The Thousand-Dollar Judgment

Ahhhh, I've finally risen from the depths of a long day's sleep and came across a rather interesting article. After reading about gay twins that sued their gay bosses/owners of a Los Angeles restaurant, all I gotta say is: Flirters within our own community, take notice.

It sucks that these twins were only awarded $1,000 each. A nice, juicy $10,000 would have really hammered the point home. Like many others, I continue to question if the justice system takes sexual harassment against gays, and men for that matter, into serious consideration... just another reason why a lot of men don't even bother coming out to report violations or crimes against them. Their attorney, Sarah E. Hernandez hits the nail on the head:

"It's harder to prove sexual harassment with men because, unlike women, they don't break down and cry on the stand."

Yet, in knowing the odds of attracting serious attention from the court because of their gender and sexual orientation, these two young men fought a good fight on principle. I always get a good feeling when I read about people standing up for themselves -- especially gay men. The article can be accessed by clicking HERE.

The Observation Deck

Well, today was my first of 11 days from work, and I spent most of it sleeping! Adjusting from the graveyard shift back into the real world can be difficult at times. I suspect as I get older, it will only get more difficult.

Speaking of jobs and working... I was sad to hear that a man killed his 5 children, wife, and finally himself out in Los Angeles. Apparently, he just lost his job, like so many others - and took things over the edge.

I never understood what drives someone to kill those that they love over situations such as these. Many of us have lost, quit, or been fired from a job before... dusted ourselves off... and kept going - especially if you are blessed enough to have a family with children for support.

Hmmmmm... family.

If only American gays and lesbians were blessed to have their families recognized by the federal government. If only we didn't have to claw and fight our way into acceptance... into a means of having the rights and privileges afforded to heterosexual families. I would have loved to tell the father that murdered his family to think about the silver lining before demolishing his world with a gun. There are countless people out there that see your world as treasure, even if you have just lost your job.

In the meantime, the "Black Man Next Door" is off to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow morning -- weather permitting. I hope the ice storm doesn't embrace the Dallas area too hard overnight and cause flight cancellations in the morning! I'm looking forward to joining my good Midwestern friends for a bit of fun tomorrow!