2012 ends, 2013 starts!

Hard to believe that 2012 is now at a close. It feels like just yesterday we were saying the same thing about 2011...but here we are, getting ready to reign in a New Year.

What happened this year that made it go by so fast for me? January was my annual recurrent training for work (which I will be going to next month. Man, I have to really study the new evacuation commands) I know it started with another awesome trip to Puerto Vallarta in March, followed by a visit back home in Virginia visiting family and friends, while enjoying the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in May.

June ended with beautiful weather for Minneapolis Pride, followed by outstanding performances by various Drum & Bugle Corps for the DCI Minnesota Drum & Bugle contest.  July-August I had a very bad cold which kept me from flying for nearly a month. In September, was able to enjoy the MN State Fair with friends, and for flying I was able to go to several new destinations which I really enjoyed working to in Brazil, but mostly my flying kept me in the confines of the Caribbean.

November was (in my opinion) a huge success in Politics. Thankfully President Obama was re-elected and the VOTE-NO on the marriage amendment (defining marriage between man and woman) here in Minnesota won. This, as well as three other states saying Who cares in who marries, as long as they are happy.

Over-all, I had some amazing crews I worked with, and on occasion, some pretty amazing passengers too. I did help in save a life to one of our passengers which just goes with the territory, but of course, it was soon over-shadowed by the craziness of the holiday travelers demanding to not have their over-sized bags checked at the door when it wouldn't fit in the bag sizer.

Sadly, I ended this year with a bout of flu, thankfully, I was able to spend the holiday with great friends who invited me to share their time with their families. I was able to enjoy a day with one of my siblings before having a lovely dinner with his family and friends.

I'm very amazed at how quickly this year has gone by. I just hope that at some point, I will be able to stop and smell the roses....well, maybe I'll have a chance to do that during my nieces wedding in May.

Until next time,

Happy New Year!
Sluggo

American Airlines Rainbow site

One of the great aspects for working for a large corporation (American Airlines) with a huge diversity in employee's, they make great strides to be GLBT friendly, not only for it's employee's, but for it's customers too. American has been recognized by HRC as 2010's Best Places to Work for the GLBT Community 9th year running.

Over the years, AA.com has gone through many changes which does include the GLBT community. If you are an AAdvantage member, they recently introduced several new and customer-friendly enhancements to AA.com^® that will provide all of AAdvantage^® customers a more personalized experience. The enhancements have been added to the My Account section of AA.com and give customers the ability to select preferred Travel Destinations, Travel Products, and Travel Interests.  

American Airlines site has a specific travel site for the GLBT community. If you would like to book your travel, you can visit American Airlines Gay and Lesbian Travel Rainbow. 

The fight for Equality is needed

We all know that in middle school, kids pick on each other because they are 'different'. It's always been a fact of life that when a boy acts more feminine, he is made fun of, or someone who is slow is called 'challenged', or even being part of the Boy or Girl Scouts is just lame. (Hey, I was a proud Star Scout and worked at an awesome Boy Scout Camp for 4 summers)

However, on 6 October 1998, Matthew Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming, met Aaron James McKinney and Russel Arthur Henderson in a bar. After Shepard admitted he was gay, they talked him into leaving with them, at which point they drove to a secluded location outside Laramie, stole his wallet, tied him to a fence, pistol-whipped him senseless, and left him for dead in freezing weather. He was discovered 18 hours later, his unconscious body initially mistaken for a scarecrow.

Shepard died from his injuries six days later, and was promptly made an example of by the idiot Reverend Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, who claimed divine retribution had killed Shepard for the sin of being a homosexual. Phelps and his flock picketed Shepard's funeral on 17 October 1998, holding signs proclaiming "GOD HATES FAGS" and similar slogans, later installing a "memorial" on the church website which proclaims: Matthew Shepard has been in hell for 2102 days. Eternity - 2102 days = Eternity.

There have been many great strides in the GLBT community since the horrible death of Matthew Shepard.  Of course, during my short life span, this was the most important event that I can remember where there had been a horrible, senseless beating of a gay individual.

Sure we can look over time and see many senseless killings, but none outraged the GLBT community since the horrible death of San Francisco Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. I was only six years old then, but I do remember seeing the candle light vigil being aired on the nightly news. I didn't know what it was for, just that someone had died, and people were protesting. Now I know. It's tied to hatred. It's tied to jealously. It's tied to not being educated. It's tied to bigotry. It's tied to people like Phelps spreading hatred. Isn't he a man of 'God'? Isn't he suppose to spread what's in the Bible...Love Thy Neighbor?  Where is Phelps when married people commit adultery? Where is Phelps when individuals murder innocent people for money, alcohol, or drugs?

Here we are, over 32yrs later from Milk's senseless murder, we still have hatred towards the Gay, Lesbian, Bi, and Transgendered people. WHY? Why is it that so many people hate the GLBT community? Why is it that parents can't properly educate their kids that being GAY is O-K?

Many people like to quote the Bible on what God thinks of Gays...well, let's look at those who commit Adultery....

The seventh of the Ten Commandments, which God spake in the long ago, "Thou shalt not commit adultery" Exodus 20:14. This has always been God's law. We are told in I John 3:4, that sin is the transgression of God's law, therefore, to commit adultery is to transgress God's law, and therefore, sin. Not only has God forbidden adultery, but the son of God himself said, "Whoso looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart" Matthew 5:28. If the adulterous thought is sin, surely the adulterous act is sin. The Holy Spirit through the inspired apostle has told us plainly that adultery is a sin. Peter described some sinners of his day as having "eyes full of adultery, that cannot cease from sin" II Peter 2:14. Paul warned the Corinthians to "flee fornication" I Corinthians 6:18.

We are living in an age where sin is portrayed as a mere illness of the body or mind; when sin is denied or laughed off, when sin is rationalized as merely doing one's own thing, or doing what comes naturally. But a belief in the Holy God and respect for the authority of his word demands that adultery be recognized and acknowledged for what it is . . . sin.

The seriousness of the sin of adultery can be seen in several ways. Under the law of Moses the penalty was death by stoning. (Deuteronomy 22:21 ff, John 8:4,5). Again, the only ground that God gave for divorcing one's mate was sexual immorality. He said, "Whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery. And whosoever marry her that is divorced, committeth adultery" Matthew 5:32. But the seriousness of adultery is seen most clearly in the eternal punishment of those who commit the sin. An impenitent adulterer cannot go to heaven. Ephesians 5:5 says: " "No whoremonger, no unclean person hath an inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God." And in Colossians 3:6, we are told that because fornication, uncleanness, and inordinate affection, the wrath of God comes on the children of disobedience. 

So, with so many people who commit adultery, why aren't they stoned to death? How many political figures have been 'caught' red-handed with someone other than their spouse, yet they only get a slap on the hand, and continue with their lives.

Fast forward to September, 2010. There were six teen suicides across the country due to hate crimes. Why?

Asher Brown took his own life with his stepfather's 9 mm Beretta, after being bullied.  There was no suicide note.
Seth Walsh died 10 days after trying to hang himself for being tormented by classmates.
Justin Aaberg hanged himself after suffering the torment of high school bullying, and after breaking up with his boyfriend. This one is a bit more close to home since it was here in Minnesota. Yet, Anoka High has seen five students kill themselves in the past year; three of those suicides are believed to be tied to struggles with sexual identities. And yet the Anoka-Hennepin School District continues to rail against specifically calling out LGBT bullying.
Billy Lucas hung himself in his families barn after being called "FAG" one too many times.
Tyler Clementi who jumped off the George Washington Bridge in NY after two dormmates broadcast live on the Internet him getting intimate with another guy in his dorm room.
Raymond Chase hung himself in his dorm room Wednesday night.

As if this wasn't enough bullying, I find out today that the Assistant Attorney General of Michigan, Andrew Shirvell, is bullying and harassing University of Michigan's Student Body President with homophobic and other horrible slurs. This idiot even tries to go onto Anderson Cooper 360 to talk about it. I'm sorry, but if you are a public official, then truly, you have no 'personal' time, let alone any time to harass ANYONE about their sexual orientation.

Another ignorant fool who posted an ill timed message on his twitter page, 50 Cent tweeted that

"If you a man and your over 25 and you don’t eat pu**y just kill your self damn it. The world will be a better place. Lol.”

As I saw from another posted, maybe Fiddy-Cent and Kenya should get together and make babies...I'm sure they would come out perfect.

This has got to stop. Please, in order for this country to become the great nation it once was, we have got to stop this bullying, grow up, and educate. We have extremist groups out there that are attacking innocent people, yet, we are attacking each other here at home.


Lastly, I have to applaud Ellen Degeneres. She said it best in her show:


Thank you Ellen...Thank you!