Tyra Banks has joined the ranks of Jerry Springer...

I normally don't watch talk shows, however I got caught up in Tyra Banks at midnight the other day. You know how nothing is ever on late at night? You have your choice between soft porn and Tyra Banks apparently.

C. and I were talking the other day about the Tyra Banks show and she said "Didn't you hear, Tyra has a new show called 'is gay, The New Black?'. I had no idea and did not go out of my way to find it, but at midnight with soft porn and Tyra I unfortunately chose Tyra. I find it amazing that Tyra could not find three heterosexual people who could speak intelligently without sounding like bigots. I do find the title insulting, and infact said as much to C. when we were first discussing the show. I know that the LGBT community loses far more than it gains by comparing ourselves to the african americans who participated in the civil rights movement. This only creates discord among african americans who feel that a moment of such great importance is suddenly being devalued. I also know that the LGBT community has had members of its commumity tied to barb wire fences, apparently unnoticed by Sandy Rios.

Please visit here to see at least an intro for this show, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roviP_SaAwA, I found it hard to watch without feeling outraged. Has Tyra forgotten Matthew Shepard? How could anyone forget him? How could Tyra not say something to Sandy Rios, president of the Culture Campaign, when she said you can 'stop being gay, you can't stop being black'?

I spent 32 years hiding who I was for fear of losing my family and eventually my children. I know in my heart, I cannot change who I am... I could only hide it for a time. Also, Sandy Rios needs some lessons in tact. When she chooses to accuse the young man who broke down crying of mental and emotional instability, her true colors shine through. She and all others like her are the reason that people hide who they are, and why good people can never hear a well thought out argument against the LGBT community. I would listen to someone who would speak without hate in his/her voice, but I will not listen to someone so full of vitriol and anger.

This post may sound angry, and part of it is... but there is also a huge amount of sadness here. I long for the day when my mother will accept the relationship that C and I have; but, I am also well aware that day may never come. I long to be able walk on the streets in Pella, Iowa (not where I live now) and hold my partner's hand without fear that we may be attacked. Most of all I just want equality. There are 1,164 rights that I lose by not being able to 'marry' my partner while I live in this state. What if I were hurt? Who would get custody of my children? Why does the law say it is okay that they live with an abusive father over my loving partner who would never hurt them? Why is it ok that my mother, not my partner, would be able to decide whether to sign my DNR order when her beliefs are not mine?

I know that there are enough kind heterosexual supporters of the LGBT community to completely overshadow the Sandy Rios' of the world, but those people don't make news. And that is why Tyra's show angered me so. She chose those people like Sandy Rios because they cause a sensation. They cause an emotional build up in people so that they do not listen to rational argument. The show was very much like Jerry Springer with people screaming and yelling and acting in a non-rational manner, which just encourages suspicion and stupidity.

For all her supposed support of the LGBT community Tyra chose her guests for sheer sensationalism and nothing more. She did not want to educate or inform, just look at her choice of shirts for her audience. Red for straight, light blue for gay... why was it necessary to seperate the audience into factions? These are my thoughts, what are yours?