Christmas and the Adventist Traditions and what is new.

Over the last 10 years my family has been becoming more and more interested in christmas. I grew up in the Adventist church who was formed from a Caribbean tradition. christmas, is a big deal in many of the former British colonies of the Greater Antilles. For our adventist family it is a bit of cultural fun, but is not to be confused with the traditions of the secular world. for us, we just ate some rum cake, drank some sorrel (an alcoholic brewed beverage) and maybe exchanged presents.

The adventist church was always unclear about the celebration of christmas. It was considered a pagan holiday, along with easter and halloween. (i have never liked the grotesque displays on Halloween). but now adventist churches are putting up christmas wreaths and nativity sets... so has the church lost its doctrine?

It is difficult enough for gay adventists. i understand it is bad for queer refugees from other faiths as well, but there is very little in resources for gay adventists. the focus seems to be on evangelical traditions, mormons, and muslims whom all meet fates worse than death. GLBT adventists seem to be such a small community within this wave of people that finding each other is enough of a challenge. i am currently anxiously awaiting for the premier of the new documentary "Seventh-GAY Adventists" which i will purchase and hold screenings of... it talks about the things i miss... like camporee, socials, special k loaf and HAYSTACKS...

Christmas seems to make me feel alone, like i have lost half of my soul. no surprise, i am the disappointment child. i left the church and i still get the harassment from former church people when i see them on the street. or now at school!!! I fear going back for a visit because i know it will involve either a fellowship or an exorcism...

its really a hard time of year for me...

My children... Brandon Markowitz-Hancock

As any mother can tell you, my children are my world. I am a Drag Mother. I adopt little misfit queer children and offer a sense of safety. we aren't a family by blood, but the love trumps that one-hundred fold!!!

Recently, I got a message from one of my daughters. His name is Brandon, being my child his house name is Brandina Hancock, or just Brandon Hancock. this boy has won contests and is one hell of a drag persona, and even more a great drag performer. But he also comes from a dark past, that has really made him into a stellar artist, and amazing photographer...

well, he said after a long time of rebuilding his life, he moved to NYC to attend school, and as the final act of starting anew he would delete his Facebook. but he never forgot his mama. so we exchanged info, and now he is ready to pull down his facebook for good.

But, what he showed me next filled me with such pride i had to share it!

My child was picked out of over 1700 queer youth to be one of 34 Point scholars for 2011!!!

I am so incredibly proud i cant even contain it!

he started from a shy little boy who came to BAGLY when he was 16/17 and overcame so much adversity... which respecting his privacy i will not disclose.

But now he is at a great school, doing what he loves and I couldn't be prouder.

Mama loves you Brandon!!!

Scot free....

I've been watching courtroom TV since i was in highs chool. Judge Judy, Divorce Court, and multiple others. while I understand that it is TV, and there (hopefully) are parts that are acted out, or aren't real, i sometimes see a case that hits too close to home.
I beleive that silence is the an act of death (suicide or others) because my silence can not only prevent the help of others, but it can prevent awareness of issues that are not talked about in society, popular media, and so on. Voicing the concern is better than silence because my concern (even if I am unable to do anything) can help ignite concern in someone who has the power to do something.
I make it CLEAR that I am not a lawyer, and i do not practice law. but as an American it is my sacrosnct right to know the laws of my country as the presently stand and to enforce and protect the laws as long as they do not criminalize a minority or usurp ( in intent, theory, or practice) the Constitution of the United States of America.


An example, on a courtroom TV show I witnessed a defendant confess in open air that she had committed felonies and intimidation on her husband. The husband was petrified to leave her because she had tight control of his financial situation and had no idea of where to go.

She thought she was protected under the law for the criminal assault she perpetrated on her husband. while the judge in that court couldn't sentence her under those legal grounds. the judge made it clear that even though she is a woman she is still equally responsible under the law for her actions.

Since I was a child i noticed that girls always seemed to believe that if they hit boys they were free from liability and could proceed to... while this was the opposite for boys. at the same age my mother told me that this is not true, and no matter what no one has the right to hit another person.

This woman obviously needs to be off the streets because she is a danger to others. She is not above the law, and she has no right to use such justification for her actions.

If you know of abuse, it is a crime to not report it. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE is not a joke.

If you live in Boston, you can call some of the numbers below for more info or for help.

• SafeLink -- 1-877-785-2020 (toll-free)
• SafeLink TTY -- 1-877-521-2601
• National Domestic Violence Hotline -- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
• National Sexual Assault Hotline -- 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

For further reading click HERE

The Rainbow Times | The Freshest LGBT News in New England

I was asked by my doctor to speak at the Fenway Men's Event 2011.
It was really scary, but i am still getting emails from people who want me to take part in projects and so on.
plus i was the only Person of Colour in a kilt!

http://www.therainbowtimesmass.com/2011/12/15/men%E2%80%99s-event-raises-half-a-million-for-fenway/

Gay BBQing and powertripping

So, what's the biggest buzz kill at a queer barbecue... nope. not a missionary, for me its a health inspector.
My school had our year-end barbecue, and while rain and wind persisted, the one biggest annoyance, other than having to pick up and cook 90% of the food single-handedly (these gays were so flaky, it makes puff pastry look bad!), was dealing with the girlfriend/ health inspector that turned innocent-well controlled fun into a nightmare.
I mean, i do have everything under control when it came to food. our designated driver literally just dropped of everything and i was waiting for people to come back from putting things away, when the food inspector/ girlfriend and my friend come out of nowhere and suddenly go on a tirade about how leaving out food (like raw brats that i was ready to grill then cook in broth so they would be ready in time) and telling me to put it away.

Why did I listen-
1) Food Safety is NO joke-no arguements there
2) I was afraid if i didnt comply she would tell people that the food was no good and pull crap like that...and she probably would. and then who would eat the food?

i was planning on starting at 1:30 as it would take an hour for the sausages to simmer and poach so they would be fully cooked by the time the event began. however, she complained that i should put out the BBQ and start everything again at 3 when the event would begin...

BEGIN RANT:
Anyone who is even a half decent host knows that food that takes longer should be begun earlier so that guests aren't waiting.
what ends up happening is having a bunch of starving, drooling people waiting for the meat to be finished because she cant let me do my damn job and has to raise a big stink about the whole thing. The issue isn't Barbecue, its power trips in the Queer Community.

Gay Power trips are something that is a part of my life, between volunteering with youth organizations and Queer Programs where they breed and inbreed. To universities where the people on the power trips run the show.

the only defense against a power trip is respect and rapport; having the respect and admiration of your colleagues and peers. The difference is that people on power trips will use fear, intimidation, coercion, blackmail...and the nasty little dirty tactics. while effective, once your reign of terror is over, you are already discredited by your peers.

I know this all to well where with one of my youth groups is under the dictatorship of a tyrannical co-chair. she uses every card in the deck. it is true that women in the African-American community and the People of Colour communities around the world face discrimination. it is not a reason or justification for using the race card for everything.

Example: Following an event, in which the youth involved were working all day. following the event a few of the exhausted volunteers are enjoying an innocent smoke break before heading in to clean up the hall.

Out comes co-chair yelling at them to clean up. they tell her they will be in momentarily. 2 minutes later she comes back and starts yelling at them. One man calmly answers that they will be in in soon and tells her to "chill".

less than 30 seconds later, she and a director appear. the director whispers into the young man's ear "you are a white male, she is a black female, she is YOUR superior in that sense. just do what she says."

I'm 1/2 African, 1/2 Asian. In my 5+ years with this organization i have never used the race card. and have even abhorred its use. because the staff of this organization are all white, there is a level of fear of being sued.

Mind you, the same person told a few trans members that they "aren't trans enough" to run the organization's transgender outreach program. Now how does a Biologically female and female identified (and when asked on the subject, she indicated she does not identify with the trans community) decide who gets to identify as what.

Really? i thought as a community we could be better than the hetero-normalist community and show what a real democracy is like. This isn't human nature, it cultured savagery!
No one likes a dirty politician. so why should GLBT people deal with it in our community! it cliché but true, A people united can never be defeated.