Blunt and to the POINT, you've been warned

I have been sitting on this post in my head for some time now but it came to a boil a couple of days ago. This is what prompted it. A friend on Twitter, a liberal preacher who I really admire, posted a sermon on inclusiveness. Good sermon. Then he asked could he preach this to gay congegations, muslim conregations, etc? I said yes, why not, and the reply was something to the feect of I can't point out minority short-comings. Not a quote.

I have had enough of this shit. I am listening to Progressive Christianity because I want to have God back in my life. Period. I won't go all into the yadda-yadda of my background; suffice it to say I was force-fed Southern Baptist christianity for 16 years. I have been Wiccan for decades and frankly, I'm about to go back. Here's why.

I am WHITE. There. I said it. I am not apologizing for that anymore. I am STRAIGHT. There. I said it. And I'm not apologizing for the negative actions taken in that label's name anymore. I am NOT automatically "priviledged" just because i am WHITE and STRAIGHT. Anyone that thinks that is laying the same demeaning blanket over me that black, gay, Muslim, what the hell ever has had.

I live in the SOUTH. No apologies for THAT anymore. I am TIRED OF BEING ASHAMED. When attempting to see how exactly to be "gay-affirming" the latest popular phrase on Twitter, i read where straight people are using the wrong words, using the wrong names, doing the things the WRONG way to help their gay friends. Well EXCUSE THE FUCK OUTTA ME! I am NOT reading ten books on the politically correct way to help people, when it's words that are getting in the way. Where is the grace from gay people just to LOVE the straight people who honestly, in their heart, are trying to fucking HELP!!!

My best friend I ever had was gay and that boy, and yes I said BOY, and no, he wasn't BLACK, was the friend I always wanted, always needed. He listened to me because he wanted to hear what I said. He loved me for me. And he was MURDERED by his partner in New Orleans seven years ago. He was in a relationship that was abusive and he had NO WHERE TO GO because he was gay. I would pick him up when he passed out in public places from his Oxycotin habit, he would assure me I was ok as well, with things I was going thru. We SUPPORTED each other, regardless of terms, labels, rules, regulations. miss to this day.

I want all people to see there is DISCRIMINATION on ALL sides, all races all classes all sexes, all EVERYTHING. I am sick of the crap. I support the gay community. But you know what? When I wanted to volunteer at a Mardi Gras Society here that is gay, WITH a gay friend who is a member of that Society, i was TURNED DOWN FLAT. Why? Because I was straight. It didn't matter I'm an artist, it didn't matter I had experience working on floats, or doing backgrounds. It didn't matter that I was volunteering because I WANTED TO SHOW SUPPORT OF THE FIRST GAY SOCIETY IN MOBILE. aAll that mattered was that I was straight. And that was very angrily said to me in no uncertain terms. Rules matter for everyone. No matter what.

I put together a protest here against BP when the oilspill was going on. There was a friend of mine, Muslim, who was there with her head wrap on and NO, i don't KNOW the term for it. She wasn't allowed on camera because of her attire. Was I supposed to tell them forget it the whole coverage because of that? I didn't even know until after the fact because i didn't KNOW it had happened.

Here in Mobile ALABAMA mardi Gras is till segregated, the black societies have their own coronation and King and Queen. Mardi Gras srarted HERE, not in New Orleans. It's that way because people of both races WANT it that way. If I were to go to a black mardi Gras Society and say I wanted to pay the dues and join I would be TURNED AWAY. Rules matter. No matter what.

I am a white, 52 year old Irish, Aries, artist. I have tried to fully support all of my friends, no matter what their "status" happenes to be. I have had death threats for being Wiccan, drinking in a bar with a black guy friend of mine, and I don't care. i have screamed at racist, sexist school principals because of prejudice against my kid for her hair being green when the guys could wear any color they wanted, I have been in the trenches with the "outcast" all my life. And I'm still getting slammed because i am white and priviledged?

Lemme tell you something. I have survived rape, domestic abuse, addiction, dicrimination, sexual harassment at work, have been stalked and gone thru the court system for an abusive ex, been called out for my religion, my sex, my race, my attitude, my attire, my EVERYTHING. I have never owned a home in my life, have been on foodstamps and hated it, blah, blah, FUKIN BLAH!!!! sO FUKIN WHAT! I'm here and I am a viable human being and I am sick of being marginalized because I don't know how to support or help somebody. And no, this is NOT a pity party, look-what-Ive-been-thru post. It's just FACT.

I am NOT republican, am not stupid because I have a southern accent or I type quickly and don't use spell check. I am HERE. And I want a church that is viable that loves that has the grace that I have personally experienced with ONE progressive preacher. NO i DON'T want to take communion on the Internet, I want to go to church and fell it.

Sometimes things just swing too far. I am not apologizing anymore. And one last thing.....anyone ever seen the movie "Magnificent Obsession"? The main thought of this movie is to help people when you can, go out of your way to do it, put yourself out there, but DON'T TELL ANYONE. That was the whole point. It was grace because you really wanted to do it, love because you felt it, not because you wanted to be patted on the fukin back.

So.....that's it. I'm done.