As my first official G.Q. Blog, I thought I would touch on a subject that we have all dealt with at one time or another. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's shocking, but it is always uncalled for. As a female with tattoos, who also has a boyfriend with tattoos, I am used to dealing with dirty looks. We live in a relatively small town, with lots of people who don't approve of tattooing. Around here its all high school football and which church you attend. Now I want to make this perfectly clear, I do not have a problem with religious people or organizations. But I do have a problem with people using god and there religion to try to tell what I am doing wrong in my life. I have been told I need prayer, that I am going to hell, and even that I am a bad role-model for my six-year-old niece. That fact that I get all of that negativity simply bases on the fact that I have tattoos is very insulting as well as ignorant on their part. In my life I do my best to be a good person. I work, I own a house, a car, and I have a loving boyfriend. We take care of our family's and our friends, and we are very respectful of others and there life choices. So I have a hard time listening to people preach to me about their beliefs. In the holy bible one of the main messages is "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Now how can you say you are a true and faithful follower when you don't even follow the simplest teachings. Practice what you preach couldn't ring truer in any situation. My sister and I like to go eat on Sunday mornings. We usually go about 11:30, which is around the time services let out. Everyone eats at this specific restaurant because they have the best breakfast. So its always packed. And every time we eat there I feel like I am the main attraction at the side-show. It's very unreal to listen to them whisper and point at me like I have the plague. I am tired of it. For those of you dealing with this, I encourage you to do something about it. If it is happening at your job, talk to your supervisor. Explain that IT IS DISCRIMINATION and you do not have to tolerate it at any level. If they do nothing to help call the Better Business Bureau. They can help you figure out what actions need to be taken. If you're like me and it is happening in public, my advice is to kill them with kindness. If I hear them talking about me I will turn to them and start telling them about my tattoos. I will tell them about my artist, where his shop is, and about why I got it. I explain what that specific tattoo or tattoos mean to me personally. I smile really big and thank them for noticing my ink and how much I love it. I am super respectful which is not what they expect at all. That is the best way to handle people like that. They will walk away feeling bad about there insensitive remarks, and their prejudgment of a person they don't even know solely based on their body art. We have to work together, one day and one person at a time. It's not easy, but I am willing to try my best. I hope all of you are with me. We have to show that tattoos are not marks of criminals, prostitutes, and gangsters. We are mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, career people, goal-oriented individuals who chose to put art on our bodies instead of just our walls. XOXO Devour Gypsy Queens