Bridging the Chasms that Cause A Great Divide

If ever there is tomorrow when we’re not together.. there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart.. I’ll always be with you. — Winnie the Pooh

It Does Not Matter What Anyone Really Thinks About Us

It does not matter what anyone really thinks about us. They have their opinion, whether it be right or wrong. What does matter is that we know who we are, and more importantly, Whose we are. We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father. It is His stamp of approval that we should seek, and not the approval or disapproval of man.

None of us are exempt from life’s trials and challenges. We all face our own battles – our own Goliath – as we travel on this pilgrim journey. Whether or not people understand our struggles ought not to be our main concern.

I have come to realize that those who truly care and want to understand will do their best to understand, and those who don’t care are not worth spending the time and energy to extend an explanation, as no explanation would suffice anyway.

At the end of the day, whether we are true to ourselves is what matters, and not being overly concerned about what others say about us, or think about us. God, our Heavenly Father loves each of us, and to Him, we are all special. 

~ Keith Lionel Brown

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Month 2017

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is currently celebrated each year in the month of June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. The Stonewall riots were a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. In the United States the last Sunday in June was initially celebrated as “Gay Pride Day,” but the actual day was flexible. In major cities across the nation the “day” soon grew to encompass a month-long series of events. Today, celebrations include pride parades, picnics, parties, workshops, symposia and concerts, and LGBT Pride Month events attract millions of participants around the world. Read more. . . .

Also take a look at the 2017 Gay Pride Calendar, Billboard Pride, and Love Letters to the LGBTQ Community.

Coca-Cola Gay Anti-Bullying Campaign

The short video below did not get any air time in the United States, nevertheless, Coca-Cola is making a big gay bold statement in Latin America with a new short film and advertisement called “The Text.” The film, written and directed by Dustin Lance Black, an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer and LGBT rights activist, for Coca-Cola, centers on bullying and two gay teens in love.

Dustin Lance Black and Tom Daley Married

Dustin Lance Black is an American screenwriter, director, film and television producer and LGBT rights activist. He has won a Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for the 2008 film “Milk.” Tom is an English diver and television celebrity. His specialty is the 10 metre platform event, and he was the 2009 FINA World Champion in the event at the age of 15. He started diving at the age of seven and is a member of Plymouth Diving Club. You can read an article in the Huffington Post where Tom sat down with The Guardian for a revealing interview in which he discusses coming to terms with his gay identity in the public eye, his relationship with Dustin Lance Black, and his life as an athlete.

Dustin, 42, and his boyfriend of four years, Tom Daley, 22, were married on 6 May 2017 at Bovey Castle, 30 miles from Plymouth, Devon, where Tom grew up, in front of 120 close friends and relatives. Daley recited lines from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet before vows were exchanged and they were officially married. Daley is said to have delivered the star-crossed lover's famous lines: 'O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou, Romeo?' A string quartet played throughout the service and reception which followed after. The lovebirds were happily married in the Cathedral Room at the stately home before guests enjoyed a three-course meal. Wedding-goers then toasted to the couple's happiness with a glass of champagne. The after party was hosted in the Dartmoor Suite ballroom where people danced the night away until the early hours of the morning. 

Coca-Cola recruited Black to direct three short films for the company to air in Latin America that would challenge young people to choose compassion over bullying. He told AdWeek that one of the campaigns was specifically “aimed at the LGBT community.” He further stated that the intent was to show “a crossroads moment where you’ve got to make a decision: Are you going to go the way of kindness, or are you going to go for the easy joke when someone’s having a tough time?” The moral, he says, “If you do something with acceptance and kindness, you can create a true friendship.”