#LoveWins

I should be clear; I’m not a huge fan of marriage equity. I’m not a huge fan of marriage. The idea that you’re legally binding yourself to another human indefinitely seems like a bad idea. Particularly for women who are more likely to die at the hands of their partners than anything else. I always have to resist the urge to discourage my friends from marriage. But you do you kids. But really, I’ve always thought of marriage rights as a way for the gay community to be hetero-normalized. Like, see they aren’t threatening they just want to get married just like us.

Now, I fully expect the economy to see a nice lift from this. But I also think this isn’t enough. I mean come on. You can get married, but still be fired for being gay. Let’s move right on over to worker protections and forcing insurance companies to cover Trans medicine. Let’s expand social supports for queer young people who are still more likely to be homeless than their straight peers. At best this is a symbolic victory at worst this is a victory for those who can afford it. Those past the hard parts.

All that said, nothing makes me angrier than people taking to the Internet to spread their hate or make this victory about them. Yeah, inequity still exists across the board, but sometimes we have to stand in solidarity with one another and celebrate any victory even when it might not be a specific victory for us. What, you mad because the Supreme Court did just let the Notorious RBG overturn all injustice? Yeah, me too, but I'm still going to celebrate those who can marry after being told they couldn't because they were less for decades. The first same sex couple married in Texas were 80 year old men who had been together for 54 years, and they are adorable. 

So this marriage equality thing

I wanted to say something about SCOTUS hearing marriage equality cases, but before I do: I am a CIS, straight, white, college educated, woman. I want to state all of that as an indicator that while I’m an ally, I not a direct part of the LGBTQ community. So, my opinion is rooted firmly in academic knowledge and allies. Also, I’m in favor of marriage equality, well as in favor of marriage as I can get.

I have my fingers-crossed like most of the US that SCOTUS overturns Prop 8 and DOMA. However, I don’t really want to talk about marriage because queer equality isn’t just the right to marry, which seems to be getting lost somewhere in the emphasis on Prop 8 on Tuesday. A good part of the gay rights movement revolved around developing a cultural alternative to stratightness. Also, mainstream America’s embrace of gay marriage puts me in mind of that “as long as you’re trying to be like us, we’re cool, but don’t get all f***y here.” What about queer open relationships? Or straight for that matter? Will individuals within these groups be protected? Probably not. Because deep down Americans are ok with people who are trying really hard to be like them, but shun our way of thinking and we’ll strip you of rights, well as fast as we can throw you in Gtimo.

But even if we’re going to stay solely in the realm of LGBTQ issues, didn’t Tennessee just outlaw acknowledging the existence of gay people in the classroom? How about labor protections so you can’t get fired for coming out? As Justice Kennedy pointed out, think of the children, who don’t qualify for TANF because of the required paternity declaration. What about the mothers who don’t want to declare paternity because the child is actually being raised by two women, and the father has no responsibility? Oh, yeah, we get all sexist and anti-gay up in TANF policy.

All, I’m saying is I’d like to see some of this support on the other issues surrounding LGBTQ individuals and their community outside of marriage. Oh by the way, HRC was kind of anti-trans for a long time. A lot of the mainstream LGB community were for a long time. Though, most have come around and/or trying to.

But at the end of the day, this is how we coalition build. We work with people who might have a less than desirable history, but are trying to get better, on an issue of their choosing, and then we get our turn. Because discrimination and oppression hurts everyone regardless if the specific type of discrimination we’re talking about doesn’t affect you. So yeah, today gay marriage, and tomorrow let’s take the Arizona ban on sex separated bathrooms, which eliminates space for trans individuals. And hell, Thursday let’s open up another abortion clinic in North Dakota, someone said they are trying really hard to close the one they have.

Gays! Almost citizens now.

President Obama signed the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell this morning. And all I can say is it is about time. I get that President Obama has to work with Congress, but it was seriously time to show some love to the gay community.

This really is only the beginning and no where near enough. One huge victory for the men and women serving and the gay community, but gays still have limited rights in the U.S. So about Prop 8, when is that case going to show up in the Unites State's Supreme Court? Because that is a civil rights issue (suck it respectable conservative friends). I don't believe in the slightest that the repeal is going to show a shift in the treatment of liberal by this administration, but it is a start.

The bill was signed this morning and brings to an end the 17 year policy...yeah 17 years of institutionalized hate. President Obama is quoted by The Hill to have said, "This law I'm about to sign will strengthen our national security and uphold the ideals our fighting men and women risk their lives to defend."

Gay advocates are encouraging gay soldiers to take it slow and be cautious, which of course makes sense particularly in the areas of the military more reluctant to accept the repeal such as the low level Marines (just to name one, not picking on them).

One campaign promise down...anyone keeping track of how many others we still have to go?

This Made Me Giggle: Bible Definition of Marriage

I've found another band to crush on...

Yeah, GO GAY! GO DUCKS!

Go Gay!

I think this is by far the best of the pro-gay marriage videos in response to the National Organization for Marriage (NOM)...

F-You Phyllis Schlaffy, Anti-feminist/Lawyer and the rest of you antifeminists

Sorry, I had to add the lawyer part out of irony. Schlaffy fought down the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment) in the 1970s. It didn't stop her from doing so with a law degree. She is anti-feminist, anti-gay, and just about everything I believe in. The best part about this interview she gave is that she makes no sense. Feminists are responsible for the fatherless children of the world and divorce. I don't know how any of these arguments hold up anymore. They just sound like jokes. That being said, it was all me. I'm responsible for all that is wrong in the world because I'm a feminist and vote liberal.

Ok so anti-feminists out there...don't like feminists? don't like women? Then give us our stuff back. Your degrees, equal pay (even though we're still fighting that one, cough, Ledbetter, cough), voting rights and everything else. The abolition movement and the labor movements, you guys had help from us too. It drives me crazy when people complain about feminists because were would we be?

One More Reason People from Vermont are Better Than the Rest of Us...

Thank you Vermont for being the first state to legalize same-sex marriage through the legislature. The lawmakers of Vermont overturned Governor Jim Douglas' veto. Vermont becomes the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage, and the first to do so outside of the courts. I have chills.

States who have legalized same-sex marriage: Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Iowa.

Obama plans to repeal "Don't ask, don't tell"

I don't have much to say about this except that it's about time. Obama plans to eventually overturn "don't ask, don't ell" but first he plans to tackle our economic crisis. This may take a while to see any results, but just the prospect that he plans to do something about "don't ask, don't tell" has me excited.

Thank you Judge Cindy Lederman!

Miami Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman ruled against the Florida Gay Adoption Ban!  She said the ban had "no rational basis" for preventing gays to adopt children.  Florida has one of the strictest bans on gay adoption in the United States.  In September, a judge in Key West ruled the ban unconstitutional, but that ruling had little impact.  State attorneys said they will appeal Lederman's ruling; this appeal would decide the fate of the ban in place since 1977.

Gays and human rights activists around the United States should say bring it!

Anyone else think Prince's anti-gay marriage stance is weird?

So, I have a confession...no I didn't kiss a girl, but it would be ok if I did.  Part of me always thought Prince was a little gay?  I mean it was me buying into stereotypes as a kid, but still later I thought he just protests too much.  Not that it really matters; every one's entitled to their opinions, but a man who made his living for the better part of his career selling the idea of sex saying, "God came to earth and saw people sticking it wherever and doing it with whatever, and he just cleared it all out.  He was, like, 'Enough'."  I mean I interpreted this comment not only as anti-gay, because it was in the context of Prince's opinion of gay marriage, but also as anti-promiscuous sex.  Those cities weren't just destroyed because of sodomy; other "bad things" were going on too: theft, usury, prostitution, promiscuous sex...and without those things where would Prince's career be?

Apparently, Prince's PR people are claiming he was misquoted, and isn't against gay rights.  I thought I would post this too to be fair.  Again, I don't really care what his opinion is, but find celebrities fascinating when they don't make sense.