Issues and Tissues

Recent events have forced me to do a week-long silence to reflect about a thing or two when it comes to my public and private SL life and how it does indeed have collaterals I never expected, then again all of our actions do have consequences, whether you are a public figure or not, the difference lies in the fact that when you are indeed exposed to the public eye, your actions and its effects are just a whole lot louder.

I'll never make excuses or try to bend the truth about my actions past and present, if I am ever in the wrong I am always the first to admit it and even rush to fix things to the best of my ability, it takes after all -like my father used to say many times- a small man to do wrong and a big man to admit it and I do always try to be the bigger man when it comes to issues and SL drama that I have provoked, but something I will surely never do is add fire to someone's else's bonfire of issues -there's therapy in RL, something some users in SL seem to forget, it is there... make use of mental health care, now that you have the chance and stop logging in to compensate for whatever it is that you are lacking or needing help with-, SL is entertainment, something we "add" to our lives, hence the name, making it your first and topmost priority on whichever area, that's where you are in the wrong.

I know and accept now that due to the amount of exposure I have subjected my SL persona to, I will be the target and aim of many things, illogical  and unfounded hate being one of them.

And as the title of this article estates, there are Issues and there are tissues, grab a pack of those and if I ever wronged you in any way and want to be an adult about it instead of spewing your hate around, do IM me and meet me in-world and we'll have a chat.

Then again the comfort of social platforms for hateful speech and cyber-bullying is always a lot more comfortable bed to lie in.

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P.S: to avoid unwanted venom the comments on this article will be for the first time ever, moderated, even if actions do speak louder than words, we really want to keep this site clean don't we.

Who do you think you are?

The Spice girls were the first to ask, S Club Seven asked it too, now it's the turn of the newest star in the block who has, with the song "who do u think u r" -namely Kaitlyn K- popularized by the Cypress Ranch High School Lip Dub project to ask this very question.

The message is clear, and these kids not only have made viral but possibly started a trend that will hopefully catch up among school all around the US or wherever the message these lyrics carry will be needed. Bullying is bad, any type of discrimination, no matter under what shape or form -or excuse for that matter- stop progress and affects many many lives.

I am a firm believer that bullying can be simply eradicated through education, starting at home and supported by the educational system at an early age, specially if it's anti-gay bullying -societies like the Dutch among others have taken the lead in properly educating their young for quite a few decades now, and the world has not ended-; despite the many arguments used by the many detractors of gay unions -or homosexuality as a whole- there is no solid fact used against our community to this day that will be able to stand on its own two feet of irrevocable logic -and if you go for the bible angle, there are many worse things in there the book itself is very permissive about, but don't take my word for it, read it thoroughly and see for yourself-.

The worst part is that I have been the witness in second life of hatred, discrimination and division -mostly fueled by ignorance, power trips or hatred- on the one minority that should not even entertain discrimination on the slightest shape or fashion -see here for a flashback, and before anyone jumps to my neck, one thing is obeying TOS and another different one is being "selective" about them.

Education and information, those are the keys people... since information is widely known to be the source of power.

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My Christmas Wish List

As a person, before and above being a gay man, like all people there are many things I'd wish to see under the tree; we all have objects we want and hope to get for Christmas, most of them due to our exposure to the information we are bombarded with daily, but there are a number of other things of more relevance you want, depending on who are you in life and on what social sector you're in.

As a gay father I want my gay sons to grow up happy, safe and in a world where they will not suffer what I went through when coming out, a society where kids will not be bullied into suicide and bullies will not walk out unpunished. I want sexuality to no longer be an issue and your orientation not being assumed as "straight" by your parents or relatives, because it what is expected or regarded as normal. I want them both to know that above all, their happiness it's my goal, even to the point of risking them hating me on occasion for trying to get them there.

As a family member, I want to spend the holidays with my real life and second life relatives, share the joy of Christmas -or whatever it is that you celebrate- and be reminded that, no matter how hard our times might be, we have each other and there are things worth celebrating and fighting for.

As a public figure, it is my constant wish to inspire, to make people think and to entertain, share my words, my designs and my music with them who wish to; sometimes I push the limits while getting there, but life is not conventional, or at least not in the way I see it, it's an adventure worth to be flavored and enjoyed.

Once again and hoping you have a happy and safe holiday season with your loved ones, A very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

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Parents urge quick passing of anti-bullying law

Jamie Hubley had plans, he want to start a Rainbow Club at his school to help other students who, much like him felt like outsiders due to their sexual orientation. He killed himself instead becoming the poster child of bullying victims who resort to suicide as the only option.

It was Jamie’s story that prompted Premier Dalton McGuinty to announce legislation last week containing tougher consequences for bullies, including expulsion or counselling . Jamie’s parents, Ottawa city councillor Allan Hubley and his wife, Wendy, were at the Ontario Legislature on Wednesday, where they met with Mr. McGuinty and opposition members to impress upon them the urgency of putting aside their partisan differences and quickly passing the legislation into law. "We lost our boy. They can't bring him back, but there's other kids who are at risk. The longer they take, there's going to be more Jamies." Mr. Hubley told the Globe and The Mail. 


The proposed legislation provides a rare opportunity for the new minority government in Ontario to work together with the Official Opposition. Progressive Conservative education critic Elizabeth Witmer introduced her own anti-bullying private member’s bill the same day the Liberals unveiled their legislation. “Obviously, there are different groups that would like to hijack the agenda,” Mr. Hubley said.“We’re here to say, don’t let them”


Mr. Hubley said he and his wife decided to go public with their son’s story because they did not want to see other teens endure the same experience as their son. Jamie, the middle of three children, was the only openly gay student at A.Y. Jackson Secondary School in Ottawa.


His one big hope, Mr. Hubley said, is that “Jamie’s life wasn’t lost in vain, that some good will come out of this.”


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Anti-Bullying Bill 13, Accepting Schools Act, 2011 passed in Canada

Bullying is a crime, and the fact that is not regarded as such or contemplated in law -until now at least in Canada- is a mistake that needs to be fixed, since when a victim of bullying reaches a point where or she takes their own life as a result of this, the words uttered are the weapon used and the criminal remains unpunished, as there is no real law or course of action to address this issue.


But the Canadian Government has decided, after the suicide of Jamie Hubley; son of Allan Hubley, an Ottawa city councillor, to amend its laws and fix this. Now finally, the Ontario government’s planned anti-bullying legislation, the Accepting Schools Act, will mandate consequences — beyond mere suspension — for bullying. The Conservatives want rules for reporting and investigating, plus remedial treatment for bullies, not just a pointless suspension. In some cases, the bully will have to be expelled just to keep victims safe. 


Education is key, and bullies most of the time see suspension as a reward more than a punishment. Social networks and cyber-bullying are the new way of doing this. Pushing and shoving kids at school just don't have the same effect anymore, words spread on social networks such as facebook, twitter and so on do more harm, so even if the Act is enabled, how will this bullying be policed?


Improving education at schools on gay rights and sexual preferences from an early age, without it becoming controversial would bring normalcy to it, something that has been already done in school systems such as Sweden's for the past 30 years.


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