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Post by SusieFierce on Sept 20, 2011 10:07:29 GMT -5
TheSeanHayes: @breakintome: Love Adam Lambert. Hoping for more great music from him in the future. My favorite song from his debut album is "Broken Open".
Then he tweeted this:
@adamlambert Hey Adam. Looking forward to ur next album. BTW, your song "Broken Open" is shear bliss for me to listen to. Cheers.
BTW, Sean Hayes is a classically trained musician – an incredibly talented keyboardist. He was obsessed with Mozart in college and then toured in bands for years before going into acting. He credits his musical training for his impeccable comic timing – he says the beats, the rhythms, are all very consistent and that it is a collaborative dance.
Maybe that's why Adam also has such incredible comic timing as well?
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Post by virg1877 on Sept 20, 2011 10:14:19 GMT -5
Update: 6581 !!!Anyone else suffering from a Flail Hangover today? More of a nice, warm, glow....  And add to that DADT repeal... Yes!  Anyone else suffering from a enjoying their Flail Hangover today? |
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Post by cassie on Sept 20, 2011 10:18:21 GMT -5
4Msrmyn: I have been reading thru the Idolatry stuff you posted a link to yesterday. What fun! And what a huge piece of work on your part. This archive is incredible. You mentioned yesterday that perhaps you should have some kind of an index or table of contents for it. I support that idea. There is so much stuff in there somewhere that I didn't realize you had compiled. May I also suggest that you make some kind of note at the beginning, maybe, that if someone is looking for a specific article, interview, video interview, etc they can PM you and you can point them to the right page. Yeah, you might not want everyone going to you for obscure references, but, I am learning that much of what I am looking for is actually somewhere in the archive you compiled. A big thank you for the hundreds, thousands of hours of work you have invested in making this available for us all. (Sure hope it is all backed up somewhere, as it would be tragic to ever lose. Also, in the future, five, ten years down the line, when graduate and doctoral students are writing their theses on Adam Lambert ( yes, I truly believe that will happen), these are going to be invaluable sources. 
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2011 10:20:40 GMT -5
I just remembered that Q102 Philly follows me on twitter. I keep forgetting. Anyway, I just tweeted the link to the Rico video.  |
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Post by adamrocks on Sept 20, 2011 10:38:32 GMT -5
Happy GNAMFBL DAY!!! ****CONTINUED FLAIL***** Yaay for rain in Texas. Hope it keeps raining down. Thank you, Q3, for that list. It must have been incredibly time consuming for you. And yes, it is amazing how many of those songs I would kill to hear Adam sing. Hope A is in the studio again with Rico again. I totally approve of his Tweet/TwitVid MO   Keyboard, your cousin-in-law sounds like an exceptionally brave and honorable man. I've always thought DADT was reprehensible, but nothing personalized it more to me than when I read an essay last December in a darkened hotel room on a gloomy, rainy day. It was my birthday and the day after Adam's last GNT concert, so despite the elements, we were all on Cloud 9. I came across an essay written by the long-time partner of a soldier who was about to be deployed. Again. He wouldn't be able to go and see his boyfriend off as the other SOs would. His partner couldn't keep photos of their lives together over his bunk as all the others did. If they were to have children together, he couldn't even mention their existence. I began to think of every war movie or TV show I ever saw and the long hours of downtime and how soldiers shared every aspect of their lives – wives, girlfriends, children, home, families ... Gay soldiers would have to listen to all of this an never say a word. They would have to deny their partners and children and pretend they were single with no dependents, which could possibly result in more hazardous duties. (Sure, many may have chose to share their lives, but they did it at high risk.) When enlisted personnel get married, they immediately get a raise. A neighbor girl I knew during the Iraq War married her BF when they were 18 so he could make more money in the Navy. He divorced her as soon as he got out. But in the meantime, she was revered as the brave military wife. TV shows do holiday satellite hookups for families, which is lovely, but no gay soldier is allowed to participate in those. They're not allowed to participate in the ticker-tape homecomings full of storybook reunions. Those are the elements that brought it home to me how great their sacrifice is and was.  To want to still serve despite all of this is the very definition of honor. ETA: Hey wait, where did keyboard's post go? loved your whole post...so beautifully said. |
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Post by sugaree on Sept 20, 2011 10:42:36 GMT -5
I just discovered that there is a book called Our Time - Breaking the Silence of DADT. outserve.org/2011/08/ourtime/Our Time: Breaking the Silence of DADT Preface by Patrick Murphy “President Barack Obama signed the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Repeal Act bill into law on December 22, 2010. Though official repeal then remained on the horizon, that day marked the beginning of a new era for the American military. I sat in the audience that day as a representative of OutServe and as an active duty gay Air Force officer directly affected by the policy. It was thrilling to celebrate this hard victory alongside other advocates, but I also knew that despite the leap forward there remained a tremendous amount of work to be done. For eighteen years, the policy had effectually silenced an entire military population. The ways in which ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ had poisoned military culture remained untold. Our Time is our story of our military experience under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” The individuals you will meet in these pages served in silence. They were required to withhold an integral part of themselves from their colleagues. They could not freely share their love for their families, or their dreams for the future. They had no protection when individuals used the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy to blackmail and harass. Though as active duty service members themselves know, the silence of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was already beginning to break. The stories here are testament to the remarkable friendships that form between Soldiers, relationships of respect and affection that transcend prejudice and prove just how very outdated and bankrupt the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy was. Throughout Our Time, you will note time and time again one word: integrity. This concept is a cornerstone of military education and tradition, it is a value we are taught to aspire to and to uphold. And yet, ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ denied integrity to each and every LGBT servicemember. Every day these individuals were faced with the deep, wounding conflict: to be true to themselves, or true their country. The pain of that choice is felt in almost every story included here. When servicemembers sent me their stories, they would often thank me for the opportunity to contribute. They told me that there was a certain vindication in writing their story on paper and knowing it was going to be read. The human narrative is a powerful tool. It was the courage of previous gay servicemembers stories that motivated the nation to change this policy and it’s these stories that will help the pain of the last few decades of discrimination heal.” –an excerpt from the introduction to OUR TIME: BREAKING THE SILENCE OF DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL edited by J.D. Smith; To be published by The Penguin Press in October 2011. About the book: Our Time marks the end of more than a decade of silence, giving voice to the LGBT men and women who served under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” These individuals enlisted knowing that the military would ask them to bury an integral part of themselves and yet joined because of their deep belief that the values of the military were worth the tremendous sacrifice. Our Time is their story. Edited by air force officer J. D. Smith, a cofounder of the underground LGBT military organization OutServe, Our Time is a collection of remarkable depth and diversity. We witness the abuse—physical and mental—endured at the hands of fellow soldiers and superiors. We see the hardships faced by their families and partners and feel the pain of the choice between military and self. There are also examples of humanity at its very best: leaders with the courage to support their comrades in the face of tremendous pressure, friendships forged and minds opened, and love that endures the very toughest of odds. Throughout we are reminded of the bravery and selflessness of the men and women who chose to serve our country and defend our liberties while their own freedom was withheld. At once a testament to the wrongs of the policy and a celebration of the good that endured in spite of it, Our Time marks the start of a new era in our national history. |
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Post by sugaree on Sept 20, 2011 10:52:22 GMT -5
Another first hand account.
Major Casey Moes, Military Police Corps
I heard a friend say recently, "What changes with the repeal of DADT? Almost nothing." I looked at her for a few moments and responded, "You're right -- partially." Gays and lesbians won't enter into the military in droves, there isn't any sort of system that recognizes gay and lesbian partners, and many currently serving won't come out. So what is the big deal? Although the change isn't an all-encompassing panacea for gays and lesbians serving in the military, the cruelest part of this DADT policy has come to an end: I don't have to trade my values for my service.
I just finished serving a three-year assignment at West Point, assigned to the Simon Center for the Professional Military Ethic, and I reveled in that assignment. Like many officers who have chosen the Army as their career, I realized that the values of the Army and the character of its soldiers are the defining aspect of greatness. I knew that what we were promoting with regard to honor and respect would make them better officers. However, at some point in those three years, I started to look inward. Could I practice what I was preaching? Was every act from the moment I realized I was gay counter to all I had learned since I entered the Academy in 1996? I did my best to balance what I thought was most important -- the value I placed on selfless service -- with some sacrifice of my integrity in pretending I was someone I was not. I compartmentalized aspects of my life to continue to serve in the Army, keeping friends and colleagues at bay with imaginary stories or half-truths. This was not the same level of integrity that we taught the cadets each day. We taught that small, daily actions toward moral courage, honesty and respect would ultimately make cadets of stronger stock and character. I began to wonder if the small steps toward deception, dishonesty and lack of acknowledgement of my partner would have the opposite effect.
Deployed as a Company Commander, my significant other at the time was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I had to try to emotionally support her without being able to share that grief with anyone. I was at a loss. I knew this was something I should share with my 1SG and maybe even my Battalion Commander. But it just didn't seem possible. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I was very capable of separating my personal and professional life. Once I took off my gear and picked up the phone, I switched that part of myself back on. This isn't a healthy way to operate, but it was my only avenue. I could not confide in my 1SG, the chaplains or any doctors if I cared about the situation that I would put them in by "knowing." I never wanted my peers and colleagues to have to share this burden of deciding between knowing and breaking a regulation. The silence was overwhelming. Did my command suffer because of this silence? Would my soldiers have been better off if I had shared this stress and grief? I can only guess at these things. As a gay or lesbian soldier, you stand alone -- in arguments, in break-ups and even in life-threatening situations.
I was fortunate enough to find someone who wanted to share her life with me, but I underestimated the challenges that we would face. Bringing someone who was totally "out" into the closeted military life spawned more than a few heated arguments. It felt disrespectful as well as dishonest to never acknowledge wholly this one person who made such a difference in who I was as an officer and as a person. And when the milestones of engagement or having babies arise, you can share this joy with a very small number of people. Unit functions, which were designed to bring soldiers, families and friends closer together, had a way of creating more anxiety, tension and dishonesty.
However, Sept. 20 changes things. It doesn't change anything for us financially; even when we are married, my partner will not be legally acknowledged as my spouse, and we will not be privy to the benefits that heterosexual spouses are granted. But it marks the beginning of a new journey for me and my partner, and for many other military members. One of the brightest aspects of the repeal is the willing unmasking of gay and lesbian mentors and role models and a whole support network free of fear and cultural shame. Other service members will realize that they have known and served alongside us already, and we are closer in kind to them than any stereotype they have seen on television or imagined in their mind. Personally, I will be able to serve as that mentor and example that was previously so difficult to find, with all my Army values intact. Being out and honest about my partner and my life will allow me to look inwardly and know that I can fulfill what I have taught to cadets and soldiers. Now, I have finished with the compromising of self and the half-truths. I will be building that stronger stock and character again in myself.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2011 10:54:43 GMT -5
I am loving Rico more and more! RT by NoAngel
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Post by marie23 on Sept 20, 2011 11:01:05 GMT -5
TheSeanHayes: @breakintome: Love Adam Lambert. Hoping for more great music from him in the future. My favorite song from his debut album is "Broken Open". Then he tweeted this: @adamlambert Hey Adam. Looking forward to ur next album. BTW, your song "Broken Open" is shear bliss for me to listen to. Cheers. BTW, Sean Hayes is a classically trained musician – an incredibly talented keyboardist. He was obsessed with Mozart in college and then toured in bands for years before going into acting. He credits his musical training for his impeccable comic timing – he says the beats, the rhythms, are all very consistent and that it is a collaborative dance. Maybe that's why Adam also has such incredible comic timing as well? Isn't Sean Hayes the actor who played Sam in the LoTR Trilogy movies? Or is that someone else? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2011 11:04:04 GMT -5
I admit I never heard of Rico before yesterday and now I am determined to marry him. And it needs to be said. That picture of Adam ... his arms ... his upturned face ...   |
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