Alliance for Marriage...That's SO Rad

Somehow I ended up on the Alliance for Marriage mailing list.

I probably subscribed on a whim one day...on the same day that I wondered whether or not I should also begin the self-torture of pulling out my own fingernails. I didn't start the appendage-torture, but I did subscribe to the hateful email list. But alas, it's a great way to stay informed about what they're up to over there on the radical right.

I received on of the emails earlier today. I've extracted some of my favorite phrases:

____________________________________________________________

RADICAL ACTIVISTS ARE SET ON DESTROYING MARRIAGE IN AMERICA

We are daily engaged in this serious fight for the future of our nation and it's only by making our voices heard that we can fully protect marriage for our children and grandchildren.

God bless you

___________________________________________________________________________

I've never really considered myself to be a radical activist before; just Jen. Jen who loves Angela and the schnauzers and God, and who just wants to go to work and be successful and do what small things she can to make the world a better place in that process. It would be nice to have full marriage rights. Maybe I really am RAD like that.

I don't get how that destroys anyone else's marriage, or why those marriages should be protected from lil ole me. I don't have a gun. I do make a "killer" tequila lime chicken though. Would they like some? I'd be happy to share. I think their children and grandchildren would probably even enjoy it. The alcohol cooks out. It's harmless and delicious.

About the last part...."God Bless You..."

Thank you. God has done so immensely.

And may God Bless you too, Alliance for Marriage.

Remember, there is nothing to fear but fear itself.

Maybe God forgot

Angela and I went for a walk last night and talked, and the typical happened. I told Angela I felt like I was insane for reasons A, B, and C, and she then spent the next ten minutes introducing reason and sanity. She's so good for me. Just like God, no matter how many times I come to her with the same ole stuff, she stays patient and always manages to make me feel sturdy.

We talked about gifts and purpose, and as I was moaning on about whatever the stress of the moment happened to be the question arose, "Why doesn't God give us compatible gifts?" I mean God gives us more than one ability, more than one gift, and often more than one purpose. But God's sense of humor is tied to all of them! Sometimes they don't quite match up. Why not give us gifts that mesh?

For example, God gave me the gift of an insatiable internal drive...so much that I sometimes think I could pave a road to China with my teeth...but God didn't include the completmentary gift of patience. Did God forget that I would need it? Shouldn't determination and patience be a package deal? The lack of patience can drive the drive plum crazy.

Angela has the gift of hospitality, but she doesn't really know how to cook. Silly! What was God thinking? I guess that's where I come in. God decided to give Angela the most opportunities to be hospitable once we had been paired up and I could take care of the culinaries.

I suppose it's not so much about what has been bestowed upon us, but what will be developed within us. I know God is good like that. I just have to develop the patience to fully discover what that means.

The Respectful Decline

I had an interesting encounter this week.

As I've mentioned before, my company recently launched Pride Radio which streams from prideradiodfw.com. Our sister stations (106.1 Kiss FM, Mix 102.9, and 102.1 The Edge) all agreed to promote Pride Radio, which means I had to help produce some audio to air on those stations that would tease Pride Radio and direct people to our website. So I wrote some copy, sent it through the approval process, and sent it to the guys who would produce the promos and add all the bells and whistles to make the finished pieces sound good. One of the guys produced his promos with no problem. The other guy respectfully declined because it was regarding a gay radio station.

Let's call him Aaron. Aaron has been really nice this week in explaining how he feels, and I respect where he's coming from. He's quite conflicted about any association with Pride Radio, and it seems to be more than just a way to get out of some work. Ha! I couldn't resist. Seriously, Aaron is a Christian, and just can't rationalize working on a project that he doesn't fundamentally agree with.

After I sent him the promo assignment (not knowing about his issues at the time), he said he spent the next several days looking up scripture on homosexuality and evaluating the arguments for and against it. After doing so, since he couldn't say that homosexuality was not a sin, he declined to work on the promo.

He knows that I'm a Christian and a lesbian and that I've been over the subject from every possible angle, and he respects that. He doesn't agree or understand, but he respects it. We were able to talk about that a little bit at work yesterday, but it's hard to go into much depth when we're surrounded by control boards and wav files and my KT Tunstall song is counting down under 45 seconds in the next room. But we were able to talk a little bit agreed that we each have the utmost respect for the other and may not completely empathize, but we certainly don't think less of the other for having a different opinion. I gave Aaron a copy of my book today, and about a hour later I saw him walking down the hallway with it, with his fingers marking what seemed to be the section discussing the biblical passages. I'll be interested to hear his reaction once he's finished reading. It's encouraging to know that he's really taking the time to consider different opinions, even if he never adopts them as his own.

This is new territory for me. There have been times over the past five years when I've felt like a bit of an outcast at work because I'm a lesbian. But now that the company is embracing Pride Radio with such enthusiasm and overall openness is increasing, I have absolutely no reason to feel even the most remote sense of fear or discomfort. And I don't. But now it seems that Aaron is feeling that uneasiness, as a Christian. A fundamentalist would say this uneasiness is evidence of the sin of the world creeping into every nook and cranny of what used to be a wholesome existence, but perhaps there is more to the story than that. Perhaps it just means that some Christians are being challenged in ways that they have not been challenged before, and that God is asking them to find new ways to embrace and understand. Perhaps folks like me, who are both gay and Christian, can be the ones to help effectively bridge that gap.

I love what Aaron said to me about declining to produce the Pride Radio promo. He said, "I just hope nobody else hears about this, and feels like I'm judging them....I'm really not....I'm judging myself more than anything. Sometimes I get caught up on something, and get COMPLETELY freaked out about it. I start worrying about whether I'm doing the right thing or not, and then I get all legalistic about it. Sometimes I forget about grace."

It seems that he has plenty of grace. And by his example, I am reminded that I must have it too.

Pride Radio is here!

You can stream it from http://jenaustin.com.

Crank it up in your businesses, study to it on your computer in the dorms, and pipe it into your cube at work. There's finally a gay radio station!!

The new website is almost finished...http://www.prideradiodfw.com. There will be a new player there. Party to it!

Here's the official welcome note from all of us at Pride Radio!!

WELCOME! Dallas/Fort Worth is coming out…and you’re invited to the party! Pride Radio is DFW’s revolutionary new gay channel… but what does that mean to you? To us, it means an opportunity to bring the GLBT community in DFW together in one location for local news, entertainment, and more…

It’s the spirit of unity among family…on the radio at last.

Pride Radio DFW celebrates MUSIC – featuring original mixes and re-mixes from artists like Madonna, Christina, Gwen, Justin, Scissor Sisters and more. And you know we’re bringin’ the Divas! Whitney, Donna Summer, and Janet Jackson all play here.

Pride Radio DFW celebrates all things Pop Culture and Entertainment - with RYAN AND CAROLINE. Living in New York City and best friends for years, Ryan and Caroline have been called radio’s "Will & Grace". Their show features “I'm Coming Out” Listener Stories, Movie Reviews, Travel, Style & Health, Live Entertainment, News, and dishing the latest dirt with celebrity gossip blogger, Perez Hilton. Plus, listen as they interview gay celebrities and icons such as RuPaul, Carson Kressley and Janice Dickinson. Upcoming guests include Amazing Race's Reichen Lehmkuhl; Joan Collins and former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey.

Pride Radio DFW celebrates Dallas/Ft. Worth’s GLBT Community… the 6th largest in the nation and GROWING! We will strive to be your local source for the local happenings, from news to events to entertainment to more. Check back soon for a podcast interview with Kate Clinton, Jen Austin’s daily blog, and info on some cool Dallas/Fort Worth events! Jen has been out on the radio in Dallas for several years, and is an active member of the gay community, hosting events like GayBINGO, Drink 4 the Dogs benefiting the SPCA, and the annual GAYla Prom. She has also been a special contributor to the Dallas Voice, the community newspaper for gay and lesbian Dallas. Check out Jen on Pride Radio weekdays after 10am.

As you welcome us… we welcome you! Tell us what you think! We want your feedback on anything and everything. Call our comment line at 214-866 8773 or email us (pride@prideradiodfw.com). We’re listening.

We are Pride Radio
Dallas/Fort Worth, OUT LOUD and OUT PROUD