This was originally posted on April 23, 2010, but thought I’d repost it for Labor Day. Have any of you checked it out.

He’s blond, blue eyed, athletic and gorgeous. Meet Kevin Keller, Riverdale’s newest resident. This fall Kevin will be joining Archie, Betty, Veronica, Reggie and Jughead as their new classmate at Riverdale High. Kevin’s addition will mark a milestone in Archie Comics history- he will be the first openly gay character. GO RIVERDALE.

Keller will make his first appearance in VERONICA Issue #202 in the featured full-issue story, “Isn’t it Bromantic?”. With his all-American good looks, he captures the eye of Veronica, who insists on making him her next love conquest. Kevin tries to let her down easy, but in true Veronica fashion, she doesn’t let up. During the cat-and-mouse chase, mayhem and hilarity ensues.

Here’s what Archie Comics co-CEO Jon Goldwater said about Kevin’s addition.

“The introduction of Kevin is just about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive. Archie’s hometown of Riverdale has always been a safe world for everyone. It just makes sense to have an openly gay character in Archie comic books,”

more pictures of Archie’s new gay character Kevin after the jump

I’ll admit it. When Katy Perry (…ya…I’m gonna call you Caty), first came out, I was on it like a homosexual on a new beautiful female solo pop act. Katy debuted with the mildly offensive “Ur So Gay” in 2007, and with a rare, ego boosting nod from Madge herself, so I stood up and paid attention. It was funny, I think Vancouverites could relate to the then still trendy scenester boys and the scarves she was singing about. She followed up with the continuing theme of passive and again mildly offensive same sex themes when she broke number one for seven consecutive weeks on Billboard when she crooned about kissing another chick, and her controversy gave her the fame she needed.

Beth Ditto was the one to finally go on record about what was in the back of some of our minds. I know I was thinking it.

I hate Katy Perry! She’s offensive to gay culture, I’m so offended. She’s just riding on the backs of our culture, without having to pay any of the dues and not being actually lesbian or anything at all. She’s on the cover of a fucking gay magazine.”

Some thought this a little farfetched. I had discussions with friends about it. The jury was split between homophobia, and camp cheek. But Beth’s point was noted. Was it really the perogative of a straight person to be able to use decades of fighting for rights and to be taken seriously, to make money and gain fame, or was this a great way to put free sexuality into the mainstream? Regardless, it came down to personal opinion and the single was a hit.

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The New York Post is reporting via The Jerusalem Post that Elton John has been banned from performing May 18th, in Egypt due to his “anti-religious sentiments.” Well, that and his gayness.

A quote from the head of the Egypt Musician Union, Mounir al Wasimi, says it all.

“How do we allow a gay, who wants to ban religions, claimed that the prophet Eissa (Jesus) was gay and calls for Middle Eastern countries to allow gays to have sexual freedom.”

“Allow a gay…” Isn’t that like the equivalent of “You people…”?

Anyway, some may say Sir John had it coming with his past controversial statements:

“I don’t know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East — you’re as good as dead…”

He also claimed Jesus was a “super-intelligent gay man” who “understood human problems.”

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This is certainly not music to my ears. Lisa Reimer, music teacher in Vancouver, B.C. was fired by a private Catholic School called Little Flower Academy, when the school found out that she was a lesbian whose partner had just given birth. She said that she was warned by the school principals not to speak of her partner or new baby, and to keep them off school grounds because otherwise “there would be a witch hunt”.

She had informed the school of her sexual orientation when she requested a maternity leave in December 2009, which she was denied. She was forced to work from home starting this past Monday, because parents complained. Her one-year contract ends in June, but she says was told to stay at home to mark papers and that her classes were cancelled.

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In light of the recent Roman Catholic Church’s homophobia, I feel compelled to write something.

“JC, you are full of contradictions.”

Sometimes, it feels that I’m playing several different roles. I don’t mean to imply that any of these roles are false selves. Each role I play offers a partial glimpse of who I am. I guess I’m starting to realize that finding your true self is a journey that I don’t think will end in this lifetime. 

I am fairly active in my church and have been a Christian since I was 6 years old. I’m fortunate to belong to a fairly open-minded and liberal church, though I acknowledge we still have a long way to go. I know that some of my GLBT friends frown on organized Christianity. While my faith is important for me, I have stopped being an apologist for church authority. Being a Christian involves being an outsider. It means being outside the mainstream society, but it also can mean being outside of the official church structure. I don’t think attending church every Sunday makes me any better than the person who sleeps in. There are times when I wish I can find my spirituality without the bullshit of church politics, the fierce and often raucous debates over sexuality and theology, and the often inward-gazing attitude of some churchgoers.  Pride of course in this sense is a dangerous sin for me. Sometimes, I do fall in the subconscious trap of thinking “I’m better and more moral than most people, especially people who mindlessly sleep around, people who do drugs, etc”. 

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To put it simply, my life until now could hardly be considered normal. Some who read this might ask why I would choose to admit that openly, or why I’d choose to share this story in such a public way… but it’s important for me, now that I sit on the verge of a new start, to let people know how the American Justice system failed me as a gay kid. To understand how homophobia allowed me to be caught up in an unjust and ridiculous situation that’s cost me almost 12 years of basic freedoms.

I take comfort in knowing things could have been worse. Hell, a lot worse. Where should I start? I should start out by stating I knew I was gay from a very young age. There was no definitive day or moment, but by the time I was 5 or 6, I knew I was different. By 7, things took a turn for the worse. My parents both working hard to raise 3 kids, I spent most of my childhood with babysitters. Two families not far from where I lived did the job. However, the babysitting was the least of my worries. I spent the next 5 years of my life sexually abused by these families. Yes both families. I was already a shy, quiet kid, so my parents never noticed a change in me. By 12, I was old enough to stay home and take care of myself, and the other families moved away. But the damage was done.

Sex was not a weird thing for me. I started experimenting sexually with other boys around 13. I wouldn’t put it outside anything other boys do/did together during this phase. I knew then though, consciously, that I liked guys, and would eventually have to come to terms with it. But then, the worst possible thing imaginable happened. I got arrested. Arrested at 15. Why? Because the parents of a boy 4 years younger than me found out we had fooled around. You might be thinking that’s pretty horrible. 4 years is a big age difference at that age. But, I had grown up with this kid most of my childhood and we spent a lot of time together. I honestly did not believe I had done something wrong. My lawyer told me not to worry, that I would just have to seek court ordered therapy and I could move on with my life. But things got ugly. Real fast.

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The kiwi and penguin and ostrich are just three flightless birds . We look at them in zoos or if we are lucky enough in their natural habitats . Are they of less interest or value than birds that take flight and soar the skies above us . No .

I was on the city bus the other day when a young boy maybe 12 or 13 came on the bus wearing two leg braces and using two crutches . He took a seat next to me after taking awhile to sit down . It was no bother to me . A man stood behind him waiting to go to the back of the bus to sit . He let out huge sigh in frustration.. I leaned his crutches up against the window . Across the aisle was a woman sitting with two children ;staring at the boy sitting beside me ‘ like he was on display at the zoo. The two children with her stared too. One of the two was sitting on the seat ; his legs under him getting slush all over the seat . I wanted to stare back and see how uncomfortable maybe it would be for them .

One of the children across from where I was sitting said loud enough that I think half the bus could hear. “mommy I am glad I have legs that work and I don’t make people wait to sit down on the bus “

The mother simply agreed “Yes it wouldn’t be much of a life -you are lucky “

I glanced at the boy sitting beside me on the bus to see his reaction . He was looking down at the floor . I wasn’t sure how he reacted . “are you okay “ I asked him

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Friday night after having drinks with friends my partner and I walked back home. Our tummies were rumbling and decided to grab something to eat. A Seven-Eleven taquito was our not so glamorous choice, but good enough to ease our hunger. Since we were just a few steps from home we decided to share our greasy choice instead getting our own. Just when we were about to cross the street my partner fed me a bite of this phallic gourmet without noticing two straight boys standing on the opposite side of the street.

These guys, stumbling with drunkenness, asked us for directions. Like good citizens and people we are, we stopped and tried to help them out. We took the time to try to understand what they were saying and where were they going, as they were making no sense. After providing them with directions, just before turning around to keep going we were stopped by a condescending question: “Hey, are you guys gay?” Proud of being who I am and not wanting to hide my sexual preference and being aware that there would be a confrontation I responded: “Yes, we are gay.” The “dude”, as he was called by his friend, started to laugh sarcastically and asked us if we were going to go home to suck each others dicks. His friend, being aware that my partner and I were cold sober and them not even able to keep their sight “straight”, pushed his friend away from us and told him to carry on.

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