Baseball to recognize gay player from the past

This was news to me.

Glenn Burke was 27 when he walked out on Major League Baseball, his promising career as an outfielder undone mostly by the burden of being a semicloseted gay man. It was 1980, and it was more important, Burke later explained, to be himself than to be a professional baseball player.

Here's a link to the NYT story, which is both sad and uplifting. I look forward to hearing more about him. It's great that Major League Baseball is remembering him. They couldn't handle it when he played but at least they're talking about him as a gay athlete today. If he was still alive, I think he'd be very happy about this.

And Billy Martin was a big old pig. Read the story to find out why I say this. And then hiss at Martin's memory. SSSSsssssssssss!

I side with Maya Peterson

White privilege really sucks. Go read this story about "the first black female student president of The Lawrenceville School, an affluent academy for boarding and day students located in New Jersey". Afterward, perhaps you'll join me in a cheer: "Go, Maya!"

I know, I know. It's the 4th of July and you're busy getting drunk while attempting to increase your weight by eating everything in sight. Maybe these excerpts will pique your interest and make you put that beer can down. Here's Maya speaking for herself:

"Yes, I am making a mockery of the right-wing, confederate-flag hanging, openly misogynistic Lawrentians," Peterson told BuzzFeed. "If that's a large portion of the school's male population, then I think the issue is not with my bringing attention to it in a lighthearted way, but rather why no one has brought attention to it before."

At least one alumnus is on her side:

"The fact that Maya and friends were reprimanded for throwing up black power signs that made white students uncomfortable but these white students are never, to my knowledge, reprimanded for making black students uncomfortable is the definition of racism."

This story raised my hackles. When an underdog fights back, he or she is usually crushed by the powers that be. That's what happened to Maya Peterson. And it's wrong.

Want to donate cash to a good cause?

Go read this story about the "Prancing Elites". That's them on the left. I watched a few of the videos at the linked page. They're talented.

The story starts out in a way that may make you think it's anti-gay. But it definitely isn't.
The Prancing Elites have been discriminated against, again and again. But they never give up. Here's the thing: all they want to do is dance safely. But no one will rent them a space to practice. And why? Because they're a black gay dance troupe and they live in the south. Yup, git country. So if you have some cash to help them out, head on over here. (That's a link to their Kickstarter page.)

Their honesty and non-adversarial attitude really lifted me up on this rainy, foggy afternoon, a mere two days before Xmas. Do click on the first link (here it is again) to learn more about their situation. As an enticement, here's a line from the story:

"It's OK for a woman to put on tights and play football, but when a man wants to put on leotard and tights, it's a problem."

You know you want to read that. Anyway, my thanks to the dancers of the Prancing Elites. You guys really gave me a boost today. May you live well and prosper!

Note: The photo is from their facebook page.

Iran snubs half its population

Today's NYT:

Subjects now open only to men include accounting, engineering and pure chemistry, according to the Iranian news Web site Rooz Online. The University of Tehran, for example, will now accept only male applicants for subjects relating to natural resources, forestry and mathematics. Most petroleum-related subjects have also been made exclusive to men. 

“Some fields are not very suitable for women’s nature,” said Abolfazl Hasani, a senior Iranian education official, according to the Rooz Online report. 

Also note:

Women account for nearly 60 percent of university students in Iran.

Religion poisons everything.

The disease spreads

Some financially strong Catholic-sponsored medical centers are joining with smaller secular hospitals, in some cases limiting access to treatments like contraception and abortion.

The gay-hating pope

Note: I had this post up about a week ago but then decided it might be too much for visitors and took it down. That was silly of me and I've changed my mind. In fact, I'll be trashing the pope regularly. Here it is.

The creature who now calls himself pope is one sick puppy. Please tell me why this man feels compelled to lash out at gay people at every opportunity.

Oh, wait. I already know. He's a closet case, that's why. I think every gay person recognizes, through gaydar, that the pope is gay. His self-hatred, then, is immense.

This is the creature who said this year that gay people are "an attack on creation." He said this in a world environment where gay people are often attacked and murdered because of their sexual orientation. In other words, this lowly man foments hatred and murder against gay men, lesbians and transgender people. This is undeniable and inexcusable.

We should not be surprised, however. This same creature went to Africa last year, in effect, to kill a lot of people who live there. He actually told these folks, who live in a country where AIDS is rampant, that condoms do not protect you against AIDS.  Let's repeat this in clear terms: The pope lied to people in a way that will cause their deaths. This is the type of man he is. This is the type of organization he heads. (I roar with laughter when the church speaks of a "loving god." Pompous, evil twits, all of them.)

The anti-woman, anti-gay, anti-progress, anti-democrat, anti-sex, anti-life pope still sits on his magic throne, making believe he represents a mythical and needless god. He is the definition of hatred. He is an animal.

I write the pope an email every time he does something vicious. In other words, I write him every week or so. If you'd like to write to him, try benedictxvi@vatican.va  This is the address announced by the Evil Empire when he became empress, er, I mean pope.

I have no idea if anyone reads the emails, but they don't bounce back. I imagine the vatican set it up to throw off the faithful. Actually, I don't think anyone has ever read any of these emails, though they might have told some poor nun to do it.  But then they wouldn't pay attention to her if she told them anything about any of the messages -- because she's a woman. Sounds right, actually.

Go ahead, let the old, self-hating fart know what you think about this religion of his, and how he handles himself. He could use some rational mail. 

Please note: This is not a hateful attack on the pope. It is an attack on the pope's hatred. Different species.