Miscellaneous
Fannie's Room 
Political, Social, and Homo Writings for Which the First Amendment May or May Not Have Been Intended
Post Frequency: 1.6/day Last Entry: November 21, 2009 at 11:30:00 Recent Entries: 548
By Fannie
Go to Fannie's Room, find other Miscellaneous blogs, or browse all law blogs.
Search
Posts
Blogging, Marriage, and Monsters
Posted on November 21, 2009From time to time, I like to take a step back and blog about blogging. I have mixed feelings about these meta posts as they usually mean that something not fun has "happened." But, I think it's important to address issues as they come up with respect to blogging and internet communication...
Sex Integration Fail: Take Two
Posted on November 20, 2009Previously, I took an article written by our anti-equality friend On Lawn to to task for asserting that same-sex marriage is a "pollution of equality" and that it was heterosexual marriage that caused women to win the right to vote in the US. I raised a number of very clear questions in my piece, questions that any able "marriage defender" and "gender complementarist" should have had no trouble answering...
Children of Same-Sex Parents "Just Fine"
Posted on November 19, 2009I strongly believe that "marriage defense" is grounded in an ideology of male supremacy. The basic idea behind many people's "defense of traditional marriage" is the idea that men and women are complementary beings who, when they come together in a pair bond, naturally create the institution of marriage...
Book Review: The Mercury 13- The True Story of the Thirteen Women and the Dream of Space Flight
Posted on November 18, 2009I knew going into Martha Ackmann's historical account The Mercury Thirteen: The true story of thirteen women and the dream of space flight that it would be difficult, frustrating, and infuriating to read. During a time when John Glenn and other male pilots and astronauts were national heroes, the superior physical and mental fitness of white men to travel into space was simply a given compared to that of women and people of color...
Police Officer Condones Murder of Gay Man in Puerto Rico
Posted on November 17, 2009In Puerto Rico this past weekend, someone brutally murdered a 19-year-old gay man by decapitating, dismembering, and burning him. In a world in which the life of a gay man mattered like how the lives of human beings matter, those charged with protecting society would would strongly condemn such a murder...
In Which Carrie Prejean Fails to Fit NOM's Story Arc
Posted on November 16, 2009It's not often that I would use the descriptor "good" in the same sentence as the National Organization for [Hetersexual] Marriage. However, I will concede that one thing NOM is good at is writing narratives that resonate with people's fears.For instance, after Proposition 8 took away the right for same-sex couples to marry in California and LGBT advocates took to the streets in protest, NOM hyperventilated, "McCarthyism is threatening our free speech and freedom of association?our most basic constitutional rights...
Rules For Servers
Posted on November 13, 2009I found this article in The New York Times, "100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do (Part 1)" amusing, and also true, for the most part.I was glad to see some of my pet peeves mentioned, including:"Do not turn on the charm when it?s tip time. Be consistent throughout...
MassResistance Warns that Dystopian Pro-Homosexualist Future Is Here!
Posted on November 12, 2009I first saw this MassResistance propaganda on anti-equality site Opine Editorials. Strangely, Opine Editorials has a history of promoting dishonest pieces by this Southern Poverty Law Center-identified hate group. For good reason, even professional anti-equality groups have been distancing themselves from the likes of MassResistance and Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality as of late...
Stuff Progressive Anti-Racist White Guys Do: Erase Sex/Gender
Posted on November 11, 2009We have seen before how white male anti-racist writers have a tendency to erase issues of sex and gender from their critiques of society. For as much insight as some progressives, liberals, and anti-racist folks have with respect to race, some people have remarkably little insight when it comes to their own blind spots with respect to sex, gender, and other privileges...
My "Marriage Defense" Referendum
Posted on November 10, 2009I have decided to initiate a new "marriage defense" referendum that will piggyback off of California nad Maine's referenudms that de-legalized same-sex marriage. My referendum will be nationwide in scope and will prohibit reality television shows that center around two heterosexual parents and their children...
Obama Signs Hate Crimes Act: Anti-gays Hyperventilate, Crimes Against Ladies Ignored
Posted on November 09, 2009In October 2009, President Obama signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act that expands federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a person's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability...
Blogcation
Posted on November 09, 2009Hello dear and loyal readers! I will be posting articles this week. However, I am away and access to the intertubes for purposes of responding to comments and emails will be limited. My alter-ego Leftist Gender Warrior will be in charge of things while I'm away and will hopefully frighten anyone from leaving spam and other obnoxious comments...
Scary But Unhelpful Health Advice for Ladies: Ovarian Cancer Edition
Posted on November 06, 2009I received this chain email the other day from a well-meaning friend. The email did not attribute it to any source, but I used the Google and I think it may have come from here (PDF). It's title is "Ovarian Cancer Whispers- So Listen!" and here is what it says:"Watch for Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort; vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion; frequency and/or urgency of urination in the absence of an infection; unexplained weight gain or weight loss; pelvic and/or abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness; ongoing unusual fatigue; or unexplained changes in bowel habits...
11/3/09 Election News: LGBT Rights Edition
Posted on November 05, 2009I want to take a moment today to acknowledge the LGBT items that voters decided on recently in Michigan, Maine, and Washington.1. MichiganIn June 2009, in Kalamazoo, Michigan the city council unanimously approved an ordinance protecting gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people from discrimination in employment, housing, or public accommodations...
Beauty and the Geek FAIL
Posted on November 04, 2009Noting the dood-centricity of the programming and engineering fields, commenter Sarah sent me this article, in which Yahoo is apparently "sorry" for offering lap dances at a developers event in Taiwan. Oh, note: the lap dancers were female, the lap dancees were male...
More Anti-Gay Harassment in Schools
Posted on November 03, 2009Those who believe homosexuality to be morally wrong often make a big fuss about the prospect of homosexuality even being mentioned in schools. Many anti-gays are quite opposed to events like the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network's (GLSEN) Day of Silence, which is designed to bring attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying, and harassment in schools, believing this event to really be about the promotion of an unhealthy, immoral homosexual lifestyle...
No Longer Quivering: Carnival
Posted on November 02, 2009I write about gender identity, feminism, and sex/gender issues quite a bit in Fannie's Room. Generally, I think evidence is all around us that supports the conclusion that we still live in a male-dominated society despite the fact that popular magazines often declare feminism to be dead and sexism to have been solved...
More Important Things Than Rape: Health Insurance Edition
Posted on October 30, 2009Yesterday, we saw how money is one of they many things that are More Important than rape. Today, let's continue that theme.Via the Huffington Post, we have learned that health insurance companies are refusing to insure women (and presumably men, although none have come forward in this particular article) whom men have sexually assaulted...
Franken Amendment and More Important Things Than Rape, Again
Posted on October 29, 2009(Trigger warning- this post contains descriptions of sexual assault)Many things, we learn all the time, are more important than a man raping a woman, girl, man, or boy. Just a few of these things are sports careers, movies, and the Catholic Church's literal patriarchy...
Review- Y: The Last Man, Volume 2: Cycles
Posted on October 28, 2009For those of you who read my review of Y: The Last Man, Volume 1, you may remember that I was quite critical. I found that Volume 1 of the series, which is about life on Earth after a mystery plague has killed every living thing with a Y chromosome with the exception of one man and his boy monkey, depicted women in problematic ways...
Italian Prime Minister Objectifies His Vagina-Human Rival
Posted on October 27, 2009Italian women are not at all happy about remarks Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made to a female rival, Rosy Bindi. Specifically:"Berlusconi told the matronly, bespectacled leftist Rosy Bindi that she was 'more beautiful than intelligent' in a swipe at both her looks and brains...
Time Magazine Proves That Sexism Has Been Solved!
Posted on October 26, 2009It was with much glee that I opened the October 26, 2009 issue of Time magazine. It promised to deliver a Special Report on "The State of the American Woman." Prime blogging fodder, right?It did not disappoint. Upon opening the magazine, Time Managing Editor Richard Stengel straight away informs us that their "Time/Rockefeller Foundation poll shows that women have become dominant in our society" (page 6)...
WWII Vet on Same-Sex Marriage
Posted on October 23, 2009Maybe I'm a sap, but this video of an 86-year-old World War II vet who supports same-sex marriage brought tears to my eyes. We already know that many of those who oppose same-sex marriage, and even those who are neutral on the topic, are not persuaded by images of LGBT families pleading for equal rights...
Historical Revisionist Fun With "Marriage Defenders"- Women's Suffrage Edition
Posted on October 22, 2009Previously, we've seen internet "marriage defender" On Lawn claim that same-sex marriage is just like racial segregation because both are, apparently, a "pollution of equality." Here and here, I demonstrated that, actually, same-sex marriage is nothing at all like racial segregation and, in fact, it is On Lawn's "defense of marriage" that is the perpetrator of inequality...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on October 21, 20091. Required Reading For Public Transportation Patrons?I found this post, a handy-dandy "guy's guide for approaching strange women without getting maced" to be informative, true, and amusing. To her gentleman readers, Phaedra Starling writes:"Now, you want to become acquainted with a woman you see in public...
Review- Y: The Last Man, Vol 1: Unmanned
Posted on October 20, 2009I first came across the graphic novel series Y: The Last Man when I was searching for the latest Buffy Season 7 comic. Yep, I read comics. I first started reading them when I was much younger. Even back then, I had this vague uneasiness about it all, as most of the comics I read, and even knew of, were about male heroes, female victims, and were obviously targeted toward boys...
DNA Bloggers Call the Kettle Black
Posted on October 19, 2009In a strange non-substantive complaint against marriage equality advocates, members of the alleged "grassroots" anti-gay group Digital Network Army (DNA) have been ridiculing marriage equality advocates and organizations for contributing to the marriage battle in Maine...
Fucked Up Priorities of 30 Republican Doods
Posted on October 16, 2009Earlier this year, Senator Al Franken proposed an amendment that would prohibit defense contracts going to companies that required employees to sign away their right to sue. The amendment stems from the case of Jamie Leigh Jones, who a group of men allegedly gang-raped in Iraq and then locked in a crate to prevent her from reporting the crime...
The Girl Effect
Posted on October 15, 2009I will be out of town for the next few days and may or may not access the internets during that time.In the meantime, behave yourselves here. And also, this:No word on the extent that Heresiarch, critic of all things Western Feminist, is involved with this important project...
Breakable Literal Bible Rule of the Week: Non-Virgin Ladies
Posted on October 14, 2009Christian organization Focus on the Family informs us about many moral issues, one of their large focuses being homosexuality. For instance, they observe: "Scriptures against homosexual behavior ? including Leviticus 18:22, 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; 1 Timothy 1:9-10 ? are so clear and specific that they defy reinterpretation...
Pew Survey on Homosexuality
Posted on October 13, 2009The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently released results from a survey on Americans' opinions on homosexuality, marriage, and civil unions. 57% of Americans now support allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter into civil unions "that would give them many of the same rights as married couples...
Banana Sex
Posted on October 12, 2009An interesting cognitive dissonance exists within some anti-gay circles. Having caught on that it's not cool to be a bigot these days, some anti-gay people are more concerned that they might appear to be a bigot than they are with actually being one...
Men Unknowingly Attack Cage Fighters Dressed as Women
Posted on October 09, 2009Well, isn't this just instant karma:"Two thugs who attacked what they thought were a pair of transvestites picked on the wrong men - when their intended victims turned out to be cage fighters on a night out in fancy dress.Dean Gardener, 19, and Jason Fender, 22, singled out the two men walking along a street in wigs, short skirts and high heels...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on October 08, 20091) Lebanese Feminist ConferenceThis week, a "groundbreaking" conference, which took 3 years to produce and brought in "46 leading academics and researchers," on Arab feminisms was held in Beirut. This article demonstrates that the challenges facing women in the Arab and Muslim world are much more complex than Western Feminists Aren't Doing Enough...
Men Who Know Things
Posted on October 07, 2009Last week, I wrote about the authority society gives to the white male voice. Many men, I have found, believe that because people Pay Attention to Them When They Say Things it means that they automatically know more about stuff than women and people of color...
Review: "The Efficacy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'"
Posted on October 06, 2009For those interested in the debate about gays and lesbians serving in the military, Colonel Om Prakash, USAF, wrote a thoughtful, exemplary piece published in Joint Force Quarterly called "The Efficacy of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'" [PDF]. (All citations taken from this article, unless otherwise noted)...
On Poor Roman Polanski
Posted on October 05, 2009Well, I was going to write a post about Roman Polanski, but since others have already done it quite well, I've mostly compiled quotations and links here. For some background, in 1977 Roman Polanski pled guilty to "unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor" for, according to the then-13-year-old victim, drugging her and raping her in an LA home...
Very Important Thoughts About Xena
Posted on October 02, 2009So, sometimes on Fridays, I like to keep my blog light. I mean, who wants to read Super Serious (Or Not Very Important, depending on who you talk to) Feminist Stuff every single day, right? That being said, I'm going to be self-indulgent for a moment and express my adoration for the show that was Xena: Warrior Princess...
Marriage, Equality, and Segregation Part II
Posted on October 01, 2009Yesterday, we saw how the "marriage defense" ideology of "gender complementarity" is, in actuality, a theory of male domination. In light of that, internet "marriage defender" On Lawn's claim that it is only a heterosexual marriage that "re-enforces gender equality" rings hollow...
Marriage, Equality, and Segregation Part I
Posted on September 30, 2009In the lexicon of the same-sex marriage debate, those who favor extending legal marriage to same-sex couples generally use the phrase marriage equality to represent legal marriage for same-sex couples. Yet, in one of the more bizarre arguments against marriage equality, internet "marriage defender" On Lawn uses the phrase to mean something else entirely...
Is Civility Really Asking "Too Much"?
Posted on September 29, 2009I came across the following article in the International Journal of Intergroup Relations entitled "For White People, on How to Listen When Race is the Subject," by Beth Roy. Generally, I think it is a well-written, necessary, and important article. So, before I discuss my point of contention, I think it is necessary for me to preface my disagreement by stating my specific points of agreement with this article...
The Elephant in the Dalai Lama's Room
Posted on September 28, 2009Apparently, the Dalai Lama calls himself a feminist because he "fights for women's rights." For those unfamiliar with Tibetan Buddhism: "According to Buddhist belief, the current Dalai Lama is a reincarnation of a past lama who decided to be reborn again to continue his important work, instead of moving on from the wheel of life...
Indian Women Get Their Own Lady Train
Posted on September 25, 2009Due to pervasive and ongoing harassment from men, India has instituted a ladies-only train car. "Up and down the jostling train, women repeated the same theme: As millions of women have poured into the Indian work force over the last decade, they have met with different obstacles in a tradition-bound, patriarchal culture, but few are more annoying than the basic task of getting to work...
A Demonstration of the Weight of the White Male Voice
Posted on September 24, 2009So, this may sound like the beginning of a bad joke, but listen. Guess what the following prominent political pundits who each have their own television/radio shows and/or best-selling books have in common: Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Arianna Huffington, Rachel Maddow, Greta Van Susteren, and Nancy Grace...
Existence of "Lesbian" Who Now Has a Boyfriend Single-Handedly Proves that Gayness is a Choice!
Posted on September 23, 2009It was with a smile that I read Tim Graham's article entitled "Whoops! Lesbian 'Person of the Year' in Gay Press Goes Straight With Baby." I knew immediately where it was going. Break out the balloons and cake, anti-gays, it's time for a "Conversion" Celebration!Graham writes:"In December 2005, Kerry Pacer, then 17, was featured on the cover of the national gay news magazine The Advocate as its 'Person of the Year' ? making her the youngest gay person to achieve that honor ? for fighting for a 'gay-straight alliance' at White County High School in Cleveland, Georgia...
Worst Supreme Court Case For Women #3: Ex parte Lockwood
Posted on September 22, 2009Hello citizens and ladies. Today we're going to take a trip back to 1894 as part of my sporadically-running series on Worst Supreme Court Cases For Women. What's fun about these cases is that, even if you went to law school, you likely have never learned about these instances in which the fellows on the US Supreme Court denied women equal rights and generally just said pretty shitty stuff about we Vagina-Americans...
2010 California Marriage Protection Act
Posted on September 21, 2009A fella by the name of John Marcotte has filed the logical conclusion to Proposition 8, the "2010 California Marriage Protection Act." This initiative (PDF), if passed by the voters of California, would essentially ban married couples from divorce.An interview with Marcotte can be found here...
Violence and More (Possible) Abortion Terrorism
Posted on September 18, 2009Back in June, I wrote about the politically-motivated murder of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few providers of late-term abortions in the US. In this article, I specifically avoided arguing that violence was a problem unique to the anti-abortion crowd...
The Poison of World Net Daily: Defining Itself in Six Lines
Posted on September 17, 2009It's not often that I read World Net Daily (WND). When I do, it is usually for entertainment purposes or to see what sorts of wackaloon conspiracy theories the birther crowd is into these days. While I doubt that a thing called "objective news" exists at all, WND is quite overt in its rightwing, fundamentalist Christian viewpoint...
Democrats Introduce Respect for Marriage Act
Posted on September 16, 2009A group of House Democrats have introduced the Respect for Marriage Act.The purpose of the bill, which can be read here, is "to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and ensure respect for State regulation of marriage." DOMA, if you remember, prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, even those that have a state's legal sanction, for any purpose...
Feminism and More Important Things
Posted on September 15, 2009I recently come across a critique of feminism that is a teensy bit more substantive than some of the usual offerings. And that's always fun for me to deal with since, someone (Twisty perhaps?) once observed that we feminists devote 93.7% of our time towards convincing men that we do not hate them...
More Marriage Defender Hypocrisy
Posted on September 14, 2009Surprise surprise, another Defender of Traditional Marriage has turned out to be a marriage hypocrite. While he is now pathetically denying an affair, California Assemblyman- and married father of two- Michael Duvall was "caught boasting about his sexual escapades with his lobbyist mistresses...
Non-Political Blog About Courage and Strength
Posted on September 11, 2009I have never had cancer, but I can't imagine that I'd be particularly strong if I did get it. For one, I have an almost pathological dislike of vomiting. Seriously. I know that no one particularly likes to throw up, but I have probably thrown up no more than a handful of times in life...
Thursday Fun- Ellen To Host American Idol
Posted on September 10, 2009Perhaps you've already heard that Ellen DeGeneres has joined American Idol as the fourth judge.Ooh, let me be the first to predict all hell breaking loose when she asks an unlucky, inarticulate, and perhaps beautiful contestant's thoughts on marriage only to have that contestant oppose marriage equality, subsequently lose Idol, score a book deal, nab speaking engagements, and become living "proof" as to how The Powerful Gays Ruin Everything And Pretty Much Suck At Life...
Toward a Ladyless Society
Posted on September 09, 2009In the movie A League of Their Own, we learned that it was of the utmost importance for female professional baseball players to learn how to be ladies. Accordingly, players took etiquette lessons where they learned the so-very-relevant-to-baseball skills of walking with books on their heads, crossing their legs properly (left over right, a lady reveals nothing), and sipping (not slurping) their soups...
Odds 'N End
Posted on September 08, 20091. Assaults on Lesbians in South Africa*trigger warning*Previously, we have seen the Human Rights Watch document the murder and torture of gay men in Iraq. In that post, I noted the seeming invisibility of lesbians in the report and in Iraq. Where the enforcement of strict, traditional gender codes exists, I would argue that lesbians would be much less visible than gay men given women's relatively fewer opportunities for economic self-sufficiency in such societies...
A Tale of Two Clergymen
Posted on September 04, 2009I've been struggling to write a post about notorious "Pastor" Steven Anderson, who preaches that every. single. gay. person is a child molester who deserves to die, among other things. Instead, I want to leave you with something uplifting today.Reverend David Weekley has been a Methodist clergyman for 27 years...
Article: "Separated Fathers and the Father's Rights Movement"
Posted on September 03, 2009I have very mixed feelings about what is generally called the Father's Rights Movement, which is related to the Men's Rights Movement. Given my journeys through feminist theory, it probably comes as no surprise to anyone here that I believe that humans have made gender a category that is much more deterministic than it really is...
Carrie Prejean Extends Her 15 Minutes
Posted on September 02, 2009The Culture Wars continue to catapult former Miss California USA Carrie Prejean to notoriety/fame/martyrhood. Long story short, Prejean was removed from her post for alleged breach of contract. She then signed a book deal to write a memoir called Still Standing, which promises to "rehash the gay marriage controversy that [supposedly] eventually left her tiara-less but a superstar of the right wing...
The Noble Plight of the New Law Graduate
Posted on September 01, 2009Personally, I think that the fundamental problem with the Law School Industry is that far too many prospective students are able to enter the field, not because they have all that strong an interest in law, our legal system, or in justice, but because they see the profession as one that will, in a mere 3 years, garner them (a) status and (b) a solid income...
Girl on Girl Action For the Male Gaze!
Posted on August 31, 2009I came across this video via Womanist Musings. While many heterosexual men are Repulsed and Sickened by the thought of two men having sex and/or expressing love for each other, many are nonetheless aroused by the very thought of two women doing whatever two women do together in bed...
Farewell, Advocate
Posted on August 28, 2009I'm not generally one to glorify people after they have died. I think that we have this odd tendency to deify famous deceased human beings. Besides, if I had my way, we would all show more appreciation for each other when we're here, as opposed to when we're not...
Reading, Writing, and Male Privilege
Posted on August 27, 2009When I read fiction for pleasure, I tend to read fiction written by female authors. This isn't a conscious thing. It is just, I suppose, my preference. I spent decades of my life, in school, reading books written by men and, well, now I know what I like...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on August 26, 20091) Cultural MisogynyI was pleased to read this opinion piece in The New York Times. In it, Bob Herbert discusses George Sodini's recent murderous rampage in the context of a larger society that encourages the hatred of women. He writes:"We have become so accustomed to living in a society saturated with misogyny that the barbaric treatment of women and girls has come to be more or less expected...
Story Review: The Matter of Seggrei
Posted on August 25, 2009In reading fiction, I have been on a bit of an Ursula Le Guin kick as of late. I have always appreciated science fiction and fantasy writing, and what I particularly like about her stories are her creative explorations of gender, sex, and sexuality. (I previously wrote about her novel The Left Hand of Darkness, here, about the planet Gethen, whose inhabitants are androgynous beings)...
On Male and Female, Again
Posted on August 24, 2009Perhaps you've read about about South African runner Caster Semenya. To summarize, Semenya is an 18-year-old woman who recently won a gold medal in a race at the World Championships in Berlin. Almost immediately after she won, other contestants began questioning her biological sex, some of them even outright calling her "a man...
Newsflash: Disliking Rape Jokes = Hating Men!
Posted on August 21, 2009The other day, a commenter here, Sarah, relayed her experience of requesting someone in another internet forum to stop gratuitously throwing around the word "rape." Some people, you see, overuse the word "rape" to refer to all sorts circumstances that don't actually involve sexual assault...
Department of Justice Files Another DOMA Brief
Posted on August 20, 2009Earlier this week, the Obama Department of Justice (DOJ) filed another brief in the case that is challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the law that prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages for purposes of federal benefits, protections, and privileges...
Human Rights Watch Report Documents Violence Against Gay Men in Iraq
Posted on August 19, 2009The Human Rights Watch has issued a report on the murder and torture of gay men in Iraq. Within this report are graphic descriptions of horrific violence. To sum it up, for at least the past 5 years several militias have been "exterminating" men who have sex with other men, men who are believed to have sex with other men, or men who are insufficiently "masculine...
A Pharmacy For Womyn- Just In Time For Michfest!
Posted on August 18, 2009A women's pharmacy in Vancouver has a woman-born-woman policy that excludes transgender women. Many bloggers have been writing about this, so I will link to Questioning Transphobia, which provides a fairly comprehensive roundup of summaries and reactions around the web...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on August 17, 20091. Feminists Like Men More than Non-Feminists DoNo matter how untrue, some memes never die. I'm referring to, of course, asinine stereotypes about feminists. Anti-feminists like to perpetuate the idea that all feminists are ugly, man-hating, lesbian bull-dykes...
Visit to the Creation "Museum"
Posted on August 14, 2009As someone who will perhaps forever be intrigued by reality-deniers, I would love, love, love to visit the Creation Museum. This "Museum," according to Wikipedia (you can easily find its website via the Google if you so wish), "presents an account of the origins of the universe, life, mankind, and man's early history according to a literal reading of the Book of Genesis...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on August 12, 20091) Frenetic Swine Flu Article of the WeekFrom the current Time magazine, in big, bold type that takes up half of an entire page in the print version (the online version I've linked to is different):"More than 2 billion people worldwide could get it. Hundreds of schools may shut down...
Book Review: The Gospel of Inclusion
Posted on August 12, 2009I first heard about Bishop Carlton Pearson on a This American Life segment entitled "Heretics." Within this segment, Pearson, a former Pentecostal Bishop, recounted his moving experience of coming to the "heretical" (to Pentecostals anyway) conclusions that (a) Hell does not exist and (b) all people are saved, even those who are not Christians...
(Not So) Breaking News: Some Dudez Really Do Hate Women!
Posted on August 10, 2009Perhaps you've heard by now that last week a man, George Sodini, walked into a gym, opened fire on an aerobics class, murdered 3 women, and injured 9 before killing himself. Because of rants in his online diary and other evidence, police believe that he hated women and was targeting them specifically...
A Long Way to Go, Part II
Posted on August 07, 2009This post is a continuation of yesterday's post examining how some of those with very strong negative opinions about LGBT people demonstrate an ignorance of the other side's arguments, an inability to concede that the other side has good reasons of its own for believing what it believes, and how so few anti-gay individuals condemn the overt anti-gay animus of those on their own side...
A Long Way To Go, Part I
Posted on August 06, 2009In perusing some anti-gay blogs recently, I was reminded as to why I so often find the marriage equality debate to be tiresome. Namely, I have encountered so many people who hold very strong negative opinions about LGBT people and who also demonstrate an utter ignorance of the other side's arguments, an inability to concede that the other side has good reasons of its own for believing what it believes, an unwillingness to engage in dialogue, an inability to engage in dialogue without acting like a petty paranoid psychopath, and the failure to condemn or even acknowledge the overt anti-gay animus of those on their own side...
APA Says Reparative Therapy Unlike to Work, Anti-Gays Fail to Care
Posted on August 06, 2009The American Psychological Association (APA), recently issued a report entitled "Appropriate Therapeutic Responses to Sexual Orientation," (PDF) which is a "systematic review of the peer-reviewed journal literature on sexual orientation change efforts...
American Bar Association Opposes (Part of) the Defense of Marriage Act
Posted on August 05, 2009The American Bar Association House of Delegates recently passed a resolution calling for the repeal of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Section 3 prohibits same-sex couples who have legal marriages under state law from receiving any of the federal benefits of marriage...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on August 04, 20091) Why I'm a "Socialist"An awesome take on our wonderful private health care system2) Women Get Aroused Sometimes Too!Oh my gawdess, you guys, women have sexual desires too! My favorite part of this article from CNN regarding the Surprisingly High numbers of women who enjoy porn was this:"Even more compelling were the results of a 2004 study at Northwestern University that also assessed the effect of porn on genital arousal...
WNBA: Still Scared of the Lavendar Menace?
Posted on August 03, 2009WNBA team Washington Mystics have refused to allow a KissCam. For those not familiar with this bizarre sports-watching practice, the KissCam is a Jumbotron screen that scans the audience in search of couples that the crowd then encourages to kiss. Responding to why the Mystics do not have this feature at home games, managing partner Sheila Johnson answered: "We got a lot of kids here...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on July 31, 20091. "The area from which you pass urine" is not a medical termVia Feminist Law Professors, Ann Bartow posted amusing(ly annoying) real-life photos of male and female versions of instructions on how to collect urine samples. Bartow notes the contrasts in the directions to women versus the instructions to men...
Superstars and Sexual Assault
Posted on July 30, 2009Back when football star Michael Vick was all over the news for his involvement in an illegal dogfighting operation, I had a conversation with a male friend about the preponderance of media coverage of this crime and the outrage that many sports fans were expressing...
Explaining Traditional Marriage
Posted on July 29, 2009"America's Best Christian" Betty Bowers provides a funny look at Traditional Marriage as observed in the Bible. While I'm sure some Christians will look at this video as yet further proof as to how Everybody Is Mean To Them, I don't think they should overlook the overarching message of the video...
Ohio Bill 252: No Abortion For Sluts?
Posted on July 28, 2009Ohio Representative John Adams has introduced House Bill 252 in the state of Ohio. To summarize this bill, it requires all pregnant women seeking abortions to identify, in writing, the father of the fetus. It then prohibits abortions, whether the fetus is viable or not, that do not have the written, informed consent of the father of the fetus...
In Which Carrie Prejean Somehow Finds the Courage To Go On Living
Posted on July 27, 2009For good reason, I have mostly refrained from participating in discussions surrounding former Miss California Carrie Prejean, of "opposite-marriage" fame. One, I don't think talking about her breast implants and similar drama is all that relevant to much of anything...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on July 24, 20091) It Depends On What the Meaning of "Choice" IsVia The Box Turtle Bulletin, I read of a young man (aged 23) whose parents allegedly economically coerced him into ex-gay therapy. How did they do so? "His friends have said he had no choice as his parents took away his phone, his car and his money...
The Anti-Gay Human Rights Professor
Posted on July 23, 2009Via Feminist Law Professors, New York University School of Law has just, ironically, hired a new visiting professor of human rights who is a vehement supporter of laws criminalizing sex between two consenting adult men. The professor, Li-Ann Thio of Singapore, previously testified before her country's Parliament in favor of retaining one such law...
Still Seeking a Genderless God
Posted on July 22, 2009This post is longer than usual folks, but it's an important topic so I hope you'll bear with me.I have written before of the alienation that I felt as a young girl growing up within a male-centric Protestant Christian religion. This religion, and the idea that our savior, "god," and pastors could only be men was somewhat traumatic to me and, without a doubt, led to my rejection of Christianity and subsequent atheist phase...
On Dialogue
Posted on July 21, 2009"I am not trying to create dialogue."Coming from someone who holds very negative strong opinions about LGBT people, I cannot think of anything more sad to hear than someone's admission that his blog does not exist for the exchange of ideas and opinions...
More Strawfeminism
Posted on July 20, 2009You can always count on "news" source WorldNetDaily to keep the fun in fundamentlist. You know, practically every day I learn more and more about what feminism is and what it means to be a feminist from those experts on feminism, People Opposed to Feminism...
Blogcation
Posted on July 15, 2009Hello all. I'm about to reach a "milestone" birthday and, as a result, will be spending it in The Big Easy possibly trying to forget that fact.I may or may not have access to a computer or the internets while away, but regular blogging will resume next monday...
New York Times Interview With Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Posted on July 14, 2009As we await the probable(?) confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court, The New York Times recently posted an interview of lone female justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg and former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor are two women in the legal profession who I have enormous respect for...
On "Real" History
Posted on July 13, 2009Many Americans have a certain mentality that there is this thing called Real History and that the histories of minorities and women is not a part of it. It's not always that such people claim that these "other" histories are false, although they sometimes claim that...
Deep Thoughts: Fun With Old Journal Entries
Posted on July 10, 2009Sometimes, a blogmistressix should keep things light. After long strings of critical posts, sometimes it is necessary to peruse old journal entries and post random tidbits that you may (or may not) find entertaining:1) In April 2007, I expressed an unusually strong dislike for the word, in either verb or noun form, "upchuck...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on July 09, 20091) Gay Iraqis Fared Better Under Saddam Hussein?Investigating the lives of LGBT people in Iraq, the BBC's Ashley Byrne found that every LGBT person interviewed "maintained that life was easier for them when Saddam Hussein was in power, from 1979 to 2003...
Cultural Cliteracy
Posted on July 08, 2009It probably comes as no surprise to regular readers here that I took a course in Feminist Jurisprudence when I was in law school and that my interest in the field continues to this day. What I appreciated about the course was that it, like Critical Race Theory and other Critical Legal Studies, was one of the few that questioned longstanding assumptions inherent in our (mostly white) male-created legal system...
Marriage As a Message of Responsible Procreation?
Posted on July 07, 2009For a slight change of pace, today and tomorrow I'm going to review two interesting academic articles I've read recently regarding marriage equality and feminism. While it can be fun to regularly observe anti-gays prattle on about the ickiness of anal sex and such, sometimes we all need to be reminded that there are far more sophisticated arguments beyond the Homos Will Destroy Our Entire Society and Feminists Are Ugly variety that proliferate on the intertubes...
David Benkof Makes Dangerously Misleading Claims About HIV/AIDS
Posted on July 06, 2009Whenever I'm reminded of the existence of "marriage defender" David Benkof and his often absurd arguments, I'm always hesitant to give him any more free publicity. Whether he's *dramatically* calling it quits and shutting down his blog, or re-opening it later and renewing his oh so unique status as the Gay Who Defends Marriage, one is left wondering whether his writings are more about defending marriage or more about garnering attention for David Benkof...
Cub Fans Are Bad Like How Gay People Are Bad!
Posted on July 02, 2009Hey guess what? While we were celebrating GayPride this past weekend, some Chicago White Sox fans were making fun of gay people (and Cubs fans)! Continuing that asinine tradition of creating offensive sports t-shirts, the following shirt has become quite popular among White Sox fans:For my non-sports fan readers, this t-shirt is referring to the fact that the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, the Cubs last won it like a hundred years ago, and thus the only parade Cub fans get is the annual gay pride parade which takes place near Wrigley Field...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on July 01, 20091) Well, um, no. But I've heard it's really bad for kids.Many people are against same-sex couples raising children. Often, however, you will find that those who oppose same-sex parenting don't actually know anyone who has undertaken the endeavor or who was raised by gay and lesbian couples...
Men Need Man Food
Posted on June 30, 2009I have been living outside of the "traditional" heterosexual male/female household structure for many years now. I am so used to this that I have forgotten much of what it means to live within this framework. Recently, while on vacation, I was in this "traditional" framework and looking through my current perspective shed some light on an annoying, artificial sex distinction...
MassResistance Documents "Transgender Prom"
Posted on June 29, 2009Anti-gay organization MassResistance is at it again, this time promoting the testimonial of undercover correspondent "Max" who attended a Youth Pride Day* event held at Boston City Hall in May 2009. (*MassResistance erroneously calls the event "Transgender Prom" throughout its article)...
Thoughts On Pride
Posted on June 26, 200940 years ago almost to the day, New York City police officers and the Public Morals Squad raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. 40 years ago, raids of gay bars were common and patrons, especially if they were male and wearing dresses, were arrested...
Breaking News: Another Otherwise Really Great Guy Attacks Woman
Posted on June 25, 2009Now doesn't this just chap your ass?"An off-duty Chicago police officer convicted of pummeling a female bartender half his size was sentenced Tuesday to two years probation and anger management classes for the videotaped attack that appeared worldwide on the Internet and cable news channels...
More Fun Thinking Beyond the Binary
Posted on June 24, 2009Our anti-equality friend The Playful Walrus recently posted a piece regarding an after-school program that explores gender outside of our culturally-constructed binary. The Walrus is rarely one for depth in his pieces and I don't say that to slight him...
Marriage Equality and the Ideology of Rights
Posted on June 23, 2009I'd like to think occasional commenter Chuck for passing this article along to me. In it, conservative Rod Dreher explores the issue of marriage equality in a meandering yet thoughtful manner.One of the secular arguments against allowing same-sex marriage is the argument that marriage is about Responsible Procreation...
The Gay Agenda: Found! (Again)
Posted on June 22, 2009From time to time, those opposed to LGBT rights come across "proof" of The Gay Agenda. This evidence, which they usually find on the world wide web and then present to their like-minded readers as though it is a startling top secret revelation, usually consists of some sort of compilation of policy priorities that such-and-such LGBT organization has produced...
Friday Flasher Poll
Posted on June 19, 2009So, two days ago whilst walking downtown in a major US city, a man flashed his naked penis at me. This isn't the first time a man unknown to me has felt the need to show me his cock and balls and, if you're a woman reading this, I'd be willing to bet that a man has done the same to you...
Tropes, Buffy, and Annoying Commercials
Posted on June 18, 20091. You Too Can Be Depicted!I recently came across a (sort-of) wiki called TV Tropes that is quite entertaining in its exploration of many television (and movie, literary, and comic book) devices and conventions. Some of these tropes include, for gays, the usually male character of Gay Best Friend (think "George" in My Best Friend's Wedding) and for black people, those trusty roles of Black Best Friend (think "Dionne" in Clueless) and Magical Negro (think "Morpheus" and "the Oracle" in The Matrix)? I know, coming the day after a post in which I criticized an anti-gay person for taking issue with a "normal" lesbian character, you might be thinking that I'm implacable...
And Normalizing Others is a Bad Thing?
Posted on June 17, 2009I have written before about my appreciation for literature that includes LGBT characters. LGBT people exist in the real world and, given the extent to which those who oppose homosexuality tend to demonize us and deny us a history, I think fiction can go a long way in helping to reflect our common humanity...
Obama's DOMA Fail
Posted on June 16, 2009Given Barack Obama's impotence on LGBT rights thus far into his presidency and the duty of the Department of Justice to enforce current US law, it comes as no surprise that Obama's Department of Justice (DOJ) is defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), the law that prevents same-sex couples from receiving any of the federal benefits, rights, and privileges of marriage...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on June 15, 20091. How Does God Feel About Abuse?Nathan Phelps, son of Fred Phelps of "God Hates Fags" Notoriety, recently addressed the American Atheists Convention. In his speech, he recounts his abusive childhood, his father's theological beliefs, and his evolution from Christianity to atheism...
"Marriage Defenders" Continue Promoting Dishonesty
Posted on June 12, 2009As we have seen numerous times, some of those who take up the righteous cause of "marriage defense" have serious problems when it comes to accuracy and honesty.Previously, I have debunked a few of the many erroneuous and/or misleading claims that anti-gay organization Mass Resistance has made regarding the so-called "harms" of legal same-sex marriage in Massachusetts...
Another Act of Rightwing Domestic Terrorism?
Posted on June 11, 2009Perhaps encouraged by a recent act of alleged politically-motivated terrorism, a man with ties to white supremacist groups allegedly engaged in an act of deadly violence yesterday at the Holocaust Museum in Washington DC. Police have identified James von Brunn, who decries Jews and blacks on a "rambling, racist and bitterly anti-Semitic website," as the shooter...
A Photo Montage of Andro-Centrism in Abortion Rights Law
Posted on June 10, 2009Ever since the recent act of anti-choice terrorism that closed the doors of the slain Dr. Tiller's clinic, abortion has been on my mind. I don't often write about the issue here. It's a lightning rod for, ahem, "interesting" comments and although I support a woman's right to choose, I'm not comfortable with idea of ending human life...
Alleged Gay Basher Otherwise a "Good Kid" (Other Than That Time He Allegedly Attacked That Woman Of Course)
Posted on June 09, 2009Previously, I wrote about how a 23-year-old college man allegedly attacked a lesbian woman coming out of a gay bar in Provincetown while calling her anti-gay slurs. Well, The Boston Herald is now reporting that friends and family from the alleged attacker's "well-heeled, waterfront neighborhood" are simply ShOcKeD by the charges because he's otherwise a "very good kid...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on June 08, 20091) Same-Sex Parenting In AnimalsIn News of the Cute, a pair of male penguins in a German zoo have hatched an egg, and are now raising a chick, that was abandoned by its biological parents. From the article:"In the case of Z and Vielpunkt, two penguins at the zoo in Bremerhaven, the pair had been observed attempting to hatch a stone...
Today's Bits of Random Information
Posted on June 05, 20091) The Case of the Missing Tomato PlantI simply have no idea who could have possibly eaten my tomato plants while I was away.Would a cat do this?Probably. Which makes this latest incident a wash, bringing my running tally to Dogs 3, Cats 6. 2) I Have Many SkillsIn other "news," I recently read an old journal entry from a few years ago and in it I wrote:"Last night I had a dream that I was stripper...
Radio Hosts Condone Violence Against Transgender Children
Posted on June 04, 2009Via The Huffington Post:"Even by the flexible moral, ethical, and professional standards of American talk radio, the May 28th segment of KRXQ 98.5 FM Sacramento's Rob, Arnie, & Dawn in the Morning radio talk show makes for a sickening half-hour of ugliness and cruelty...
Sex With Ducks
Posted on June 03, 2009I used to wonder why some people automatically equate same-sex relationships with having sex with little kids, animals, and amputated limbs. Now I understand that many of these folks, imbued as they are with notions of heterosexual superiority, are utterly incapable of making important distinctions...
Ideologies, Terrorism, and Stuff People Do
Posted on June 02, 2009Terrorism (n): the calculated use of violence (or the threat of violence) against civilians in order to attain goals that are political or religious or ideological in nature; this is done through intimidation or coercion or instilling fear.Sunday May 31, abortion doctor George Tiller was shot and killed while attending church in Wichita, Kansas...
"Deep" Thoughts: Black Men Won't Get Married If Gays Can Because They Will View Marriage As Something Fags Do
Posted on June 01, 2009You know, I always have to give people props who invent non-religious reasons for opposing marriage equality. Yet, sometimes I think they give arguments that stray from the general Because God Says So ilk too much credit.After discussing the general Plight of the Modern Day African-American, Heather Macdonald at the Secular Right blog, recently wrote that an "overpowering cause of black social failure is the breakdown of marriage in the black community...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on May 29, 20091) The River MidnightI don't usually review fiction in Fannie's Room. For one, I tend to read more non-fiction than fiction in my leisure time. Two, I don't feel as though I'm any sort of "expert" in literary criticism. I know when a story touches me and I know what I like, and that's good enough for me when it comes to whether I'd recommend a book to a friend...
Proposition 8 and Judicial Legitimacy
Posted on May 28, 2009A couple of days ago, in reference to the California Supreme Court's recent Proposition 8 decision, I alluded to how that particular case is not all that interesting or relevant with respect to the substantive merits of marriage equality. That is not to say that the case is not interesting...
Desperately Seeking Campaign Follow-Through
Posted on May 27, 2009So, 100+ days into his presidency President Obama's follow-through on some of his campaign rhetoric has been less than stellar. I have applauded some of his early moves such as issuing an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay, ending the Global Gag Rule, signing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law, and expressing his commitment to LGBT civil rights on the White House website...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on May 26, 20091) The Film Industry's Romance with the Bromance, Take TwoThis cartoon pretty much sums it up.2) Remember How Gay People Totally Aren't At All Oppressed?Via The Gatheist Agenda, a woman was beaten in an anti-gay hate crime a man was arrested and charged with a hate crime (under state law) for allegedly beating a woman in Provincetown:"'Patten was screaming biased, anti-gay language,' Lopes said...
Breaking News: White Conservative Anti-Gay Dude Worried About Gay Movement's Misappropriation of Civil Rights!
Posted on May 25, 2009You know, there's nothing more resonating than a white, conservative, anti-gay dude bemoaning the LGBT movement's "trivialization of civil rights." Using bizarre, simplistic, and profoundly illogical argumentation, anti-equality "Digital Network Army" blogger James Tanner calls comparisons between the LGBT movement and movements that other historically-oppressed groups have faced "pathetic" and a "smear" on what these other groups have experienced...
Fred Phelps Is Protected Under the Current Federal Hate Crimes Law
Posted on May 22, 2009And gay people aren't.In August of 2008, a fire broke out at Fred Phelps' home. Although no one has been implicated in the incident, after it happened Fred Phelps claimed that it was a hate crime and requested the Attorney General to treat is as much, saying "[t]here is evidence that hatred of our religion was the motivation, in part at least...
Rightwing Roundup: Correcting the Anti-Gay Industry
Posted on May 21, 20091) Correcting the Anti-Gay IndustryLast week, I wrote about the anti-gay industry's lies about pending Hate Crimes legislation that would include sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, and disability to the current Hate Crimes law. Specifically, Focus on the Family, American Family Association, Concerned Women for America, Exodus International, WorldNetDaily, Digital Network Army (via email blast), Illinois Family Institute, Traditional Values Coalition, and Liberty Counsel have claimed that "paraphilias" like bestiality and necrophilia (sex with dead people) are "sexual orientations" that will be protected under the Hate Crimes law...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on May 20, 20091) On the Elusiveness of GenderIn a recent opinion piece in The New York Times, Jennifer Finney Boylan explores the absurdities of how different states would treat the marriage between herself and her spouse. Specifically, Boylan is a transgender woman who was a man when she initially married her wife, but she transitioned to a woman after the marriage...
Anger and Free Speech
Posted on May 19, 2009A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting the "I Support the Iowa Supreme Court's Unanimous Marriage Decision" Facebook group and, using what is perhaps a real name and profile, I came across this:Assuming this kid's profile is legitimate, I find it sad that someone somewhere taught him that gay people are "sick mother fuckers" and that we "deserve to die...
What Do "Marriage Defenders" Want From LGBT People?
Posted on May 18, 2009Ah, that eternal question. What is it that anti-gays want from we LGBT-Americans? Perusing anti-gay blogs, I do sincerely try to get to the bottom of this. "Marriage defenders" are not a monolithic group, but I do tend to notice certain themes within their argumentation...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on May 15, 20091. WoMeN BeHaViNg BaDlY!In news of the obvious, The New York Times has recently reported that women, in fact, can be workplace bullies just like men. In less ExCiTiNg news, the study also found that men are, actually, more likely to be be bullies.I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that bullying isn't about X type of people being inherently bad types of people...
Thoughts About Matthew Shepard
Posted on May 14, 2009I have been struggling to write about US Representative Virigina Foxx's statements regarding Matthew Shepard for more than a week now. I have fluctuated between feeling outraged, saddened, and curious as to whether it's something people even want to hear about...
"Joe the Plumber" and the Arrogance of this "Average American"
Posted on May 13, 2009I'm not really sure why Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher is still making the national news, but it greatly annoys me that some people consider him to be "a metaphor for the average American." Calling this straight white conservative dude "a metaphor for the average American" not only perpetuates the fiction that such a thing as "average American" exists, it of course places white guys at the center as the default American person, once again...
Professional Anti-Gays Insult Our Collective Intelligence
Posted on May 12, 2009It's been circling around the internets for more than week now that professional anti-gay organizations have been lying about the pending federal Hate Crimes bill ("The Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention" Act). As but one egregious example, in a sensational headline, the American Family Association recently declared the Senate to be "poised to give special protection status to pedophiles...
"She Has An Inflated Opinion of Herself" Does Not Constitute a Good "Case"
Posted on May 11, 2009Jeffrey Rosen, writing in The New Republic, recently attempted to make a case against possible Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. I say "attempted" here only because it wasn't actually much of a case.He first acknowledges that Sotomayor, who was raised by a single mother in the Bronx, attended Princeton and then Yale Law School and that her "former clerks sing her praises as a demanding but thoughtful boss whose personal experiences have given her a commitment to legal fairness...
Today's Deep Thoughts
Posted on May 08, 2009I was going to write about Matthew Shepard and Virginia Foxx today, but I think a little nourishment is in order instead.It's a few weeks old, but this makes me happy. The April issue of French Elle featured 8 female celebrities with no makeup and no photographic retouching of any kind...
Worst Supreme Court Cases for Women You've Never Heard About #2: Minor v. Happersett (1874)
Posted on May 07, 2009With all of the recent hubub regarding Justice Souter's retirement and President Obama's impending nomination of a new Supreme Court Justice, I think that now is as good a time as any to sit back and enjoy another not-so-great Supreme Court case for women...
Immigration Equality, Again
Posted on May 06, 2009Previously, I have written about how, for immigration purposes, US citizens may not claim their same-sex partners as a "spouse" for purposes of obtaining a green card. Because of the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages for any purpose, this exclusion applies even if the same-sex couple holds a legal marriage license issued by a state...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on May 05, 20091. Something About Miss California and Breast ImplantsI'm sorry, are people still talking about Carrie Prejean?Moving on then.2. Britain's New Poet LaureateVia AfterEllen, Britain has appointed Carol Ann Duffy its first female, first openly-gay, first Scot, and first mother poet laureate...
Masculinity and Anti-Gay Bullying
Posted on May 04, 2009In The New York Times, Judith Warner wrote of the unfortunate recent suicides of boys who were targets of anti-gay harassment. She argues that homophobia, homobigotry, and anti-gay bullying are actually grounded less in "being gay" and more in people stepping outside of their "proper" gender roles...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on May 01, 20091. A New Spokeswoman?Previously, a group of "marriage defenders" treated us to some entertaining graphics opposing marriage equality which fell into one of four amusing categories. After that, the National Organization for [Heterosexual] Marriage (NOM) released a widely parodied and campy "Storm is Gathering" advertisement...
Book Review: Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World
Posted on April 30, 2009Previously, I wrote about a men's rights activist who boasted that "almost everything good" in our lives "has been invented, discovered, created, or built by men." Appropriately, I happened to have been reading Rosalind Miles' Who Cooked the Last Supper? The Women's History of the World at the time that I read his statement...
SuPeR ScArY AnD UnHeLpFuL HeAlTh NeWs: Swine Flu Edition
Posted on April 29, 2009I'm sure by now you've heard via multiple sources about the Oh Dear God It's the Swine Flu SWINE FLU SWINE FLU! I found out about this new ScArY ThInG when I turned on the news a couple of days ago and heard the newscaster pretty much say that "a public health emergency has been declared," Obama had said that "the outbreak was reason for concern," and paradoxically that we should all relax because there is no "cause for alarm...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on April 28, 20091. Anti-Gays Undermining Our Form of Government (Again)From the Chicago Tribune, the Iowa Family Policy Center has been circulating a petition to urge Iowa county recorders to defy the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling which struck down the ban on same-sex marriage...
Orson Scott Card on Board of National Organization for Marriage?
Posted on April 27, 2009Thanks to Chino Blanco for the heads-up on this. A while back, I became aware of some vehemently anti-gay writings by science-fiction writer Orson Scott Card. To jog your memory, Card:"Writes op-ed pieces in The Mormon Times, using his 'expertise' as a science fiction writer, to say that that oh no he's not a 'homophobe' it's just that gays and lesbians suffer from 'sex role dysfunction' and they don't have real relationships but 'homosexual liaisons and friendships...
Perez Hilton Does Not Speak For the LGBT Community
Posted on April 24, 2009Previously, we saw how "radicals" sometimes discount the concerns of women and use sexist language to make their points. Unfortunately, such disappointing behavior is sometimes used by others who are supposedly the natural allies of feminists and women...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on April 23, 20091. An Inspirational ProtestPreviously, I wrote about a proposed law in Afghanistan that would give men the right to rape their wives, restrict women to the home, and marry children (57% of brides in Afghanistan are under the age of 16). The UK's Times Online has reported that a group of about 200 women took to the streets to protest this law:"The rally, staged by mostly young women with their faces exposed, was a highly inflammatory act of defiance in a country as conservative as Afghanistan...
Breaking: Justice in Zapata Case
Posted on April 23, 2009From The New York Times:"A jury took just two hours Wednesday to find a Colorado man guilty of first-degree murder in the killing of an 18-year-old transgender woman, and determined that the act was a hate crime."The murderer conceded that he killed the woman, Angie Zapata, but he attempted to use the "trans panic" defense to lessen the charge from first-degree to second-degree murder...
Child Victims of Gay Agenda "Torn From" Grandparents: People Lose All Sense of Healthy Skepticism
Posted on April 22, 2009For the past couple months, a story has been quietly raging through the web about an infamous adoption case in Scotland. In this case, as reported by the UK's Daily Mail, two children ages 4 and 5 were being raised by their grandparents, because their mother was addicted to heroin...
In What Alternate Reality is the National Organization for Marriage Living?
Posted on April 21, 2009The anti-equality National Organization for [Heterosexual] Marriage (NOM) recently put out a ridiculous "Storm is Gathering" ad portending a frightening homofantastic future of marriage equality. Unfortunately for NOM, their over-the-top ad has not exactly had the desired effect and instead, as Frank Rich from the The New York Times writes, it "has become, unsurprisingly, an Internet camp classic...
Worst Supreme Court Cases For Women You've Never Heard About #1: Bradwell v. Illinois
Posted on April 20, 2009I got the idea to make a top ten list from KipEsquire. At first, I was tempted to compose my very own list of some of the worst US Supreme Court cases ever. Among these would be notorious cases like Plessy v. Ferguson which upheld the constitutionality of the "separate but equal" doctrine, Bush v...
A Day of Silence, Headlines, and "Truth"
Posted on April 17, 2009Today, April 17, is the National Day of Silence. Its purpose is to bring "attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools."April 14, 2009:"Angie Zapata was a tall woman with striking black hair and eyes who would attract the attention of men, even those who knew she was biologically male...
Maggie Gallagher and the Incredible Power of the Gay, Again
Posted on April 16, 2009We've seen professional "marriage defender" Maggie Gallagher opine upon the Incredible Power of the Gay here, when she blamed the rise in illegitimate child-births on the mere advocacy for same-sex marriage. In one of her more recent articles, she "explains" Rick Warren's recent distancing of himself from the anti-gay movement...
Taxy Teabaggers
Posted on April 15, 2009Happy Tax Day everyone. In case you haven't heard, a "revolution is brewing." Today, a bunch of so-called "fiscal conservatives" are engaging in "grassroots" Tea Parties protesting what they call "out of control government spending," the "bankrupt liberal agenda of the White House Administration and Congress," and the "Stimulus Bill and pork filled budget...
Stuff "Radicals" Do : Use Misogynist Weapons to Make Their Deep and Very Important Points
Posted on April 14, 2009Exhibit A) Via Professor What If, we see a blogger named Visible referring to the corporate media in the following way:"The Hydra-Headed, Blood-Sucking Bitch Media" Exhibit B) Via Fetch Me My Axe, we see a radical queer group calling itself "Bash Back" writing:"With a Fist Raised high in the cunt of oppression we second the motion for an anti war blac blok...
All My Anti-Gays
Posted on April 13, 2009Who says men don't like drama?An entertaining tiff has been going on between Peter LaBarbera (of Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality) and popular men's rights blogger Glenn Sacks. I sometimes read Sacks and, occasionally, I even agree with him...
Today's "Deep" Thoughts
Posted on April 10, 2009There are three things I'd like to waste your time on share with you today.First, the thing about having dogs is that sometimes you walk into what can best be described as a crime scene:It's been any years since I've lived with cats, but I'm pretty sure I've never had one demolish a toy like that...
Recognizing Privilege
Posted on April 09, 2009I write a lot about the idea of privilege here. Because I do so, often in the context of criticizing male and heterosexual privilege, I think it's important for me to recognize my own privileges. Most people are privileged in some way. One of the ways that I am privileged is that I am a cisgender female...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on April 08, 20091. Vandals Descecrate Gay MemorialI wonder if all those who have been diligently documenting each and every instance of alleged misbehavior of gay people, will report on this? In West Hollywood, vandals destroyed two trees at the Matthew Shepard Human Rights Triangle...
Exciting "Marriage Defense" Graphics Contest!
Posted on April 07, 2009An internet "marriage defense" blogging group is holding an "'I Support Marriage!' graphics contest. I'm not sure if voting is open to the general public, but I urge you to check out some of the "best" graphics thus far. It's always a good idea to stay abreast of the opposition's messaging strategies...
Summary of Iowa Marriage Decision
Posted on April 06, 2009I've had a chance to read through the Iowa Supreme Court's decision declaring the state's law limiting marriage to male-female couples unconstitutional. The full text of the decision can be found here (PDF). My items of note are as follows. (All quotations from the decision)...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on April 03, 20091. Marriage Equality UpdateSweden has become the 7th country in the world to grant gay and lesbian couples full marriage equality. The Swedish parliament overwhelming supported the measure in a vote of 261-22. Furthermore, according to the Washington Blade:Pink News, which bills itself as Europe?s largest gay news service, reported that six of the seven parties in the Swedish parliament backed the proposal...
On "Real Men," Part II
Posted on April 02, 2009Yesterday, I wrote about a key similarity between masculism and feminism. Namely, both models seek to eradicate gender stereotypes. Yet, the difference between feminist masculists and non-feminist ones is that, non-feminist men's rights activists deny and seek to preserve male privilege by maintaining the gender stereotypes that are beneficial to men...
On "Real Men," Part I
Posted on April 01, 2009Believe it or not, I think that feminism and the men's rights movement share an important similarity. Neither of these movements is monolithic, so I'm going to try not to be too general here. Yet, I think that many adherents of both feminism and masculism would agree that gender stereotypes are often harmful, unfair, and de-humanizing...
Catholic Church Envisions "New Feminism"
Posted on March 31, 2009That paragon of feminism that is the Catholic Church has recently called for a "new feminism" which seeks to promote human rights. Such an aim, of course, is nothing new for what could be thought of as "old feminism" (whatever that is), but I applaud the Catholic Church's sentiment...
Why Women Are Religious: An Evolutionary Argument
Posted on March 30, 2009I have written several previous posts critiquing male-centric religions that dominate today. One of the reasons that I am not Christian, Jewish, or Muslim is that I don't think it is appropriate or accurate to personify the supreme deity as some sort of male being...
A Public Service Announcement and Some Good News
Posted on March 25, 2009Via Jimmy Kimmel Live, Portia de Rossi:I thought it was funny. And, I do have to say that, perhaps due to the gay tendency to be creative, our side is at least more funny than the "marriage defense" side in all of its Doom And Gloom The World Is Ending Glory...
Marriage Equality Resources
Posted on March 24, 2009What follows is a post I wrote many months ago but never posted. Its purpose was to counter a common misperception that particular "marriage defender"holds about LGBT bloggers and those of us who advocate for marriage equality. I want to post this resource list today because I see that many "marriage defenders" hold this misconception about the marriage equality side...
On "Anti-Christian Bigotry"
Posted on March 23, 2009What does the phrase "anti-Christian bigotry" mean? In general, I think the word bigot is overused. For instance, even though I do think that some people who oppose marriage equality are anti-gay bigots who really do not like gay people, I do not think that all people who oppose marriage equality and other LGBT rights are...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on March 20, 20091. End the LiesThe Human Rights Campaign has launched a web-based project called End the Lies, the purpose of which is "to expose the lies and fear-tactics of anti-LGBT voices and counteract them with respectful dialogue and grassroots action." Some of those included within the wall of those who "use deception and fear to defeat LGBT equality" are the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (for its "No Mob Veto" ad), Sally Kern (of "homosexuality is the biggest threat our nation has" notoriety), and Maggie Gallagher (for claiming that marriage equality will lead to the "repression" of those who disagree with same-sex marriage)...
Rush and Anti-Intellectualism
Posted on March 19, 2009I know that Rush Limbaugh is an extremist and part of the Asinine for Attention Hate Club. I know that every response to his Look At Me! Look At ME! statements only gives him more relevancy. But the guy does have a following of millions and uses his large platform to fan the flames of American anger...
"Deep" Thought: #25: A "Marriage Defense" Two-For-One
Posted on March 18, 2009Some "marriage defenders" have this bizarre idea that marriage equality is a high-profile issue only because marriage equality advocates have made it one. I think some of them genuinely see themselves as neutral policy wonks just trying to make it all silently go away as opposed to people who are busy fanning the flames themselves...
No Longer Quivering
Posted on March 17, 2009Last week, I wrote about the Christian Patriarchy ("Quiverfull") Movement that opposes any method of birth control and advocates for the submission of women to men. I specifically wondered what it was that would make such a movement appealing to women...
On Re-Victimization
Posted on March 16, 2009In my real life, I have been working on a piece of writing regarding the complicated issue of domestic violence (DV) among same-sex couples. Not much data exists regarding the prevalence of domestic violence within the LGBT community. There's that whole not-being-counted-in-the-Census bit that causes statistical problems for all sorts of measures...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on March 13, 20091. Christian Patriarchy MovementWell, with respect to adherents of the Quiverfull Movement, I suppose it's nice that at least some people are completely up-front about their patriarchal motives. This conservative Christian movement, which is thought to be a backlash from feminism and its attendant era of relative sexual and reproductive freedom, advocates against using birth control and for restricting women to the roles of mother and wife...
Fannie's 10 Feminist Must-Reads
Posted on March 12, 2009Professor What If recently wrote about formulating a list of 10 must-read feminist novels. These days the majority of reading I do is of the non-fiction variety, but I do believe I've read 10 good feminist novels in my day. I think it's a fun exercise so here we go...
Life Above All Else?
Posted on March 11, 2009Abortion is one of those loaded issues that I generally don't write about all that much. I support a woman's right to choose whether to allow another living being to borrow her uterus and body for 9 months, but I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of ending life...
On Oppression and the Monopoly Of It
Posted on March 10, 2009Those opposed to gay rights sometimes insist that LGBT rights are not civil rights. Black conservatives, especially, rebuke any comparison to racism or to the black civil rights movement of the 1960s. Shelby Steele, writing for the Wall Street Journal, for instance writes:"It is always both a little flattering and more than a little annoying to blacks when other groups glibly invoke the civil rights movement and all its iconic imagery to justify their agendas for social change...
Marriage Equality Updates
Posted on March 09, 20091. Gill et al. v. Office of Personnel Management et al.Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders (GLAD) has filed a lawsuit challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). The entire complaint can be found here (PDF). I would encourage people to read it as it spells out the real, tangible harms that same-sex couples experience due to DOMA...
Feminist Friday!
Posted on March 06, 2009March is women's history month. So today is going to be a Feminist Friday at Fannie's Room.1. What's a Feminist Anyway?Gloria Steinem was recently interviewed by Russia Today. No matter your feelings about Steinem, I think the interview is worth reading, especially because the interviewer is a bit...
On Using "Humor" to Shame and Silence Feminists
Posted on February 26, 2009Yesterday I wrote about some Klassy "humor" by our friend the Playful Walrus. Walrus has written a response complaining that, come on you knew this was coming, "Feminists Have No Sense of Humor" (tm). Accusing feminists of having no sense of humor when they are ridiculed is an expected reaction from someone who has been so clearly called out on his rudeness...
Feminists Are Ugly...... Again
Posted on February 25, 2009The Townhall blogger who calls himself "The Playful Walrus" has something to say about feminists versus "conservative women": "Thank God! The ACLU is cutting back. Playboy is also in trouble to the point of facing reorganization or a sale. Sure, feminists and unattractive women (or, rather, feminists and other unattractive women) will also cheer at this, but that's okay...
Book Review: The Riddle of Gender
Posted on February 24, 2009Yesterday I asked what it was that makes us men and women. Many people believe that women and men have inherent differences, and that those differences define what it is to be a woman versus what it means to be a man. While I am willing to concede that men and women (once we know what those two categories of people are) have inherent biological and anatomical differences from each other, I do not think it is accurate to make that claim about all such people...
What Are Women and Men Anyway?
Posted on February 23, 2009I don't write all that often about transgender issues here. Neither gender theory nor biology are areas in which I have special expertise. Yet, after Seda shared her coming out story here, I decided to explore the concepts of gender, biological sex, and transgenderism further than I previously have...
I'm Back!
Posted on February 20, 2009Hello everyone. I'm feeling pretty good today, thanks for the well wishes. My tooth extractions were a bit more traumatic than they usually are for people. Apparently, my wisdom teeth had really "deep roots" due to a combination of me being "old" and because I have really strong bones...
Out of Commission For a Day (or Two)
Posted on February 18, 2009Hello dear readers. Just dropping you a quick note to let you know that I'm not ignoring comments and my daily blog. I had my wisdom teeth "excavated" yesterday afternoon and I promise I will have something to more entertaining to say soon. Like, once I'm feeling a little more human...
Church Killer Gets Life, Manifesto Published
Posted on February 17, 2009Back in July of 2008, a Tennessee man named Jim David Adkisson with a strong "hatred of the liberal movement" opened fire in a liberal gay-affirming Unitarian church and killed two people. The killer, who was unrepentant and admitted that he committed an ideological hate crime, pled guilty and was recently sentenced to life in prison without parole...
Out From Under More Anti-Gay Propaganda
Posted on February 16, 2009A few weeks ago, I noticed some "marriage defenders" salivating over a book called Out From Under, by Dawn Stefanowicz. According to the author's website (from which all quotes in this post are taken), this book is the alleged testimonial of a woman raised by a "promiscuous homosexual" man...
Odds 'N Ends
Posted on February 13, 20091. Repentant Phelps: "I Made a Mistake"This Phelps.Not this one.Yawn.2. "Yes on 8" Doesn't Mean What She Thought It MeantIn other news, sorry but this made me laugh.Like I said before, sometimes celebrities should just stick to what they do best.3. How Not To Give An ApologyGenerally, an apology is an admission of error coupled with an expression of regret...
Marriage Equality Coming to Illinois?
Posted on February 12, 2009State Representative Greg Harris (D- Chicago) has introduced the Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act which would "provide eligible same-sex and opposite-sex couples with the same treatment as those in a civil marriage." Previously, Harris sponsored the Illinois Religious Freedom Protection and Civil Unions Act, which I wrote about here, but it died in committee...
The Patriarchy's Romance With the Bromance
Posted on February 11, 2009Do the powerful-yet-non-sexual bonds that men form with other men in society work to maintain male domination in public arenas?Heart, at Women's Space, writes:"Evangelical men, in my experience ? for all their apparent devotion to and defenses of wives and families and the traditional family as an institution ? are, for the most part, emotionally homosexual...
9th Circuit Court Rejects DOMA
Posted on February 10, 2009Two federal employees have utilized a federal court's administrative dispute process to seek spousal benefits that they have been denied based because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). In separate decisions, two 9th Circuit judges have found in favor of the employees and, while their decisions do not extend beyond these two cases, have cast doubt on the constitutionality of DOMA...
Walking Away From Aggression
Posted on February 09, 2009Familiar dramatics from those who believe they are my prosecutor, judge, and jury begin here.While I went to Pearl's place looking for a good conversation, some familiar faces appeared for some familiar treatment. I know that over the years the "marriage defenders" at Opine Editorials and I have exchanged unkind words...
Friday Random Fun!
Posted on February 06, 2009Sometimes, I think celebrities should just stick to what they do best and not try to get all political. Kelly Clarkson, for instance, recently made an unfortunate statement about feminism and succeeded mostly in displaying her ignorance.Via feministing, observe Clarkson knock feminism for being outdated and unnecessary while simultaneously lamenting that the record industry is a boys' club straight from "the 1950s...
Rightwing Roundup: Fun in the Townhall Echo Chamber
Posted on February 05, 2009Sit back and relax, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for a Townhall.com edition of Rightwing Roundup.1. "Deep Thoughts" With Professor AdamsHow does one know that one is preaching to an anti-gay choir?When one can "write" an article by merely posting the job description for a LGBTQQ Community Coordinator, with little commentary of one's own, because the inanity of it all supposedly just speaks for itself...
Conservapedia: Bringing New Meaning to "Trustworthy"
Posted on February 04, 2009The other day, I took a little time to browse Conservapedia. In case you aren't aware, this site, founded by Phylis Schlafly's son, regards itself as the conservative right's "answer" to Wikipedia and touts itself as a "Trustworthy Encyclopedia." Wikipedia, meanwhile, regards Conservapedia as "an English-language wiki-based web encyclopedia project written from a young Earth creationist, Americentric, right-wing and Conservative Christian point of view...
Anger, Humanity, and Compassion
Posted on February 03, 2009Is anger a problem unique to the so-called "Angry Gay Mobs" or is anger a fundamental part of the human condition?As absurd as it sounds to propose that anger is a problem unique to the LGBT community, that is precisely what some so-called marriage defenders have been suggesting with respect to the aftermath of Proposition 8...
Redecoration!
Posted on February 03, 2009It's the middle of winter. I know you all live all over the place, but where I live it's been a cold, dark winter and I think it's time to bring a little goldenrod into our lives.Fun times.
Monday Good News: A Telling Comparison and a Victory for Transparency
Posted on February 02, 20091. Epic ComparisonLaws tend to be different when women have a say in them.2. Victory For GovernmentAs I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a lawsuit arguing that campaign finance disclosure laws should not apply to those who contribute to campaigns seeking to deny marriage to same-sex couples...
Website Review: Opposing Views
Posted on January 30, 2009I recently came across a very cool and intriguing new site called Opposing Views. One of the editors of the site emailed me requesting a link exchange for its "Gay Issues" page. This site basically serves as a forum for experts to debate various issues relevant to politics, society, health, religion, and money...
Lesbian Head of Government! ...Eh, So Vhat?
Posted on January 29, 2009Iceland is set to become the first nation with a lesbian head of government. Johanna Sigurðardottir is the current Social Affairs Minister, but with Iceland in economic and political turmoil, she is expected to become prime minister.The best part about this is that in her country, Sigurðardottir's sexual orientation is a non-issue...
Going Beyond Empty Claims
Posted on January 28, 2009[With UPDATE below]Some of those who oppose same-sex marriage simultaneously claim to support reciprocal beneficiary laws which grant same-sex couples some of the rights and benefits of marriage. For instance, after its instrumental role in the passage of California's Propostition 8, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) claimed:"The Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches...
Study About Suicidality of Gay Kids Hurts Feelings of Intolerant Parents
Posted on January 27, 2009A study published in the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Pediatrics, has found "a clear link between specific parental and caregiver rejecting behaviors and negative health problems in young lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults." In other words, lesbian, gay, and bisexual children whose parents reject them are also more likely to experience negative health problems...
Monday Good News: President Obama's Recent Actions
Posted on January 26, 2009Hello everyone. Who needs some good news for a winter monday?Does anyone feel different now that we have a new president? Several people have asked me that, and I wasn't sure what to say. I'm hesitant to get my hopes up too high. Yet, in his short time in office so far, the President has already taken some positive actions...
Feminist Friday
Posted on January 23, 2009Hello readers. Today, I'd like to direct you to some reading which our heroine Leftist Gender Warrior (tm) may or may not approve of. If you're looking for some fun feminist reading, you can start with the 69th Carnival of Feminists. My article regarding Garth George's odd feminism-causes-domestic-violence argument was featured in this December Carnival but I missed it with all of the holiday hububub...
Book Review: When Romeo Was a Woman- Charlotte Cushman and Her Circle of Female Spectators
Posted on January 22, 2009I know I've been on a little kick lately writing blogs about sex, gender, and gender roles so I hope you can bear with me for another one. Lisa Merrill's biography of Charlotte Cushman, "the most famous actress of the nineteenth-century English-speaking world," nicely illustrates the fluidity of gender roles and gender performance...
Gender Diversity in Economic Sphere
Posted on January 21, 2009I first saw this article at Feminist Law Professors. The (provocative?) thesis of the article is, in a nutshell, men and women are different. Specifically, men are risky. As a result of their inherent riskiness and their domination of the financial sector, they are the ones who got us into our current economic downturn:"...
California "Marriage Defenders": Scared or Ashamed?
Posted on January 20, 2009The National Organization for Marriage-California (NOM) and ProtectMarriage.com have filed a lawsuit arguing that campaign finance disclosure rules should not apply to them in this scary post-Prop 8 world.Generally, California's Government Code requires contributions to ballot measures such as Proposition 8 to be made available for public inspection...
A Farewell to Bush: He Did a "Heckuva Job"
Posted on January 19, 2009Today marks the last day of George W. Bush's presidency. I've been waiting a long time to write this post celebrating this occasion. Even though I do think the man will go down as one of our worst presidents in history, I found that I had sort of just stopped blogging about him...
Friday's "Deep" Thoughts: Things I Thought I Didn't Like But That I Really Do Like After All
Posted on January 16, 2009I firmly believe that the willingness and ability to change one's mind is an underrated trait in human beings. I don't think we should be fickle, but I do think it would be an unbelievably stale and boring life to hold fixed, completely unchanging opinions about things for one's whole life...
On Gender Complementarity, Part II
Posted on January 15, 2009Yesterday, I outlined the basic gist of the "gender complementarity" theory and my reasons for opposing it. Today, I'm going to discuss applicable research and explore these ideas further.Supporting my position that men and women are more alike than they are different are results from a recent review of 46 meta-analyses...
On Gender Complementarity, Part I
Posted on January 14, 2009An oft-used argument against allowing same-sex couples to marry and/or raise children is that a same-sex relationship or parental unit is not "complementary" with respect to sex/gender. Representative Marilyn Musgrave (in)famously invoked this argument in support of the Federal Marriage Amendment saying:"The self-evident differences and complementary design of men and women are part of [God's] created order...
Worst Headline of the Week
Posted on January 13, 2009From OneNewsNow:"Feminists worldwide promoting 'sexual genocide.'"So, upon glancing at this headline, a reasonable person would probably believe that the contents of the corresponding article would detail some sort of vast feminist conspiracy to commit mass murder upon people of a particular sex...
Yet Another Anti-Gay AFA Boycott
Posted on January 12, 2009The American Family Association (AFA) is once again urging its (alleged) millions of members to boycott a company. This one's against Pepsico for its alleged promotion of the, you guessed it, HoMoSeXuAl AgEnDa! Now, what's all so ironic is that the "marriage defense" crowd has been telling us, ever since gay people initiated post-Proposition 8 boycotts against certain companies, that boycotting is nothing more than fascist, unfair, "bully tactics...
Blogs I Like: Updates
Posted on January 09, 2009Today, I'm going to take a second to encourage you to vote for Grace the Spot for Best New Blog here.Speaking of Grace the Spot, my latest sporty post is up over there.In other news, Pam's House Blend's server was hacked a few days ago and was temporarily off the internets...
Catholic Church Vandalized: "Prop 8 Protestors" Guilty Until Proven Innocent
Posted on January 08, 2009Apparently, someone has vandalized a Catholic Church in the Castro by painting swastikas on it. That is very unfortunate. No arrests have been made in this incident. In other words, no one knows who committed this crime. Oddly, in spite of the fact that we don't know who committed the crime, the anti-gay blogosphere and even the mainstream media have accused the LGBT community of this crime...
Stolen Lines #1
Posted on January 07, 2009"I tried to think of the right answer. Unable to think of that, I spoke anyway." This is a line that Grace from Law With Grace has chosen for her blogger friends to write about. It's part of an experiment, so to speak, in which Grace chooses a line from a book and everyone else begins their post with that line and then writes about it...
Seda's Coming Out Story, Part II: "Don't You Miss Having a Dad?"
Posted on January 06, 2009Yesterday, Seda shared her experience coming out to herself and to her partner. Today, she discusses the relatively recent process of coming out to friends, neighbors, and the world:Thus began the most intense and challenging six months of my life. Through it all, Kristin and I stayed connected...
Seda's Coming Out Story, Part I: "I Had To Transition or Die"
Posted on January 05, 2009For the New Year, I'm going to try to re-vitalize my Coming Out series of posts and invite more people to tell their stories on my blog. If you'd like to contribute feel free to email me. I believe that coming out stories help other LGBT people become more accepting of themselves, and help our opposition better understand us...
My Random In-No-Particular Order List of the Best of 2008
Posted on January 02, 2009I'm going to start off the New Year on an upbeat note and reminisce about some of the things I liked best about 2008. In no particular order, I appreciated:The historic election of Barack Obama.Rachel Maddow's success.My discovery of chocolate-covered oreo-thingies from Trader Joe's...
"Villains," Words, and Violence
Posted on December 31, 2008This post is the second part of my short series on New Year's thoughts, contemplations, and reflections.As I wrote about yesterday, I read many blogs and newsources that could accurately be described as anti-gay, extremely conservative, anti-feminist, and/or opposed to equal rights for LGBT folks and women...
Mirrors and "Villains"
Posted on December 30, 2008Hello readers. Today's post marks the beginning of a short series of posts in which I reflect upon the purpose of my blog. You're invited to read my rambling thoughts and contribute ideas, thoughts, and reactions. In addition to celebration, the New Year for me has come to signify "looking into the mirror," reflection, and contemplation...
Book Review: Sex Variant Woman- The Life of Jeanette Howard Foster
Posted on December 29, 2008Before advocating for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons was possible, LGBT people had to first become visible. Although sexual variance has existed throughout history, LGBT people have had varying degrees of visibility...
What If It Had Been a Girl?
Posted on December 24, 2008Once upon a time there was a virgin woman named Mary, living in Galilee, who was married to a man named Joseph. This woman was visited by an angel who told her that she would conceive and give birth to a daughter who would be God's own daughter. When Mary became pregnant Joseph became concerned, knowing that Mary was not yet married...
US Refuses to Officially Condemn Human Rights Violations Based on Sexual Orientation
Posted on December 23, 2008"More than 70 U.N. members outlaw homosexuality, and in several of them homosexual acts can be punished by execution."Because of these unfortunate laws, 66 nations recently signed a non-binding United Nations declaration calling for a worldwide decriminalization of homosexuality...
I'm Not a Bigot, But...
Posted on December 22, 2008I am continually amazed by people who vehemently deny that they are bigots while simultaneously engaging in behavior and speech that suggests nothing but bigotry. Sometimes, I think there's a real disconnect, or lack of self-awareness, going on that prevents some people from viewing their own behavior, thoughts, and speech as bigoted...
On the Rick Warren Inauguration Hububub
Posted on December 19, 2008Perhaps you've heard that a href="http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/18/choice_of_warren_to_give_invoc.html?hpid=topnews"Obama has invited evangelical mega-church preacher Rick Warren to give the opening prayer at his inaugural ceremony...
Prager: Minorities Should Express "Group Shame"
Posted on December 17, 2008In a href="http://townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/12/16/minorities_should_express_shame,_not_only_pride?page=fullcomments=true"his latest article at townhall.com,/a Dennis Prager misses the point. Waxing about the plight of the downtrodden straight, white, Christian male in America, Prager defensively argues that while "white Christians are allowed to celebrate very little" in our society, minorities are allowed to celebrate group pride...
On the E-Harmony Debacle
Posted on December 17, 2008I know this was newsworthy weeks ago, but online dating site a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,454904,00.html"eHarmony is going to begin rendering its services to gay men and lesbians after settling a discrimination lawsuit.br //a br /br /Previously the site only offered its services to people seeking opposite-sex partners a href="http://www...
National Organization for Marriage: Teh New McCarthyism
Posted on December 16, 2008The National Organization for Marriage (NOM) is at it again with an absurd false equivalency. This time, the organization, which opposes same-sex marriage, is equating post-Prop 8 boycotts of businesses with "McCarthyism." In expected over-the-top manner, the organization has recently ejaculated:"McCarthyism is threatening our free speech and freedom of association?our most basic constitutional rights...
Women are More Perfecter Than Men (Except When They Want Equal Rights)
Posted on December 15, 2008I first saw this article mentioned on feministing. Propounding a blame-the-victim theory that is new to me, columnist Garth George argues that abortion and feminism are "at the heart of all abuse." In his above-cited article, George gnashes his teeth about society supposedly reaping what it's sown for blurring the lines between men and women, for "the breakdown of the traditional family," and for abortion...
FBI on White Powder-Gate: Link to Proposition 8 "a stretch"
Posted on December 13, 2008Yesterday, I wrote about how the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty ran a misleading ad in The New York Times implying that marriage equality activist "thugs" sent white powder to the LDS Church seeking to terrorize it. This powder was later found to be non-toxic...
Becket Fund Ad: Below the Propaganda
Posted on December 12, 2008Recently, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty ran a misleading ad in The New York Times regarding vague "mob"-like behavior in the wake of Proposition 8's passage in California. The Human Rights Campaign has countered the ad and members of its Religion Council had some valid criticisms of it...
Pat Boone, You Just Lost
Posted on December 11, 2008Since LGBT rights' advocates began protesting after California's Prop 8 passes, we quickly learned that new definitions of "fascism," "intolerance," and "hatred" have been created. Basically, these words now mean "any behavior or messaging in furtherance of equality for LGBT people no matter how peaceful, lawful, or respectful...
Book Review: When God Was a Woman, Part II
Posted on December 10, 2008This post is a continuation of my review of Merlin Stone's book When God Was a Woman. Yesterday, I talked about Stone's exploration of what a Goddess-worshiping society looked like. 2. The Story of Adam and EveTo me, the most interesting part of Stone's book is her chapter in which she "unravels the myth of Adam and Eve...
Book Review: When God Was a Woman
Posted on December 09, 2008I will begin this book review with a question Merlin Stone asks in the Preface to her book When God Was a Woman:"What... might we expect in a society that for centuries has taught young children, both female and male, that a MALE deity created the universe and all that is in it, produced MAN in his own divine image- and then, as an afterthought, created woman, to obediently help man in his endeavors?"When God Was a Woman sets out to explore this question, as well as to explore what Goddess-worshiping societies looked like...
Rightwing Roundup: War on Christmas/Christians Edition
Posted on December 08, 20081. Persecuted ChristiansPerhaps by now, you've seen the "Prop 8 Musical" featuring Jack Black:See more Jack Black videos at Funny or DieThe gist of this video, if you aren't able to watch it right now, is that there are many biblical rules that we no longer follow so it's strange that so many Christians cherry-pick biblical passages to justify the condemnation of homosexuality...
The Audacity of the Homo-Bigot
Posted on December 07, 2008Newsweek ran a recent article reporting that support for gay marriage has grown over the years. This isn't really "news" to people paying attention to these things.The only part of its findings that completely baffles me is that "seventy-four percent back inheritance rights for gay domestic partners...
Above the Hate: Below the Propaganda
Posted on December 05, 2008(Cross-posted at Pam's House Blend)The National Organization for Marriage, which seemingly exists mostly to exalt heterosexual marriage above all other forms of relationships, has initiated a petition, ad campaign, and website called Above the Hate the purpose of which is "to say 'Enough!' to the campaign of hate and intimidation being waged against the LDS Church and other supporters of California's Proposition 8...
America's Civic Literacy: The Electoral College is Not a University
Posted on December 04, 2008While some people think it's a "problem" that non-Christians, atheists, and agnostics are allowed to vote in our nation, I think that such a belief is indicative of extreme intolerance. After all, the very reason we have elections is because people hold different beliefs...
Book Review: Buddhism After Patriarchy
Posted on December 03, 2008From the title of this post, unless you have any real interest in Buddhism, you might be thinking that you'll just skip this book review. I promise that it really is way more interesting than it might sound. Well, I think so anyway. I really do believe that many people, atheists and agnostics included, have a very real yearning to spiritually connect with something larger than themselves...
"Fun" With Over-the-Top De-humanizing Headlines
Posted on December 02, 2008How do you know when a headline is de-humanizing and sensationalistic? When it brings up irrelevancies like, oh, a woman's sexual orientation in the title of an article mentioning her death. Observe, from Fox News:"Search On for Teen Son of Dead Lesbian Fugitive"See, what's really important to some in the media is the capability to draw readers in, not with the content of the article, but with the most over-the-top headline possible...
Milk and the Anti-Gay Agenda
Posted on December 01, 2008I watched Milk this past weekend and couldn't help but to be struck by similarities between the late 1970s and now with respect to the LGBT rights movement. As a community, we've made much progress since Anita Bryant's anti-gay crusades back then. If you don't know or don't remember, that woman made quite a tear through the nation back in the day- one of her major "accomplishments" was her instrumental role in the passage of Florida's ban on adoption by gay and lesbian parents...
Thanksgiving 2008
Posted on November 27, 2008Today, I'm going to take a break from the regularly-scheduled political commentary to give thanks. This year, on a personal level, I have been thankful for my health, my family, my friends, my dogs, my job, having plenty of food to eat, having a warm cozy place to sleep, and that I had the courage to take up a new hobby that I find immensely rewarding...
Rightwing Roundup: Oogedy-Boogedy Edition
Posted on November 26, 20081. You May Not Be Gay But You May Be NextWhy many of us angry about Proposition 8's passage is because, in our view, a bare majority voted to take away the rights of a minority group and circumvented the judiciary branch of our government. While some "marriage defenders" believe that the majority should always rule at all times, our democracy operates under a different concept- one in which an informed-about-things-like-constitutional-rights judicial branch exists to protect the rights of minorities...
Obama's Gay Agenda
Posted on November 25, 2008Obama's civil rights agenda is ambitious. For the past 8 years, LGBT people have endured a president who, when he bothered to mention us at all, did so mostly when he was seeking to deny us equal rights for his own political gain. Come January, however, we will have an African-American president who includes LGBT rights as part of his administration's civil rights agenda...
Above the Hate: Above the Propaganda
Posted on November 25, 2008The National Organization for Marriage, which seemingly exists only to exalt heterosexual marriage above all other forms of relationships, has initiated a petition, ad campaign, and website called Above the Hate "to say 'Enough!' to the campaign of hate and intimidation being waged against the LDS Church and other supporters of California's Proposition 8...
Protect Marriage: Prohibit Divorce
Posted on November 24, 2008I first saw this on my friend Grace's blog:In case you can't watch the video right now, the gist of it is to challenge "marriage defenders" to take their efforts to the next step and enact a ban that will affect their own behavior and lives- namely, by prohibiting divorce...
Rightwing Roundup: Theocrat Edition
Posted on November 21, 20081. Suggested T-Shirt For Focus on the FamilyI successfully defended marriage from homosexualists and all I got was this lousy layoff.That's right. After "pumping money" into the Prop 8 battle, James Dobson's Focus on the Family has just announced another round of layofffs...
Transgender Day of Remembrance
Posted on November 20, 2008Today is Transgender Day of Remembrance.This day "was set aside to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice."We remember."Through the vigil, we express love and respect for our people in the face of national indifference and hatred...
Criticism Is Not Anti-Religious Bigotry: Mormons, Gays, and Taxes
Posted on November 19, 2008Yesterday, I wrote about how lawful protesting does not constitute intolerance, bigotry, or censorship. Today, I want to discuss the running theme in some "marriage defense" corners that it now constitutes "anti-religious bigotry" to protest a church's involvement in political and social affairs...
Join the Impact: Lawful Protesting Is Not Bigotry, Censorship, or Intolerance
Posted on November 18, 2008This past weekend I exercised my right to free speech and assembly as part of the Join the Impact protests against Prop 8. I attended the protest in Chicago with my friend Jane and my girlfriend. In Illinois, smaller protests were held in the smaller (and redder) cities of Peoria, Springfield, Champaign-Urbana, and Carbondale...
Gay Male as "Gay and Lesbian"
Posted on November 17, 2008Dorothy Snarker recently posted an open letter to Out magazine regarding its male-heavy "People of the Year" cover (which, let's face it, is also very white). On a cover with 3 white gay guys, the sole woman included was Katy Perry- a straight woman who is popular because she sings a song about lesbian experimentation...
Join the Impact- Protests Against Prop 8
Posted on November 14, 2008Tomorrow, as is my constitutional right, I will be taking part in the Join the Impact protests in solidarity with my LGBT brothers, sisters, and allies.Many anti-gays are very upset by these protests and are calling us "sore losers," "spoiled children," and "homofascists...
On a Non-Political Note.... Survey Says: Alice
Posted on November 14, 2008What's up with everyone liking Alice from The Brady Bunch?You may have noticed my little poll on the left side of the blog. Even though I'm sure it violates some sort of human subject research ethics to conduct research on people without their knowledge, I was basically conducting a super-scientific experiment to test my theory regarding the lesbian propensity to identify with Alice...
Book Review: The Frailty Myth
Posted on November 13, 2008I have been athletic for the great majority of my life. In high school, I participated in multiple sports and it was then that I first started strength training. After training diligently for a year or so, I was finally able to proudly place 25-pound weights on each side of the bench press...
Arkansas' Adoption Ban
Posted on November 12, 2008One ballot proposal that's received relatively little attention post-election, has been Arkansas' initiative to banning children from being adopted or placed in foster care to unmarried "co-habitating" couples. Although this ban targets unmarried "cohabitating" heterosexuals as well as gay and lesbian couples, the organization responsible for placing the initiative on the ballot- the Family Council Action Committee (FCAC)- has said that the goal of the law was to ban gay and lesbians from adopting...
Race, Sexual Orientation, and Honesty
Posted on November 11, 2008In light of our nation's history of racial injustice, seeing Obama take the podium November 4, 2008 brought tears to my eyes. But seeing that an estimated 70% of black voters voted against marriage equality in California, my initial disappointment over Prop 8's passage turned into anger...
"Deep" Thought #24: Well, At Least We're Nicer Than Muslim Extremists
Posted on November 10, 2008Frankly, what follows is one of the most bizarre arguments against same-sex marriage and gay sex I've heard. And that says a lot, because we all know how bizarre the anti-gay teeth-gnashings can get. For some background, I subscribe to daily emails from the rightwing hellmouth that is Townhall...
When Discrimination Harms Your Economy
Posted on November 07, 2008The New York Times is reporting that the supporters of Proposition 8 dealt a blow not only to same-sex couples, but to California's economy and small businesses.Specifically, floral shops, gift shops, bakeries, and others in the marriage business have had a spate of cancellations since Prop 8 passed...
Friday Fun! Race, Divorce, and Wanda
Posted on November 07, 2008Until I can think of something halfway coherent to say about the fact that 70% of black voters in California voted for Prop 8, I'm going to link to Pam Spaulding's article about it and keep mulling it over. All I have been able to do thus far is to note the supreme irony of celebrating how "far" we've come as a nation to have elected a black president in light of the fact that we've also just regressively enshrined discrimination into several more state constitutions...
Letter to Our Internet Friends Who Oppose Marriage Equality
Posted on November 06, 2008Hello readers. Today I'd like to direct you to this piece by our anti-equality friend "Ken the Playful Walrus." (My friend Jane wrote about this yesterday). Ken has basically written a letter of advice to his "homosexual friends" advising them to pretty much just get over the fact that California voters opposed marriage equality on November 4...
Prop(aganda) 8: Religious Freedom Edition
Posted on November 04, 2008Happy voting day everyone! Thankfully, after a long and heated campaign, California voters will finally be voting on Proposition 8. I'm hoping that after the election, the anti-equality advocates will tone down the dishonesty a few notches.One of the less-than-honest scare tactics that the anti-equality Yes on 8 movement in California has used this has been to warn that places of worship might lose their tax-exempt status or be forced to perform same-sex wedding ceremonies if same-sex marriage remains legal in California...
Fannie's Quickie Election Rundown
Posted on November 04, 2008The Good:The Bad:The Ugly:It is a disappointment that all four state-level anti-gay campaigns, campaigns based on intellectually iffy and oftentimes dishonest messaging, were successful. Considering the magnitude of the deception and propaganda, I think it says something about the shift in public opinion about this issue that the "marriage defense" campaigns actually were not more successful than they were...
"Deep" Thought #23: "Fun" For the Whole (Hetero) Neighborhood
Posted on November 03, 2008Now this is just plain weird:It's a "One Man One Woman For Life" home party kit. You know, at first blush, one would think that a "One Man One Woman" marriage "home party kit" would include tips on how one man and one woman could have a successful marriage for life together...
Your Brain on Creationism
Posted on October 30, 2008I'm officially on vacation for the rest of the week, so I'm going to take a break from political writing and post something that's just bizarre. I first saw it on Neurologica. Apparently, a couple of creationists have a unique "fossil" that they believe is a really old (but younger than 5,000 years old of course) "petrified human brain...
Great Scott! Magical Thinking From the Professional Christian Set
Posted on October 29, 2008I see that a few of you, dear readers, have participated in my handy-dandy poll regarding James Dobson. Perhaps some of you didn't vote because you don't know just how unhinged this man's teeth-gnashing anti-gay rantings can be. Or, maybe you just agree with Dobson's message...
Propaganda Watch: The "Harm" of Same-Sex Marriage in Massachusetts
Posted on October 28, 2008Just in time for the 2008 elections and the vote on Proposition 8 in California (and Prop 102 in Arizona, and Prop 2 in Florida), SPLC-recognized hate group Mass Resistance has put out a "fact" sheet regarding "What same-sex 'marriage' [sic] has done to Massachusetts...
Yes on 8's "Respectful" Request
Posted on October 27, 2008Previously, I have written about the Yes on 8 campaign's tattle-tale list of wrongs done by individual defenders of marriage equality. If you remember, these wrongs included individuals supposedly stealing and defacing Yes on 8 lawn signs and a person who "flipped off" a woman who had a Yes on 8 bumper sticker on her car...
Lesbian Mafia News!
Posted on October 24, 2008Leftist Gender Warrior (LGW) would like to take a few moments to say that she is pleased to hear that the 8 Against 8 campaign has surpassed its goal of raising $8,000 to fight California's anti-equality Proposition 8. Thank you to all who contributed to the cause, whether via 8 Against 8 or elsewhere...
The "What About the Children?" Double-Standard
Posted on October 23, 2008I've been reading over and over again about how "marriage defenders" in California object to marriage equality because if same-sex couples are allowed to marry, then children will be taught about same-sex marriage in schools. For instance, the "Yes on 8" Voter Guide says that Proposition 8 is necessary because:"It protects our children from being taught in public schools that 'same-sex marriage' is the same as traditional marriage...
Rightwing Roundup: Muslim-Baiting, Anti-Elitism, and Separatism
Posted on October 22, 20081. Joe McCarthy Called and He Wants His Tactics BackIn case you haven't heard, Republican Colin Powell has endorsed Barack Obama for president. What I find most important about Powell's statement is that a prominent politician has finally said what should have been said 2 years ago...
Mayors and Lesbos and Money Oh My!
Posted on October 21, 2008During Season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the "Big Bad" that Buffy had to overcome was an evil mayor. This mayor was a unique character in the Buffyverse. As the Wikipedia entry on the Mayor describes him:"Unlike many villains featured on Buffy, he has quite a pleasant demeanor...
Dump Dobson
Posted on October 20, 2008Those of you who noticed my minor blog re-design might have seen the poll on the left column:"Should the National Radio Hall of Fame & Museum reverse its decision to honor James Dobson's group Focus on the Family?"This poll references the National Radio Hall of Fame's upcoming honoring and induction of James Dobson's Focus on the Family...
Friday Random Fun News!
Posted on October 17, 20081. A Worthy CauseAs a general blogging rule, I try to stay away from suggesting to readers that they donate money to specific causes. Personally, some people of the mass-emailing variety just have that it's-a-good-thing-I'm-here-to-remind-you-to-give-to-the-needy attitude that assumes you aren't already donating your spare dollars to worthy causes...
Maybe My Definition of Straight Talk is Different
Posted on October 16, 2008I didn't make my decision to vote for Barack Obama based solely on LGBT issues. Like most Americans, I care about the economy, health care, and improving educational infrastructure. I believe that Obama will address these issues in a way that is better for our nation than McCain will...
Rachel Maddow Takes the High Road
Posted on October 15, 2008So, does anyone here watch The Rachel Maddow Show? What I appreciate about Maddow is that she's smart, articulate, and funny. She is a welcome contrast from the angry, screaming pundits who tend to dominate political discourse. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert have proven for quite a few years now that humor, snark, and sarcasm can be effective tools in rendering political critique and in pointing out our oftentimes absurd politics...
"Activist Judges" Again
Posted on October 14, 2008Yesterday, I provided a recap of the Connecticut marriage ruling. Today, I want to write about the expected knee-jerk Activist Judge (tm) backlash from the marriage defense crowd.You see, before anyone even had a chance to read the entire Connecticut court's 85-page opinion, rightwing news[sic]sources began lambasting the high court's activist "imposition" of same-sex marriage on the state...
Connecticut Ruling Rundown
Posted on October 13, 2008The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled last week that same-sex couples are entitled to marriage. (A PDF of the opinion can be found here). There are several items of note with respect to this case (all quotes from the opinion). 1. Civil Unions versus MarriageFirst off, like California, Connecticut had a separate non-marital legal word for same-sex couples that granted them all of the state rights and benefits of marriage...
Friday Fun News!
Posted on October 10, 20081. My Goddess Forgives Your GodI first saw this on Good-As-You and had to share it. This website lets you make your very own Westboro Baptist Church sign: Tee-hee.2. The Elephants Missing From the RoomIn giving her rundown of the 2nd presidential debate, ProfessorWhatIf provides an anecdote from the mouths of babes...
Voting With the Little Hood
Posted on October 09, 2008Perhaps you've seen the clip that produced this humorous quote about McCain/Palin from Samantha Bee of The Daily Show:"As a proud Vagina American myself, I can tell you I'll be voting for McCain in November... John McCain chose a woman who is almost completely unprepared for the job and who disagrees with me on every core value I believe in, but I will be voting McCain in November because he understands...
The Undercover "Ex-Gay"
Posted on October 08, 2008For anyone interested in reading one woman's undercover account as to what happens at "ex-gay" program Exodus International, I urge you to read this article by journalist Lucy Bannerman.Personally, I find the account to be both humorous and, at times, sad...
Unhelpful-Yet-ScArY HeAlTh NeWs: Pollution Edition
Posted on October 07, 2008You know what gets me about the whole ban on indoor smoking in Illinois? That Cook County, specifically a neighborhood very close to where I live, has the most toxic air in the nation and not too many people seem to care about that.Now, don't get me wrong...
"Liberal Democrat" Identity Politics
Posted on October 06, 2008You may have heard of marriage defender David Blankenhorn. A while ago, I reviewed his anti-gay marriage tome The Future of Marriage. Recently, he wrote an op-ed piece in the LA Times opposing marriage equality.Now, I have respect for Blankenhorn because in his zeal to "defend" marriage he doesn't demonize gay men and lesbians in the process...
Rightwing Roundup: Propaganda Pete, Bush, and Palin
Posted on October 03, 20081. A Convenient OmissionAs he usually does, anti-gay head of the Illinois-based Americans For Truth [sic] About Homosexuality Peter LaBarbera recently ventured all the way to California to cover the fetish-themed Folsom Street Fair. As of October 1, 2008, in fact, 7 out of the 8 articles on AFT[sic]AH's front page were devoted to covering this fair which caters to a small segment of the LGBT community...
More Prop 8 Hate
Posted on October 02, 2008It's good to know where some people really stand when it comes to lesbians and gay men. Even though some leaders of the Proposition 8 movement claim that the movement "isn't a referendum on gay people" and that Proposition 8 supporters do not hate gay people, we all know that those claims whitewash reality...
Salary and Gender Identity
Posted on October 01, 2008Explanations for the wage gap between men and women vary. This topic is fiercely debated between feminists and men's rights activists (MRAs)- with some MRAs going so far as denying that a wage gap even exists. Those who do admit that a wage gap exists, attempt to justify the disparity...
Obligatory Economic Blog
Posted on September 30, 2008I've decided that since our economy is catastrophically teetering on the edge of apocalypse not seen since the Great Depression, I'd take a little break from writing about gay stuff and feminism. I'm not an economist so I'm not going to offer any new convoluted theories about this economic meltdown...
The Mysterious Case of the Invisible Homo-Bigotry
Posted on September 29, 2008Back in July, Jennifer Roback Morse wrote a column about the gay rights advocates who dared to boycott companies who support Proposition 8. While I take issue with much of her letter, which includes calling people seeking equality "gay rights radicals" and sarcastically calling a pro-Proposition 8 company a "big meanie," I especially take issue with this statement:"For many of us, gay marriage isn't a referendum on gay people...
Friday Fun!
Posted on September 26, 20081. Carnival of FeministsLeftist Gender Warrior is pleased to announce that the latest Carnival of Feminists is up at Green Gabbro for your reading pleasure! My article on feminism and the draft was included.2. A Gay ExtravaganzaI understand why rightwingers and conservatives lambast the Hollywood Elite (tm)...
Feminism and the Draft, Take Two
Posted on September 25, 2008The other day, I noticed some unusual hits coming to Fannie's Room from a forum called Antimisandry. I took a peek over there and saw that a self-identified Men's Rights Activist (MRA) calling himself "frostyboy" copied and pasted my entire article "The Draft Doesn't Prove Feminism Wrong" for other MRAs to read...
An Amendment That Matters
Posted on September 24, 2008Upon opening this month's edition of the Chicago Bar Association Record, I was surprised and delighted to read Judge Michael B. Hyman's thoughts in his brief article "A His and Hers Constitution." (Sorry, no internet link is available).Noticing the Constitution's abundant use of the male pronoun to the exclusion of the female one, Hyman laments:"Women are non-existent in the Constitution...
The Party A and Party B Kerfuffle
Posted on September 23, 2008Those sensitive marriage defenders are in an uproar over the fact that California now issues marriage licenses that, reflecting the state's legalization of marriage equality, say "Party A" and "Party B" rather than "groom" and "bride." Of course, as PZ Myers states, this is perfectly legitimate since a state-issued marriage license is "a state-mandated contract...
Rightwing Roundup: Wiccans, Meanies, and Ex-Heteros
Posted on September 22, 20081. Another Reason to Love BuffyBecause the cult tv classic Buffy the Vampire Slayer holds a special place in my heart, the following news makes me so very happy. Apparently, Buffy, which included characters who were witches has caused thousands of women to leave "the church" to become "Wiccan"- at least, so says a headline from the UK's Daily Mail...
SuPeR CeLeBrItY NeWs!
Posted on September 19, 2008Live from Alaska, it's Sarah Palin!"Palin, in her first major introduction to the American people, sent a bolt of energy through the crowd...""Mrs. Palin has become the 'rock star' of conservatism, drawing huge crowds and raising untold campaign cash...
Politicians and Privacy, Take Two
Posted on September 18, 2008Previously, I criticized the excessive attention paid to the pregnancy of Sarah Palin's daughter. As with every blog I write, I reserve the right to change my mind in light of new evidence. I won't hold onto a belief, willingly blinding myself to other ideas, just for the sake of remaining "correct...
Not What Jesus Would Do
Posted on September 17, 2008Remember David Benkof, the gay man opposed to same-sex marriage who marriage defenders lurved to reference before he unexpectedly called it quits? In his own words, Benkof claimed to have learned "quite a bit of disturbing information" about the Proposition 8 movement that led him to drop out of the movement...
Proposition 8 Propaganda Watch
Posted on September 16, 2008Proposition 8, if you remember, is the initiative in California to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry. I remain amazed that so many people still seem to genuinely believe that "defending" marriage from gay people is a valiant mission. Despite the failing economy, the mortgage crisis, the unaffordability of health care, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, and other major issues that actually matter to the world, they say "you know what, there is entirely too much love in the world that if we sanction any more of it our society will definitely collapse...
Rightwing Roundup: End of the World Edition
Posted on September 15, 20081. The Original Version is BetterRightwing churches across the nation are not happy that Katy Perry's catchy tune "I Kissed a Girl" has become such a hit. Previously, I highlighted one bright rightwinger who suggested that this song has lesbian "undertones...
Words and Phrases, Part II
Posted on September 12, 2008Previously, I have written about words and phrases that inexplicably grate on my nerves. I've decided that so many words and phrases annoy me that this just might be a recurring feature in Fannie's Room. Feel free to make additions.1. "Lesbian Lover"First off, the phrase "lesbian lover" is so 1990's...
The Draft Doesn't Prove Feminism Wrong
Posted on September 11, 2008For as much as "men's rights activists" (MRAS) like to say otherwise, the existence of a male-only draft/male-only combat positions do not "prove" anything about feminism. Some common arguments among MRAs include arguments of the following type: A) Male privilege is a "myth" because women have privileges too, like not having to register for the draft...
"Deep" Thought #22: Adulterers Needed to Help Defend Marriage!
Posted on September 10, 2008Newt Gingrich has joined the misguided crusade to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. This thrice-married and twice-divorced adulterer who is totally into the sanctity of marriage and all that it represents has urged Californians to support Proposition 8 in order to "defend and protect marriage...
Book Review: Original Intent and the Framer's Constitution, Part II
Posted on September 09, 2008In Part I of my analysis of Leonard Levy's Original Intent and the Framer's Constitution, I ended by discussing how historical evidence demonstrates that judges of all political stripes engage in judicial "activism." What follows from that truth, is this question: What then, if judges engage in activism and decide cases according to their personal political preferences, legitimates judicial review?3...
Book Review: Original Intent and the Framer's Constitution, Part I
Posted on September 08, 2008For those interested in American constitutional history, law, and original intent debates, I would recommend Leonard Levy's Original Intent and the Framer's Constitution. This 400-page history book is daunting, I'll admit. Yet, unless one has a particularly strong interest in the detailed history of our Bill of Rights, one could easily skim over some of the very detailed chapters on the history of specific constitutional amendments and still get a good overview of constitutional history...
Oh Yeah
Posted on September 05, 2008This article, "McCain Accepts Nomination, Touts POW Experience," reminded me that John McCain gave a speech recently, too.Neat.Wait..... John McCain was a POW?;-)
Rightwing Roundup: "Mavericks," "Pride," and Female Political Bloggers
Posted on September 05, 20081. Raising the DiscourseYesterday, I gave liberal and Democrat writers a hard time for obsessing about Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy and urged them to, instead, focus on substantive issues. Yet, when Sarah Palin herself had the opportunity to raise the discourse she failed miserably...
Raising the Discourse
Posted on September 04, 2008Does anyone else on the left not care about Sarah Palin's daughter's pregnancy? My hunch is that more than a few of us tend to agree with Historiann's sentiment that although we fundamentally disagree with most of Sarah Palin's policy positions:"...speculation about and scrutiny of her body, pregnancy, and sex life, or her daughter?s body, pregnancy, and sex life, and all discussions of leaking amniotic fluid, lactation practices, medical records, or anything at all relating to the sexuality and reproductive history of anyone in the Palin family are disgusting, beside the point, and moreover, a really dumb path for so-called 'liberals' and 'progressives' to go down...
Gays (and Lesbians?) In Iraq
Posted on September 03, 2008I recently read a very disturbing article on CNN.com regarding the oppression of gays in Iraq. While the article regularly mentioned "gays and lesbians," the article only presents evidence that gay men are the ones targeted for this horrendous violence...
Rightweeeeeeng Roundup: Townhall Edition
Posted on September 02, 2008For this week's edition, I ventured over to the rightwing hellmouth that is Townhall.com. It's always fun times over there, folks. 1. Minor DetailsPhyllis Schlafly, who I previously wrote about here, starts us off with an article called "Title IX Tied Our Hands At the Olympics" in which she blames our "lack" of competitiveness in China to, dun-dun-dun, Title IX and those trusty scapegoats teh feminists...
A Commenting Tutorial
Posted on September 01, 2008I wasn't going to write anything on Labor Day today, but then I thought,"Hmmmm maybe I will. Dozen of people might want to read a blog here today."So today, I'm going to do a little housekeeping. See, the vast majority of people who read Fannie's Room never comment here...
Sarah Palin?
Posted on August 29, 2008OMG, McCain picked a woman as his running mate, I am like so totally going to vote for him now!!Seriously, Republicans. Could you give women just a little more credit?And note to Obama supporters: Don't even think about making gendered attacks on this woman...
Happy Friday!
Posted on August 29, 20081. The juxtaposition of these two billboards will surely make you laugh.2. So will this.If you don't get it and/or you think the post is calling the kid ugly, the humor comes from the fact that, as one commenter says:"[T]he kid who said '...there's no way I came from an ape...
John McCain: Weapon of Mass Projection
Posted on August 28, 2008John McCain's recent campaign strategy of painting Barack Obama as an elitist "celebrity" is an interesting campaign strategy. See, it's interesting because this undesirable trait McCain ascribes to Obama is something that so clearly applies to McCain himself...
Review: Federalist Society Online Debate About Marriage
Posted on August 27, 2008The libertarian-leaning Federalist Society recently hosted an interesting debate on same-sex marriage as part of its Online Debate Series. Participants included law professors Dale Carpenter, Robert Nagel, Andy Koppelman, and Amy Wax. I encourage interested parties to read through the postings for themselves...
"Journalist" Ignorant of Standard Journalism Procedure?
Posted on August 26, 2008When a "news source" includes an article entitled "Fat Lesbians on Crack," that's a pretty good initial clue that you probably aren't going to find accurate, legit, or honest information within the article. Thus, there are two, and only two things worth noting about an article with that very headline written by conservative commentator (and Professor at University of North Carolina-Wilmington) Mike S...
More Hollander Frivolity, An Addendum
Posted on August 25, 2008My article about Roy Den Hollander's lawsuit deserves an addendum since I just took a look at his class action civil rights frivolous complaint against Columbia (and others) for gender discrimination. [PDF] (All quotes from complaint). Within this complaint you'll find a lot of old hat MRA-type of reasoning within it...
More Stuff Lesbians Like!
Posted on August 22, 2008In other happy fun friday news, my latest Stuff Lesbians Like is up at the fabulous Grace the Spot.Have a good weekend, everyone.Yee-haw!
A Happy Friday
Posted on August 22, 2008Hello readers, how about some good news for a friday?During the past week, news broke that Rachel Maddow is getting her own show in the male-dominated field of political punditry and Ellen has legally married her girlfriend. As fans of both of these women, this news makes me happy...
But, Isn't Every Other Course a Men's Studies Course?
Posted on August 21, 2008Self-styled "anti-feminist" Roy Den Hollander is suing Columbia University for discriminating against men. (All quotes from the NY Times article). Is Columbia paying male employees less than female employees? No. Well, are male employees being harassed? Umm, no...
Evangelicals Are Not the Moderate Center
Posted on August 20, 2008Did you catch the Saddleback Civil Forum on the Presidency this past weekend? According to the Saddleback Civil Forum's website, the "series was established to promote civil discourse and the common good of all." Rich Warren, best-selling author and pastor of the Saddleback evangelical mega-church in California, created the forum with three goals in mind: "helping people accept responsibility, helping the Church regain credibility, and encouraging our society to return to civility...
My Michfest Journal, Part II
Posted on August 19, 2008In Part I of My Michfest Journal, I discussed the value of "womyn-only" space in relation to Michfest. Today, I have written about a related topic- how the exclusion of transwomen from Michfest relates to the value of "womyn-only" space.2. The Trans Exclusion PolicyMichfest is officially a space for "womyn-born-womyn" as opposed to "all women...
My Michfest Journal , Part I
Posted on August 18, 20081. Value of a Womyn-Only SpaceI attended Michfest for the first time this summer. For those who don't know what Michfest is, it's an "international feminist music festival" at which "womyn-born-womyn" camp out in the woods listening to music and attending workshops for 1 week in August...
Words and Phrases That Inexplicably Grate on My Nerves
Posted on August 15, 2008I'm going to take a break from political writing today to talk about something way more important: words and phrases that I dislike. Sure, there are the common disliked words like "moist," "slacks," and "dowdy." I could go on and on with a list of those...
H Hall of Shame: John Edwards
Posted on August 14, 2008By now, perhaps you've heard that former presidential contender John Edwards has admitted to having an affair and lying about it. To begin, I'd just like to say that, in general, what people do with their personal lives isn't really my business. And, when allegations and evidence of adultery arise in public figures, I can't help feeling saddened for what the guy's family is going through...
Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality Accidentally Posts Parody Piece?
Posted on August 13, 2008"LGBT News Source" Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality recently posted an extremely odd article about Don't Ask Don't Tell that was written by former veteran and current businessman Jack Roeser.I was going to write a parody of this article, but it sort of writes itself...
"Deep" Thought #21: Gay Marriage Will Exacerbate Black Fatherlessness
Posted on August 12, 2008Hello readers. I hope you can bear with me. Today's "deep" thought is more serious and a bit longer than usual.See, there's an interesting theory regarding gay marriage that's been circulating in various anti-gay spheres. In a nutshell, it goes like this: If gay people are allowed to marry, black men won't marry the mothers of their children...
Update!
Posted on August 11, 2008Earlier today, I posted an article regarding one anti-gay's humorous exaggeration of the San Diego Dyke March. Well, I ventured back over to the "james hartline report" to see how this fellow's little "hit piece" was faring. Judging from the comments, it seems that it didn't generate much interest in or out of the LGBT community...
Rightwing Roundup: Lesbian "Terrorists" and Fires
Posted on August 11, 20081. Hyperbole of the WeekWhen you see a headline like "Lesbians Terrorize San Diego Community" you definitely have to read the accompanying article. I mean, I for one get scary images of hoards of evil lesbians wielding machine guns and wreaking havoc through a city...
Back to Civilization
Posted on August 10, 2008Sorry I've been missing in action without giving prior notice. I went away to the woman-topia that is a certain Womyn's Music Fest that occurs every August. Yes, that's womyn with y. I'm just that gay. And yes, the festival was wonderful. Being in a woman-only environment gave me a lot to think about with respect to our larger society and, if a share-y mood strikes me at some point, perhaps I will write about it...
You Might Be a Bigot: Sci-Fi Edition
Posted on August 06, 2008I honestly don't think most people who act like bigots know that they're bigots. In their minds, [insert group of people] are just morally wrong, inherently bad, and/or inferior to other groups of people. So, when they state these "truths" they don't really see anything wrong with doing so...
Title IX and African-American Female Athletes
Posted on August 05, 2008I have written before about Title IX as it relates to sports. A while ago, a reader sent me a link to an article written by Emmett Gill Jr. discussing Title IX and its effects on African-American female athletes.For starters, can I just say that I have to give any man props who is able to write about Title IX without simultaneously bitching about how it has supposedly harmed or ruined men's sports...
The AFA's Secret Ploy to Address Obesity Crisis?
Posted on August 04, 2008Professional anti-gay organizations such as the American Family Association (AFA) and Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality are up in arms about the fact that McDonald's has donated $20,000 to the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. The AFA has even started a Boycott McDonald's website full of "breaking news" and resources about this Very Important Battle in the "culture wars...
Rightwing Roundup: Guns, DADT, and "News"
Posted on August 01, 20081. People who carry guns in their purses and then forget that they are, in fact, carrying a deadly weapon are probably a bigger threat to our nation than gay people.Yes, I'm referring to anti-gay Sally Kern. Who was just caught by security for the second time for trying to carry a gun into the state Capitol building...
Using Fear: The Giu91an1 Awards
Posted on July 31, 2008Fear is a powerful motivator. Demagogues, those who invoke the human fear response for political gain, have long known this.With that in mind, I'm just going to come right out and say that, first off, I think there are generally two types of Republicans: rich people and suckers...
"Deep" Thought #20: Description of What Anti-Gay Initiative Does Might Prejudice People Against Voting For What Initiative Does
Posted on July 30, 2008California's Attorney General has changed the wording of the state's ballot initiative that would amend the state's constitution to take away the right of same-sex couples to marry. While the "marriage defenders" wanted the language on the ballot to read that "only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," the new language on the ballot will state that the initiative will "eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry...
Some Fundamentalist Christian Responses to the Tennessee Shooting
Posted on July 29, 2008Perhaps by now you've already heard of the horrifying shooting at a church in Tennessee. An unemployed man with a self-described "hatred of the liberal movement" is being charged with first-degree murder after shooting and killing two members of the liberal gay-welcoming Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church...
DADT "Expert" Embarasses Self Before Congress
Posted on July 28, 2008The House Armed Services Personnel Committee held the first hearing in 15 years on the military's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. The committee invited veterans as well as Elaine Donnelly to testify. For some background, Donnelly is neither a veteran nor does she have any particular training or expertise in the area of military readiness...
New Color Scheme!
Posted on July 27, 2008Hello everyone!This is still Fannie's Room, I've just done some redecorating. It's very..... green... now.I hope you like it.
Book Review: Envisioning Power
Posted on July 25, 2008I would first like to thank my friend and occasional Fannie's Room commenter Vieve for recommending anthropologist Eric Wolf's book Envisioning Power. She recommended it to me awhile ago, but I finally got around to finding a cheap copy, ordering it, and reading it...
Carnival of Feminists No. 61
Posted on July 24, 2008The latest Carnival of Feminists is up at Diary of a Freak Magnet. There's lots of good stuff in this one, so check it out for some feminist reading today!Also, my criticism of Time magazines "Making of America" series was featured.On a random lesbian note, I just want to say that I think Rachel Maddow is fabulous...
Sporty Soap Operas: Danica's "Catfight" Edition
Posted on July 23, 2008I have long believed that collegiate and professional sports serve as soap operas for men. Yes, lots of women like sports too, myself included. But while it's okay for women to watch sports, it's not really socially acceptable for men to watch girly shows like soap operas...
RightWing Roundup: Theocracies, Confused Bigots, and Vegans
Posted on July 22, 20081. Another Reason We Don't Want an American TheocracyWhat I find ironic about Christian dominionists is that they use the American principle of freedom of religion as a tool to attempt to prevent other religions from flourishing in our nation. They see no problem with the concept of theocracy...
The Death Trap
Posted on July 21, 2008So, yesterday I received what I at first thought to be a fun, thoughtful gift for my birthday- a foam roll thingy to help me stretch after I work out. Don't be fooled. Although it appears benign enough, clearly it is no such thing.See, upon further inspection, I found this little notice in the foam roll's box:Note the first sentence: "The risk of injury from participating in this or any fitness regimen and/or from the performances of these exercises or similar exercises is significant and includes the potential for catastrophic injury or death...
Friday Fun: I'd Be a "Failure" as a 1930s Wife
Posted on July 18, 2008But on the upside, I would make an "average" 1930s husband. I think much of my failure as a wife has to do with the fact that I don't wear a nightgown, that I walk around the house in stockings, and that don't ask my husband's opinion before making important decisions (or even have a husband for that matter!)...
College Cost Reduction and Access Act Updates
Posted on July 17, 2008A while ago, I wrote about the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRA). Due to recent developments, here is an update:1. Re-Consolidating into the federal Direct ProgramPart of my original critique of the CCRA was that, although graduates working in public service may have their loans forgiven after 10 years of making payments, the only loans eligible for this benefit are federal Direct loans...
HPV Vaccine: More "Helpful" Health News!
Posted on July 16, 2008I have blogged before about my annoyance with unhelpful, uninformative, and intentionally over-dramatic health "information." Well, as my friend Jane recently blogged about, CNN ran a story about the HPV vaccine entitled "Should parents worry about the HPV vaccine?" The only problem with the story? It doesn't give us an answer as to the very important question it poses...
LOMMS and Moronic Doood Sports' Questions
Posted on July 15, 2008Have you ever had a case of the LOMMS? Do you know what that is? Check out my latest Stuff Lesbians Like post over at Grace the Spot.In other random news, Feminist law professor Bridget Crawford describes an annoying experience at Major League Baseball's All-Star Fanfest, where she happened to catch an appearance by four former players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL):"The interviewer?s 'big' question to the former AAGPBL players was, 'Which of you was Madonna [portraying]?' And with that I have to echo Professor Crawford's view that "hearing more about the players? perspective on the continued exclusion of women from so many levels of professional sports" would have been infinitely more interesting a question...
David Benkof Calls it Quits
Posted on July 15, 2008I hesitate to give this guy any more attention. But, in "breaking" news David Benkof announced the other day that he "must withdraw from openly supporting man-woman marriage in the United States" due to recently learning "quite a bit of disturbing information that makes it impossible for me to continue supporting a movement I no longer respect...
A Brief Message From Grace
Posted on July 14, 2008My friend Grace from Law with Grace (as opposed to the Graces from Grace the Spot, confusing I know) has asked me to send a note to my readers- some of whom are also her readers: She is okay and will resume blogging again in a week or so.
H Hall of Shame: The "Advocate"
Posted on July 14, 2008What's more hypocritical than a marriage defender visiting a prostitute?A male "feminist" blogger and dormitory resident advisor who "claimed to use activism and education to promote 'a more just and life-affirming culture of sexuality' for women, especially those women who have been victims of sexual violence" who pleads guilty to this:"with an intent to arouse my sexual desire, I photographed and filmed Jane Doe and her breast without her consent...
RightWing Roundup: Lindsay, "Wrestling," and DADT
Posted on July 11, 2008Sometimes, you have to take step back from the immersion into RightWing Asininity. That's sorta the theme of today's Roundup.1. I Was Hoping For Natalie Portman But I Guess This Will DoOkay, I don't know that the stories about Lindsay Lohan's recent birthday speech actually confirm her lesbian status or her alleged romance with another lady (wait, does anyone even care about this?) but if the rumors are true, I'd like to take a non-RightWing moment to congratulate the happy couple...
A Benkof "Apology" and More Propaganda
Posted on July 10, 2008I have to admit that whenever I read a David Benkof article I'm usually more shocked than anything. I take him at his word that he's concerned with non-gay-marriage issues like prison rape and the lack of lesbian health research. But at the same time, here is a man who parades his devoutly religious nature while simultaneously making huge, usually inaccurate, vilifying generalizations about "the gay community" without offering much, if any, evidence to support his bold claims...
The (White Man's) "Making of America"
Posted on July 09, 2008In addition to reading the occasional US Weekly, I also read Time magazine. The latest issue of Time was part of its annual "Making of America" series which "celebrates history by offering provocative insights into the lives of those who shaped the American experience...
On Labels and Generalizations
Posted on July 08, 2008A while back, I had a rather strange interaction with a fellow whose article about alleged "judicial tyranny" I linked to. In my article, I noted that a post of his regarding the California marriage decision reflected a serious misunderstanding of and ignorance about gay people...
"Deep" Thought #19: Farmer Explains Birds and Bees
Posted on July 07, 2008Check out this YouTube video that totally speaks truth to power. In it, a farmer sings a lil' ditty inviting gay couples down to his farm to see how "it's done" in nature. "It" meaning procreation. The gay community's quest for marriage equality, you see, has arisen because gay couples are confused, un-educated, and/or ignorant about how reproduction works...
RightWing Roundup: Hypocrites, Doooooods, and Gay Mayo
Posted on July 04, 20081. Oh Hell No!It is often claimed that gay men and lesbians don't know what marriage is. See, if we only knew that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman, we would know that only a man and a woman could get married.Thankfully, some members of our Congress who really know what marriage is all about are sponsoring a Marriage Protection Amendment that lays it all out: "Marriage in the US shall consist only of the union of one man and one woman...
The Privilege of "Normal-ish" Gays and Lesbians
Posted on July 03, 2008(This article has also been posted at the Family Equality Council Blog.) I recently read a thought-provoking essay by a blogger I admire very much. It made me confront and re-examine many of my beliefs. I don't agree with everything this blogger wrote, but the essay added more nuance to my position on marriage equality and my beliefs regarding the implications that the marriage equality movement has for non-traditional families...
Comments and Commenting
Posted on July 02, 2008Apparently, HaloScan is down. Thus, my comments are down. Until they're back up, Leftist Gender Warrior orders you to think of colors for Les Bionic Woman's costume. Arghhhh! Caricatures are fun. Leftist Gender Warrior, for example, embodies the exaggerated characteristics that a few of my internet "adversaries" have imbued me with over the course of me having this blog: Commie, abusive, malicious, desperate for attention, caustic, shrill, illiterate, leftist gender warrior (tm)...
"Polite" Girls and Rowdy Boys
Posted on July 02, 2008I recently came across an article in the Washington Post on single-sex education. In general, I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of single-sex education. In fact, I'd say that if I had been given the chance to attend an all-girls' school back when I was a kid, I would have shared the outlook of one of the featured 8-year-old girls: "'It's paradise!' to be with only girls...
RightWing Roundup: "Homos" and Hitler
Posted on July 01, 20081. Don't You Hate it When Being Disrespectful Makes You Look Like an Ass?I have long maintained that calling people by their preferred names and/or labels is an important step in promoting civil, respectful dialogue. It's a small concession that one can make at little or no cost to oneself...
News From Pride
Posted on June 30, 20081. Nice ThingsSo, I was at the pride parade one year and a group of bears walked by. One of the bears was wearing chaps with no underwear, meaning his butt was naked. A few feet in front of me, the bear stopped walking. Another bear came up behind him, knelt down, and began rimming him in full view of the crowd...
Friday Fun: Philosophical Quiz
Posted on June 27, 2008What philosophy do you follow? (v1.03)created with QuizFarm.com You scored as ExistentialismYour life is guided by the concept of Existentialism ?It is up to you to give [life] a meaning.? --Jean-Paul Sartre ?It is man's natural sickness to believe that he possesses the Truth...
Very Important Updates!
Posted on June 26, 2008Check out the latest Carnival of Feminists, where my article on the WNBA's make-up lessons appears, for some fun feminist readings.Lesbian? Have a thing for ladies in uniforms? Check out my latest Stuff Lesbians Like.Some call my writing "attention-seeking...
"Female Homosexual Behavior" Misinformation
Posted on June 26, 2008Recently, I came across a rather odd "education" piece put out by a group called the Catholic Education Resource Group. Written by a doctor, who claims that "when something is harmful, such as smoking, overeating, alcohol or drug abuse, and homosexual sex, it is my duty to discourage it," I have to admit the hairs on the back of my neck stood up...
Decision 2008 Propaganda Watch: "Angry Black Women"
Posted on June 25, 2008When conservative pundit Cal Thomas recently said the following on FOX News, I just have a few questions. First, the quote:In this campaign, we are being asked to accept three things simultaneously, the first woman with a credible chance of being president, the first African-American with the chance to being president and, whoever Michelle Obama is going to be styled, the angry black woman, first lady? This is an awful lot...
Article Review: "The Harm of Same-Sex Marriage: Real or Imagined"
Posted on June 24, 2008I recently came across a particularly articulate law review article discussing same-sex marriage. Authored by law professor Robert Lipkin and entitled "The Harm of Same-Sex Marriage: Real or Imagined," I encourage those on any side of this debate to read Mr...
H Hall of Shame: On Opportunistically Using Our Soldiers
Posted on June 23, 2008Whenever those opposed to gay rights begin randomly talking about our Brave Soldiers Fighting For Our Freedom (tm), I have to admit that the hairs on my neck stand up. Also, it cues me to think of Fred Phelps and his reprehensible message that "God hate fags" and, because (some) of America accepts fags, then God also hates America...
New Entry for Blog of Unnecessary Quotation Marks?
Posted on June 20, 2008Even though same-sex couples are now legally permitted to marry in California, that legal fact doesn't stop some marriage defenders from excessive unnecessary quotations marks to cast suspicion on the legitimacy of same-sex relationships. Like stubborn segregationists blocking access to white schools, they fail to concede a loss when they have, in fact, lost...
Deep Thought #18: "I Kissed a Girl" Is Sorta Lesbo
Posted on June 20, 2008You have to at least appreciate fundamentalists for their keen ability to pick up on subtleties. In a recent article on conservative news source OneNewsNow, writer Charlie Butts (tee-hee) writes of the popular Katy Perry song "I Kissed a Girl":"Top 40 rock stations are playing a song by an upcoming star that has lesbian undertones...
It's Sort of Like the Crusades All Over Again!
Posted on June 19, 2008A group calling itself the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property has taken put up a very long advertisement in major newspapers opposing the right of same-sex couples to marry. In true hyperbolic overstating-their-case fashion, this group scarily writes:"[T]he battle for marriage in America is the clash of two worldviews...
About That "Gay Community"
Posted on June 18, 2008In making my usual rounds at various marriage defense sites, I came across some links and citations to the arguments of marriage defender David Benkof. According to his website, Benkof is "openly bisexual" and opposes marriage equality. After perusing some of his archives, I found that I agree with him on some issues and appreciate his willingness to at least search for common ground on others...
Can you find the Hidden Image?
Posted on June 17, 2008While wandering over to the Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality website to see what they had to say about the gay marriages that are occurring in California, I came across this anti-gay article declaring that these marriages are "an illegal attack on the family...
"Deep" Thought #17: A Shot at Modesty With Tila Tequila
Posted on June 17, 2008Recently, Tila Tequila of MTV reality show fame modestly decided that she is to thank for the recent legalization of same-sex marriage in California. For those not familiar with Ms. Tequila, she is the bisexual star of her own reality dating show where a gaggle of male and female contestants leave their dignities at the door, convince themselves that they have fallen in love with a stranger, and compete for the short-lived affections of a woman who is famous for being famous on Myspace...
Announcements
Posted on June 16, 2008My Latest Stuff Lesbians Like is up.In random political news that makes me angry, did Fox news really refer to Michelle Obama as a "Baby Mama"? Just checking.
Salmonatoes and Scary Health News
Posted on June 16, 2008If there's one thing that annoys me its scary-yet-unhelpful breaking health news. Currently, as I'm sure most of you have heard thanks to the tendency of the media to lick its collective chops at the prospect of a scary health news story, there's an outbreak of salmonella in tomatoes...
"Deep" Thought #16: Marriage Defenders Undermine Our Government By Accusing Others of Undermining Our Government
Posted on June 13, 2008Our anti-gay friend "Chairm," has a new series on the "harm" to society that will supposedly result from allowing same-sex couples to marry. It should be noted that his "series" is really a choppy compilation of unsatisfactory arguments from previous articles that Chairm faithfully recycles and repeats in typical broken-record manner...
Don't Ask Don't Tell Update: Cook v. Gates
Posted on June 12, 2008A couple of days ago, the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit ruled on the legality of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) law. The entire decision can be read here (PDF). The plaintiffs in this suit were 12 former members of the military who were separated from service under DADT...
Action Alert: Rogue County Clerk Tries to Cancel Marriage!
Posted on June 11, 2008In perhaps the biggest news since angry parents everywhere threatened to cancel Christmas, one California county clerk opposed to same-sex couples marrying has tried to cancel marriage. In her county at least. While couples will still be able to apply for a marriage license, the clerk's office will not solemnize ceremonies...
Every Girl in this League Is Going to be a Lady
Posted on June 11, 2008I think I have just stumbled across one of the funniest items on the internet. Who needs youtube when remnants of the long-dead idea that "female athletes are ladies first and athletes second" are posted? Okay, so maybe that concept isn't "long dead," as we learned in my article regarding make-up application workshops for WNBA players...
Breakable Literal Bible Rule of the Week: Menstruating Women
Posted on June 10, 2008If there's one issue that reminds me that God is certainly a persnickety fellow it's his prohibitions surrounding women and menstruation. For instance, the Lord tells us in Leviticus 15:19 that thanks to a woman's impure tendency to menstruate, she should be kept separate for 7 days...
"Deep" Thought #15: Same-Sex Couples Are Just Friends
Posted on June 09, 2008An oft-used way that those opposed to gay rights disparage the love that members of same-sex couples have for each other is to insist on referring to our relationships as mere "friendships." Friendships are wonderful things, no doubt about it. And, like our heterosexual counterparts, we too, are friends with the people we are in relationships with...
Fun With Spatial Awareness
Posted on June 06, 2008Let's keep things non-gay and light today and talk about one of my pet peeves.One of the annoyances about being in crowded places is that people tend to lack awareness of where their body is in relation to other people's bodies. I'm pretty sure that studies have shown an inverse correlation between the number of people in a crowd and the "spatial awareness" exhibited by members of that crowd...
RightWing Roundup: The End is Nigh, Tyrannies, and Scared Men
Posted on June 05, 20081. Exaggeration of the WeekThe anti-gay Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) submitted a petition asking the California Supreme Court to stay its recent decision until after the November elections when voters decide whether to amend the California state constitution to ban same-sex couples from marrying...
"Family Values" Groups Out of Touch With American Families
Posted on June 04, 2008This week, the Family Equality Council was kind enough to contact me to write a guest post on the group's blog. Take a gander at this group's website and blog. As an organization working to ensure equality for LGBT families, this group serves an important role in validating "non-traditional" families and countering the idea that heterosexual nuclear families are automatically superior than every other family form...
Benefit #10: Name Changes
Posted on June 03, 2008This article is part of my running series documenting the legal, financial, and economic benefits and protections of civil marriage. While I do not think that marriage is the most important "gay issue," I write this series to demonstrate that the denial of marriage equality has real, tangible, and unfair consequences for gay and lesbian couples...
My Life: Spring 2008
Posted on June 02, 2008Today is Blog for LGBT Families Day. The point of this blogging day is to honor and indicate that not all families fit the one father and one mother model. For many reasons, I don't often blog about my personal life. Yet, many of the topics I write about affect my life as a gay person in some tangible way...
Random Fun Shoutouts!
Posted on May 30, 20081. Feminist Law Professor Ann Bartow deserves a shoutout for compiling various articles regarding The Sexism in the Democratic Primary. Even to many of us who voted for Obama, the overt sexism and misogynistic comments directed at Clinton have been disturbing, distasteful, and indicative of how feminism is still relevant...
"Deep" Thought #14: Children of Gay Parents are "Robbed"!
Posted on May 30, 2008I simply love it when the bigotry that is always brimming just below the surface of one authoritarian homophobe's every writing rears its ugly head. Recently, in his article discussing the importance of genetic counseling in cancer screening, our always-respectful-and-definitely-not-bigoted buddy "On Lawn" threw in this gem:"Children who are robbed from part of their heritage so that two mommies or two daddies can pretend to be a complete marital unit might not have that benefit...
Dog Poop Awards
Posted on May 29, 2008One of the... "fun" things about writing a blog is that you encounter all sorts of people and internet personas. I have written before about the internet fuckwad phenomenon whereby anonymity plus audience magically turns "normal" people into fuckwads...
"Deep" Thought #13: Re-Naming Marriage
Posted on May 28, 2008Now that heterosexuals in California have to share marriage with gay and lesbian couples, some sore losers want to take their ball and go home. The always-entertaining bigot Jose, for instance, decides that no, the word marriage isn't so important after all...
Girl Too Good for the Boys
Posted on May 28, 2008In hilarious sports' news, Jaime Nared, a 12-year-old girl, was banned from the boys' basketball team for being too good. As FOX sports reports, she had been playing on this team since second-grade but "curiously, the timing of her ban came in the wake of a 30-point effort against an all-boys team...
Whistle Blowing or Windmill Fighting?
Posted on May 27, 2008Today, I want to take a brief moment to thank WorldNetDaily for so reliably being on the constant lookout for danger to Society, America, the Family, and the Children. I myself am part of society, America, and a family, and so it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside knowing that my being is safely nuzzled within the vigilant watch of WorldNetDaily...
Danica Patrick's Skillz
Posted on May 26, 2008Kudos to sportswriter Ian O'Connor for saying this:"Danica Patrick will not change the world by winning the Indy 500. She will change it by becoming an agent of reform, by using her victory to convince men to start measuring a woman by her skill instead of her bra size...
RightWing Roundup #6: Conservative Hate, Slippery Slopes, and Paranoia
Posted on May 23, 20081. Being Peaceful is, Like, So ImmatureIf you remember, my biggest qualm with Washington University in St. Louis' granting of an honorary degree to Phyllis Schlafly is not because she espouses anti-feminist views, but rather because she perpetuates an angry, divisive, us versus them, simplistic way of thinking that distorts feminism rather than informs...
Real Life Affirmative Action for Boys
Posted on May 22, 2008Time magazine had an interesting editorial recently regarding the "gender gap" in college education. In it, the author discusses how as the numbers of women entering college has outpaced the numbers of men, colleges have begun admitting less qualified men over more qualified women...
Stuff Lesbians Like Alert
Posted on May 21, 2008Not to brag but my latest addition to Stuff Lesbos Like is up.
And You Too Can Be a Useless Politician!
Posted on May 21, 2008Walter Bayes, a 70-year-old "retired blue-collar worker" running for a seat in the Idaho House of Representatives, has odd priorities. For instance, in his campaign literature he wrote:"It is absolutely wrong to force any student to share the same bathrooms and showers with homosexual teachers or students...
Breakable Literal Bible Rule of the Week: Soothsaying
Posted on May 20, 2008One time, I went to Provincetown for a vacation. Being from a small town in the Midwest, Provincetown was quite the change of scenery for me. For those of you not in the know, there are a great number of.... fortune-tellers in Provincetown.Back when I went to this charming city by the sea, I was not as concerned with living a holy life as I have been in recent days...
A Note on "Activist Judges" (TM)
Posted on May 19, 2008One can pretty much guarantee that 90% of those blathering in the bigotsphere about the recent California marriage decision have not actually read in any great depth the actual opinion. In their heads, all they know, hear, or say is that because of "activist judges" who overturned "the will of the people," gay people won a culture battle in California...
The Marriage Debate: On Relevantly Framing the Issue
Posted on May 16, 2008In honor of the recent California marriage decision, I think it is a fitting time to re-visit this particular debate. This California opinion[PDF] was particularly interesting as this case took place in a state relatively accepting of equal rights. California law, for instance, already afforded essentially the same legal rights and benefits of marriage to same-sex couples that it granted to opposite-sex couples...
Book Review: Feminism & Religion
Posted on May 15, 2008Reading about religions, their histories and the methods of studying them, is sort of a hobby of mine. The latest book I have read in this genre, Rita Gross's book Feminism & Religion, was the exact mixture of scholarship I was looking for in a book about religion...
Lesbian Recruiting Activity Alert: Grace the Spot
Posted on May 14, 2008I am honored to announce that Grace Chu, webmistress of Grace the Spot (of "Stuff Lesbians Like" fame), has asked little old me to join the Grace posse and contribute to the site. I will still be regularly ranting writing here in Fannie's Room, of course...
RightWing Roundup #5: Psychics, Herbs, and Homo Militias
Posted on May 14, 20081. Call Now For Your Personalized Psychic Reading!WorldNetDaily commentator David Kupelian wrote an "interesting" article predicting with absolute certainty the chaos that will ensue upon Mrs. Bill Clinton's presidential victory. Within this article, Kupelian discusses the "sins" of Bill Clinton, the eveel-ness of liberalism, and a magical theory whereby the president is the "father" of our nation whose actions "invisibly shape the character and worldview of the country, with a particularly profound effect upon the young, since they are the most impressionable...
Phyllis Schlafly's Feminism: Good Enough For Her, But Not For Other Women
Posted on May 13, 2008I was perturbed upon learning that one of my alma maters, Washington University in St. Louis, is about to bestow an honorary doctorate (in Humane Letters!) upon the anti-feminist, anti-gay Phyllis Schlafly at this year's commencement ceremony. I suppose it's only fitting that shrill NBC commentator Chris Matthews, who has a pattern of making sexist comments when referring to women, will deliver the commencement address and also receive an honorary degree of his very own...
And Gracefully and Grandly... Gracefully and Grandly
Posted on May 12, 2008Apparently, part of the WNBA's new player orientation now includes instruction on the very important basketball topic of how to apply makeup. It's sort of a new strategy to make men interested in the WNBA because, you know, God forbid men view female athletes as athletes rather than babes...
Sally Kern, "Truth," and the Culture Wars
Posted on May 09, 2008I'm going to jump right into this article with a statement of the obvious: The recent threatening and name-calling emails that Sally Kern has received in response to her recent "gays are worse than terrorists" rant are wrong. Assuming the emails are legitimate (Kern reported them as "death threats," but investigators reported that they were not), they are wrong on a personal level with respect to Sally Kern's humanity and they are problematic with respect to the struggle for equal rights...
Asinine Doods and Female Athletes
Posted on May 08, 2008I found this story to be uplifting. "With two runners on base and a strike against her, Sara Tucholsky of Western Oregon University uncorked her best swing and did something she had never done, in high school or college. Her first home run cleared the center-field fence...
"Deep" Thought #12: The Importance of Fatherhood
Posted on May 07, 2008The same thing that makes lesbian parenting wrong is what makes gay dad parenting so, so right. See, growing up with a father is really important. Since growing up with a father is really important, it's even better for a child to grow up with two fathers...
RightWing Roundup #4: Agendas, Last Days, and Fascists!
Posted on May 07, 20081. Wait, Who Has an Agenda?We hear all the time about the sinister Gay Agenda where homosexuals seek to take over all of our important institutions and pretty much run the world. Thankfully, Janet Folger from the Christian Worldview Network has a agenda plan of her own on how to win this culture war...
Politicians, Primaries, and... Can This Be Over Already?
Posted on May 06, 2008A few weeks ago, I was going to do a little blog recap from yet another Obama/Clinton primary battle but I bored myself before I even started writing the post.See, I was really into the primaries during the weeks leading up to Super Tuesday. Now, not so much...
The Language of Bigots: Some Greatest Hits
Posted on May 05, 2008One thing I have noticed during the course of reading anti-gay writings is the.... odd and unintentionally humorous language that bigots use when describing gay people and the dreaded gay agenda.After a recent example of this I thought it would be most prudent to make a list of some of these "Greatest Hits" in the Language of Bigots...
RightWing Roundup #3: "These" Feminists, Incompetence, and Omissions
Posted on May 02, 20081. Who Exactly Are "These" Feminists?Read hater-of-women-who-distinguish-themselves-from-doormats Rush Limbaugh's latest asininity:"[Y]ou have to understand the mindset of a lot of these feminists and women. They think they're owed this -- just like Obama supporters think they're owed this...
Mingly Seeds: Breakable Literal Bible Law of the Week
Posted on May 01, 2008In our secular society in which all religions are valued, it is of the utmost importance to follow the laws of the Bible. We all know that one man shall not lay (or is it lie?) with another man and all that. And further, as Focus on the Family tells us, "It is intellectually dishonest to say conservatives 'interpret' such verses out of prejudice against homosexuals...
My Take on the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007
Posted on April 30, 2008Back when I still believed the government was serious about addressing the rising cost of higher education and inequalities with regard to access, I received an email update regarding the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. "Finally," I thought, "a law that might help people attend college!"I read through the law, I read the summaries, and I read updates from nonprofits whose very job is supposedly to protect and advocate student/debtor interests...
"Deep" Thought #11: The Denial of Death Benefits is "Good News"
Posted on April 29, 2008Recently, as the Americans for Truth [sic] About Homosexuality reported, a domestic partner bill for same-sex couples was defeated in Illinois.This bill would have... well, why don't I sit back and let The Illinois Family Institute explain (as reported on the website for Americans for Truth [sic]) the "good news" on the bill's defeat:"You made a difference! Thank you for taking action on this bill!Thanks in part to your phone calls and emails, the Illinois House of Representatives in Springfield voted 43 to 67 (with 1 voting ?present?) yesterday, defeating HB 4731, a bill that would have allowed homosexual partners of public school teachers to qualify as surviving spouses for purpose of survivor and death benefits...
Pregnant Men and Caricatures
Posted on April 28, 2008Now that a transman is receiving worldwide attention for becoming pregnant, conservatives and bigots everywhere are, per their usual hyperbolic tendency, declaring this "tragedy" to be a sign that the end is near.To start, I don't know what it's like to be a transgender person...
Day of Silence: Anti-Gay Groups Miss the Point
Posted on April 24, 2008Tomorrow is the National Day of Silence that many youth are observing. For those who are unfamiliar with this day, the Day of Silence is "a student-led day of action when concerned students, from middle school to college, take some form of a vow of silence to bring attention to the name-calling, bullying and harassment -- in effect, the silencing -- experienced by LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students and their allies...
Silly Bigot, Newborn Babies Don't Know How to Talk
Posted on April 23, 2008Concerned Woman for America Kenneth Ervin, in a recent propaganda piece, recounts a... "unique" testimonial witnessing of a baby born to a transman.Take a quick second to read it.Miraculous, right?Neither Ervin nor the media multitudes in attendance express shock at the obvious conclusion of the testimonial:Babies born to transgender men are prodigies!It's true...
Observations from Watching Straight People Bowl
Posted on April 23, 2008Something that yuppie heterosexual groups of friends like to do is play co-ed sports together. Sometimes this phenomenon occurs in organized sports' leagues, and other times this occurs in less formal settings. One such frequent informal setting is the bowling alley...
Deep Thought #10: Marriage Defenders Are Right About Everything Especially When They Change Their Argument in the Middle of the Game
Posted on April 22, 2008Shoutout to Ed Brayton for highlighting an odd article on WorldNetDaily:"Gay' study: Marriage makes little difference'Same-sex relationships must be unique, not like oppressive heterosexual norms'"Before I delve into the cockles of stupidity here, let's all remember this article where we saw how marriage defenders often arrogantly and amusingly believe that "studies show" that they are right about everything...
A "Preventing Homosexuality" Tutorial
Posted on April 21, 2008After reading Focus on the Family's so very helpful guide on recognizing whether your spouse is a homo, I came across this handy-dandy "Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality" written by Joseph and Linda Nicolosi- founders of National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality...
Benefits and Protections of Marriage #8 and #9: Divorce
Posted on April 18, 2008This article is part of my series on legal and economic benefits and protections of marriage. Rather than limiting discussions surrounding marriage equality to abstract debates, it is helpful to point out the tangible ways that same-sex couples are harmed by an unequal legal system...
RightWing Roundup #2: Cranks, Cake, Equality, and Suckers
Posted on April 17, 20081. When You Can't Get Published in Real Scientific Journals, Just Start Your Own!Evolution denialist group "Answers in Genesis" recently produced the first issue of its, ahem, "professional, peer-reviewed technical journal." (Those fine fellows over at denialism blog, per usual, do a brilliant job deconstructing it)...
"Deep" Thought #9: Studies Inconclusively Prove That Marriage Defenders Are Right About Everything!
Posted on April 16, 2008Defender of the Traditional Family Fitz has an interesting self-contradictory claim. Before I begin, I should state here that I don't write these articles to pick on Fitz and company. I write them to point out examples of faulty arguments that many marriage defenders use...
Some Telling Ads?
Posted on April 15, 2008Upon perusing uber-right wing website WorldNetDaily I can't help but wonder if the advertisements are a greater reflection on the average readership. (During this article, I am not going to include links because WorldNetDaily likely is paid for every click, and hey, who wants to support right-wing propaganda?)...
Book Review: The Left Hand of Darkness
Posted on April 14, 2008After reading a series of politically intense nonfiction books, I recently decided it was time to lose myself in some fiction. Desiring more of an escape than the type of novel I usually read, I picked up a cheap yellow-paged old copy of Ursula Le Guin's science fiction novel The Left Hand of Darkness and delved into another galaxy...
57th Carnival of Feminists
Posted on April 13, 2008A quick note from Leftist Gender Warrior:The 57th Carnival of Feminists is up! This Carnival includes a link to my "Concerned" Man Tutorial.Check out the post for some fun feminist reading.[Insert evil cackle]
I Know My Kid Will Make Up For What I Never Was
Posted on April 11, 2008While nursing a recent hangover, I had the misfortune of stumbling upon a new reality show starring Danny Bonaduce: I Know My Kid's a Star. The premise? A bunch of stage parents (mostly moms) tote their "talented" children through various challenges in hopes that their child (mostly girls) will become the next child star...
Revisiting Title IX
Posted on April 10, 2008Recently, I posted a student's letter regarding Title IX. I am thankful that a commenter came out of the woodwork to bring up many complaints and generalizations about the law, even though we disagreed on some issues. His comments inspired me to finally sit down and write about Title IX and women's athletics- two areas I feel strongly about and have been wanting to write about for some time...
Unimportant Breaking News from the Right Roundup
Posted on April 09, 20081. See Ya Next TuesdayA new book has come out documenting Republican presidential contender John McCain's notorious temper. One particularly shocking example of an alleged exchange between McCain and his wife Cindy follows:"At one point, Cindy playfully twirled McCain's hair and said, 'You're getting a little thin up there...
Tagged
Posted on April 09, 2008Fannie's Room has been tagged by the always-entertaining Grace the Spot. (I'm sorta going to break the following rules. See, I've sorta been meaning to write a review of this really shitty book I read, but I'm debating as to whether it's even worth the effort...
All That for a Wrestling Program
Posted on April 08, 2008Via the Title IX Blog, a letter in the Notre Dame student paper from college student John Witty:"When I started reading Greg Yatarola's column, "The tyranny of Title IX," it was April 2nd, 2008, but when I looked up from my paper it was 1950. The world had gone black and white, Notre Dame hadn't admitted women, and apparently, people cared about wrestling...
Open Letter to My (Un)Favorite Homophobe
Posted on April 07, 2008Dear "Jose," Remember when you wrote this? "Homosexual ?marriage?? What nonsense! Committed homosexual relationship? Ridiculous! They need to stop those practices as quickly as possible! We don?t want our kids learning about depraved behaviors! Keep it to yourselves...
MLK, Wright-gate, and Racism
Posted on April 04, 200840 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. It was very clear, during the time King was active, what racism was. It was overt and it was sanctioned by our government. While King's messaging encompassed a wide range of social justice issues, today I want to focus on racial issues and how what is conceptualized as "racism" is being co-opted by...
"Deep" Thought #8: A History "Lesson"
Posted on April 03, 2008Throughout the history of the world, many civilizations have existed. Not all of these civilizations have existed forever, though. Some of them have died. Many people today, in fact, are saying that our civilization is on the decline. All the signs are here!At this juncture, it is of the utmost importance for us to be asking ourselves what common bond history's lost peoples had with each other that led to their mass extinction...
American Apathy?
Posted on April 02, 2008Writing this post was difficult for me. It is difficult to criticize the war in Iraq without in some way implicitly condemning those who fight in the war. Because I am not (allowed to be) in the military, I have the privilege of saying that the war does not affect my everyday life too much...
Protections and Benefits of Marriage #5 and #6: Income Taxes
Posted on April 01, 2008Want to know another way same-sex couples are tangibly and specifically harmed by unequal marriage rights? Taxes.They have increased complexity and higher fees when filing tax returns (#5), when compared to opposite-sex married couples.As Law Professor Anthony Infanti writes,"Because many states use the federal income tax as a base for their own income taxes and the federal government does not recognize same-sex relationships, same-sex couples in legally recognized relationships cannot simply use their federal returns as a basis for their state filings (as different-sex married couples can)...
The Case of the Invisible Ideology
Posted on April 01, 2008What is objectivity?Wikipedia has a pretty standard definition of the concept, saying "objectivity addresses what reality is and what we know about it." When referring to the state of being "objective" within this article, I am referring to the state of having the ability to discern what reality is...
Tutorial: Do You Have a "Homosexual" Spouse?
Posted on March 31, 2008To any married members in the audience today, I'd like to bring your attention to a very, um, "helpful" piece put out by Focus on the Family. It's an article about recognizing and dealing with having a "homosexual" spouse.Is it just me or are Focus on the Family's "telltale signs" that you have a "homosexual" spouse really just "telltale signs" that your spouse of any orientation is fucking around on you?Observe...
Stuff Lesbians Like
Posted on March 28, 2008I have to share this blog I happened to stumble across. I'm actually pretty jealous that I didn't think of doing this first. Dammit!It's similar to the Stuff White People Like blog.
Fannie's L Word Season 5 Awards!
Posted on March 28, 2008Well, another season of The L Word has come and gone. I'd like to commemorate the occasion with some awards. If some of you out there don't watch this show, sorry. Just nod and laugh like you know what's going on.Best CharacterJenny.Among other memorable quotes, this woman told a fuckwad guy "I will not continue this conversation with you until you remove the piece of snot that is dangling from your nose...
In the "Just Keep Telling Yourself That" Category
Posted on March 27, 2008In the words of "ex-gay" John Smid:"I'm sorry, but my wife's vagina is enough. I'm going to be honest. It's enough. It is enough for me. If it is not enough for me, then that's my problem. You know, I really have to be honest about that. God created her for my fit, he created that and I need to honor and respect my wife...
A "Concerned" Man Tutorial
Posted on March 27, 2008Anti-feminists today are up in arms about the advances women have made in society. Because for so long men controlled the public sphere, these anti-feminists decry how women's entry into the public sphere is "ruining everything." Recently, a couple of men have voiced strong concerns about the dangers of feminism...
Breaking News: Unsafe Sex Can Lead to STDs
Posted on March 26, 2008In light of recent STD surveillance findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that reported high rates of STDs among teenagers and other groups, I could have been a written an "attention-grabbing" headline saying this:Men Give Teenage Women STDs in Alarming Rates!Or, perhaps:Heterosexual Sex Leads to Disease!But, you see, I didn't...
"Deep" Thought #7: A Grand Display of Bad Faith, Psychic Ability, and/or Poor Comprehension
Posted on March 25, 2008One of many reasons I stopped interacting with the folks over at Opine is that their most-used tactic is to take quotes out of context and impute the commenter with all sorts of sinister beliefs and opinions that he or she never stated.Out of curiosity, I was reading a debate between my friend Jane and some of the Opiners...
Play Me a Tiny Violin, Part II
Posted on March 25, 2008So, I was reading through some of the friend of the court briefs in the California marriage equality case and I came across the following argument put forth by the group "Jews Offering New Alternatives to Homosexuality (JONAH)," "Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (P-FOX)," and "Evergreen International:""Ruling that gays and lesbians are an immutable oppressed class unnecessarily stigmatizes the small minority of Californians who have changed their self-understanding of their orientation...
I am a Concerned Man for America
Posted on March 24, 2008Recently, I read an articulate blog post explaining how sexism and misogyny harms men as well as women. It is worth a read and, I agree with most, perhaps all, of what Portly says.In a nutshell, she argues that "one of the tragedies of sexism for men in our culture" is "the abrogation of their right to 'have a heart' -- a full-range emotional body" while also acknowledging that men generally have privilege over women...
Anti-Feminism: Affirmative Action for Men
Posted on March 21, 2008Look here, another WorldNetDaily man telling us all how bad feminism has been for women! To make a long illogical rant short, columnist Dennis Prager is claiming that feminism has caused women to have higher rates of depression than men because it has raised their expectations but because they're women, they can never meet these higher expectations...
"Deep" Thought #6: Feminists Are Ugly
Posted on March 20, 2008Following anti-feminist Fitz's article lambasting Title IX, one of his fellow bloggers named "Marty" chimed in with the brilliant "feminists are ugly" retort: "Heh, I hate to sound so sexist but google [the feminist in question's] picture. It pretty much explains everything...
You Get Down With Your Bad Self, GOP!
Posted on March 20, 2008Well folks, it looks like it's gonna be rich, white, heterosexual man John McCain in an historic bid for the presidency versus either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. You know those Republicans, always on the cutting edge of progress!But... are we ready for this?Pressing questions we all must be asking at this juncture include:Will McCain's core base of rich white men and Nascar dads be enough to ensure victory?How will white and male identity politics play into the race? Will men be able to separate the issues from their gender? How many men will vote for McCain just because he's a man?Will white people be able to separate the issues from their race? How many white people will vote for McCain just because he's white?How will McCain play the gender and/or race card to his advantage?Is John McCain too unemotional to be president? Does John McCain have too much testosterone-fueled rage to be president?How will John McCain handle the moments he is president and has an erection?What will John McCain wear, and will he ever cry during the race and/or the presidency?How will male pundits react to the novelty of a male presidential candidate? How will they characterize his voice?Will they critique McCain's appearance and outfits?How will McCain handle the assumption that, by virtue of his gender alone, he is fit to be Commander-in-Chief?Only time will tell...
Sally Kern: Hate Speech Apologist
Posted on March 19, 2008A few days ago, Sally Kern issued a press release regarding her recent less-than-stellar comments about gay people. Before we get into that let's do an experiment and replace "black" or "Latino" into Kern's recent comments. In that case, I think it's safe to say that Kern would not still be sitting pretty in her taxpayer-funded office right now...
What's Next, Dogs as Scientists?!
Posted on March 18, 2008If any female scientists are in the audience today, they *might* take issue with this article by woman-fearing "Vox Day" from WingNutDaily. In fact, if you are a male scientist who isn't threatened by intelligent women you, too, will probably take issue with the rant...
California Marriage Case Summary
Posted on March 17, 2008For those of you interested in the marriage equality debate, I would encourage you to read former City of Berkeley Attorney Manuela Albuquerque's article summarizing the arguments made in the California Supreme Court's pending decision in the state's marriage equality case...
"Deep" Thought #5: Voting is a "Problem" in a Democratic Society!
Posted on March 14, 2008Super-duper Christian man Jose Solano thinks it's a "problem" that non-religious people are allowed to vote in the US! Of atheists and agnostics he says:"Part of the problem of our democratic system is that such people are allowed to vote. They have a right to express their irrational ?religious? views, atheistic or hedonistic, anarchistic or self-centered, etc...
This Just In: Men Lack Free Will!
Posted on March 14, 2008Dr. Laura Schlessinger, on New York governor Eliot Spitzer:"When the wife does not focus in on the needs and the feelings, sexually, personally, to make him feel like a man, to make him feel like a success, to make him feel like her hero, he's very susceptible to the charm of some other woman making him feel what he needs...
LifeSite News: A Study in Bias and Propaganda
Posted on March 13, 2008On any given day, a reader with any semblance of critical reading skills can take a day's sample of LifeSiteNews' headlines and find error, lies, and distortions of the truth. (I have blogged about several egregious example previously). As my friend Jane Know said one time, when a person cites LifeSiteNews believing that it's honest, accurate, or unbiased journalism, it sort of automatically discredits that person as an arbiter of competence or journalistic integrity...
Out of the Mouths of Babes
Posted on March 13, 20081. I love Ellen DeGeneres. After hearing about Sally Kern's anti-gay tirade, Ellen attempted to call her on her television show. Leaving Kern a message, Ellen said this:"Hi! It's Ellen DeGeneres.... The gay one. I just want to talk to you because I feel like I could clear some things up...
What's More Rude Than Being Gay?
Posted on March 12, 2008Surprise, surprise, another anti-gay bigot is misusing research data about gay men and lesbians to support his already-held and unsubstantiated conclusions about gay people.This latest example of propaganda comes from "On Lawn," a member of the Opine Editorials' cast of anti-gay characters...
Sally Kern Really Has to Ask "What's Wrong" With Hate Speech?
Posted on March 11, 2008Shoutout to Vieve for passing along news of Oklahoma state rep Sally Kern's recent YouTube-sensational anti-gay monologue. Some of Kern's ignorant gems include:"The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation.... Not everybody's lifestyle is equal, just like not everybody's religion is equal and according to God's word, it is not the right lifestyle...
"Deep" Thought #4: Dead Fathers are Better than Step-Fathers!
Posted on March 10, 2008Oh. My god. The "Deep" Thoughts category really doesn't get any "deeper" than this next one, dear readers. What follows may, in fact, be the single most-est best-est deepest thought ever in the history of ever!Anti-gay "intellectual" Fitz has just announced that the empty space left behind from a deceased father is better at raising children than are living non-biological dads...
Finally, a Holy Man I Can Agree With
Posted on March 10, 2008Anglican Bishop Gene Robinson, whose open gayness so troubles some of the men in charge of the church that they are causing a potential schism, is a man of courage that I admire. Recently, Robinson gave an inspiring speech to the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force where articulated what all the fuss is about regarding the acceptance of homosexuality...
The Freddies! Wise Master Paul Jamieson
Posted on March 07, 2008Today I would like to present the 3rd Annual Freddy Award to occasional visitor and frequent off-color anti-gay commenter (Wise Master) "Paul Jamieson."Why does he deserve this award?He sort of embodies the hateful "teaching methods" used by the likes of Freddy namesake Fred Phelps...
Friday Fun!
Posted on March 07, 20081. I confess, I watch The Big Gay Sketch Show mostly because of (foxy) Kate McKinnon and Julie Goldman. Much like Saturday Night Live, the show is usually hit or miss. However, I did think this skit was pretty funny. And sort of true. In an exaggerated way...
Rush Limbaugh is Un-American
Posted on March 06, 2008Regarding the potential "dream ticket" of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, Rush Limbaugh recently said the following. (And, because you can't read emotion in a transcript, when I watched him say this, I must say that Limbaugh was both laughing and proud when he said these words):"Let's say it is Obama and Hillary?Let's put Hillary at the top ? That's a position she's familiar with," Limbaugh said on his radio show Thursday...
Play Me a Tiny Violin
Posted on March 06, 2008I recently learned via World Net Daily, a very concerned news organization for gender discrimination [insert laughter], that a man is suing the Colorado Rockies because he was denied a "Ladies' Night" ticket to a ballgame.Can I begin this article with a big thank you to World Net Daily for highlighting this grave injustice...
Renewing My Confidence in Americans
Posted on March 05, 2008Mike "The Rev" Huckabee conceded the Republican primary last night to John McCain.[Insert mad cackling]This is one small step for John McCain, and one giant leap for the separation of church and state.Well done, America.
And If He's Mocking Bigotry, He's No Sarah Silverman
Posted on March 05, 2008Could a guy piss his pants out of fear of the prospect of a woman president any more than Joel Stein does in this article? He starts off with a bang:"You know how ladies, when they don't get what they want, can go a little crazy? Am I right, fellas? Right now, they're pretty upset about losing their first chance at a female president...
Deep Thought #3: Gay Rights Cause Natural Disasters
Posted on March 04, 2008Need any more convincing that fundamentalists and those who conveniently contrive supernatural explanations for natural phenomena should not run a nation or its disaster preparedness programs?Read this latest factoid that gay "activity" causes earthquakes...
Ellen on Changing the Message
Posted on March 04, 2008A lot of people have posted about this already, but I want to keep this important message going.Ellen DeGeneres rarely talks about being gay, but when she does, she is usually right on. As some of you have probably heard, 15-year-old Lawrence King was murdered by a classmate for being gay...
Carnival of the Godless!
Posted on March 03, 2008Shoutout to Carnival of the Godless host blog Life Before Death, for featuring my recent article "Blasphemy! (Part I)."Check it out for more godless reading!
Yes, Let's Do Talk About Human Dignity
Posted on March 03, 2008Before I begin, I want to state that the following post is not a challenge. It is a request.And although it is an open letter addressed to Fitz (aka, Mr. "proponents of marriage equality are enemies of America") it is a message to anyone in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay people from marriage...
Crispy Fucking Chicken
Posted on February 29, 2008What follows is a case in point as to why I cannot take the fundamentalist Christians seriously when they claim they are just trying to make the world a better place.According to the always-entertaining conservative World Net Daily "A billboard campaign for 'Crispy Frickin' Chicken' is ruffling the feathers of a Pennsylvania couple who believe the word 'frickin' is a 'euphemism for fornication...
Are People in Spain Less Bigoted Than Americans, or Just More Into Equality?
Posted on February 29, 2008On July 1, 2005 gays and lesbians were allowed to marry in Spain. 65% of Spaniards, of whom 82% consider themselves to be Roman Catholic, supported this legalization. Unsurprisingly, Catholic bishops came out in opposition to full equality saying,"If it is the state itself that establishes a law which ignores the essence of marriage, then the damage it causes to the true family, to children and society as a whole will be incalculable...
The Marriage Ban Harms Real People
Posted on February 28, 2008I read this on Dispatches from the Culture Wars and had to repost it. "Yet another story that shows why not allowing same sex marriage causes real harm to real families. 'Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond had planned to take their three children on a family cruise...
Blasphemy! (Part II)
Posted on February 28, 2008Yesterday, I explored the reasons for my rejection of organized religion- specifically, my rejection of Christianity. The purpose of today's post is to explain why, contrary to the declarations of some authoritative fundamentalist Christians, I still have something to live by and for...
Blasphemy! (Part I)
Posted on February 27, 2008I'm just going to jump right into this next post here. It has to do with religion and what I think of it. It's been brewing for some time, and after recent comment events with a certain fundamentalist Christian, I think now is as good a time as any to post it...
Deep Thought #2: The "Sexist" Orientation
Posted on February 26, 2008A few months ago, I stumbled upon this (obvious parody? of an) anti-gay website (clearly written by a child with no knowledge of the logical fallacy of equivocation) that proclaims this: Gay people are sexist for not forming relationships with persons of the other sex...
Book Review: Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power
Posted on February 26, 2008After reading the blurb on the back cover of Gerry Spence's Bloodthirsty Bitches and Pious Pimps of Power: The Rise and Risks of the New Conservative Hate Culture, I was extremely eager to read the book. For, in it, Spence makes a compelling case that "conservative hate-mongers: Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham, Nancy Grace, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson, and others...
On Healing a Nation
Posted on February 25, 2008Until I saw the heartbreaking documentary Rabbit-Proof Fence some years ago, I remained largely ignorant of the plight of the Aboriginal people in Australia.To this population, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd speaking on behalf of the the parliament and government issued a formal apology for the government's removal of Aboriginal children from their families into internment camps, orphanages, and other institutions...
Deep Thought #1. Gay People Can't Get Married Because Marriage Isn't For Gay People
Posted on February 22, 2008Need more proof that whenever anti-gay bigot Jose Solano speaks an angel loses its wings and the world gets just a little. bit. dumber?On his blog, he states his favorite circular argument against gay marriage while simultaneously exposing his hateful and intolerant bigotry always brimming just below the surface:"By the actual fundamental definition of marriage, that is, complementarity, [two people of the same-sex] cannot ever form a marriage...
Dad Jeans (TM)
Posted on February 22, 2008Traveling on my recent vacation, and being around large numbers of people, I encountered a phenomenon that deserves mentioning.But first, some background. Some of you are probably familiar with the Saturday Night Live fake commercial for "Mom Jeans." If not, watch the hilarious snippet found here first...
Well, He Has a Point. Even If It's a Small One.
Posted on February 21, 2008It was only a matter of time until some insecure powerful-woman-fearing literalist would come along and make this argument:"Legally, a woman can't be elected president"His reasoning?"The language is clear. The 19th Amendment says: 'The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex...
She's Too Hard! No, wait... She's Too Soft!
Posted on February 21, 2008What's up with the contradictory opinions of Hillary Clinton. Let me illustrate:Rush Limbaugh's recent "analysis" on why men don't like Hillary Clinton (Because, you know, Rush Limbaugh speaks for all men. Especially the super-duper manly men with really large penises):"It's -- a lot of it's attitudinal -- she just -- she reminds men of the worst characteristics of women they've encountered over their life: totally controlling, not soft and cuddly...
Excelente!
Posted on February 20, 2008Grace from Law with Grace kindly bestowed upon Fannie's Room this Excellent Blog Award thingy!It's my turn to pick someone else. I choose the contributors at Live, Love, Learn for their timely and insightful commentary on civil rights, religion, and politics...
Book Report: American Fascists, Part II
Posted on February 20, 2008What follows is the second half of my book review and analysis of Chris Hedge's American Fascists. In Part I of my review, I examined Hedge's case regarding the appeal of the Christian Right movement and its ultimate goal of dominion.Today, I want to examine Hedge's claims about the great scapegoat of the Christian Right (gays) as well as the Christian Right's hypocritical new definition of tolerance...
What?!! Democrats Support Slavery!?
Posted on February 19, 2008Concerned Women for America Matt Barber and Peter LaBarbera are pleased to have written the following story (Compare the headline to the accompanying text):"Slavery Advocate Honored with Support from the DNCThe Democratic National Committee has put its support behind the honoring of Guy Baldwin, a sado-masochism advocate, by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force...
Book Review- American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America
Posted on February 19, 2008Fascist is a word that is often used yet not very often defined. In debate parlance, those on any side of an issue often claim that the other side is "fascist,"- when they really only intend to denounce the other as some sort of "bad person." In American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America, Chris Hedges takes this a step further and makes the case that the Christian Right movement has the potential, and perhaps seeks to, turn America into a fascist state...
How To Fly Politely and Comfortably, A Tutorial
Posted on February 18, 2008Hi. I'm back from Argentina. For my return blog, I'm going to take this opportunity to vent about flying. While I love to travel and appreciate that I get it to do it occasionally, I do not like the "getting there" part. Whoever said that life is more about the journey than the destination has never flown in the "economy" class cabin of a 12-hour red-eye next to a squalling baby...
Just Checking In....
Posted on February 15, 2008Hello readers,Just writing to let you know that, after an uneventful flight from Miami to Buenos Aires, we safely arrived in Argentina. We´ve been here almost a week and it´s been a great trip so far, thanks to the summer weather and the dollar to peso ratio here...
And There Were No Survivors...
Posted on February 08, 2008Being a nervous flyer and 1 hour into a 12-hour flight and the pilot coming on and saying, "We have some bad news folks." (Never a good sign) "Our on-board weather radar isn't working" (Who needs that during storms?) "But don't worry, this isn't an emergency...
Vacation
Posted on February 07, 2008Hello readers,Just in case you're wondering as to my whereabouts, I am going to be in Argentina for a week starting tomorrow. That means, of course, that I probably won't be blogging for a week or so. And no, I won't be one of those annoying people who posts lots of braggy pictures about My Super-Duper Vacation on my blog...
Book Review: A Useful Woman- The Early Life of Jane Addams
Posted on February 06, 2008I hope that you, dear readers, enjoy my book reviews. Beginning with the short little book about Harry Houdini that I read in grade school, I learned that I have a soft spot in my heart for good biographies. (I'm open to suggestions!) Maybe I'm just nosy, but it's fascinating to read all about someone else's life...
You Must Be This Thin to Eat Here!
Posted on February 05, 2008A Mississippi lawmaker has proposed a bill to prohibit Mississippi restaurants from serving fat* people. Because, of course, what makes fat people fat is not overeating, slow metabolism, or being born with "big bones." Obesity, naturally, is caused by eating in restaurants...
Some Voter Stats for Super-Duper Tuesday
Posted on February 05, 2008What follows are possible explanations as to why George W. Bush was elected and then re-elected in 2004. It is also a further testament to the idea that we need an independent judiciary to save our country, minorities, and democracy from a tyranny of the (ignorant) majority...
But, What Does the "Unhinging of Our Culture" Tangibly Mean?
Posted on February 04, 2008Reading some of the American Family's Obsessed with Gay Sex Association's materials on The Homosexual Agenda, I came across this super-duper scary statement about what the gays are up to:"For more than 30 years, homosexual activists have been demanding that our Judeo-Christian culture capitulate and embrace their view of human sexuality, marriage and family...
Conservative Identity Politics- Weapons of Mass Projection
Posted on February 01, 2008Some of you may have noticed that a new blog label has appeared on the righthand list of Fannie's Room blog labels: Weapons of Mass Projection. This series arose after I became fed up with conservative/Christian/anti-gay mass projection. Projection is a pretty common psychological defense mechanism- one that all of us probably use to some extent...
Would He Have Edited His Own Conduct If It Were In a Movie?
Posted on January 31, 2008According to CBS News, Daniel Thompson, a man who used to run a business editing feature films to remove conduct inappropriate for children has been arrested on suspicion of having sex with children.Allegedly, in a great show of hyprocrisy (and cheapness) he paid two 14-year-old girls a total of $20 to perform oral sex on him...
That Other Collateral Damage of War
Posted on January 30, 2008For those who believe feminism is dead, I offer the following account.Multiple men, who are US government contractors working in Iraq, allegedly gang-raped, Jamie Leigh Jones, a female co-worker. Afterwards, the company the woman was working for- Halliburton/KBR, held her under guard in a shipping container...
My Life, Winter 2007-2008
Posted on January 29, 2008Hello readers! Today's blog is part of my seasonal "My Life Photobiography" series where I show you what's going on in my life at the moment. Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree (No, the Christmas tree is not still up):These are the books I am currently reading...
Well, It's Official
Posted on January 29, 2008I'm voting for Obama. I have been undecided for a long time. But alas, as the Illinois primary approaches, I decided it was time to jump off the fence.The three viable Democratic contenders are pretty similar on the issues. Clinton is running on experience, Obama is running on inspiration, and Edwards is running on populism...
Benefit of Marriage #4: Immigration and Permanent Residence
Posted on January 28, 2008Immigration is a contentious issue and there are many directions an article about immigration could take. As this article is part of my Benefits of Marriage series, I want to explore how immigration law relates to marriage law. My point in this series is to iterate how the fight for marriage equality is not an abstract, theoretical game...
If John Howard Could Turn Back Time
Posted on January 26, 2008Some of you may remember former frequent commentator John Howard. Although Mr. Howard is obsessed with his pet issue (not allowing anyone other than a husband and wife conceive children) and inevitably reverts every comment thread in which he participates back to said issue, I gave him the benefit of the doubt...
Gay Men Are Not the Default Non-Hetero Human Being
Posted on January 25, 2008I take issue with statements and articles that assume gay men are the default non-heterosexual human being. Unfortunately, just as "man" is the historical default human being, some gay men- some heterosexuals- hold the view that gay men are the non-hetero standard human and lesbians (and bisexuals) are some sort of "other...
But At Least He's Anti-Choice and Doesn't Want Gay People to Marry...
Posted on January 24, 2008"A study by two nonprofit journalism organizations found that President Bush and top administration officials issued hundreds of false statements about the national security threat from Iraq in the two years following the 2001 terrorist attacks.The study concluded that the statements 'were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses...
Question: Who are bigots whose actions discredit the anti-gay industry?
Posted on January 24, 2008Answer: "Marriage defenders" who picket funerals of slain soldiers and movie stars because "God hates fags."I can't decide if Phelps and Co. are mentally unwell or if they picket funerals just to get attention for themselves. Perhaps both. Whatever the case, the only positive to come from this disgusting display of hatred and disrespect is that it helps turn the masses off from the anti-gay movement...
Leftist Gender Warrior! Dun-dun-dun!
Posted on January 23, 2008As if on cue, and fitting nicely into today's book review of Shut Up & Sing, previous Red Scare Award winner and anti-feminist blogger "Fitz" today provided another case study in conservative/anti-gay/anti-feminist propaganda.Bemoaning "leftist gender warriors especially in our universities," Fitz elaborated on his recent article where he declared that advocates of marriage equality are "America's enemies...
Book Review: Shut & Sing
Posted on January 23, 2008Right off the bat I should tell you, I did not have high hopes for Laura Ingraham's anti-liberal book Shut Up & Sing (not to be confused with the Dixie Chicks documentary of the same name). The premise of the book is that so-called "elites" are stupid, evil, and ruining America...
Denialism, the Masses, and an Independent Judiciary
Posted on January 22, 2008I recently came across the denialism blog, a ScienceBlog dedicated to discussing the problem of denialists.What's a denialist, you might ask?Well, Denialism is:"the employment of rhetorical tactics to give the appearance of argument or legitimate debate, when in actuality there is none...
Wait, Who's Destroying Families? Another Case of Political Hypocrisy
Posted on January 21, 2008The anti-gay prosecutor, Chuck Rosenthal (R), who argued before the US Supreme Court that sodomy laws should be upheld may be fired after the "discovery of e-mails containing sexually explicit videos, racist jokes and what is described as torrid love notes to his executive secretary...
Yes, CLEARLY, This Conclusion is INESCAPABLE!
Posted on January 18, 2008More HIV/AIDS (mis)information linked to from Lifesite:"South Africa and the neighboring countries of Botswana and Swaziland have the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world and also the highest rate of condom distribution.The conclusion is inescapable that more condoms mean more cases of AIDS and more deaths...
The Schizophrenia of Civil Unions
Posted on January 18, 2008As you may know, New Hampshire's legislature passed a law legalizing same-sex civil unions. This law went into effect January 1, 2008. Lest any marriage defenders worry, though, civil unions are totally not marriage. For, marriage and civil unions, we all know, are separate [but equal?] institutions...
ENDA: Divide and Conquer?
Posted on January 17, 2008I have put off writing about the ENDA debate for several reasons, the primary one being that I am frustrated by much of the debate and commentary surrounding the legislation that is occurring within the LGBT community. Rather than uniting all non-heterosexuals and allies, we have let the existing transphobia outside of our community divide us...
Thank You Captain Obvious
Posted on January 17, 2008British researchers have found "that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening and unknowable." Eeep!Now, if we can just get rid of creepy Santas in shopping malls...
Congratulations to Congress!
Posted on January 16, 2008I'd like to take a minute to congratulate Congress on the recent pay raise they gave themselves. Woop woop!In 2008, they will receive $4,100 more than they made in 2007, bringing their salaries to a total of $169,300.Since Congress recently raised the federal minimum wage for hardworking low-income persons to $5...
Book Review: The Future of Marriage, Part II
Posted on January 16, 2008This is a continuation of my book report on David Blankenhorn's anti-gay marriage book, The Future of Marriage.In Part I of my review, I ended with this thought: What the definition of marriage is, to me, seems less relevant than the policy reasons for and against allowing gay people to get married...
Save the (Girl) Cheerleaders...
Posted on January 15, 2008Now, I was never the biggest fan of cheerleading when I was a youngster. Mainly, I didn't understand why girls were expected to remain on the sidelines cheering for boys who were seen as the "real" athletes. Okay, I still sort of feel that way. I admit...
Book Review: The Future of Marriage, Part I
Posted on January 15, 2008To begin, I must admit that I approached David Blankenhorn's book The Future of Marriage with some trepidation, as I know that he is against extending marriage to same-sex couples. After reading the book, however, I have to give him credit for approaching the issue with more respect than most on his "side...
Can We Just Stop with the Knee-Jerks? On Clinton's MLK Comments.
Posted on January 14, 2008[Disclaimer: I am an undecided voter]Let's all stop, take a deep breath, and actually read a presidential candidate's full transcript before we start calling her racist. Okay?There is a new presidential/blogosphere/media uproar regarding comments that Hillary Clinton made regarding the civil rights movement...
My Favorite Recent Spam Emails Received
Posted on January 14, 2008The other day, I took a walk through my email spam folder. I must say, much of the headline content was surprising. Admittedly, I didn't open any of the messages so I don't know what was actually contained (okay, I opened a couple out of curiosity)...
Coming Out Fridays! From the Baby Jesus to Baby Dykes
Posted on January 11, 2008The following guest blog is part of Fannie's Room's "Coming Out Stories" series. In the following post, regular reader and sometimes commenter, "Hammerpants" recounts her coming out process. Knowing "Hammerpants" in real life (one could say that she's my "committed friend"), I thought that many would find her perspective and self-realization interesting...
What?! You Mean There's No Single Black Spokesperson?
Posted on January 10, 2008I'm confused.African-American civil rights leader, and head of the NAACP, Julian Bond supports marriage equality, calling it a "civil rights issue."But..."Rev" Ken Hutcherson, a Black ex-NFL player, opposes marriage equality, saying that it's not a civil rights issue...
Chuck Norris Doesn't Just Promote a Candidate...
Posted on January 09, 2008He roundhouse kicks him into the presidency![bad Chuck Norris joke?]But seriously? A serious presidential candidate is using Chuck Norris, who writes "political commnentary" such as this, as an endorser and spokesman? One particularly, ahem, deep thought within Chuck Norris' article is this:"So did Romney's Internet-transmitted roundhouse connect with Mike or me? While he tried to kick both of us, he ended up only creating a whiff of air by his bypassing foot, which propelled him spinning around like an inexperienced martial arts fighter and getting clocked by Huckabee's left hook in Iowa!" Hee hee hee...
Real Presidents Don't Cry
Posted on January 09, 2008Apparently, Hillary Clinton "teared up" at a New Hampshire stop. The burning questions are these, did actual tears roll from her eyes, or did they just sit there all welled up? And, are Clinton's detractors now going to call her a hysterical woman rather than an unemotional bitch?Oh wait...
Fun Political Quiz for You!
Posted on January 08, 2008Shoutout to Dr. Joan Bushwell's Chimp Refuge for showcasing this quiz that let's you rank issues that are important to you and compare your score with the stances that all of the presidential candidates have taken.I found this quiz more satisfying than similar quizzes as you get to assign a weight of each issue's importance to you...
Because Who Wants to be Turned Into a Toad?
Posted on January 08, 2008Did you know that there is a "stunning phenomenon" of Americans who identify as "witches"? Yeah, I already knew that too. But WorldNutDaily is presenting such info as breaking news in its self-described "elite" monthly newsletter, Whistleblower.What I find entertaining about the article, is that it raises several questions, (which seem more fitting for an audience of 10-year-olds, rather than adults, but I digress):"What is witchcraft? Is it the same as Wicca? Is it a form of Satan worship, as critics allege? Or can witches be good? Can they really cast spells that somehow call forth the spirits beyond the world of nature to help them accomplish their will ? whether good or evil? Is magic real? Why do witches often perform their ceremonies naked? And most of all, why do so many people today aspire to be witches?" And proving the maxim that when some people tout "freedom of religion" they really only mean freedom to practice Christianity, WorldNut continues,"Wicca is an official, legal religion in the U...
Troubling Facts About Abstinence-Only Education
Posted on January 07, 2008Abstinence-only education, while it can be appealing in the abstract, doesn't work out there in the real world. A real world that, you know, promotes and sells sex to all of us. President Bush has promoted abstinence-only sex education and the federal government has attached abstinence-only provisions to the receipt of federal grants...
My Opinion of Iowa Just Hit the Shitter
Posted on January 04, 2008Mike Huckabee? Seriously?Republicans outside of Iowa will not be this stupid in '08.Right?[ADDENDUM: Iowa Democrats deserve our applause, however, as they had record turnout of 220,588 compared to 114,000 Republicans!]
Repeal and Replace: A Guest Blog About Gays in the Military
Posted on January 04, 2008Many of the women I know who are or were in the military are gay. In fact, I sort of wonder how the military thinks it would have substantial numbers of women serving if lesbians truly did not serve their country. Anyway, I even know some gay men and transgender persons who have served...
Donor Daddies are Baby Daddies Too!
Posted on January 03, 2008Yesterday I happened upon an article exposing the debate over alternative reproducive technology (ie- sperm and egg donation, but mostly sperm donation). Some, it seems, are framing this latest war as an issue of the "the rights of children to be raised by biological parents versus the rights of 'selfish' adults who want to have children...
To Clear the Air: Is Opine a Modern-Day Scooby-Doo Gang?
Posted on January 02, 2008It's been brought to my attention that the idiots at anti-gay group blog Opine Idiotorials are accusing me of posting under multiple names at Opine.Long story short:I'm not. I haven't posted there since I wrote this articleThe Opiners, of course, have no way of proving that I am posting under multiple names...
The Global Warming "Hoax"
Posted on January 02, 2008At the risk of making a huge generalization, I must ask this:Why do so many religious conservatives doubt that humans are causing global warming?Seriously, I peruse many conservative websites, many of them religious in nature, and I notice an odd trend...
Happy New Year('s Eve)!
Posted on December 31, 2007Hello? *tap* *tap* Is anyone reading this? I have a hunch that many readers are off of work today (and therefore, not bored and reading my blog), on vacation, away from their computers, or preparing for tonight's New Year's festivities.So, to those of you reading this, "Hi...
Friday Bonus Blog: Portly Dyke's Funny Feminist Prank
Posted on December 28, 2007This might be the funniest feminist prank I've read about, ever.And, can I just say that Teh Portly Dyke ("That's me -- 5 Feet, 51 years old, 155 Lbs. Get over it.") is one of my favorite bloggers to read. And not just because she once pulled shennanigans such as above...
It's Britney, Bitch
Posted on December 28, 2007Does anyone else think that the Spears sisters are doing more to make a mockery of the sacred marital institution and its supposed "procreative" purpose than, um, gay people are?I mean, here we have two "superstars" who, because of media overexposure (whether deserved or not), influence millions of people...
Slate's Drag of an Article
Posted on December 27, 2007Hello readers. Before I begin, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas/holiday break, if you had one. I'm back and ready to resume a relatively regular blogging schedule. And, this year, I'd like to incorporate some guest blogs into Fannie's Room written by people who have specialized or in-depth knowledge of a topic in which I do not...
A Happy Dog Blog for the Holidays
Posted on December 24, 2007Perusing through a People magazine at the gym the other day, I came across an uplifting and fascinating article about dogs that I want to share with you. Some dogs can serve a purpose other than being cute. Now, we all know that blind and visually-impaired people sometimes use guide dogs to increase mobility and promote independence...
Friday Fun!
Posted on December 21, 20071. I'm going home for Christmas tomorrow. Knowing that I am allergic to dogs, note what "going home for Christmas" entails:(And no, not all of those dogs live in that house. They are various compilations of dogs who also go home for Christmas.)2. Proving that the "War on Christmas" is not restricted to well-meaning slogans of "Happy Holidays," the Vatican has described the new movie The Golden Compass as "the most anti-Christmas film possible...
The Gay Spokesperson and...... Chuck Norris
Posted on December 20, 2007Yesterday, I blogged about a dishonest and imbalanced Lifesite article regarding lesbian health.Continuing to peruse the site, I found that Lifesite has also managed to pin down the spokesperson for all gay people. In case you haven't heard, his name is Gareth Kirby who in the article "Demand for Same-Sex Marriage Was Based on a Lie" supposedly "makes clear how the work for same-sex marriage was a total waste of time and money...
Lifesite: Bringing New Meaning to "Balance" and "Accuracy"
Posted on December 19, 2007While perusing website, Lifesite, "a non-profit Internet service dedicated to the issues of life, culture, and family," I was startled to learn, yet again, that I am not a "normal" woman. Before I begin let me note the mission of Lifesite: "to provide balance and more accurate coverage on culture, life and family matters than is usually given by other media...
On "Homasexuls"
Posted on December 18, 2007In my blog regarding presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, I made a side comment regarding the anti-gay movement's continued use of the outdated term "homosexual." The use of the term "homosexual" is offensive, or at least distasteful, to many gay people...
Related Law Questions
Can the so-called proprety manager enter my duplex without permission?
The manager (sister of owner) has NO right to be in the apartment unless there w...
How to prove housing discrimination based on sexual orientation in student housing?
There are several things you can do. First of all, contact any welfare advisors,...
How do i go bout geting a free laywer to sue the durham police department for drug raids and nothing is found?they have been in my house 4 or 5 times seems like every 4 months or so and breaking down my door tearing up m
They need a warrant to get into your house...if they never showed you one...you ...
How can I get my roommate to move out when he is refusing? He was given over 30 days notice and is only subleasing the room from me, the master tenant.
I know in Masachusetts you would have to file a legal eviction wich can be drawn...
I am a flight attendant with British airways and beeing residing in the uk for a very long time . The only thing is that I was born in Morocco , I have no links anymore there . I am a british citizen . Every time i come
See your Human Resources Manager for help on this. Perhaps getting a work permit...
#1 Online Legal Resource
On 08-28 at 21:13PM
Ten months later, Fed must reveal names of emergency lending recipients #FOIA
On 08-25 at 19:02PM
Squeaky Fromme, would-be Ford assassin and Manson devotee, released from prison
On 08-14 at 15:19PM
Likely unintended consequence of cash-for-clunkers stimulus is dampening of 2010 spending
On 08-14 at 14:34PM
Palm seeks to halt Palm Pre Android theme on copyright and trademark ground
On 08-12 at 17:30PM
Congressional investigation demonstrates Karl Rove lied about his active role in US attorney's firing
On 08-12 at 16:20PM
Family of New York City swine flu victim to sue city for failure to secure school #nyc #swineflu
On 08-12 at 12:59PM
Real Network's DVD copying software deemed to break DMCA's anti-circumvention provisions
On 08-12 at 12:57PM
Prepaid funeral operators indicted for $100 Million fraud
On 08-12 at 12:53PM
NY Jets join Cincinnati, Dallas, Green Bay, Houston & Seattle #NFL teams offering branded state lottery games
On 08-12 at 12:43PM
Are you the author of this blog? Adding USLaw.com to your Blogroll increases relevance. You qualify to display a USLaw Network badge.
Suggest changes to this blog's description or nominate another for inclusion. Register for updates.
Can the so-called proprety manager enter my duplex without permission?
The manager (sister of owner) has NO right to be in the apartment unless there w...
How to prove housing discrimination based on sexual orientation in student housing?
There are several things you can do. First of all, contact any welfare advisors,...
How do i go bout geting a free laywer to sue the durham police department for drug raids and nothing is found?they have been in my house 4 or 5 times seems like every 4 months or so and breaking down my door tearing up m
They need a warrant to get into your house...if they never showed you one...you ...
How can I get my roommate to move out when he is refusing? He was given over 30 days notice and is only subleasing the room from me, the master tenant.
I know in Masachusetts you would have to file a legal eviction wich can be drawn...
I am a flight attendant with British airways and beeing residing in the uk for a very long time . The only thing is that I was born in Morocco , I have no links anymore there . I am a british citizen . Every time i come
See your Human Resources Manager for help on this. Perhaps getting a work permit...
 |
|
Contact Us | About Us | Celebrity Law Blog |
Our Partners | Disclaimer
| Law Blog Directory
| Law Jobs
| Law Tweets
| GoDaddy Hosting
All original material © 1999-2009 by USLaw.com. |