Weekend Onesie: Back When This Was Shocking...

Weekend Onesie:

Back When This Was Shocking...

From inset:

Beaux Arts Balls and similar Bohemian revels are considered a part of the Paris picture and are seldom bothered by gendarmes. But when a group of fashion designers and chorus boys requested police permission to hold a 'wedding' in a public place, authorities uttered a horrified "No!" Nevertheless, the nuptials went off on schedule. They were held secretly in a Montparnasse apartment. A CONFIDENTIAL photographer took these photos of the world's 'queerest' wedding. 

Strange how times change... or not.

I don't know about you, but I'm waiting for the day that the conservative right gets their act together and takes on gay marriage again.  

Once they stacked SCOTUS in their favor, they wasted no time tackling a few of their favorite punching bags. Yes, it seems, while they don't want anyone telling them what to do (mask mandates, vaccinations) they definitely want to be able to tell YOU what to do (abortion, prayer in school.)  

Oh, don't kid yourselves, they're coming for us.

Yes, it seems conservatives keep spinning in place like a child with one shoe nailed to the floor: looking over there, eyeing that, focusing on those people, throwing all their energy behind this or that or the other thing - but by doing so, they will eventually... 

Wait. 

Wait a minute...

While were at it. 

Why do we allow them to wear the banner 'conservatives' - why don't we call them what they really are: bigots, homophobes, racists, hatemongers? Bullies. In a way, it's a good thing there are so many flavors of hate under that umbrella. See, I actually think its a rather long list of fragmented fringe groups - each with a different set of criteria and goals, which is why, perhaps, they can't seem to get their poop in a group long enough to actually accomplish any of their evil goals. 

So many targets, so little... what? Money? Manpower? Logic?

Is this really the kind of people the GOP want under their tent? 

Yes. Yes, it is. 

That's how the GOP insures that they will vote for whatever unqualified convicted liar / con man / thief / charlatan they put up for office. You see, like intelligence, integrity is in short supply at the GOP, so it's no longer considered essential - which sort of undermines that whole 'conservatives' banner, huh?

Anyway, I am just waiting for them to spin back around and focus their Village of The Damned eyes on the LGBTQ+ community. I mean, currently they do have the Transgender Community in their sights (and have for a while - remember when public bathrooms were scary?) - because gender identity is a hot topic - but eventually they will swivel back to the war they lost... 

And I don't mean that 'Civil' one. 

Thing is... thanks to people like Pete and Chasten, they can't make us all out to be the monsters they tried to convince everybody we were back in the day. As gay folk go, we've come a long way, baby. Far enough, that we're not going back without a fight. And since our focus is clearly defined and we've already proven that we're better organized and more articulate by beating them once... we can do it again. 

Which brings to mind another issue... have we, the gay community, become a bit too politically complacent? A bit too comfortable? Shouldn't we be out there, fighting fights that are not necessarily ours, but continue the erosion of individual rights that we've somehow, against the odds, managed to secure for ourselves?

If it's happening, I'm not seeing it. I'm not hearing about it. 

I know we're all concerned about the apathetic law enforcement response to the on-going epidemic of transgender homicides. But shouldn't we be doing more? Shouldn't there be a national movement bringing visibility to this issue - the same that we created in the early days of the AIDS pandemic and the drive to secure gay marriage?

I don't have the answer. I don't know how such a movement builds momentum to the point that one day you're seeing posters at your bus stop. 

I guess my point is... we don't have the luxury of being complacent. When it comes to gay marriage, we've sat on the beach in our lounge chairs enjoying our pina coladas, savoring our victory long enough. 

Because we're a targeted group, we need to ALWAYS be politically active. We need to shine that spotlight. We need to have that discussion. We need to push for action. 

It's a new year: 2022, and conservatives think they've figured out ways to seize control, destroy our democracy and turn back the clock to 1952. 

Don't let them.

We've got skin in this game... 

So let's get back in the game.

Stay strong, stay safe, stay healthy...

-uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Please leave any suggestions for what we can do, as individuals, to fight the good fight in the comments section.

Thank you.

Thank You - Alanis Morissette

Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooters of the Week: Companies like Burger King and The Politicians of The United States of America

Wonderland Burlesque’s Turdscooters of the Week:

Companies like Burger King

and The Politicians of The United States of America

Nobody wants to pay taxes. We resent it.  We want to keep everything we earn.  It’s ours, we worked for it.

That makes sense if you live in a vacuum, devoid of a physical world.

But we do live in a physical world. 

One where we need roads and bridges in order to get from one place to another.  We need courts to protect our rights as individuals, just as we need protection from those who mean to do us physical harm. 

As much as we resent government and its agencies and loathe its inefficiencies, we need them in order to function as a society.  And that comes at a cost.  As citizens of this country, we are duty bound to contribute something to that bill.

That’s why the recent trend among large U.S. companies to merge with other  non- U.S. companies and move their corporate headquarters outside our borders in order to avoid paying their fair share of taxes is so upsetting.  For, you see, these same companies (and their employees) will continue to use the United States’ infrastructure while doing business in the United States; they just won’t be paying for any of it.

Reality check: not that they ever really did.  Most Fortune 500 companies pay little or no taxes.  That’s why they pay for all those lobbyists and fund all those political ambitions.  Those political contributions?  They would be the reason our elected officials have been rather hesitant to put a stop to these so-called mergers.  At election time they need money to compete and that money has to come from somewhere. It’s in their own best self-interest not to slap or restrict the hand that feeds them.

Reality check: Dodging taxes for big corporations is hardly something new.  They all have off-shore accounts stocked with millions, billions and, in some cases, trillions of untaxed dollars.  Most of those companies are using those funds in order to purchase these non-U.S. companies.  This has been going on for quite some time and our government officials have chosen to look the other way because their careers rather depend on doing exactly that.

Will a boycott of Burger King have any effect at all? 

Maybe briefly.

Will it cause Burger King to reconsider moving their corporate headquarters out of the United States? 

Doubtful.

So, if charbroiled tasting globs of fat and deep fried everythings bring joy to your artery clogged heart, then, please, continue to make it “Be Your Way” or to “Have It Your Way”.

Burger King will. 

Just Say 'NO' To Social Terrorists: Exercise Your Dollar Power - Shop Elsewhere

Target is feeling the effects of the economy, no doubt. When one is struggling just to put food on the table and keep a roof over one’s head, frivolous things like – well, most of what Target has to offer, kind of go by the wayside. They are also feeling the heat of their politically aware shareholders.

At their Annual General Meeting in Pittsburg earlier this month, Gregg W. Steinhafel, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Target Corp. got grilled big time; peppered with questions regarding the company’s political contributions to Republican Tom Emmer. Emmer, a gubernatorial candidate during Minnesota’s last election season is staunchly anti-gay and against same-sex marriage. He also has ties to an organization associated with a music group, You Can Run But You Cannot Hide Intl., Inc. which brings it’s anti-gay, supposedly-Christian hard rock ministry to public schools and other youth organizations. Some of Emmer’s campaign monies went directly to this group which set off a shit storm of controversy. The leader of the music group, Bradlee Dean, once told a radio audience that Muslim countries that call for the execution of gays and lesbians are “more moral than even the American Christians.”

Bradlee Dean went on record with the following from a story posted by the Minnesota Independent:

“Muslims are calling for the executions of homosexuals in America. This just shows you they themselves are upholding the laws that are even in the Bible of the Judeo-Christian God, but they seem to be more moral than even the American Christians do, because these people are livid about enforcing their laws. They know homosexuality is an abomination."

The group’s music also contains hateful, horribly homophobic lyrics inciting violence against gays.

Recently Rep. Ernie Leidiger invited Dean to open a legislative session at the Minnesota House of Representatives with a prayer, which resulted in another shit storm of controversy; with the Democrats denouncing the action and the Republicans remaining mum. On the plus side, bat-shit crazy, future GOP presidential candidate Michelle Bachman came to Dean’s defense, lauding his group’s focus and offering up a sort of prayer for them - successfully demonstrating once again just how stupid that woman really is.

Michelle Bachman is an ass (a crazy, dangerous ass). So is Ernie Leidiger. Bradlee Dean, too (Bradlee? - God is not pleased with you!). Tom Emmer is a huge ass. He, the hero of Hockey-Dads here in MN, is a real butthole. And Gregg Steinhafel? Gee. Yeah. I’m thinking if it has had its finger in the ass and that finger smells like ass – then, yep – I’m guessing major A-hole.

You see, Gregg hasn’t exactly apologized for that whole “we-support-those-who-call-for-the-execution-of-gay-people” thing. In fact, he found the questions – of which there were several – annoying and asked at one point if anyone had a question not related to political giving. Nor will he go on record promising that it won’t happen in the future. Yes, he did pay lip service, talking about having the right process in place, saying Target would be more careful in the future in regards to political donations – but, read between the lines and I think what he’s really saying is that Target will be more careful about not getting caught supporting anti-gay causes in the future. Gregg is kind of a snake. He has been ever since he came on board.

This whole anti-gay attitude at Target is odd, because without the legion of gays working behind the scenes at Target Corporate - without their creativity and input - Target would be, well, Wal-Mart (which recently banned Bradlee Dean’s group from soliciting their customers in their parking lots). I know, because I used to be one of those gays. I was at Target Corporate for six and half years. For several of those years I had a very homophobic boss – a real hateful ass, whose own children will one day grow up and hate him. But then for four and half of those years I had a couple of really GREAT bosses. Granted, I was not one of those gays that shaped the look and feel of Target (I’m not a fashion-fag – those that are set my eyes rolling), but I did contribute to it in my way. Yes, I was a peon, a nothing, but I was never interested in playing ‘the game’ – which pretty much explains why I had to leave after six and a half years.

When the story about the political donation to Emmer broke, the gay community called for a boycott of Target and I am happy to say I have not set foot in one since. I also sold my stock and cashed out my 401k. I am Target-Free now. I think everyone should be.

I now shop at my grocery store, a drug store and a dollar store. I buy my clothing at a large clothing/household goods retailer with no record of giving monies to anti-gay causes (no, not Wal-Mart). By the way, the clothing is of much better quality -Targets’ mens clothing has always sucked.

I no longer waste emotion on people as ridiculous as Michelle Bachman and Bradlee Dean; they will get what they deserve – although I do keep a wary eye out for them. After all, they are dangerous people – social terrorists - and I believe it is in my best interest to know where they are and what they’re doing. And I’d call for Gregg Stienhafel’s resignation – but you know what? I’ll let my money do my talking for me. My dollars are my power for change.

And that’s where your power lies, too.

So use your power wisely.

Boycott Target.