THE "GAY" COMMANDMENTS

Because religion is mostly UNDEMOCRATIC, OPPRESSIVE and RIDICULOUS in their dealings, I thought it would be a good idea to present THE GAY COMMANDMENTS to you. We are a community that is diverse in race, ethnicity, culture, social-economical backgrounds, however we lack a unifying set of values. According to some people, without a written set of principles we’d have no moral center and therefore run amok. 

1. THOU SHALL KNOW THYSELF. Too many of us don’t know the first thing about being gay. Moreover, we treat our sexuality as if it is a lifestyle and that IRRITATES me to no end. When you know who you are, you can RESPECT yourself and CELEBRATE your sexuality by educating yourself, participating in the political process, socializing responsibly AND raising the bar for what it means to be a descent person.  
2. THOU SHALL RE-EVALUATE THY BELIEFS. Just because your parents had a certain faith or political party doesn’t mean you must automatically carrying on these traditions and beliefs. Religious and political affiliations are not genetically inherited. Humankind has free will, which means the ability to think critically and chose a religion (or none at all) or political party (or none at all), which best serves your interests.  
3. THOU SHALL POT PRACTICE RACISM, MISOGYNY or GENERAL BIGOTRY. We are one of the most persecuted and maligned groups in the history of humankind. So it makes absolutely no sense that we should be discriminating against other minority groups. It’s common sense. Nothing is to be gained by further alienating ourselves. Celebrate diversity by showing solidarity. 
4. THOU SHALL LIVE OUTSIDE THE WALLS OF MAN TOWN. We live in a rich, diverse world full of different things to experience. Being gay is only one part of the human experience. So I encourage everyone to step outside their comfort zone, even it means leaving the friendly confines of boy ville. 
5. THOU SHALL RE-DEFINE FABULOUS. Too much time, energy and television time is wasted on the pursuit of fabulousness. These endeavors are focused solely on the superficial: makeovers, telling people what not to wear, redecorating. Which are all good things but being fabulous is so much more…isn’t it? Here’s an idea: Instead of focusing on ever-changing artifice, how about trying to be a well-rounded human being?  
6. THOU SHALL NOT WORSHIP FALSE IDOLS. Why is so much attention lavished on those who contribute nothing to society? Sure, Beyonce’s dance moves contribute to our economy in some small way. But it’s not a cure for HIV/AIDS. If you want some idols to worship, see the First Commandment. 
7. THOU SHALL NOT BE THE EPITOME OF BEING GAY. I know that many of us are out of the closet and are eager to tell the whole world you like it in the ass; and what better way to do that by being a 24-Hour homosexual?  PLEASE, DON’T! You’re gay, we get it. I am not saying that we should hide, but we don’t’ need to see our sexuality from space… 
8. THOU SHALL KEEP THYSELF HEALTHY. It is a MUST that we gay men take care of ourselves and get tested for various sexually transmitted diseases out there. Going to our church (the gym) is all fine, but…Our bodies are the testimony of the first creation of art and we should wear as if we THE result of God’s fine art. We are the TRUE sense of freedom, but we diminish that by using AND abusing each other.  
9. THOU SHALL DO AWAY WITH LABELS. This top/bottom, gay/straight, feminine/masculine makes NO sense @ all. Why put labels on ourselves just so that we can find some sort of normalcy? Aren’t we all God’s children, isn’t that enough? All constraints simply do is strip away our individuality, and separate us from one another causing wide-spread lack of respect. But what’s even more unfortunate is that many of us never ask, WHY CAN’T I JUST BE ME? And unfortunately, we will never obtain a sense of community and togetherness without more self-thinking individuals.  
10. THOU SHALL LOVE THYSELF ABOVE ALL ELSE. Can you imagine if we homosexuals had a LOVE for ourselves that couldn’t be measured? Imagine how the words GAY COMMUNITY could finally have some meaning OR watch how HOMOPHOBIA would loose its sting because words can’t abuse us anymore. Can you imagine what would happen to the rate of HIV? I know I do and if we can find a way to starting LOVING who we are today; these commandments would serve their purpose.