Scott A. Wilburn
PHP/MySQL programmer in the Pacific Northwest
gay
Finding the “Healthy” Gay Community
May 14th
It has been almost ten years since I came out as a gay man. Since then I have had a small handful of relationships with the longest lasting just nine months. As I continue my quest for comanionship and the possibility of being in a committed relationship, I ask the same question: Where can I meet guys who are healthy members of the gay community? I should clarify what I mean by “healthy”. This is not just simply people who are physically healthy, but emotionally healthy as well.
Unfortunately, there continues to be a lot of unhealthy and self-destructive behavior in the gay community, even in a gay-friendly city like Seattle. Substance abuse, risky sexual activity and unresolved emotional issues are all too commonplace. Gay bars and the online community (such as gay.com and Manhunt) have not proven to be very good sources for making promising connections for friendship or romance. Social and activity groups do exist in the Seattle area and I have met some friendly people… but even in those circles there is unhealthy behavior which goes on.
So where do I go to seek out connections which could increase the possibility of finding a life partner who is emotionally healthy? That’s a good question.
Business who support Marriage Equality in California
Nov 5th
With the defeat of Proposition 8, homophobia trumps marriage equality in California. It’s a big defeat those of us in the LGBT community, but we must move forward and acknowledge the supporters of marriage equality. I think it’s also important to share some of the big company names who contributed to the No on Prop 8 campaign and send our business their way:
I know there are other businesses and individuals who contributed to the No on Prop 8 campaign and they deserve to be acknowledged for their efforts as well.
Obama Wins, Marriage Equality Loses
Nov 5th
The end of an era has finally arrived after eight years of failed Bush policies. In just a couple short months, we will soon be free of dealing with W and welcome a Democratically controlled congress and white house… and it’s about time.
I say, “Welcome to the White House, President Obama”.
In California, the gay community has been dealt a hard blow with no thanks to the Mormon Church. Proposition 8 has passed and gay and lesbian couples will no longer be able to marry. The largest contributor to the Yes on Prop. 8 campaign, if you follow the trail of dirty money, is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Yes, that would be the same city I visited in June, 2007, where I walked around Temple Square with a big cup of Starbucks Coffee). Dan Savage at The Stranger posted a very interesting letter with a suggested response to the California vote.
Read it here
Pacific Northwest Gay Pride 2008 Roundup
May 9th
Last year, I published a list of all the Gay Pride events in the Pacific Northwest and I decided to make it a tradition for 2008. So here’s the list of this year’s celebrations around the Northwest:
Idaho
- Boise: Boise Pride (June 14)
- Moscow: Palouse Pride (August 2)
- Pocatello: Pridaho (August)
Montana
- Billings: Montana Pride Celebration (June 20-22)
Oregon
- Bend: Bend Pride (June 21)
- Eugene: Eugene/Springfield Pride Festival (August 9)
- Medford: Southern Oregon Pride (July 26)
- Portland: Pride Northwest (June 14-15)
- Salem: Capitol Pride (August 2)
Washington
- Bellingham: Bellingham Pride (July 13)
- Bremerton: Kitsap Pride (July 19)
- Olympia: Capital City Pride (June 21-22)
- Seattle: Seattle Out and Proud (June 29) Seattle Black Pride (July 18-20)
- Spokane: OutSpokane Pride Parade & Rainbow Festival (June 14) – Visit the WilburnWeb booth at Pride!
- Tacoma: Out in Tacoma (July 12)
- Vancouver: Saturday in the Park (July)
- Yakima: Yakima Pride Festival (June 14?)
British Columbia, Canada
- Kelowna: Okanagan Pride (June 22 – July 1)
- Vancouver: Vancouver Pride (August 3)
- Victoria: Victoria Pride (July 6)
Spending Christmas in the “Red Zone”
Dec 21st
Red. It’s one of the colors you think of during the holiday season… red ribbons, red lights, bank account in the red. But why Christmas in the Red Zone… and what is the “Red Zone” anyway?
I often refer to the rural part of Washington state between Seattle and Spokane (or between Olympia and Portland, OR) as the Red Zone because during the last two presidential elections, the rural areas voted Republican and are also areas not known to be gay-friendly. Well, my parents live in the Red Zone… 70 miles north of Spokane and that’s where I’m spending Christmas.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas with my family. But with the upcoming election in 2008, I can’t help but have on my mind that I will be in a county where 63% of the people voted for George W. Bush and nearly 70% of the people voted for anti-gay Republican Cathy McMorris. Not all of those 63-70% of voters in 2004 made their choices based on anti-gay bias, but unfortunately anti-gay bias does still exist in Northeast Washington.
Despite all this, I will still enjoy myself and consume my share of eggnog and cookies with my loving and accepting family.
Jerry Falwell Bites the Dust
May 15th
The right-wing evangelical religious founder of the Moral Majority has kicked the bucket, bought the farm, cashed in his winnings, went belly up, bit the big one… yes, Jerry Falwell has croaked. They say he died from heart trouble; more than likely due to lack of a heart. His hatred toward the gay and lesbian community is legendary. I wonder what he was thinking this morning when he got to heaven and discovered that God is a big black lesbian…
Pacific Northwest Gay Pride 2007 Roundup
May 13th
It’s like Christmas for gay people: Gay Pride. At any rate, pride season is here, starting the second weekend in June and ending the second weekend in August. Here’s a roundup of all gay pride events in the Pacific Northwest: Read the rest of this entry »
Building Community: New Seattle GLBT Sea Kayaking Meetup
Apr 15th
In my commitment to community building in Seattle, I have been organizing a meetup group for sea kayakers in Seattle… now I have started a meetup group for sea kayakers in the gay community. I have not been able to locate a GLBT kayaking club anywhere in the Seattle area, so through starting the meetup I hope to see if there’s interest in the community to forming a GLBT kayaking club here. Portland has it’s own successful sea kayaking club, OutKayaking, so it’s possible that such a club could be successful in Seattle. Anyone interested in joining the Seattle GLBT Sea Kayaking Meetup can sign up for free. I will continue to organize the Seattle Area Sea Kayaking Meetup as well as lead a kayak trip or two through OutVentures.
Seattle Sonics owners support anti-gay marriage group
Feb 28th
Homophobia in the NBA has hit home in Seattle.
According to this article written by Seattle Times columnist David Postman, two principal owners of the NBA Sonics and the WNBA Storm were the top contributors to the conservative organization Americans United to Preserve Marriage. Because of the homophobic bigoted views of the owners, the Seattle Sonics have just lost me as a fan… so I shall look to my past in Portland and once again become a fan of the Portland Trail Blazers.
This story is bad news for the Sonics, especially at a time when they are looking to the Washington State Legislature to help them build a new arena. I doubt that most conservative legislators would support tax increases for this new arena, and with this added news, I think the Sonics would lose support from liberal legislators. On top of that, I would imagine that the Storm organization will also lose longtime support from the GLBT community.
Idaho business owner posts anti-gay message
Oct 23rd
Just when I thought all the hate-mongers had left North Idaho, Post Falls business owner Jim Valentine puts up an anti-gay message on his reader board.
This story appeared in the Spokesman-Review newspaper on Saturday (site requires subscription):
Post Falls man advertises his bias
Thousands see sign grouping pedophiles, gaysJim Valentine lumps gay people and pedophiles together. And he doesn’t want any of them living in Idaho.
The 55-year-old Post Falls business owner posted a message in bold letters on his reader board Friday morning: “Peds queers fags your in Idaho now …”
