MALE ACTORS NEEDED – Please Repost

In Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, against a backdrop of poverty and corruption, stand over 400 maquiladoras, foreign-owned assembly factories lured there by an endless supply of cheap labor. Over 70% of that labor is made up of women, most ages 16-25, but some as young as 11. Since 1993, more than 400 women have been killed and over 70 remain still missing in Juarez–most of them workers in the maquiladoras and some of them as young as 3 years old. THESE ARE THEIR STORIES.

Las Mujeres de Juarez is a bilingual show about the murdered and missing women of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico and is based on interviews with the victims’ families. All proceeds benefit an organization in Juarez that helps the families.

Looking for Male actors of all ages. Bilingual actors are needed but it is NOT required. Please come prepared with one dramatic monologue and come prepared to move.

When: June 13th and 14th. 7:30pm
Where: The Victory Arts Center- 801 W. Shaw Street, Fort Worth, TX 76110
You must call 817-437-7407 to be let in the door.
Performances will be July 25-Aug. 4th

Parenting

Chicory reminded me that today is Blogging for LGBT Families Day. So here I am. I’m not LGBT, nor am I a parent.

But I’m a human being.  Something that’s been bothering me a lot lately is what seems to be the implicit assumption that the only acceptable form of parenting is a father and a mother.

I worked as an investigator for Child Protective Services for nine months. Nine months doesn’t sound like a long time, but when you’re working 60-hour weeks and still can’t keep on top of your case load, it can feel like an eternity. During that time, I saw all kinds of families. I saw traditional nuclear families, with a father, a mother, and 2.5 children. I saw large extended families, with grandparents, parents, and children all living in the same house. I saw single-parent families, where the parents were so involved in squabbling over their differences that they could not see how they were hurting their children.

I’m glad to say that most of the cases I investigated did not involve abuse of any kind. There were false reports called in by spiteful family members or so-called friends.

But there were plenty of cases involving abuse. Try seeing a 9-year-old girl in a mental hospital because she’d been having suicidal thoughts and hallucinations, and a case folder three inches thick of the abuse and neglect that had been occurring since she was born. Or the baby whose mother may have been cooking meth in her apartment, and who was definitely using methamphetamine. Or the 3-month-old baby girl who weighed less than she did when she was born because her parents didn’t care as much for her as they did for her 2-year-old brother.

I don’t believe that a parenting relationship is inherently better than any other parenting relationship merely by virtue of the fact that there is a father and a mother present in the home.  What matters far more is whether the parents are committed to the safety and wellbeing of their children.  At a time when there is a severe lack of available foster homes, it is tragic to see couples rejected because they do not fit the traditionally accepted model.  It is keeping those parents from providing love and care to children who desperately need it. It is keeping those children in situations that are harmful to them, because there are not enough safe places.

I read my friends’ blogs. I see the photographs of their children. I see how loved those children are, how well cared for. It matters not to those children whether their parents consist of a father and a mother, two mothers, two fathers, one father, one mother, two grandparents, or any other combination of parental figures. What matters to those children is that they know, deep down, that they are loved and wanted. That love transcends any boundaries of gender.  Those children are blessed, as are their parents.

Friday Fill-In

The ol’ brain’s not working too well today. Plus, month-end is always such a pleasure and a joy. So I’m turning to a meme today: Friday Fill-In.

This week, we’re going to have a theme–fictional characters So fill in the blanks with them; please do refrain from using your husband/ wife/other non-fictional character!

1. I wouldn’t toss Mr. Darcy or Sirius Black out of bed! I also have a bit of a crush on Remus Lupin. And Spike. Oh, yeah. Hello Spikey goodness!

2. Ashley Wilkes has no appeal for me whatsoever.  He’s such a pansy. I never could figure out what Scarlett saw in him.

3. A good dream would involve me and Spike; we would bring down the house. Literally.

4. The sexiest man or woman in the movies is Captain Jack Sparrow. Rrowr!; the sexiest man or woman on tv is Spike. But I think I’ve already made that abundantly clear.

5. Voldemort (a la Ralph Fiennes) portrays a wicked villain.  I’d like to say Severus Snape, a la Alan Rickman, but Alan Rickman is too beautiful. He makes Snape too sympathetic a character just by the virtue of the hotness that is Alan Rickman.

6. Buffy and Xander would make a great couple. In my fantasy world, they’re together. I realize that Angel is Buffy’s true love, but it will never be. And Xander, well, he’s pretty hot, and he’s true blue. So yeah.

7. TGIF! Tonight I’m going to reread Half-Blood Prince for the umpteenth time, tomorrow my plans include getting my hair coloured and Sunday, I’ll have Soleil over to dinner and we’ll finish rewriting our scene for the Juarez show!