Dear Anti-Gay Legislation Supporter,
I am a lesbian. I am a citizen of the United States. Yesterday, you chose to pass 4 measures which severely limit the rights of me and my friends based solely on the people we love. In California, Florida, and Arizona, you passed propositions which make marriage unavailable to gay and lesbian citizens. In Arkansas, you passed a measure which would make me and my partner of 4 years adopting children in need of a home illegal. While it may be easy for you to vote for such things, I think it is important for you to understand just what effect your vote has.
The discrimination in my life began early, and continues each day. From the time when I was told to go to the boys bathroom as an 8 year old, to the time when I was 23 and was refused service for looking too masculine in South Dakota, to my constant wondering now about how much to disclose about my personal life in job interviews, I am tired of living in a world where it is perfectly acceptable to treat people as second class citizens.
Today, I have had to take numerous breaks to the bathroom in order to cry privately before returning to study. I have had to come to grips with the fact that a democracy in which I believe so strongly chose to legislate hate. You may think that your actions have little effect on actual people, but there are millions of people just like me for whom your decisions matter greatly. While you may not realize it, we are your neighbors, your teachers, your government officials, your friends, and your family. You think you don't know us, but people like me reside everywhere and I will no longer allow myself to live in a world where such overt hatred is allowed to prosper.
Perhaps most disheartening, anti-gay legislation supporter, is who you are. In California, nearly a quarter of you are women. Another quarter of you have at least a bachelor's degree. Of the African-Americans polled, seventy percent of you voted for discrimination. Nearly thirty percent of you identify as a democrat or independent. You had the chance to help eradicate hate in your state, yet you chose to support a measure which only solidified discrimination.
So, anti-gay legislation supporter, you can go fuck yourself. While I am overwhelmingly sad over the decision you've made, I will no longer allow you to disguise discrimination as sound public policy. Change is seeping from everything I see in this post-Bush society, and today is the day that your backwards and offensive views are no longer allowed to prosper.
I encourage and welcome the support of others in this enormous task, even those who previously voted for such measures. Hate should not be a legislated value, and I look forward to fighting against that notion until everyone in the United States is truly equal.
Sincerely,
ChangeAgent
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Today is the best day in a long time
Wow.
I wish I had more time and sobriety to explain how I'm feeling right now but suffice it to at that this is one if the most exciting and important events that I've witnessed in my life.
I believe in democracy and I believe in Barack Obama. Thank goodness that they came together today.
More on this historic event tomorro.
I wish I had more time and sobriety to explain how I'm feeling right now but suffice it to at that this is one if the most exciting and important events that I've witnessed in my life.
I believe in democracy and I believe in Barack Obama. Thank goodness that they came together today.
More on this historic event tomorro.
Monday, November 3, 2008
A Girl's Guide to Voting (As Long as that Girl is Me)
Since it's the day before the election, I've decided to compile a handy voter guide for people who a) live in Precinct 13, Ward 3 and/or b) people who have the exact same political views as I do. I realize how helpful this will be for all, so I'd like to graciously thank you in advance. ;)
I looked up my sample ballot at the Star Tribune, which has an awesome site telling you where your polling place is and everyone who's on the ballot. Just make sure you don't put the name of your street in the "House #" box because it took me three attempts to figure that out.
Anyways, I thought I'd go through each contested race and explain why I'm voting for who I'm voting for, half for your benefit, half so I can decide exactly why I'm going the way I am. I'll start with the bottom of the ballot and make you wait until the end for the biggies. Otherwise, how do I keep your interest piqued?
Soil and Water Supervisor, Seat 3
Do people really know about these candidates? It's kind of surprising that there are three challengers to the incumbent for this seat, considering I don't really know what this person does (I mean, they supervise soil and water, I get it). However, when you go to that Strib site, you can click on all the candidates to get a little bio, which rules. In doing so, I realized that the incumbent, although a woman, is not who I will be voting for. Anyone who lists "fiscal conservativism" as their most important issue is going to have a hard time getting my vote. So instead, I'm voting for Mara Magnuson Humphrey. She's endorsed by the DFL, plus her most important issue is the protection of natural resources, so she's the one for me.
Soil and Water Supervisor, Seat 2
Again, who gets to be soil and water supervisor isn't exactly my most important issue this campaign, but I believe in the system so I believe that these seats are important to making sure Ramsey County (and thus, Minnesota) maintains the right view on natural resources. This race was a bit harder to choose on its face, as there are no women running, but I'm voting for David Bogue. He has a degree in Environmental studies, and he lists some great issues (including decreasing runoff of surface contaminants and improving groundwater) as important. Plus, the other guy with a profile, Nick Quade, was a state delegate for Ron Paul, which is an automatic disqualification for all votes cast by me.
2nd District Court, Seat 21
This race is a really difficult choice for me because both candidates are great. It's between Gail Chang Bohr and Howard Orenstein, and I'm voting for Gail Chang Bohr. If I'm being honest, her gender is probably what pushed me over the edge, but I don't usually like to use that as a sole determining factor. She is the Executive Director of Children's Law Center of Minnesota, and used to be a social worker, so in my house that's a enough to get my vote. However, Orenstein got pretty much all the DFL bigwig endorsements, which is also a good thing in my book, so read their profiles and decide for yourself what's most important.
Minnesota House, District 64B
This is an easy one, as I've met both candidates. I'm voting for Rep. Michael Paymar because he's genuinely cares about Minnesota and the district, and has proven that fact by his years of service in the Minnesota House. Plus, Emory Dively was really rude to me personally during my days at St. Kate's. I realize that my district is distinctly democratic, so the candidate knows they have little chance of winning, but he treated me as though my (and a group of other college students I was with) vote didn't matter to him, and that was a major turnoff. Rep. Paymar is a nice guy with great experience and a genuine interest in the lives of his constituents and I'm excited to get to vote for him.
United States House of Representatives, District 4
The choices get easier and easier for me as we move up the ballot, but this one is kind of ridiculously easy. There are some decisions that Rep. Betty McCollum makes that I don't agree with (for example, her stance on music/video game censorship really bugs me), but in the end I am a die-hard Betty! advocate. I'm voting for Rep. Betty McCollum because she has proven through action that she cares about all members of the community, not merely those in the DFL. Really, though, I'm voting for Betty because she's a Katie (read: she went to the College of St. Catherine) and has lived the lifethat I am striving to create for myself. She came back to St. Kate's a number of times while I was the Senate President there, and the way she talks to students makes her both a fantastic advocate for the area and just an all around great person. Plus, who's even heard of this Matthews guy?
Constitutional Amendment: Increase state sales tax by 0.375% to pay for environmental and cultural programs
This has been by far the most difficult decision for me this election season. We talked about this amendment extensively in my caucus during primary season, and my team decided that it was not a good idea. Still, i've decided that I'm voting YES because although I don't necessarily agree with the manner in which the money is being obtained, I believe strongly in the programs and services that it's going to.
My main concern is that sales tax, by definition, is recessive, which means that people with less money end up paying more of their income. In one informational pamphlet I read, it was estimated that the increase would cost Minnesota families about $1 a week, which doesn't seem like much, but when you only get $200 a month in food stamps and WIC benefits, each dollar is extremely important. Sales taxes are not the right way of getting money to pay for things, and a constitutional amendment is a particularly extreme way to go about raising funds. HOWEVER, after learning that the money will be spent specifically on programs that assist the low-income community in accessing the arts and environmental resources, I changed my No vote to Yes. I would love to hear more reasons for or against this amendment, because this is really the only issue in which my mind is not completely made up.
MN Appeals Court Judge, Seat 16
Here, I'm voting for Hon. Terri J. Stoneburner because she's the incumbent, she's been a judge for 18 years, and her opponent has given no legitimate reason to vote against her. Plus, as I said, I'm always going to err on the side of the woman, so without a reason to vote for the other guy, Hon. Stoneburner wins it for me.
MN Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 4
Both candidates here seem as though they would be good for the Court, but I'm voting for Hon. Lorie Skjerven Gildea . My sister got to hear her speak, and said she had some really great things to say. Plus, retired MN Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz endorsed her, and I respect Hon. Blatz immensely, so Gildea it is.
MN Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 3
Here seems like as good a place as any to voice my disdain for the voting for judges system we have in the great state of Minnesota. In this race, I'm voting for Hon. Paul H. Anderson because I've met him and he's really nice, plus his voting record is one of a fair and impartial guy who cares deeply for justice. But, it totally bugs me that he has to run in the first place, as he's been on the Court since 1994. He's a competent, impartial judge who deserves to keep his seat. Plus he went to Macalester, so my family would hate me if I voted against him.
United States Senate
This race is perhaps the most important one that Minnesotans have to vote for. Forgive me for my bluntness, but Norm Coleman is a total tool and the thought of him continuing as the Senior Senator from Minnesota makes me want to barf. Although it took me a second to get as excited about Al Franken as I am now, I caucused for him in the primaries and have heard him speak three times now. I'm voting for Al Franken because he's passionate about grassroots change in a way that I haven't seen since Sen. Paul Wellstone. He excites the people into believing in the political process, and anyone that knows me knows that I'm passionate about such things too. If you want to hear just how excited I am about Al, you can go on over to MPR and give it a listen. However, if I can convince you Minnesotans of one thing throughout this entire diatribe, let it be that Al Franken is exactly what this state needs.
United States President
It wont come as much of a surprise after this here rant that I'm voting for Sen. Barack Obama in tomorrow's presidential election. Besides the fact that I pretty much hate every single policy stance that Sen. John McCain holds, his entire demeanor throughout this election process only cemented my disdain for him as a candidate. There has been much talk about things not related to policy (his refusal to combat the racist comments coming from his supporters, his support for fabricated tales of terrorism in the Obama campaign, his inability to say S's correctly, his neck skin...) however I am much more interested in the actual reasons that Obama is better for the United States than McCain.
A short rundown:
- He's better on economic policy (unless you're a facist free-market libertarian, in which case you better be voting for Bob Barr because McCain ain't so free market either)
- He's WAYYYYYYYYY better on women's issues. If you want a more in depth analysis of that, go here
- He's better on foreign policy, and chose a running mate that can at least decipher who is and is not the President of France
- He cares about health care and the ability of low income people to access it
- He doesn't hate gay people
- He's a dreamboat.
Okay, this has got to be the longest post I've ever written, but it's doubtful that I have ever been as excited to vote as I am for tomorrow's big day. Even if you disagree with every single thing I've written, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE go vote because otherwise all those fucking political ads were for naught and that seems like a big waste. There are a lot of candidates that I care about that I won't get to vote for (the joy that will ensue if Elwin Tinklenber wins the 6th District is unreal) so make sure to do your own research at the Strib website above.
I'm such a political science nerd that I doubt I'll sleep at all tonight.
P.S. - I have never had as much trouble posting a blog as I did today, so if you've read parts of this throughout the day, I appreciate your tenacity in accessing the whole thing. Happy voting!
I looked up my sample ballot at the Star Tribune, which has an awesome site telling you where your polling place is and everyone who's on the ballot. Just make sure you don't put the name of your street in the "House #" box because it took me three attempts to figure that out.
Anyways, I thought I'd go through each contested race and explain why I'm voting for who I'm voting for, half for your benefit, half so I can decide exactly why I'm going the way I am. I'll start with the bottom of the ballot and make you wait until the end for the biggies. Otherwise, how do I keep your interest piqued?
Soil and Water Supervisor, Seat 3
Do people really know about these candidates? It's kind of surprising that there are three challengers to the incumbent for this seat, considering I don't really know what this person does (I mean, they supervise soil and water, I get it). However, when you go to that Strib site, you can click on all the candidates to get a little bio, which rules. In doing so, I realized that the incumbent, although a woman, is not who I will be voting for. Anyone who lists "fiscal conservativism" as their most important issue is going to have a hard time getting my vote. So instead, I'm voting for Mara Magnuson Humphrey. She's endorsed by the DFL, plus her most important issue is the protection of natural resources, so she's the one for me.
Soil and Water Supervisor, Seat 2
Again, who gets to be soil and water supervisor isn't exactly my most important issue this campaign, but I believe in the system so I believe that these seats are important to making sure Ramsey County (and thus, Minnesota) maintains the right view on natural resources. This race was a bit harder to choose on its face, as there are no women running, but I'm voting for David Bogue. He has a degree in Environmental studies, and he lists some great issues (including decreasing runoff of surface contaminants and improving groundwater) as important. Plus, the other guy with a profile, Nick Quade, was a state delegate for Ron Paul, which is an automatic disqualification for all votes cast by me.
2nd District Court, Seat 21
This race is a really difficult choice for me because both candidates are great. It's between Gail Chang Bohr and Howard Orenstein, and I'm voting for Gail Chang Bohr. If I'm being honest, her gender is probably what pushed me over the edge, but I don't usually like to use that as a sole determining factor. She is the Executive Director of Children's Law Center of Minnesota, and used to be a social worker, so in my house that's a enough to get my vote. However, Orenstein got pretty much all the DFL bigwig endorsements, which is also a good thing in my book, so read their profiles and decide for yourself what's most important.
Minnesota House, District 64B
This is an easy one, as I've met both candidates. I'm voting for Rep. Michael Paymar because he's genuinely cares about Minnesota and the district, and has proven that fact by his years of service in the Minnesota House. Plus, Emory Dively was really rude to me personally during my days at St. Kate's. I realize that my district is distinctly democratic, so the candidate knows they have little chance of winning, but he treated me as though my (and a group of other college students I was with) vote didn't matter to him, and that was a major turnoff. Rep. Paymar is a nice guy with great experience and a genuine interest in the lives of his constituents and I'm excited to get to vote for him.
United States House of Representatives, District 4
The choices get easier and easier for me as we move up the ballot, but this one is kind of ridiculously easy. There are some decisions that Rep. Betty McCollum makes that I don't agree with (for example, her stance on music/video game censorship really bugs me), but in the end I am a die-hard Betty! advocate. I'm voting for Rep. Betty McCollum because she has proven through action that she cares about all members of the community, not merely those in the DFL. Really, though, I'm voting for Betty because she's a Katie (read: she went to the College of St. Catherine) and has lived the lifethat I am striving to create for myself. She came back to St. Kate's a number of times while I was the Senate President there, and the way she talks to students makes her both a fantastic advocate for the area and just an all around great person. Plus, who's even heard of this Matthews guy?
Constitutional Amendment: Increase state sales tax by 0.375% to pay for environmental and cultural programs
This has been by far the most difficult decision for me this election season. We talked about this amendment extensively in my caucus during primary season, and my team decided that it was not a good idea. Still, i've decided that I'm voting YES because although I don't necessarily agree with the manner in which the money is being obtained, I believe strongly in the programs and services that it's going to.
My main concern is that sales tax, by definition, is recessive, which means that people with less money end up paying more of their income. In one informational pamphlet I read, it was estimated that the increase would cost Minnesota families about $1 a week, which doesn't seem like much, but when you only get $200 a month in food stamps and WIC benefits, each dollar is extremely important. Sales taxes are not the right way of getting money to pay for things, and a constitutional amendment is a particularly extreme way to go about raising funds. HOWEVER, after learning that the money will be spent specifically on programs that assist the low-income community in accessing the arts and environmental resources, I changed my No vote to Yes. I would love to hear more reasons for or against this amendment, because this is really the only issue in which my mind is not completely made up.
MN Appeals Court Judge, Seat 16
Here, I'm voting for Hon. Terri J. Stoneburner because she's the incumbent, she's been a judge for 18 years, and her opponent has given no legitimate reason to vote against her. Plus, as I said, I'm always going to err on the side of the woman, so without a reason to vote for the other guy, Hon. Stoneburner wins it for me.
MN Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 4
Both candidates here seem as though they would be good for the Court, but I'm voting for Hon. Lorie Skjerven Gildea . My sister got to hear her speak, and said she had some really great things to say. Plus, retired MN Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz endorsed her, and I respect Hon. Blatz immensely, so Gildea it is.
MN Supreme Court Associate Justice, Seat 3
Here seems like as good a place as any to voice my disdain for the voting for judges system we have in the great state of Minnesota. In this race, I'm voting for Hon. Paul H. Anderson because I've met him and he's really nice, plus his voting record is one of a fair and impartial guy who cares deeply for justice. But, it totally bugs me that he has to run in the first place, as he's been on the Court since 1994. He's a competent, impartial judge who deserves to keep his seat. Plus he went to Macalester, so my family would hate me if I voted against him.
United States Senate
This race is perhaps the most important one that Minnesotans have to vote for. Forgive me for my bluntness, but Norm Coleman is a total tool and the thought of him continuing as the Senior Senator from Minnesota makes me want to barf. Although it took me a second to get as excited about Al Franken as I am now, I caucused for him in the primaries and have heard him speak three times now. I'm voting for Al Franken because he's passionate about grassroots change in a way that I haven't seen since Sen. Paul Wellstone. He excites the people into believing in the political process, and anyone that knows me knows that I'm passionate about such things too. If you want to hear just how excited I am about Al, you can go on over to MPR and give it a listen. However, if I can convince you Minnesotans of one thing throughout this entire diatribe, let it be that Al Franken is exactly what this state needs.
United States President
It wont come as much of a surprise after this here rant that I'm voting for Sen. Barack Obama in tomorrow's presidential election. Besides the fact that I pretty much hate every single policy stance that Sen. John McCain holds, his entire demeanor throughout this election process only cemented my disdain for him as a candidate. There has been much talk about things not related to policy (his refusal to combat the racist comments coming from his supporters, his support for fabricated tales of terrorism in the Obama campaign, his inability to say S's correctly, his neck skin...) however I am much more interested in the actual reasons that Obama is better for the United States than McCain.
A short rundown:
- He's better on economic policy (unless you're a facist free-market libertarian, in which case you better be voting for Bob Barr because McCain ain't so free market either)
- He's WAYYYYYYYYY better on women's issues. If you want a more in depth analysis of that, go here
- He's better on foreign policy, and chose a running mate that can at least decipher who is and is not the President of France
- He cares about health care and the ability of low income people to access it
- He doesn't hate gay people
- He's a dreamboat.
Okay, this has got to be the longest post I've ever written, but it's doubtful that I have ever been as excited to vote as I am for tomorrow's big day. Even if you disagree with every single thing I've written, PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE go vote because otherwise all those fucking political ads were for naught and that seems like a big waste. There are a lot of candidates that I care about that I won't get to vote for (the joy that will ensue if Elwin Tinklenber wins the 6th District is unreal) so make sure to do your own research at the Strib website above.
I'm such a political science nerd that I doubt I'll sleep at all tonight.
P.S. - I have never had as much trouble posting a blog as I did today, so if you've read parts of this throughout the day, I appreciate your tenacity in accessing the whole thing. Happy voting!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Ben Harper Softens the Blow of Law School Papers (but they still sure blow)
The Get Out the Vote concert with Tenacious D, Ben Harper, and the Beastie Boys did not disappoint. We arrived about 3 songs into the D, which was disappointing, but I caught "Fuck Her Gently" so all was right with the world. Bharps played a lot of new stuff that I enjoyed, but I doubt a novice listener would really dig the foray into the deeper tracks of his yet-unreleased album.
However, The Beastie Boys were fucking ridiculous. I hadn't ever seen them before, which is somewhat surprising considering the volume of shows I attended in high school, but I guess when you just go see the same three bands over and over again, you're gonna miss something. Still, it was well worth the wait because I can't imagine them being any better than they were last night.
One of the best parts was how awesome they still look:
MCA was my favorite because he's totally rocking the salt and pepper 44 year old dude hair. They all sound exactly like they did on Paul's Boutique and the venue didn't suck at all so I could totally see even though we had like the last seats in the place.
I had to write a paper for international law today, which didn't actually suck as much as I thought it would. I picked a sort of interesting topic about an international treaty about women's rights, so you know that was exciting in a land where feminism doesn't exactly come up very often. Good times.
Okay, I'm gonna go watch The Wire now. Kari and I have started watching it and I don't think we'll be able to stop until the whole series is finished. That's quite a lot of drug dealer and cop lingo to pick up between now and the end.
Since voting is only 2 days away, I'll probably write something about the election tomorrow. It's my last chance to convince that random guy in his basement scanning through weird blogs, you know?
However, The Beastie Boys were fucking ridiculous. I hadn't ever seen them before, which is somewhat surprising considering the volume of shows I attended in high school, but I guess when you just go see the same three bands over and over again, you're gonna miss something. Still, it was well worth the wait because I can't imagine them being any better than they were last night.
One of the best parts was how awesome they still look:
MCA was my favorite because he's totally rocking the salt and pepper 44 year old dude hair. They all sound exactly like they did on Paul's Boutique and the venue didn't suck at all so I could totally see even though we had like the last seats in the place.
I had to write a paper for international law today, which didn't actually suck as much as I thought it would. I picked a sort of interesting topic about an international treaty about women's rights, so you know that was exciting in a land where feminism doesn't exactly come up very often. Good times.
Okay, I'm gonna go watch The Wire now. Kari and I have started watching it and I don't think we'll be able to stop until the whole series is finished. That's quite a lot of drug dealer and cop lingo to pick up between now and the end.
Since voting is only 2 days away, I'll probably write something about the election tomorrow. It's my last chance to convince that random guy in his basement scanning through weird blogs, you know?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Get Out the Vote = Best Concert of the Year
I don't really have time to write a legitimate blog today, but I don't want to be disqualified on my very first day of NaBloPoMo
so here's a short little note for good measure.
I'm going to perhaps the most exciting concert of the season tonight. The lineup includes Beastie Boys, Tenacious D and, most importantly, Ben Harper in a Get Out the Vote party. It promises to be as awesome as possible, and I will certainly update tomorrow with good times and perhaps some pictures stolen from Wanda's iPhone. Hopefully there wont be too many frat boys at the concert to interrupt my beer drinking and general rabble-rousing, but that remains to be seen.
Okay, yeah. Have a super great Saturday!
so here's a short little note for good measure.
I'm going to perhaps the most exciting concert of the season tonight. The lineup includes Beastie Boys, Tenacious D and, most importantly, Ben Harper in a Get Out the Vote party. It promises to be as awesome as possible, and I will certainly update tomorrow with good times and perhaps some pictures stolen from Wanda's iPhone. Hopefully there wont be too many frat boys at the concert to interrupt my beer drinking and general rabble-rousing, but that remains to be seen.
Okay, yeah. Have a super great Saturday!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Al Franken and ice cream? Count me in!
Ug. Law school has me all sorts of busy so the blog has fallen to the wayside. In order to thwart that problem, I've decided to join National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo). My sister does it every year, and it's just a blog sharing event where you have to post every day for the entire month of November. I encourage you to join, too, as it's pretty fun and forces you to think about things and write them down. Good, good times.
In other news, the most exciting show will soon be on Showtime. Written by Diablo Cody? Starring Toni Collette? Produced by Steven Spielberg? (Okay, he's not as exciting as the first two, but whatevs). It promises to be AWESOME. Too bad I don't have Showtime...
You know what's fun? The election. I try not to think about it that much, but let's be honest. It consumes my thoughts. I went to a Franken rally the other day, and ended up on MPR, a fact that I find way more exciting than need be. I'm still pretty worried Franken actually winning, but the more I hear from him (and talk to his awesome wife, Franni), the more excited I am about him as a candidate, and his dedication to the legacy of Paul Wellstone. Plus, Norm Coleman is just gross on so many levels that it's not difficult to rally against him.
I really think that the Dean Barkley component of the Senate race will end up helping Al, more than they're even counting on. You heard it here first: if Barkley gets more than 17% of the vote, Franken wins. Man, I hope I'm right.
In related voting news, I'm totally in favor of places offering free stuff for voters. Both Krispy Kreme and Ben and Jerry's are offering free goodness, and although I don't think I'll be able to find a store for either, I like the idea of rewarding people for the civic duty. I mean, if there are people that don't really care about voting, but really love ice cream and doughnuts, why not push them over the voting edge by giving it free?
Okay. Prepare to live because this witty repartee will be continuing every single day for the next month. You're welcome!
In other news, the most exciting show will soon be on Showtime. Written by Diablo Cody? Starring Toni Collette? Produced by Steven Spielberg? (Okay, he's not as exciting as the first two, but whatevs). It promises to be AWESOME. Too bad I don't have Showtime...
You know what's fun? The election. I try not to think about it that much, but let's be honest. It consumes my thoughts. I went to a Franken rally the other day, and ended up on MPR, a fact that I find way more exciting than need be. I'm still pretty worried Franken actually winning, but the more I hear from him (and talk to his awesome wife, Franni), the more excited I am about him as a candidate, and his dedication to the legacy of Paul Wellstone. Plus, Norm Coleman is just gross on so many levels that it's not difficult to rally against him.
I really think that the Dean Barkley component of the Senate race will end up helping Al, more than they're even counting on. You heard it here first: if Barkley gets more than 17% of the vote, Franken wins. Man, I hope I'm right.
In related voting news, I'm totally in favor of places offering free stuff for voters. Both Krispy Kreme and Ben and Jerry's are offering free goodness, and although I don't think I'll be able to find a store for either, I like the idea of rewarding people for the civic duty. I mean, if there are people that don't really care about voting, but really love ice cream and doughnuts, why not push them over the voting edge by giving it free?
Okay. Prepare to live because this witty repartee will be continuing every single day for the next month. You're welcome!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Gays on TV: No Girls Allowed!
Okay, so GLAAD put out a press release today to applaud the major TV networks (read: CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and the CW) for a higher level of inclusion. Let's move quickly past the fact that we're supposed to stand up and clap when representation raises to a whopping 2.6% onto the actual meat of the statistics.
It took me a second to find out who this 2.6% actually included, which is 16 people appearing on a total of 12 shows. I attempted to compile a list from the hodge-podge that GLAAD lists, but that proved harder than it may seem. Suffice it to say, one thing is glaringly obvious: lesbians are not welcome on network television.
Now, I wrote my thesis in college about this very topic, so its not like the absence of lesbians, particularly butch lesbians, in the media is some breaking news that's flying across the wire. But, when I have to read press releases lauding the entertainment industry for having a couple white gay dudes on their primetime roster, it gives me permission to rant about gender theory and equality for like one fucking second.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are a couple of women-dating-women counted in GLAAD's number. And don't you dare think for one second that I mean to discount them because of some bisexual-loathing sentiment that is all too rampant in the lesbian community (a blog for another time, certainly). Bisexual women are what I live for; they are a vital part of the community if only because otherwise I would have no one to date.
BUT, of the 16 main and supporting characters counted in GLAAD's glorification of network television, less than a third are women. And, from what I can see, there are exactly ZERO self-proclaimed lesbians. All are either overtly labeled as bisexual by show bios, or are said to be "known to have sexual trysts with women" or some other objectifying quip. All of the women are super femme-y, super hot and very sexualized, which rings far more of an attempt to attract male viewers than it does of LGBT inclusion.
In other news, Lindsay Lohan came out, which is so totally awesome. I couldn't tell you why I enjoy her, but I feel like she'd have been my super crazy fun friend if we'd met at the bar 3 years ago.
It took me a second to find out who this 2.6% actually included, which is 16 people appearing on a total of 12 shows. I attempted to compile a list from the hodge-podge that GLAAD lists, but that proved harder than it may seem. Suffice it to say, one thing is glaringly obvious: lesbians are not welcome on network television.
Now, I wrote my thesis in college about this very topic, so its not like the absence of lesbians, particularly butch lesbians, in the media is some breaking news that's flying across the wire. But, when I have to read press releases lauding the entertainment industry for having a couple white gay dudes on their primetime roster, it gives me permission to rant about gender theory and equality for like one fucking second.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are a couple of women-dating-women counted in GLAAD's number. And don't you dare think for one second that I mean to discount them because of some bisexual-loathing sentiment that is all too rampant in the lesbian community (a blog for another time, certainly). Bisexual women are what I live for; they are a vital part of the community if only because otherwise I would have no one to date.
BUT, of the 16 main and supporting characters counted in GLAAD's glorification of network television, less than a third are women. And, from what I can see, there are exactly ZERO self-proclaimed lesbians. All are either overtly labeled as bisexual by show bios, or are said to be "known to have sexual trysts with women" or some other objectifying quip. All of the women are super femme-y, super hot and very sexualized, which rings far more of an attempt to attract male viewers than it does of LGBT inclusion.
In other news, Lindsay Lohan came out, which is so totally awesome. I couldn't tell you why I enjoy her, but I feel like she'd have been my super crazy fun friend if we'd met at the bar 3 years ago.
This just in: The internet is way neat-o!
Ever think about the size of the internet? I mean, obviously you think about it whilst enjoying unnecessarily illegal hallucinogenic smokables, but ever really think about it? I'm an anxious person (rrreeeeaaaaalllllllyyyy???) so I can't ponder it for long, but if you make an attempt to traverse the internet, then you'll realize just how big it really is.
I'm trying to become more literate in such things, mostly because I don't like it when other people are significantly better at things than me and Wanda and Katie are way better at the internet than me.[1][2] In that quest, I learned how to use a blog aggregator (Google Reader rules my life), have returned to Twitter (okay, that just happened yesterday, but the interest is high!) and have generally just tried to learn what the heck is going on in the internet.
Did you know that sometimes even liberals do things that I don't agree with? Did you know that there are gays who have shitty politics? Did you know that there's an alternative to pretty-much-downright-misogynistic Perez Hilton?
Now, all you real live internet knowers out there, don't make fun of me. I realize that these references are a mere primer to what the internet actually holds for me. Like I said, I'm just starting. But, for now, it makes life so much more interesting! Random news from random news sources (some more reputable than others) is a great way to acquire knowledge, and I'm excited to have hitchhiked onto the internet superhighway.[3]
[1] I'm going to just feel free to refer to "the internet" in whatever noun form I feel like, whether it be person, place, or thing. I realize how it sounds, and I suppose that not everyone can hear the weird ironical tone that I'm taking in my head each time I use the term. Thus, I felt the need to lay out my sense of humor here.
[2] I'm also really into footnoting right now. It's not news that I'm nerdy (ooh! alliteration!) so effing deal with it. If you know how to make these hyperlinks, pleeeeeese tell me. I looked for like an hour.
[3] There was no way I was going to get through an entire post about the internet without making a cheesy internet superhighway joke.
I'm trying to become more literate in such things, mostly because I don't like it when other people are significantly better at things than me and Wanda and Katie are way better at the internet than me.[1][2] In that quest, I learned how to use a blog aggregator (Google Reader rules my life), have returned to Twitter (okay, that just happened yesterday, but the interest is high!) and have generally just tried to learn what the heck is going on in the internet.
Did you know that sometimes even liberals do things that I don't agree with? Did you know that there are gays who have shitty politics? Did you know that there's an alternative to pretty-much-downright-misogynistic Perez Hilton?
Now, all you real live internet knowers out there, don't make fun of me. I realize that these references are a mere primer to what the internet actually holds for me. Like I said, I'm just starting. But, for now, it makes life so much more interesting! Random news from random news sources (some more reputable than others) is a great way to acquire knowledge, and I'm excited to have hitchhiked onto the internet superhighway.[3]
[1] I'm going to just feel free to refer to "the internet" in whatever noun form I feel like, whether it be person, place, or thing. I realize how it sounds, and I suppose that not everyone can hear the weird ironical tone that I'm taking in my head each time I use the term. Thus, I felt the need to lay out my sense of humor here.
[2] I'm also really into footnoting right now. It's not news that I'm nerdy (ooh! alliteration!) so effing deal with it. If you know how to make these hyperlinks, pleeeeeese tell me. I looked for like an hour.
[3] There was no way I was going to get through an entire post about the internet without making a cheesy internet superhighway joke.
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