Imagine a World without Hate

If you need a good 90-second cry this afternoon, watch this ad about hate crimes and bigotry.

Election Night

It’s 2am.

We just re-elected a president who I absolutely believe will go down in history as one of the great leaders of this generation. Some of you may hate hearing that.

But in my heart and my gut I believe that it’s true. I love my president. I love Michelle Obama. I love this First Family.

And I will try to stop talking about politics now.

Choose Wisely

I’ve seen people online today saying, “I don’t care who you vote for, as long as you vote.” Sorry, but while I get the sentiment I couldn’t disagree more.

Millions of people will be hurt or helped by your choice today.

If you’d vote against equal rights for everyone; against access to affordable healthcare; against women’s rights; against teachers, firemen, and police officers; against higher education; against science; and against the planet that we have to live on, I’d much rather you stay home.

Down to the Wire

I can’t wait for tomorrow to be over, but I’m freaking out about it at the same time.

First, I don’t know how I’ll react if Romney wins the presidency. I hate him; I hate him more than I hated McCain and even George W. Bush. I always thought that Bush was just clueless, but Romney is evil. He is a liar and a cheat. He is insincere and he doesn’t have the country’s best interests at heart. He doesn’t care about the American people; he just wants to be president.

Second, on a local level, the current state of politics in Indiana scares the crap out of me. The Republicans who have control of both the State House and State senate already spent last session limiting women’s access to publicly funded healthcare, writing a constitutional amendment to ban marriage equality, and squashing the unions for public servants. Mike Pence is going to be out next governor; he is a minister, not a politician. He will be one of the three most conservative governors in the country. And the first three months of his inevitable term may determine whether my decision to keep living in Indiana is a permanent one.

There is just so much at stake. The fact that this election is so close has me really worried about the general intelligence and sensibility of my fellow Americans. I can’t pretend that I can even begin to understand Republicans — they are so against abortion because of the sanctity of live but then they don’t want to provide the living with access to healthcare or a decent education. They are selfish to the core with their money despite their faith, which dictates that we should help the poor and take care of the disenfranchised. They don’t want a level playing field; they don’t think that as a gay man, I’m worthy of the same basic rights as other people.

I really feel like we’re at a turning point for this nation and that tomorrow will determine so much. At least, no matter the outcome, I’ll have some answers tomorrow.

My President

Here is the photo of the week, for me: Whereas yesterday, candidate Romney made the news by staging a fake food drive to give himself good photo opportunities, we have a president who knows when someone needs a hug.

Tuesday! Don’t forget to vote!

Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day

I do my best to keep politics off my photo blog and I want this site to be fun, but today is an exception.

If you went/go to Chick-Fil-A today, note that I’ve lost all respect for you. This applies to friends, family, and photo clients.

Please feel free to remove yourself from my life, both digital and R/T. I have no room left for people who don’t support me and consider my partner and I to be second-class citizens.

This especially applies to anyone in the LGBT community. I’ve already seen one gay person, who lives in my hometown, post on Facebook that he went to a Chick-Fil-A today. Then he basically said, “Take that, liberals.” If you agree, then clearly you and I have nothing in common. While you’re free to have your opinion, supporting your own discrimination is kind of a deal-breaker for me. I want nothing from you.

The First Family

I’m posting the following portrait just because I like it. It kind of makes my heart warm.

This is The President of the United States and his family. He is not “Obama,” as Fox News has determined to call him, but “President Obama.”

He is my president.

Thanks, Marc, for the photo.

Scott’s Dream Photo Shoots 6

Björk

My desire to photograph Björk goes beyond the fact that she’s one of my favorite singers. Have a good look at the first photo above. Anyone who’s never realized that Björk is beautiful need look no farther. She’s gorgeous. And she’s fun, and weird, and artistic, all of this is evident in her music, her photos and her fashion sense. I think Björk would be amazing for some very unique photography with a serious high fashion bend.

And by the way, most people mispronounce her name, it’s not be-york, it’s byerk (rhymes with jerk).

Chris Pine

Jay was so excited to see the new Star Trek movie and I have to be honest, I didn’t give two shits. But he convinced me that I’d like it and so I went to see it with him, and developed an immediate crush on Chris Pine. Those eyes, that smile, his voice, his body . . . It’s all just perfect. I’d love to shoot him.

Michelle Obama

A lot of Republicans say things about the First Family that are so horrible and disrespectful that their Republican ancestors, who believed that you respect the people even if you disagree with the politics, would roll over in their graves. But that’s not the point, for me, the Obama family gives me some idea of what it was like in the early 1960s, when the Kennedy family lived in the White House and the world turned to Jackie Kennedy for her style and fashion sense. I think Michelle Obama is the classiest First Lady of my lifetime. And for that reason alone, I’d love to take her portrait.

All photos in this post copyright, someone else.

METH: A Documentary

I’d encourage all of you to take an hour and 15 minutes and watch this documentary. I know a little bit about addiction, but I can’t imagine what it would take for a person to give up a great job, a Mercedes, and a beautiful apartment to become homeless on the streets of a city that’s foreign to you. But that’s one interviewee’s story.

Among so many other scenes that I found disturbing was one user’s premonition of the political ramifications of meth use (I’m paraphrasing here): If you think that drug use and addiction in the gay community isn’t the next wedge issue conservatives will use to try to marginalize us, you’re not paying attention.

Please watch this documentary.

METH explores the rising wave of crystal methamphetamine use within the gay population. Through the reflections of a dozen gay men, we learn of the drug’s allure, its promise, and why its popularity is soaring. Some of the men in the film are current users, and they share their life with us while under the constant influence of “Tina.” Other interviewees are former denizens of “Tina World,” who have managed to crawl back from the depths to which their addictions brought them. Throughout, METH is an unflinching look at the devastating effects of addiction to this very serious drug.

I found this documentary via my friend at Wicked Gay Blog.

Phase Two (AKA: Get Us the Fuck Out)

The Republicans regained control of the Indiana General Assembly by campaigning heavily on unemployment/jobs. They have been in session for slightly more than a month. These are the subjects of the primary bills that have advanced so far:

• A bill to write an amendment to the state constitution that defines marriage to prohibit same sex marriages and civil unions, AND goes so far as to prohibit private companies from offering domestic partner benefits.
• A bill to promote charter schools that some say will decimate the public education system and encourage enrollment in parochial schools.
• A bill to make it illegal for an employer to ask his/her employees if they have guns at the workplace.
• A bill requiring all doctors to tell, in writing and verbally, all women seeking abortions that “life begins at conception,” whether said doctors believe this or not.
• An Arizona-like bill that would allow police to demand proof of citizenship from immigrants. 

How many bills have advanced about jobs? ZERO.

Do you want to know my feelings on the anti-gay marriage bill? You’ll be surprised. I have no feelings about it. This is the fourth time a bill like this has been introduced since I’ve lived in this state. On the previous occasions, I have been on the front lines keeping it from passing. I have stood in the snow at statehouse rallies; I have canvassed neighborhoods talking to businesses about why this kind of legislation would hurt them; I have pulled out my checkbook time and again at fundraisers and events; I have called my representatives; taken time off of work to personally visit my representatives; and rallied my friends over and over to do the same. I’m done. This debate is going to be going on in this state until a) we are all long dead, b) national legislation or the U.S. Supreme Court acts on the federal level, or c) the Republican party gets its way.

As for the other pieces of legislation? In a sick and twisted way, this is all helping me. You’re aware that Jay and I have had a plan to eventually move on in search of a bigger city with more opportunities for artists. But now? I can’t get out of this state fast enough. Thanks to the bigoted douche bags in charge, who think that guns and the Bible will solve every problem and homosexuals, the brown people, and a well-educated populace are enemies number one, two, and three, Jay and I have a renewed fire under our collective asses. It’s like all the reasons we’ve talked about moving are amplified, or being thrown in our faces.

I want to be a resident of another state by mid-summer at the absolute latest. And we have moved into a much more aggressive phase of making this happen, which involves a new realtor (to be selected next week, after interviews), new job opportunities, and a much more focused plan. By luck and coincidence, it appears that we’re taking four of our best friends with us. And while I’ve never been an “abandon ship” kind of person (you can live anywhere you choose, and my decision to leave is not a personal reflection on you), I don’t think this would be the right time for any like-minded person to come to me seeking reasons to stay in Indiana. For a state that’s been worried about “brain drain” in the past, I’m afraid we haven’t seen anything, yet.

Okay, I’m done ranting. It’s been a long time since I’ve written a political diatribe like this. I almost feel the need to apologize for it. I’ll do my best to get back to my usual posting material tomorrow.