A Thunderous Roar

Robin Williams is outdated. His manic approaches to presentation, though probably appropriate with the manic presentations of entertainment these days, have become massively repetitive and I rarely enjoy watching him. However, he did say one quote I’ve used again and again in my life.
“It’s sad our nation was established by people so stuffy that even the English threw them out.”

Now, you have to understand the English as a people to get the joke. They are massively stifling. They are polite to a fault, insulting you to your face but making you wonder if you should be upset or not. Their humor is completely based on if you are in on the joke or not.

The Puritans left the United Kingdom with the intent of practicing even more religion then they could in the open minded hills of Britain. They arrived and had a profound impact on this nation’s development. You can see it on a daily basis. I mean, where else do they argue if the President says, “God bless America,” but don’t feed the homeless or fund medical insurance?

Yes, those wacky Puritans, have pretty much fucked us all over.

Especially me.

See, I wanna get married. And I want to do it now. If you were to travel north, to Canada, I have rights. Now if I go to Mexico, I’d have rights. I can go to the Old World, like England or Spain…I have marriage rights. How can those countries do it without combusting?

But here? They argue about the term ‘marriage.’ They don’t even want to give us civil rights, federal or state or even local.

They want us to pay our taxes. They want us to pay our bills; they just don’t want us to be happy.

And it is hard to not want to hit someone.

I bring this up as a bear. I’m already not in the hot, cute, thin man group of studs the gay bar claims or are posted in Abercrombie and Fitch catalogs. Now I’m arguing with others in my own gay rights movement. I read yesterday in Out magazine that we should just accept civil unions and move on. This coming from Alan Cummings, NightCrawler, for goodness’ sakes!

This bothers me to no end. I love my hus-otter. And the thought that I might die tomorrow, hit by a busload of churchers coming back from a political retreat sponsored by Focus on the Family, and he won’t be protected or he has to jump through 800 hoops to get what he deserves—that bothers me.

I heard recently that Texas wants to remove some Thomas Jefferson quotes from textbooks in schools. And I can't believe people aren't screaming.

I see we’re going the wrong way. We’re moving towards laws that have a religious background. We’re moving towards a society that still thinks the Earth is quite flat. I say this here in the coffeehouse seated beside a group discussing ‘marriage’ as part of a church group and across from another group, this time teens, reading from a ‘When God Writes Your Love Story, Dating for Guys and Girls.’ These people are thriving. And they’re not totally wrong. They have been granted these freedoms and, by all means, should pursue them.


However, I get the nagging suspicion they’d make sure I’d never get married either.

Now, not only am I a Bear, but I’m going to risk going against many in my small gay culture on this one too. I deserve to get married and nothing less. Not to only to get those rights, but probably to teach this schmucks that their beliefs end at the ballot box.

That America is for all of us—not just those who see things their way.

But here’s where I differ and this is why I’m torn. I’m a fighter, but not in the manner you’d think. I’m practicing what they don’t. Eastern Philosophies tell us that desire causes such angst. So to combat that, I’m going to be myself---however, I’m going to do it VERY LOUDLY. I’m going to be Out. And I’m going to talk to those who will argue. And I’m going to be happy every time I do it. I’ve read about civil disobedience. Maybe that will work better than yelling.

And yes, Robin, it is sad. Because, under the Puritan guidance all I can see is further dark times.

I’m going to make sure I enjoy every moment in it.