The Unfortunate Normal

Beginning this year in Glee’s third season, we finally met Rachel Berry’s parents: two heart-warming individuals who care deeply for their daughter and look out for her best interests, given the fact that she’s still in high school and is planning on marrying her boyfriend before graduating.

Back in 2011 on Grey’s Anatomy’s seventh season, we got to see two doctors come together in marriage after the birth of their beautiful daughter, given the fact that the mother was in a horrific car accident and gave birth in some pretty intense circumstances.

 And since 2009 when Modern Family first premiered, we’ve come to love a certain set of parents who have an adopted daughter, given the fact that at times they can get pretty hysterical when it comes to raising her.

What do all of these now famous and well-known TV couples have in common? Well given the fact that they all have their own extreme circumstances and some have some very complicated storylines, what it comes down to is that they are all same-sex couples committed to not only their relationships and marriages, but to the beautiful children that they are raising.

Given that it’s 2012 and this topic is so main stream, it’s a bit disappointing that the new NBC comedy The New Normal that is embracing this same-sex scenario has been yanked from NBC’s Utah affiliate KSL-TV. No, let me re-phrase that: it’s absurdly annoying, heartbreakingly disappointing, and very infuriating to me that they are allowed to do this.

Whether it’s religious purposes, personal preferences, or whatever other reason that may be present, I respect anyone’s decision to not want to watch the show. If there is something that they don’t agree with morally, that is their decision to not watch it. But to take that opportunity away entirely, not giving people the choice to either watch it or not? That sounds a little communist to me in my opinion.

What aggravates me the most about this cowardly decision is that this seems to be the only NBC program they have deemed inappropriate for their Utah viewers, the majority of which may in fact be conservative families with moral and religious obligations. It’s a harmless comedy that is embracing a new generation of modern families, a “new normal” so to speak. It’s a concept that was supposed to be familiar enough to not weird people out.

Why is it that a show like this is banned, yet they are still allowed to air sexual abuse and rape on Law & Order: SVU, pre-maritial relations on shows like Smash, Parenthood, & Whitney, and the amount of language, violence, and thematic elements in shows like Hannibal & Grimm? I have nothing against these shows whatsoever. In fact I happen to be an avid watcher of a vast majority of these. What bothers me is how they defend their decision by stating, “From time to time we may struggle with content that crosses the line in one area or another. The dialogue might be excessively rude and crude. The scenes may be too explicit or the characterizations might seem offensive.” (Jeff Simpson, CEO of KSL’s parent company, Bonneville International)

Jeff Simpson

You could argue that Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Jack Donaghy on 30 Rock is an offensive characterization at times.

You could argue that the majority of the dialogue on The Office can come across as excessively rude and crude.

And of course let us not forget that everyone can certainly argue that more times than not, the scenes on Law & Order: SVU are way too explicit.

So why the big deal in banning a show that brings more light to same-sex couples who are committed to raising children in this day and age? They have yet to even see the show themselves and they’re making this decision a bit pre-maturely.

It sounds like a lot of sheltering. It sounds as if they are controlling what people can and cannot watch. They could certainly put a disclaimer before the show as a viewer discretion. They can certainly encourage their conservative viewers to not support the show if that is their choice and they want to make a statement. But please give people the chance to make their own informed decisions as to whether they want to watch the show or not.

It’s a sad situation and one that is very unfortunate. I for one hope that one day I will be happily married and raising my own children. I want to raise my children to respect others for their differences, to show kindness and compassion to families that may be different from their own. It’s a sad thing to hear that having an opportunity to shed light on same-sex parenting in a positive, light-hearted, and hilarious manner is tossed out of the way in order to protect a certain group of people. I thought we all were pretty much on the same level that communism was not a big success?

Again, allow me to reiterate that I do not judge them for taking this action. Much like the Chik-Fil-A fiasco a couple weeks ago, that is their right to share their beliefs. What they don’t have the right to do is take the viewing opportunity away entirely from audiences who may actually be interested in watching the show for themselves and making their own decisions. Not everyone in Utah is ultra conservative and scared of seeing the reality or our society today played out on TV (and I’m not talking about Jersey Shore of The Real Housewives, those are far from reality).

I’m talking about the modern families and new normals in our world today. I’m talking about giving the same-sex couples demographic and population a chance to be represented fairly along with everyone else on television today.

I for one will be campaigning hard for this show. Being a huge fan of Ryan Murphy and knowing the big success he brings with his shows (Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story), I’m excited and hopeful that this show is equally successful in more ways than one!

HOLLA!

Jennifer Lopez in Concert (or A Little Gay Boy's Dream Come True!)

I feel as though somehow words cannot even begin to describe what I just experienced tonight! After more than 10 years of waiting (well, about 13 to be exact) I got to see my love, my idol, Jennifer Lopez in concert! This, as you all are well-aware, was a HUGE deal! You see, every gay man has that one woman that they admire and look up to. For some it may be Celine, or Judy, or Cher, Madonna, GaGa, Britney, or Liza. But then there’s me who claims Jennifer Lopez for that special place in my heart!

I was a wee little lad when I first saw this beautiful woman in a little film called Mi Familia. She was in it for less than 10 minutes, but it was at the age of 4 when I knew this woman was special to me. And following her through the years since then, my admiration and respect for her as grown tremendously.

From Selena, to On the 6, to every relationship, every breakdown, every movie, song, commercial, I’ve supported her 100%! And while she may have critics who say she can’t perform, she’s not a true entertainer, whatever! She proved herself the entire night!!!

But first let’s start from the beginning of the night. We had the smooth and sophisticated Frankie J as the opener. He even made fun of himself, pointing out that people probably barely remember who he was. He opened with “Obsession (No Es Amor)”. Afterwards it was time for the bittersweet “Don’t Wanna Try” and then to the sweet “More Than Words”. It’s clear this guy has one hell of a voice!

Now a couple weeks ago, we got to witness Kelly Clarkson and The Fray in action. As the promotion would have you believe, Kelly Clarkson should have closed the show being the headliner and all. But we were all surprised and a little disappointed that she went first and The Fray had the glory of closing the show instead.

Not to say that The Fray was bad (because they were incredible!), but when you had your heart set on Kelly Clarkson to end the whole show with a bang, it was a little bit of a letdown. Having done all my research since purchasing my tickets earlier this year, I heard that Jennifer would do her set list first and Enrique would close the show with his set right after. I had gotten myself ready for this. But much to my surprise, Enrique burst onto the stage and blew us all away!

I have always respected Enrique Iglesias. I’ve listened and enjoyed a majority of his songs. But after his set, I have come to not only love this man even more, but to truly respect just how down to earth he is, especially when it comes to interacting with his fans. And there was the fact that his songs had everyone dancing and singing along. From “Tonight I’ve Lovin’ You”, to “Be With You”, to “Bailamos”, and then closing with “Escape”, “Hero”, and “I Like It”, he kept the energy coming and made all of us swoon.

Then it was time to adjust the entire stage and get ready for J.LO. We were all in for quite the show as we see her emerge to the rhythm of a classic musical spectacle before ripping off her accessories and busting right into “Get Right”.

As soon as those horns started, everyone leaped up onto their feet and never sat back down after that. From that first number and throughout the rest of the show, it was easy to see just why I looked (and continue to look) up to her all these years!

From the energy, to the high entertainment level, to the intense dance sequences, and all the while proving that she CAN sing live, she stormed that stage song after song! Whether it was taking it back in the day with songs like “Love Don’t Cost a Thing”, “Waiting For Tonight”, her impressive medley of “I’m Real (Remix)”/ “All I Have”/ “Ain’t It Funny (Remix)”, “Jenny From the Block” and “Let’s Get Loud”, showcasing her newer repertoire with songs like “I’m Into You”, “Goin’ In”, “Hold It Don’t Drop It”, “Papi”, and “On the Floor”, slowing things down with gems like “If You Had My Love” and “Until It Beats No More”, or ending the show on an amazing note with “Dance Again” and “Follow the Leader”, it’s clear that Miss Lopez still has it going on in all the right places!

The best moment though was her singing “Until It Beats No More”, a song that when first performed on SNL back in 2010 wasn’t a strong indication that Jennifer was capable of a comeback.

But tonight, it was the moment when she belted out every note right on the dot, she sang her heart out, and gave me chills (and yes, she even made me cry). She’s worked hard for so many years to get to where she is now in her career, and all of that hard work has paid off.

Think what you may, but she IS a true entertainer. With every little kick, every shake, every thrust and what not, she was fierce and in control. She let everyone have a good time and got everyone up on their feet throughout the night.

Overall, it was an experience that I have been waiting for for years. The little gay boy who used to act out scenes from Selena and perform dances to her songs in school talent shows was jumping up and down for joy all night from the first song until her last. It was truly a memorable night, one that I will never EVER forget!

A LOVER FOREVER!

Chik-Fil-A: I've got some 'splaining to do...

Well as luck would have it, there have been a lot of comments about the blog I posted yesterday about Chik-Fil-A and their day of appreciation. Most have contained nothing but positive feedback, but there has also been a little bit of confusion. So much so that I feel it is best to set the record straight.

My true intention of writing that blog was to shed light on the fact that people take things way too far in my personal opinion. Yes, Chik-Fil-A doesn’t support gay marriage. But is it necessary to have a ridiculous day of appreciation for the cause? What I think is ridiculous may seem inspiring to others. Yes I am gay and I want to one day be married legally. But is it necessary for me to protest by showing up in front of Chik-Fil-A and make out with another man?

We’re all entitled to free speech. Simple as that. I may not agree with other people’s opinions. I may not think the same way, but we’re all entitled to protest, boycott, picket, and so forth whenever and wherever we want. That’s what makes this country so great.

As extreme as all of that sounds, there are people who believe in all of this...

It’s hard for someone like me who has NEVER liked Chik-Fil-A to begin with to have such a strong urge to boycott. For me, not going to Chik-Fil-A pretty much all of my life is enough of a boycott. I’m not going to boycott something that I already DON’T do. However, a dear dear friend of mine presented me this morning with a well-written article about another gay man who has grown up eating Chik-Fil-A and the disappointment he feels when he realizes that part of the money in his own pocket that is used to purchase his Chik-Fil-A meals is going towards campaigns and political groups that support stopping bills allowing gays to legally marry.

Click here for the well-written article... 

It’s a religious issue, it’s a political issue, it’s a social issue, and it’s controversial, yes. As a gay man, I in no way wanted to give the impression that I thought Chik-Fil-A’s appreciation day was good. That’s their right though to do so. I also in no way had the intention of making it seem as though I didn’t support gays who were protesting and boycotting the restaurant. It’s a true joy to hear even straight people (and yes even The Muppets themselves) to fully support this cause. That’s their right. I wasn’t trying to step down on anyone for that.

What I find to be the most frustrating is that gay people have spent so many years trying to break away and dispel so many stereotypes and myths that are within. Do you remember when people thought gays were responsible for AIDS? Or even how all gays are child molesters? Or that being gay is a disease that can be cured? Not to mention that some extreme conservatives think all gays are dress-wearing, sex-craved, drug-taking, flamboyant men. True, there are some like this, and that’s a little part of the culture, but there’s so much more to us. But for me personally I’ve always had a strong opinion about making out in public. I think it’s unnecessary and not fair to people who don’t want to watch. You’re in public, have some respect for others (and may I just say this especially goes for straight people, not just gays). Just like smoking in public. If it’s an area that says smoking is allowed, then by golly go for it! But if it’s not, then don’t blow smoke in my face when I’m walking across the street. If it’s an area that says making out is allowed and viewers are allowed to watch, then y’all go for it then. But for the sake of those like me who think it’s unnecessary and uncalled for in public places, please be courteous and respectful for those who don’t wish to see a tongue fight going on when I’m trying to relax and eat dinner with my family on a nice night out. Again, that’s just my personal opinion.

Since the time in 9^th grade when I first wrote about gay marriage for my honors English class, I’ve always been a firm believer that gay people fighting for their rights to marry one another is a lot like the civil rights movement of African-Americans in the 1960’s. Some may call that extreme. Some may say its spot on. But hey, that’s my personal opinion. I’m just practicing my freedom of speech in stating that. I think this picture says it all. (I think the point gets across without saying "stupid", but you get it...)

And for all those who went out to Chik-Fil-A who said they supported the cause by showing up at their customer appreciation day: you may find this little snippet very interesting too.

Again, I wouldn't go so far as to call them bigots and anti-gay. But again, you get the idea...

I have nothing but love for everyone, as long as we can try our best to be civil about what we do. Protest, boycott, stand up for what you believe in, but don’t be so hateful and aggressive. I do believe whole-heartedly that the LGBT community needs to stick together and fight the good fight still. But I don’t think that making out in front of Chik-Fil-A is going to be the solution.

Chik-Fil-A: Is this really ALL necessary?!!!

While facts about my personal life would give some the impression that I fully disapprove of Chik-Fil-A’s appreciation day today, you have been deceived. And some would then turn around and say that I fully support it, which I don’t at all. Let me just say that there are two sides to every fight, and both sides are starting to get on my nerves.

I get it; gay people want to get married. Hell, I want to get married someday. But do we really have to make a big political statement because a CEO was asked about his personal belief and he answered truthfully? First amendment rights give us as Americans the freedom of speech. He was clearly just giving his own personal belief that he did not support same-sex marriage. And of course in this day and age, we all take it personally and run with the controversy. Soon there were protests, planned boycotts, even the freakin’ Muppets had to get involved. It’s all just getting a little blown out of proportion.

For one thing, he didn’t say he hated gays. He didn’t condemn all gays. He doesn’t show any signs of discrimination with who he hires. As a Christian man, he just said he doesn’t support gay marriage. Not everyone does, and this is nothing new. Sure it’s upsetting because after all, we just want to be appreciated and respected. We just want to live the same way that everyone else gets to live. But I get it, not everyone is comfortable with it. Not everyone is supportive. Not everyone is ready for the massive amount of gays to take over and marry one another so fast! (But honestly, would those not be THE most fabulous weddings EVER?!!!) We should be able to take someone’s personal point of view and be respectful of what they believe. Is this not what we want too? Should we not practice what we preach? After all, I’ve said it time and time again, not everyone is the same. The differences between all of us, the things that make us all unique and special make this country in itself very unique and special.

And for one more thing I disapprove of, rubbing it in their faces and saying that all gays should display public displays of affection in front of Chik-Fil-A is not going to help at all. I feel like this is a mainstreaming problem, which of course I hope doesn’t get taken as far as it has been on True Blood this season. But in all seriousness, for the gays who are trying so hard not push anyone’s buttons and not shove a gay agenda down their throats (seriously, no pun intended), it's not fair for them as others think having public displays of affection will do something to help the cause. So we want the world to think that all gays are horny couples who do nothing but wear skimpy clothes and make out with each other? Ok maybe it’s not that extreme, but the making out in public part sure is a benefactor as to why it’s so hard for us gays to get away from the many stereotypes we have within.

I don’t like Chik-Fil-A NOT because their CEO disapproves of gay marriage. I don’t like Chik-Fil-A because I think their menu is boring and their chicken is bland and too chewy. This isn’t a political statement. I’m just giving my opinion.

We should really learn to not take things so personally. Or at least if we do, we should handle ourselves productively and respectfully instead of a “he-said-she-said” type of ordeal. It’s unnecessary for an appreciation day to be in effect for a place like this (can’t we have an In-N-Out appreciation day? Because I know that’s some quality tasting food right there!!!) and it’s unnecessary for boycotts to be taking effect because one person said they don’t believe in something.

Let’s learn to be a little bit more civilized with each other the next time we have a situation like this, ok? Thanks...HOLLA!