Gay Teen in Ft. Lauderdale Killed Too...

February is a month of love, right? Valentine's Day, my birthday (in 2 days, yay!) and President's Day where retailers show their love by having big sales over a weekend.

Alas, not much love has been shown to the gay community this month.

On Feb 23rd, a gay teen was shot and killed 4 miles from his home in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Read about the story here.

This, on the heels of Lawrence King in California, a blue state. On the other coast, some Floridians continue jumping on the fear band wagon of pushing a ballot measure (again) banning gay marriage, the death of Simmie Williams Jr, 17 is certainly worth real thought and our time.

Seriously, how different are these murders of these teens from the KKK killings of African Americans? People who are so angry, feel so much hate, they feel need and the right to take a life just because they are uncomfortable with how someone else is.

It's absurd.

Guns aren't the only methods of killing someone either. Words and emotions are also serious weapons, used to kill spirits and dreams. At our screening events, I often talk of the two types of suicides: the physical form which we're all unfortunately aware of, then there's the emotional or spiritual suicide. This is where people are so hurt by words and rejection, they let other people's opinion of them supersede their opinion of themselves and numb out, eventually walking around like zombies just existing through life.

Please please please be careful of what is said in your presence: Thoughts lead to words, words lead to actions, actions lead to results. Anything that happens, starts with a simple thought.

Let's take care of each other.

Call for Ex Ex Gay Artists - Express Yourself & Make a Difference

My dear colleagues, Peterson Toscano and Christine Bakke from BeyondExGay.com are seeking to show two more new artists for their upcoming art show in Memphis, TN at the end of this month.

Peterson and Christine are both phenomenally talented in their respective mediums and are passionate about creating space for other ex-ex gays to show their art as it relates to their eminate traumatic experience while in ex gay ministries and programs. They seek new artists who are ex-gay survivors or those whose lives have been *negatively* affected by the ex-gay movement (parents, friends, of those emotionally and spiritually damaged by ex gay programs.)

The deadline is quickly approaching, go to: beyondexgay.com for more information.

Submissions of all types of visual art are welcome including drawings, painting, collage, mixed media, photography, or multimedia. Please send photos of your work, along with dimensions, a brief statement about the work, and any other information by February 15th, 2008 to bxg (at) beyondexgay.com