Cynus

" [What is your best supporting argument against Equality, that does not include religion?] The supreme court of Iowa asked exactly the same question in a high-profile civil rights case: http://www.iowacourts.gov/wfData/files/Varnum/07-1499(1).pdf They got these five replies, which presumably are the best that a large, well-funded legal effort could muster: Tradition is important, and banning gay marriage maintains tradition. The court rejected this as circular reasoning, rather than an actual reason, and noted that it applies equally well to, say, interracial marriage. Children are important, and banning gay marriage promotes an optimal environment for raising them. Now, this one is not quite as trivial as the previous one, since taking care of children is actually a valid objective. However, the evidence is pretty clear that there's not a significant difference in outcomes in child-rearing, and even though some amount of uncertainty always remains, it's dangerous to ban things based on vague suspicions. And then, of course, there are plenty of other groups of people who you might want to ban from marrying on this criterion: sex offenders, say, or people who'd been convicted of violent crimes. And what the hell is up with banning gay marriage rather than gay parenthood? The court concluded that this argument is obviously not the real reason, but just some after-the-fact bullshit rationalization. Banning gay marriage will raise birth rates somehow. Babies babies babies. The court rejected this argument as making not a lick of sense. "The briefs, the record, our research, and common sense do not suggest such an outcome." They quickly move on to the next argument: Banning gay marriage will promote the stability of straight marriages. Rejected for being, as far as the court could tell, completely unsupported by any kind of evidence. Marriage costs the government money, so banning gay marriage is thrifty. This argument applies equally well to banning marriage among any group of people. New rule: you can't get married if you're left-handed. The court ruled unanimously that there was no rational reason for banning gay marriage -- in fact, they seemed kind of embarrassed at the poor excuses for arguments listed above -- and Iowa has allowed gay marriage ever since."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/01/istanbul-gay-pride-lgbt-festival_n_5545252.html

I don't really feel this way, well, not entirely. I've slowly been training myself to like criticism, and this comic makes me laugh when I think about it. Criticism, depending on how much there is, either motivates me or drives me insane and then motivates me. But maybe I'm just a masochist.

Which I suppose means that writing is a medium of constant learning, if you accept the premise of the article. I'm good with that.

I can definitely get where you're coming from. That happened to me while I was writing my first novel, "Rumors of War". I've since committed myself to having a story finished before I start posting, though I have nothing against putting out a completed work in installments.

http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/2014/06/story-you-write-is-a-guaranteed-failure.html This gave me a lot of perspective, and I'm hoping others will benefit.

It's entirely possible that I read the article in a different mindset than I have now. I had just had an argument where I was defending my transgendered friend and was pretty emotionally worked up when I came across the article. So, I shared this off of emotion.

For the T's. Lets fight this. http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2014/06/26/infant_gender_assignment_unnecessary_and_potentially_harmful.html

That is wonderful. I remember when I was working at the arena I work at and a teenage gay couple came in, openly hanging out with their friends... It was the first time I had come across LGBT kids who felt safe enough to express their love like that. I told them how great of a couple they made and how happy I was for them. Times are definitely changing, and let's hope they continue to change for the better.

Glad I could entertain.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/24/verizon-ad-tells-parents-to-encourage-girls_n_5526236.html The video is specifically about the roles we force girls into, but it definitely has a more universal application.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-teacher-read-his-class-a-suicide-note-from-far-away-one-of-his-students-heard-more-than-others?g=2&c=upw1

Thank you for the compliments everyone. I'm glad that you all enjoyed it. It was a fun piece to write, and it came out quite smoothly. I think this was one of those stories for me that begged to be written, so when I finally sat down to do so it practically wrote itself. Again, thank you.

I am definitely going to start employing this strategy. One of my editor's uses this strategy, and he always catches things that my other editors miss.

It's entirely possible that the reason why it worked for me was because I knew what I was looking for. Maybe it doesn't work for me, but I'm going to try it anyway.

I recently received feedback on a short story I wrote which indicated I used the word "that" a bit too often and unnecessarily. I honestly had no idea what the reader was referring to, because I hadn't noticed it while I was writing it, but it was then that I realized that I rarely read my own work. I simply write it, send it to my editors, and then go back through on the spots that they had issues with. I never go back and read my own work before submitting it. And so, with this new realization in hand I set out to read the story we were talking about, and sure enough, I could tell almost immediately what he was talking about. I did use "that" frivolously, and I noticed several other problems as well, such as my comma usage. I don't know why I've never thought of it before, but I'm going to start rereading my work before I submit it. If I want to strive for perfection, I need to take responsibility for my words, instead of thrusting it all upon the shoulders of my editors.

My favorite is number 6. I've always been too soft on my characters, and I know it has harmed my stories. I think I've become a lot better at it, but I suppose only my readers will be able to tell me if I've improved.

From Kurt Vonnegut's "Eight Rules of Writing." 1) Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted. 2) Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for. 3) Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water. 4) Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action. 5) Start as close to the end as possible. 6) Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of. 7) Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia. 8) Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To heck with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

http://instinctmagazine.com/post/straight-guy-explains-why-he-loves-living-w-two-gay-roommates

A quick review of my thoughts on each story. Turning Ten by Bruin Fisher: I loved the incorporation of the theme in this one. It was very ingenious. More importantly, the story was a wonderful tale of unexpected love, despite less than perfect circumstances, which is a reminder I constantly need. Fifteenth Birthday by Colin Kelly: Can't complain about this one. The tale of needing to tell your best friend the thing you're most nervous about, hoping that they won't mind. I loved every moment of it. Turning Ten On the Road to Kamping by Nigel Gordon: Nigel really outdid himself on this one. Detailed descriptions make you feel like you're there, and each character is well developed for a short story. Add in another ingenious twist on the theme and you have a recipe for Nigel's best work yet. 2 x 10 by Cole Parker: Cole, you're an inspiration to us all. Read it and find out why. The Other Side by Chris James: An adventure that I hadn't been expecting, but it was well worth the ride. I wouldn't mind seeing a novel come out of this one, personally. As The Clock Turns by Cynus: I'll decline to comment on my own story. The Worst Day by Alien Son: A how to guide on how to turn a kid's day around. A great deal of depth in the main character, who happens to be a ten year old boy. Well done. Turning Ten Twice by Nigel Gordon: Somehow Nigel managed to pull off a second short before the deadline, and just like the other one it was fantastic. The twist at the end makes it all the better. Chains by Steven Adamson: A great reminder that sometimes happiness requires that we take a leap of faith and break out of our comfort zones. This is another lesson I've needed recently, and I'm grateful for. Pyrrhus by vwl-rec: Philosophical. I like a story that makes me think, and this one certainly did. I'm afraid if I say more I'll give it away, so I won't! Sometimes we need to think of the bigger picture. Sweet and Ten by Mihangle: A mischievous tale filled with the explorations of the young, and guaranteed to make you wish you were still innocent. Homecoming by Altimexis: Another wild adventure, with a delightful twist. A tale of survival when the odds are against you. Loved every second. Jesse's Journey by James Merkin: Sometimes it takes a journey to the past to remember how much people mean to you, whether they be family or perfect strangers. Jesse's journey reminds us of the importance of love in all aspects of life. Ten Years On by Camy: Uncertainty in love can doom a relationship. It's good to have great friends who can tell you the honest truth when you need it, especially when it's keeping you from happiness. Yet another lesson I needed. Thank you to everyone who submitted stories. It was a wonderful few days as I went through them all. I didn't have a solid complaint about any of them, and each one reflected the spirit of AwesomeDude in its own way. Well Done!

I can agree. I'm impressed even by the youth here in Utah, where we are surrounded by conservative upon conservative. I have a number of regular patrons at my workplace who are in their midteens, and we've discussed LGBT rights before. So many are of the mindset expressed by the author's son. It's remarkable.

http://goodmenproject.com/featured-content/a-straight-guys-love-note-to-gay-people-everywhere-jnord/

A dear friend of mine is a restaurant consultant, and has been in the restaurant business for over thirty years. There is a certain piece he tells all of his clients. "For every customer that tells you something about your restaurant, there are ten more who had the same experience and didn't say anything." For each of those emails you've received, telling you about the influence AwesomeDude has had, there have been many more that have never been written, but were certainly felt. I for one am grateful to Awesomedude for what it has been, and I'm looking forward to the next ten years. May they be every bit as good as the last ones.

Personally, I think that is the better way to differentiate between stories. We should use disclaimers at the beginning of explicit stories, but I don't think we need to establish a difference between gay themed stories and not. After all, isn't the fight for rights about becoming equal? As far as I've understood it, Awesomedude is about providing high quality writing, not about being gay themed. The heading at the top of Awesomedude's homepage says "Stories by, for, and/or about LGBT People of All Ages". If I were to write a non gay themed story, it would still be written by me, one of those LGBT People, and I think that means it fits the criteria for what the site advertises.