Update on the format/content of F6 & F6's Links Page

[A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR:]

Thanks to my ankle sprang, I am still in the process (5 days late) of updating F6's Links Page.

(These next two paragraphs have been edited due to changes within the week after posting) There is a new addition that you will notice as you load the page. My Google Calendar has been placed on the bottom of F6's Links Page. With certain changes, some of the sidebar was rearranged to keep everything grouped properly and for ease of access to the information that F6's unique 350 visitors per week are looking for.

The Google Calendar was added because I was tired of forgetting major events and functions until after they happened or right before they happened and as a result giving everyone short, insufficient notice. My apologies. I am still looking for a way to list reoccurring meetings and events or social functions on a combined list. For right now this calendar will at least help with some information and resources being communicated to the general public and our valued readers and friends.

If you have any events, always subject to review, that you want me to add to the calendar give me the info via email to frfozybearftwin@gmail.com with the subject line of F6 Calendar. As this is the normal Wednesday post, I will also be making a post for the Sabbath of Beltane tomorrow, one on Friday, as well as the normal Saturday post. Would you all please consider leaving a comment; or at a minimum, rate F6 over at BNN's site?

Before I give the whole "Thanks for reading" or "taking the time to view F6" I want to give a shout out to all the blogs and websites that have the guts to cross link to F6! Your cooperation and support means the world to me.

May you encounter wonderful people on your adventure of life. Blessings Along The Journey!

MRev. Kenneth White, Jnr.
Editor, F6 ~ Fun Fag FAQs From Father Fozy

In The Moment: Gay Soap Opera meets After School Special? & What about the Libertarian Party of Indiana's Annual Convention?

So my apologies for the delay on Saturday's post. I've been sitting on this post for a while so that I could see this 12 episode online series develop just a little bit more; but alas it is just too awesome to wait any further, and this way I have a chance to recover from the past week.

In The Moment is a gay male life and health awareness project started in a two fold web environment. Both the "soap opera meets after school special" episodes and the online community forum are essential for conveying both the necessary questions and educational information. I hope you enjoy the hot guys, awesome stories, and hard questions about what it means to be a complete gay man in this time and place. Click the following links to watch episode one and episode two or the introductory videos. And for goodness sakes people, WRAP IT UP Y'ALL!

As Chi Chi LaRue says, "When having or watching anal sex make sure a condom is involved. It is up to you to get tested and know your status! SAFE SEX IS HOT SEX!"


Some time in the last two days, I twisted or sprang my right ankle. Genuflecting with no equilibrium can be a bitch some times. The Libertarian Party of Allen County held the first part of its Annual Convention last weekend and Douglas Horner, William Larsen, Jonathan Bartels, and I were gone all day yesterday in Indianapolis for the Libertarian Party of Indiana's State Convention. Talk about fun times. It was a pleasure to meet everyone statewide especially Mark, Todd, Mike, Chris, Margaret, Jeff, Steve, Tim, Eric, Andy, and all the rest. Thanks to all of the contenders for the Libertarian nomination for President of the USA (POTUSA) whom showed up yesterday to debate. My personal favorite is Michael Jingozian followed up with George Philles and Mike Gravel, for anyone whom cares. Whom are your favorites for the LP POTUSA nominations?


What did you think of IN THE MOMENT?

EDITOR'S UPDATE: (11th of July 2008), The Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Scott Gold spotlighted and reviewed IN THE MOMENT and the work behind the scenes of the production, and the reason why its message and presentation is still necessary for today's queer youth and young adults.

EDITOR'S STATEMENT OF POLICY:
F6 has and will continue to discuss at length and promote safe sex as well as challenge racial bias/prejudice in the gay community as the black hole and eye that it is to the fabric of our own hard fight for equality.

Local Queer Community Spotlight and Commentary for Wednesday. Sorry I am running behind.

HRC Local Chapter hosted benefit for UTSCC two Saturdays ago.

F6 would like to finally report that one thousand dollars was raised at the fund raising event sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign's Local Chapter at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation on Old Mill Road for the Up The Stairs Community Center. The benefit "An Evening of Love" brought together the talents of The Chorus of Fort Wayne, Reuben Albaugh, Jessica Butler - Miss IPFW 2008, Breona Conrad, Blane Pressler, Brett Tubbs, and James Velez. Their performances were enjoyed thoroughly by the just less then sixty guests. The fund raiser was held for assisting "the daily operational costs of keeping the doors of the UTSCC open (simple things like heat, light, and water)".

COMMENTARY:

One thousand dollars does not even begin to cover one months of expenses for operations as previously budgeted at 1,250 per month @ the UTSCC. So more than likely what will happen to the one thousand dollars is it will get appropriated to fund something else to raise even more money which will go to fund something else to attempt to raise even yet more money and it becomes a vicious cycle that is no different then a mutilevel marketing scheme. In the end I don't have an issue with them doing this I do have an issue with them saying that it goes to general operating expenses as a blanket statement without directly specifying how and where and why. Just be prepared for them to do a fund raiser per month at this rate if not two in the chaos of attempting basic liquidity. The other reason I have issue with all of these "Drag for a Dollar" fund raisers is the fact that the UTSCC Board still does not have accountability to the people they serve.

Not forgetting to mention the previously extended debt and unaccounted resources mentioned in Dan Stockman's article last year have yet to be accounted for. According to his story, one dollar of every twenty dollars, with the highest annual total at seventeen thousand dollars, for a total of twenty five percent of fifty-seven thousand dollars budgeted per year on average, still remained unaccounted for. To date the Board of the UTSCC has still refused to audit their books publicly and also refused a free audit when offered by a concerned unbiased third party.

As a matter of journalistic integrity and complete reporting, the assumption that the case on the scandal is closed is false. F6's network of collaborators also made an inquiry to the State of Indiana and was told that the Attorney General's Office is still investigating the UTSCC and they will release their decision when they are done over to the local media first. So be prepared for another stinky windstorm *when the GLBT Community responds as this pile of shit hits the fan, yet again.

(*Edited for clarification of intention.
Thanks, Linda!)

EREN IPFW changes leadership and previous officers start drama.

In other news that is slowly filtering out of IPFW, as certain queens lick their wounds in disgrace, it appears after a long hard fought battle of wills the Student Government finally stepped in and issued a reelection of officers to the Equal Rights Education Network. This proved successful in overturning the previously ill appropriately appointed leadership and the rags of what was left of a Constitution for the organization.

COMMENTARY: KUDOS TO THE RESISTANCE!

I had been involved in these discussions at the end of last semester. Everything we arranged and the waring factions had agreed upon then, was stonewalled in the beginning of this year. I give kudos to the students who stood up to those trying to hold onto power illegitimately and to the Student Government for finally taking a stand and facilitating, by force, new elections.

I also have to give major kudos to EREN's faculty adviser, Chris Douse, the Asst. Director of Diversity & Multicultural Services. He provided stabilization to the group over the last several years as it has transitioned from the monstrosity attempted by some and left by others into the shamble shack EREN had become.

The process of recovery from bad peer leadership can finally begin again. To the new leaders and remaining members: it is going to take time to restore and rebuild, please be patient. The fact that the "previous owners" of the group are disgruntled and trying to make themselves look sparkly clean in the midst of being removed from their filthy nests, should give you courage.

Gay Libertarian is elected President of the IPFW Student Body!!!

As I previously summarized over on the LPAC blog: As some are aware Kody Tinnel, a member of the Libertarian Party of Allen County and a Political Sciences and Public Affairs Sophomore at IPFW, has run for and achieved with a landslide victory the Presidency of the Student Body of Indiana University and Purdue University of Fort Wayne.

COMMENTARY:

Kody Tinnel is a intelligent young man that I have absolute respect and admiration for. His commitment to going green and environ-friendly living, restoring a responsible Greek and Social culture on campus, along with giving people a taste of Libertarian principles in action, are going to be the keys to his success as President in the next year.

The morals of all these stories:

By the power of one to vote for their leadership being restored and used successfully, gives even greater assurance in the abilities of the average citizen to slowly grasp the concepts and responsibilities of their civil duties.

EDITOR: Certain portions of this post have been redacted by personal request.

Here are some of the basic results from the Earth Day Project (UPDATED)

The Board of Stewards of Heartland Communities, Inc. and Abigail Frost of Save Maumee would like to issue a heart felt thanks to everyone whom invested their personal capital and time in making this City's rivers more healthy and beautiful.

• WE SCATERED 500 POUNDS OF THE NATIVE RIPARIAN GRASS SEED!

• WE LAID 3000 SQUARE FEET OF EROSION CONTROL MATS!

• WE PLANTED 100 COTTONWOOD TREES AND COUNTLESS POPLAR TREES!

• WE PICKED UP TRUCKLOAD AFTER TRUCKLOAD OF GARBAGE!

• ALONG WITH SEVEN GENTLY USED ... TIRES!

I cherish the thoughts of what everyone accomplished Sunday. One day with your continued investment in these and other environmental cooperative work projects we might even get to play in the rivers again! The work continues and there will be other oppotunities in the near future to help clean up our wonderful City.

[F6's UPDATE: Fort Wayne City Utilities Needs You To Help Plant the City’s First Rain Garden!]

What is a Rain Garden?

A rain garden is a landscaped area planted with native plants and flowers that soaks up rain water. The garden fills with a few inches of rain water that runs off the roof of a building or parking lot during a storm. After the storm the water slowly soaks into the ground instead of running into a storm sewer or waterway.

ITINERARY

Saturday April 26, 2008 meet @ Water Pollution Control Maintenance 515 E. Wallace Street, Fort Wayne, Indiana 10:00 a.m. coffee, juice and donuts for volunteers followed by 11:00 a.m. with Mayor Henry’s kick-off news conference. Then grab your gloves and get planting!

Happy Hippie Holy Daze!

Sorry about being late with this post, the fumes from all the pot smoking going around me made me hit the wrong buttons and it got saved as a the wrong draft file by accident.


The Save Maumee 3rd Annual Earth Day Event was a success beyond all comparison. Thanks go out to everyone who showed up and worked their tail feathers and fingers to the bone planting riparian seeds and cottonwood trees and cleaning up the trash on the first two miles of the Maumee's riverbanks and watershed. I will have a full report from Abigail with pictures later in the week.


... until then keep stoking.

A truly free market returns to Freiman Square third Sunday of every month from April through September

Once again I must disclose that I serve on the Board of Heartland Communities, Inc. which is the fiscal agent for and partner with Fort Wayne Community Action Network.

Come enjoy the market and then take a small detour and help us over @ Hosy Dam!

Please also remember that we are doing the river clean up and repair to the 1-2 mile marker on the Maumee river this Sunday from noon until six which is being coordinated through Save Maumee and the dedicated sacrifice of Abigail Frost and the work of Derek Reuter.

And who says there is nothing to do in Fort Wayne?

cant take my balls in your face then do yoga under the trees!

Come watch Tom Henry flush half a million dollars down our rivers

So according to MAYOR TOM HENRY Public Works money is not Tax Payer Money.

So does that mean the CITY has been charging to much for services all this time?

If it has half a million dollars to pave a bike trail that is already paid for through private donations & benefactors, why haven't they done it before?

Is it your money or the City's?.... It is your City.

Maybe that 500 THOUSAND DOLLARS could have been used to clean up the rivers before we have people riding around them any further.





FORT WAYNE, INDIANA Mayor Tom Henry has answered critics who question how the city can make a matching contribution of up to $500,000 to Oprah's Big Give and the Fort Wayne Trails project when the city of Fort Wayne itself is facing budget cuts.

In an interview with Indiana NewsCenter's Ryan Elijah, Henry says the money has already been earmarked for the trail system and that money had been collected started even before he came into office. That is why the city can match up to $500,000 in donations. The Mayor stresses that the money is not property tax money, but rather public works money.

[....]

The television show “Oprah’s Big Give” selected ABC affiliate Indiana’s NewsCenter and the local non-profit Aboite New Trails for a donation of $10,000. The mission from “Oprah’s Big Give” to Aboite New Trails and Indiana’s NewsCenter was to find a way to grow the money into something larger.

Aboite New Trails chose to split the Oprah’s Big Give funds with each partner trails organization to fund its own event April 12, thus expanding the reach of the Oprah’s Big Give funding throughout Fort Wayne and New Haven. The partner organizations will keep the money raised from the individual fund-raising walk or rides to fund the expansion and maintenance of the trail network in Allen County.

The City is also offering a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $500,000, for donations to the City or any partner trail organization through Saturday. Donations of any amount can be made now through Saturday. More information about the match and City donation forms are available on the City’s Web site.

[....]

Oprah's production crew will be here Saturday to film Fort Wayne's celebrations and fund-raiser for the Fort Wayne trails project.

She gave Indiana's NewsCenter $10,000 in seed money, and since that amount has now grown to close to $1 million... Fort Wayne could be featured in the finale of "Oprah's Big Give" next Sunday night... as one of the most successful community projects in the country.

[SOURCES: the first of two stories with Ryan Elijah reporting are both written by Paul Neumann, the third is written by Corrinne Rose all respectfully from Indiana News Center TV Channels 21 & 33. The second picture was ganked off the City of Fort Wayne's website [pdf]]

DADT enforcement declines for Stop loss?

Military ouster of gays plunges
By Rowan Scarborough
January 21, 2008

The U.S. military says it is enforcing the ban on open homosexuals in the ranks, as it has for decades, in the face of statistics that show a sharp drop in the number of discharged homosexuals as wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue.

Homosexual rights advocates cite the plunge as evidence that the military is losing interest in enforcement and lets openly homosexual men and women serve because commanders need every able-bodied troop.

"Truth be told, I don't think the Pentagon is a big fan of the law anymore," said Steve Ralls, spokesman for Servicemembers Legal Defense Network, which is pushing for the ban's demise.

The Pentagon provided a statement to The Washington Times saying it still enforces the exclusion, which was modified in the early 1990s under a policy known as "don't ask, don't tell."

"Our policy implements the law Congress passed after prolonged research and debate," said Pentagon spokeswoman Eileen Lainez. "The Department will continue to follow congressional mandate on homosexual conduct. This law requires the Department of Defense to separate from the armed forces members who engage in or attempt to engage in homosexual acts; state they are homosexual or bisexual; or marry or attempt to marry a person of the same biological sex."

Ms. Lainez said "we can't speculate as to why the number of discharges has declined" from 1,273 in 2001 to 612 in 2006.

Mr. Ralls understands the decline as "clear evidence that traditionally during a time of war lesbian and gay discharges decline," he said. "Commanders recognize the value of having good quality service members on the job regardless of what their sexual orientation may be."

Elaine Donnelly, who runs the Center for Military Readiness, said no comprehensive evidence supports that theory. She thinks fewer homosexuals are joining the military.

"It's just logical," she said. "If the military is having difficulty recruiting people in general because a war is going on, it discourages people in general and that would include homosexual recruits. The advocates of gays in the military prefer to try to take statistics out of context and then try to make their argument accordingly."

She said anecdotal evidence shows that the military allows personnel to leave service rather than pursuing a homosexual-driven discharge.

The issue of homosexuals in the military — once thought settled in 1993 with President Clinton's adoption of "don't ask, don't tell" — has resurfaced in the current presidential election.

All three leading Democratic candidates, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, say that if they win the White House they will ask Congress to change the law and allow open homosexuals in the ranks.

The U.S. military for years has maintained that homosexuality hurts unit cohesion.

The rules for "don't ask, don't tell" are clear. The military is not to ask recruits whether they are homosexual. In turn, service members are to be discharged if they disclose their sexuality, either verbally or by conduct.

At the unit level, it is up to superiors to move to discharge. Mr. Ralls contends that, in more and more cases, commanders are ignoring the "tell" because they need the service member. The Pentagon rejects that contention.

Homosexual rights activists are publicizing the case of Sgt. Darren Manzella, an Army medic. He told CBS' "60 Minutes" that he disclosed his homosexuality to superiors in 2005 in Iraq and 2006 in Kuwait, but remains in the Army today.

"Individual commands have always had broad latitude in how they implement the law," Mr. Ralls said.

DOD doesnt want public to know that queers served with honor

Edits to gay soldier’s Wikipedia entry traced to Pentagon
Anonymous user deleted references to sexual orientation
By CHRIS JOHNSON, Washington Blade | Apr 3, 12:49 PM

A Wikipedia article about Maj. Alan Rogers, a gay soldier who was killed in January in Iraq, was apparently edited by someone in the Pentagon, who removed any mention that Rogers was gay. The user on Monday redacted details about Rogers that appeared on the online encyclopedia site. Information that was deleted included Rogers’ sexual orientation; the soldier’s participation in American Veterans for Equal Rights, a group that works to change military policy toward gays; and the fact that Rogers’ death helped bring the U.S. military’s casualty toll in Iraq to 4,000.

Rob Pilaud, a patent agent and a friend of Rogers who attended the soldier’s funeral, restored the information to the Wikipedia article the next day. Pilaud was among Rogers’ friends who created the Wikipedia page.

The anonymous poster also provided the following comment in the “discussion” section about the article: “Alan’s life was not about his sexual orientation but rather about the body of work he performed ministering to others and helping the defense of the country,” the poster wrote. “Quit trying to press an agenda that Alan wouldn’t have wanted made public just to suit your own ends.” The IP address attached to the deletion of the details and the posted comments is 141.116.168.135. The address belongs to a computer from the office of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (G-2) at the Pentagon. The office is headed by Lt. Gen. John Kimmons, who was present at Rogers’ funeral and presented the flag from Rogers’ coffin to his cousin, Cathy Long.

The Army’s public affairs office did not return a call seeking comment.

Pilaud noted that while the computer where the changes originated can be found, the identity of the user remains unknown. “Obviously, we still don’t know who accessed the computer at this IP address — it could have been a general, it could have been a civilian contractor, it could have been anyone with access to their computer,” he said. At Rogers’ funeral Kimmons acted “very business-like” and was respectful toward the fallen soldier and his family, Pilaud said. Pilaud is asking Rogers’ friends for biographical information on the fallen solider to enhance the Wikipedia article. Pilaud said he thinks the online article should “be a balanced view of his life,” disclose the fact that Rogers was gay and discuss Rogers’ feelings on military policy toward gays. “With Wikipedia, at least, I simply want to present objective information about Alan — about who he was, what he did with his life and what he would have wanted,” he said.

[...6IP....]

The Post’s decision to omit Rogers’ sexual orientation from its coverage is the not first time a major media source withheld such information. When filmmaker Ismail Merchant died in 2005, most mainstream media sources did not mention that James Ivory was his partner. Similarly, many media outlets did not mention that Susan Sontag had a female partner in coverage of her death in 2004.

Roy Clark, a senior scholar and the vice president of the Poynter Institute, a journalism school based in St. Petersburg, Fla., said the Post made “a big mistake” by not disclosing information on Rogers’ sexual orientation in the article about him. Clark emphasized that he spoke for himself and not on behalf of the Poynter Institute. “It’s obvious that … this was not just a private part of his life, but it was a public part of his life and his identity and his belief system,” he said. With matters relating to sexual orientation still a matter of debate in the United States, Rogers’ sexual orientation would have been a newsworthy portion of the story, Clark said.

Eric Hegedus, president of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists’ Association, said the Post ombudsman deserves commendation for arguing that the Post could have gone further in the story. Hegedus said it was ridiculous for the Post to omit that Rogers was a treasurer in the American Veterans for Equal Rights. “If he was a former treasurer, it’s something that he was passionate about and why wouldn’t you mention something like that?” Hegedus asked.

Rashad Robinson, senior director of media programs at the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), said the Post had to make a “difficult call” regarding whether or not include Rogers’ sexual orientation in the article, but ultimately “made a bad decision.” “The story would have been much richer and much more appropriate if it included the voices and reaction from the major’s friends and family,” Robinson said. The matter is complicated by “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” as it makes it hard to know if soldiers were closeted in some arenas because of that or would have chosen to not be out regardless of the controversial policy, which prevents service members from serving openly. Robinson said in this situation, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is the enemy, not the Post. Robinson said the Post ombudsman’s column shows that progress has been made because such an article probably wouldn’t have been published four years ago.

Hegedus said there are “no hard-and-fast rules” for making a decision on when to include sexual orientation of subjects in media coverage. He said people within his organization would disagree on the best way to handle it. “Journalists shouldn’t be hesitating to try to dig at the truth and they just really have to be as responsible as possible in providing as full as picture as possible in every story,” he said.

Clark said journalists are trying to figure out how to handle sexual orientation “in a way that is fair, in a way that is sensitive, in a way that’s responsible to various stakeholders.” He said his first inclination in such stories is to ask whether or not sexual orientation is relevant to the article. “That question is going to lead to the kind of conversation that you need in order to make that decision well,” he said. When asked whether the growing acceptance of homosexuality would change how journalists handle gay subjects, Clark said, “It’s not unusual for the society to be ahead of the stylebooks.” “I think it’s appropriate for those who are responsible for developing standards and practices in the news media … to review the current standards and to change them when it’s appropriate,” he said.

Last week, NPR did not respond by deadline to request for comment on why it did not disclose Rogers’ sexual orientation in coverage of him. Steve Inskeep, host of NPR’s Morning Edition, did return a call to the Blade on March 28 after deadline. In a follow-up e-mail April 1, NPR spokesperson Andi Sporkin said the organization did not disclose that Rogers was gay because the NPR reporter was unaware of it. “[Rogers’] involvement with any organization was never raised by those in the interviews we conducted,” Sporkin said. NPR has identified many people as gay in past programming and “the decision-making process on doing so is part of our journalism,” Sporkin said. Pilaud said it must have been “a lucky coincidence” that NPR did not find out that Rogers was gay because it was apparent at the funeral. Missing the gay flag and AIDS ribbon lapel pins on Rogers’ friends would have been difficult, Pilaud said. “If NPR made any effort at the funeral at Arlington National or if they did any kind of follow-up, I can’t imagine how they could have missed that,” Pilaud said

[NOTE: ...#IP.... denotes numbers of paragraphs edited, no number just means one.]
[NOTE: Other articles by F6 on Gays in the Military and Links are found in this forum.]

Is there such a thing as too much diversity? Controversy boils over regarding PRIDE HIGH!

[F6's EDITOR'S STATEMENT:]

I am going to make an admission here which will throw everyone for a loop. I am not attracted to most black men based on a racial bias.

I know what caused the major part of the bias. I was carjacked many years ago and beaten up pretty good but the jackass punks didn't get my car dammit! There was no way I was going to let two sixteen year old punks take my piece of shit car for a gang initiation. It is my car!

Unfortunately, because of that incident I could feel a racial prejudice start to develop. As a member of the clergy I knew that I had to stop it. Over the course of the next several days I literally felt through the power of prayer and submission of my will in the situation, my brain get slowly and methodically rewired to remove, not the memories but the emotions behind and surrounding the incident, which in turn gave the memories new meanings and a new story (similar to what happens in the Sacrament of (Reconciliation) Penance but in real time). So even though my mouth got rearranged and I have no equilibrium now (which sucks for genuflecting or bowing, btw), the prejudice that would have been fostered if not corrected has been removed but there is still a bias.

The difference between myself and someone who is a racist or prejudiced against any group is that I know the bias is there and confront it within myself first and then also in my community and social circles most of the time! Please don't misunderstand me, some of my best friends are and have been black. I just know I would never be bent by many of them over the couch or ride them into the sunrise.

The gentleman in the foreground of this picture above is very cute to me though. Not because of his body or of his cock and balls wanting to bust out of his Calvin's. But look at his eyes. See the way he supports his lover not just with his leg and torso but caressing the back of his head with his strong hand. That is beautiful! He is beautiful! One of the reasons I use black and white pictures (especially on the links page) is to illustrate romantic or intimate situations and stories on this blog by removing colour from the equation of love or sexuality towards another man by a man and the inherit beauty of the male body and spirit. Ironically though I am immensely attracted to Hispanics, Filipinos, Arabs (Afghani bois are so cute), Macedonians, Australians, and Slavic males and of course I will drool over most Caucasian country/ farm bois/ jocks or preps/ and your usual AnF model, with a few emo bois for flavor.

Tommy, keep challenging all the stereotypes across the board! Even mine.

I fully support the diversity within PRIDE HIGH and have done so on this blog forum and other sites several times and will not hesitate in doing so again and again until we all realize that it takes all colours of dirt and clay to form the Human body and each person regardless of race, social class, or ethnicity. We, each one of us, are all good and beautiful, no matter what anyone else says or thinks.

The underlying story and situations that PRIDE HIGH communicates travels beyond the multi classifying characteristics that make up an individual, culture, social group, community, or the people of this Country and happens everywhere, to all youth and young adults both gay and straight. We need to stop worrying about "giv'n our propers" and just be human with each other and enjoy the experiences, the adventures, the journey!

Join Me Along The Path To Peace,

MRev. Kenneth White Jnr., Editor
F6 ~ Fun Fag FAQs From Father Fozy

[A MESSAGE FROM TOMMY RODDY the Creator of PRIDE HIGH:]

Last week, PRIDE HIGH selection as the LGBT comic book of the Week over on PinkKryptonite.com generated a lot of feedback. I ignored the negative comments that focused on the art and writing, since everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. However, there were comments about PRIDE HIGH being "too diverse" and artificial with characters who were "too politically picked." This isn’t the first time this has come up. So I decided to consolidate my thoughts on the issue so that in the future, I can just point people to a handy dandy url ;). Here’s my audio response, with a transcript:

http://pridecomics.com/media/pridehigh-033008.mp3

Everyone is certainly entitled to their opinions. Not everyone will like the art or writing, and that’s okay. However, there have been several comments regarding the diversity found in PRIDE HIGH. I’d like to address those.

Mainstream comics tend to follow the "one degree of difference" rule. The "Latino hero" is usually straight. The rare "vegetarian hero" is usually white. Real life isn’t so simple. Kid Mischief is gay, Puerto Rican, and vegetarian because he shares those identities with his creator. Still, many writers either consciously or subconsciously portray certain identities as mutually exclusive.

Maybe the boarding school I attended was more diverse than most. My junior year, the boys’ varsity tennis team had a half-Iranian captain, a black & Korean 2nd seed (me), and an Indian girl who not only qualified for the boys’ team, but was 3rd seed. My close group of friends was just as diverse as the main characters of PRIDE HIGH. We didn’t become friends to match some ethnic checklist. We were just kids who enjoyed the company of other friendly, fun people, regardless of their backgrounds. So when people say that PRIDE HIGH's "characters are too diverse," that’s pretty much saying my friends and I are too diverse.

The team behind PRIDE HIGH didn’t pick our characters in an "attempt to please everyone." Having friends and family who are members of different ethnicities and cultures is part and parcel of our lives. The line-up includes:

Tommy Roddy, the creator: Black and Korean; Brian Ponce, the original artist: American Indian, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and White; Robert Rivera, the current artist: Filipino, Korean, and Spanish; Carl Hippensteel, the editor and Kid Mischief’s creator: Puerto Rican and White; Andrew Van Marle, the Dutch translator and Scotch Bonnet’s creator: Scottish and Dutch

When a predominantly straight, white creative team presents a comic book with predominantly straight, white characters, no one bats an eyelash. Their choice isn’t seen as political, but rather a natural extension of their perspective. Likewise, the kids of PRIDE HIGH are not "politically picked." Their creators are queer, multi-ethnic, multicultural individuals simply offering a reflection of our own lives.

We welcome everyone to experience a story from our perspective.

[The editor of Pink Kryptonite, Joveth Gonzalez, also offered his opinion:]

ON THE LGBT COMIC BOOK COMMUNITY

When we posted last week's LGBT Comic of the Week, Tommy Roddy's PRIDE HIGH, we had no idea how large the reaction would be from our readers. I believe that, to date, this has been our most commented on story in Pink Kryptonite's history. Tommy has posted his own response to the comments, but I felt the need to write something regarding some of the negative comments.

When I first started writing for PK, we didn't have as many resources to seek out LGBT creators and their work to be able to highlight them. But when we did come across an LGBT book, we held it to the same standards as any other book, and we were quick to dismiss them because they weren't "real" or "authentic" and didn't portray the world to our liking.

When I took over being editor of this site, I had to face my own prejudices and set of standards that I held to LGBT comic books. Facing so much specialized and intense adversity as a gay man, my world strictly became me against everyone else. Then when I met other gay men who shared the same interests and beliefs, it became my skewed perspective of what gay men should be like vs everyone else. What ended up happening was that I dismissed any gay person who didn't fit within the confines of my ideal. So of course when this type of thinking is applied to comic books, you could see how easy it is to dismiss something like Brian Andersen's So Super Duper. As I met more people outside of my comfort zone and witnessed how diverse we truly are as LGBT people, my attitude started to change.

Exposure to new ideas eases the dissolution of prejudices.

One of the major changes to the site that we made conscientiously was to grow and foster the LGBT comic book community by supporting the already small amount of LGBT books out there. Because LGBT characters are so rarely portrayed in mainstream comic books, it's been refreshing and interesting to read the wide spectrum of characterizations that these creators present to us. If PRIDE HIGH isn't your cup of tea, don't read it. The benefit of having sites like Prism Comics, After Elton, The Gay League and Pink Kryptonite is that we are offering you many choices for you to pick and choose to your liking.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not everyone is entitled to delimit the advances of a minority without exploring all recourses for understanding.

Tommy's advancing the LGBT community. Whether you like it or not. It has people talking, and you my friends, are the proof.

Links:
F6's reporting on the PK spotlight and my tribute to PH
F6's Links: Comic and Animation Series or Projects

Come help clean the shit out of the three rivers on 4/20

Please Note: Before I begin this post I need to reveal to all of F6's readers that I also serve on the Board of Heartland Communities which is the fiscal agent for and is partnered with Save Maumee.

We have a strong effort to clean and rehab the rivers.

THIRD ANNUAL EARTH DAY CLEAN UP SERVICE PROJECT SUNDAY APRIL 20, 2008 NOON - 6PM

Please Join Save Maumee Grassroots Organization on Earth Day to celebrate the cleansing of the riverbanks. Our goal is to pick up ALL trash between mile marker one and two, reseed and pole plant the riparian area on the riverbanks and rally the community's awareness about our three rivers' condition in Ft. Wayne. Visit www.savemaumee.org to check out our website to see past projects and information.

Educational Info, Old Crown Coffee and Health Food Shoppe snacks will be provided all we need is you! We will be located on the N. Anthony Blvd. bridge over the Maumee River area. (Hosy Dam) Directly on Niagara Drive. You won't be able to miss it! Participation will be fun and easy for everyone! Our rivers need OUR help!

Donations are appreciated but not expected. All donations will go directly to community service projects like this one. We are establishing projects to clean up the Maumee River. These self-supported community projects will raise awareness about the unsanitary conditions and begin the slow process of reversing years of pollution. River Restoration is a necessity, NOT a luxury. U.S. citizens depend on the services that healthy streams and rivers provide! Please invest in Natural Capital!

To help, bring what you can:
+ All children, family, friends
(adult accompaniment for persons younger then 18 years old)
+ Garbage bags
+ Muddin' shoes/boots
+ Rumble Clothing
+ Gloves
+ Your able body (if you don' have anything on the list, Save Maumee will provide these things until supplies are gone!)

Abigail Frost
Founder
Save Maumee Grassroots Organization
www.savemaumee.org




Click here for the map and past riparian accomplishments

[EDITOR'S NOTE, PART TWO:]
This is a great opportunity for High School and College Students and members of Scouting Organizations to get some of your Community Service or Environmental Stewardship Credits/Merits taken care of also. Make sure to check with your Troop/Pack Leaders, Resident Assistants, and Fraternity/Sorority Outreach Chairs or Presidents, and Guidance Counselors, to verify and provide accountability!!

For more info about Heartland Communities, Inc.:

Heartland Communities is a Nonprofit based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that works in sustainability in the environment and community. Within our Federal designation we create, develop, and umbrella other Nonprofits or Cooperatives that work with in those guidelines. Many of our programs and projects can be made within sustainability in the environment and community. We want to create and live in a new paradigm. We collectively envision a new way of operating in our work life and community life that expresses our deepest values. The Organizational Cornerstones and By-Laws are about cooperation and sustainable living. The founders intended to work toward an intentional community / eco village, and to practice right livelihood. Just about any project that promotes sustainability in any way could be done under the auspices of the organization. It is set up to spin off other for-profit and non-profit ventures that are worker-owned.

Fifteen Bad Jokes For When You Are Filling Out Your Taxes

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married.
The Ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar.
The bartender says, 'I'll serve you, but don't start anything.

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm
and says, 'A beer please and one for the road'.

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown.
One says to the other; 'Does this taste funny to you?'

7. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field Daisy says to Dolly,
'I was artificially inseminated this morning.' 'I don't believe you,' says Dolly.
'It's true; no bull!' exclaimed Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman.
The kids were nothing to look at either.

10. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

11. What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

12. Two fish swim into a concrete wall.
The one turns to the other and says, 'Dam!'

13. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft.
Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too.

14. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse. 'But why,' they asked, as they moved off. 'Because,' he said, 'I can't stand chess nuts boasting in an open foyer.

15. A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named 'Ahmal.' The other goes to a family in Spain; they name him 'Juan.' Years later, Juan sends apicture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband responds, 'They're twins! If you've seen Juan you've seen Ahmal.

Thanks goes out to Wesley In Austin for the jokes.