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Showing posts with label noh8. Show all posts
Showing posts with label noh8. Show all posts

Saturday, September 5, 2015

What does it mean to be a HERO Caitlyn Jenner ?


Photo credit : Caitlyn Jenner

Ever since Caitlyn Jenner came out as Transgender on the cover of Vanity Fair magazine and received the prestigious Arthur Ashe Courage Award live at The Espy awards there is still an ongoing debate concerning what a " Hero" actually is. Amongst many people on social media this is still a hot topic with various memes and statuses arguing that Caitlyn Jenner should have not received this award and that she is not courageous, brave or a " Hero" for just deciding to live her life as a woman after 65 years. They go on to compare her to the men and woman injured while serving our country that still have the spirit to persevere and break records in sports as being the " real " heros. While I agree these individuals should be commended and are definitely courageous ...I am not so sure that I believe Caitlyn Jenner doesn't deserve the same title as well.

About the award as copied from http://espn.go.com/espys/arthurasheaward  

" The Ashe Award is one of the most prestigious in sports. Recipients reflect the spirit of Arthur Ashe, possessing strength in the face of adversity, courage in the face of peril and the willingness to stand up for their beliefs no matter what the cost. The award is inspired by the life that Ashe lived, using his fame and stature to advocate for human rights, although, at the time, those positions may have been unpopular and were often controversial. From speaking out against apartheid in South Africa to revealing to the world his struggle with AIDS, Ashe never backed away from a difficult issue, even though doing so would have been easier. Winners of the Ashe Award strive to carry on Ashe's legacy in their own lives - - inspired by those who do so each day."


In my opinion many people acting out were not even aware of the criteria that Mr.Ashe intended for the award recipient and we saw people jumping on a bandwagon mostly for a chance to be snarky about a still taboo topic ...transgenderism. On the scarier side Caitlyn received death threats and hate tweets.
Caitlyn Jenner has not just decided to become a woman overnight. This is something she has struggled with since she was a young child. Due to obvious pressures of society , on top of being a world renowned Olympian, Caitlyn stopped an earlier attempt at transitioning and further hid her true feelings with secrets and lies. Ultimately after much soul searching  Caitlyn decided she rather live as her authentic self than go on any further  and in doing so , being the public figure she is, faced a media firestorm where no one could have guessed the outcome. Many people were accepting however this is not the case for the average person who is transgendered out of the public's eye.

As seen in Caitlyn's new docu-series on Entertainment Television " I Am Cait" we see a woman willing to take on the burden for a life she is just becoming a part of ( not trying to be a martyr) and just beginning to understand. I Am Cait was filmed as she just transitioned and they even covered the ESPY award and Cait's now infamous acceptance speech. I see a Cait who is taking on the role of advocate and is trying her best to stay humble, aware of her privilege, while shedding a light on a topic that rarely gets the attention it needs and deserves. The facts are, whether you are aware or not, that people who are transgender have the highest murder/suicide rate in our world today all because they are trying to live their lives as who they really are. Just think about that for a moment.Really think about it as if it were as real to you as it is to them.How can anyone not think this needs to be addressed/stopped?!
Many people who are transgendered are homeless, can not find employment due to discrimination, can not find health care and often times are shunned by their families left to fend for themselves. In watching I Am Cait we are seeing ground breaking television spotlighting what it means to be transgendered and hopefully normalizing it as it should be and there is still a long way to go. Caitlyn has cleverly inserted many new friends who are transgendered so they may share their stories which are unique as they are...they themselves being skeptical of Caityln as their new spokesperson however you can see they are genuinely appreciative for the media attention and awareness that I Am Cait is bringing to the community. This no way negates all the pioneers that have come before, and there has been many...the best part is Cait knows this and makes us aware she is only a vessel. I am not sure what your definition of a " Hero" is but I do know the way I see it...Caitlyn Jenner is courageous, brave and a " Hero" for making an attempt to save lives while you sit on your couch and judge her.



For information on how you can help www.Iamtransgendered.com





Watch Caitlyn Jenner on " I Am Cait" Sunday's 8/7C on Entertainment Televsion 
 
Follow Caitlyn on Twitter @Caitlyn_Jenner

Follow the show @IAmCait

Follow me @BillyCharlesNY


Thursday, September 26, 2013

Courtesy of : http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com

Barilla Pasta Chairman: ‘I Would Not Do A Commercial With A Homosexual Family’

by DAVID BADASH on SEPTEMBER 26, 2013
Post image for Barilla Pasta Chairman: ‘I Would Not Do A Commercial With A Homosexual Family’
Guido Barilla has some explaining to do. The chairman of the $5.25 billion worldwide Italian food monolith says he would never show a gay family in his advertising — and if gay people don’t like it the can go eat someone else’s pasta. In an interview yesterday with an alian radio talk show, Barilla made clear he considers the “traditional family” and women “sacral.” “I would never do a commercial with a homosexual family,” Barilla said, according to a Google translation. “We will not be advertising with homosexuals, because we like the traditional family. If the gays do not agree, they can always eat pasta from another manufacturer. Everyone is free to do whatever they want provided it does not annoy others.”

“We have a slightly different culture,” Barilla said, via a Huffington Post translation of the interview. “For us, the ‘sacral family’ remains one of the company’s core values. Our family is a traditional family. If gays like our pasta and our advertisings, they will eat our pasta; if they don’t like that, they will eat someone else’s pasta. You can’t always please everyone not to displease anyone.“The women are crucial in this,” Barilla added.“I respect same-sex marriage because that concerns people who want to contract marriage, but I absolutely don’t respect adoptions in gay families, because that concerns a person who is not the people who decide,” Barilla also said.Of course, after a great deal of criticism and calls for a boycott , Barilla tried to apologize.“With reference to statements made yesterday,” a Buzzfeed translation notes, “I apologize if my words have generated controversy or misunderstanding, or if they have hurt the sensibilities of some people. In the interview I simply wanted to highlight the central role of the woman in the family.”
Apparently, in Italy, gay people don’t have families and women are never lesbian.

Disclaimer:
Above text  was written by David Badash    http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com and in no way am I using his story as an endorsement to boycott Barilla Products . The view expressed below is strictly my own . I am using David's article only  to inform my readers of the situation that prompted my reaction to Barilla.

In my opinion it  is ridiculous that in this day and age companies like BARILLA  are taking us backwards as a culture and as a human race. I am 100% Italian , gay and I am ashamed that I have wasted my hard earned money on a company's products that does not see everyone as equals. If you agree that all families are equal regardless of race, sexuality etc please voice your opinion and BOYCOTT BARILLA! Xx Billy Charles 

Barilla can be found on Twitter @BarillaUS  Tweet them and please use hastag #BoycottBarilla