Is "Canadian" the new "Black" in the US?

Check out this post at Racialicious about some people in the United States who use the term "Canadian" as code for "black" to hide racism.

Here is a priceless comment from the post:

"Jesus. I’m Black and Canadian. What would they call me? Canadian Canadian?"

Read more.

New bacteria follow-up

The New York Times Well Blog is reporting that the media frenzy around a new strain of resistant bacteria among men in San Francisco began with some potentially misleading information.

An excerpt:

"While it is true that clusters of MRSA have been identified among men who have sex with men, it has also been found in areas where people share close quarters, such as military barracks and prisons. Athletes also are at risk...This doesn’t mean athletes should panic about MRSA; nor should gay men or anybody else for that matter. The bottom line is that everyone needs to pay attention to hygiene, wash hands often, limit the sharing of personal items and seek medical attention when a blemish or pimple seems to get worse quickly."

Keep it clean.

Read more.

Taylor Dayne is back!

Hat Tip to kennethinthe(212)!

Songstress Taylor Dayne, who became a gay icon with her 1987 "Tell It To My Heart" anthem, is back with a new album 'Satisfied' due for release on 5 February 2008. kennethinthe(212) gives a nice review.

The video for "Beautiful," the first single released from the album, brings me back to the late 80s and emanates the same pop happiness as Janet Jackson's 1989 video for "Love Will Never Do."

So here are both, injections of summertime for those of you looking for warmth in the midst of winter. Enjoy!

Drop The Guns, Boys!

Out of OkapiStudio come these two outstanding ads for an anti-racism and anti-nationalism campaign with the caption, "Drop The Guns, Boys! Racism Is A Mass Destruction Weapon."





Read and see more.

Final thoughts on CBC - Test The Nation: Trivia

Being on CBC's Test The Nation: Trivia was really a great experience for me, James, gay person of color. I was apprehensive about wearing a t-shirt that had printed on it the words "gay persons of color," but I managed to muster up the courage to wear the garment on the show and enter proudly for the first time in my life into a situation where everyone would be immediately aware of the fact that I was gay. Wow! For me, this was significant, and even more important than my insecurities that were somehow resolved was the fact that I was welcomed by so many of my fellow bloggers and other contestants on the show as their equal, as a human being, as me. Yes, I grew up in Montreal, a fairly liberal city. Nevertheless, I have often felt, as a double minority (and even triple if one considers my left-handedness!), apart from, rather than a part of, any collective endeavour. But for a fleeting moment of beauty, I was on a team of wonderful people with the same goal in mind - to take advantage of a fantastic opportunity and have fun on a little show called Test The Nation: Trivia. I am elated to be writing this because it approaches exactly what I have been trying to communicate through this blog. As a gay person of color, I felt like an intricate and necessary thread in the fabric of the microcosm of society that was my winning Blogger Team, and for this I will never forget the experience.

One last time, thanks Blogger Team:

Dan Arnold
Jon Arnold
Christopher Bird
Buzz Bishop
Rebecca Bollwitt
Ryan Couldrey
Ryan Cousineau
Katharine Hay
Jesse Hirsch
David Jones
Allyson Kenning
John Klein
Andree Lau
Lainey Lui
Amber Macarthur
John Martz
Hugh McGuire
Mark McIntyre
Patrick Metzger
Andy Nulman
Ryan Porter
Adam Schwabe
Craig Silverman
Julien Smith
Allan Sorenson
Rick Spence
Graeme Stewart
David Topping
Kate Trgovac
Rannie Turingan
Karen Whaley
Frank Yang

and our Blogger Team alternates:

Heath Slawner
Eden Spodek

Heath Ledger dies

I am shocked by the death of Heath Ledger at the age of 28. While not a gay person of color, Heath was seen as an icon by millions of gays worldwide for his portrayal of character Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain.

Read more.

Results - CBC - Test The Nation: Trivia

We won!

It was a great experience about which I will write more in the very near future, but for now, I just want to congratulate all of my blogging cohorts for their fine efforts last night in achieving a winning average score of 50 correct answers out of 60. It was amazing to have met all of you.

Thanks Blogger Team:

Dan Arnold
Jon Arnold
Christopher Bird
Buzz Bishop
Rebecca Bollwitt
Ryan Couldrey
Ryan Cousineau
Katharine Hay
Jesse Hirsch
David Jones
Allyson Kenning
John Klein
Andree Lau
Lainey Liu
Amber Macarthur
John Martz
Hugh McGuire
Mark McIntyre
Patrick Metzger
Andy Nulman
Ryan Porter
Adam Schwabe
Craig Silverman
Julien Smith
Allan Sorenson
Rick Spence
Graeme Stewart
David Topping
Kate Trgovac
Rannie Turingan
Karen Whaley
Frank Yang

and our Blogger Team alternates:

Heath Slawner (who ended up achieving great success on the Cab Driver Team!)

Eden Spodek

Special thanks to Rannie for the great photos of the team and event.

Also, additional photos at The Tea Makers.

Again, more pics at Torontoist.

And read more on the CBC Test The Nation: Trivia website.

Reminder - CBC - Test The Nation: Trivia

Watch me and play along on Sunday, January 20th, on CBC, 8:00-10:00 PM EST.

Have fun and read more!

Andrew Sullivan on the Clintons and Civil Rights

Andrew Sullivan commenting on the civil rights record of the Clintons:

"...But as soon as the gays had performed their role - financing the Clintons in power and supporting their campaign - the Clintons turned on us. They dropped their promise to end the military's ban instantaneously and then presided over a doubling of the discharges of gay servicemembers under the hideous "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. They then used the other emerging civil rights issue - marriage equality - to triangulate against gay couples. They ran ads on Christian radio stations bragging about the Defense of Marriage Act that president Clinton eagerly signed. And the only gay people they embraced were those willing to continue to trade money for access - and loyalty to the Clintons. Who helped them devise this anti-gay strategy? Dick Morris. Who recommended hiring him in the first place? Hillary Clinton."

Read more.

Question - Do any of the potential American presidential candidates genuinely embrace gay rights?

For some answers, read Karen Ocamb at The Huffington Post for a gay perspective on the American primaries.

Racism. Stop it!

I really like this public service announcement, one of the entries to the 2008 Racism Stop It! national video contest in Canada.



It's simple, and to the point.

Read more.

New bacteria infecting gay men

This is frightening.

The New York Times is reporting that a new, highly drug-resistant strain of bacteria is spreading rapidly among gay communities in San Francisco and Boston.

According to researchers, this new strain of the "flesh-eating" MRSA bacteria "seemed to be spread most easily through anal intercourse but also through casual skin-to-skin contact and touching contaminated surfaces."

Read more.

American Airlines launches first gay print ad campaign

Gaywired is reporting that American Airlines has committed to its first major gay ad campaign using vintage 50s-era illustrated posters depicting two men stepping off the plane together and the tagline "Fly Forward."

The ad is currently featured in the print version of The Advocate.

Read more.

Me on CBC - Test The Nation: Trivia

On Sunday 20 January at 20:00 EST Test The Nation: Trivia will air on CBC and will challenge teams of Cab Drivers, Chefs, Flight Crews, Backpackers, Celebrity Look-alikes, and Bloggers (of which I am one!) to find out how well they know the world of the 21st century.

Each team has 36 members, and here is the list of the Blogger team and links:

Dan Arnold
Jon Arnold
Christopher Bird
Buzz Bishop
Rebecca Bollwitt
Ryan Couldrey
Ryan Cousineau
Katharine Hay
Jesse Hirsch
David Jones
Allyson Kenning
John Klein
Andree Lau
Lainey Liu
Amber Macarthur
John Martz
Hugh McGuire
Mark McIntyre
Patrick Metzger
Andy Nulman
Ryan Porter
Adam Schwabe
Craig Silverman
Julien Smith
Allan Sorenson
Rick Spence
Graeme Stewart
David Topping
Kate Trgovac
Rannie Turingan
James Viloria
Karen Whaley
Frank Yang

Quite a diverse group of teammates I'd say. People have been asking me if I am excited about being on a nationwide trivia show as me, James Viloria aka Gay Person of Color, and only lately has it hit me that this is not only a television programme, but also a reflection of the diversity of Canada and of this country's interest in the world at large. Thank you CBC for asking me to be on the show, and thank you readers, again, for making this project a worthwhile experience.

Read more.

Somali Gay Community

The Somali Gay Community website was launched late last year in the UK and is reportedly the first of its kind in Somali history and culture anywhere in the world.

Check out an interesting section on Homosexuality in Islam.

And read more.

Gay politician Benjamin "BJ" Cruz wins in Guam

Hat tip to Queerty!

Benjamin "BJ" Cruz, a former Guamanian Supreme Court judge won a special senatorial election last weekend. He was endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

Cruz came out into the open about his homosexuality in 1995.

Read more.

Gays in the military in South Korea

The Korea Times is reporting on the story of a gay policeman in Seoul who was forced to come out and face discrimination and insults by his colleagues.

An excerpt:

"In fact, the military is one of the toughest places for homosexuals. According to military law, homosexuality is a violation of rules banning sodomy and is also described as a kind of mental disorder. Those revealed to be gay were sent to mental hospitals or prisons because of these clauses."

Read more.

Gay Muslims in Berlin

Another interesting New York Times article, this one about gay Muslims of Turkish or Arab background who frequent a monthly club night in Berlin.

An excerpt:

"To be a gay man or lesbian with an immigrant background invites trouble here in two very different ways...'Depending on which part of Berlin I go to, in one I get punched in the mouth because I’m a foreigner and in the other because I’m a queen,' said Fatma Souad, the event’s organizer and master of ceremonies. Ms. Souad, 43, a transgender performer born in Ankara as a boy named Ali, has put on the party for over a decade."

Read more.

HIV in the US on the rise in men under 30

The New York Times is reporting on a recent trend of H.I.V. infection in younger men in the United States.

An excerpt:

"New figures from [New York City's] Department of Health and Mental Hygiene show that the annual number of new infections among black and Hispanic men who have sex with men rose 34 percent between 2001 and 2006, and rose for all men under 30 who have sex with men by 32 percent."

These numbers, according to researchers, mirror American national statistics.

Read more.

Happy New Year!