written fiction novel the original of which is nowhere to be found. Not even on the internet. I am probably going to hell for having written this, that is if hell really exists.

Till next time.

Pastor Advocate the Execution of Homosexuals

It's rare that I am truly shocked. I believe that, in most part, I have seen and heard everything. However, every now and again I am taken a back. A pastor advocating the public executions of homosexuals was one of those moments.

As you will recall, a couple of years back, I reported Pastor Oscar Bougardt for hate speech to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The matter was escalated and taken further. Bougardt was found guilty last year of hate speech and the discrimination of people on the grounds of their sexual orientation. The matter went to the Equality Court and was referred to mediation. It is there were an agreement was reached and a court order signed prohibiting Bougardt, among others, from publishing further statements that are discriminatory or incite hatred or harm on the grounds of sexual orientation. In recent weeks Bougardt transgressed the court order and continued to publish such statements on the internet.

The statements published on public forums which transgressed the court order by Bougardt are:

* Gay marriage is from the pit of hell;

* People in gay marriages will end up killing each other;

* South Africa is cursed for not having anti-gay laws;

* God will punish South Africa with natural disasters for legalizing homosexuality; 

* Pope Francis is gay;

* All Catholic Priests are pedophiles;

* Homosexuality is an abomination;

* Homosexuals should be locked up in cages;

* Demond Tutu and homosexuals are going to hell;

* Homosexuals are worse than animals;

* All homosexuals are perverts;

* Insinuating that Sharia law should be upheld in South Africa to punish homosexuals; and

* Advocating the public executions of homosexuals in South Africa by Isis.

I must admit that I was shocked to read his comments and even more shocked that he is making a mockery of the SAHRC and the Equality Court. I did contact the SAHRC informing them of Bougardt transgressing the court order and to lay a new complaint.  Bougardt proudly admitted that he is willing to go to jail for his backward believes and hate speech. Perhaps this time he will get his wish.

Till next time.

Preacher Man

Gaellou Greenwood is an brilliant up-and-coming singer and songwriter.  She wrote the song "Preacher Man" out of frustration by being a Lesbian and a Christian.  In some Churches the two are mutually exclusive. I am sure many of our LGBTI Christian brothers and sisters can relate.  You can listen to the song below by clicking on the link.

Preacher Man

You can listen to more of Gaellou Greenwood's songs HERE

Or like her band page HERE

Gay Men Read 50 Shades of Grey

Well I tried reading it and then got grossed out. Here is what some other homos thought about it.

Growing Up Gay and Amish in America

Last night I was sent a book entitled “The Literary Party:  Growing up Gay and Amish in America” by the author James Schwartz.  It is a collection of poetry and essays that deals with growing up as a gay boy in the very conservative Amish community.  A community in which homosexuality is strictly forbidden, as quoted from the Bible, and coming out means being excommunicated and shunned from your family and community.

In his book James deals with issues ranging from growing up in the Amish community, realizing he was gay, sex, gay clubs, politics and love to mention but a few.  Also, perhaps more amusingly, what it takes to take a horse and buggy to a gay club.  He deals with these issues in the form of beautifully constructed poetry and poignant essays.  I have been sent many books since I started my blog and must admit that I rarely read them, but this book was different:  I literally finished reading the book before my 9am meeting this morning and plan on reading it again.

Do yourself a favor and get your hands on a copy.  It gives you a unique insight into a person breaking free from a suffocating and restrictive environment to discover who he is and provides a sense of optimism that maybe one day the Amish community will become more enlightened and accepting of LGBT people in their community.

You can purchase a copy from Amazon.com by clicking HERE