Martin Luther King Jr. Day

It's MLK Day and I was trying to think of what I could write that would pay adequate tribute to him. And I realized that his message was and still is so important for our society, so instead of trying and, potentially, failing, I will quote Martin Luther King himself.

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals." -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

And include the video Ten OTHER Things Martin Lurther King Said by Jay Smooth of Ill Doctrine. Because "at this time of year we always hear the same 2 or 3 MLK clips over and over, but there was much more to the man. So here are ten of my favorite quotes from MLK that aren't heard as often."




Just listen to the wisdom of Martin Luther King and reflect on what we all can do individually and together to create progress for all of us. And consider what you can do to help end racism, classism, and sexism - whether they effect you or not. Being conscious that these issues still exist is not enough if we do nothing to change the status quo. Because, as Dr. Horrible states, "Destroying the status quo because the status is not quo."

Have a great day everyone and remember all that Martin Luther King, Jr. accomplished for our society, as well as remember his dream and continue working towards it.

Be proud of who you are!

Being a teenager is hard for everyone, now imagine what it might feel like if you you were also an atypical teenager. There have been multiple teen suicides in the last week by students who were outed, tormented, bullied, and harassed for their sexuality.


Multiple studies have shown that LGBT teens are at a higher risk to attempt suicide. "A controversial U.S. government study, titled Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide, published in 1989, found that LGBT youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than other young people." And "for every completed suicide by a young person, it is estimated that 100 to 200 attempts are made (2003 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey)."

So, while suicide is tragic for every community, it is especially tragic for the queer community because it affects so many of our youth. And in this day and age it is absolutely ludicrous that people discriminate and tease other youths to the extent that they feel hopeless. And it is EVERYONE'S responsibility to change our society. Today, I am going to support The Trevor Project whose focus is on helping end teen suicide among LGBT youth. They "advocate acceptance and help prevent teen suicide by promoting mental health and positive self-esteem through a premiere on line destination, nationwide 24/7 call centers, and empowering social activities."

They are an amazing group, don't believe me, here is Daniel Radcliff's PSA for The Trevor Project.



For more information, here are a few links.
Suicide among LGBT youth - Wikipedia.
Gay And Lesbian Teen Suicide: The Trevor Project Helpline - NowPublic.
The Trevor Project.

Angelina Jolie on the Pakistan flooding.

I was reading more about the Pakistan flooding and it just moved me so much. Its difficult to convey the true scope of the catastrophe or the urgent needs of the people affected. So I am going to let Angelina Jolie express her thoughts on it and hope they touch as they did me.



And here's another one, where she hopes people will start giving and helping and not give in to donor fatigue.  While not all of us can afford to give the $100,000 that she has, we can afford to give something. The numbers for Pakistan are very low considering the scope of the tragedy. "While 3 million people were affected in Haiti the number affected in Pakistan is 7 times as much and climbing. As the flood waters recede, human misery is escalating."I will be donating to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as Angelina Jolie suggests, because they are working with the people directly affected and they are already there on the ground.



Please join me in helping those affected Pakistan flood, and if you know of any good organizations doing good work their, please do no hesitate to recommend them. Thanks and enjoy your weekend.

We are the World!

Just a video reminder that it is up t each and every one of us to create the change we wish to se in the world. If we don't do it, no one will. So please remember to help your fellow man.