Bobservations

A couple of years after buying this house, we had it painted but, for some reason, we never had the “barn”—folks around here say barn, we say shed—painted. Recently Carlos began giving English lessons to a Hispanic couple in kind of a bartered deal; lessons for painting the shed.

This week the barn shed went red, and it looks, I know, like a little barn. Carlos also wanted the interior painted white so he could see better when he went in there and we cleaned everything out.  But before putting things back, I suggested we thin that shed herd a bit and began separating things into piles of Keep, Toss, Donate.

There was an old fireplace screen we removed from the house. Habitat for Humanity. Check. Old boxes. Trash. Garden tools? Keep. A small tabletop charcoal grill. He says keep; I say donate. But, he says, we use that, and I say …

“Tell me one time in the last twenty years we used it, and remember, we don’t have charcoal or lighter fluid or anything for it.”

I think in Miami I cooked chicken on it once.”

So, sometime, over fourteen-and-a-half years ago, you slapped a chicken on the grill and you think we still need it?”

“It can go.”

This hoarding sense of his explains the cluster of 80s silk shirts in the back of the closet that he doesn’t wear but needs to keep … just in case.

PS She's kina purty now, isn't she?

Tuxedo never went to school, and so he doesn’t know from mathematics, but even he can see how this seems all kinds of wrong!

Last weekend the San Francisco Giants became the very first Major League Baseball team to incorporate LGBTQ+ Pride colors into their on-field uniforms.

In honor of Pride month, players will sport an SF logo Pride Patch on the right sleeve of their home jersey as well as a custom cap with the 11 colors of the Progress Pride Flag, which incorporates black, brown and the transgender pride flag colors with the original six rainbow stripes.

Bravo!

Why don’t these anti-choice politicians and states just use “thoughts and prayers” to stop abortions. I mean, that’s what they do when people murder actual live children in schools.

Just a thought.

The twice-impeached, one-term loser’s blog, where he shared his thought [singular] after larger social media companies banned him from their platforms, has been permanently shut down.

His people made some excuse about it being planned to shut it down, but it had only been a month and was getting less traffic than my little bloggy thing here.

Sorry not sorry.

JP Morgan Chase & Co will resume making political donations to U.S. lawmakers … but not to any Republicans who voted to overturn President Biden’s election victory.

Good. Hit ‘em in the only real place their care about, their wallets.

In other Thing #45 news, he is set to do a series of rallies around the country will fellow sexual assaulter Bill O’Reilly that I have dubbed Sexual Predator-a-Palooza.

And I hear Matt Gaetz is going to open for them.

This week, during a House Natural Resources hearing, Texas Representative Louie Loonie Gohmert asked if the Forest Service or the BLM [Bureau of Land Management] can alter the orbit of the moon or the Earth in order to fight climate change.

Gohmert represents 725,000 Americans, just so you know.

Alex Sewall is a 30-year-old model from Chicago, and a former football player at Indiana State University, who played for a brief time in arena football before beginning a modeling career.

Alex also is very smart, noting that his ass … and it’s real and it’s spectacular is “is usually the thing that gets the most comments and compliments” and he has no problems showing skin.

He seems to love his country, he seems to love music, and he appears to like the sports ball things. Plus, any man that can pull off a hat, after pulling off everything else, is all right in my book.

That’s all.

Good News Times Two: College Athletes Jace Anderson and Xavier Colvin Come Out

It’s been a wild month, between hurricanes and earthquakes—Carlos’ aunt and a friend, were stuck in an elevator during yesterday’s quake in Mexico City ... both are fine, as are his parents, thank goodness—and a lunatic in the White who, like a schoolyard bully, whit his name-calling and threatening war and destruction, so these two stories are a welcome respite ...

Jace Anderson runs track for the University of Nebraska and during this past year he, like most of us have done, was coming to terms with being gay; he was coming out, slowly, to friends and family and while the response was mostly positive, Jace was still leery of sharing his story openly.

Then, one night at a campus party, he was out on the balcony, and three members of the university football team came out, and one of the young men said to Jace:

“There's been a lot of conversation that you swing for the other team.”

Jace replied:

“Yes.”

And then the football player said:

“We just want to let you know we think that's awesome and commend you for not denying it. You don't really hear about that many openly gay athletes here and we think that's awesome.”

Then, sensing Jace’s unease ... “[t]hey each gave me a hug since they could still tell I was uncomfortable about the whole thing and I was obviously nervous and that they knew caught me off guard ... They were the last people I thought would have confronted me on that and been so welcoming.”

Just a few years, hell, maybe a few months or even days ago, this could have been a decidedly different outcome, but, as Jace realized, nobody cared that much that he was gay other than himself. And we sometimes do that to ourselves, we get it in our heads as to how people will react and so, perhaps, we take longer to come out. We need to realize that those feelings are on us, and not necessarily on those around us.

Times do change ... and so, speaking of football players, Butler University’s Xavier Colvin isn’t your average college football player either. He, like Jace Anderson, also had a choice: continue to struggle with stereotypes of “real men” in sports or be honest about who he is.

As a young, closeted gay athlete with very few examples to follow, Xavier wondered if he could ever merge his love for football and his sexual orientation. Xavier finally chose to be a “real man” on his own terms, and in his own way ... by standing up in front of his entire team and coming out:

 “A lot of times when it comes to gay men in sports we feel like people think we will be ‘less-than’ because of our personal life. I got so caught up trying to please others that I fell into a path of always trying to help others and not myself. Finally I became courageous enough to be myself.”

Courageous enough to be himself; that’s a huge step forward for a football player, and an African-American male, to come out as gay. It’s a huge step forward for anyone who has some kind of sceret they’re harboring.

And how did the team react? Xavier says he’s not gotten one single negative comment from the team, the coaches, the students:

“Afterwards I got texts and phone calls. The freshmen who didn’t know me came and shook my hand. And they all said, ‘we’ve got your back.’ They told me how proud they were of me. Not even a single negative reaction. It was all positive.”

Sometimes it takes just one person, or two people, to make that move, take that step, say those two words—I’m gay—and it moves the entire world forward.

And in these days we need those examples of bravery and openness and courage and self-awareness, pride, if you will.

So congratulations of Jace and Xavier and, eyes, please accept these gifts from HOMO HQ: the Obligatory Coming Out Toaster Oven and a copy of The Gay Agenda.

Welcome out.

Outsports: Jace Anderson

LGBTQ Nation: Xavier Colvin

Random Musings

So a man with a private account posted this to his Instagram yesterday:

“Fantastic day golfing with #45 @realdonaldtrump at Trump Bedminister today. We had an exciting match which came down to the 18th hole. I want to thank my good friend @newyorkrei for setting up such an awesome day. #Trump #POTUS #GOLF #USA #MAGA”

Yes, the day after _____ threatened North Korea with all the fury, fire and poser of this country, he decided to play golf.

So, either the threat was nothing, or this is the most ill-equipped human being to ever sit in the Oval Office.

Either way, get this mother f**ker out. Now.

Last week I saw a movie on TV called ‘The Take.’ It was a story about terrorism in France and the CIA and crooked cops and ... oh, who cares. It starred Idris Elba whom I would pay good money just to watch him stand there.

But, it also starred Richard Madden as Hottie Pickpocket—and I’ll refrain from making a joke about him putting his hand in my pockets ... oops—who also played Prince Charming in the updated Cinderella from a few years back.

I’d like to see this become a sequel because Elba and Madden are scorching onscreen.

Just sayin’.

In Good News For Equality, Bad News For Texas ... The Dallas Stars have become the first professional sports franchise to publicly oppose the state’s “bathroom bill” and have released this statement:

“The Dallas Stars stands strongly opposed to any legislation perceived as discriminatory, including proposed bathroom legislation. Dallas welcomes all, and we welcome all. We are proud of our home and want every visitor to feel safe at home here, too, and that’s why we oppose this discriminatory bathroom legislation.”—Dallas Stars President Jim Lites

Better news ... Texas’ GOP-controlled Legislature failed to pass the bill during a legislative session that ended in May, so Asshatted Governor Greg Abbott convened a special session to revive the issue.

Now, however, it appears unlikely to pass before that special session ends next week.

Better quit before this costs you billions, Texas.

Remember when _____ and his team loved leaks? I mean, as long as the leaks helped them, like when Russia stole Democratic material and shared them with WikiLeaks.

But now that people are leaking unflattering stories about the _____ White House, and we’re learning how easily he lies, they’re not so happy with leakers.

And so _____’s Minister of Propaganda, Kellyanne Conway, is now saying that the White House may have staff members take a lie detector test to determine who is leaking sensitive national security information.

“Well they may – they may not. There are many different ways to discover who is leaking.”

Kellyanne best hope she never takes a lie detector test because the fallout from that explosion could take out half of DC.

Oh, and there’s this, too: last week Conway said that asking prospective White House employees to comply with Office of Government Ethics rules has left many of them “completely demoralized.”

Well, if filing out routine ethics paperwork leaves employees demoralized, I wonder how they’ll feel when Kellyanne slips into her Swastika dress and hooks them up to a lie detector?

Speaking of swastikas ... there is an attempt to reclaim the swastika as a symbol of ... wait for it, it’s both high-larious and disgusting, peace and goodwill by putting it on a T-shirt.

KA Design began marketing the shirts, which featured rainbow-colored swastikas, last month saying they hoped to re-brand the swastika, long associated with Nazis and the Holocaust:

“The Swastika is 5,000 years old, it’s a symbol of peace. It’s a symbol of love, it’s a symbol of life. But one day, Nazism. They took the swastika, rotated it by 45 degrees, and turned it into Hatred, and turned it into Fear, and turned it into War, and turned it into Racism and turned it into Power. They stigmatized the swastika forever. They limited our freedom. The swastika is coming back, together with Peace, together with Love, together with Respect, together with Freedom.”

Oh hell no.

The Auschwitz Memorial Museum criticized KA Design:

“You will not escape from the fact that swastika was turned by Nazis into a symbol of racism, hate, anti-Semitism and mass murder.”

The Israeli Jewish Congress demanded the items be removed from sale:

“It is obscene and disgusting that [KA Design] would seek to profit of this in the name of art, trying to turn this irredeemable Nazi symbol of hate and murder, into a symbol of ‘love and peace.’ They are not unique in this however, with a disturbingly growing pattern in recent years of other clothing companies seeking to do similar. This is not only highly naive, but grossly offensive. Hopefully management will understand the magnitude of their mistake and offense caused, and discontinue these items immediately.”

The Daily Stormer, however, an online community for neo-Nazis and white supremacists, like the idea:

“I want to say that I am in 100% support of the rebranding of the Swastika as a symbol of love. I have been trying to do this for years, and I am thankful that hippies are finally getting on-board with that particular project.”

Let me make this queer for y’all: if you ever find that a white supremacist group or a neo-Nazi organization is ‘pro’ something, then you take a stand against that. I mean, if Nazi’s like it ... ?

Well, there is a thing called Morning Wood and it is the best part of waking up so ... New Kopi Jantan Traditional Natural Herbs Coffee, from Bestherbs Coffee LLC, has been forced to recall a product over fears it causes erections.

The coffee was analyzed by the FDA and they found that it contained a number of chemicals that were “very similar” to those found in Viagra.

WHYYYYYYYYYYY? I mean, if the caffeine in coffee is meant to get me up and going, why can’t coffee get all of me up?

Uh ... asking for a friend.

I need to catch a flight to London because Hottie Brit actor, Jack O’Connell, who I first saw in Unbroken, is onstage as Brick in an updated production of Tennessee Williams’ Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.

And, best of all, the play opens with O’Connell naked in a shower ...

O’Connell says he thought the shower would be offstage and was surprised to learn that, from the jump, he’d be onstage “starkers.”

I am going to see if they need a towel man for that scene.

The other day Carlos and I were headed out and we decided to drop some things off at our local Goodwill store.

I was cruising along and thinking about stopping for gas when Carlos mentioned that I had passed the Goodwill store.

He said we were lucky that he was paying attention and was able to save us some time.

I said we were lucky that this was the first time in seventeen years that he was actually paying attention.

I so hate to be wrong.

And from the Why Say It And Then Say You’d Never Say Such A Thing file ... Oakland A’s outfielder Matt Joyce has faux-pologized for using an anti-gay slur in an exchange with a fan during a game.

As Joyce returned to the dugout, he uttered several profanities at the fan heckling him, and then called him an anti-gay slur and challenged him to fight. Joyce says:

“I was walking back to the dugout and just had a fan yell some vulgar and obscene words. For me, it just wasn’t the right time to say some stuff like that. I fired back, and obviously as soon as you fire back, you regret saying anything, because it’s just not worth it.”

Yeah, not much of an apology, but then he was suspended for two games, without pay, and faux-pologized some more:

“In regard to last night’s incident, I first and foremost want to sincerely apologize to the fans, the Oakland A’s, MLB and the most importantly the LGBTQ community for my comments and actions. A fan yelled vulgar and obscene words about me and my family and I let my frustrations and emotions get the better of me. I am beyond sorry for the inappropriate language that I used and understand and agree that those words should NEVER come out of someone’s mouth no matter the situation. Anyone who knows me will tell you that incident it is not reflective of me as a person, how I treat others, how I live my life and that those hurtful words are not my views. I fully support and hope to help the LGBTQ community with their efforts in being treated fairly and intend to let my actions speak louder than anything more that can be said about this truly regrettable moment.”

Let me make this queer: if those thoughts aren’t in your head, if you didn’t think that the nastiest thing you could say to someone is an anti-gay slur, then you wouldn’t have said it. So save the “this isn’t me” and the “anyone who knows me” bull shiz. You should have said, “Sorry I said it; it was disgusting and I apologize.”

Now go sit down and don’t play ball and don’t get paid. Asshat.

I think I threw up a little in my mouth when I read that Food Network chef, Anne Burrell, will be opening a fine dining restaurant in New York City, based on ... and here’s where I puked ... Cheetos:

“As a long-time Cheetos fan, I’m thrilled to join forces with a snack brand that is truly an iconic American staple. I had so much fun curating this specially crafted, one-of-a-kind menu for the first Cheetos restaurant – I can’t wait to see guests’ reactions!”

I’ve already given my reaction.

Cheetos and fine dining? This place will close faster than Melania’s legs when _____ waddles into the bedroom.

Tim Hardaway: From Homophobe to Ally

There’s an old saying that "When you know better, you do better.” When you know more about arithmetic, you’re better mathematician ... when you know more about cooking, you’re better in the kitchen ...when you know more about LGBT people, you’re a better person.

And that leads us to Tim Hardaway.

Hardaway is a former professional basketball player, and he’s been a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame three times. Three times the committee evaluated his career ... which includes five NBA all-star appearances, five All-NBA selections and a gold medal with Team USA in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and three times the committee found Hardaway's resume lacking because, while he’s had an illustrious career, he’s never had an NBA championship.

And he’s also said some things ... about gay people.

Ten years ago, during an interview, Hardaway responded to a question about former NBA center John Amaechi's decision to come out as a gay man, and Tim Hardaway said:

"Well, you know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known. I don’t like gay people, and I don't like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don't like it. It shouldn't be in the world or in the United States. So, yeah, I don't like it."

I hate. I hate. Those are the kinds of words that follow you around for a lifetime, especially when said without an ounce of remorse or shame. And Hardaway now says those words will haunt him until the day he dies:

"When I said what I said ... I still cringe at it when I think about it, and still hurts me deep inside that I said something like that because I gave people an opportunity to hurt people. That wasn't right ... each and every day when I talk to kids today and they bring it up to me or somebody brings it up to me, I say that was a very big mistake on my part. It hurts me to this day, what I said, and you know what? It's going to hurt me for the rest of my life, because I'm not that type of person. I feel bad about it and I'm always going to feel bad about it."

After the NBA leadership heard Hardaway’s comments, they banned him from its 2007 All-Star festivities, even though he was serving as an ambassador of the league. And, even given everything he’s done in basketball, it’s those words ... I hate ... that people remember most about Tim Hardaway.

But, like I said, when you know better, you do better ... and when Tim Hardaway heard himself brag about hating people, not caring about hating people, and realizing that his vocalized hate might have spurred others on to hate the LGBT community as well, he did better.

In the years since that interview, Tim Hardaway has become an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ rights, including working with The Trevor Project, a nonprofit that focuses on suicide prevention for LGBTQ youth. He was also the first signer of a petition to legalize same-sex marriage in the state of Florida. In 2011, he attended a rally in El Paso, Texas—where he had been a college star at UTEP—to support that city's mayor, John Cook, who was facing an attempted recall vote—which later failed—after allowing domestic partnership rights for gay and unmarried couples.

And then, in April 2013, when Jason Collins came out as gay and then became the first openly gay, active player in one of the four major American sports, it was Tim Hardaway who called to offer support.

Jason Collins:

"I have to say, I get asked what was the most surprising [phone call] after making my announcement, and, yes, getting the call from the President [Barack Obama] ... and all of that was surprising. But getting a call from Tim Hardaway is right up there, because I didn't know he had changed as a human being, as far as being what happened with his comments when Jon came out, and now becoming an ally. It shows the power of the coming out story. It shows the power of John Amaechi's story. Tim obviously said what he said and was met with a lot of criticism and was forced to look at himself in the mirror and has changed a lot. ... I'm glad I answered the call and heard his words."

Hardaway's change was noticed by Detroit Pistons coach Stan Van Gundy—a progressive voice in the NBA who publicly decried the election of President _____ citing his concern for minorities and women—who hired Hardaway to his staff as an assistant coach in 2014.

"I think what Tim had was a genuine change of heart. ... He had those feelings, he was forced to think about it, he changed his mind, he changed his heart, and there's been nothing like that since. As a matter of fact, he's gone out of his way to be supportive of the LGBTQ community. But the way he handled it to me speaks better of his character."

It is unclear whether or not Tim Hardaway’s change of heart will affect his chances of getting into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but Jason Collins hopes the upcoming decision will focus on Hardaway's distinguished career:

"With regards to the Hall of Fame, coming from an athlete, it's about basketball, and first and foremost it's about your contributions to the game and he was one heck of a basketball player."

This year's Hall of Fame winners will be announced before the NCAA championship game on April 3, and so maybe, this year, after learning, and knowing better, after doing better, Tim Hardaway might get some good news:

"You're on pins and needles. You don't know what the process is, who is voting, how they vote. You're just on pins and needles and you hope and you wish you get in. That's all you can do. I can't change nobody's mind. I can't do anything more than I have done. ... The only thing I can do is be Tim Hardaway, and be as positive as I can be, as I normally am, and let the cards fall where they fall."

And seriously, if you base it on his talents as an athlete, it should be, to use a basketball analogy—and look at me going all sports on your asses—a slam dunk.

And if you do choose to factor in a man’s private life, his private deeds, and his public actions, it should also be a no brainer.

Tim Hardaway knows better, and he’s doing better.

Chicago Trubune

Look! Up in the sky! It's a plane: A Gay Night At The Ball Park

When I was a kid in California, we often went to Candlestick to watch the Giants play. And sometimes we went to the Oakland Coliseum to see the A’s play ball. And back then they had Hat Day, Shirt Day, Mitt Day, whatever day, but they never had an LGBT Pride Night.

Well, they do now, and apparently that has upset some fans who don’t wanna go to anything with the word ‘gay’ in it lest their secrets be revealed … they like the idea of pitchers and catchers, and men in tight uniforms smacking one another on the ass.

So, cue Oakland A's star pitcher Sean Doolittle and his girlfriend, Eireann — who has two moms — who have offered to buy the tickets from fans that object to attending LGBT Pride Night …

“If attending a baseball game on LGBT Pride Night makes you at all uncomfortable, it is probably a good idea to sell your tickets. And I have the perfect buyer. ME!

If you'd like to sell your tickets to June 17th's LGBT Pride Night game, I will buy them from you at face value. As many as I can. No judgments. No questions asked.

From there, I will donate any tickets I purchase to the Bay Area Youth Center's Our Space community for LGBTQ youth. That way you don't have to feel uncomfortable, and the seats don't go to waste. It's win-win.

Please tweet at me (@EireannDolan) if you'd like to sell me your tickets. I'll purchase as many unwanted tickets as I can out of my own pocket. I also encourage other A's fans to do the same. Let's fill the stands that night!

Love, Eireann and my hella gay moms."

The couple has also launched a GoFundMe account to fill the stadium and so far have raised over $16,000, causing the team to add three more sections of seating to LGBT Pride Night.

It’ll be a gay old time at the ball park. And money will go to a good cause.

Win-Win.