The other day at the office I was doing my civic feminist duty by listening to the Bitch Radio podcast when one of the gals mentioned her personal favorite podcast, How Was Your Week with Julie Klausner. She raved a bit and moved on but I wrote down the title for investigation later. Having since investigated three or four episodes, it’s new my favorite thing. I want to hang out with Julie in a snack nest for a weekend.
I should write a post where I recap everything I’ve called “my new favorite” since I started writing here. I could even go back further to my now defunct and almost embarrassingly bad blog and pull from there too. I use “favorite” all too often. I swear I have some solid, unchanging favorite things. That might be another post in a world where I write steadily.
So, a flash mob happened. And the video will not embed itself lovingly into this post under any circumstances so here’s the link: http://youtu.be/vrrmeECJzoo
As a political statement a group of dancers to an unknowing audience isn’t the strongest move but the Courage Campaign got a lot of exposure and it was a really fucking cool thing to see up close. I was involved to the extent of holding half of a sign with a stranger that said, “YOU CAN’T PRAY THE GAY AWAY,” and waving a purple piece of fabric in the back row at the end. It wasn’t exactly volunteer work in the name of equality but I’m thrilled to have been there, goosebumps prickling up my arms, tears welling in my eyes, watching so many people of so many ages and backgrounds come together and do something wildly fun and bold to make a point.
-CJ
From an article on MSN: Senate repeal of ban on gays in military falters
Socarides said President Barack Obama “badly miscalculated” the Pentagon’s support for repeal, while Democrats made only a “token effort” to advance the bill.
A part of me wants to be lighthearted and say the gay and lesbian community is too good for the military anyway. The other part of me is so, so sorry for the lives this is negatively affecting. We can all argree this is the one of the stupidest laws in effect, right?
Right.
-CJ
THE GAYS CAN MARRY!
THE GAYS CAN MARRY!
A federal judge in San Francisco decided today that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry, striking down Proposition 8, the voter approved ballot measure that banned same-sex unions. U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker said Proposition 8, passed by voters in November 2008, violated the federal constitutional rights of gays and lesbians to marry the partners of their choice.
This is fucking incredible news! I can’t stop smiling! I can’t even be witty or sarcastic! Someone come hug me!
-CJ
As a means of crossing another item off of my mighty life list, I looked into some volunteer opportunities for the Pride celebration/festival/excuse for lots of men to wear assless chaps. These gigs were surprisingly hard to come by – either there were too many eager volunteers or I went through all the wrong channels. When I finally spoke to someone on the phone and was like, “you don’t understand, I have this list,” they directed me to a beverage contact and within a few days I was to appear somewhere near Robertson and Santa Monica to check in for a five hour shift.
During the long drive, I talked myself out of the idea completely. I have a way of hyping things up to be much more than they are and I live a life full of disappointments that only I am responsible for. As I paid the atrocious parking rate, I settled into the belief that the day would be shit and my couch wanted my company more than these celebratory gay people wanted beer.
I was so, so wrong.
An all too quiet fellow volunteer and I were led to an empty bar adjacent to the Real L Word promotional area and given basic instructions on pouring draft beer with little to no head (“these men like head but not this kind and they can be some queeny bitches if you fuck that shit up”) and checking IDs. Two more volunteers joined us before we were really moving. We had a designated ID checker to give out the wristbands and a designated ticket-tearer to shred the drink tickets. He became my spotter, as I could not remember to check for wristbands. He stayed close and monitored every customer I poured for and gave me drink orders to pass forward. Myself and the other female volunteer worked the shit outta the taps and premade mixes.
Overall, we made tip money and spent a lot of time talking and laughing, with each other and with our few hundred thirsty friends. My feet were killing me when the second shift arrived but I would have gladly stayed to work with them.
We all finished, took off our volunteer shirts and poured our one complimentary beverage. The Real L Word area was marketing the show by dolling people up in boas and tiaras and taking pictures of them that they immediately printed and handed out. It was pretty silly but seemed like the best way to remember my volunteer friends.
I can’t wait for next year.
- volunteer my time in the name of equality
For now, this one stays on the list. Being the middle (wo)man in someone’s quest to get drunk doesn’t do much in the name of equality. So this morning I sent a message over to GLSEN for some more, less booze related opportunities.
-CJ
This needed to be said and the connotations associated with choice need to be recognized.
From Tranifesto:
I just finished watching a new indie gay and lesbian film that had an interesting premise, but I felt like I was back in the ’70s, with the word “homosexual” being thrown around all the time, even by the gay and lesbian characters, and this little gem coming from one of the young lesbian characters when talking to her father:
“I didn’t choose to be this way. I’ve always been this way. I’d be straight if I could. My life would be so much easier.”
I get really tired of this argument, which makes straight the default — and the desirable — way to be, and gay or lesbian the undesirable and unchosen way to be — a way that was forced on certain unfortunate people as a mistake of birth. After all, who wouldn’t want to be straight if they could?
I don’t know anyone who would prefer their sexuality be anything other than what it is, but I have heard this statement in a broad, assuming sense and I’m not sure the speaker realized their implications. Sometimes someone else has to explain something in such a way (as above) for one to rethink.
-CJ
Filed under: LGBT
Mobile Accessible Buying For Equality
On my lunch break yesterday, I settled in with some fried rice and an old Equality magazine that I’ve yet to read. I found a small article about this:
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization, today announced an innovative method to access the rankings of hundreds of popular American brands published in the 2009 “Buying for Equality” consumer guide, released this week. By texting ’SHOP’ to 30644, individuals across the nation can quickly determine which companies support equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans before making important purchase decisions.
I’ve tried to be more and more aware of who/what I support with my money. I plugged the five digits into my phone and saved them under ‘equality shopping!’ I started immediately plugging big names into it like Target and Old Navy, both of which received a perfect 100 score from HRC. I checked my bank and probably yours (Chase, Bank of America & Wells Fargo) which all came back with perfect 100s as well. There were a few places that were not entered in their guide and few places where repeated attempts had been made to get them into the guide but the company’s had yet to respond.
The only company that the guide discouraged me from supporting, of the two dozen or so that I sent in, was -surprise- Walmart. I needed no other reason not to shop there but now I just loathe the place.
Save it in your cell and make better shopping choices NOW!
-CJ
Filed under: LGBT
So Larry King is getting his 8th divorce, Elizabeth Taylor is possibly getting married for a 9th time, Jesse James and Tiger Woods are screwing EVERYTHING. Yet the idea of same-sex marriage is what is going to destroy the institution of marriage?
AMEN.
Will the real author please come forward? I can’t for the life of me find you but this wise little paragraph you wrote is spreading like herpes in high school.
-CJ
Filed under: LGBT
From an e-mail this morning from HRC:
Since Constance McMillen and her girlfriend were sent to a “fake prom” while her classmates had their own secret prom, 72,037 HRC supporters have signed a petition to show the Itawamba County school board we’re on her side.
Unfortunately, one thing still isn’t on students like Constance’s side: America’s civil rights law.
Though it’s illegal for public schools to discriminate against students based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex or disability, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students get no explicit federal protection.
Right now, Congress is considering a bill to give LGBT students the same civil rights protections as their classmates. We need your help to pass it.
Please, please, please
Spread, spread, spread
Much love,
-CJ
Filed under: LGBT
I love the queer edition of Magnetic Poetry.
You can be sweet:
Or you can be dirty:
And we’re all a little of both, right?
-CJ
