HATE ON ME??

(Pardon my language in advance, I am not feeling like being politically correct or tactful today)

Well folks,

Well one of the things I would have never expected to experience just occurred. I have haters...oh yea! Haters! You know, the people that exists out there whose sole purpose is to make your life miserable, or the people who go out of their way to make sure that your light doesn't shine. In theology, those spirits have a name...but for the sake of this point, I will just reference them as haters.

So, by now I am sure you are wondering what the hell had happened? The synopsis is this:

I am a member of an lesbian yahoo group, which I have been a member now for quite a long time now (which one is not important). Since being a member of this group, I have made some great contacts both personal and professional, and I have done my best to ensure that my participation in the group regarding message posting is relevant to the group. Recently, however, (a few days ago), several messages started circulating around the board about a "lurking" male presence and the "covert nature of men" and how we are only on there to push our agenda and all of that bullshit. Now I have to be honest, this isn't the first time that someone has expressed their concern regarding men being allowed into the group. The other times, I honestly didn't pay them any attention, because the messages that I post in that group are centered around the same purpose that is outlined in the groups description and bylaws (which I did read prior to joining). So if the groups purpose is to unify a segment of a community, and the information I am presenting is consistent with that (of said community) then what the hell is the fucking problem.

Some of these women hardly even understand what it means to be a lesbian, and the fact that I am certain that I possess more historical and cultural perspective on the term "lesbian" some people are using this as some sort of punchline to dictate who is and who isn't a part of "the club". My response to the group of haters is below:
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(This message is not intended for the entire group....just those that it applies to)

Greetings Community,

Never in my 30 years on this Earth do I ever remembering encountering the internalized hatred towards gay men from an equally disenfranchised community. Some of the messages that have been communicated in this group are not only divisive but they are hurtful and do not at all perpetuate the spirit of the group that I thought I was joining.

I guess some assumption is that I don't read emails, as there are some pretty disheartening statements in the posts below about Transgender, Bisexual Women, and Men that concern me greatly. I joined this group to show my support for the Lesbian, Bisexual Womens, and Transgender Womens movement, not to assert some mysterious agenda that is personal to me. My agenda is not covert, and it involves the ENTIRE Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning Community; not just a segment of it. I happen to be very connected to the Lesbian community here in Atlanta and to many women who identify as such, and I feel that directing me towards the exit door out of a social networking internet group is not only divisive, but does not promote the harmony and unity that this group suggests.

I feel somewhat slapped in the face to be honest. For those who actually know me, instead of speaking about me as if you do, you know that my life has been and continues to be of service to the ENTIRE LGBT agenda. As I have said in private emails to some of my personal friends regarding this matter, I am truly offended and displaced that ANYONE could even speculate that my intentions in this group are some mysterious, covert, and malicious attempt to suppress Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender women. I have a sincere love for lesbian women that supersedes most of what many of you could possibly even know about the word "unity".

I further DO NOT appreciate being referred to in this group and having discussions brought up around my presence in a vacuum and as if I am not here. The mature thing to do, would have been to ask me personally what my business for being in this group pertains to, instead of launching public debates when I assure you....there are CERTAINLY more pressing things going on that could be discussed. I joined this group, after reading the groups description (and later read the bylaws), because I support us moving and empowering us. We will not get ANYWHERE in this society slamming doors in each others faces, trust me! And considering some of the platforms (social and economic) that some of you imply you sit on....I would assume that you would know that.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to defend my right to be present and at the table, to disseminate information to a community of people who are obviously oblivious to how TRUE community is formed and in which some of you still live in the past and in bitterness probably experienced from then. The community exists outside of this particular yahoo group, and it is really sad that it appears some can't see that.

I will remove myself from the group immediately, because it has become vibrantly apparent that my presence here, although non-obtrusive and informative, is apparently infringing upon the egos of some. If anyone is interesting in staying in touch with me, feel free to email me at: stephaunelite@yahoo.com or check out my blog: www.stephaunelite.blogspot.com.

In Solidarity,

Stephaun Clipper-Wallace (ELITE MANOLO BLAHNIK)
COMMUNITY ACTIVIST/HEALTH EDUCATOR/EMPOWERMENT SPECIALIST


Stephaun Elite Manolo Blahnik
Community Activist-Health Educator-Empowerment Specialist
www.stephaunelite.blogspot.com
www.groups.yahoo.com/group/southeast_ballroom_scene

"Love is the ability and willingness to allow those that you care for to be what they choose for themselves without any insistence that they satisfy you."- Wayne Dyer