In the Headlines: Gay Erotica inspired by Justin Trudeau

This week several news outlets picked up the story of a 9-page M/M erotic short apparently inspired by Canada's newly-elected prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

The publication has jumped up the charts since it first hit Amazon.com, and as anyone might suspect, it's reaped some mixed reviews. One reviewer has called it "so hot, that it's all I need to keep me warm during those harsh, cold Ottawa winter nights." Others claim it's a cheap attempt to cash in on a legitimate public figure's recent popularity.

To which I personally say, "So what?"

Pornography and erotica has deep roots in political satire and critique. A $3 short story on Amazon seems relatively tame, honestly. It's popularity is a testament to the author's nose for in-demand material.

Is it wrong--or at least, is it "cheap"--to spin erotic material out of real-life cultural and political personalities? Is there any shame in readers indulging in a story clearly inspired by a public figure? What say you?

Do you know of any other erotic short stories clearly intentionally based on well-known public figures, and what do you think of them? I'd love to hear any amusing suggestions!

Has anyone read Serving the Prime Minister? What do you think?

In The Headlines: LGBTQ and Religion

Anybody who follows me on Twitter or Facebook probably noticed me getting a little angry over the recent news about Kim Davis and her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses based on her personal faith.

This is a very important issue to me. You see, I’m a Christian. I’m also bisexual, staunchly pro-LGBTQ, and passionate about my spiritual and individual identity. To me, my Christ-based spiritual faith is not about the lives or choices made by anyone else, but my own life, and my own choices. My faith dictates how I will treat others, not how I will judge them. And it saddens me to no end to know there are people out there who hate, fear, and rightfully reject Christians on the whole, because of people like Kim Davis, who think God has given them authority to preach discrimination and exclusion.

I don’t mean to try and convert anyone, mind you. Another of my strongly-held beliefs is that while I identify and relate to a Christ-based philosophy, that which I believe to be God I also believe to be capable of speaking to others in a way more relatable and personal to them. To me, this isn’t about converting anyone to Christianity, or Christians hurting the chance of others becoming Christian. It’s about how my faith is being reflected, and in my opinion, Kim Davis and her supporters are reflecting nothing but ugliness and hate. And this infuriates me.

Also in the headlines this week is a really wonderful article by author Matthew Vines: 5 Bible-Based Responses to Common Arguments Against Marriage Equality.  And these are the sorts of discourse I love to see: discussion of the Biblical teachings which show my faith is, in fact, not all about hate and rejection and overbearing moralism.

I’m not the kind of Christian who advocates literal interpretation of the Bible, anyway, but I find intelligent discussion about its teachings very enlightening. Insofar as the text has been used to advocate against LGBTQ equal rights, how do you feel about these arguments dismantling such interpretation?

And in closing...