I don't know if everyone is following the Survivor controversy. Am I the only one who thinks that it was set up? While I don't think that it was scripted to out him, I also think that the producers set things up to out him. Maybe I'm just very cynical about "reality" TV.
I am more amazed that the show is still on...but this is nothing new. Waaaay back in the day I worked with a woman who had a gambling addiction who went on Oprah. The people told her to make up stories and exaggerated a great deal.
I don't know if everyone is following the Survivor controversy. Am I the only one who thinks that it was set up? While I don't think that it was scripted to out him, I also think that the producers set things up to out him. Maybe I'm just very cynical about "reality" TV.
GLAAD was involved in preparing the episode:
GLAAD's Transgender Media Program worked with Zeke Smith and CBS for several months to ensure that when the episode aired Zeke would have the opportunity to speak for himself about his experience.
And Zeke Smith, the outed player, penned a column about it.
So it seems both Smith and GLAAD are okay with how the show handled the situation. Smith even says something along those lines near the end of the episode. Between that, and from what I've been reading, I don't think the producers set things up to out him. If they were going for that, they would have done it in the first season he was on. (This was his second.)
Plus, what would be in it for the guy who actually did the outing? He loses the show and is going to be catching a lot of flak from people now that it's aired.
Reading Smith's column, the whole thing kind of points to some of the differences between contemporary gay and trans experiences, I think, given some of the assumptions that Jeff Varner, who is gay, assumed about Smith when he outed him.
I don't watch much TV anymore and I have never enjoyed reality TV so I wouldn't have watched this. I'm curious how Varner knew about Zeke's status.
I don't watch much TV anymore and I have never enjoyed reality TV so I wouldn't have watched this. I'm curious how Varner knew about Zeke's status.
Read Smith's column. He and Varner had a lot of one-on-one conversations about LGBTQ issues while the show was going on. It probably came up then.
Varner and I connected quickly. Events in his life back home drew him to seek an understanding of gay people’s place in Christianity. I studied religion in college, focusing specifically on LGBTQ people and the Bible. Though I’m not particularly religious, I feel passionately that people of faith should not be denied religious ritual or spiritual community because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and shared what I’d learned with Varner over long conversations on the beach.
I saw a pain, a brokenness in his eyes that felt all too familiar — a longing for the spotlight, but a desire to remain unseen. Though Varner has been openly gay for many years, he chose not to discuss his sexual orientation during his first two stints on the show. Beyond his charm and charisma, I thought I recognized a deep-seated insecurity and self-loathing, a glimpse at who I could become were I not careful.
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I missed that when I read it. I didn't read it in detail, obviously. I thought I had read enough to see what happened.
I'm glad that this turned out well for him for now. I hope it stays that way. The one thing that most trans people I know want is to blend in and be seen as their true selves rather than feeling the need to be out. They just want to fit into society and not be in the spotlight.
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Poor John
* gives John an extra special bear hug *
As I was leaving my apartment this morning guess what I saw? A full rainbow. It was quite a nice site with all the dreary weather I've been getting.
* gives everyone a big fluffy bear hug *
Have a great day, everyone.
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*gets hugg'd, then shares, Because.*
Have a safe day out there.
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*Brightening up you day, making it warm and comfortable for hugs, smiles, companionship and talking, now with tea and coffee*
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*hugs for John*, *more hugs for other people*, *more hugs for John*.
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John, in one support group I was in, we developed the metaphor of "who is driving the bus". We all agreed that we were like kids on a school bus, and sometimes different 'kids' tried to drive the bus. But the key for each of us was identifying the 'adult' and making sure that in risky situations we told the kids to sit down and let the adult drive.
May or may not work for you, but several times in my life, taking a deep breath and putting the "adult" at the wheel has helped a great deal.
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*hugs for John*
And
*hugs for Uncle Teddy's bear, Fred and Rysky.
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@John: Some kind of weird-sounding but useful advice I've heard is to think of anxiety as a little nervous pet you need to take care of. When it starts getting jumpy, just imagine cuddling it close and talking softly to it to calm it down like you would a puppy. Along the same lines as Crystal's suggestion, really - when you make your wayward emotions something separate from yourself, it helps you to regain control of them.
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Hugs. Just general hugs piled up by the campfire, available to anyone who wants to take a few.
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And, just for the record, I was up hours ago. Xfinity was doing line maintenance in the area. So, no internet for a while. *Grumble, would have been helpful if they warned people beforehand. >:( Grumble*
Phone / cable companies warning before cutting you off for a few hours/days...what a strange concept...
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Happy Easter everyone!
*hugs*
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*totally not the campfire elemental*
*Offering an extra cozy and bright fire for celebrating, smiles, hugs, companionship and conversation, offering tea, coffee and thick advocaat*
*starts looking for a new dress to wear in two weeks*
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HOPPY EASTER!
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Happy Easter! *offers hugs and warm wishes to everyone that wants them, hugs not mandatory for warm wishes*
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Got to love nightshifts before a holiday
- Minors throwing a fit because I am not selling them booze - Check!
- Something like an arrest going on on the lot before the gas station I work - Check!
- Some guy (well enough dressed, driving a middle class car) almost crying because I won't sell him cigaretts cheaper - Check!
- A woman "threatening" to call my boss and blame me for not having freshly baked bread rolls at 2 AM - Check!
- Two guys speaking and understanding pretty much only russian but in dire need to make a mobile phone contract in the middle of the night - Check!
- Keeping an inexperienced and very drunk diabetic concious witch coke and sweets - Check!
- Patching up a hemophiliac who cut himself so he wouldn't faint before the ambulance arrives - Check!
And I am not even halfway through the night!
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Got to love nightshifts before a holiday
- Minors throwing a fit because I am not selling them booze - Check!
- Something like an arrest going on on the lot before the gas station I work - Check!
- Some guy (well enough dressed, driving a middle class car) almost crying because I won't sell him cigaretts cheaper - Check!
- A woman "threatening" to call my boss and blame me for not having freshly baked bread rolls at 2 AM - Check!
- Two guys speaking and understanding pretty much only russian but in dire need to make a mobile phone contract in the middle of the night - Check!
- Keeping an inexperienced and very drunk diabetic concious witch coke and sweets - Check!
- Patching up a hemophiliac who cut himself so he wouldn't faint before the ambulance arrives - Check!
And I am not even halfway through the night!
ADVENTURE!
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Happy Easter everyone!
I have certainly enjoyed our short time in skirt weather. It's so exciting this year since I can actually wear skirts out in public!
(I also ran into one of my former students yesterday from back when I was presenting as male. I was... uh... definitely not presenting as male yesterday. Fortunately I'm already out at school cause that could've been awkward...)
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ADVENTURE!Got to love nightshifts before a holiday
- Minors throwing a fit because I am not selling them booze - Check!
- Something like an arrest going on on the lot before the gas station I work - Check!
- Some guy (well enough dressed, driving a middle class car) almost crying because I won't sell him cigaretts cheaper - Check!
- A woman "threatening" to call my boss and blame me for not having freshly baked bread rolls at 2 AM - Check!
- Two guys speaking and understanding pretty much only russian but in dire need to make a mobile phone contract in the middle of the night - Check!
- Keeping an inexperienced and very drunk diabetic concious witch coke and sweets - Check!
- Patching up a hemophiliac who cut himself so he wouldn't faint before the ambulance arrives - Check!
And I am not even halfway through the night!
Unfortunatly the GM is unfairly stingy with XP and treasure.
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Ok, I am done...this night has to be somebodys idea of a sick joke...
How can you be prepared for some girl with a whiff of burned hair (Why yes my dear, Bonfires are made of real fire these days) starting to unwrap her breasts to 'prove she is old enough to buy booze'?
A) That won'make you look any older!
B) You should probably be thankful for that!
C) YOU ARE ON CAMERA!
*Headdesk*
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And yet more adventure. I had no idea that working in a gas station was so ... interesting. Is your station isolated or inside a community?
It is at the edge of a rural community (County capital ~35.000 Inhabitants) - but it is also the only shop for ~25 kilometers radius that is open all night.
I have had interesting nights before (I was robbed, threatened by a guy who beat his girlfriend so I intervened, been offered a gun for sale - which is pretty crass for Germany - forced to interfere with groups of people beatng someone to a bloody pulp, extinguishing a burning car in front of the gas pumps, etc.), but this had the highest density of interesting incidents in one night for now.
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I used to work overnights at a gas station...though it had no convince store... I had only 1 interesting story.
The gas station was on a highway...there was a side street in the back but no entrance. Two young guys stopped in the back and told me the ran out of gas. We had a spare gas container for that occassion...so I filled it up for them and as I was walking it over to their car one of them asked me...
"Do you believe in God?"
"Yes" I said after a moment of freezing. I mean it like 3 AM in the morning...there is like no one around...and that is the last question I expected...and the way he asked it raised my hackles. So...I kinda told the truth...I do believe in gods...I just have no faith or trust for organized religions. But they struck me as fanatical so I decided to to engage them in a religion discussion.
I am guessing one of them saw my defensive stance and explained to me they were just coming back from a religious retreat. They turned out to be pretty nice kids and even gave me a $5 tip.
The other funny thing is I kept 'forgetting' I had a name tag so I was always taken aback when people who I did not know used my name.
In other news..
The PFLAG meeting is this Wed. So unless there is a surprised snowstorm (*looks suspiciously at Freehold DM and his weather dominatrix*) this one should not be canceled. I will let you guys know how it goes.
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Thanks. Also, broke 2,000 posts. :)
Congrats John on the 2,000 post. *celebratory hugs*
I am sorry for the migraine *soothing hugs*
And thank you Rysky I hope I have fun and make friendsure, but I am incredibly nervous. *nervous hugs*