the gays are none too happy with president elect Barack Obama:

Barack Obama’s choice of a prominent evangelical minister to deliver the invocation at his inauguration is a conciliatory gesture toward social conservatives who opposed him in November, but it is drawing fierce challenges from a gay rights movement that – in the wake of a gay marriage ban in California – is looking for a fight.

Read the rest of the article here.

the invisible knapsack, part: 2

another PDF file, found while trying to find the last one i posted.

This article is based on Peggy McIntosh’s article on white privilege and was written by a number of straight-identified students at Earlham College who got together to look at some examples of straight privilege. These dynamics are but a few examples of the privilege which straight people have. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer-identified folk have a range of different experiences, but cannot count on most of these conditions in their lives.

i don't entirely agree with ALL of the points listed (i can't possibly be the only person who's ever been asked to represent the entire heterosexual population, can i?), but again, another good read; can be found here.

i promise that, eventually, i will move on to posting about other subjects. for now, though, please watch the following video--it's an excellent discussion between jon stewart and mike huckabee about the subject of gay marriage. both men make good points and frankly, if you're going to argue your point on the subject, you should get to know the opposition and understand where they're coming from. this has been a mission of mine for quite some time and, while i will continue to argue that things like semantics and "what God says" are not solid points against homosexuals getting the same rights as we heteros when it comes to legally binding unions with the people we love and the rights promised therein (what whaaaat not dropping the "M" word!), i feel like i maybe understand the opposition a little bit better. which you have to do to win--am i right?

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

in closing, i'd like to give a shout out to my future husband, jon stewart, for being a great ally and making me wish, once again, that i was smarter than i am. oh, well.

also a head-bob to Marriage Equality RI for bringing this particular clip to my attention. keep fightin' the good fight, boys and girls.

note: not meant to incite riots

ps? it wasn't ONLY the mormons, guys. educate yourself on the opposing side here.

re: the article i just posted

here's wikipedia's page on the fourteenth amendment, just in case anybody was curious after that last article...

a day without a gay

My battle for marriage equality began in 1990, after my partner, Brian Binder, and I had a commitment ceremony...We...registered as domestic partners and entered into every possible form of legal recognition available at the time. A few years later, Brian was visiting his parents in Nevada to inform them that he was giving up his battle with AIDS. Something went horribly wrong, and he was rushed to the hospital. I flew there immediately. As his caretaker, I knew his medical condition and had been involved in every medical decision. We had shared the joy of making a commitment to one another and the pain and suffering of a horrible disease. But when I arrived, I was told I could not see him because I was not "family" and because my legal documents were valid only in California. Even as I heard him calling out my name, they refused to let me see him because we were not married.

Brian died in 1992.

Today's the day, folks, don't forget. Read the rest of the CNN.com article here.

final thoughts...

in light of the whole prop 8 thing, and all of the violence and anger it has incited, i thought i'd post this:



not to sound like a kindergarten teacher or whatever, but two wrongs don't make a right; vandalizing mormon churches is not going to get prop 8 overturned and it's certainly not going to change anybody's mind when it comes to supporting giving anybody's rights back. fight back in a positive way: call in gay to work (or just call out sick, for my fellow heteros) on december 10th, and spend your day volunteering at any number of volunteer events around the country (click here to find one near you!). can't miss another day of work? i hear ya! we can help, too--just don't buy anything, spend money, or support the economy on december 10th. one day won't destroy the economy, but it will raise awareness that we are serious about getting these rights for our friends, neighbors, parents, brothers and sisters. according to day without a gay, in california alone, gay marriage would have contributed over $300 million and raised over 2000 jobs in three years. NPH may have had a point!

let's make our voices be heard, guys. stop the hate.

also...

my fiance's friend posted this on the facebook about a month ago; both gentlemen are mormons (please refrain from throwing things--they're a kind, gentle people. i swear.), which maybe makes it more interesting that either would find this clip important. without further ado...



read stephen's note further regarding this issue here (and check out how brillz the fianz iz by peeping the comments!). if you have trouble viewing it (ie, are not facebook friends with him. or, for that matter, with me [wtf are you waiting for?]), leave a comment and i'll post it.

i heart jack black. and NPH.