AWARDS AND ACCOLADES BUT STILL NO CONTRACTS

In Beijing Matthew Mitcham became one of the world's truly outstanding, gold medal, olympic athletes. And he did it in the most dramatic, heart-stopping way possible for a world-class diver.

He's young, he's attractive, he has a winning smile and a warm, outgoing, exuberant personality. He's been named Australia's Sports Performer Of The Year and has even been immortalized on a 50c Australian postage stamp featuring his name, image and medal.

In fact, according to PinkNews.co.uk, last week, at a reception at the National Art School in Sydney, Matthew was named one of the top 25 most influential gay Australians.

So, considering all of his impressive accomplishments, why hasn't Matthew gotten a single endorsement contract? Not one - from anywhere in the world!

Considering the tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars that worldwide mega-corporations and local, home-grown businesses have showered on other olympic and non-olympic athletes, you would think that they could afford to acknowledge and support the accomplishments of this one exceptional Australian athlete.

Well, clearly - and shamefully - extremist homophobia trumps olympic gold medals. Apparently, it even trumps simple but outstanding, personal perseverance in overcoming seemingly impossible odds.

Being the only openly gay male athlete to ever compete in the world olympics does seem to carry with it a substantial price. All of the rosy rhetoric espoused by international corporations about diversity and inclusiveness certainly seems to ring very hollow right now, doesn't it?

What's amazing about all of this is Matthew's own extraordinarily mature attitude. Yes, of course, he's disappointed but his never-say-die optimism keeps pushing through. In a recent interview with the Sidney Morning Herald, Matthew said,

"It [coming out] has brought so much attention because it's put me out there, and people know who I am, but I'd like to think that it's not the most interesting thing about me.

"Like everything, there are pros and cons about it, but nothing bad has come out of coming out yet, and that's one of the best things of the whole experience."

"Yeah, I haven't got anything yet, but I'm working on stuff, and looking for stuff but, no, I haven't got anything yet."

How could anyone not like this guy? Come on everyone - pass the word around - get him some endorsement deals. He deserves it! And it's one of the only ways for him to raise enough money to finance his training and his next trip to the olympics.

Someone out there - STEP UP!!

DISTURBING DISAPPOINTMENTS

Amid the frustration and turmoil within our community over Obama's pick of rightwing, anti-gay evangelist Rick Warren to deliver the inaugural invocation was the hope that out lesbian and long-time labor activist Mary Beth Maxwell would be named Secretary of Labor. That appointment would make her the first openly gay member of the LGBT community to ever serve in a presidential cabinet. Certainly, she is eminently qualified.

Filling that labor position was left to the very last cabinet level appointment. Thus, raising hopes even further that Maxwell would be his pick. Some of us even thought that maybe he was delaying announcing her appointment until after he had made his selection of Warren public. This would have made political sense since the sting of that slap in the face would be softened by the excitement of Maxwell's appointment.

Unfortunately, less than a day after the Warren announcement, Representative Hilda Solis was named to that position.

There's no question that, like all of Obama's cabinet picks, Solis is highly qualified as well. However, the biting sting of a virulent anti-gay evangelist giving the inaugural invocation has been greatly exacerbated by the strong disappointment of Maxwell being passed-over.

In case some of you aren't aware of just who Rick Warren is, in an interview with Beliefnet.com, he equated allowing loving same-sex couples to get married with redefining marriage to permit incest and pedophilia. He has also repeatedly espoused the often used lie that allowing marriage equality would threatened the freedom of preachers like him to say what they thought about homosexuality.

In a CNN commentary piece, Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way (a nonprofit advocacy group that supports equality and freedom of speech and religion), said:

"Warren has been divisive and dishonest on the issues of marriage equality and religious freedom -- and on other issues important to many Obama supporters, as well.

He adamantly opposes a woman's legal right to abortion and dismisses common-ground efforts to reduce the need for abortion by comparing them to accommodating the Holocaust. He is disrespectful of progressive people of faith, suggesting that they are tools of the Democratic Party or more Marxist than Christian.

So much for the values of unity and respect, not to mention the constitutional principle of equality, on which President-elect Obama campaigned."

As much as I would emotionally like to dismiss Obama as just another two-faced politician who talks out of both sides of his mouth when he purports to be a supporter of our community, I'm biting my tongue and containing my extreme disappointment - for now.

I am still hopeful that he will follow through on his statements of support for acquiring fully equal rights for same-sex couples, repealing DOMA, passing ENDA and ending DADT.

In fact, speaking of DADT, in an article posted today at Advocate.com, openly gay William White, president of New York's Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum, is being named as a possible candidate for Secretary of the Navy in the Obama administration.

Obviously, an appointment of this magnitude would reverberate throughout congress and all branches of the military. It would also underscore Obama's commitment to end "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

According to The Advocate,

White, who has been with the museum since 1992, according to Newsday, would be the first openly gay chief of a military branch. The secretary is a civilian position, meaning his appointment would not be a direct violation of the military's ban on openly gay and lesbian service members.

Members of Congress and retired members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have contacted Obama's transition team, urging him to pick White.

So I suggest we bite the bullet on Warren and continue to look towards the future with optimism. At least, that's what I'm going to try to do.

DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE CANDLELIGHT VIGIL TOMORROW!!

NATIONAL "LIGHT UP THE NIGHT" VIGIL SET FOR SATURDAY

On Saturday, December 20th at 5:00pm on the Mill Avenue bridge in downtown Tempe, Arizonans will join the rest of America in a nationwide candlelight vigil.

This national demonstration was organized by Join The Impact (the same people who put together the highly successful November 15th demonstrations) and planned locally by H.E.R.O. "Light Up The Night For Equality" is planned to honor the rights lost to Proposition 8 and the rights still nonexistent to 1 in 10 U.S. citizens. It is also intended to remind the general public that we're still here and we're not going away until equal rights are available to everyone.

In the words of Join The Impact:

There are still too many people in this country who do not understand what it is we are fighting for. Too many people believe the slanderous rumors about our community. They believe that we want “special” rights, that we already have equal rights, or that we are being “greedy.” IT’S TIME THIS STOPS! These people do not hate us, they just do not understand us. Many of them have gay friends. Many of them have gay family members. What they are missing, is awareness. On December 20th, we will SHED LIGHT ON OUR MOVEMENT AND GIVE THE GIFT OF AWARENESS TO ALL!

H.E.R.O. has posted the following instructions:

* Phoenix residents are encouraged to dress warm and report to the Mill Ave Bridge at Tempe Town Lake at 5 p.m., Saturday, December 20th.
* This will be a peaceful demonstration in the spirit of the holidays so be ready to sing.
* Bring candles! (They can be purchased 10 for $1 at Dollar Tree)
* Dress alike. Wear as much red as you can; scarves, hats, even pants if you have them. Join the Impact is asking people to make or wear 2nd Class Citizen t-shirts, but the message is optional.
* Be sure to wear a white ribbon in a double knot as a symbol of Marriage Equality. (The white represents marriage and the knots signify tying the knot)
* Bring any canned or boxed food you have collected as part of the National Food Drive. This will be the culmination of the National Food Drive for Equality

What will we be doing?

* Hosting a peaceful candlelight vigil in honor of those rights lost.
* We will stay silent unless asked a question or sing, we will not yell, instigate, or bear signs. Instead, we will let our shirts and flyers do the talking and our candles pay our respects. Again, bring candles please.
* Singing and/or silence encouraged...chanting is not....keep it peaceful and in the holiday spirit.
* We will also be drinking coffee gratefully donated by a local coffee shop.

The 5 W's of LUTN

Who: Anyone, gay, straight, bisexual, transgender, who wants to stand up and show the world that we will not sit back any longer while our rights are taken away and hate and discrimination is written into our constitution
What: A Candle Light Vigil
Where: The Mill Ave Bridge at Tempe Town Lake
When: December 20th at 5 p.m.
Why: Because we have sat by, in silence, for far too long waiting for our turn at equality and freedom. And now we will stand together, united within our community and with those communities who know the pain of inequality and segregation.

If you don't live in Arizona, click here to find a vigil location nearest you.