Here He Is - Our New President!

That’s right.  All the hard work and determination paid off.  Barack Obama is the next President of the United States of America.  Today I am proud!  I am proud to be a citizen of this great nation!  I am proud to be a gay man in this great nation!  I am proud to know the progress we have made!  I am proud to know that change is coming!

For this event has made all good in the world.  I woke up this morning myself.  I realized through the past months of canvassing, campaigning and talking to everyone I could about how important this election was, I had lost my sense of zen.  Today I am back.  Today I walk on air as I know this nation has evolved.  Today I welcome myself back.  Today I am the person I once was, yet better.

Today I celebrate a new beginning.  Today I celebrate life!

Pics & More from Buenos Aires Gay Pride

Here are some pictures of yesterday’s Marcha del Orgullo or Gay Pride March, which began in Plaza de Mayo and ended at Plaza del Congreso. According to an article in Clarin, this was the 17th gay pride march and was attending by approximately 25,000 people.

I attended the march in 1999 and it’s grown a great deal since then, still, 25,000 people for a city of 12 million is an embarrassment. Mexico City and Bogota both have much larger gay pride celebrations, not to mention Sao Paulo which this year attracted over 3 million to their pride march, the world’s largest. How is it that a city 50% larger than Buenos Aires is able to attract over one hundred times as many people to its gay pride celebration? Heck, Fresno, California has a bigger gay pride event than Buenos Aires.

Get more at buenosairesphotographer.com.

Hundreds Show for First Oceanside Gay Pride

From nctimes.com:

Hundreds of people came out to celebrate diversity Saturday afternoon at the first ever Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual Coming Out Day in Oceanside, California.

The family event, held at the recreation center on the north side of the Oceanside Municipal Pier, included entertainment, food and information booths. But more than anything else, according to participants, it was an opportunity to relax and enjoy a sense of community.

“This is pretty awesome,” said the 17-year old president of Oceanside High School’s new Gay Straight Alliance, “all of these people coming out here and not being afraid to be who we are.” The student’s teacher asked that his name be withheld.

The event coincided with the 20th anniversary of National Coming Out Day, commemorating the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, in which 500,000 people marched on Washington, D.C.

Celebrate National “Coming Out” Week

This week is National Coming Out Week.  What is National Coming Out Week?  Well, it’s the week which holds National Coming Out Day.

National Coming Out Day was founded by Robert Eichberg and Jean O’Leary on October 11, 1988 in celebration of the first gay march on Washington D.C. in 1987. The purpose of the march and of National Coming Out Day is to promote government and public awareness of gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgender rights and to celebrate homosexuality.

National Coming Out Day is a time to publicly display gay pride. Many choose this day to come out to their parents, friends, co-workers and themselves.

What does it mean to “come out”?

Coming out is the process of personally accepting your homosexuality and disclosing it to family, co-workers and friends. Coming out is different for every gay or bisexual person. Some experience a lot of pain and anguish while for others acceptance is a joyous time. It’s perfectly normal to experience fear, doubt, loneliness, anger and even depression. Try to surround yourself with others that may be going through the same transition or who have already come out. They can be a great support network. If you don’t have any gay friends or don’t know anyone else coming out, there are plenty of discussion forums to be found on the the internet that have plenty of positive influences.

Also, keep your eye on GayAgenda now through Saturday for our special “Coming Out” post, including an interview with former NBA player John Amaechi!

Fear of Violence Builds for Bosnian Gay Pride

Bosnia’s first-ever gay festival opens this week amid fears of violence, with homophobia overriding the usual divisions among the country’s wartime foes – Muslims, Serbs and Croats.

The Muslim majority is particularly upset about the four-day Queer Festival because it will open in Sarajevo on Wednesday – during the holy month of Ramadan.

Many others, including members of various ethnic political parties, have gone as far as declaring homosexuality an illness and the behavior deviant.

Read the rest at ekathimerini.com.

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