OUTspoken’s Top Blog Posts for 2019

The end of the year means another list somewhere, and this blog is no exception. Since this blog is a mix of LGBT, Politics and Arts, the top 5 posts for 2019 according to page views are listed by category below. In addition, I returned to my roots with sports commentary and posted articles during the Washington Nationals’ historic championship run in October.   You may click on the title of each to access the full post.

LGBTQ

1.     Gay Christian Delivers Heavenly Performance on ‘Idol’ (March) -  Son of Christian pastor comes out as gay to national audience during audition for American Idol. Not only was this post the most viewed in the category but it was also the most viewed post of the year.

2.     A Prideful First for Howard County (April) - The first ever Pride celebration in Howard County is set to go.

3.     Straight Pride: Another Way to Mock LGBTQ Folks (June) -  Anti-LGBTQ people think they deserve to hold a “straight pride” event. Why this is wrong.

4.     Howard County H.S.Students to Hold First Rainbow Conference (July) -  First student-led LGBTQ conference in Howard County to be held in May 2020.

5.     Jumel Howard:Leading Howard County to Pride (May) - A profile on the man who started with a vision and helped bring LGBTQ Pride to Howard County for the first time.

Politics

1.     The Resume Myth (December)

Pete Buttigieg has been criticized for his lack of experience but recent elections show that the resume will not necessarily win an election.

2.      Trump’s Shutdown: Another Losing Bet (January) – https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/01/trumps-shutdown-another-losing-bet.html

As had been the case throughout Trump’s career, the government shutdown he brought on his own, is destined to fail politically.

3.     Going on the Offense (May) - https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/05/going-on-offense.html

For Dems to succeed, they must take it to Trump.

 

4.     Trump is Not as ‘Sharpie’ as He Thinks (September) - https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/09/trump-is-not-as-sharpie-as-he-thinks.html

Trump’s use of a sharpie to falsify a hurricane warning demonstrates his profound degree of dishonesty brought attention to his other exaggerations and lies.

5.     Why Not, For Pete’s Sake (April) – https://stevecharing.blogspot.com/2019/04/why-not-for-petes-sake.html A case made for the candidacy for president of Mayor Pete Buttigieg right after he formally announced and his contrasts with President Trump.

Theatre

1.     Curtain Up! Light the Lights! Gypsy Comes Up Roses at Toby’s (February)- “Cathy Mundy’s ... acting is top-notch; full of passion and conviction and portrays the loud, single-minded stage mother to the hilt.”

2.     With Cabaret at Olney, Even the Orchestra is Beautiful (September) - “…An intricately staged, brilliantly costumed spectacle…”

3.     A First Class ‘Pygmalion’ on Display at Spotlighters  (February) - “In a superb presentation at the Spotlighters Theatre, Shaw’s views through Pygmalion come to life with a potent drama laced with razor-sharp wit and humor.”

4.     Hitting the Right Notes More Than ‘Once’ at Olney (February) - “Once is a different type of musical from what we’re accustomed and… features a tender romantic story of looking back at what has been, how to bounce back from despair and to try anew while beautiful songs fill the theater.”

5.     ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame' at Toby’s is a Bell Ringer (April) - “... An extraordinary production that captures your imagination from centuries past while serving as a reminder that many of the same human issues exist today.”

Sports

1.     The Pressure is More on the Dodgers in Game 5 (October 8) -  Facing elimination once again, the LA Dodgers were feeling more pressure than the Nationals.

2.     In Defense of Kershaw (October 10) -  Dodger fans blamed the Game 5 loss on Clayton Kershaw for blowing a lead, but there was plenty of blame to go around.

 

3.     How Sweep It Is (October 16)- The Nats exorcised past demons from the 2012 series with the St. Louis Cardinals to sweep their old nemesis in the 2019 NLCS.

4.     Kings of the Road (October 31) –  The Houston Astros and Washington Nationals set a Major League Record for winning all the away games in a 7-game World Series. Fortunately for the Nats they played one more of those games than the Astros.

5.     Nationals ‘Managed’ Historic Win in Wild Card (October 2) -  Nats manager Davey Martinez pulled all the right strings as the Nats won their first postseason series—the National League one-game Wild Card match over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Blasts from the Past

Besides those popular posts from 2019 (above), below are several posts from previous years still garnering many views in 2019 (in no particular order):

‘Boys Will be Boys’ on Sizzling Atlantis Cruise (February 2009) 

Baltimore LGBT Ally Surprised at‘Ellen Show’ (October 2017) 

‘Everwood’s’ Coming Out Scene Hits the Mark (April 2006) 

From Bally’s to Ballyhoo (July 2009) 

Sadness, Resignation Linger One Year After Hippo’s Closing (October 2016) 

Why Trump’s Purple Heart Comment is the Most Disqualifying(August 2016) 

Gay Christian Delivers Heavenly Performance on ‘Idol’

Catonsville’s Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon inspires while earning the gold ticket to Hollywood.

The production staff at American Idol knew what they were doing by saving the best for last. On the March 10 audition episode, lanky red-headed, square-jawed Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon was introduced as a contestant before the three-judge panel consisting of Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan.  He connected immediately with Perry as they both are PK’s—pastors’ kids. 

#hocoarts

Just prior to his performance in New York, viewers saw a beautifully filmed profile package showing Harmon sweeping and mopping floors and singing in empty rooms in a Catonsville, Md. church where he is a janitor. His father is the pastor of that church.  

During this segment it was revealed that he is gay and coming out to his family three years ago did not go too well. “The consensus seemed to be that this is not a path that I should follow,” Harmon said.  He first realized he was gay when he was 9 years old when he had a crush on another guy in youth camp.

Growing up as a pastor’s kid presented a significant challenge for Harmon, now 26. “There are certain parts of me that do belong and there are certain parts that don’t belong.”

He added, “There’s times when I do feel alone. The hardest part for me is seeing how difficult it is for my family. I’m hopeful that it’s an experience where we can learn to grow together.”

Harmon told of the song he wrote called “Almost Heaven,” which was performed at the audition. “Almost Heaven is about questioning if there’s a place for me and people like me in Heaven,” he explained.

He sat behind a piano and performed this poignant ballad displaying his vocal prowess that spans multiple registers. The judges enthusiastically applauded him. “Those were some serious chords,” Perry declared. “You know how good you are?”

“You need to lose the broom, my friend,” Richie advised as he compared Harmon to Billy Joel.

“I’ve got a loft in Nashville. You can just live there for a year,” said Bryan.

Incredulous that he actually wrote the song himself, it was clear that the judges would unanimously vote him on to Hollywood handing him that coveted gold ticket for the next round of the competition.

As stated earlier, Harmon had to pursue his musical interests and hone his talents amid the tension of growing up gay in a devout Christian household. “My parents considered reparative therapy when I came out to them,” Harmon told me during a telephone interview.

“They gave me resources about various centers but I chose not to do it. I know I wasn’t going to change and didn’t want to change. I was accepting myself and all aspects of my personality and sexuality.” Harmon, who is in a relationship, said his parents were disappointed by his decision not to change.

His experience at the audition in New York was not met with any negativity.  Harmon was accompanied by his boyfriend throughout the day, and he hung out with other contestants who treated him like anybody else.

Followers of Harmon on social media have been heaping praise upon him for his stunning performance and his courage in revealing his sexuality in front of a national television audience. Many such comments came from young LGBTQ kids who saw his bravery and the judges again weighed in.

“I see myself as an artist and want to be transparent about my emotional circumstances,” says Harmon. “Whatever I’m going through now will be received by other people through my music.”

“I cannot express enough how proud I am of Jeremiah,” said Elliot Hefty, a student at the University of Maryland and a friend of Harmon.  

“When I first met him he was a heartbroken, grief-stricken gay Christian young man who shared his story, which I could very much relate to. We met at a monthly LGBTQ Christian dinner group in our local area of Howard County, Md. But what’s so spectacular about his heart is his undying love for his family.

“To me Jeremiah represented all the broken-hearted PK’s and queer church boys through his boldness and letting the music flow from his soul. He is bringing awareness to this issue and healing to the LGBTQ Christian community. I’m so glad to call him my friend. And his talent is self-evidently incredible.”

"I know I wasn’t going to change and didn’t want to change."

Rod Snyder who at the same age as Harmon was a contestant on Season 4 of American Idol but came out as gay a decade afterwards. He grew up in a fundamentalist church in West Virginia.  Snyder saw himself as he watched Harmon during the audition. 

“Nearly 15 years later, I’m watching a young man start his own Idol journey, and I couldn’t be more moved by his story and his courage to tell it,” wrote Snyder on Facebook. “It requires an immense amount of grace to go on national television and communicate so clearly about faith, sexuality and family.

"Jeremiah says, 'All of my religion has been stripped down to I love you no matter what.’ What I would have given to hear those words at age 25, let alone speak them. Jeremiah is already my American Idol.”

As he proceeds through the various stages of the competition, Harmon has a chance to make history.  Acknowledging there has never been an out LGBT winner on American Idol, Harmon points out, "I think I have just as good a chance of winning as anyone."

By the reaction to his magnificent audition, I wouldn't bet against him.

UPDATE: He was eliminated a couple of weeks before the finals. The judges, who fawned all over him during the competition and could have "saved" him from elimination, chose not to do so.

The video of Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon’s American Idol audition is shown below.