Here's a nice little glimpse into the twisted workings of a small mind courtesy of the Philadelphia Daily News:
Alternate lifestyle
Re Gay and Lesbian History Month:
I know we're trying to tell kids this is normal, but why don't we try something really perverse, a Heterosexual Month? That's when we have a real dad and mom at home where the kids see dad go to work every morning, and they have a real mom to run to when they have a problem.
Richie Rim, Philadelphia
Richie is responding to the local school districts decision to include Gay and Lesbian History Month on the school calendar. You know, as part of the plan to recruit vulnerable children as playthings for lecherous middle age homos. Since unlike the Catholic Church we don't have our own schools as recruiting grounds, we have to count on the Godless liberals to give us access to the public schools.
This is obviously a stupid arguement made by a small-minded literal fool on par with those who want a White History Month or a Male History Month to counter African-American History Month and Women's History Month respectively.
It also appears to be the arguement of someone who belives he grew up in an episode of Happy Days, instead of the Rim family somewhere in the bowels of Philadephia. Perhaps Richie isn't really his name? Maybe he can tell us what happened to big brother Chuck after the first season --- what kind of family values writes off a 6 foot son because he ain't funny?
What Richie proposes is the ultimate costume for Halloween -- the make believe nuclear family. Sure "real" Dad goes to work everyday where he is humiliated by his boss, has a stomach ulcer and having quickies with the secretary in his office. Meanwhile Mom downs a fifth of gin after the housework is done and fantasizes impaling her husband with his neck tie rack. But the important thing is that they are married to each other and spawning future generations of breeders for all the world to see.
Richie you suck dude. Actually that could be part of the problem. :-)
Happy Halloween everyone. This year Ledcat and I went as "Lesbian Bed Death" Mona the wonder dog went as a dog.
Our buddies at 2 Political Junkies have the video in which senior citizens bearing donuts are kicked out of Melissa Hart's office. Hart's explanation is full of holes itself ...
Our Allison Park office is a place of business, not politics. Their unruly behavior not only inhibited our ability to assist constituents with real requests for help, it also infringes on our constituents privacy. We always welcome constituents into our offices who have real problems or who want to deliver real input on the issues. This was, unfortunately, not the case today."
I bet Jason Altmire would appreciate a few donuts.
Speaking of Malicious Hart, she has now surpassed Yarone Zober (remember him?) as the target of the most "are they gay?" inquiries on pghlesbian.com. Many inquiries a day come in from yahoo, google, match.com, etc with the search phrase "'Melissa Hart' lesbian" And I'm getting those questions all about town, as if I somehow have magical information. Alas, much innuendo but little concrete fact.
What does bug me is how people really truly want her to be a lesbian and not in a good way. As if somehow the fact that she's gay would explain things about her. She's obviously a smart powerful woman (let's give her that) with no man nearby so she must be a dyke. I hope she isn't gay b/c she no friend to the LGBT community and it would be hideous if she was one of us. A lesbian suckling George Bush and the Dark Overlord is not a pretty site.
UPDATE: Thanks to Correspondent Emilia for pointing out that there was a problem with this petition. I delinked it while that gets figured out. Must admit, its a good lesson for me in trusting my gut b/c the petition didn't seem to jibe with what feministing reported. Next time, trust gut.
Keeping the Best Interests of the Greater Community of Women in Mind: A Declaration and Affirmation of the Importance and Necessity of Woman-Only Spaces
We are a coalition of women (born women) and transwomen. As feminists committed to the liberation of women and an end to gender, we have found analysis and critique of the goals, strategy and methodology of the transgender movement imperative. At the same time, we remain committed to one another and to all women, women (born women) and transwomen, as a class of human beings subordinated under male heterosupremacy. We are dismayed by the polarization which currently exists in the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival community, specifically, and in the feminist and progressive communities, in general, over the issue of woman (born woman) only spaces. For this reason, we have come together to write this declaration.
Ledcat has pointed out to me that I am wrong. Well, okay, so that's a pretty frequent occurance but in this case it impacts the blog and not just the proper way to fold sheets or mop the floor.
Yesterday, in a mocha haze, I claimed that the Post-Gazette did NOT cover the New Jersey Supreme Court decision requiring the state legislative body to extend marriage rights to all residents. Ledcat informed me that the print edition of the paper ran an AP story on that very topic this past Thursday. It is not available at the PG website. Here's a copy directly from the AP.
At least, I think that's a copy of the right article. I cannot search the print edition which is buried in an ever increasing stack of papers behind Ledcat's desk in her office. I get exactly 17.5 minutes each morning to read the print edition before it is whisked away. I usually start with the comics. Unless its Tony Norman day. Every day should be Tony Norman day.
So I was wrong. I'm sorry Post-Gazette. Please don't throw my paper into the puddle tomorrow morning, especially if I am still in my socks. I promise that I will read the paper properly for one week. I'll even read Ruth Ann. But I won't like it.
The Inquirer published a nice piece illustrating why gay marriage is truly a civil rights issue. Its about child custody, health care decisions, financial stability and so much more. Of course, its a little middle-classy but that's probably who was available for the interview.
Same-sex couples in New Jersey say last week's state Supreme Court ruling ordering the Legislature to give them the same rights as heterosexual married couples within 180 days - though they don't necessarily have to call it "marriage" - is an opportunity to remedy many of the inequalities they say exist in their everyday lives.
"It's not the sexy stuff - it's the day-to-day issues," said Betsy Codding, who lives with her partner in Haddonfield. "This brings everything very much into the public eye."
When Heggs, 56, had a heart attack and a stroke, a hospital refused to consult Long. Heggs, who was in intensive care, on a respirator, needed a blood transfusion.
The hospital wanted proof that Heggs and Long were together, Long said.
"They wanted to see our marriage certificate," Long said. "They would never do that to a heterosexual couple."
We all worry about this stuff. Not everyone can afford to pay an attorney to do all the paperwork necessary to secure some rights, especially those in the community toiling away below median income. Without health insurance and without the extra $5,000 a year to pay for it out of pocket. I'm fortunate that Ledcat's employer offers domestic partner benefits. My employer chooses to only extend coverage to the families of heterosexual employees. They say its about the money. End of conversation.
It would be interesting to see the Inquirer or the PG take a look at the lives of working class queers and explore the double whammy of being poor and gay.
His defeat ``would cost conservatives one of their most talented warriors'' and could be seen as ``a repudiation of conservatism itself.''
So sayeth the Candian Press referencing a recent article in the National Review.
Who are they talking about? Our good buddy, Ricky Sanctimonious.
And its all because he loves him some bush. W style. Like most arrogant frat boy men, dumb and malleable bush.
Santorum, 48, is an anomaly among many Republicans who are putting some hefty distance between themselves and Bush in an election year when most voters are fed up with the Iraq war and are demanding change.
``He just can't turn his back on it,'' says Washington political analyst Charles Cushman. ``He's a true believer.''
For Cushman, the staunch Catholic's emphasis on the anti-terror fight is one way to take the focus off his reputation for extremism that goes well beyond antipathy toward gay marriage, contraception and abortion rights.
He's long been something of a political pinata, making headlines for remarks linking homosexuality to polygamy and bestiality. In a book last year, he suggested more mothers should quit their jobs and stay home with their children. Santorum says he meant women in wealthy families who could afford it.
That's my favorite recent spin. Rich chicks should stay home and get rid of all their illegal nannies. Then they'd go home to their children, too. Its a win-win for ALL the children. What if the mother makes more money than the father --- should he stay home? HA HA HA HA. Only a liberal Democrat lesbo would make that suggestion!
Would the defeat of Rick Santorum also mean a repudiation of self-loathing spokesfags like Robert Traynham? Who by the way is John McIntire's new best friend. I'm guessing that won't trickle down to me. :-)
This morning the AP gives us an interesting little review of a book proposing that voting can be linked to consumer lifestyles.
A new book, "Applebee's America," contends that your lifestyle -- what's in your refrigerator or your garage -- says as much about your politics as your position on gay marriage or whether you live in a red or blue state.
And if politicians want to succeed, the book says, they would do well to follow the example of successful businesses like Applebee's or Starbucks, which have connected with consumers not just because of the product they are selling, but because of the values and lifestyle they represent.
Hmmm. Does that mean you can tell a homophobe by the crap that he buys?
People's product choices are becoming more and more like value choices. It's not, 'I like this water, the way it tastes.' It's 'I feel like this car, or this show, is more reflective of who I am.' More and more people make those choices based on a value."
For example, he says, buying a hybrid car is not just a way to save money on gas, it's also a statement from consumers about "what they want said about the environment."
I can relate to the premis though because I readily acknowledge that I am easily seduced by this kind of stuff. I love the feeling that I am a hip, trendy, socially-conscious consumer almost as much as I want to be said consumer. Target makes me feel good because it feels upscale, comfortable and affordable. Plus, its not Wal-Mart and that's definitely a good thing. So I can feel lofty about avoiding the evil WM while at the same time indulging my inner middle class whore. That's a freakin deal man!
But can this really translate into votes. Does my Target decorated kitchen, fondness for lattes and preference for thrift store purchases predict my vote? Or make me receptive to the big D message? Perhaps but according to the authors, it gets a little murky in the middle.
According to "Applebee's America," a Bush consultant determined that "country music stations, long thought to have solidly Republican audiences, drew nearly as many Democratic as GOP voters," and while "The Simpsons" show was popular with Republican men, "Gilmore Girls" was popular among GOP women.
Just goes to show you can't judge a homophobe by his television preferences.
Gilmore Girls? A show celebrating the triumph of a single mom who ran away from her richy rich parents after getting preggers at age 16 and then goes on to <gasp> have sex out of wedlock with multiple men? Or a show about a non-traditional family (much like my little gay family) who love each other even when things get sticky, complicated and frustrating? Hmmmm .... could Star Hollow be purple America?
I knew I would have an hour to kill this morning in the "East Side" neighborhood formerly known as East Liberty (does changing the name mean there are no more black or poor people living here?). So I packed along my laptop and scooted into the new Starbucks to give this Starblogging thing a whirl. My peppermint mocha in hand (its a cold morning), I found a seat. All the tables are being hogged by other laptop bearing blogeeks and one annoying couple who actually have their legs completely intertwined around the table in a very disgusting example of why you breeders should not rule the world. No self respecting homo would straddle a table for a few inches of inter-thigh contact. At least not at Starbucks.
This ain't no picnic. Aside from the humping breeders, I'm getting glares from people who want my comfy chair. But its near the outlet so I'm in no mood to be considerate or thoughtful. They should have gotten up earlier. Its also drafty in here from the constant flow of customers. Plus, its hard to eat a blueberry muffin over a laptop. While surfing the web for homos news of interest to Pittsburgh.
I'll leave Starbucks to MacYapper and stick with my attic.
Here's a link to the PG story on the New Jersey Supreme Court decision . And here's where you can see how the Trib covered the issue .
Hmmmm. Oh that's right. No coverage by either paper. The Post-Gazette ran 17 million letters to the editor when gay marriage was the big political wedge issue here in Pennsylvania last spring, including puh-lenty of column inches for homegrown homophobe and hate-mongerer Darryl Metcalfe to spew his jaundiced views.
On the bright side, KDKA covered the story. And WTAE. And even WPXI. And our good friend John McIntire did an especially nice job on both his blog and his radio show on KDKA. With yours truly donning the Lesbian Correspondent hat to chime in here and there.
So what's the deal with our local print media? I fully anticipate the fine folks at the City Paper will give a progressive shout out about the ruling in recognition of its magnitude for us homos here in da Burgh. But our daily papers have no such excuse.
Perhaps the PG is too busy replacing its actual human staff with cylons to pay attention to little things like pro-gay marriage supreme court rulings. When you cut our weekly dose of Tony Norman in half, you lose a lot of liberal street cred. And the Trib .... well, I can imagine the staff has been practicing wailing and gnashing of teeth over the impending Santorum defeat. Perhaps they just couldn't muster up a gay affirmative article that doesn't include drag queens and cultural events.
Thanks to our pal Ehrrin for passing this little gem along ....
Note that this is the first time ever the festival has opened with a women's feature. And I'll be out of town!!!!!! Plus, its my birthday weekend. I'm hoping to catch the Buffy Sing a Along the following week ....
21st Annual Pittsburgh International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
October 20-29, 2006
Women?s Festival Movies and Events
2006 ? 21st Annual PILGFF Kick Off Party
Sunday, October 8 ? 7:00 PM ? 10 PM ?
Nuance ? 900 Western Ave ? North Side
Come join the fun as PILGFF celebrates its 21st year of LGBT films in Pittsburgh.Theprograms, mini schedules, passes and packages of tickets will be available.
THE GYMNAST -OPENING NIGHT FEATURE
Friday, October 20, - 8:00 PMSouthSide Works Cinema
Saturday, October 28 - 5:00 PM - SouthSide Works Cinema
FEEL LIKE A WOMAN:
Sunday, October 22 - 7:15 PM - HarrisTheater ?
Women?s Shorts Program
LOVING ANNABELLE
Saturday, October 28 - 7:00 PM ? SouthSide Works - Girls Night Out 2 ? Hot Metal Grill
CRUEL AND UNUSUAL
Tuesday, October 24 - 7:00 PM - HarrisTheater
20 CENTIMETERS
Sunday, October 29 - 4:45 PM
SouthSide Works Cinema
LGBT AVANT GARDE RETROSPECTIVE
Tuesday, October 24 ? 9:15 PM - HarrisTheater
Various New Experimental Programs.
EATING OUT 2: Sloppy Seconds ?
CLOSING NIGHT FEATURE
Sunday, October 29 - 7:15 PM
SouthSide Works Cinema -
MOM
Wednesday, October 25 - 7:00 PM - HarrisTheater
Closing Night Party to follow Eating Out 2 at The Cheesecake Factory
The 2006 Pittsburgh International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival, produced by the Pittsburgh Lesbian & Gay Film Society, runs October 20-29 at multiple venues.All films and special personal appearances are subject to availability.Visit http://www.pilgff.org for complete schedule information.
