Mid Term Erection

Today is November 7, Election Day, and the first thing I did after leaving the house was voting. I proudly wear my "I Voted" sticker and a red and white shirt today (I don't own a full on "stars and stripes" shirt, thank the lord!).
Obviously I voted primarily for all the Democratic candidates, and I researched my choices for propositions and what not by consulting the Stonewall Democratic club's website as well as the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce (whose Legislative Action committee I'm supposed to be serving on, but haven't made it to a meeting in some time.)
Anyway voting is fun and exciting especially when good news is forecast, so I'm anxious to see the results tonight.
I was once a very apolitical person, having gone through the various phases of making up excuses for not voting: "my vote doesn't count," "I don't know anything about politics," "the elections are rigged anyway"... etc. Until I finally realized that it's my responsibility as a citizen to be informed about what's going on in the world and how it can affect me. Being gay, there is unfortunately a lot to be worried about when it comes to politics.
I love the gay culture, and I consider myself a propagator of queer culture and the gay agenda. Does this mean I go out to grade schools smiling at young boys and offering them toaster ovens? Of course not, but I do try to be a visible, out gay person who is happy and who is concerned with the future of gay rights. I don't consider myself a role model, although having been in a monogamous relationship with my boyfriend for over four years now, and performing in my band at gay pride events all over the place, I do feel that if a point came where I was suddenly in the public eye, I could handle the responsibility.
I also very strongly believe in supporting queer arts, media and entertainment. I'm a huge fan of Logo and Here!, the two gay networks, and I always try to stay up to date with openly gay musicians who are playing out in LA or making waves around the world.
I don't really understand this new trend of gays who want to just "blend in" to society; to not have gay bars, just have "mixed" bars where "it doesn't matter if you're gay or straight." It does matter to me if a person is gay or straight. And it certainly matters to me whether a person percieves me as gay or not, and whether that perception has any bearings on the way that person treats me. Nor do I understand the desire to pass off gay entertainment, whether mainstream (Will and Grace) or underground (various local bands), casually dismissing them as being "too gay" or "not realistically gay." First of all, what sit-com is realistic? What reality show is realistic? Entertainment is supposed to be funny, engaging, addictive, and only if you're lucky on rare occasions could it be considered provocative, educational or eye opening.
Let's realize our differences, celebrate them, and support those with similar backgrounds, interests and experiences! The voting booth is a good place to start, but it goes much further than that. Together we can help shape a world where future generations really won't have to fight just to be who they are.