The Ryan Thomas Collection

A few months back I visited the Big Apple, New York City, for a much needed vacation. I have been to New York numerous times and consistently enjoy myself, as it has everything I could possibly want: theatre, museums, beautiful parks, art and diversity. During this last trip, I went to see the revival of West Side Story on Broadway and it got me thinking.

A classic song in West Side Story is “America,” where Puerto Rican immigrants banter back and forth about the good and bad of both the United States and Puerto Rico in the 1950s. New York City and San Juan are the main cities used in the song, as New York City is the setting for the show. The song is a perfect description of American ideology surrounding the American Dream, a dream that natural born citizens grow up with and one that immigrants flock to New York City, and other cities alike, to pursue. New York City is the symbol of the American Dream. Compared to other cities in the West during the 19th and 20th centuries, it was the new kid on the block. It built itself up to become the Financial Capital of the World, symbolic of American influence and power on a world stage, particularly during the 1950s.

Growing up, I always looked to New York City as the dream of what life would become for me; a place where anything was possible and opportunities were bountiful in an environment of grand splendor. Now, I look at the United States and New York City and see the same potential I always have, but a dying breed of ambition and splendor. Cities worldwide are growing at rapid speeds with the glamor and opportunity that New York City once had, but sadly, seems to be falling behind on these days. And like New York City, the United States seems to be doing the same. These two institutions are beginning to look like the old man on the block who cannot compete with the new kids because of an unwillingness to change and adapt.

Western Europe and its cities are far older than that of the US and NYC, and yet, they continue to prosper because of their ability to adapt to the new world stage. Most studies show that London is now the new “Financial Capital of the World,” with other world cities even edging in on that. It seems like the dream that is America continues to slowly dwindle away because of our ability to adapt.

President Obama’s platform of “change” needs to continue its rallying call throughout this country, even if people criticize the President for not “changing” things fast enough. Americans must do it themselves, for we are a nation of the People, for the People and by the People. The idealism presented in West Side Story‘s “America” needs to be realized again. New York City, the epicenter of the country, needs to become the forefront of this change. Rather than taking ideas from Europe, like the walking district that Times Square has turned to, or proposed congestion charges like London, New York City needs to lead the pack of what a 21st century city should look like.

The splendor and glamor of America and New York City is dying in the hands of old Republicans through old tactics of fear, and the inability to adapt to new threats in new ways. For heaven’s sake, we are a nation that globe trots preaching freedom and democracy, and yet we still do not allow gays and lesbians to marry or serve in the military. Did we not learn anything from the 1950s/1960s, when we fought communist ideology, yet discriminated against African Americans at home? You cannot preach freedom abroad, when you discriminate at home.

“I want to be in America,” but I want America and our ambassador city, New York City, to realize the potential again and live up to it!

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I have watched the Academy Awards for many years, watching touching moments of winners who had dreamt of the moment from the time they were a young child. Tonight, Kate Winslet finally won her Academy Award for Best Actress, a moment she described as one she had thought of since she was eight years old. I never imagined winning an Oscar; I am no actor, nor I am I sound technician, cinematographer or a director. 2009′s Academy Awards ceremomy made me feel like a winner and made me feel like an American. Never have I watched an Oscar ceremony finding myself brought to tears because a dream, an American Dream, was propelled in such a way that afffected me, a gay American.

When I saw “Milk” I was brought to tears, tears of sadness and hope. It was a film that touched me to a depth no film had touched for as long as I could remember. Harvey Milk was and continues to be a figure that Americans, gay and straight, should look to for inspiration and hope. Watching this film reaffirmed my belief that I am a legitimate citizen of the United States and rightfully due the rights and privileges due to all citizens. The film reaffirmed my belief that one day the United States of America would live up to its promise of justice and equality for all.

Tonight, I watched the Academy Awards and saw a gay male, Dustin Lance Black, accept an Academy
Award for Best Screenplay for “Milk.” Brought to tears as I finally saw an openly gay male on national and international tv openly express his sexuality whist accepting an Oscar, he said:

If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by the churches, by the government, by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights, federally, across this great nation of ours.

There has been a lot of changes in our nation in the last four months. President Obama has taken office promising change. I cannot remember a moment when a young and vibrant gay male took the national stage and reminded Americans, young and old, gay and straight, that the gay community are people; they are Americans, and they are equal and beautiful. This is something I have felt and believed for as long as I can remember. Some people are not so lucky to be raised in an atmosphere that fertilizes this understanding. A speech like this can and hopefully will speak to Americans, gay and straight, young and old, that we are “wonderful creatures of value.” 

The moment of inspiration and hope was built upon when Sean Penn won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Harvey Milk in “Milk.” Personally, I felt that Penn fully owned his role and portrayed Harvey Milk in such a way that audiences would feel compassion and sorrow, yet hope for a brighter tomorrow. Fortunately, the Academy agreed. Penn took the stage and opened his speech of gratitude with, “You commie, homo-loving sons of guns.” Penn toys with the ideas of leftist ideas of equality and communism. One could almost say he draws upon J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI communist and homosexual fighter of the the 1950s and 1960s. Sean Penn’s Oscar win allowed a second international moment for gay equality:

For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think it’s a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that support. We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone.

As a young, gay American I watched this Academy Award ceremony like every other citizen. I’ve done this year in and year out. Everyone has that Oscar moment they will remember. For some it is the moment where Halle Berry won her Oscar. For others it will be when be the fact that “Slimdog Millionaire” won Best Film. 2009′s Academy Award ceremony has created a moment for me as a time that I’ll remember that me, my gay friends, and all my allies were recognized on an international platform. I am a beautiful creature of value. My gay friends are beautiful creatures of value. One day, we will be equal. Hopefully, this ceremony convinced one more person that this is our future; the future of the United States.

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The Mayor of Las Vegas is angry with President Obama. As the president crosses the country in his bid to stimulate support for his package to spark economic growth, President Obama stated, “You can’t get corporate jets, you can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayer’s dime.” This is in reference to Wells Fargo’s lavish corporate trip to Sin City that had a massive price tag associated with it, but has since been cancelled. Wells Fargo received $25 billion in federal bailout money in 2008 and received harsh criticism when news broke of the corporate retreat.

Mayor Oscar Goodmand of Las Vegas wrote a letter to President Obama asking our leader to refrain from making such comments because it hurts the tourism industry and the cities that depend on business tourism to survive. Nevada’s Congressperson, Shelley Berkley, chimed in and wrote to the President:

Mr. President, I support your efforts to curb corporate excesses in your recovery plan, but from the neon lights of Las Vegas to the Chicago skyline, from the white sands of Hawaii to the Kansas heartland, tourism means jobs. We need your support and we need the business more than ever before.

I think Nevada, particularly the Mayor of Las Vegas, is missing the point President Obama is attempting to make here. If a company has the profits and financial stability to plan and carry out a corporate trip, then by all means this should happen. If a company has the profit to stay at the Wynn on the Las Vegas Strip, there is no reason to stop them. In fact, yes, this does help the economy.

If a company is performing so poorly, and has made such irrational decisions and taken such frivolous acts as we have seen within the banking industry, then perhaps Las Vegas is not the place to be going. These acts have caused destabilizing effects on an entire nation, and globe at that. If a company needs to be bailed out by the federal government, then cancelling a lavish Las Vegas trip sounds in line with something that your average American family would have to do if a family member lost employment. Companies bailed out by the government and then sending employees on weekend getaways is similar to an unemployed citizen lacking any savings and in debt to Visa going to Hawaii to soak in some rays for a few weeks.  If you do not have the money, you can’t have luxury! President Obama knows this. I know this. Why can’t Mayor Goodmand wrap his head around it?

Wells Fargo, amongst numerous other banks, provided risky loans to borrowers. Apparently luck is not on their side, so Las Vegas really should be the last place to send employees. If companies that have been bailed out by the federal government really feel a need to take their employees to a recognition retreat in Nevada, like all Americans, they need to do it economically. Don’t book suites at the Wynn or the Venetian on the Las Vegas Strip, book a room Circus Circus in Reno!

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Today, a nation is reborn with the hope and the reality of the American people. After years of treacherous mismanagement, the United States of America can once again return to the founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Each citizen being motivated under new leadership to prosper individually and as a country. Unfounded prosperity beckons.

For too long have we suffered under the chains and confinement of narrow thinking. Today, we break free from years past and sit at the dawn of an era where once again the United States of America can innovate and lead by our example rather than simply a strong fist. As we begin to work together to rebuild a nation destroyed by power, greed and pure negligence, we stand before a world ready and waiting. We must not disappoint.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama make me want to be a better American. They remind me of the pillars that this great nation is built upon, the American Dream. Through hard work and determination, we can succeed. The socio-political situation was rocky yesterday and it will be rocky tomorrow, but the Obamas have reminded all of us that each of us has the ability to change the world. Sitting like oligarchs, the GOP worked to destroy this ideal, and humbled they now sit. The time has come for the land of opportunity to once again live up to its name.

Our streets may not be paved with gold, but we can once again stand behind Lady Liberty proudly and work towards our new bright future together with our new President. President Obama, welcome to the White House, our house. We the people are ready for you!

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A momentous week begins with the observing of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, followed by the official inauguration of president-elect Barack Obama. The irony that our first African American president will be inaugurated within a week where we remember MLK and the work he did for our nation.

San Francisco has a memorial to MLK, Jr. and in honor of the great civil rights leader, here are some visuals of the memorial to commemorate his American legacy.

I have a dream that one day gay equality will no longer be a political issue, but simply the law of the land. What is your dream? Share it here.

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2009 is here and in less than three weeks, we will see President Elect Obama sworn in, replacing the horrid and treacherous President Bush. With the new year, comes a new president and new era for America. As they sing  in Rent, “Time’s are shitty, but I’m pretty sure they can’t get any worse.” 2009 may be economically rough for a lot of Americans, but with new leadership in this new year, Americans should remain inspired and optimistic.

2008 ended with an active social uproar for LGBT equality. 2008 ended with President Elect Obama announcing a push for scientific advancement and stronger focus on scientific research within the nation. His calls are reminiscent of America’s quest to be the first nation on the moon in the late 50s/early 60s. We’ve begun this new year poised for  real change and growth for our nation, similar to the advancements we made in the 1960s. 2009 should be the year where the United States reclaims its position on the global stage.

The new year will start with a continued push for equality, as a nationwide protest is planned January 10th to ask President Elect Obama to quickly work towards the repeal of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Here’s a video that puts together the new civil rights movement that will continue into this new year.

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I’ve seen Susan Lucci and Vanessa Williams do fantastic versions of Scrooge (yes, on the Lifetime Network). The Christmas Carol has been redone time and time again, but this time it is political.

The Courage Campaign has funded and created a new 2008 Scrooge video for all of us to share. It features Governor Schwarzenegger and asks why he hasn’t approved a Democrat budget that increases funds, whilst maintaining important social programs.

Here’s to you Governor Schwarzenegger. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Video courtesy of the Courage Campaign – www.CourageCampaign.org – A New Era for Progressive Politics in California

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Wednesday, November 5th began with darkness at the dawn of a new America. Excitement at Obama’s win of the White House soon faded with resutl of California’s Prop 8 passing by the slimmest of margins. I tried to look on the bright side of things. Though the battle for equality was lost, at least I could find comfort that the President-elect would bring a renaissance to the country. This worked for about an hour. As I walked to work, the visions of Prop 8 proponents reveling in their win came to mind and emotions took over.

I’ve been “that gay guy” since before I knew I was gay myself. Elementary school. Junior High. High School. Now. I’ve been openly gay for ten years. Despite the name calling, the glares and the injustices seen, I never felt like less of a person. I have deep faith in the Constitution and its ability to protect me and treat me equally. Even when the people around may not treat me the same, the governing document would. However, as I walked to work knowing that the California Constitution had actually been amended to treat me unequally. For the first time in my life, I felt like a second class citizen; and with that, less of a person. My faith in liberty, justice and the California Constitution beaten down. The highest of documents in the state would now be treating me unequally. The unknown feeling hurt deepl; pain and angst that it was actually happening. Today wore on and I found it hard to surpress these feelings, despite my desire to be strong.

Civil rights struggles have never been easy and they have never been quick. I had a strong belief that this time it would be different and to be proven wrong was more than disappointing. Where would I find the strength to believe again, feeling personally attacked by each supporter of Prop 8? Thinking about their smiling, joyous faces from their victory. Even though I do not believe in traditional ideologies of God, I wanted to believe as Jesus said on the cross, “God forgive them, they know not what they do.” This rhetoric provided no comfort.

With the evening upon me, I heard a vigil for equality was to be held at San Francisco’s City Hall. A group of everyday Californians gathered to remember how far we’ve come, be re-energized as a beaten people and find strength for the continued struggle to be endured tomorrow, next week and everyday after, until full equality for all is fully realized. The company of these like-minded individuals reminded me that it is not over. We shall overcome. Liberty and justice will prevail. Marching up San Francisco’s Market Street, blocking traffic, and chanting “What do we want? Equality. When do we want it? Now!” reinvigorated my belief and faith that equality will be won. The Constitution, both federally and at the state level, will be upheld and Americans will be equal.

I end the day having been beaten down, but now standing strong as a Californian and an American. The tide of change has come with our future President Barack Obama and the rippling effect his presidency will have shall bring us victory in the end. And so the fight goes on and I feel strong. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” I refuse to allow the hate mongers of Prop 8 to make me feel like a second class citizen. Obama has brought on a new dawn, a new day and a new spirit to us, the People of the United States of America, the People of California and so the beat goes on!

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Quietly sitting in my apartment, I began to hear a chant from my window coming from a couple blocks away. Unable to make out the chant, I ventured out and found a protest outside KFC. Protesters, with painted faces calling for a boycott, filled the corner surrounding the local KFC. I spoke to one of the protesters and was told that major suppliers of chicken to KFC are torturing animals in a quest to mass produce chicken products for Colonel Sanders. The less than comfortable settings for animals on factory farms is nothing new. California Prop 2 attempts to set higher standards for farms in the state to help promote healthier production than those that KFC’s suppliers are accused of maintaining. Prop 2 focuses more on egg laying hens, than chicken meat farms. However, a step for California in this direction of healthier food production is the right step for food production and a reduction in animal cruelty.

According to the Kentucky Fried Cruelty movement, these farms feed chickens drugs that force them to grow so fast their increased weight cannot be supported by their own legs, forcing many legs to break. Careless workers often break the wings of chickens whilst throwing them into new cages, with some workers being caught “throwing them around like footballs.” Additional research has found that many chickens are still alive when thrown into boiling hot water to remove feathers.

Now, PETA is the promoter of the KFC boycott, and sometimes this group is rather intense in their efforts. Additionally, it is easy to believe this organization over exaggerates their claims. Such claims include that KFC’s suppliers actually cut off chicken beaks at birth so they do not peck. A result is that their natural instincts are not allowed to take shape. PETA has asked KFC to make efforts and changes to stop these actions, but nothing has been done. Based on literature, the call is not to stop eating meat (though the PETA page heavily promotes going vegetarian), it is simply asking a large chain of restaurants to use its power of purchase to change supplier ways.

Below is a video of the protest outside my local KFC and you may see it soon at yours. Additionally, a video, with Pamela Anderson, describes PETA’s findings on KFC’s suppliers. It is true that other suppliers of other animal products may participate and provide products to other chains or even supermarkets that you or I shop at. KFC is the one in the PETA hot seat at the moment. I don’t usually choose KFC as my choice fast food, but now there is no choice.

(www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com)

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Chelsea Handler is a great comedian and her late night program, “Chelsea Lately” on E! is always good for a laugh. Chelsea has an assistant, Chuy, who is a little person and often the two do little segments for their show. The clip below plays off Chuy’s status as a little person to make a political point, discrimination is wrong.

Chelsea has been an advocate for equal rights and voting No on Prop 8. Like most comedians, she is intelligent and thoughtful, using humor to get the point across. The skit not only promotes voting no on Prop 8, it also indirectly plays off this idea of teaching “gay marriage” to small children. Even though defeating Prop 8 does not mean same-sex marriage will be taught in school, the skit makes one think that maybe parents should be discussing the issue with their kids a bit earlier in life, so that it’s not such a big deal. Anyway…have a laugh and enjoy the creativity Prop 8 is fueling and tell everyone you know, “NO ON 8.”

Donate and help get “No on Porp 8″ commercials on TV during the last days before the election: www.NoOnProp8.com

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