Welcome to the ramblings of my head. If you can get through all of the spider webs, hopefully you'll have some fun. Don't blame me if you get lost though. You've been warned!

Thursday, May 29, 2014

HAHAT Contest Winner




         I hope everyone enjoyed the Hop Against Homophobia and Transphobia. I loved some of the posts and learned a lot. I think that is what it was all about.

         Thank you to everyone who read and commented on my post. I appreciate you taking the time out of your day.

         I put the names of everyone who commented on my blog into Random Picker and the winner of an ebook version of My Lord's Judgment and a $20.00 gift card to Amazon is.....

                 Drum-roll please....

            Yes, I am milking this...he he

                Rodney Batterman!! 

Woot!! Congratulations, Rodney. I am in the process of sending you an email, so check your inbox.

I hope everyone had a good weekend and Happy Humpday!


Until next time.

Hugs and spanks,

Taylor

Saturday, May 17, 2014

I Need to Snuff Out the Fag

Hello peeps and hoppers. 

I am here to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart. Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, and I am part of the Hop Against Homophobia. Click the links on the names to check out their websites.

“What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing. It also depends on what sort of person you are.” ~ C.S. Lewis

I thought of this post during a conversation with my friend Vicktor Alexander about the Bible. I know. I can hear the mass groan from here. hee hee   It was a good conversation though. 

I know that my title probably shocked some of you. Although, most of you are readers, so this may not work ...smarty pants that you are.  I am going to set up a scenario for you. I do have a point, so hang in there with me.  

Ready? Here we go...

Walking by a wooden church on Main Street, I glance over at the door as I pass. Two men are standing there, looking agitated and somewhat angry. I frown and slow to a stop as my curiosity gets the better of me. 

"Let's go, William. We need to leave." The smaller of the two men, pulls on the other's arm, trying to drag him away.

"Who brought that thing here, Thomas? It shouldn't be here." The larger man sneers, looking through the door at an object I cannot see. He seems more upset by the moment.

Confusion clouds the smaller man's face. "What? The fag?"

"Yeah," his friend grunts. "It shouldn't be here. They're bad."

The younger man rolls his eyes. "Let's just go, William."

"No, I need to snuff out that fag first." He states, while striding purposefully toward his prey. 

Now, if you were walking by and heard this, what would you think?

If it were me, I would think that some bigoted jerks were going to hurt someone because they were homophobic.

What if I told you that this scene happened in the U.K., and the time period was in the 1950's? What if I also told you, that even today, the word "fag" is used some places instead of the word "cigarette."

If you exchange those two words, the meaning behind that scenario changes dramatically. William was actually extremely upset, because someone left a burning cigarette in a wooden church.

This is one reason why, as a Progressive Christian, I cannot find it in me to take the Bible word for word. First, it has been translated numerous times into many different languages, and people are not perfect, no matter what they think. Also, things change, language included. There are many words out there that do not mean the same thing they did in the past. Unless we know the specific meanings in that time period, along with the culture and social structure, there is no way we can understand the full meaning. Lastly, perception, social standing, culture and background change so much about how things are interpreted. If I have PTSD because I was physically abused growing up, someone who yells and speaks with their hands would freak me out. Whether or not they meant to. 

Society has changed so much in the last few hundred years it's astounding. Some things haven't changed much though. Such as our human reaction to fear.

"The more things change, the more things stay the same. ' ~ Alphonse Karr

The Webster's dictionary defines phobia as....

Phobia:   Noun
:  an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something
:  an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation.

And what do people do when they are afraid of something? They destroy it. They hurt it before it can hurt them. A great example of this is the witch trials.

"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it." ~ Sir Winston Churchill

If something is different, weird or odd, it must be bad. If it is bad, it can hurt us. So we must control it and hurt it first. There are so many examples of this in the past, that we would be here all day if I tried to lay them out.

I think the reason that we are making steps with gay marriage, and the QUILTBAG community is becoming more open and accepted, is actually very simple. People are starting to realize that it's okay. They are losing some of the fear. Their neighbor, whom they always liked, is gay. A favorite cousin is gay. Their child, a loved one, even their parent, comes out of the closet. They are starting to come to the realization that it isn't a disease. They are not going to catch it and it's not going to hurt them.

But if you think the struggle is over and we can get lax, you are wrong. My parents, whom I love with all my heart and who are good people, were worried because my son was going to stay with my gay friend for a few days during spring break. They were afraid for my son. They were worried that my friend, because he is gay, could act out and become a pedophile.

Some of you may say, "What? They are bigots." I say no...they were afraid. They have never tried to stop me from being friends with or from writing about homosexual men. But that fear is still there. There is still so much they don't understand and they don't know, that it causes them to be afraid. The more they learn, the more they see, the more they meet my friends and realize that they are good people... the more their minds are changed. They lose that fear, and in turn, become more open to everyone.


It's not over. It will be a long time before it is, but by people making a stand, things are changing. We need to keep talking, keep showing people that things are okay. Homosexual and Transgender people are not the boogieman.

They are just people, who want to love and be loved. Like the rest of us.


Aaaaand...end rant.


So for my part of this blog hop, I am going to offer an ebook version of My Lord's Judgment and a $20 gift card to Amazon. Please comment below for a chance to win. This contest will go until May 27th. On the 28th I will post the winner here, and on Facebook, so check back to see if you've won.

Also, be sure to check out the rest of the blog posts below to see what else you can win, and to learn more about Homophobia and Transphobia. We can all make a difference, no matter how big or small. 

Hugs and Spanks

Taylor


1.Erica Pike (M/M)2.Cherie Noel (M/M)
3.K-Lee Klein (M/M)4.N.J. Nielsen (M/M)
5.Embry Carlysle (M/M)6.Kracken (M/M)
7.Zathyn Priest (M/M)8.Caitlin Ricci (MULTI)
9.CR Guiliano (M/M)10.Tyler Robbins (MULTI)
11.H.L. Holston (M/M)12.Gay List Book Reviews (MULTI, REV)
13.DP Denman (M/M)14.Bronwyn Heeley (M/M)
15.Moonbeams Over Atlanta (MULTI, REV)16.Jade Crystal (M/M)
17.Rawiya Erotica (M/M)18.Smoocher's Voice (REV, MULTI)
19.Dianne Hartsock (M/M)20.L. J. LaBarthe (M/M)
21.Anna Butler (M/M)22.Andrew Ashling (Gay)
23.Sophia Martin (BI)24.Kendall McKenna (M/M)
25.Rory Ni Coileain (M/M)26.M.A. Church (M/M)
27.Lori Toland (M/M)28.Lex Chase (M/M)
29.Caddy Rowland: Slice of Life (Gay, LGBT inclusive)30.Tempeste O'Riley (M/M)
31.Lizzie Eldridge (Multi)32.Louisa Bacio (M/M F/F Bi)
33.Leigh Ellwood (MULTI)34.A P Massie (BI)
35.Adrian J. Smith (F/F, Bi)36.Anastasia Vitsky (F/F)
37.Boys in our Books (REV)38.Grace R. Duncan (M/M BI)
39.Joelle Casteel (MULTI, REV)40.Charley Descoteaux (M/M, Bi)
41.Vona Logan (M/M)42.S.A. McAuley (M/M Bi)
43.CJane Elliott (M/M, BI)44.Katey Hawthorne (Bi, M/M, F/F)
45.Lily Sawyer (M/M)46.Draven St. James (M/M)
47.Morticia Knight (M/M, M/M/F)48.Whitley Gray (M/M)
49.The Novel Approach (M/M REV)50.Victoria Zagar/Infinite Love (MULTI, REV)
51.Chris Cox (GAY)52.J.P. Bowie (M/M)
53.Iyana Jenna (M/M)54.Evelise Archer (M/M)
55.ND Wylders (MM)56.N.S. Beranek (Gay)
57.Jane Wallace-Knight (M/M)58.Julie Lynn Hayes (M/M)
59.Anne Barwell (M/M)60.Lou Sylvre (M/M)
61.Wicked Wolves & Dreaming Dragons (M/M, REV)62.Bending the Bookshelf (TR)
63.Get Freaky With Me La Drama Princess (F/F, M/M, BI, TR) - NSFW64.L M Somerton (M/M)
65.Beth D. Carter (MMF, M/M)66.Joanna Darrell (Rev)
67.B. Snow Procrastinates (M/M, F/F)68.Andrew J. Peters (Gay)
69.Elin Gregory (M/M)70.S.J. Frost (M/M)
71.DeeJay Arens (M/M)72.Prism Book Alliance (M/M, Rev)
73.Meredith Daniels (M/M)74.Lynley Wayne (M/M)
75.Guilty Indulgence (REV)76.JC Wallace (M/M)
77.Sharing Links and Wisdom (REV)78.Taylor Law (M/M)
79.Barbara Winkes (F/F)80.Postcard to Putin
81.S.K Logsdon (Multi)82.For Once & Forever (MULTI)
83.Dee Tass (F/F)84.KC Burn (M/M)
85.Kim Fielding (M/M)86.C.C. Williams (M/M)
87.J.R. Loveless (M/M)88.Tali Spencer (M/M)
89.Kimber Vale (M/M)90.Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese (M/M, F/F, BI, TR)
91.KT Grant (LGBT Romance)92.Teresa Wymore (F/F, DES)
93.Alex Jones (M/M)94.Vanessa North (Multi)
95.Leigh Ellwood (M/M, F/F, Bi, TR)96.Viki Lyn (M/M)
97.J.L. Gaynor (F/F)98.Harper Bliss (F/F)
99.Carolyn Gray (M/M)100.Thorny Sterling (M/M)
101.Megan Linden (M/M)102.Patricia Logan (M/M)
103.Michael P Thomas (Gay)104.Jolynn Raymond (F/F)
105.Nikka Michaels (M/M)106.Jayson James (Gay)
107.RJ Scott (M/M)108.Tina Blenke (M/M)
109.Rainbow Gold Reviews (REV, M/M, F/F, BI, TR)110.Heloise West (MM)
111.VJ Summers Writes Smut! (Multi, M/M, M/M/F)112.Jessie Lansdel (M/M)
113.Kayci Morgan (M/M)114.Rooster & Pig Publishing (PUB)
115.Vicktor Alexander (MULTI)116.Dean Pace-Frech (M/M)
117.Tara Lain (M/M)118.Alexis Duran (M/M)
119.J. Osiris Baldwin (M/M, TR, F/F)120.Angel Martinez (M/M
121.Westbrook Jameson (M/M)122.ScuttlebuttReviews (M/M, REV)
123.LYLBTB (M/M, REV)124.Eva Lefoy (M/M)
125.Shiloh Saddler (Multi)126.Andrew Jericho (M/M, TR)
127.Michael Mandrake (M/M)128.Lipstick Lesbian Reviews (REV)
129.Amelia Bishop (M/M)130.Julie Bozza (M/M)
131.R.A. Padmos (m/m)