Just say Aaarrrgh!

Saw this on The National Lottie – its excellent! (both this entry and the blog in general)

Go check out the blog, click on the image to go to the entry!

Thanks Lottie.

One right for everyone in the audience

Saw this on one of my favorite blogs – Damien Mulley

Proud Baby@ Stockholm Pride 07

I had heard Conor and his mum’s on Plank Kenny’s radio show earlier this summer and meant to get to the blog. Damien reminded me of the blog in this post about it.

Please tune in to Plank Kenny,  this Friday night or just get your parents to do it.
Then keep the conversation going, let your aunt and uncle, your neighbors, your flatmate, your colleague know about it and get them talking too.

Children of Gay Parents should not have different rights to those born in heterosexual families.

I intend on having children with my partner in the next few years and I want to ensure that the living beings we bring into the world will not have lesser rights,  or be treated as though my partner is a “kindly stranger” to them. She will be their mother in every respect that I will, having (I hope you are reading this my love) gotten up for night time feeds, changed and winded, pushed them on swings and played endless games of star wars and bratz.

Our children will have two loving and dedicated parents, two parents I hope will be as good at the job as Conor’s parents are (just read this letter to see the guy they raised)

Anyway, please tune in … and pass the word along, and if you feel like doing more please read here, lots of options to make yourself heard and to help give Conor and his family as much support as possible. They are giving up so much of their anonymity and privacy to make a difference to ensure our country recognizes all its citizens fully and fairly.

I’d like to thank you Conor and your brother and parents.

Just Keep Swimming……

Read this First…

When I read this post (link up there), of donkeys years ago, last year to be exact I shivered, perhaps you did too.

The reason I shivered is because something like this happened to me too…..

I was the typical “troubled teen” in school, always looking for a reason to be different, as if I didn’t have enough reasons.

Home life was rubbish and my Dad was ill, he has been a sufferer of manic depression since 23 (before I arrived). I use the word suffer deliberately as he does suffer, and he makes sure everyone around him does too.

Things came to a head for me when I was 16. I could no longer take the weight of a grown manic man’s problems on my teenage shoulders. I had enough of my own, my sexuality, my general difference, my lack of confidence, my lack of trust, my list was, it seemed, endless.

I thought about death and I planned for it, and I executed it, would have succeeded too…. except someone found me (I’m sure I wanted to be found really)

My “John” is that 16 yr old,

In the days and months after, I mourned her.

She died without my ever getting to talk to her, and from that waste of life I got the strength to stand up for myself.

To keep swimming…….

Its not always easy to keep my head above water, but every hour I manage it I am glad.

This life affords me such wonderful experiences (and some pretty shit ones too) but that empty joyless fearfull parallel life that could have been has given me reason to be very grateful for her passing.