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fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

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the gar spot fiction and musings from a gay black dude with delusions above his station

Tag: bigotry

Freedom Is Not Their Goal

Posted on May 3, 2020May 3, 2020 by gar

On the front page of my Saturday newspaper, I saw a photo of someone carrying this protest sign: “We are fighting for our freedom.” No you’re not. Not when you’re carrying signs like “Wealth is Health” and “The cure is worse than the disease.” As of this writing, 68,088 US residents have died from COVID-19…

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A year ago, my country failed

Posted on November 8, 2017 by gar

A year ago, my country failed. The failure started quite early. Rather than reject a man who began his campaign with these fateful words: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists.” The media went out of its way to cover every belch and every fart this man uttered for a year and a half….

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State-sponsored Bigotry Fuels Hate

Posted on March 28, 2016 by gar

In “The Scouring of the Shire,” the penultimate chapter to The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf gives Frodo, Sam, Pip, and Merry a warning about Saruman. Though defeated, his powers diminished, his master Sauron vanquished for good, the old wizard is still capable of a little meanness in a cruel way. Such is often the case after…

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Republican Supernova

Posted on March 12, 2016 by gar

Stellar evolution. Lately, the current trajectory of the Republican Party has me thinking of the lifecycle of massive stars. All stars go through the same general evolutionary pattern, but larger stars die more dramatically. If the GOP has entered its death throes, then it is doing so in the most dramatic way possible. Stars in the…

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Encore from the Archives: The False Victimhood of Religious Conservatives

Posted on September 12, 2015 by gar

The Kim Davis fiasco continues the pattern of religious conservatives relying on more extreme and desperate measures to retain their image of how the world should work. Ms. Davis would have something of a leg to stand on if she personally refused to serve same-sex couples seeking marriage, but allow others in her office to…

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The Washington Pickaninnies, Anyone?

Posted on June 20, 2014June 20, 2014 by gar

True confessions. As a kid I watched the Go-Go Gophers cartoon. It was one of those “shorts” that was part of a serial cartoon series, in this case the Underdog Show. The Go-Go Gophers were buck-toothed, anthropomorphic gophers dressed in stereotypical Native American garb, replete with feathered headdress. They were the last of their tribe and lived…

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Not So Sterling

Posted on April 29, 2014 by gar

In January 2005, Harvard President Larry Summers made some observations about the proportional lack of women in the upper echelons of academia. First, he stated that women are too busy being mommies to devote the 80-plus hours a week necessary to achieve standing in the academy. Second, he stated, in the most obtuse language possible,…

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The False Victimhood of Religious Conservatives

Posted on April 2, 2014 by gar

Those who use religion as a bludgeon to pummel anyone who fails to follow their dogma are getting desperate. Despite years of proselytizing, society Just Won’t Get It. States continue to grant marriage equality rights. Courts continue to overturn anti same-sex marriage laws. And to make matters worse, the dreaded Affordable Care Act had made…

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Confess to Bigotry

Posted on June 13, 2013June 14, 2013 by gar

Last year I wrote that I just wanted George Zimmerman to face trial for shooting Trayvon Martin. This was when a trial seemed doubtful because no one seemed willing to file charges against him. Mr. Zimmerman was allowed to remain free and unencumbered from February 26, 2012, the date of the shooting, to April 11, 2012,…

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Pressure Cooker Hate

Posted on April 16, 2013 by gar

A pressure cooker loaded with nails and ball bearings.  That’s what the FBI now says constituted one of the two bombs that went off at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.  A pressure cooker.  Seems sadly appropriate. Our world today is jam packed with imaginary demons and boogeymen.  All of them can be described…

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Waiting for a friend. #alameda #ferry #eastbayeve Waiting for a friend. 
#alameda #ferry #eastbayeveryday
"You must not leave. You have opened a door that m "You must not leave. You have opened a door that must not be allowed to close. I'm sure you have taken a lot of grief, or probably will for what you're doing. But you changed the face of television forever. You have created a character of dignity and grace and beauty and intelligence. Don't you see that you're not just a role model for little Black children? You're more important for people who DON'T look like us. For the first time, the world sees us as we should be seen, as equals, and intelligent people--as we SHOULD be. There will always be role models for Black children: you are a role model for everyone. Remember, you are not important there in spite of your color. You are important there BECAUSE of your color. This is what Gene Roddenberry has given us."
-Dr. King on why Uhura is so important and why Ms. Nichols should not leave the show

RIP Nichelle Nichols
#legend #startrek #nichellenichols #scifi #nasa #dance #music #mlk #blm
Repost from @juliettesjoy Posted @withregram • Repost from @juliettesjoy 

Posted @withregram • @juliettesjoy Reposted from @queernation3000 CLARIFICATION: “condoms do not fully protect against Monkeypox transmission”

Source: NBC News (Chicago) 🔗 in bio

At the beginning of the HIV/AIDs epidemic, a group of gay men came together to release a set of rated risky behaviors that would guide the community on how to continue to live their lives without fear, empowered by scientifically-backed knowledge. This morning, experts warned that that we have a limited window to close the spread of Monkeypox. Cases are doubling week over week, and infections are being reported in over 74 countries. Misinformation about the spread of this virus could significantly increase the spread and will most certainly increase the stigma and shame surrounding it. 

We’re thankful for various journalists (including those at NBC-Chicago) and medical professionals who have begun the process of rating certain activities on a scale of “whether you're at-risk of contracting the [monkeypox] virus”. We’ve put it into this graphic for easy sharing. The source for all of this information is linked in my bio.

There is still much more to do.  Individual health precautions without significant government action to increase vaccine production & deployment will not work. So please, stay safe, stay informed, and get vaccinated. More to come. 

If you want to help us add additional activities or replace ones based on new information, DM @queernation3000. You can also reach us at queernationfund@gmail.com. 

#monkeypox #monkeypoxvirus #vaccine #pox #lgbt #lbgtq #lesbian #gay #bi #bisexual #trans #transgender #queer #queernews
A typical view of the Golden Gate Bridge in #summe A typical view of the Golden Gate Bridge in #summer from #Sausalito. At a birthday party for friends. 
#coldestwintersummerinsanfrancisco
Trying something new. @understoryoakland #downto Trying something new. 
@understoryoakland 
#downtownoakland #restaurant #veganoptions #dinner
Working. #writersofinstagram #amwriting #amwriting Working.
#writersofinstagram #amwriting #amwritingfiction #tea #jazz #kcsm
Really should have gotten this outdoor furniture y Really should have gotten this outdoor furniture years ago. 
#lunch #alfresco #backyard
Think of all the potential. #wordsonthestreet #se Think of all the potential. 
#wordsonthestreet #seenwhilewalking #neighborhood #walk #oakland #ilovemycity
Pride brunch. #pride #pridemonth #pridesunday #pr Pride brunch. 
#pride #pridemonth #pridesunday #prideday #pancakes #brunch
Dug up from the archives. I can’t believe we hav Dug up from the archives. I can’t believe we have to fight for this again. 
#abortionrights #abortionishealthcare #cisgaymanforchoice
Time to write more letters to encourage people to Time to write more letters to encourage people to vote. Tempus fugit.
#abortionrights #abortionishealthcare #roevwade #mymarriageisnext #voteblue #voterepublicansout
Pride flag over the Claremont Hotel. Don’t think Pride flag over the Claremont Hotel. Don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. 
#pride #pridemonth #berkeley
New outdoor dining set. #backporch #alfresco #hom New outdoor dining set. 
#backporch #alfresco #homedecor
Consulted with my editors this morning. I value th Consulted with my editors this morning. I value their feedback. 
#trees #hiking #oakland #writersofinstagram #iputmyfaithintrees
Remembering Roger Ebert on what would have been hi Remembering Roger Ebert on what would have been his 80th birthday. 
#rogerebert #writer #legend #cancersucks
Fly me to the moon (not pictured) Let me play amon Fly me to the moon (not pictured)
Let me play among the stars
Let me see what spring is like
On Jupiter (the brighter one) and Mars
#backyardastronomy #jupiter #mars #predawn #goodmorning
A gorgeous day at the #oaklandgreekfestival #oakla A gorgeous day at the #oaklandgreekfestival #oakland #greekfestival #greek #music #food #ilovemycity
I used to rock the hell out of these. Cards of dis I used to rock the hell out of these. Cards of discovery and endless possibilities. I still miss them. 
#cardcatalog #library #knowledge #og #searchengine
A sunny Saturday in 1990 found my sister Tania (@m A sunny Saturday in 1990 found my sister Tania (@makeuptogoblog) and I outside of the Julia Morgan Center waiting. I had seen the great Maestro Pt. Shivkumar Sharma in LA—he even autographed an album for me. And I was studying tabla with his accompanist Ud. Zakir Hussain at the time. We couldn’t wait. But wait we did, because the maestros weren’t there. As my sister and I stood at the front of the line, they came. Ud. Zakirji was laughing and joking. Pt. Shivji looked as if he floated in as he passed and entered the theater. After we got settled in our seats, it was on. A beautiful concert with the two maestros playing rapturously, holding us spellbound. Pt. Shivji floated in like a deity and played to the heavens, taking us all with him. By far one of my favorite concerts. 

Words cannot describe how devastated I am at the great master’s passing. His gifts to music and the world are incalculable. My condolences to Panditji’s family, to @zakirhq9 , and to all who loved his beautiful music. #ptshivkumarsharma #indianclassicalmusic #santoor #rip
This makes me very happy. #oaklandgreekfestival # This makes me very happy. 
#oaklandgreekfestival #theyreback #yahoo #greek #oakland #ilovemycity
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