My Fight with XM 22

Incident date/time: October 14th @ 7pm

Dear GLAAD:

I was recently listening to XM 22, a radio station heard nationwide, as two female DJs spoke out against the most recent episode of GLEE, which featured two "straight" girls intimately close in the beginning of the episode. One DJ had not seen the episode, and the other had. They had an issue with the experimentation that could possibly influence their children to "experiment" with the same sex. They said it was unnatural, and that they would not allow their kids to continue to watch the popular, prime-time show. They wanted callers to voice their opinions, and I called immediately.

The first caller was a lesbian who said that she couldn't understand why they were upset. The DJs then changed their argument to say that they didn't agree that lesbians were being exploited. The woman-caller said she is a lesbian, and that she did not feel as though the show was exploiting lesbians.

The call ended calmly, and they then put me on the air. I told them that with the recent suicides, they are sending the wrong message to kids who may be gay and to those who are being bullied. Again, they said they didn't want to see lesbians being exploited. I told them that the show does not exploit gays and lesbians, but that their comments that the show went too far by showing two girls in an intimate setting is confusing to kids who are questioning their sexuality. By saying two same-sex kids experimenting is unnatural is conveying the message that being gay is unnatural. I told them that being gay is a natural AND good thing, and that kids who are confused should be okay with either outcome. They again said that they don't want their kids to see two straight people experimenting with being gay. I said, kids WILL experiment, whether it is with someone of the same sex or the opposite sex. One DJ said, "I never experimented!" I said, "Yes, you did! With a man! That was how you knew you're heterosexual!"

At that point, a producer came on the air to defend the two DJs by saying, "This is a matter of what is appropriate and inappropriate for a 'family show.'" I said, "the show comes on at 8pm; it is considered a prime-time slot. Also, Glee is not going to influence any student to experiment in either way. Kids will do what they do anyway. They are not easily swayed by television."

They cut me off, and went to commercial. Afterwards, I thought to myself, "three against one; wasn't THAT just a form of bullying??"

--

Kevin L. Malin

Atlanta, GA

My Life Now

It is now the middle of October, and much has happened in the past few months. I secured my position within the Tyler Perry empire in the second half of August, worked my ass off in September, and Atlanta Gay Pride was this past weekend.

I left off complaining about my previous living situation where two of my three roommates were gossiping about me. I won't rehash; you'll have to read the previous posts. However, I will mention that I recently found out that the owner of the house would periodically ask my good friends, who would visit me at home, if they were sleeping with me. Disgusting!!

Moving on: many of my friends and acquaintances want to know exactly how I got a job with Tyler Perry. The sensitivity surrounding this accomplishment doesn't allow me to divulge much, however, I will tell you what I can.

In mid-August, I quit my previous job as employment consultant in downtown ATL. I was unhappy, uncomfortable, and too inexperienced to continue to find work for welfare moms. It was actually a worthwhile learning experience, and it taught me how to be more aggressive when looking for work for myself. Before I quit, I started sending out my resume to employers, but I remained unemployed for about three weeks. In the meantime, I brokered a couple of successful real estate deals which kept me afloat financially. At the same time, my brother, Bill, moved to Atlanta, and we found an apartment which we moved into over Labor Day Weekend. Toward the end of my unemployment, I started to get desperate. It's a tough job market out there, and I was starting to panic. I found job postings on many of the websites I used at my previous job, but I also looked at Craigslist daily. I noticed a cryptic posting for an office assistant, but there was no company info. I sent my cover letter/resume, and an hour later (at 9pm), I received a phone call from Tyler Perry Studios. I was a little shocked, and when they asked me to come to the studios the next day, I wanted to say, "SERIOUSLY????" The interview was quick; I got the impression they wanted to hire me on the spot. But my future boss said, "go get lunch; I'm going to mull this over. Call me in an hour, but stay in the area."

As I walked into the Greenbriar IHOP, an excited and optimistic energy left my body and touched the people I came in contact with. I couldn't stop smiling. After a brief phone call to my now-boss, I returned to the studios. This meeting was also brief, and I returned home beaming. I told Bill that if my phone rang, all noise within the vicinity must cease. At 8pm, I received the call . . . and I got the job! They liked my education, my modelling and real estate experience, and they felt that I could represent Mr. Perry best out of all the candidates who interviewed.

That was a Friday night, so naturally, I went out all weekend and celebrated with my close friends. That Monday, the long hours, the stress, and the excitement began. The first week was full of lots of travelling around Atlanta and meeting the many people who make his movies and TV shows possible. I visited his homes, the airport he uses, and the places I needed to be acquainted with as part of my new job. In a nutshell, I represent Mr. Perry in day-to-day situations that he is too busy to handle. The exciting part is that wherever I go while working, I'm treated like a rock-star, and by-standers constantly try to figure out who I am. Don't worry; none of this has gone to my head. In fact, I treat people with more respect now. I'm constantly reminded that I am only representing a celebrity, that I am not one myself. Instead, it's a humbling experience, and I'm amazed that these experiences enter my life to teach me a lesson. Everything happens for a reason, and I'm delighted that this is my life now.

Shortly after I started, I cancelled my trip to Southern Decadence, New Orleans for Labor Day Weekend so that I could move in with Bill. We moved to a cheap, slightly cramped 2/2 apartment by Peachtree-DeKalb Airport for the purpose of saving money to get a new car next year. (I also desperately needed to remove myself from the drama of my previous home.) At some point during our new lease, Bill's wife, Margot, and their 2 yr. old, Nicole, will join us in Atlanta. They are temporarily living with my Dad in New York until they move. I'm so excited to be living with family for the first time in 16 years! Especially since I've been single for most of my five years in Atlanta.

But I'm not bitter! I received tons of appreciated attention when I attended the 2010 Atlanta Cotillion on September 18th as Julio Leyva's escort. Yes, I went in a tux, for a change. I was so proud of Julio for the great job he did fundraising all summer. He is a hero in my eyes!

But the fun didn't stop there! Last weekend was Atlanta's Gay Pride festival and parade, and two of my dear friends from Boston spent the weekend here. We had so much fun running around, seeing so many people I hadn't seen since starting my new job, and going to the packed events, that we didn't get to everything. I was supposed to march in the parade with the Cotillion clan, but at the last minute, I had to drive a friend to the airport, and then go to work for a couple of hours. I just keep telling myself that I LOVE MY JOB!