The plainest way to say it is that everything, every last fucking thing, is “constructed” in the SCLM product/discourse/fairy tale. Someone thinks about what it is in it, and what is not, and how, one word at a time. So when this happens, people should remember it’s a feature, and not a bug. What is funniest to me is that the WaPo, and the District, are queer havens, places where queer culture and thought and activity are open, vibrant. I guess I’ve just never been a part of that group of self-hating types who want to play these games.

But guys: trust me when I say, str8 America is over all this silliness. I look forward to the day, and indeed I believe it will come in my lifetime, when this sort of stunt is uncommon and quickly forgotten.

As the Blade reported last week, Maj. Alan Rogers, by all accounts a hero for his brave acts while serving in Iraq, was killed in January and buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Rogers lived as openly gay a life as he could, given the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He had many gay friends in D.C., patronized gay businesses and even worked as treasurer for the D.C. chapter of American Veterans for Equal Rights, a group working to overturn the military’s gay ban.

But the mainstream media accounts of his death omitted any reference to his sexual orientation. These were not benign omissions. The Washington Post, in particular, worked overtime to excise any mention of Rogers’ sexual orientation. It did not even report his work for AVER. Several of Rogers’ gay friends told the Blade that they were interviewed by a Post reporter at the funeral, but their memories were not included in the paper’s coverage.

I say this as only one of my age and “race” can: there comes a time when people decide to hate others for different reasons. No construct lasts forever, and nothing cannot be changed. Yes, blah, I know it works ’both ways,’ but in this case, working with younger people and knowing what they tell me about sex and sexuality and gender, I’m confident that this country is on the verge of finally shedding our particularly vulgar and unimaginative form of homophobia. And that’s a good thing.

Feh, I’ll chalk it up to yet another example in which the WaPo reminds me that I’m not sorry I don’t read them. /tosses hair/ So tired, they are.

Yes, another Latin blogger, two in a row even! Anyway, this is a subtle take on an issue that has always annoyed and plague me personally:

via sugar butch via creative xicana

Chivalry is deeply feminist to me. When in femmes, I expect femininity to be deliberate, done with the whole knowledge of the compulsory heteronormative restrictions which dictate that women must be and do certain things, particular that we must wear high heels, delicate cloth, restrictive clothing. Femininity is not made for comfort or movement, it is made to accentuate the sexualization of a woman’s body - and that’s why things like holding her doors open (so she doesn’t dirty her white gloves or expensive manicure), pulling her chair out (so she doesn’t have to awkwardly move a bulky piece of furniture, and risk getting it caught on her skirt or stockings and ripping something) or holding her coat (so she doesn’t have to reach around and risk ripping the tight seams in her shoulders or upper back) are necessary to me, as an acknowledgement of how restrictive femininity can be, and of how difficult it is to walk around the world in these clothes, as a celebration of the beauty of femininity on the body, and with deep respect for the courage to costume and perform femme to begin with.

I’m a total slob at home, I lounge around in utterly unsexy clothes unless I’m about to have that kind of sex and need the lingerie on first. At work I have a little bit of flare, but generally I’m pretty oblivious to fashion and trend. But when I step out in High Society, I turn it on. It’s just what you do. I’m totally cognisant of “the whole knowledge of the compulsory heteronormative restrictions” and yes, that’s the whole point. Women can be cruel to themselves, but sometimes when they do it’s a conscious choice for a purpose that outweighs the negative impact of conforming to those restrictions.  Read more 

Going out on a limb I’m going to say that Paul and his partner are good people. I’ve met them, feted Dem causes in their home, and I believe them before I believe whatever the DNC is saying about this. Shame on you, DNC. Even more than you already deserve. Howard, help me out here and do something to make me believe that this is all a misunderstanding. I want to continue to have faith in you. This makes it harder.

According to documents obtained by PageOneQ, a series of senior Democratic National Committee officials has been subpoenaed in an ongoing discrimination lawsuit by former LGBT outreach director Donald Hitchcock. Those ordered to provide sworn testimony include chairman Howard Dean, openly gay treasurer Andy Tobias, and Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council executive Director Brian Bond.

Hitchcock alleges that the DNC fired him after his boyfriend, political consultant Paul Yandura, wrote a scathing letter about the Democratic party’s governing organization.

Hitchcock also alleges that the DNC paid him less than his peers and that Dean, Tobias and others attempted to smear his name. The DNC won’t comment on the case, but Hitchcock says “I look forward shining light on the facts and discussing under oath the circumstances of my employment and unfair termination from the DNC.”

And to think: the work they have done, those two, for the DNC, for our causes! If this is true, I may get even more radical and “non-partied” than I already am.

Goddess I hate the Villagers. Kicking down decent, hard working, nice gays like Paul and Don, who are the nicest people I know in DC. It makes me sick.

Thank god gays have come so far that we do so much better than this in our film today. I haven’t seen Berlin Alexanderplatz , and I know for a time this sort of film style was all the rage, but still. I suppose I know nothing of high culture or literature, but I’m glad my gay male friends understand me and women in general a little differently than the people behind this exercise in self-importance. NSFW video of one scene from it that is just too much in this day and age below.  Read more 

The American Family Association wants you to be prepared for the day that gays and lesbians sashay and stomp into your town!

Residents of the small Arkansas town of Eureka Springs noticed the homosexual community was growing. But they felt no threat. They went about their business as usual. Then, one day, they woke up to discover that their beloved Eureka Springs, a community which was known far and wide as a center for Christian entertainment—had changed. The City Council had been taken over by a small group of homosexual activists.

The Eureka Springs they knew is gone. It is now a national hub for homosexuals. Eureka Springs is becoming the San Francisco of Arkansas. The story of how this happened is told in the new AFA DVD “They’re Coming To Your Town.”

Of course, I’m not going to have any and that’s a good thing, but one passage in this report struck me a slightly behind the scientific times:

BHARUCH: Gujarat’s gay prince of Rajpipla, Manavendrasinh Gohil, who was disinherited by the family for going public about being gay but later taken back into the fold, now wants to carry on the royal bloodline, in a manner of speaking.

The gay prince, who wants to ensure the lineage does not end with him just because he can’t have children, wants to adopt a child and make him the royal heir. Manavendra hit the headlines recently by going on the Oprah Winfrey Show and proclaiming his homosexuality.  Read more 

Nothing fails like prayer.

The team appointed to oversee Ted Haggard’s “spiritual restoration” after scandal forced him to end his ministry at New Life Church has agreed to his request to end their oversite of his recovery program.

New Life Church issued a statement Tuesday saying it believes the termination of the relationship is premature, but would not say why. Earlier in the process, church leaders had said they assumed that Haggard’s recovery could take several years.

The Colorado Springs evangelical congregation that Haggard founded also said it remains convinced that he should not return to any church ministry.  Read more 

My niece gave me a cold yesterday while we were playing with stuffed animals and numbered legos, and I’m so sorry as I meant to blog heavily today and just don’t have the energy. But I was thinking of writing more about “why we fail,” or perhaps better put, “how we can win” or even “learn from your enemies/those who have beaten you/to fight again another day and win this time.” Joe noticed a good one.

The telemarketing campaign, run by a nonprofit organization called “Faith, Family and Freedom” begins its pitch by asking the callee if they were opposed to same sex marriage. If the callee responds positively, they are then transferred to a United American Technologies representative who will explain to them how the more common telephone service providers, such as AT&T, MCI and Verizon are supporters of gay marriage and child pornography, and that United American Technologies is “the only carrier that is taking an active stand against same sex marriages and hardcore child pornography”.  Read more 

PageOneQ reminds us that rules are flexible things in “a time of war,” and the DADT rule seems to be one of them. I’d bet the number of openly gay people serving right now is even higher than 500, if you count those who are comfortable in their units in which everyone knows, and just doesn’t make an issue of it. In Manzella’s case, he outed himself because some jealous closet case (I’m betting) just couldn’t stand the thought of someone doing a good job and not moping and cowering with shame and guilt. This part struck me:

Manzella had voluntarily come out to his superiors after receiving anonymous threats to out him. An investigation in 2006 revealed “no evidence of homosexuality,” according to the Army, and Manzella was soon redeployed to Kuwait.  Read more 

To me, Ellen has always been the gay world’s version of Hillary. I don’t think she’s very funny, I found her comedy of errors with that bi-curious actress depressingly plebeian, and I’ve never understood or accepted the construction of her as the “face of the New Lesbian,” and the symbol of how we are accepted by mainstream society today. I didn’t know she had a talk show, but it seems she’s no friend to unions either. I’m alll for lesbians breaking the glass ceiling, but this seems like a classic case of “fuck you, I’ve got mine.” Way to help out your fellow artist, grrl. Not.

I know I’m the big anti-TeeVee blogger here, but I thought I’d take this moment to say that I do actually care to see the writer’s come out on top in this strike. When I’m Queen of the World, creative people will be the ones paid the most for the work from which others have been making billions. The Suits are the reason TeeVee sucks so badly today; I just heard a piece by some director talking about media consolidation, and he was saying that basically 6 corporate entities are responsible for everything that is shown. Worse, it’s no longer acceptable to use “out of house” production companies; if you’re part of the Disney Borg, you’ll find other Mouseslaves to write, tech and act in your show.

Media integration is a great evil, and for that reason alone, I support the strikers. I hope many of them realize that it’s still somewhat free on the Intertubes, and they’ve got the know-how to skip the corporate trap and just produce material for distribution here. I already pay for Netflix so I can watch what I want commercial free and at my lesiure; I would do the same for material from a production house headed up by say, Joss Wheadon.

An alert reader supplies this link:

The rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall.
After reading briefly from the final book, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” she took questions from audience members.

She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds “true love.”

“Dumbledore is gay,” the author responded to gasps and applause.

One more reason for the Christianists to hate, I imagine. But as our reader remarks:  Read more 

Sigh. It’s getting too easy. Guys, just come out already. But remember: teens are still off limits. There are plenty of legal and pretty young men who will be happy to satisfy you.

The chairman of the Republican Party in Brown County faces criminal charges for allegedly fondling a 16-year-old Ethan House runaway and providing the boy with beer and marijuana late last year.

Donald Fleischman, 37, of Allouez, was charged last month with two counts of child enticement, two counts of contributing to the delinquency of a child and a single charge of exposing himself to a child.  Read more 

Who has some good awards of the Darwin variety for Flat Earth Sexuality Comprehension. Water Tiger gave out the Golden Hoo Ha already this a.m. Do I hear an Iron Hide Your Head In The Sand, anyone?

In Dallas, we are going to have the convention of psychologists selling their treatment of gays as ornery. Yes, treating homosexuality as a stubborn rebellion against straight types. That loud quacking you hear is not those voices in your head again.  Read more 

Oh, snap! And we all know what GOP stands for:  Read more 

Mr. Wide Stance is a gift that just keeps giving:

HOT POTATO  Read more 

Molly brought this to my attention this morning, and I have to say it surprises me not at all.  Read more 

has announced he’s resigning his bishopric (that’s what they call it) and joining the Catholic Church cuz he’s pissed off that the Episcopalians installed a gay bishop, Eugene Robinson, five years ago  Read more 

Reading thru the comments at this thread, I’m overwhelmed by feelings of compassion and pity. So much of what is wrong with our world today stems from the fear some people have of coming out. So much. I’m going to be blunt and honest and share my story, because I think some of our trolls will understand. Bottom line: coming out is hard, but staying in the closet is harder.

I had to come out several times before it “took.” I’m a pretty woman, and it was hard for people to believe that I “had problems” with sex with men.  Read more 

Way to go, Judge Hanson. Let’s hope he survives his next election; fundies have long memories about this sort of thing. But nonetheless, Iowa has an important opportunity here and we’ll see if a Heartland state can truly support the concept behind the 14th and other amendments. ’Equal under the law’ is really simple, when you get down to it.

Anyway, to me this is a lot like the drug legalization issue: to get to the moderates and fence sitters, argue the money. Gay marriage means money for Iowa. There is a huge, unsung population of bears and cubs, Wedgewood collectors and Judy Garland fans, working class dykes and fags, all of whom would love nothing more than to have a wholesome, churchie, Heartland wedding. Not the flashy, sparkling Queers of the tribe of Har, mind you. But the regular folks, like the one you have a beer with twice a week after work and would never guess lives with another man. The quiet lesbian couple who are the pillar of small town activism and community building. That police officer in your church. Etc.  Read more 

UPDATE: Terrance has a completely different take on this worth reading, for all I don’t agree with him.

Look, let’s just clear one thing up right now: Craig is gross, and it’s got nothing to do with his orientation (Republicans, that means “lifestyle choice” in your vocabulary). I’ve seen a lot of pearl-clutching over the idea that Vice roves around (heh) looking to arrest hapless gays just out doing some harmless cruising. That’s not what was going on in Craig’s case:

Sgt. Dave Karsnia was investigating complaints regarding sexual activity in the men’s room where Craig was arrested. Airport police had made “numerous arrests” there in connection with sexual activity.

I’m an agressive gay cruising type, and I approve of this police action. Public restrooms are the wrong place to cruise for sex agressively. Period. I also find the whole notion of rubbing your leg on strangers taking a piss gross. Not cool. As in, predatory and rape-culture behavior.  Read more 

Honestly, it’s hardly news anymore, is it? I mean, who’s next? Shooter? RollCall:

Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) was arrested in June at a Minnesota airport by a plainclothes police officer investigating lewd conduct complaints in a men’s public restroom, according to an arrest report obtained by Roll Call Monday afternoon.

I take it that this is not what the wingers mean by “the public square,” right?

He pled:

Craig’s arrest occurred just after noon on June 11 at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Aug. 8, he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct in the Hennepin County District Court. He paid more than $500 in fines and fees, and a 10-day jail sentence was stayed. He also was given one year of probation with the court that began on Aug. 8.

But the best part?  Read more 

msnbc.com headline:

Church learns vet was gay, cancels memorial — Texas congregation acted out of principle, not malice, pastor says

Graphic found at The Indigestible.

We all should have known that since Joe Lieberman was pushing DHS, it was a Very Bad Idea. I don’t know if we understood at the time just how bad it was going to be, which goes for a lot else. Anyhow, from the Guardian:

Highly sensitive information about the religious beliefs, political opinions and even the sex life of Britons travelling to the United States is to be made available to US authorities when the European Commission agrees to a new system of checking passengers.

The EC is in the final stages of agreeing a new Passenger Name Record system with the US which will allow American officials to access detailed biographical information about passengers entering international airports.

n a strongly worded document drawn up in response to the plan that will affect the 4 million-plus Britons who travel to the US every year, the EU parliament said it ’notes with concern that sensitive data (ie personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, and data concerning the health or sex life of individuals) will be made available to the DHS and that these data may be used by the DHS in exceptional cases’.

Fortunately, after the administration has used Real ID to set up a system of RFID-driven internal passport controls, we’ll be able to extend this same system to Americans!

Because I know we’ll all sleep more safely at night if the Bush administration knows who we Fuck.

Why, if we’d been able to get this system in place earlier, Diaper Davey Vitter (R-Canal Street Brothel) might still be a Senator today! Oh, wait….

Anyhow, of course the Republicans are doing to datamine the hell out of it and then sell everything off to the corps:  Read more 

Ah, the profound discourse of the Serious Media of our country, the clean, the chaste, the…whatever the opposite of “hippie” is. Via Southern Poverty Law Center (whose mandate, please note, is hate crimes):

A “national underground network” of pink pistol-packing lesbians is terrorizing America. “All across the country,” they are raping young girls, attacking heterosexual males at random, and forcibly indoctrinating children as young as 10 into the homosexual lifestyle, according to a shocking June 21 segment on the popular Fox News Channel program, “The O’Reilly Factor.”

I would probably add more commentary if I were not laughing so hard. This is the kind of shit the right wing is reduced to? We made them quit lynching Negroes and sexually harassing women in the workplace and allowed Wiccans to get pentacles on their military tombstones and refused to ban Harry Potter books from libraries and all they have to cry