Big Gay Closet

These photos were taken on May 17, 2007 at the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHo) kiss-in at the Nigerian Embassy in Paris. Act Up – Paris organised the kiss-in to protest Nigeria’s oppression of gay people and the lack of action in fighting the AIDS epidemic.

These are stunning images and help fulfill my promise to feature more photos of gay kisses.

They are also the property of William Hamon.

… but didn’t like it.

“It was better in my head,” Justin says, before being kissed (to greater effect) by his friend Austin.

Sometimes I feel like I’m a gay man trapped in a lesbian’s body.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lesbian there too; I have plenty of room. But this is one of my gay man moments, and I’m falling in love with Michael Urie (not to mention all the writers at Ugly Betty).

It seems like only yesterday that Justin denied he was gay. Now of course, you can’t be gay without having denied it at least once. Even so, the scene was painful, it a really great way.

Poor Sceptical Uncle Marc. He’s been so good through all of this, and Justin’s best sounding board. I know I had a Wise Fairy Gaymother when I was coming out. I’m glad Justin has his very own Wise Fairy Gayfather.

In last night’s Ugly Betty episode, “All the World’s a Stage”, Justin benefited from a Wise Uncle Marc talk on kissing, when Justin announces he “has to” kiss his fabled girl crush.

And both of these actors knocked their parts out of the park. As for the rest of the episode, it might as well have not even happened.

Yes!

Head on over to After Elton, where Michael Jenson posted a recap yesterday.

All in all, I thought the episode handled the topic terrifically well and I appreciate that while the story isn’t about unaccepting parents or homophobic classmates, it still addresses the fact that even in 2010, accepting one’s sexual orientation isn’t just a walk in the park. Adolescence and young love is scary for anyone, but it’s still often doubly so for gay and bisexual men.
from AfterElton

I am going to miss this show in a really shocking way when it ends. And I am kind of living for the scene where Marc finds out.

Oh and when Ugly Betty ends, I can haz spinoff?

If you’re going to miss Ugly Betty like I am, join the facebook group and sign the petition to Save Ugly Betty!

The first time I saw anything gay was in 1984 in Boston. I was only a child and my mother had taken me to see a play while my brother and father went somewhere else. As I said, I was very young, so my memories are hazy.

But what I do remember is this: I loved the play.

And then, at intermission, we were in the lobby. I turned and saw two men kissing each other.

I can still picture them now. I could probably identify them to this day! I was amazed.

My mother saw it too, and grabbed me away, silently speaking volumes.

News photos capture reality. And the prominent display reflects the historic significance of what was occurring. The recent D.C. Council decision to approve same-sex marriage was the culmination of a decades-long gay rights fight for equality. Same-sex marriage is now legal in the District. The photo of Ames and Ariga kissing simply showed joy that would be exhibited by any couple planning to wed – especially a couple who previously had been denied the legal right to marry.

There was a time, after court-ordered integration, when readers complained about front-page photos of blacks mixing with whites. Today, photo images of same-sex couples capture the same reality of societal change.

via Ombudsman Blog – Readers react to photo of two men kissing.

I love that photo so much. And I love that the ombudsman’s blog makes the link between the racists of the past with the homophobes of today.

This is a stark reminder how invisible we still are. If such an appropriate gesture of affection drives people so crazy, they’re not seeing enough of it.