[TV] Grace and Frankie: Season 1

As much as I try to remain rather thoughtful about which shows to watch, sometimes I can get pretty shallow and just jump on stuff. This was a good example of me being all campy gay guy and being totally willing to watch a series featuring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin together. Sure the premise of the show turned out to have some interesting LGBT angles to it, it was more important to me to see what these two actresses would do with this particular show.

Grace & Frankie is a unique Netflix comedy that had a premise that could have gone in any number of directions. Despite how silly things look on paper, the show actually got to explore some interesting angles about relationships for older individuals, especially given the little twist that I'll get into formally later on.

It's always quirky to look at comedies like this and notice that you're not exactly rolling on the floor laughing. There's a quirkiness to things, but don't expect a laugh track or your traditional setup and  punchline structure that you see in more traditional sitcoms.

[Pink Culture] We Need More Than Tolerance In The Philippines

About two years ago, some survey claimed that the Philippines is among the most LGBT-friendly in the world. And I suppose it's easy to see why this may be true given how we see members of the community everywhere ranging from your local hair salon to hosting shows on national television. But in light of the recent US marriage equality ruling, the renewed attention on the LGBT community just stresses how far we have to go.

A more recent survey shows that 7 in 10 Filipinos are against same-sex marriage in the country. The Speaker of the House has also been quoted as saying that he is against any same-sex marriage bills in the House. And just look at the comments section of any news agency for articles about same-sex marriage or LGBT rights and you'll see all the Bible-thumpers proclaiming how to be LGBT is a sin and other statements along those lines.

So it doesn't feel like we're LGBT-friendly - if anything we're only really LGBT-tolerant. Just look at how different it is when a conservative person seems okay with LGBT people outside the home, but the moment a family member comes out all hell breaks loose. There's a weird line between knowing LGBT out there in general and having an LGBT member of the family that changes everything. And thus so many members of the pink community stay in the closet out of fear of rejection and disdain from those they love the most.

But all is not lost - I will always believe in love and love will see us through. That and a lot of hard work and major efforts to educate others why the LGBT community is very much real and why we deserve truly equal treatment. This is not about fighting religion or something - we just want a space of our own that we should feel fully entitled to as human beings. We deserve full recognition and not just tolerance. We deserve acceptance.

[Pink Scene] Why Marriage Equality in the US Matters to the Philippines

Friday's landmark US Supreme Court ruling in favor of same-sex marriage across all 50 states is certainly a significant one, and LGBT rights advocates around the world are taking part in the celebrations for this momentous occasion.

Some have questioned why folks around here have been so vocal in celebrating the news. After all, this is only about rights being extended to US citizens and won't directly affect the Philippines. But while there are no direct effects, it's foolish to think that the US becoming the 21st country where same-sex marriage is legal is a purely domestic matter for the US.

The United States of America remains to be a true superpower in the modern world. It's a country with a lot of military power, yes, but it's also a country with significant political influence. The US is also known for standing up for human rights and nudging its allies to see things in a similar manner here and there.

Beyond their direct actions in the political arena, the US is still a country that many countries, including the Philippines, tend to look up to or aspire to be like to varying degrees. The US as country is quite the influence leader. And the US is often used as an example for what one can be or at least a model for how things might work.

So continue to wave your rainbow flags and change your profile images to rainbow-tinted bits of beauty. Celebrate the successes of LGBT advocates in the US and use their story as an inspiration for what we can hope for here.

We continue to fight for the love we deserve. In the end, love tends to win.

[Pink News] Gay Marriage in the Philippines in Our Lifetime?

On May 19, Jesus Nicardo Falcis III filed a petition with the Philippine Supreme Court to nullify provisions of the Family Code that prevent gay marriage in the country. It's a rather bold move that should prove to be an interesting legal at the very least regardless of the outcome. If anything, it represents one of the more serious efforts to get the gay marriage question discussed in legal circles. At the very least I expect our own legislators to give more thought to the matter, which will most likely include a few bills that will try to reinforce the Family Code or introduce other legal restrictions geared towards preventing gay marriage from becoming a reality in the Philippines.

A few days before the filing was made public by the Supreme Court, this commentary piece appeared on GMA News with the mantra that seems to be in use more and more when it comes to talking about this subject - Not In Our Lifetime. It refers to the usual answer when people ask if they think gay marriage will ever become legal here. Most don't expect it to happen in our lifetime and thus even the major LGBT groups have focused more on pushing anti-discrimination legislation as opposed to going straight to gay marriage.

Falcis echoed the "not in my lifetime" statement in his own opinion piece over on Rappler, where he talks about his reasons for challenging the Supreme Court in this manner. It's a bold move and I laud him for his efforts and those of us in the LGBT community ought to do our part to show our support. Sure, our Supreme Court isn't quite as "cool" as the US Supreme Court tends to be on such matters, but every bit helps.

Just over the weekend we saw Ireland vote in support for gay marriage on a national scale. It was the first time that a popular vote determined the legality of gay marriage for a country. And gay marriage won with about 62% of the vote - which is pretty darned amazing. There's a wave of change slowly sweeping across the world with gay marriage now legal in about 20 countries so far. It's not exactly a tsunami, but it's definitely gaining strength as time passes.

Maybe we will live to see gay marriage in the Philippines in our lifetime. But if that reality is going to become real any sooner, it will need more people to show their support and be prepared to get the heavy lifting done. The Ireland vote won because of a lot of hard work to raise awareness and gain support. Falcis' Supreme Court petition is one big step forward, but there's going to be a longer legal fight ahead of us and we need to get out there and get our voices heard.

[Movies] Love is Strange (2014)

Love knows no labels, whether we're talking about gender, race, religion, age, or what have you. And as much as those of us in the LGBT community do our best to embrace this principle, there are subtle indications of how we also forget about it. When you look at the vast majority of LGBT entertainment, we follow in Hollywood's footsteps by predominantly casting young, attractive actors as talents.

Love is Strange is an interesting change of pace since it involves an older gay relationship and yet also featuring rather notable acting talent. And the story isn't all that typical either since it just about infidelity or silly nonsense like that. There are so many other stories out there and it's kind of nice to encounter a movie that tries to tackle something different.

The situation in this movie is a little quirky, but very possible when you think about the economic realities of these oh so modern times. Despite all our advances in many areas, it's not that simple to get a "happily ever after" in a manner of speaking.

[Technicolor Musings] Should LGBT Couples Bother Buying Property?

Rainbow over the house in the sugar cane fields by B.navez via Wikimedia Commons

I'm one of those people who dream of owning property. And I'm not talking about some condominium - that feels like a lie. I'm talking about an actual house standing on a plot of land - even if it's just a townhouse or something like that. I guess I'm a little old-fashioned that way.

A friend had once argued that it's a more practical to just rent a home versus buying one for various reasons. But eventually, the argument sort of boiled down to the fact that home ownership for LGBTs may not be the most practical thing, especially since it's not like we can get married and such.

My recent house-hunting efforts sort of revived this particular memory. And thus today's blog post.

[Technicolor Musings] Gay Marriage Is Important

On Friday the President of the United States Barrack Obama filed an amicus brief (friend of court) with the US Supreme Court against Proposition 8 and in general support of gay marriage. And while this is not his first statement in support of gay marriage, it is still a strong statement that I hope will help the Supreme Court decide against what Proposition 8 stands for. In addition, we also saw news that HP CEO Meg Whitman also made a statement in support of gay marriage, which is a bit of a reversal from her former stand on the subject - and she's a Republican to boot!

Growing public support for marriage equality is definitely a good thing in my book. I think that I've been pretty plain in other blog posts about how I fully support gay marriage as a true human rights measure and not solely part of the supposed "LGBT agenda" or whatever you want to call it. And no, I don't see how giving rights to a minority group will mean taking away rights from others or somehow destroying what marriage is "supposed" to stand for.

So today's Technicolor Musings is about reiterating my support for gay marriage, especially for those queers out there who still don't see the point, which still somewhat surprises me.

[Technicolor Musings] Manny Pacquiao Is Still A Bigot

So what started as a badly written article that made it appear that he was condemning all gays to death supposedly in line with the Book of Leviticus (which he later revealed to have never read - which I sincerely believe), a clarification that he was misquoted and later a statement that he doesn't condemn gays, but he's still against gay marriage, where does that leave us?

It's a complex issue when you get down to it, and we can break it down into several points, for the sake of discussion. It should prove to be an interesting exercise for this week's Technicolor Musings indeed.

And before you even ask - NO, his statements against gay marriage and other rights do not make me "hate" Representative Manny Pacquiao. I never liked him to begin with. So there.

[Technicolor Musings] Obama Supports MARRIAGE (and so should YOU!)

As I had celebrated over on our Baduy Pride blog, President Obama surprised everyone (although for different reasons) when we (finally) publicly came out in support of equal marriage rights for members of the LGBT community. And as much as we could gripe how he had to time this for yet another election year, this landmark occasion is still something worth celebrating. I mean come on, this is still the first time that a sitting US president has made a public statement in support of same-sex marriage and not just wobble with things like civil unions and all that fun stuff.

But while we all ponder over his motivations, laugh at Republicans calling this Obama declaring war on marriage or even dream about local politicians someday making similar statements in support of LGBT rights, I'd like to go back to a core thought at the heart of this debate.

We often use the term "gay marriage" a lot to easily explain what we're talking about in terms of the rights we're fighting for. However the term in itself assumes that the marriage rights of the LGBT community are still distinct and separate from the rest of the heterosexual world since we need to clearly label it as "gay".

The image above (and variants thereof) has gone around on various social networks and has garnered loads and loads of Likes, Re-Tweets and re-blogging on platforms like Tumblr. The quote is attributed to the actress / comedian / writer / producer Liz Feldman, as part of a longer statement that can still be found online. Coincidentally enough, the statement was in support of President Obama's initial presidential run, and here we are 4 years later with him starting his re-election campaign.

At the end of the day, we need to remember that all these discussions are about the fundamental rights we should all be entitled to and our freedom to love whomever we chose to. Beyond that love, the law needs to respect us and recognize who we are and the decisions we make in terms of wanting to marry the men and women that we love so dearly and to be protected by those same laws.

This is not about creating a new type of marriage that should be tagged as "gay marriage" but instead we should just be allowed the right to marry - period. And allowing people to celebrate their love for one another will not take away or somehow taste the love and unions of others. This is not about some perverse effects men marrying other men is going to have on (theoretically) straight families.

So STOP SAYING WE'RE DESTROYING YOUR MARRIAGES YOU CRAZY PEOPLE!


Quite frankly - you're doing a fine enough job of ruining your own marriages given the statistics related to divorces, separations and other such break-ups on the web.

We just want the free to love. Is that too much to ask for?

[Technicolor Musings] The Need For Gay Families

Okay, this is not a post about gay marriage, just to get that out of the way. Not that I have anything against gay marriage - in fact it's something I want for me and Tobie more than anything (except maybe a house), but I just wanted to clarify at the onset that this post will discuss something completely different and yet still related.

by Rafael Perez (paintings2011) via Flickr

Now given we are in point in history when gay marriage is not fully accepted around the world (and sometimes terms a threat to future of humanity) and the challenges many members of the LGBT community face in terms of getting their own families to accept their true nature, it's interesting to look at what we do to adapt to the lack of such options. As much as we all want to find a relationship for ourselves, there's still that need for that sort of support structure that families provide to help us through life.

Thus it's interesting how many gay men tend to somewhat organize their friendships and peer relationships into hierarchies that resemble the family structure. And this is all just a fancy way of describing how gay men can have their "drag mothers" or their "gay sisters" or whatever other relationships in reference to their friends. It's an interesting practice that I've seen quite often and it's an interesting way of responding to the needs of the individual for support and reassurance.

[Pink News] NY Senate Votes for Gay Marriage

Image via WikipediaFinally, some good news despite the bad weather we have here and the announcement that the White Party has been postponed indefinitely.

In a surprise move after talks seemed to have stalled as of a few days ago, the New York Senate has voted 33-to-29 in favor of a bill legalizing gay marriage within the state including providing all the legal rights entitled to married couples. This comes after many lengthy debates and a Republican-controlled legislature.

Quoting the CNN report:

"New York has finally torn down the barrier that has prevented same-sex couples from exercising the freedom to marry and from receiving the fundamental protections that so many couples and families take for granted," Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a written statement shortly after the vote.

Now all it needs is the governor's signature and then New York will be the 6th state in the US that will legally allow for gay marriage. Another step forward for LGBT rights! The bill has been signed into law! Gay marriage in New York will begin in 30 days!

[Technicolor Musings] The Rings Of My Life

The ring has become a practically universal symbol for commitment. The usual explanations revert back to how the circles are shapes with no beginning and no end, and thus they are a great representation of something that is eternal, immortal and basically just forever. Thus rings have been used to symbolize the permanence of unions between individuals, the strength of a commitment and other related concepts.



It's Pride Month and we still live in a world where the LGBT community is unable to exercise the right to marriage in most parts of the world. While there are a variety of arguments for and against this, the net result is that we in the pink community are still presented with an interesting opportunity to create our own symbols and define our own pledges of commitment outside of some established ceremony.

For the most part, I suppose rings have played that role in my life to varying degrees. I've owned very few of them and some of them have been steeped in meaning while others were just circular bands of metal. The ring in itself of course holds no true meaning on its own. It's the context behind it that makes it all the more powerful, and thus significant.

So today's post is all about the collection of rings that I now have in my possession and what they've come to mean to me. If rings are not your thing per se, well, then just think of today's Technicolor Musings as a reflection on alternative symbols of commitment, at least until we come to that point when we're all free to marry whoever we love regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

[Pinks News] Where We Stand In The Proposition 8 Legal Battle

Image by david_shankbone via Flickr

On August 4, 2010, US District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled that California's Proposition 8 ballot measure that had been passed in November was unconstitutional. For the completely ignorant in terms of the gay rights battles around the world, Proposition 8 was a highly controversial ballot proposition and amendment to the state constitution that required that marriage could only be recognized as being between a man and a woman. The ballot measure was put into action to defeat a prior court ruling that had allowed same-sex marriages to happen for a few months back in 2008.

The legal challenges to the measure initially seemed too risky to venture into right away but there were those determined few that felt it had to happen. And thus after quite a lengthy legal struggle, we finally reached this point with the recent court ruling acting as the culmination of a lot of hard work.

But just because gay rights activists have reached this point doesn't mean the battle is over. In fact, the next phase is already beginning with supporters of Proposition 8 already filing their appeals and preparing to take this legal argument all the way to the Supreme Court. Then the finally ruling may come along and we'll see how things truly pan out.

[Movies] Wedding Wars (2006)

TV movies are only a few hops away from direct-to-video releases in my book. I know, I know, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover and all by statistically speaking there's something about TV movies that reduces the likelihood that they'll be any real good since they have to live by TV rules. That means stricter rating controls and dealing with possible backlash from the viewing public that catches the movie on TV at the so-called "wrong" time.

As far as my experience has gone, a lot of TV movies tend to be very "safe" in terms of topics they tackle or sequences they present, which is almost ironic given the fact that daytime soap operas tend to get even racier than most TV movies. I guess it also has to do with the fact that many TV movies save those created by the likes of HBO are made by smaller cable networks like Hallmark and A&E. These channels are then forced to stick to movies that are more likely to survive and generate decent viewership if they appeal to a wider audience.

So it was quite a surprise to me that this was actually a TV movie and a pretty entertaining one to boot despite it's somewhat controversial topic.

[Gay Rights] Keith Olbermann on CA Proposition 8

Image via WikipediaI've never really been that big a fan of MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. He has a lot of good commentary out there while at times he can also get very cheesy and over the top. Then again, that kind of subjectivity can be seen in almost every reporter or newscaster at one point in time or another.

However this video quickly hit the top of the Viral Video Chart and it's pretty powerful - Olbermann makes a very strong statement about California Proposition 8 and what it means to the world that majority of the voters in the state of California voted again the right of same-sex couples to marry.

Powerful stuff indeed.


#1 - MSNBC Keith Olbermann on Prop 8, Marriage and more!

[Gay Rights] Vote NO to Proposition 8

Image by bobster1985 via FlickrTomorrow is November 4, 2008 in the US, also known as Election Day. While it is the day the Obama-McCain contest will finally be decided and a new US President will be declared, it's also a very important day for gays and lesbians across America and even around the world. Let's face it, despite the current economic woes, many countries look to superpowers like the US as a model for democracy and how laws should be defined. To have even a single state in the US make such a stark stance for or against GLBT rights will mean a lot for governments around the world.

For those who tuned in late, California Proposition 8 entitled Eliminates Right of Same-Sex Couples to Marry is a measure attempting to amend the California state constitution with the statement "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California." This would run counter to the recent California Supreme Court ruling stating that Proposition 22, which added a definition to the California State Family Code that marriage is the union between as a man and a woman, was in violation of the equal protection clause in the state constitution.

Yeah, it's pretty bad.

If this measure gets pushed, this will be the first time a state will take such a strong stance against GLBT rights by making such unions unconstitutional. The constitution, whether on a state or a national level is practically a sacred thing when it comes to government. It's the very basis for all other laws and it defines the guiding principles for that government in terms of how the laws can be formed. To set in stone that same-sex couples should be denied the right to marry will impact more than just the estimated 16,000 couples who have been married in the state of California. It affects us all and will send ripples through the minds of citizens all over the US and eventually the world whether straight or gay.

In case you tuned in really, really late, I am an out and proud gay man. I don't suffer from limp wrists nor do I speak in a falsetto tone. I don't wear dresses nor do I see anything wrong in any of these things - they just aren't me. If your image of what constitutes a gay man or woman is just in the realm of stereotypes, that's just unfair. It's even worse if you make decisions like what to vote on such measures on a ballot is just inhumane and cruel.

We live in a world of infinite diversity and human nature is what drives that. You can be whoever you want to be and whatever you want to be as long as you don't harm others. Allowing two men or two women to get a piece of paper that says they're married and all the rights that come with that document doesn't hurt anyone - it just allows the same rights and privileges to other people who live normal lives, work to earn a living and have their own dreams of starting a family. It's one thing to vote on a measure that protects others against harm - to vote on a measure that takes rights away from others for no really valid reason is just cruel and vile and just plain wrong.

I'm a gay geek and I'm proud of both words in that term. But neither term alone defines who or what I am - a person is a lot more than a label. When you talk about me, you're talking about the sum total of my life experiences thus far and everything I've ever said, thought or done. It's also everything that I might do in the future and what I might accomplish. You don't get to judge me based on a stereotype or a notion or even just an inkling of who and what I am. Even more, you don't get to deny me my rights and take them away.

I may not live in the US anymore, but I share the concerns that every other gay man or lesbian or whatever else is affected by Proposition 8 feels right now. You don't own marriage just because you're heterosexual and your religious denomination has a sacrament called marriage - that's why there are civil marriages and church marriages. Sure, religions get to decide who or what gets to be married and thus some churches support polygamy while others require monogamy. That's none of my business. But civil marriages are defined by the government and laws are supposed to be decided without religious bias. That's why there's a separation between Church and State!

Tomorrow you're voting about more than just a stereotype or what makes you feel "comfortable" based on your sensibilities or your upbringing or whatever you learned in Sunday school. You're voting about the lives and futures of thousands of same-sex couples in the state of California and thousands more across the country and around the world. You're voting on whether or not it's okay with you to take someone's rights away. Today it's just the right to marriage, but who knows what else might be next.

We live in a world where people get to vote regardless of gender and people get to marry regardless of race or color. Why is it so hard to make the same consideration for homosexuals?

Think about all this when you cast your vote tomorrow Californians. Think about the lives you're going to change with this one vote. Vote responsibly and in consideration of human rights and the fundamental rights of all people, man, woman, gay, lesbian, or whatever else is out there in this wonderfully diverse world.

Vote NO tomorrow on Proposition 8! Vote NO to discrimination!

[Pink News] Ellen's Been Hitched!

Ever since the new first broke out that same-sex marriages were again legal in the state of California, I guess it was only a matter of time before we'd see some major celebrity couple tie the knot. And as promised on her show, Ellen DeGeneres did indeed tie the knot with her partner Portia de Rossi this past weekend, much to the delight of her fans around the work - this gay geek included.

Here's what she had to say about the blessed event on her official blog:

Image from Ellen's Website

Ellen has already started to share photos from the wedding on her website and I'm sure we're going to see more and more of the lovely couple in the weeks to come.

Ellen and Portia, the Geeky Guide wishes you all the best from the other side of the world!

[Pink News] Gay Marriages Constitutional in California

nytimes: California Court Affirms Right to Gay Marriage by katerw.

In a landmark 4-3 ruling, the California Supreme Court ruled that the ban on gay marriages within the state of California was unconstitutional today, Thursday, May 15, 2008. The ruling stated that sexual orientation like race or gender, "does not constitute a legitimate basis upon which to deny or withhold legal rights." Yes, gay marriages are constitutional in California.

Man, I wish my partner, Brian, was here with me in Los Angeles now.

Of course this doesn't mean we're out of the woods yet my queer friends. Already groups are moving to amend the state constitution to redefine marriage strictly as the union between a man and a woman, thus effectively eliminating all chances of gay marriage in the future once more. that doesn't include any moves the White House might try to make in the last few months of Bush's term since we've heard of stupider things done in the past.

Still, let's not be overly dour and celebrate this positive move for gay rights not just in the US but around the world. The California ruling will be used as a model for gay activists around the world to continue to push for true equality in the eyes of the law.

I can't wait for the day that I'll get to marry my partner and get the rights and privileges we deserve as a happily married couple fully recognized by the law whether in this country or any other around the world. It's a far off dream, but I still keep that notion in my heart and I'd like to believe that it's not so far fetched an idea.

[Pink News] NJ is on the List

Starting Monday, February 19, 2007, the state of New Jersey has now joined the limited ranks of states that recognize gay civil unions and allow them to enjoy all the benefits that such unions are given.

This is a tremendous step for gay rights activists, at least within the state of NJ. It may not be the full right to the term "marriage," but it's definitely a step in the right direction. Frankly I feel the same way - if ever my partner and I wanted to formally commit ourself to one another, I'd rather aim for legal recognition of our status as a couple as opposed to just seeking out some religious recognition of my right to commit to a life union with another man.

Currently 45 states in the US have legal or constitutional bans against same-sex marriage. Massachusetts is the only states that actually alllows gay marriage while California recognizes domestic partnerships. Of course a ban on marriage isn't necessarily a ban on civil unions, so things aren't quite that bad just yet, but they're far from being better.

Fat chance government officials here in the Philippines will get anywhere near recognizing that gay people even exist as far as legislation is concerned. It's a shame, really, but those are the kicks.

Related Link:

• TIME Magazine: Benefits for Gay Couples Start in N.J.

[Pink News] Oct 29 - Nov 4 Digest

Author's Note: Moving forward all gay-related entries will have the header "[Pink News]" in order to standardize things a bit

It's been a busy week for the gay world, in a manner of speaking. If you run a Google News search for [gay], you're going to come up with a variety of news clusters.

Given the upcoming US elections, it's inevitable for you to get articles related to the various state-specific votes about whether or not gay marriages should be banned in places like South Dakota and Virginia. In addition, we still have a few echoes left from the NJ Supreme Court decision from the other week. While putting marriage on the ballot this year is nothing new - it has been attempted before - it is a bit bothersome since this issue is clearly being used by both sides as a rallying point for supporters. Some would say any press is good press when it comes to important issues like this, but then again the atmosphere might not be perfect for this sort of thing and American homosexuals may be made to suffer should the vote not go their way.

More notable items of interest include Neil Patrick Harris coming out through People Magazine's Website in order to finally dispel all rumors about his sexuality. Personally, we here at the Guide are more than proud of Mr. Harris and his decision to come out. Now if only the rest of those celebrity closet queens out there would follow suit - we definitely have a few people in mind that we'd love to turn out queer, but then again these are probably just idle fantasies, haha.

On the darker side of the spectrum, we have the recent gay sex scandal of evangelist Ted Haggard. While he continues to deny the claims of Mike Jones, a gay massage therapist from Denver, CO who told the media that he had been prostituting himself to Haggard for the past three years in a sordid tale of sex, drugs and a very different kind of rocking and rolling, so to speak. Sure, he's denied the claims but he's also taken a leave of absence from the New Life Church and has "temporarily" resigned as president of the National Association of Evangelicals. Methinks thou doth protest too much, as the Bard would say.

And our last piece for the week is all about the recent anti-gay protests and violence in reaction to the yearly Gay Pride March that has been held in the so-called "promised land" for the past 5 years now. It appears that borderline tolerance has radically turned into outright hatred in a stunning series of protest actions and attacks from all religious denominations in the country. Whatever happened to religions representing peace and love, eh? The Pride March has united various religious groups ranging from Jewish extremists to Islamic fundamentalists, all against what Rabbi Yehuda Levin of the Orthodox Rabbinical Alliance of America and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and Canada has called the "homosexualization of the Holy Land." While the Guide more than supports free expression and everyone's right to their own views and opinions, this never justifies people to cross that line which defines the rule of law and what civilized is supposed to mean and take matters into their own hands.

These are interesting times for homosexuals and a prime opportunity as well to stand up for gay rights. It's a difficult fight, but one that is more than worth fighting for.