All the Hot Guys in my Hood Have Syph

You know how when you travel to the third world you're told to not drink the water? Well, if you're coming to Chelsea, don't sleep with the locals.

From the New York Times:

Earlier this month, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene reported that in the first 13 weeks of 2007, cases of syphilis more than doubled to 260 from 128 in the same period a year ago. Nearly all — 250 — were among men, and many were found in Chelsea, a neighborhood popular with homosexual men.

Ack.

Dudes need to get a new hobby til this epidemic dies down...chess? crochet?

If It Quacks Like a Duck

When it comes to air travel, everyone, at least in my mind, is equally capable of blowing up the plane with a shampoo-vodka concoction or slamming the aircraft into a skyscraper. And the chances of you doing said nonsense are multiplied by a million if you happen to have the same skin tone as me and the same propensity for a unibrow as me.

Which is why I can't call foul at an American Airlines pilot in San Diego who refused to take off after a passenger complained about six men speaking in Arabic to each other.

This is the kind of vigilantism we need in our skies. Forget blowing up Iraq. We should all be street fighters in the war on terror.

Love this quote from a representative for the Counsel for Islamic Relations: "Judging people by their language is one step removed from judging people by their race or religion."

My response: it wasn't a bunch of French-speaking nuns who flew our airplanes into the World Trade Center on 9-11. I have love for all people, but when it comes to air travel, everyone needs to be on their best behavior. Shut up, eat your peanuts, speak English or plug in your iPod and don't make any sudden movements.

Never Have I Ever Been Gay

And so the adage proves true yet again: people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Senator Larry Craig's vehement anti-gay politicking has blown up all over his face. In light of unsavory allegations that one of Presidential candidate Mitt Romney's main campaign staffers was soliciting sex in a public bathroom the Senator resigned from the Romney ticket and called a press conference to defend his heterosexuality.

Whatever.

Why can't the Republicans just accept that they've got queers in their ranks and stop making gay rights a bargaining chip in our political discourse?

I suspect more embarassing allegations will arise among conservatives - bets on who's next?

Where I Been At

Was on a cruise through the Mediterranean for two weeks. Ports of call: Rome, Naples, Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens, Naples...

11 days at sea with both sets of parents. Have lived to tell about it. Barely.

Flick it, Read it.

And in case you're wondering, I took the pic above with my new toy.

An Open Letter to John and Hillary

Hey guys,

Thought to send you a note telling you how annoying and hypocritical you both are.

A few years ago I decided to come out to my parents and tell them that I'm gay. After my mom swept up the shards of glass and porcelain from the kitchen floor (my coming out was a smashing success in my family's Brooklyn apartment), she made one request: Just don't act that way.

Stupid as that request may be (I'll always carry a man bag, deal with it) I do think like my mom when it comes to politics. I know you politicians lie, I just don't want to know about it. Give me the most palattable version of your thoughts on war, poverty, education and gay rights and I'll vote accordingly.

For instance, I don't mind that many Republicans hate gays; they don't lie about it and I don't have to vote for them. But you're Democrats, and you talk about universal health care and righting wrongs, but you've sullied the name of our party by showing yourselves to be nothing more than a calculating dictator-in-the-making (that's you, Hil) and a rednecked southern homophobe (take a bow, John).

John, watching you whine about how you "struggle" to accept how gay people can possibly have the same rights as straight people made me dislike you more than I dislike our current President.

And I'll tell you why: George Bush had the decency to seek the support of people he knew to be as ignorant and backwards as he is. You, on the other hand, have pandered to liberals only to come out as an even bigger waste of time, money and attention than your former runnning mate.

The Dems are more than likely going to nominate you, Hillary, for the party ticket next year. And for the most part, you deserve it. You're cold, you supported the war in Iraq, in short, you'll do anything to get yourself ahead. That's pretty much the criteria (along with ridiculous cash) to run this country. So do you, girl.

But while you're climbing those last steps to the top, may I recommend you start your own party, you know, the way Hitler and Fidel Castro did? You might want to call it the Benevolent Sow Society or The Ruthless C*nt Click. Because real Democrats, people who believe everyone has the right to protection under the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, are few and far between.

Anyway guys, best of luck with this whole Presidential race thing -- FYI, just to spite you, I'd vote for Mitt Romney, another avowed homophobe and - gasp - a mormon. Right before packing up my things and moving to Rio.

xoxo,
GCL

Barack: I'm Not Playing

Remember how Barack Obama got owned by Hillary last week during the YouTube debates on CNN? The question was whether any of the candidates were open to meeting with Chavez, Ahmadinejad or Castro to move the peace process along with these leaders' respective nations. Obama said he already had an outfit planned for each encounter while Hillary said hell to the no, I ain't gonna be no propaganda puppet for no one.

Well Obama's singing a new tune now. And I like it. Today marks a turning point for the team Team Obama -- the candidate said he would absolutely use force to hunt terrorists down in Pakistan. Which is good, seeing as that's probably where Osama is hiding.

That said, yours truly isn't ever in favor of war, but desperate times do call for desperate measures. This tough talk doesn't mean Obama is going to win the election or that the Clinton camp is going to ask him to be Hill's running mate, but it's nice to see him put up a fight.