15 Thursday Sep 2016
Posted in Movies, Music is the Answer, My Favorite Things
Tags
blacklivesmatter, blues, civil rights, culture, funny, gay, humor, icon, inspirational, jazz, LGBT, movies, theater
Dorothy/Halle telling all them white folks to kiss her ass!
29 Friday Jul 2016
Posted in introducing, Movies, My Favorite Things, the Flaming Homosexual
Tags
culture, dating, Elvis, gay, inspirational, lifestyle, pop culture, relationships, sex, television
Yasss Bitches! This is my big gay post of the week…I live for this show and Riley Keough lets them have it! So ridiculously good, the first episode is a bit slow but then you are living, right there with her…btw does Riley look familiar? Elvis’s oldest grandchild
19 Tuesday Jul 2016
Tags
9/11, China, Chinese, culture, funny, humor, inspirational, lifestyle, New York, perspective, point of view
Posted by johnjernigan | Filed under Funny Shit, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
07 Thursday Jul 2016
Tags
culture, equal rights, gay, Gay Rights, inspirational, Lesbian, LGBT, lifestyle, love, queer, social worker, trans, transgender
My agency’s campaign this year is #NOSHAME which is about fighting stigma, raising awareness and celebrating our differences. I had the pleasure of meeting Alex, who is a brave ambassador for this year’s No Shame campaign as a member of the transgender community. In talking to him, I explained that throughout my life I never really had any family support, and that all of the great friends I have made have been my family. I encouraged him to find his true family in his friends and those who support him for the beautiful soul that he is! also thank you to all of the great friends that I have had over the years, who were my family and loved me at different points in my life !
05 Tuesday Jul 2016
Posted in Movies, Music is the Answer, My Favorite Things
Tags
Broadway, culture, film, gay, humor, inspirational, Ireland, lifestyle, movies, Once, relationships, romance, theater
A great little movie for music lover’s everywhere, set in Ireland, also a sweet story about a boy’s first love. From the creative team of the Broadway hit Once…made me feel good and I sang along with our young hero.
13 Monday Jun 2016
Tags
culture, Equality, gay, Gay Rights, gun laws, inspirational, LGBT, Muslim, Orlando, perspective, point of view, pulse
This has become an anthem for the tragedy in Orlando
08 Sunday May 2016
Posted in My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
culture, funny, gay, humor, inspirational, LGBT, love, mother, perspective, point of view, relationships, Tampa Bay
I know my mother loved me very much, her mental health just never let her be the parent she wanted to be…thank God for my Granny!
13 Saturday Feb 2016
Tags
animals, book reviews, books, boston terrier, dogs, french bulldog, inspirational, love, perspective, pets, point of view
Bruce Cameron is my favorite dog author, both “A Dog’s Purpose” and “A Dog’s Journey” were read in 4-hour cover-to cover inhalations. I encourage anyone who loves dogs to read these 2 books, in fact as I am cutting and pasting quotes into this post I am crying just a bit.
Some Bruce Cameron quotes:
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.”
“The job of a good dog was ultimately to be with them, remaining by their sides no matter what course their lives might take. All I could do now was offer him comfort, the assurance that as he left this life he was not alone but rather was tended by the dog who loved him more than anything in the whole world.”
“But humans drive the cars and decide when dogs eat and where dogs live and clearly this was something else in their power – they could find their dogs when they needed them.”
“I guess I had never bothered to consider that there might such a thing as a boy, but now that I had found one, I thought it was just about the most wonderful concept in the world. He smelled of mud and sugar and an animal I’d never scented before, and a faint meaty odor clung to his fingers, so I licked them.”
“Some people just don’t appreciate having a dog around. It’s sad to think there are people like that. I knew Gloria was that way—maybe that’s why she could never be truly happy.”
“You can usually tell that a man is good if he has a dog who loves him.”
“My dog’s name is Tucker, and his DNA is unidentifiable and suspect.”
“As I sat in the sun on the wooden dock that jutted out into the pond, I knew this to be true: my name was Buddy, and I was a good dog.”
“A bouquet of wonderful scents met my nose, and my heart leaped when I realized who I was smelling.
‘Molly!’ I heard someone call.
I whipped my head around everywhere and there they were, the people I’d been smelling. Everyone I’d ever loved in my life, standing at the edge of the water, smiling and clapping. I saw Ethan and Hannah and Trent and CJ standing in front, along with Andi and Maya and Jakob and all the others.
‘Bailey!’ Ethan yelled waving.
My names was Toby, and Buddy, and Molly and Max and Bailey and Ellie. I was a good dog, and this was my reward. Now I would get to be with the people I loved.
I turned, whimpering with you, and swam toward those golden shores.”
23 Saturday Jan 2016
Posted in My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
adoption, culture, gay, gay adoption, Haiti, inspirational, LGBT, Miami, perspective, point of view, St. Petersburg, Tampa Bay
These pics are of maybe my favorite all-time child in my 10 years of social work. Her name is Joy, a little Haitian girl from Miami. She was on my caseload the whole time I was in south Florida and I spent a lot of time with her. I’ve since moved back to St. Petersburg. About 3 weeks ago I was so happy to find out that a family in Pinellas County had been matched with her for adoption and better yet my bestie Kristie Giancola had been assigned to complete their Adoption Home Study. Joy was getting adopted and I would get to see her again, yeah!!! Late last week the family called Kristie and told her they had changed their mind, they didn’t want to adopt Joy anymore, because they had concerns she “wasn’t smart enough” (apparently Joy had forgotten their bio daughter’s name in their phone conversation). Joy is still in a foster home in Miami, available for adoption. Social work in south Florida is so shitty. I was worried when I left that her new case manager wouldn’t have any sense of urgency in finding her a home, and that appears to be the case. I just looked on the Miami Dade Heart Gallery website and there is no picture or bio for Joy 😦 Some pretty horrible things happened to her that lead to removal from her parents, and now the family she thought were going to be her new mommy and daddy have changed their mind. Kristie had to close the case and won’t be doing those DOUCHEBAGS home study now!
23 Saturday Jan 2016
Posted in My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
adoption, autism, culture, gay, gay adoption, inspirational, LGBT, love, perspective, point of view, social worker, St. Petersburg
Last night I covered a group home visit for a co-worker Matt in Clearwater to see a 10 year old. Matt had warned me that this 10 year old wouldn’t talk to me and probably wouldn’t even look at me since he didn’t know me, as he is autistic and almost entirely nonverbal. This kid made me so happy, when the house mother brought me in and told this little boy that I was there to see him he got up and immediately came to me. I thought he was going to give me a hug but instead he turned away from me and stood really close, leaning the back of his head on my chest. He then made several contented sounding noises that I heard to be happy greetings. I wanted to give him a hug but I was aware that he didn’t like to be touched unless he initiated it. Instead I tousled his hair and patted his shoulder as he leaned into me, and simply talked to him for a few minutes about everything and nothing. It was maybe the sweetest best thing that had ever happened to me. His foster mother remarked that it was really strange because he had never been open and friendly with anyone he didn’t know. He made my day, week, year! This 10 year olds picture and bio are on the Pinellas County Heart Gallery. He is available for adoption with lots of other great kids! I specifically urge my LGBT community to consider adoption, we have so many great kids that nobody wants…
16 Thursday Apr 2015
Posted in My Favorite Things, My Heart
Tags
animals, best gay blog, foodie, gay, happiness, inspirational, john jernigan, love, Luiz Antonio, perspective, point of view, recipes, vegetarian
“I don’t like that they die, I want them to be standing up”
“These animals, you gotta take care of them and not eat them!”
“Why are you crying?”
“I’m just touched by you, you are saying something beautiful”
01 Wednesday Oct 2014
Posted in introducing, My Favorite Things, My Heart
Tags
adoption, culture, fort lauderdale, gay blog, inspirational, Life, lifestyle, Miami, perspective, point of view, social services, social worker
An enlightening story from a man who grew up in the foster care system and aged out without being adopted. Take the five minutes to listen to his story, and you’ll be glad you did. If you don’t have the time to watch the whole video, scroll to the 5:28 mark and watch until the end. #adoptuskids
17 Wednesday Sep 2014
Tags
different, fort lauderdale, gay, gay blog, inspirational, LGBT, lifestyle, Miami, perspective, point of view, queer, relationships, wilton manors
Posted by johnjernigan | Filed under Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
16 Saturday Aug 2014
Posted in My Favorite Things, My Heart
Tags
animals, dogs, gay, happiness, hope, Humanity, inspirational, Life, love, perspective, pets, point of view
11 Monday Aug 2014
Posted in My Favorite Things, My Heart
Tags
animals, boston terrier, culture, cute, dogs, french bulldog, gay, Grandpa gets a new puppy, inspirational, love, perspective, pets, point of view, relationships
Their Grandpa just lost his wife of 63 years, and their elderly dog had recently died as well. If this doesn’t make you shed a tear, you’re a terrorist, kill yourself, dead
09 Saturday Aug 2014
Tags
cute, different, funny, funny or die, gay, humor, inspirational, Lesbian, LGBT, Miami, pop culture, queer, reddit, retard
dead
08 Friday Aug 2014
Tags
atlanta, gay, inspirational, LGBT, lifestyle, love, Neil Gaiman, perspective, point of view, queer, relationships, romance, trust your dreams trust your heart and trust your story, what dreams may come
I dream, big bright vivid detailed dreams. I almost always remember my dreams when I wake, or my dream is so intense or troubling or happy that it wakes me with it’s intensity. After Katrina I had nightmares about New Orleans for years, that we were drowning, that we didn’t escape. Thankfully, I no longer have those nightmares, but they have been replaced with a recurring dream that show no signs of ending. My dream co-star was my ex for a few years, but he has now been replaced by my current dream guy Tom. Tom and I are in New Orleans, during Katrina, and we are in standing water. Though I should be frantic, I’m not, because I have Tom and he will take care of me. He has Cricket under one arm and Squeak under the other, and together we wade out of the city. It’s not lost on me that in my dream Tom has the two most precious things in the world to me in his arms, and that instead of worrying I am reassured. I have had this dream at least 10 times in the past month, and it always ends with our rescue. I understand that this is not about Katrina, it’s my dream of being rescued, of being safe and secure and loved. There is a full moon tonight, and the dogs and I are all restless. I will almost certainly be dreaming about Tom in a few short hours, and I will be safe and happy. I am willing to do almost anything to have him truly love me, in my waking dream, not just in sleepy time.
*I posted this at around 11 p.m. last night. I then decided I would message Tom on facebook,mainly to make sure he saw the post. I type his name in and he doesn’t pop up. I look at our message history and it says I cannot start a conversation with him. He has unfriended me. I have given up my apartment and I am applying for jobs in Atlanta based at least partially on him, getting to know him, falling in love with him, I have such big plans, I am so hopeful. It all comes crashing down on me. I had imagined him as being so sweet and kind and a true gentleman…you sir are no gentleman. It’s my fault for creating an obviously incorrect idea of him, I wanted him to be my knight in shining armor, instead he is an old and sad stereotype…like me.
I cry a little and don’t sleep much. When I do fall asleep, I don’t dream of Tom rescuing me, and I don’t dream of Katrina. I have another stress dream that I have had numerous times over the years. I am in the woods with the dogs, and there is a bear. Cricket and Squeak get away from me, running off toward the bear. I then understand that the bear has killed them, and there is nothing I can do to help them. I wake up crying, and reach for my babies, to make sure they are okay. I fall back asleep, crying, understanding there is nothing I can do to help me.
#faggotry
06 Wednesday Aug 2014
Posted in My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
adoptions, dogs, foster care, funny, gay, hope, inspirational, LGBT, Life, love, perspective, point of view, relationships, social worker
I have my highs, and I have my lows. This week I have been exceptionally lonely and prone to cry. My friend and co-worker Mike is in a training class, so I was volunteered to take one of his children for a psychiatric evaluation and psychotropic medication consult. Jenny (not her real name) is almost 4 years old, a chunky little nugget with pigtails and that raspy voice that some little kids have. When I pick her up at the daycare at the crack of dawn I am informed she hasn’t had breakfast, but we are running late so there is no time to stop. We get to the doctor’s office and wait, and wait, and wait. Jenny never gets cross, or pouts, or whines. I get in the floor and we play house, then she cooks me some food in the kitchen, then we color, then we are farmers with all of her animals, then she plays games on my phone until it dies. She knows we are going to McDonald’s and asks when we can leave every 5 minutes. At 11:45 I finally complain, and then I’m asked to bring Jenny back “around 1:30” because the doctor has a mandatory staffing and she can’t be seen until then.
We go to McDonald’s, where Jenny gets a Happy Meal, quickly making her cheeseburger, fries, apples and Sprite disappear. My little nugget has a few of my chicken nuggets as well. Not-her-case-manager buys us ice cream cones AND chocolate chip cookies, with me praising her for being such a good girl. When we return to the doctor’s office Jenny draws a picture of us, and then I show her a picture of my dogs and she draws them as well. She is still happy, laughing, playing…such a good girl! The doctor finally sees us at 3 p.m., and Jenny has her meltdown shortly after. She yells and cries and runs in and out of people’s offices. I explain to the doctor that she hadn’t had her nap and that she was tired and cranky. I have a bag of toys in my trunk and am forced to promise to give her three of them if she will stop running away from me, stop yelling and get in the car. Once she is seat-belted in and digging through the toys (choosing Stitch, the Cookie Monster and a meerkat) she is fine and happy again. As we near her foster home, she asks me if I am staying for dinner. I say No, I have to go home to my puppies. She asks if I will come in and play with her for “just a few minutes” because now we are best friends. My heart, which she already had, melts. Of course I do go inside and play Barbies with her for about 15 minutes, garnering a quizzical look from the 60-year old foster mother. I don’t care, I just smile and play with her dolls, because she has made me happy today, with her continued good mood and positive energy. I might be crying a little as I write this, but they are happy tears, given to me by a precious little one, a chunky little angel 🙂
“Such a perfect day, you made me forget myself…I thought I was someone else, someone good”
26 Saturday Jul 2014
Tags
buy John's book $2.99 on Amazon, culture, gay, humor, inspirational, LGBT, Life, love, perspective, point of view, queer, quotes, relationships, romance
I am flawed, hopefully not fatally so. I am no longer young, and that makes me not as attractive, to most. I don’t make very much money, and haven’t lived up to my potential. But I’m empathetic, and kind, and dogs and children unfailingly like me. I still have the capacity to love. I have to believe that someone is out there for me, someone who will love the less-than-perfect me, someone who will see that I’m the same boy I used to be.
25 Friday Jul 2014
Posted in Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
buy John's book on Amazon, culture, domestic abuse, Domestic Violence, gay, inspirational, Life, love, MSW, perspective, point of view, relationships, social worker, ukraine
She Photographed Herself Everyday For A Year. This just looked like another one of those videos where someone takes a picture of themselves every day of the year, but by the end you realize it was something much different.
25 Friday Jul 2014
Posted in My Favorite Things, My Heart
Tags
animals, boston terrier, Cricket the French Bulldog, cute, dog passes out from joy, dogs, french bulldog, funny, gay, inspirational, LGBT, love, must love dogs, Squeak the Boston Terrier
The family’s daughter had been away at college for 2 years, and this schnauzer was so happy to see her again! Another example of why I love dogs more than just about anything 🙂
20 Sunday Jul 2014
Posted in My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
atlanta, buy John's book on Amazon, culture, gay, inspirational, LGBT, Life, love, perspective, point of view, St. Petersburg, tampa, Tampa Bay
This photo of a Virginia mom hugging her 3-year-old son on a Florida beach has gone viral. The boy was battling cancer and had just finished a round of chemotherapy treatments. The tender moment is now touching hearts across the world.
17 Thursday Jul 2014
Posted in My Heart, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Tags
adoption, atlanta, culture, cute, dating, DCF, gay, inspirational, MSW, perspective, point of view, pop culture, relationships, social worker
I drove to Ocala to place nine and one year old siblings in their forever adoptive home this evening. I feel really good about this case. It’s especially rewarding because we battled with the Guardian ad Litem program, who were advocating to split the boys up, because they didn’t feel the nine year old was adoptable. The brothers are laughing and playing and singing songs. I’m taking them to their forever home, with their new mommy and daddy, and I’m Feeling Good!
09 Wednesday Jul 2014
Tags
adoptions, child abuse, culture, gay, gay adoption, inspirational, LGBT, love, MSW, point of view, social worker
I have a new little one on my caseload. He was born healthy and allowed to go home with his mother from the hospital. DCF removed him for failure to thrive nine days later, but irreparable damage was already done. I ask to hold him, and his foster mother places this fragile little bird in my arms, gently reminding me to be careful of the feeding tube in his stomach. I look down at him. His bright blue eyes find mine, and he smiles. Tears well up in my eyes. I think about how negative and unhappy and unproductive I have been in these past two years, complaining about getting old or being lonely, and I am ashamed. This little angel has had a rough life so far, and is lucky to be alive. Seeing his perfect little face smiling up at me, I promise to do my best to find him a forever home and family, who will love him…like I already do.
06 Sunday Jul 2014
Posted in introducing
Tags
buy John's book $2.99 on Amazon, culture, gay, History, Hitler, inspirational, Jewish people, perspective, saved 669 children, Sir Nicholas Winton, the Holocaust, War History
Sir Nicholas Winton was a humanitarian who organized a rescue operation that saved the lives of 669 Jewish Czechoslovakia children from Nazi death camps, and brought them to the safety of Great Britain between the years 1938-1939.
After the war, his efforts remained unknown. But in 1988, Winton’s wife Grete found the scrapbook from 1939 with the complete list of children’s names and photos. This is a clip of a video where Sir Nicholas Winton is sitting in an audience of Jewish Czechoslovakian people who he saved 50 years before.
He Saved 669 Children During The Holocaust… And He Doesn’t Know They’re Sitting Next To Him.
If this doesn’t bring a tear to your eye, kill yourself
20 Tuesday May 2014
Tags
animal rescue, animal testing, animals, Beagle Freedom Project, beagles, boston terrier, buy John's book, cats, french bulldog, gay, inspirational, LGBT, love, pets
These beagles had been “de-barked” so that they did not disturb the people working in the medical lab.
I had tears in my eyes when I read that beagles are chosen for animal testing because they are “so forgiving” and will continue to try and love and bond with humans, even when being tortured and hurt by them.
The Beagle Freedom Project has their own Youtube channel
17 Saturday May 2014
Tags
animals, boston terrier, buy John's book $3.99 on Amazon, culture, cute, cute dogs, dating, depression, dog, french bulldog, gay, happiness, inspirational, LGBT, Life, lifestyle, loneliness, love, perspective, pets, point of view, relationships, sadness, sex, St. Petersburg, tampa
Posted by johnjernigan | Filed under My Favorite Things
17 Saturday May 2014
Tags
animals, buy John's book $3.99 on Amazon, culture, dating, depression, dog, gay, happiness, inspirational, LGBT, Life, lifestyle, loneliness, love, perspective, pets, point of view, relationships, sadness, sex, St. Petersburg, tampa
Posted by johnjernigan | Filed under My Favorite Things, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
17 Saturday May 2014
Tags
animals, buy John's book $3.99 on Amazon, Clark Gregg, culture, dating, depression, dog, gay, happiness, inspirational, LGBT, Life, lifestyle, loneliness, love, Martin Freeman, perspective, pets, point of view, relationships, sadness, sex, St. Petersburg, tampa
Posted by johnjernigan | Filed under Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
24 Thursday Apr 2014
Posted in My Favorite Things
