Tag Archives: queer

Club Q

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Callen Harty

(edited to reflect new information; 11/21/22) Once again, my people have been attacked. Several members of the queer community were shot and killed at Club Q in Colorado Springs, Colorado late Saturday night. On Sunday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, news … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Billy Jack Gaither, Christians, closet, Club Q, Colorado, Colorado Springs, common sense gun laws, Constitution, Dignity, equality, fear, gay, Harvey Milk, hate, hatred, leaders, LGBT, Matthew Shepard, out, politicians, Pulse Nightclub, queer, rights, safe spaces, transgender, United States, violence | Leave a comment

Mid-terms

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Callen Harty

It’s the night before the 2022 mid-term elections and I am nervous. And, to be honest, frightened. There are countless races with so many election deniers, QAnon adherents who really believe that Democrats and Hollywood stars are all part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 5th Avnue, abortion, ads, agenda, baby killers, ballots, Bible, candidates, checks and balances, Christian nationists, conservatives, Constitution, Democrats, dog whistles, Donald Trump, duty, Dwight Eisenhower, election, election deniers, equal, extremist, gay, government, Hollywood, homosexuality, hypocrisy, Jim Crow, John McCain, liberals, Mandela Barnes, mid-term, New York, norms, party, persons of color, politicians, power, primaries, QAnon, queer, racism, radical, right to marriage, rights, Roe v Wade, theocratic state, totalitarian, truth, vote, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

Pride (and Prejudice)

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Callen Harty

So far, this year’s Pride Month has been a bizarre microcosm of living life as a queer person in the United States, and our experience is a microcosm of minority communities in general. This month, the queer community has … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, African-American, allies, America, Black lives matter, black trans women, bombing, Capitol, Dallas, death, Detroit, Dignity, discrimination, Donald Trump, equal rights, Equal Rights Amendment, equality, gender, Governor Tony Evers, hate groups, hatred, homophobes, human being, immigrants, Israeli, Jew, LGBT community, life, love, marginalized communities, mass shooting, minority communities, mosque, Muslim, Nazis, politcal gains, politcal losses, prejudice, pride, pride month, privileged class, progress, queer, race, racist, rainbow flag, religion, right to vote, right-wingers, rights, same-sex couples, status quo, struggle, suicidal, trans, United States, Wisconsin, women | Leave a comment

Out and Proud

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Callen Harty

Almost fifty years ago, Stonewall happened. At the time, gay sex was illegal in every state. Lesbians and gays could be arrested simply for congregating in the same place, and the police would occasionally raid bars known to be gay … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged 10% Society, American Psychiatric Association, authentic self, closeted, come out, David Clarenbach, Devil's Lake, discrimination, employment, gay rights, gay rights bill, gay sex, gays, homosexuality, housing, identity, Larry Acherman, Lee Sherman Dreyfus, lesbians, LGBT, life partner, love, Madison, Mark Prestegard, Matthew Alexander, mental illnesses, MIdwest, New York City, out, OutReach, police, proud, Proud Theater, public accomodations, queer, queerness, sexuality, social studies, Stonewall, Stonewall Inn, The Pride Society, University of Wisconsin, UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Assembly, YMCA | Leave a comment

Proud

Posted on May 26, 2019 by Callen Harty

Twenty years ago I was working at OutReach, which is Madison, Wisconsin’s LGBT Community Center. I was also heavily involved at Broom Street Theater, a unique theater company that produces nothing but original works. I was an actor, director, and playwright … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged actor, age, angst, Art & Soul Innovations, audiences, Brian WIld, Broom Street Theater, bullying, changed lives, coming out, confusion, Crown Point, director, Eau Claire, emotion, equality, family, feelings, first loves, friends, gays, Green Bay, harassment, hate, ideas, identities, Indiana, joy, laughter, lesbians, LGBT, LGBT Community Center, LGBT rights, life, love, Madison, mentor, mentors, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, non-profit, opinion, OutReach, performance, Platteville, plays, playwright, Pride Youth Theater Alliance, Proud Theater, queer, queer youth theater, reality, River Falls, sexual assault, shyness, skit, Sol Kelley-Jones, stage, suicide, Sun Prairie, Sunshine Jones, survivor stories, teen years, theater, transgender, Wausau, Wisconsin, wonder, youth | 2 Comments

Paths to Healing Keynote Speech

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Callen Harty

At this year’s Paths to Healing conference on male survivors of child sex assault I was the keynote speaker. This is the text of the speech I delivered today. Good morning. I’d like to start by thanking Chris Taylor, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MeToo, 9/11, A Single Bluebird, adult survivor, African-American, alcoholism, allies, altar boy, American Family Insurance, angels, anger issues, articles, arts, becoming, black man, blog, books, brotherhood, Canopy Center, casual sex, child sex abuse, child sex assault, childhoiod, Chris Taylor, class, collective spirit, color, come out, compassion, control, courage, creed, Dane County Rape Crisis Center, DEnim Day, depression, disabled, domestic abuse, drug abuse, emotions, empathy, Empty Playground, equality, essays, faith, Family Sexual Abuse Treatment, forgive, forgiveness, Friends of the State Street Family, gay man, gender, gender identity, harassment, Harvey Milk, hatred, healing, heart attack, Henry David Thoreau, Hmong, Ho-Chunk Nation, honest, hope, horror, human, human connection, human spirit, humanity, inner child, innocence, Invisible Boy, Irish-Catholic, Jesus, Journalism, journey, joy, justice, keynote speech, Latino, LGBT, Madison, male survivor, masculinity, memoir, meningitis, minority, monologues, mumps, Native American, neighbors, orientation, OutReach, Paradise, Paths to Healing, peace, perpetrator, person of color, personhood, plays, playwriting, poetry, positive energy, post traumatic stress disorder, power, promiscuity, prostitution, Proud Theater, queer, race, recovering alcoholic, reocvery, rights, scarlet fever, secrets, self-abuse, self-care, self-hatred, sex, sexual abuse, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexuality, shame, siblings, silence, social drinking, Solidarity with Child Abuse Victims/Survivors, sorrow, spirituality, State Capitol, straight, suffering, suicidal ideation, teach, therapy, threats, trans, trigger warning, truth, underserved communities, UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, universal truths, Utopia, UW-EauClaire, victims, violence, Voices of Courage, Waylon Pahona, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, writer | Leave a comment

Bolton Refuge House Fall Gala Speech

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Callen Harty

I was invited by Bolton Refuge House to be their keynote speaker at their annual Fall Gala. Bolton is the oldest domestic violence shelter in the state and is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They also provide services for sexual … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MeToo, 9/11, A Single Bluebird, adult survivor, advocacy, alcoholism, allies, angels, anger issues, arts, assassinations, blog, Bolton Refuge House, Brian, Buffalo County, child sex abuse, childhood, coming out, compassion, control, cops and robbers, courage, cowboys and Indians, death, DEnim Day, domestic violence, domestic violence shelter, drug abuse, Eau Claire, Eau Claire County, education, emotions, Empty Playground, equality, Facebook, Fall Gala, fear, forgiveness, gay, gender, Harvey Milk, healing, heart attack, Henry David Thoreau, hope, human connection, human spirit, humanity, inner child, Invisible Boy, Irish-Catholic, Jackson County, Jesus, Journalism, justice, life, love, Madison, male survivor, masculinity, meaning, molested, monologue, opening night, Paradise, Pat Stein, peace, perpetrator, personhood, playwriting, poetry, positive energy, power, promiscuity, prostitution, Proud Theater, PTSD, queer, recovering alcoholic, recovery, rights, safety, self-abuse, self-care, self-hatred, sex, sexual assault, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexuality, shame, shelter, short stories, silence, southwestern Wisconsin, speech, spirituality, State Capitol, suicidal ideation, support groups, survivors, Tanya Potter, therapy, threats, trigger warning, truth, Utopia, UW-Eau Claire, victim, violence, Voices of Courage, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, writer | Leave a comment

An Open Letter to Pope Francis on Funerals for Queer Children of God

Posted on October 23, 2017 by Callen Harty

Dear Pope Francis, Years ago I left the Catholic Church. There were several reasons, but one large part was because I could not reconcile my sexuality as a gay man with the official teachings of the Catholic Church. While I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bible, bisexual, Bishop Morlino, Catholic Church, civil unions, deceased, Denver, Dignity, diocese, ecclesiastical funeral rites, forgiveness, funerals, gay, gay lifestyle, gay parishioners, God, grace, James Bartylla, Jesus, Judgment Day, lesbian, LGBT, Lord, love, Madison, marriage, Mass, Mass for the Dead, obituary, papcy, parish, partner, Pope Francis, priest, Protestant, queer, repentance, sacraments, salvation, sexuality, sinners, spirituality, Synod of the Family, transgender, Vatican, vicar general, welcoming space, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

On “Our Heritage”

Posted on October 1, 2017 by Callen Harty

As more National Football League players and even college and high school players stand with arms linked or kneel in protest it is not a phrase from one of Donald Trump’s tweets that stands out most to me. It’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Africa, Alabama, alt.right, Americans, arts, black citizens, Black lives matter, capitalists, civil rights, Confederate statues, discrimination, Donald Trump, European, freedom, gay, heritage, heroes, history, history books, immigrant, lynching, melanin, military, minority, national anthem, National Football League, Native American, NFL, people of color, person of color, police, protest, queer, racist, racists, ruling class, schools, science, segregation, skin color, slaves, society, Standing Rock, tweets, voting, white people, white privilege | Leave a comment

At the Table

Posted on September 30, 2017 by Callen Harty

The local chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) maintains an information table at the weekly Farmers Market downtown. They have literature and brochures and typically have two volunteers sit at the table to greet people, give … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged "F" word, "N" word, acceptance, allies, anger, bi, child, children, compassion, evangelical Christians, Farmers Market, father, fear, gay, hatred, identity, Jews, love, masculinity, minority, Muslims, parents, Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, PFLAG, post-homophobic, post-misogynistic, post-racist, Proud Theater, public square, queer, rainbow, sexuality, straight, trans, understanding | 1 Comment

On Statues, Flags, and Heritage

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Callen Harty

Statues that honor secessionists who rebelled against our country are coming down in cities around the country and it is well past time for it. The soldiers honored with these statues were men who fought to defend slavery. While … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Adolph Hitler, African-American, alligators, ancestors, Battle of Bad Axe, Black Hawk War, bluegrass, Cajun culture, California, Charlottesville, civil rights, civil war, collard greens, Confederacy, Confederate battle flag, country music, Dan White, Democratic national convention, Dixieland jazz, freedom, gold rush, great-great-grandfather, Harper Lee, Harry Truman, Indian, Irish heritage, Jew, Logan Strother, Michiganders, minority, Native American, Native Americans, Oliver Cromwell, oppressed, peanuts, pecan pie, pride, queer, racist, Republican party, Robert. E. Lee, secessionists, slavery, South, Southern heritage, Southern hospitality, Spanish moss, Spencer Piston, states' rights, statues, Stonewall Jackson, Strom Thurmond, sweet tea, symbols, Tennessee Williams, Thomas Ogorzale, Unite the Right, Washington Post, white, white power, William Faulkner, Wisconsin legislature, Wisconsinites | Leave a comment

On “Religious Freedom”

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Callen Harty

Several states have either tried or succeeded in passing bills over the last few years that are supposedly “religious freedom” bills. Many have been blocked from getting through or states have suffered boycotts and loss of business before or after passing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abortion, adulterers, Americans, Andrew Jackson, atheists, Bible, Bill of Rights, bills, bisexual, Blacks, boycotts, citizens, conservative Christians, contraception, discrimination, Donald Trump, executive order, Frederick Douglass, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, gay marriage, gays, hatred, Hindus, historical facts, homosexuality, idolaters, injustice, Jesus Christ, lawsuit, lesbian, LGBT, liberty, life, Mississippi, money, murderers, Muslims, occult, pursuit of happiness, queer, religious freedom, Republican base, right-wing Christians, Sabbath, Supreme Court, theocracy, thieves, transgender, women | Leave a comment