ROTFL with Jeffrey

Many of the comments that I read on yesterday regarding that CHICKEN matter have saddened me.

TRANSPARENT MOMENT:  There has been a great worldwide web conversation/debate over the past few weeks about the corporate leader of a certain CHICKEN chain that closes on Sundays and his now open support against marriage equality.  Many of the comments that I have read regarding this issue have saddened me. I'm clear that everyone has the right to an opinion and to support what they choose. However, I'm burdened by the hatred that is evident. I'm burdened by the hurt that many are expressing.  I'm burdened by how some declare that members of the LGBTQ community are not human, are pedophiles, a threat to society and are the reason why God has allowed HIV/AIDS to penetrate our world.  The misuse of scripture is far and wide.  It extends from the pulpit to the ivory towers of corporate America to the halls of Congress and into our neighborhoods and schools.  There are many who have fearfully hidden who they are as a sexual being behind an "I support..." sign.  I am not hating on you because I too have hidden behind some words and actions in my life as well.  But, I can tell you that hiding only creates more lies to be told and more misery to endure.  Oh that one day you will reconcile your soul and live in peace.  It is wise to be careful where we stand in these moments for you too are a part of a marginalized community.  If they have not come for you yet, be vigilant and not foolish, they will come.  As a nation we are writhing in acts that are conjured up by fear and hatred.  It is time for us to turn our hearts so that we may love without limits.  It is through this limitless love that we will win the war against hatred and fear and overcome our very selves.

Real Open Talk For Life with Jeffrey

Earlier this year I attended the launch of a Faith Leaders Symposium in Houston, TX hosted by Metropolitan Interdenominational Church Technical Assistance Network (MICTAN).  I was most inspired by Dr. Mindy Thompson Fullilove's presentation that addressed systematic poverty in America.  As a result of the research presented I began to ask the question:  Which is the GREATER enemy of the Black American community, HIV/AIDS or Systematic Poverty?

Dr. Fullilove opened by discussing how Dr. John Snow's research about the devasting effects of cholera in London led city officials to remove the handle from the Broad Street pump.  Many believe that cholera was in the water and was spread to individuals who drank from that pump.  Snow found that the deceased lived, went to school or worked near that pump and drank from it.  At the height of the outbreak London officials began to sell clean water with only the wealthy being able to afford it and leaving the poor at risk for aquiring the disease. However, the rich were still impacted by the disease because many of them employed people who lived in areas surrounding the pump who carried the disease with them to their places of work.

Next, Fullilove presented research on impoverished communities in Bronx, New York in the 1970s.  These communities had a high presence of poverty, crime and intravenous drug use.  In an effort to remove the ills of the community there was a systematic closing of businesses and services with fire houses being the last services to be removed.  With the fire houses removed the community was left to burn to the ground scattering the poor, the criminals and the drug addicted.  According to Fullilove, research shows that there was a presence of an unknown disease among intravenous drug users in the area that was killing the infected drug users.  As these people scattered, so did the unknown disease.  Research later revealed that this disease was HIV and was present in these areas among the poor long before it was discovered among gay white men in San Francisco, CA.

Fullilove spoke about the government's systematic method of directing money away from black communities in America.  A planned "undermining of neighborhoods" through sub-prime lending, gentrifiction, racial segregation, red-lining, deindustrialization, etc.  More specifically, the Housting Act of 1949 was passed to supposedly eliminate eliminate slums.  Years after its passage many surmise that public housing and urban renewal programs were "fosetering the slums and blight they were meant to eradicate."  As a result, Urban Renewal was later dubbed "Negro Removal".

During the International AIDS Conference held in Vienna, Austria in 2010, CDC provided information from a research study that indicated that AIDS is most prevalent among people who are disproportionately poor regardless of race.  The research further stated that Blacks in America are disproportionately poor and therefore are disproportionately affected by HIV.

I have never bought into the thought that HIV/AIDS is a conspiracy to eliminate the Black or gay communities.  However, in taking a closer look at Dr. Fullilove's research and the research of others, I am beginning to wonder if POVERTY in the American Black community is the real enemy.  As Blacks in America we have for generations been living within a society whose leaders have systematically determined who the rich will be and who the poor will be.  Do any of the following sound like systematic ways to keep Blacks in America in impoverished living situations?

The fight for the right to vote in public elections;

The fight for the right to an equal education;

Poorly funded schools in predominately Black neighborhoods;

Racial profiling;

Stiffer penalities for Blacks found guilty for the committing the same crimes as Whites;

I certainly know the answers to these questions.

In John 2:1-11 Scripture shares the story of Jesus' first miracle.  In short he was at a wedding along with his mother Mary and his disciples.  Before the party was over the reception guests drank ALL the wine and the host became desparate.  Mary says to Jesus, "They have no wine."  Jesus responds, "My hour has not yet come."  Mary, as all mothers do, ignores him and tells the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."  (Um, lady he already told you that his time had not yet come!)  That's a mother for you!  Jesus succumbs to Mary's request and orders the servants to fill the containers with water and to draw out some and take it to the chief steward.  By the time the steward received his beverage Jesus had turned the water to wine.  Ah!  The first miracle!

I grew up in a family that was always helping other people.  My mother, father and both of my mom's parents were forever doing things for the people in our community.  Seeing them feed people, nurse people back to health, loan people money, make sure people got home safely who had too much to drink was a divine lesson to me about helping others.  From these observations I have learned to help others almost to a fault because a few folks have taken advantage of me....urh!  But, that's for another blog.

Since moving to Jersey I have been on a situation imposed sabbatical from my world saving endeavors.  My partner and my close friends think it is a wonderful thing that I am "getting some rest".  I on the other hand am bored as hell with just sitting on the porch and kicking cans. No lives to save!  No hard head young men to converse with about unsafe sexual escapades! No condoms to hand out!  No newly diagnosed person to get connected to care!  No one to talk to about his or her struggle around spirituality and sexuality!  No reason to put on my red cape and fly through the air with the greatest of ease...oooops, that's the daring young man on the flying trapeze!  I need to turn some water to wine before the grapes dry up!  Ha!  I know those of you who are going to work every day and working with crazy people think I'm bananas!  I'm really not.  I'm just tired of walking around the house all day singing, "Touch me in the morning don't just walk away" in mezzo soprano.

In my sanest moment I know that my time to return to the active duty of saving the world will return.  In the meantime, HGTV, The View, The Chew and Scandal continue to comfort me through each day!

That's Real Open Talk for Life!

Presence and Power!

Welcome to Real Open Talk for Life with Jeffrey!  I'm so excited to be a part of the blogscape at NJgaylife.com!  As my blog title states...we are going to have some real and open conversations but you have to promise to be as nice as you can and respect the opinions of others.  Let's connect in blog world so that you too can enjoy the wonderful meetings in my head as many others have done!  Ha!

A little about me...I am a committed spouse who followed my partner from Texas to Jersey because we committed to follow whichever career called for the first move.  He won!  I arrived on March 29th.  I'm a Black Christian minister who is openly gay and I'm from a small Texas town however, I have spent the last 23 years in Houston, TX.  My choice to come out was more about my call to help rebuild the walls of my Black gay community more than it was about me wanting to march in a parade however, you can check off parade marching from the list of things that I have done.  I have also spent much of this last decade working in HIV Prevention and Linkage to Care.  And, no I'm not HIV positive.  I mention my HIV status because I am committed to letting my young African American brothers know that being Black and gay is not synonomous  with having a positive HIV status.

Now, pay close attention!  I am for marriage equality but I have not always been because I have not always believed that being gay or same-gender loving was right.  Oh no!  Here comes the Black man talking about not being okay with being gay.  Yok u are right.  I have to talk about my evolution because someone doesnt believe that evolution is possible.  I am going to try and blow your mind about evolution and I promise you will laugh with me and you will cry by yourself about my stories because I have put the tissues up.

I need some great organizations and great people to connect with because I need friends on the east coast and I need a job too!