Obervations from the Village 6.28

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin (or sexual orientation) but by the content of their character."
Martin Luther King Jr.

This is the 42nd anniversary of the Stonewall riots that took place after a police raid on the Stonewall Inn in the Village. I was born over a dozen years after the riots and I never really knew that much about them. I did know it was the moment when the modern gay civil rights movement was born but honestly it was as far away from my life as the Vietnam War was from my hate of our current wars. As a teenager I had my own battles to fight and didn't realize that I could do so only because of something that happened years before at a spot only blocks from where I now live.

I stood outside the Stonewall a couple nights ago, my minor celebration of the passing of New York's gay marriage law, and decided I needed to know more. If I felt the need to be there shouldn't I know why? I'm not going to get into the whole story of the riots, there is plenty to read online, but a maybe a little background. In the scheme of history it isn't all that long ago but at the time gays were classified as subversives by the U.S. government. The names of people arrested for public indecency, which included men holding hands or women wearing men's suits, were published in newspapers. Being gay was actually considered a mental illness.

On June 27, 1969, the NYC police force raided a popular Village gay bar, the Stonewall Inn. Raids on gay bars were commonplace, the Stonewall itself was raided just a week before, but this night something was very different. For whatever reason the subversive, indecent, psychopathic gays fought back and a movement was born. The city was stunned that the normally docile gays had turned into what the Village Voice called the "forces of faggotry." In the days that followed a pamphlet was printed and handed out on Christopher Street that in ways could be considered the first gay declaration of equality. Rather than add it here I posted it separately just before this post along with a link to the full episode of PBS's recent "American Experience, Stonewall Uprising" which is well worth watching even if it is at times disturbing as hell. (link)

Nicholas Edsall wrote "Stonewall has been compared to any number of acts of radical protest and defiance in American history from the Boston Tea Party on. But the best and certainly a more nearly contemporary analogy is with Rosa Parks' refusal to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1955, which sparked the modern civil rights movement."

In the end it doesn’t matter who started it, it doesn’t matter why it started, it probably doesn’t matter what really happened those nights. All that matters is that it happened.

Observations

Here is a link to watch the complete episode of PBS's "American Experience, Stonewall Riots" which aired not too long ago. The American Experience site says, “The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world.”

Below is the text of a flyer handed out on Christopher Street in the days following the Stonewall Riots:

"Get The Mafia and Cops Out of the Gay Bars

The nights of Friday, June 27, 1969 and Saturday, June 28, 1969 will go down in history as the first time that thousands of Homosexual men and women went out into the streets to protest the intolerable situation which has existed in New York City for many years --- namely, the Mafia (or syndicate) control of this of this city's Gay bars in collusion with certain elements in the Police Dept. of the City of New York. The demonstrations were triggered by a Police raid on the Stonewall Inn late Friday night, June 27th. The purported reason for the raid was the Stonewall's lack of a liquor license.- Who's 'kidding whom here? Can anybody really-believe that an operation as big as the Stonewall could continue for almost three years just a few blocks from the 6th Precinct house without having a liquor license? No! The Police have know about the Stonewall operation all along. What's happened is the presence of new "brass" in 6th Precinct which has vowed to "drive the fags out of the Village."

Many of you have noticed one of the signs which the "management" of the Stonewall has placed outside stating "Legalize Gay bars and lick the problem. Judge Kenneth Keating (a former US Senator) ruled in January, 1968 that even close dancing between Homosexuals is legal. Since that date there has been nothing legal, per se, about a Gay bar. What is illegal about New York City's Gay bars today is the Mafia (or syndicate) stranglehold on them. Legitimate Gay businessmen are afraid to open decent Gay bars with a healthy social atmosphere (as opposed to the hell-hole atmosphere of places typified by the Stonewall) because of fear of pressure from the unholy alliance of the Mafia and elements in the Police Dept. who accept payoffs and protect the Mafia monopoly.

We at the Homophile Youth Movement (HYMN) believe that the only way this monopoly can be broken is through the action of Homosexual men and women themselves. We obviously cannot rely on the various agencies of government who for years have known about this situation but who have refused to do anything about it. Therefore we urge the following:

1) That Gay businessmen step forward and open Gay bars that will be run legally with competitive pricing and a healthy social atmosphere.
2) That Homosexual men and women boycott places like the Stonewall. The only way, it seems, that we can get the criminal elements out of gay bars is simply to make it unprofitable for them.
3) That the Homosexual citizens of New York City, and concerned Heterosexuals, write to mayor Lindsay demanding a thorough investigation and effective action to correct this intolerable situation."

Observations from the Window 6.26

It's a day after the still unbelievable vote on gay marriage and the Village is a bit on the giddy side. It doesn’t hurt that it is also the end of Pride week with all the parades and dances taking place yesterday and today. With Ash out of town I really wont get to any of them but I can still feel the buzz in the air. It’s kind of funny how Ash and Chloe, my two friends most likely to actually get married, were out of town when the whole vote went down. I think I got a "what's happening" text about every five minutes Friday night.

The last couple days have been like a dream come true, even if it's a dream more for others than for myself. I still can't put into words how it felt, how it feels, maybe I never will be able to. I should admit that yes I cried and it had nothing at all to do with allergies. It was the realization that two of my best friends, along with so many others, could marry if they wanted to. It was, is, such a totally awesome feeling that I never want to forget it.

Last night I took a walk to the Stonewall Inn just to be able to say I had been there this weekend. Even 24 hours later there were crowds of people outside celebrating. The Stonewall is only a few blocks from our apartment in the West Village, possibly the gayest part of the city of New York. I'd be willing to argue it is the gayest neighborhood in the US but the folks at The Advocate magazine don't even have New York on their recent list of the top 15 gay cities in America (l). Seriously Cleveland is number 12 and no New York? What's up with that?

As I stood outside history swirled in my head. Almost 42 years to the day after the riots that led to a movement that led to Friday night's vote. The first Gay Pride march took place in New York on June 28, 1970 to mark the first anniversary of the riots with Los Angeles and Chicago holding marches the same day. I can't even imagine how many cities hold marches today. In 1999 the Stonewall and the surrounding area were designated a National Historic Landmark. During the dedication John Berry said "Let it forever be remembered that here, on this spot, men and women stood proud, they stood fast, so that we may be who we are, we may work where we will, live where we choose and love whom our hearts desire." And than came Friday night’s vote.

Damn, I think my allergies are back.

Robyn - Dancing On My Own

Sunday morning update - Marriage is for the most part a religious issue while control of marriage is primarily a state one, so as much as I would love to see it I don't honestly think the U.S. will ever have a gay marriage law in every state. What I don't understand is why we can't have a national civil union law that gives any two people all the benefits of marriage? France continues to vote down gay marriage, but has no problem with civil union. Time to 'evolve' a little bit faster.

Yes!

Such an awesome night. After all the writing I have been doing I feel like I should say something but I find I have no words. By a 33-29 vote the New York Senate legalized gay marriage and at 11:55 PM Gov. Cuomo signed the bill into law. It will take effect in thirty days.

People are fond of using the words 'history was made' but tonight in the state of New York history was in fact made. For the first time a Republican controlled legislature legalized gay marriage. Just think about that for a moment. Washington be damned, sometimes anything is possible.

I just don't remember the last time I felt this good that sex wasn't involved. Quite honestly I don't even want to get married but it still feels so damn good. The scenes from the Stonewall Inn, the texts, tweets, emails, and phone calls from friends and family are all combining to make my head spin tonight. I'm sure I'll have more to say once it all sinks in but for now I'm going to enjoy the champagne.

However I do want to take a moment to refute a rumor going around about me. It is so not true I cried in public. It was just allergies.

Awesome night, just a totally fucking awesome.

Observations on Gay Marriage and New York

8:35 PM - It a short time the New York State Senate will in all likelihood make history. They will vote on the same sex marriage bill and it is supposed to pass with as many as 4 or 5 Republican votes. That seems like a lot but it may be true because it gives them all cover as no one Republican can be blamed for the bill's passage. Throughout the day, and before I knew the vote would happen,  I was writing thoughts down for a post but I never got around to putting it together. I decided to post what I have anyway and hopefully you can make some sense of the randomness.

Friday and another day of waiting for something, anything, to happen in Albany. Today should bring an answer one way or another but I wouldn't be surprised if it doesn't. I was so hoping for a vote last night or early this morning but they quit at 11PM and left it for today. We had the champagne chilled and glasses ready but it wasn't meant to be. Personally I don't need a glass to drink champagne but I could have forced myself.

I have a busy day so I'll be glued to my phone all day. I really should apologize for the negative tone of my last couple posts. The whole thing was just getting to me and I needed to let it out somehow.

I often wondered how the Albany River Rats hockey team got their name, now I know.

The Senate session was supposed to begin at 10AM but twitter is strangely quiet and it's noon. Turns out the GOP is in conference and has been for four hours, make that five hours, now. Rumor had it they were conferencing on when to conference on the queer marriage bill. Gotta love conservatives.

And where have you gone Starchbishop Dolan?

So you see where my head was at today.

Observations on Gay Marriage and New York

And so it goes, another wasted day with no vote on the same sex marriage bill. Today is in all probability the last day of the session for the New York Senate and still there is no vote scheduled for it. Maybe those that are terrified it will pass will win out and in the end it wont even come to a vote. I'm still hopeful there will be a vote and that it will pass. For the record the Senate yesterday did declare the day "State Onion Day" so there is that. My brother should be happy about that because he was always a big fan of The Onion.

Wednesday’s fun saw the Torah Jews for Decency hanging a banner outside the senate chamber that warned, “Homosexual Marriage Kills.” I better look in the mirror quick just to be sure this one isn't true. Actually i better lose the cigarette before I do or I'll just be confused as to which one is killing me. Today I woke up to see that the United Religious and Family Organization published an open letter Senate Speaker Dean Skelos. In it was this extraordinary paragraph written by Issac Caller. "In the midst of fast and prayer, we plead to G-d that you withstand the pressure of Mayor Bloomberg and other wealthy and talented gay propaganda-specialists. If you believe that it should be voted upon, put it up for referendum for the public to vote upon. Remember the havoc caused by minority groups pushing their agenda on the masses (Communism, Nazism)." I should remind Mr. Caller that at the present time the New York Constitution doesn't allow for public referendums. Also between 1933 and 1945 an estimated 100,000 German men were arrested and charged as homosexuals of which as many as 20,000 died in the concentration camps.

This witch’s brew of marriage and family protectors also includes the Orthodox Rabbi Yehuda Levin who blames gays for the Haitian earthquake and 9/11 attacks. With Levin was the Reverend Duane Motley of the New Yorker Family Research Foundation who is on record calling this civil rights movement a war with churches as recruiting stations. He added yesterday that legalizing gay marriage would "undermine the stability of our society" because he said a child of a gay couple could only have one biological parent. I guess it doesn’t matter that the child would still have two parents when so many in our society have only one. Funny thing how Shakespeare used the word motley when he was referring to a fool.

Thankfully with or without a vote it ends today because I'm getting way to negative here. I don't think I'm in danger of being sent to a nonexistent hell by a nonexistent god but I am risking a very real headache. As a small counterweight to all this I'll leave you with "Lewis Black, Queers" which is one of my fav videos on the topic, too funny.


Link

6/24 midnight update - It seems I may have been wrong because the Senate adorned and it will continue into Friday. At this point I'm on the verge of being totally burned out by it all.

Observations on Gay Marriage and New York

So yet we have another day of wondering if the Republicans who control the New York State Senate will allow a vote on the gay marriage bill. A week ago I hoped for passage but now I honestly would be happy with a vote and absolutely ecstatic if it passed. Personally I have no desire to marry but as I told somebody a couple days ago I want the right not to marry. I want the right to look at you, think you’re cute, and think it might be a good idea but not now, not yet. Maybe the Senate will do what's right and vote on the bill today but I'm not going to hold my breath.

At the moment my thoughts are more on the opponents of the bill than on the bill itself. More specifically on the Archbishop of New York Timothy Dolan who has in the past week done more to strengthen my atheistic side than anybody in recent memory. In a recent blog post Dolan said 'traditional marriage' must not include gays because God, "human reason and ordered good" demand it. Marriage is not for the queers because it is "the union of a man and a woman in a loving, permanent, life-giving union to pro-create children." Let me just say I find it very easy to look at a photo of Dolan in his vestments, strip away the scarlet, and picture him in the gleaming white robes of a Ku Klux Klan wizard.

I briefly touched on Dolan in an earlier post when I wrote "With a vote on same sex marriage in New York just days away Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan is seeking to stop the vote from even taking place. "We acknowledge that not every desire, urge, want, or chic cause is automatically a 'right.'" said Dolan. While it's nice to know I might be considered chic in the eyes of the Catholic Church it still pisses me off." I tried to be calm, I really did, and I didn't write a thousand words on how I honestly feel about the Catholic Church and its practices through history. As with any large organization there is good, there is bad, and there is the Inquisition. It would be so easy to write that post but I'm going to stop before I even start because it wouldn't do anybody any good.

In Sunday's New York Times Maureen Dowd wrote her column on the 'Starchbishop' as she calls Dolan. Only in my dreams could I write a piece as succinct as this so I will pass on my favorite quotes from it and than just leave a link.

"The church refuses to acknowledge the hypocrisy at its heart: that it became a haven for gay priests even though it declares homosexual sex a sin, and even though it lobbies to stop gays from marrying."

"In the same blog, Dolan snidely dismissed the notion that gay marriage is a civil right. “We acknowledge that not every desire, urge, want, or chic cause is automatically a ‘right,’ ” he wrote. “And, what about other rights, like that of a child to be raised in a family with a mom and a dad?” And how about the right of a child not to be molested by the parish priest?"

As I said in my earlier post, it just might be time to pull out those heavy weapons.

"The Archbishop vs. the Governor: Gay Sera, Sera" 
by Maureen Dowd

Observations from the Window 6.19

Father’s Day is drawing to a close but I need mention my dad tonight. Along with my brother and sister he keeps me sane yet I find it hard to write about him. So much easier to write about my mom but that’s just how it is. He was always the laid back one anyway so he will totally understand.

I know it couldn't have been easy trying to deal with me after my mom passed but yet he always did. As my life spiraled out of control he could have concentrated on the others but he didn't. For that I'll always be grateful because I know for a fact somebody gave him exactly that advice. When I was in rehab he visited every day, never complained, and truth be told snuck me cigarettes now and than. Now that's a dad.

Where my love of art comes from my mom my love of sports comes from my dad. That would seem obvious, and it is, but you have to understand it's as much a part of me as the art is. I can’t imagine my life without either of them. The sports yin to the art yang I suppose. He rarely if ever missed a field hockey game and always had something positive to say afterwards. He has a passion for Philly sports teams and a hatred of New York ones that somehow got genetically transferred to me. Sometimes it creates problems at the bar but that’s just how it is.

Because of my dad I can easily spend a day watching the bobber on the end of a fishing line and not care if I catch a thing. Because of him I like roller coasters, fast cars, and movies that go boom. I can change Foxy's oil on my own, discuss obscure 80's metal bands, and make the perfect burger.

Because of him I'm still around to write this.

Happy Father’s Day dad.

Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road

Observations from the Gallery 6.18

I had to smile Thursday morning when I saw a tweet from George Takei that said "The 6th person you'll meet in heaven is that guy behind the 7-11 counter, so make an effort to say hi now before it gets awkward." I totally got what he was saying, thought it was funny, but saw it as nothing earth shattering and moved on.

Something that happened later in the day gave it slightly more meaning. Two girls my sisters’ age walked into the gallery and began looking around. The girls looked both out of place and like they belonged so I was thrown off a bit. I could instantly tell they weren't from the city so I knew they weren't just playing artist for the day and I saw no sign of anybody else with them. Being the good 'social' cop of the pair Ash walked over to them and said hi as I sat on the couch looking my usual casually remote. As is usually the case it didn't take long for Ash to get their story.

The girls had come to the city on a bus trip from upstate New York to celebrate their high school graduation. While all the others in the group swarmed Times Square, Battery Park, and all the touristy spots these two wandered off to look at galleries. They said it's all they wanted to do while they were here and had been wandering NoHo and the Bowery when the found us. They seemed tired so we asked if they wanted to sit a bit and have some iced tea or coffee.

To make a long story short we ended up spending two hours with the girls. We chatted about art and New York, bought them lunch from Katz's, and I took some pics of them to show off on the trip back home. Than we made sure they had a cab taking them to the right place to meet their group so they didn’t end up in Brooklyn. Once they opened up they turned out to be two of the sweetest girls I have ever met in my life and I enjoyed every minute we spent with them.

Getting back to George Takei tweet, I suppose there is a moral to this story but I'm terrible with morals so I wont even try finding it. Lets just say that sometimes it might actually be better to be social than to not.

Live and learn.

Observations from my Bed 6.17

As I fade to black it seems maybe the vote on the New York same sex marriage bill wont happen today. More important things, such as rent controls, seem to have gotten in the way. But more likely it's the Archbishop's fear gay marriage will turn this country into North Korea, or China, or god forbid a theocratic state such as Iran. Or maybe it's just the Republican members of the Senate fear that if they do what's right, and actually vote their conscience instead of their wallet, the golden sun won't come up in the morning. Sometimes it just all makes me want to scream, but not now, not yet. The thought of being on the right side of history still makes me smile.



Link

On a lighter note Lady Gaga's video for "The Edge of Glory" premiered tonight. I have to admit that although I'm a closet Gaga fan I haven't always been the biggest fan of her vids. But this is awesome, just a stark understated video that features only Lady Gaga and Jersey shore legend E Street Band saxophonist Clarence Clemons. It really is totally awesome, take a look.

Clarence Clemons suffered a stroke last weekend and his condition is still listed as serious. The family has said fans can send wishes via email to notestoclarence@clarenceclemons.com.

Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory

Observations on Gay Marriage and New York

I was attempting to be good and not vent today but things just seem to spiral downward so here I go again. I won’t dwell on the lesbian blogger hoaxes because they just depress me but I will say this. I just don't understand at all. What is it a fantasy? A joke? It's my fucking life and sometimes it's hard enough without stuff like this going down. I don't want, need, or care to hear how sorry they are. I have more important things on my mind today.

With a vote on same sex marriage in New York just days away Catholic Archbishop Timothy Dolan is seeking to stop the vote from even taking place. "We acknowledge that not every desire, urge, want, or chic cause is automatically a 'right.'" said Dolan. While it's nice to know I might be considered chic in the eyes of the Catholic Church it still pisses me off. I thought maybe it was time to pull out a few heavy weapons of my own so I did some non-scientific research which I'll call my Google poll.

Search 'child abuse by catholic priests' on Google and the first link leads to a 16,520 word wikipedia article called "Catholic sex abuse cases"(l)that made the word counter gag. Search 'child abuse by lesbians' and the first link leads to a Huffington Post article titled "Child Abuse Rate At Zero Percent In Lesbian Households, New Report Finds"(l). I really think the Archbishop has more important things to worry about than whether or not I marry another woman.

Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the bill today and a vote will probably take place either Thursday or Friday of this week. As I write this it seems to only need one more vote to pass. New York would be the sixth and largest state to legalize same sex marriage. Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and the District of Columbia allow same-sex marriage, and 10 states allow civil unions.

I toyed with the idea of writing about trust because of the blogger news but I decided to pass on it. I think I will end this post with a single word that sounds so much better to me today.

Hope

Observations 6.13

Sometimes a video comes along that just totally speaks for itself. Nothing I can say will add to the fact that Rick Santorum, the Pennsylvanian I love to hate, was "with" a gay friend just days ago. I don't know how Don Lemon keeps from laughing.


Link
(I'm going to start adding a direct link when I post a video because the embeds don't go out in the emails. Sorry about that.)

Observations from Home 6.12

Friday night was my sis' high school graduation and I started writing this a few times yesterday but for some reason I just couldn't come up with the words which is something that just doesn't seem to happen much. I have written a lot about my sis over the past year and that isn’t about to change but I suppose I have to give up on this. There was a time I liked to call her my mini-me because in many ways she was so much like me but over the past few years she has totally outgrown that nickname. It's as if my parents finally got it right the third time around and created this beautiful, confident, talented young women with such a bright future. I'm so damn proud of her and it chokes me up every time I start writing so I'll just leave it at that.

I was rather proud of myself too because I managed to pack for either an indoor or outdoor ceremony. The threat of thunderstorms and a sweltering hot day moved it indoors but I was ready for it. I wore long black cotton pants, a sleeveless aaronessa shirt, black sandals, and just light makeup due to the possibility of tears. I only mention this because it's far removed from the old jeans and vest I wore to the kid's graduation five years ago. I guess both outfits made a statement in their own way even if it was unintended.

As always seems to be the case with me there is a story to be told. The main speaker at the graduation was US Army colonel who was a class of '81 graduate of the school. Now he was a good speaker, is about to become General Petraeus' chief of staff, and looked awesome with a chest full of ribbons but I didn’t appreciate the rah rah wrap yourself in the flag tone of the speech so I didn’t exactly jump up and clap with everybody else. Now the principal, who was a teacher when i was there, must have noticed because she walked up to me afterwards, shook my hand, and said basically some people never change but than she added "but yet they do." I told her to give me a call if she ever wanted somebody to speak about art instead of war and just smiled. I'm not sure if my dad was proud or thinking here she goes again.

So a day later this is still on my laptop and I still can't seem to put what I feel into words but i think I know how to end this now. Years ago someone gave me a graduation card with a quote written inside. I still have the card because honestly there is no better way to live your life.

"Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, define yourself." Robert Frost

Happy graduation mini-me.

Foo Fighters - Times Like These

Observations from the Heatpocalypse

In a continuation from yesterday I want to add that today it's just too damn hot to even function at all. I have no idea what the temperature is but I just heard the real feel temp is 108° and its only noon. In less than six months the Village has gone from the snowpocalypse to the heatpocalypse and scenes from "The Day After Tomorrow" are beginning to pass through my brain.

Still you have so many people who want to say that global warming is just a liberal theory and not scientific fact. I guess if you spread enough oil and coal money around you can make almost anybody talk stupid. When Mitt Romney was asked if he would disavow the science behind global warming he answered that he "believes the world is getting warmer and that humans are contributing to that pattern." Enter America's tard in chief Rush Limbaugh, “Bye-bye, nomination. Another one down. We’re in the midst here of discovering that this is all a hoax. The last year has established that the whole premise of man-made global warming is a hoax, and we still have presidential candidates that want to buy into it.” I really wish he would leave his air-conditioned splendor and check out the real weather. Hell maybe he could even sweat off a few pounds.

Than you have GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum who happens to be my favorite reason for moving out of Pennsylvania. In a brilliantly complicated conversation the candidate called global warming junk science. "I believe the Earth gets warmer, and I also believe the Earth gets cooler," Santorum said. "And I think history points out that it does that. The idea that man, through the production of carbon dioxide- which is a trace gas in the atmosphere, and the man-made part of that trace gas is itself a trace gas - is somehow responsible for climate change is, I think, just patently absurd ." Climate science boiled down to is the sun comes up and the sun goes down, until it doesn’t. Coincidentally Santorum made that remark while talking to, you guessed it, Rush Limbaugh. I can only imagine the cloud of cigar smoke wafting through the air after that show, maybe reminiscent of a coal fired power plant.

A few years ago global warming wasn’t such an ideological topic. Both liberals and conservatives recognized the threat and believed something should be done, they just differed on what it should be. But with millions of dollars being spent by Exxon and others with an interest in the status quo, a whole field of bullshit masquerading as science has been created to make people doubt the reality of global warming. Add to the phony science an ideological ‘spin’ that the whole theory is a hoax concocted by evil liberals who want to take over the world. And what do you get? Oil, gas, and coal interests are smiling with satisfaction, knowing that no serious action will be taken by the US government to reduce our reliance on these dirty fuels. So forget about reversing or even stopping the change. That chance is gone. All we can do now is hope to slow the rate of increase and protect ourselves against the inevitable effects of more droughts, floods, high temperatures, rising sea waters, melting glaciers, etc.

As always I bow to my brother on all things scientific. That last paragraph is totally my opinion but is mostly my brother's writing. It was just too good to pass up.

Linkin Park - Iridescent

Observations from the Library 6.8

It's just the beginning of June but it is brutally hot. Fry the egg, melt the pavement, too hot to go out and smoke hot. Under a blazing sun it's 92° with a 'real feel' of 103° and rising. One bright spot is the view of the fountain in Washington Square Park as I pass through. I have to smile at the assortment of coeds and others cooling their feet in the water.

Walking into the NYU library they give you a what to do during a heat warning flyer, very handy, least I thought so until I started reading. Basic things like stay out of the sun and wear sunscreen, something I don’t quite understand. Why wear sunscreen if you are staying out of the sun? Wear light colored loose fitting clothing and avoid drinks with caffeine or alcohol. They have to be kidding says the girl in the tight black jeans and t-shirt as she sips on her Mocha Frappuccino. Well so much for the city's ideas on staying cool.

What I need is a pool, a large pool full of cool water, large enough to float on a raft and sip my Frappuccino. I need Ben & Jerries ice cream, lots of it. And I need some ice cubes to melt on my neck which always works to perfection. I might be a beer drinker but suddenly the frozen drink Ash was talking about recently sounds tantalizing. Called a Missionary’s Downfall it is a blend of fresh mint, pineapple, lime juice, peach liquer , honey, and rum. Maybe one of those with my Ben & Jerries would do the trick.

An odd bit of New York trivia to pass on to you. After searching through millions of Flickr posts a researcher came up with what he says is New York City's most photographed attraction. According to Eric Fischer, NYC’s most photographed landmark is not the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, or even Times Square. No it's the glass cube Apple Store on Fifth Avenue which always reminds me of I. M. Pei's glass pyramid at the Louvre. Seems I'm not the only one that thinks that.

Now into the incinerator I go so may the gods help my hair.

Cults - Oh My God

Observations from the Gallery 6.5

More often than not a Sunday at the gallery ends up being an afternoon filled with art chat, or more precisely art gossip. Nothing material ever seems to get done as chat ranges from where the Whitney came up with half a billion dollars for their new museum to the usual who is sleeping with who gossip. It sometimes amazes me how much info you can get out of a single bottle of wine on a Sunday. But we aren’t always so damn shallow. Things can take a serious turn depending on events and the mix of acquaintances passing through. Today was such a day.

One topic was the happenings over at the New York Times where Jill Abramson became the first woman executive editor in the Times' history. Abramson than turned around and promoted Dean Baquet to managing editor, the first African-American to hold that position. These changes followed the hiring of Frank Bruni who is the first openly gay writer on the opinion page. Abramson, who spent last year running the Times' online side, replaces Bill Keller who was known for his tirades against social media. Maybe a sign of the times, no pun intended.

A more negative topic of conversation revolved around New York State Senator and Reverend Rubén Díaz who called homosexuality a lifestyle choice. Saying in a statement released after Mayor Bloomberg's speech in support of gay marriage “there is no just comparison between America’s struggle to overcome the evils of slavery and the promotion of the lifestyle of homosexuality.” Last month Díaz headlined an anti-gay marriage rally in the city at which the Rev. Ariel Torres Ortega said this:

"Committing sexual acts between man and man. And receiving the retribution of the things that they have done from straying away. And because they did not take God in count. God gave them over to reprimand their mind to do things that are not right, being against all justice, fornication, perversity, aberrations, malignity…those who practice such things are worthy to death, not only do they do it, but those who also practice it."

Now as you know I have never had a religious bone in my body so I'm not quite sure what he is trying to say other than gays should die. However I'm still holding out hope for lesbians, maybe he thinks we can be reformed somehow. I talked to a guy today who is 'religious' and straight and is just totally disgusted by that statement. He just hopes there is a special place in hell for such a man, I'll let you figure out what he meant by special place.

For the record you can read the full text of Mayor Bloomberg's speech here or watch it here.

“And the question for every New York State lawmaker is: Do you want to be remembered as a leader on civil rights? Or an obstructionist? On matters of freedom and equality, history has not remembered obstructionists kindly." Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

Observations

Observations from the Coffee Shop 6.3

This hasn’t been my most prodigious week of writing but I have been fighting a respiratory affliction for over a week and at times it just seems to be wearing me down. I might add that it is totally non-smoking related and Ash’s theory is I’m finally allergic to the city and need a beach to recharge. I really can’t argue with that one. I have had thoughts I wanted to write about but not the desire but maybe I can get caught up over the next few days.

I wanted to get back to last weekend and a couple of fun moments I had. While I don’t have any kind of drive to make new friends I do, and always have, like meeting new people and moments in time. By that I mean a feeling that can only happen under a certain set of circumstances at a certain time and no other. It’s just a random aligning of the stars that gives you something to remember and make you smile when you do. I had two of those moments last weekend. One was totally vain and the other just reinforced the knowledge that it takes all kinds people and all kinds can get along when the situation is right.

The totally vain moment occurred last Saturday when I decided to stop by the club I had worked at last year. I took a cab from the gallery and when it pulled up outside I saw the usual weekend line was augmented by the ever present sailors. When I got out of the cab one of the bouncers recognized me and waved me through the door. Just the look on people’s faces as I walked by was precious. Like I said just a totally vain moment but for that moment I totally owned my world and I loved it. The moment passed quickly because once inside I saw the club had added dancers, dancers on the one bar. I thank the gods they weren’t there when I was working because I don’t think I would have gotten one order right.

The other moment happened on Sunday while I was leaning on the outside wall of the gallery smoking a cigarette. Now that I think about it a pose that is a bit iconic for me because I seem to have done it at every place I work. Anyway as I was standing there a pair of marines came walking down the street carrying a radio and listening to the Indianapolis 500, something I was not permitted inside the gallery. I offhandedly asked who was winning the race not knowing if I would get an answer or not and instead of answering the two of them sat down on the sidewalk and turned up the radio. So there you had two marines who, though I didn’t venture to ask, were prob straighter than the stick up Donald Trump’s ass and the dark lesbian, thought I didn’t venture to tell, sitting outside the gallery for a half hour discussing the pros and cons of Danica Patrick reacing in NASCAR full time. Just a moment in time.

Like I am wont to say there is always hope.