Friday, January 20, 2017

Band Together

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Gay Pride is going to feel especially vital this year, what with all the horses of the Apocalypse riding into DC this afternoon. The only thing all of Trump's ghoulish Cabinet nominees seem to have in common is their shared hate for queers. They've already taken down the White House website's page on LGBT rights - no doubt the new page when it goes up will just be a great big blinking light meant to hypnotize away the gay.

So the fight continues. And how do we fight? Not to be too cheesy about it but we take a deep damn breath, and we love. It's that for which we're under attack, so we just love each other, loudly, arm in arm in arm. Thankfully we've been fighting and loving for a long damn time, and if anybody's proven that you can fight while remaining joyful, good lord is it us gays.
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That history and that experience is going to be necessary to keep us moving forward. If those who came before us could do what they did, if they could fight what they fought and remain bright and vigilant and angry and proud and going, just fucking going, then so can we. It's the least we can do. We have to. We owe them, not to mention all the folks coming down the line.
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Sermon aside (sorry but I need to do some proselytizing today) there's a lot that we need to do, real practical things out in the world. Volunteer and donate to the ACLU and the NAACP and Planned Parenthood and The Trevor Project. Protest, write your Congresspeople, get your voice heard. Be goddamned loud. I will be shouting my lungs out right beside you, I promise.

But we do get to take that deep breath first to fill up our lungs - to look back upon this great big gay history of ours and to feed off of that strength. And here's one way! Photographer (and friend) Sam Shahid is Kickstarting the funds for a book of his work (some of which you see here in this post) documenting his friends and the gay community as he's seen it for the past 50 years.

The book is called And the Band Was Playing a Gay Tune, and Sam's work is fun and sexy and full of the kind of life and spirit that we're gonna need to help us keep on keeping on in the dark days ahead. We're not alone - we've never been alone. We have had each other for a long time, folks. These photographs are part of our legacy.

A portion of the proceeds will be going to ACRIA, who help to fund HIV prevention and research - also a cause you should be donating to. And hey here's a way to do just that, with some bonus sexiness for all! And the more money the campaign gets, the more money will go to that great, necessary cause.

So what I'm saying is you should head on over to Kickstarter and donate a little, or a lot - over there you can hear from Sam himself with his mission statement, and see a slew more images. And if you can't donate, help spread the word.

I personally recommend plunking down at least the 40 bucks to get your own copy of the book - it's an absolute beauty. But every dollar counts towards helping a good cause and in getting this handsomely designed rendering of our communal history out into the world - some much needed inspiration and joy right at our fingertips. And we're gonna need all the inspiration and joy we can get, you guys.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

sorry but donate to all those identity politics/divisive organisations? sometimes you victim types really get your priorities wrong.

bill clinton passed the most anti gay legislation of any sitting president.
both hillary and bill flip flopped on gay marriage when it suited them politically. hillary supporters are really a blinded folk.

feminism and all the virtue signalling and culture of victimhood is really killing our society.
you want folks to donate and buy your friends books for what? more consumerist bullshit?
too busy wrapped up in your hollywood bullshit?
resume weeping into your kleenex jason...go eat some more utz cheeseballs you fat fuck.

Aquinas1220 said...

^^ Asshole troll alert!!

Jason Adams said...

Mmm cheeseballs -- excellent idea, Anonymous. Thanks!

TheGreatOwl said...

Thank you, Band Together. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! 🇺🇸

Nickelodeon said...

Well, I guess now this is a politics blog. Deleting your bookmark. Later, Jason. ✌️

Anonymous said...

jason's fat boy stretched out pooper.

Tom Thomas said...

Anonymous hate on a post supporting an LGBT book and organizations. How novel.

Laramie Dean said...

People can be horrible (obviously); I don't understand, have never understood. I've followed your blog for the past four years or so and I've enjoyed your sense of humor, your wry and witty observations, and (natch) all the beefcake. I look forward to reading your posts every day.

Also, you're absolutely right about banding together. I don't know if this is an antidote to anonymous trolls and their vitriol, but please know that there are people who support you and enjoy your writing.

-- Laramie Dean (a fan)

Astroboymn said...

Late to this but you know, Blow Me, Anonymous Internet Troll. You know you want to (i.e. smoke trousers) - that's why you're sadly spewing your anti-gay nonsense. If you had just come out back in the day you'd have been a lot happier.