by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org

Dear Ricky,

Congratulations on putting an end to years of speculation with your coming out announcement. We are happy to have you and you are a fine addition to the team. I am saddened that you were made to feel that you couldn’t be open and honest about your life AND have a successful career, but now as you begin livin’ la vida honesta (the honest life), we all hope you find peace and renewed success.

Whether you like it or not, you are now one of the most visible openly gay men in the world and your words and actions will be many people’s only exposure to the LGBT community, so I have a few requests of you.

First, in your big announcement on your Web site, your exact words were “I am a fortunate homosexual.” I am interested in hearing your thinking process in formulating that sentence, because to many in the American LGBT community, the word “homosexual” is quite uncouth.

The GLAAD Media Reference Guide succinctly sums up the main harms of the word: “Because of the clinical history of the word 'homosexual,' it has been adopted by anti-gay extremists to suggest that lesbians and gay men are somehow diseased or psychologically/emotionally disordered.”

Andrés Duque at Blabbeando explains that “homosexual” does not have the same negative connotations in Latin America that it does in the United States, which makes sense, but it is still important that you not use the word when addressing an English speaking audience.

Next, we are in need of an anthem. For years the gay community has had to search for love songs with ambiguous pronouns, and while some gay artists like Rufus Wainwright have produced love songs with same gender pronouns, we are still in search of that epic gay ballad we so desperately need. In fact we hope you get back into the studio right now and start building a collection of music that we can be proud of and can relate to -– or else we will continue to have to convert “She Bangs” to “He Bangs” in karaoke performances across the country.

I know you have been afraid of your career being destroyed by your big gay announcement, but I actually think your decision to be open and honest will bring you back to the top of the game. We will do our best to support you -– and according to all of the stereotypes, the gays have an obscene amount of disposable income.

Lastly, please go have fun and enjoy your out and proud life. I hope you find it extremely liberating to not have to play the “deny without denying” game. Your sons are lucky to have a father who is being open, honest and real.

Photo credit: Cool Pixels

by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org
Oh he’s not gay, he’s just a creepy, homo-obsessed, founder of a hate group.

Peter LaBarbera (or Porno Pete as he is known on the streets) has achieved a certain level of fame in the LGBT community because in his unending desire to destroy the gays, he has exhibited an obsession with man-on-man sex. There is a long list of examples, but most of them involve him going “undercover” at leather bars or taking in the sexual freedom of the Folsom Street Fair.

Most of the time Porno Pete is treated as a crazy fringe provider of comic relief, but the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is not laughing. They have officially listed LaBarbera’s Americans for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTAH) as a “hate group.”

This designation is an important step in putting the anti-gay industry out of business.  AFTAH may seem like a pathetic one-man operation, but the reality is that Peter has the respect of many hard-hitting anti-gay players and his boyfriend best friend is rising anti-gay star Matt Barber. Barber bridges the gap between the super crazy anti-gays and the socially acceptable anti-gays. He is Director of Cultural Affairs for the influential Liberty Counsel and he serves as Associate Dean for the Liberty University School of Law, but he is also a board member of AFTAH.

Barber has weighed in by calling the Southern Poverty Law Center bullies for going after Porno Pete instead of Focus on the Family or the Family Research Council. Well Mr. Barber, SPLC provides the “hate group” distinction to organizations that “have beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics.” So, one can only hope that any and every organization that takes the money of hard-working Christians and uses it to attack gay and lesbian families is classified as what they are –- a hate group.

Sound extreme? It’s really not. If the Family Research Council didn’t pump so much money and energy into anti-gay causes, perhaps the anti-gay hate crime rate would go down, and if American ex-gay ministries didn’t exist, then Uganda wouldn’t be deciding whether it is OK to imprison and kill their gay population.  The actions of these organizations breed hatred and intolerance and they should be held accountable.

Being designated as a hate group doesn’t seem to phase AFTAH. Matt Barber and others have contacted Porno Pete to offer him congratulations on the designation. Barber says it actually “confers an honor.” If they are “honored” to be in the company of the Ku Klux Klan and every Neo-Nazi and Holocaust Denial group in the country, then we most definitely have our work cut out for us.

Photo credit: Adam Amel Rogers

by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org
In today’s horrific employment climate, there is one important job that needs to be filled. The LGBT movement for equality is in need of a national leader. Applicants should simultaneously command the respect and admiration of both the gay community and the mainstream American public. Job duties include serving as the face of the gay civil rights movement, dedicating life to equality, and not having an illegal or embarrassing impending scandal.  Women, people of color and transgender individuals are encouraged to apply.

I am not saying we need to put all of our hopes on one person to try and be our Dr. Martin Luther King. It remains vital that we advance on all fronts and try to achieve equality from every possible angle, but I do believe it is important that our movement develop a figure who is above all of the in-fighting and the drama and someone who can serve as the trusted voice and face of our issues.

Here are three of my favorite candidates:

Lieutenant Dan Choi is by far and away the most exciting contender. He is kind of like LeBron James in high school or the first season of Project Runway in that Choi is beaming with potential to be something truly special. His military career is impenetrable -– West Point graduate, Arabic linguist, Lieutenant, etc. This gives him automatic street-cred with several hard-to-reach demographics for the LGBT equality message.  He is a good orator, he is attractive and he has exquisite political instincts. Perhaps the most important question to ask when searching for a leader is whether people will follow, and based off of everything I know of and everything I have seen in Lt. Choi, I will loyally follow him wherever he goes –- and I don’t believe I am alone. I believe Lt. Choi could pick an office anywhere in America that he wants to run for and we will make sure that he wins. Even better, after his epic actions last week in chaining himself to the White House, it appears clear that he wants the job.

In 2004, I attended my first GLAAD Media Awards and I had the distinct opportunity to hear former GLAAD executive director Joan Garry speak. Within minutes, I was ready to buy whatever she wanted to sell me. A brilliant speaker, respected leader and monumentally intelligent person with a proven track record, Garry has everything it takes to fill the position of national gay voice… except perhaps the desire. Shortly after that legendary 2004 speech, Joan retired from GLAAD to spend time with her wife and children (which makes her even more of an attractive candidate). Perhaps after her children are grown, she won’t mind re-entering the public life and taking reigns of our movement.

Keith Boykin has also been out of the public eye for a little while, but it is time to bring him back. Boykin first gained national prominence as a trusted special assistant to President Bill Clinton. With the ear of the President, he was perhaps the most powerful gay man in the world at the time. After his stint in the White House, he was one of the founders of the National Black Justice Coalition, which continues to be one of the most important LGBT organizations in this country. Keith showed his political abilities as a contestant on the 2004 Showtime series “The American Candidate.” He is a prominent speaker, writer and intellectual trendsetter. Since he has kept a low profile recently, I am not sure that he wants the job of national gay leader, but he warrants consideration regardless.

Who do you think should be the top leader in the LGBT civil rights movement? Let us know in the comments section.

Photo credit: Paul Schreiber

by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org
If I were on Bravo’s “Inside the Actor’s Studio,” and James Lipton asked me “What is your least favorite word?” I would retort with a resounding “faggot.” Or would I say “fa**ot” (I’m not sure how I would pronounce that)? Or would I say “the f-word,” “the other f-word,” or “the f-word that rhymes with maggot?”

This week, when the teabaggers hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and spit at Democratic Congressmen, it perfectly matched how media and society treat two of the most hateful words in the English language.

First, “the n-word,” which is almost never said or printed in it’s entirety, and rightfully so. I won’t print it here because of the hundreds of years of hatred, violence and soullessness attached to the word. Tell me I am giving the word too much power and I will tell you that you are not giving the word enough power. It is despicable, disgusting and never OK to use. Feel free to start conversations about who is allowed to use it and how the word changes when you put an “a” at the end instead of an “er,” but I take a hard line on this issue: Its use is simply unacceptable. I think most mainstream media agrees with me, when the future leaders of the Republican Party hurled the n-word at African American lawmakers, you would be hard pressed to find a respected media outlet that said or printed the full word.

However, the other hate word that was used that day was directed toward openly gay Congressman Barney Frank, and media’s treatment of that word runs the gamut. Numerous headlines read something like this: “'Ni**er,' 'Faggot' Shouted At Members Of Congress.” While many media outlets did use asterisks in the f-word, just as many others felt perfectly comfortable saying or printing the full word.

Am I offended? As Sarah Palin would say, “You Betcha!”

This is the same word that haunted me and so many other children in classrooms across the country and it is often-times the last word that is heard by LGBT victims of violence. The word’s intended hateful use is still extremely prevalent -– just do a search on twitter to find out how many people are perfectly comfortable using this word.

Neither of these words are acceptable and mainstream media needs to start holding all hate speech to the same standard.

Photo credit: Abron

by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org
The story now sounds so cliché, but when I was a closeted high school sophomore in suburban Denver, RENT changed my life. It wasn’t just the beautiful love between Collins and Angel that spoke to me, every single word of the musical struck a chord within my soul.

In the years that followed, my RENT obsession became part of my life identity. I got a “No Day But Today” tattoo, I studied every cultural reference in “La Vie Boheme,” I nerded it up on the RENT community boards, and like so many others I slept on the street on a regular basis in hopes of scoring a front row rush seat to the show. I even took my Dad with me to see the show and I looked intently at his reaction to all of the gay parts in preparation of my coming out to him. I was a proud RENT Head.

A few years ago, RENT was made available to community theatres and a RENT: School Edition was even created for high schools to perform. I was skeptical –- would these young people get it? Would they understand the devastation from AIDS, would they relate to suffering for your art? Would they be able to communicate the equality of all the relationships in the show?

This weekend, I had my first opportunity to experience the non-professional version of RENT, which was performed by the students of Fullerton Community College in conservative Orange County, California. I went in with very tempered expectations –- I knew it wasn’t going to be like watching Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal and I was fully prepared to become annoyed if they didn’t get something right. But in the end something completely unexpected happened: I was very moved by these young actors.

I watched with pride as I witnessed a new generation of young people experiencing this glorious story. They honored the traditional words of Jonathan Larson and they made the show their own at the same time. They even made my lifelong dream of being on a RENT stage come true. They pulled a few audience members onto the stage during the “Over the Moon” performance and as my Husband and I danced on stage, my eye glasses flew off and were left somewhere on the stage for the rest of the first act -– it wasn’t very bohemian of me.

After the performance, I became lost in a sea of YouTube videos to see what RENT looks like in a high school setting. It is quite surreal to see love songs performed between teenage versions ofMaureen and Joanne and to see the pain of a teenage size Collins sing at the funeral of his lover Angel. In many ways, this is what equality looks like.

Of course, not everyone is as happy as I am to see young people performing in RENT -- many of these performances have been canceled and protested. Though when the show does go on, it exposes future voters to the reality that love comes in many different forms -– and all those forms deserve the respect and dignity of recognition.

Photo credit: Brian Lane Winfield Moore

by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org
Three white male teachers in a predominately Latino elementary school in South Los Angeles have been suspended after they chose to mock Black History Month by honoring O.J. Simpson, Dennis Rodman and RuPaul. The racial implications of this story have turned it into catnip for media who would be better served reporting on how the school in question is going to deal with more crippling budget cuts.

I suppose it is good that mainstream media is covering this story though -– it is unacceptable for these teachers to mock Black History Month with the violent image of O.J. Simpson or the bizarre choice of Dennis Rodman. But why is RuPaul’s inclusion part of the story? Yes, there are numerous prominent African Americans who have made significant contributions to the history of this country, but I count RuPaul among them.

RuPaul should be honored for Black History Month, Gay History Month (which is apparently October), or any other month.

I am sure that the anti-gay talking heads would blabber on about how RuPaul should not be a role model for children, but as Johnny Weir said recently, “Every little boy should be so lucky as to turn into me.” RuPaul should stand proudly and say the same.

RuPaul is a great American success story. She went from being “a little Black girl in the Brewster projects of Detroit, Michigan” to an uber-successful performer and TV star who has revolutionized one of the most creative and forward thinking artistic industries in our culture. You would think conservatives would swoon at the “pull yourself up by your own high heel straps” aspect of her story.

Ru’s story teaches children that they can truly be anything that they want to be, regardless of the hand they are dealt in life. She has been an inspiration and a pioneer throughout her career. Growing up, my generation was definitely light on the out gay celebrity front, and especially light on gay celebrities of color -– but Ru was always there. RuPaul has bravely and unapologetically been herself in the face of intense hostility throughout the years. She has taught us to look at gender in a more fluid way, look at life in a more glamorous way and to look at ourselves in a more loving way.

As these teachers prepare to lip synch for their jobs, I have a final message for them: “If you don’t love yourself, how the hell you gonna love someone else. Can I get an Amen?”

Photo credit: Loren Javier

by Adam Amel Rogers, Originally posted on change.org
Modern entertainment focusing on historical happenings is almost exclusively heterosexist. The significant global history of same-sex attraction is very rarely showcased in a fair and accurate light.

I expected no different from the Starz original series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The first few episodes were heavy on the sex and violence –- as most depictions of Ancient Rome are -– but I was still left to wonder where the gays were.

That is until it was revealed that Barca, one of the most powerful gladiators who also serves as a bad ass bodyguard/hit man, is in a relationship with Pietros, the adorable male slave.

The “gay” (a modern word used to bring understanding, even though the definition was not needed in this time of full acceptance) storyline started off as just sex, but over the last few episodes they have really shown how the two men are in love and are planning to buy their freedom so they can live a peaceful life together.

Barca and Pietros are so sweet together –- they have no problem being affectionate with each other and it is quite evident that the delicate Pietros calms and tames the giant trained killer. However, the most beautiful part of their relationship is the blasé attitude about it. The relationship was not questioned, criticized or made to feel any different or less than any heterosexual relationship. The other gladiators and the slave owner refer to Pietros as Barca’s “lover” –- a term they use without judgment or negativity.

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals plot details from the February 26 episode of Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

Sadly, in true Roman fashion, Barca was brutally murdered after Pietros was tricked into revealing damning evidence about Barca’s botched hit job. The worst part being that they told Pietros that Barca purchased his own freedom and left Pietros behind.

While it is devastating that the Spartacus gay relationship has been decimated by murder and lies, it is also uplifting that none of the drama arose out of anti-gay sentiment. Hopefully Pietros will again find love, and other historical dramas will openly explore gay storylines as well.

Photo credit: Adam Amel Rogers