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First Recipient of the Rising Rainbows Scholarship by Davey Wavey proudly supported by the BroadBandTV Network

EXCITING NEWS!!!

Forgive me blog readers! (That is if anyone actually reads this thing...) I have been meaning to write a post for a while but due to the holiday season starting I have been either very busy or just wanting to relax. :)
So, something is going to happen on my YouTube channel, which is a thing that I'm not sure if I'm ready to see what the outcome will be. Indeed it is a thing that I am very excited about and grateful for! Never would I ever have expected to do something like this! Just goes to show that putting passion into what you love can work out to be something worth your work. The only hint that I will give you is that it involves me taking a flight to LA in order to shoot a collaboration project with a popular gay individual on YouTube. To find out who, you will have to wait and see on December 8th!
I want to write more but at the moment it is getting very late and after a four day weekend I know that I need all the sleep I can get to start the week! Will be back (sooner or later) thank you dear reader for your time! :)

JD

Opportunity and Leaps of Faith

Hey awesome readers of the internet! It has been a while since I've last posted an entry to this blog. My apologies for not keeping this thing as updated as I do my YT channel. I am doing my best to think of topics to expand on here. The problem is that when I do I am waaay too tired to sit down and type. LOL

But now focusing on the topic of this post. Lately I have been very fortunate this month of October. I have been blessed with the opportunity to promote my works as an artist, musician, and advocate. I by no means wish to "brag" about what I have been doing or will do... It's just that I don't know how to feel about people asking me, telling me that they want me to be part of what they are working on.
First of all if you have watched my recent video (link for your convenience) you will know of the things I did this past weekend in Phoenix. That is just the first thing that happened this month. I was also contacted a month ago to perform at a banquet event honoring our Veterans of Southern Arizona. This will be my first performance in over half a year. And the cherry on the top (of which I am only disclosing very little detail) has been that I was recently contacted by ***** ***** from ******* and now I am planning a weekend trip to ********** next month for a video project!This person sent me a message last week and I honestly was shocked and in disbelief that he had sent me such an email. It wasn't until we had talked over a Skype call that it felt actually real. :)
I have not felt this good about myself in quite some time. Although I am not the type of person to feel BAD about myself, receiving these opportunities and having these doors open up for me in the world of what I love to do, has made me feel more confident as a creator. I never expected my art, music, or YouTube content to really draw that much attention. The only goal I have through my work is awareness of diversity and sharing what I have learned from my experiences.

This has also caused me to do some thinking about my future and how serious I should start taking myself as an artist and YouTuber. I have always known that I have had a passion to create things and to teach others as well as connect with others. My current position of employment is also an achievement that I am proud to have accomplished at such a young age. But on the other hand, working in this profession has made me reconsider my advancements in pursuing a higher degree. I love my job and the people I am privileged to work with.  But this is also something that I know I do NOT want to continue doing for long....
Right now my feelings are of high hopes. Hope for my future as an artist, activist, musician, creator, collaborator..... My feelings also lay in uncertainty. I don't know which moves would be the "smart" ones, however I DO know what I would like to accomplish. The journey toward my goals and satisfactions is what is the unknown keeping my mind at a crossroads.
The best I can do now is take my leaps of faith, hoping that I land somewhere stable and happy. I am truly thankful to each and every one of my supporters. And if you are one of those people reading this, I will take this moment to tell you that you are appreciated. Please say hello to me and introduce yourself. I don't like to concept of "fans", I love the notion of friendship. I don't wish to just have you learn and hear what I have to say, I wish to also learn from YOU and listen to YOUR story!

Thanks for reading,
JD

GAY CAMP

Dear Internet,
I apologize for my lack of content posting to this blog. (if anyone even reads this thing) However, in my defense I did tell readers in my very first post that I do NOT consider myself to be a writer. I am doing my best to give this another go!

Memorial Day weekend (in the US) was the time I spent my first time ever at a camp in the woods. If you live in Arizona (which is for the most part a conservative state) you would probs be surprised about an LGBTQ+ Outdoors Gay Camp Program in Prescott. The camp is known as OUTdoors Campchella. :) I have posted a video about my experiences, talking about all of the amazing people I met and now message on an almost daily basis. This was something that has been recommended to my by several friends that I met at our local LGBT Youth Center. Over that past couple years of growing into adulthood I am sad to say that visits with such friends are very rare. Anyway I have known about the camp for the past two years and over the summer I finally made the last minute decision to apply. That's right, because so many people want to attend every year they select campers through an application process.
To my surprise I was selected and even though I will admit that I was not expecting to, once I received my acceptance letter I was then very much excited about the experience. Just another quick detail this program is orientated for LGBTQ Youth in Arizona as well as youth from other states. The age range is 11-24 with different workshops for three days. These workshops can be about queer politics and advocacy for adjustments in laws, gay history, trans history, a workshop learning about different sources of strength (SOS), art, dance, music, ropes courses, and of course glitter all around!
This experience really helped to open my eyes about how the LGBTQ community is evolving and reminded me of the importance that we are not alone and that we must support each other. Some people came with stories of having no support at home, camp was the only place that they felt entirely safe to be able to express themselves, identify openly with their proper pronouns and identities. Most of the learning came from fellow youth willing to open up and share their thoughts.
I was very happy at how accommodating everyone was when I arrived. I knew several of the staff from my city and they were quick to help me by describing the landscape right away. I normally do not travel with a cane as much as I did over that weekend. There were two reasons for this, 1- it was nature and rocks and shit. (I LOVE nature, just hate tripping LOL) and 2- Sometimes its easier when people see you with a cane instead of having to explain your visual limits repeatedly. :) Although I was more than happy to explain my visual impairment with others, I felt that not being ashamed of using my cane would be the right attitude to bring more diversity to the camp.
The diversity of the gay community was well represented and I have met so many amazing people. ( I know I've said that already but you have NO IDEA how much I mean that) I have been inspired by peoples stories, their character, willingness to listen, and their overall personality! The only thing that I am unhappy with is the fact that I did not attend during the previous years. I only have one more year to attend as a camper. But the memories and connections made are what really count. I hope to continue to talk with my fellow unicorns from Camp OUTdoors. I love you all and CANNOT wait to see you again! -hugs-

Native American YouTubers

 http://danggadsmile.com/2015/08/13/top-48-native-indigenous-youtubers-2/ 

YouTubers With Disabilities

What is "GOOD CONTENT"??? (no edit)

"You Don't Look Native"

First, if you know me, then you can most likely assume what this post will be about. If you don't, then let me explain. Hi, I'm JD and I have albinism. Some people reading this may not know what that is. Albinism is a recessive, genetic condition that can cause low pigmentation in the eyes, hair, and skin. Recessive, meaning that the gene itself must be present in both parents for the possibility of the physical traits to occur for an individual.
There are various types of this condition. Sometimes only the eyes are affected (known as ocular albinism) and sometimes the skin and eyes are affected, as well as cases where low pigment occurs throughout the body (eyes, hair, skin). The type I have is called Oculocutaneous. This has also caused several other conditions with my vision. I have something called Nystagmus which causes my pupils to move uncontrollably. (And yes there are also different types of nystagmus, mine is horizontal movement) I am also legally disabled having low vision.
Now that you know a decent amount of details related to albinism, let me get into the "real" topic. :)
[takes a drink of water]
If you visit my YouTube channel (click here) you will notice that I recently have been making my voice heard on topics related to the Indigenous community. I leave comments on other videos, make video responses. And every now and again I will get the reply "You can't be native! You're the whitest guy I've ever seen!" or something like, "Stop posing as a Native American"...
A fellow YouTuber commented on one of my videos asking me if I had received a lot of bullying as a kid. Growing up I did indeed recognize that I looked very different from a majority of my tribal members. But here is the thing, I grew up on my reservation being fully accepted by my family and village. Other children my age knew who I was and really did not question my condition that much. Sure there were blunt comments here and there (kids being kids) but for the most part I was not the subject of severe ridicule or harassment.
Although it is a rare occurrence, I do in fact have other family members that have the physical traits of albinism. There are other Hopis that also have albinism. I have several friends from the Navajo Reservation that also have this condition. I find it interesting how more frequent the condition appears in Navajo families. (more than one child or a parent and child show physical traits) Of course it being a gene, all family members are carriers. Just remember that because it is RECESSIVE both a mother and father must be carriers for it to potentially affect their child.
Albinism occurs worldwide. You can be from any tribe, any country, I guarantee that you will find various people from all cultures with this condition. This is where the saying, "Don't judge a book by it's cover" HEAVILY applies. Just because I look white and have blonde hair, does not make my indigenous identity any less valid. I happen to be part of few people who can call themselves full-blooded Hopi. If my appearance is what makes you uncomfortable, then you are a person that is truly without sight.

Colors of the Pride Flag

If you watch YouTube as much as I do (and if you're subscribed to my channel) you will know that there is not much diversity in terms of the ethnic diversity of Gay YouTubers.
Recently a lot of people have questioned, "Why are there so many gay YouTubers?" The real question should be, "Why are the famous gay YouTubers all white?" Even if we were to analyse the number of channels you will find that a majority of the LGBT vloggers are white, identify as gay, and are male. I can give you a list of the ones that I am subscribed to now.

Davey Wavey
Tyler Oakley
The Rhodes Bros
Connor Franta
Troye Sivan
David Outt
Michael Rizzi
Calum McSwiggan
Ethan Hetchcote
Mark E. Miller
Jack Merridew
Joseph Birdsong
Lucas (Fred)
Matthew Schuller

There are a few more but these are channels that are will above 20,000 subscribers. Now lets compare that to the amount of fellow LGBT Tubers I am subscribed to that are either FEMALE, TRANS, or NOT white.

Ashley Mardell
Alex Bertie
Benton
FoxyHotMess
Jake Edwards
Lohanthony

And again, the channels listed above are the ONLY ones that have more than 20,000 subscribers that claim the L, B, and T of the gay community. Only TWO of the people on this list are not white. I am subscribed to various other LGBT YTubers but as you can imagine their subscription count is only a small fraction of those listed above. 

We can even see this transfer over to the Hollywood scene. Ellen, Neil Patrick Harris, Jamie Lynch, Chris Colfer, and other white celebrities are at the forefront of gay representation within the media. 

Where are the people of color in the LGBTQ spotlight??? Also if you know of any LGBT vloggers of color PLEASE comment their channels!

I'm Not A Writer

Hey there, so I guess it would be appropriate for me to let you know a little of who I am. My name is... well what I go by and what most know me as, is "JD". It's something that has stuck with me since middle school because there were two of us with the same name (different spelling) so because of my last name, the music teacher decided that I would be "JD".  I've used it ever since and RARELY use the name on my ID and birth certificate. :)
What do I do? I do a lot of things, mostly revolving around creativity. I started middle school marching band and have loved music ever since! Although my first instrument was the trumpet, my true passion was the piano. I have now been playing for seven (going on 8 years). I do performances here and there, not exactly a professional performer, but I do enjoy playing and composing. Maybe we can talk more about my music history later. I also like to paint (another thing I started taking seriously in middle school), run, cook, and teach.
Why did I start a blog in the first place if I am claiming not to be a writer??? (see title above) Honestly, I (as the name of my blog says) am a minority of the minority. I carry with me many labels. (i.e. male, YouTuber, musician, teacher, artist...) but also other labels such as; Native American, albino, visually impaired/legally blind, and I am also a member of the LGBTQ community. Quite a bit of minority groups I identify with...
Now yes, as mentioned I am a YouTuber. Most of my videos started because I wanted to talk about my visual condition and my albinism. I did not come across many blind or low vision people on YouTube so I decided to talk about the things that annoyed me, things that needed to be heard, and just to share my story with whomever wanted to listen. Not too long after I started my channel I was also getting ready to come out to my friends and family. This was also during the time I began watching more and more gay YouTubers. The first video I uploaded talking about my sexual identity was for the ItGetsBetter Project. Since then I've done topics related to gay issues, my experiences on being visually impaired, and more recently about my cultural heritage. My channel is not set for a specific group of individuals to watch, whoever wishes to watch, listen, learn, and contribute is welcome to my channel. 
Now, my friends tell me that I am an articulate person. I understand why they see this quality in me. But I have really found myself not to be the strongest of writers. I enjoy talking (laughs)... I can guarantee you that a conversation with me can go on forever. :) But lately I have been thinking that I honestly want to say so much more. And the amount of work that goes into my videos, can take quite a while to put together. Especially when I am a person striving for a certain level of "perfection". I guess it's just the artist in me. I tend to be picky about how I present my projects. 
So that is where this blog comes in. I have more I want to share and more that I want to discuss with others that wish to join the conversation. Like my YouTube channel I will talk about all of these identities that I claim for myself. My ethnic background, my disability, my creativity, my genetic condition, my sexual orientation, and even dive into other experiences that spark certain thoughts. I believe that creativity and learning stems from sharing. This is what I have to share. Will you join me?
Thanks for reading ALL of these words. I will try my best to keep this thing filled with a variety of topics important to me. If I really start to like it, I will keep you updated should I come up with a schedule. Thanks again!
JD