Coffee Talk 1/21/09 "Us versus Them"

Hello Friends of The Village,

Every week, well almost every week, I attend The Village Coffee Talk held on Wednesday Nights, 7pm, at Salt Lake Roasting Company. It is always an enjoyable discussion led by Josh. I always get in trouble for talking when I'm not suppose to. But, it is a fun, lively discussion, with a provocative topic.

Last week the topic was a comparison discussion between The XMen and being gay. What are the similarities? What are the differences? Are the movies really about US, in a way? The answer to all of these questions is "Yes".

Similarities between the gay (GLBTASDJALX) community and the XMen are many. We are singled out. We are blamed. We are outcast. We are often left to figure things out on our own. We are discriminated against. People don't understand us. People are afraid of us. People do not understand why we are they we are. We all admire and respect Patrick Stewart. We all enjoy life when it is cast with pretty people.

Okay, I digress. Back to business. There are many positive similarities as well. We do have to figure things out on our own, until we find role models and others like us to help along the way. This causes all of us to really examine our lives, our values, our beliefs on very profound and deep levels. It is a challenge that truly strengthens us. We are gifted. We are very creative. History is built upon the creativity and contributions of homosexuals. If we are able to overcome our own fears and phobias we are usually very compassionate, caring and empathetic. We are natural spiritualists and shamans. We are forced to think outside of almost all cultural boxes, thus we become free to live outside of many cultural preconceptions. This is very liberating. Why, yes, come to think about we are intimidating. Once we realize, find and claim our identity and strength as gay individuals we are powerful. Just like the XMen we are also cross-cultural, pan-cultural. We occur everywhere. We, as our own community, are a global community with a lot in common, that ties us together across all boundaries and borders.

Actually, there may not be that many differences between us and the XMen. Well, there are a couple. First, we are not fictional. We really do exist. Our lives are not scripted. A script does make a show slick, easy and interesting. Our lives are interesting, but like all humans, we are really making it up as we go. And, our lives do not last two hours, like a movie. Even after a big finale, they still go on. So, yeah, there are a couple of differences, that actually make us better than XMen.

So, this is my two cents worth, as a bit of a follow-up to last weeks coffee talk. I hope Carlos actually blogs the whole thing without edits!

Contributor: Shawn Dallas Stradley, an active Village Core Group member and a devoted Coffee Talk attendee.