Garrett Graham’s Lecture At Columbia Postponed Due To Weather.

The lecture and reception featuring Garrett Graham, scheduled for Tuesday evening, February 9th in the International Affairs Building on the Columbia campus has been postponed due to the blizzard anticipated to hit New York City sometime late Tuesday and all day Wednesday.

According to Jack Flannigan, the acting Press Secretary for The Gay State, the closure of the New York area airports made travel impossible.  “We have many supporters in the Columbia community who were looking forward to the lecture and post-reception.  We will reschedule the event as soon as all arrangements can be made.  We regret any inconvenience.”

This was to be Graham’s final lecture in the northeast US for this winter season.

Hundreds of Gay Models and Our Allies Turn Out to Participate.

There are days when the phone calls and emails criticizing our cause and vilifying our intentions outweigh the positive ones.  This has not happened for several weeks.  Our request went out far and wide for models to participate in our upcoming photo shoot.  The theme is an Iwo Jima-inspired photo of Gay citizens representing every spectrum of the Gay Rainbow working as one, in harmony to raise a flag above our heads as a people – one people, in our struggle for independence.  The trickle of applicants soon overwhelmed the few staffers in our offices assigned to the project.  Hundreds of emails and attachments flooded our in boxes.  The telephones rang incessantly for days.  And everyone understandably wants in earnest to participate in what could become a global sensation.  Even professional models agreed to work gratis in order to be included.

Jack Flannigan, our Press Secretary, envisioned this as being a small, little project where we might get a few nice shots for the cover of the upcoming edition of The Gay State.  “Very few funds were allocated and now this has exploded into something larger than anyone could have predicted.  It speaks to how much pent-up desire there is out there to see our efforts succeed,”  according to Flannigan. 

The publisher and editorial staff continue to narrow down selections.  “We have always wanted real gay people, to be in this shoot.  A representation of who we are as a people,” Flannigan added.  While the shoot has encountered delays, administrators anticipate a wrap up by February 13th.

As soon as the first place photo is selected, you’ll see it here first.  Mr. Graham and all of us, wish to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation for everyone interest and willingness to put so much effort into this work.  We are humbled by everyone’s commitment to see this project through.

- Jack.

Photo Shoot Needs Models for Book Covers/Poster

 

There is no visual image in the history of American photography that has been more reproduced than that of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima.

 

The iconic stance of those brave men still touches us as they faced almost certain peril, yet continued to press on, so dedicated to their cause, each other and committed to liberty.  We know that all great movements for which men gather require a flag flying above their heads.

 

For our Gay brothers and sisters worldwide, we have chosen to create a photo for the Book cover that is inspired by this famous photo with a new and improved raising of a flag for our international Gay patriots.  It will be a respectful and inspiring work of art and we want you to be involved.

 

We are going to have a photo shoot in NYC (Manhattan) in late January / early February.

 

If you want to be in our series of photos, this is what we are looking for:

 

Men and womyn (18 years of age and older)

We need men and womyn in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

 

Representing all shades of the “Rainbow”

In particular, we seek Asian, South Asian, African, Latin and Caucasians.

 

Given the nature of the shoot we require you be athletic, muscular, fit (ie, military physiques.)  You can have a “face meant for radio,” but a killer body is nice. 

 

You can’t be bashful for this photo shoot, many of you will be bare-chested, wearing only hiking boots and shorts.  Some less, some more.

 

Hair length can be long or short.  Some womyn may also be in sneakers and short shorts or a swimsuit.  Other womyn in long flannel shirt, etc.

 

Any interested model that has military accoutrement – such as military cover (sailor hat, dress cap or helmet, etc) or military issue belt with canteen, etc, this is a real plus, let us know.

 

Also seek a number of Transgender people (to round out the LGBT spectrum) and cross-dressers (done up in “glamour” from head to toes!)

 

Compensation for “real” people includes a small stipend (enough to cover train, gas, parking, etc.)

 

Your name will appear in the photo credits and you will be thanked for serving in the Acknowledgments in upcoming book on Gay equality, Gay independence and social justice.

 

You will be invited to upcoming New York City Book Launch Party, where you will be introduced and asked to “assume the position” as a group.  It should be a lot of fun!

 

The party will be in very Gay Chelsea (a neighborhood in Manhattan), well attended, some celebrities and artists. We anticipate some media attention.

 

The poster and book will be distributed world-wide on five continents, so it/you will get some good exposure.

 

Mixed in with the “real” people models will be leaders from today’s Gay culture (we are still rounding them up as of press time.) so there’s no telling who you’ll be buddying up with.

 

***All Models are required to sign a release form***

 

If you are from one of the selected agencies or sent from our partners at OutSports.com, let us know.

 

If you are interested, here is what you need to do:  Send us an e-mail and include some photos that would be revealing enough to meet the needs of this shot, such as full-body shots and action poses.

 

Tell us your stats; ie, height, weight, hair color if photo is old or dark we won’t be able to tell.  Once on the site, you’ll be able to work out and get all pumped up, but don’t send photos when you were 40 lbs lighter.

 

Send your email and information to:

 

TheGayState@GMail.com

 

 

Deadline is Friday, January 28th, 2010.

We look forward to hearing from you.

*

The photo shoot should take 3-4 hours of your time, most likely in the afternoon.  It could run longer but we don’t anticipate that.

*

We will respond by e-mail to all of the finalists.

*

Thanks to everyone for your willingness to participate!

 

 

~ With Thanks and Best Regards,

Adam Markowitz

 

What Will It Take For Americans To Rise Up And Take To The Streets?

So let’s review: It has been one year out of our lives. Hundreds of billions of dollars spent to prop up this ridiculous government. The pathetic Right, hypocrites all, but oh so competent in their greed. And the Left is worse, wasting their governing, throwing it away while probably having their own pockets lined. The Keystone Kops would be abler at running things… 

If Obama had any balls (and he could borrow them from Hillary!) …

he’d lower their salaries (Senate and House, both) to a $1.00 a year for the next year to make up for their squandering of America’s resources and the damage they’ve brought to our country.  Anyone who doesn’t like it can resign and good riddance!  If they are in Washington as my public servant, don’t be in it for the money.  Or better yet, pay on performance.

Make no mistake, barring the rare, lone wolf in the government who puts Americans first, this government has abandoned the people  to support Wall Street, big business and bankers.  Do we all know where we stand in this?

Conditions In Iraq Continue To Worsen For LGBT

Since the American invasion, Muslim clerics continue to strengthen their stranglehold on Iraq.  Long gone are the days of secular law, when government was not controlled by faith based organizations.  And in this respect, American occupation has allowed the LGBT community to be exposed to great danger.  Killings, executions and beatings are our people go unchecked.  To the larger world, they remain invisible. Their plight all but ignored.

To be sure there are many dark and gloomy pockets in this world where Gays are routinely oppressed and subjected to a savage brutality.  But it tends to be only the individual cases that get any attention.  As reported here several posts ago, the Gay couple from Malawi held in prison without bail, taken into custody at their engagement party for their Homosexual conduct.  Meanwhile, thousands of us, every day of the year, face beatings, execution, psychological torture, and imprisonment, for no more than who we are and who we love.

So, you might wonder, where is the U.S. Government, rushing to their aid?  Where are the American soldiers that allowed this wave of torture to come to power?  As is often the case, our people are left with little protection and defense and find themselves on their own, fighting to stay alive in the hostile lands of their birth.

We can not give up hope.  These people must not be forgotten.  We have organizations working to make their plight known to the outside world.

I urge you to contact the U.S. State Department and express your dismay with the U.S. policy and their unacceptable lack of support for the LGBT community in a hostile Iraq; conditions that were created by U.S. actions.

You can go directly to the U.S. State Department’s Question page by clicking here  on the following link:  http://contact-us.state.gov/cgi-bin/state.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php?p_sid=dK528VRj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPSZwX3

NvcnRfYnk9JnBfZ3JpZHNvcnQ9JnBfcm93X2NudD0xMTgsMTE4JnBfcHJvZHM9JnBfY2F0cz0mcF9wdj0mcF9jdj0mcF9zZWFyY2hfdHlwZT1hbnN3ZXJzLnNlYXJjaF9ubCZwX3BhZ2U9MQ**

How Many Countries Will The U.S. Invade?

The dirty business of protecting a nation’s “national interest” reaches outlandish and obscene measures when the nation is the United States of America.  Like a psychologically unstable child the U.S. Government continues to move in wrongheaded directions as if bent on intentionally hurting itself.  Adamant about lashing out as if to display its might, America is seemingly unable to stop itself from inflicting the pain that only worsens the conditions for the once mighty USA.

With hundreds of thousands dead and wounded in Iraq, is anyone still waiting for the Iraqi citizens to send us off with hugs, kisses and fond farewells?

The American military, and it must be said they were following orders, have successfully destroyed most parts of Afghanistan that weren’t already living in the stone age.

Like bullies, the U.S. only picks on weaker and militarily inferior nations to kick around.  Government officials have been huffing and puffing about North Korea since the Clinton Administration, but we don’t dare show our might there.  No siree.  And Iran will likewise pose a far greater threat to the world, but we let them continue on the nuclear path afraid to take a stand.

But Yemen, look out!  And Somalia, we’re gonna getcha!  And Ethiopia, the U.S. should be able to whip them too without too much trouble.  Many other examples of the mighty “Shock and Awe” await the impoverished third world.   Won’t the entire planet be impressed as America systematically goes about creating another generation of men hell-bent on getting their revenge.

It would seem the arrogance and entitlement is so embedded in the many layers of the United States Government, there’s probably not a one of them currently in service that would agree with my thinking that they are going about it in entirely the wrong way.  Osama must be pissing his pants from laughter and knowing that America is doing his job for him, creating all the recruits he’ll ever need in his lifetime.

Meanwhile and notice that you will never hear any of the talking heads say it on MSNBC, CNN or Fox News, but the truth is, if you look at the curve, Osama has been winning and the trend continues in his favor.  The United States is playing directly into this hands, fighting a war the superpower cannot win.  Sadly, Iraq will eventually collapse, the American military had better stay in Afghanistan for the next decade and slowly bleed itself dry or get out now; and we know the arrogance prevents it from getting the hell out now.

Wars are fought with blood and treasure.  We will continue to send our men and women to die overseas; in essence, “feed the beast” the flesh of our men and women to keep it off of our doorstep.  And as for treasure, I suspect the United States will cement its fate and its eventual decline in the world.  The end would have come sooner or later barring external events but the multiple wars and endless amount of defense spending will only hasten the demise of a once respected and admired nation.  How ironic that we have wasted untold resources building up other nations, so that wealthy multinational corporations would have markets to sell to.  And now, these same nations thumb their noses (to put it politely) at the U.S.

When it is all said and done, America will look up, exhausted from constant war and bloodshed and attacks on the homeland with weary eyes and a demoralized populace.  And what they’ll see is a world that has simply marched on without them.  I meet so many internationalists who consider the U.S. to be irrelevant and this will only grow. 

It is sad.  And as I’ve said before in other posts, when America is officially toppled off of its pedestal as it is inevitable, the world will one day mourn our passing.  Americans will look dazed and wonder how it happened.  If only they could see what they are doing to themselves.

I wouldn’t want to be one of the nations the United States sets its sites on.  There isn’t another country on Earth better skilled in killing on a massive scale.  Millions of Gay Americans are treated as second class citizens from their own country, not even being allowed to marry.  We are treated as “less than” by our Heterosexual masters.  And the U.S. Government can destroy anyone who dares to speak against it, which is why there are so few criticisms.  It all could have been so different.  As a wealthy and powerful nation, the United States had a rare option to follow a different course.  It failed to seek a new way and in doing so, sealed its own fate.

Malawi Gay Wedding Couple Denied Bail for “Own Protection.”

I woke up today in beautiful but chilly Amsterdam before sunrise and bundled up to head out for coffee, bagels (no, just seeing if you are paying attention) croissants and the morning papers.

And there it was in The Guardian.  My heart sank for the two men who are having their lives torn apart by the Malawi justice system.  But my blood boiled at the outrageous nature of the story.

You have no doubt heard about the Gay couple in Malawi that was arrested at their engagement party.  Ok, you might have thought, they’ll be released, calmer heads will prevail and life will go on.  You may have even added, no harm, no foul.  But that would be way too generous and forgiving of you.

The snapshot provided by The Guardian said it all.  The two men were placed in the back of an open air pick up truck.  Their heads were down, as if embarrassed and humiliated.  You would think they were ashamed of being alive!  To think they went from their engagement party celebrating one of life’s happier moments to this!  They were surrounded by a crowd, by all appearances an unsympathetic crowd, laughing at them and taunting them with remarks you can imagine.

Gentle readers, this is far from one of life’s minor inconveniences that one gets over.  Imagine you and your beloved had your party raided, you were arrested and paraded through town to be mocked and belittled by those who disdain you.

Substitute “Gay couple” in this article for Jewish or Christian or Black (Heterosexual) couple.  The world would be outraged and rightly so.  But for many hundreds of millions of people, the fact that it happened to a Gay couple makes it a non-event.

Now, the officials in Malawi will not release the Gay couple from custody because they are not safe from the angry countrymen.  Let me get this straight, the officials created the atmosphere of hostility and on top of all of the injustice foisted on this couple, now they must remain in prison without bail.  They face up to 14 years in prison each if convicted.  Conviction rests on whether or not it can be proven that they engaged to homosexual conduct with one another.

The world should wake up!  But most likely it will make for a novel news story at best and at worst, nothing, absolutely nothing will be done.  Meanwhile, these men, most likely decent, upstanding men who would have made proud and honorable citizens of our Gay State will probably have their lives ruined over the audacity that they attempted to proclaim their love and devotion to one another.

They are just two more names added to the long list of people openly abused, humiliated and oppressed in a world where non-Gay Heterosexual masters do not give a wit about them.  I pray for them and pray they can hang on until a brighter future is theirs.

New Website Launched from Amsterdam

In preparation for the re-release of the internationally acclaimed best seller, The Gay State: The Quest For An Independent Gay Nation-State And What It Means To Conservatives And The World’s Religions, we have launched a website that will offer additional resources and data streams for the readers and followers who are spread out on five continents.

I am currently in Amsterdam and I find I spend more and more of my time these days in Europe.  So, when the domain was purchased we chose the URL www.TheGayState.EU.  However, many Americans are still not up to speed with the .EU designation so we have also acquired www.TheGayState.com.  There are several other designations that we also purchased and have forwarded to the main website just to make ourselves easier to find.

To all of you who go to the website, please take some time to look around.  We view it as a work in progress.  Rather than waiting and having some big showy roll out, you can be along for the ride as we improve it in stages and I’m sure through several generations.

One area that I am a proponent of, is our Gay State Gift Shop and the Gay State Bookstore.  On one hand, any retail sales will generate some revenue to further our work.  We expect you’ll find products that you will enjoy owning, otherwise we wouldn’t carry it.  When it comes to literature, we have many favorites within our Gay universe.  We hope to carry all of the books of Andrew Sullivan for instance, who is one of my personal favorites (though I strongly disagree with some of his views.)  I have long enjoyed his work going back to before Virtually Normal.  My agent accuses me of having a “man crush” on him but I repeatedly tell her it is merely a healthy dose of professional respect.  We also hope to sell the works of Andrew Holleran, including the classic Dancer Of The Dance.  We have a global readership that is only growing; members of our organization who might be exposed to these great minds for the first time.  Oh, and Louis Crompton’s Homosexuality and Civilization; another favorite and one of the best books on Gay history that I’ve ever read.  I also utilized Mr. Crompton’s work in this most recent edition of The Gay State.  We have earmarked dozens of authors that we would like to showcase, so stay tuned as that should be up and running by late winter, 2010.

Today (or now yesterday – Sunday) was the closing ceremony on our Salon Retreat in Amsterdam.  We had a closing dinner and celebrated over an Indonesian Rice Table on the Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square) in central Amsterdam.  It was after 2am when we returned to the apartment.  Now as I finish this the sun will be rising within the hour. 

After a 12 noon brunch, some of the delegates will be departing via Schipol.  I dread the heightened security.  As a topic of conversation over dinner, we addressed the ongoing security issues.  We encounter our own threats so it is an issue we monitor.  It is not lost on me, nor should it be lost on you that many of those countries that officially sentence us to prison for our Homosexuality and even sentence us to death for being who we are, are themselves, official Muslim states.  I dare say that we as a people, deplore the actions of these terrorist-breeding cesspools of intolerance and do so more than any other group on Earth.

In closing, let me wish you all a healthy, peaceful and prosperous new year.  And as always, don’t be shy about dropping us a note via the Contact Us page.  We always promise to protect your identity and spare you from dreaded third party spam.

 Welterusten uit Amsterdam!

Third Printing of Graham’s Best Seller, The Gay State Announced for 2010.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Third Printing of Graham’s Best Seller, The Gay State Announced for 2010.

New York, NY, USA – December 22, 2009.  In 2009, the world witnessed the relentless and continuing assault of Gays around the globe.  Murders, executions, imprisonment and beatings of members of the Gay, Lesbian and Transgender community increased internationally.  The beheading of Gays even reached the US, which saw LGBT hate crimes spike by eleven percent in 2008-09.

 As a result of the ongoing global persecution, author Garrett Graham is re-releasing his internationally acclaimed book “The Gay State: The Quest For An Independent Gay Nation-State And What It Means To Conservatives And The World’s Religions.”  The book, originally written  and released in 2007, was followed up with a second printing in 2008.  After revisions and re-editing and inclusion of new data, a third printing of The Gay State is expected to be released by Spring, 2010.  Demand continues to increase, according to Graham’s agent,  Dottie Shapiro, with global distribution across five continents.

 Graham, who lives in New York, has travelled extensively as a Gay equality activist and has researched the question of creating an independent Gay nation.  According to Graham, “Gays have lived under brutal oppression for thousands of years.  And with the exception of a few liberal pockets of enlightenment, the onslaught of our people mercilessly continues.”

 In a telephone interview from London, Graham said “We, as the Gay community are a people – one people, yet we are scattered about in every nation on Earth.  Of those 195 nations, 80 of them have made our very existence an illegal act.  Even in countries where we are legally allowed to exist, we are rooted out for extermination and subjected to routine violence.”

Graham insists the time for this historic experiment in Gay independence has come.  “The global Gay community wants nothing more than to live in freedom with peace and liberty.  We seek only to be left to prosper – or fail, according to our own merit, drive and talent.”

Political conservatives and religious leaders have had mixed reactions to the plan for an independent Gay territory, but substantial numbers support the Gay community in establishing their own Gay state.  Graham’s response to the clergy was “It may be true that we are strange bedfellows.  But we all agree that our views are incompatible and by working harmoniously to separate peacefully is in everyone’s interest.”

Often referred to as “The father of the global Gay independence movement,” Graham will continue to give talks on the subject and a book tour will be scheduled in the coming months, according to his agent, Dottie Shapiro. 

Garrett Graham is available for interviews and his offices may be reached at:

GarrettGrahamAndTheGayState@GMail.com

Contact:  Garrett Graham

GarrettGrahamAndTheGayState@GMail.com

Happy Festivus, Gore Vidal.

This is a season that can be trying for those of us who are lacking in holiday cheer.  The false merriment and artificial glee rings hollow for those who find little comfort in the Christmas spirit.  The obscene degree of commercialism that plagues the western cultures only serves to dramatize and magnify the hollowness of all the holiday season rituals.  There are also Jews I’m sure who lament Hanukkah and Africans who would rather ignore all of the trappings of Kwanzaa.   Millions of us who have experienced loss dread the holidays, the melancholy and the isolation that exacerbates the heartbreak.  Which is why I have enjoyed for years, the perverted pleasure that comes from Seinfeld and magic of “Happy Festivus.”

Gore Vidal is one of America’s celebrated atheists.  And I can’t help myself but to wonder how he will pass his time on December 24^th and 25^th.  We’ll probably be spending a quiet evening in New York on December 24^th; not that Gore should feel the need to call and chat or anything, unless of course he felt the urge.  Anyway, he has been an icon in American literature for decades and a Gay icon for all of my adult life.  Funny looking back; I can still remember as a young pre-teen enthralled with photos of Gore in his ‘60’s era swimming trunks.  Was that the moment that “I knew?”  No, “I knew” when I was much younger, but I can still remember those photos. And that smile.

I can’t say that I know Gore Vidal.  I have often been puzzled by his acerbic nature or persona, I’m not sure which.  Having been born into privilege and having had boundless opportunities that most of us never had, I never could see why he always seemed irritable and constipated.  Who amongst us would not want to have lived his life of wealth, with all of the trappings of glamour and access.  Or maybe I should say excess.  He could have just as well lived his entire life on the dusty plains of Oklahoma and had never known the world as he did.  That alone should humble a man to last a lifetime.  On the contrary, Gore is attributed with the quote, “It’s not enough to succeed, others must fail.”  I have never subscribed to that way of thinking at any age.  I hope Gore, that the edge has rubbed off over the years.

When I was in college, I often spent my summer breaks in Newport, Rhode Island at Hammersmith Farm.  I worked as the ‘hired help’ for Mrs. Auchincloss.  By that time, Gore was already an international celebrity.  He rarely came around the property, but Jackie Kennedy and Lee Radziwill, Caroline and John Kennedy Jr. were more frequent visitors.  Gore’s name was sometimes mentioned by family members who fondly spoke of him.

Fast forward to the ‘90’s and early noughts.  My husband Mike and I would spend a part of our summers on the Amalfi Coast, in the village of Positano, relaxing in our villa, which clung to the stone cliffs, high above the sea.  Meanwhile, Gore and his partner Howard were just down the trail in Ravello.  Still we never socialized together.  I’m not much for trying to impress others and to Gore, one-upmanship is a blood sport.  Several times each summer we would make the trek to Ravello.  We’d feast at the Hotel Rufolo, have drinks poolside at Caruso, before an evening of chamber music in the ancient gardens.  Still our paths never crossed, separated by generations and social strata.

Now as 2009 comes to an end and we are all showing our age, Gore has released another book.  I own and keep in my personal library every book he has ever written.  His latest, Snapshots in History’s Glare, is a photographic history as seen through the lens of his life long partner Howard Auster.  Gore provided his trademark insight; sharp, biting and thoughtful.  I’m still not sure if his writing accompanies the photos or the photos accompany his writing but it is a lovely stroll through the decades of a man’s life that has touched so many of us in one way or another.

Now, closing in on 85 and sometimes utilizing a wheelchair, both his mind and tongue are as sharp as ever.  I hope this won’t be Gore’s last book, but if it were to be his Swan Song, it was a lovely look back on a very full life.  And to Gore, I wish you peace and joy, a merry festivus (for the rest of us,) a comfortable new year and lastly a thank you for the memories.