Queer In Texas

George Bush, Our Mormon President

2006-05-18T11:06:00.000-05:00

Sully points out today that according to the Survey USA polls released on 5/15, there are only three red states left: Idaho (52%), Utah (51%), and Wyoming (50%) (where by "red state" he means states that have a 50% or better approval rating for Bush). For the record we here in Texas are at 42% which puts our state at #11 in terms of redness. According to this poll, the president's overall approval is at 33%.

What makes these three states so different from the rest of the country? According to this map they are the only states with at least one county having a population which is more than 50% Mormon; these are plausibly the most Mormon states in terms of population percentage.

Delving deeper into the cross-tabs of the SUSA data, we see that the reddest states (that have church-goer data) have the following approval ratings overall vs. regular church goers (I give the fraction of poll responders who are regular church-goers in parentheses)...


           overall     regular
           approval  church-goers
Idaho         52%      67% (49%)
Utah          51%      70% (59%)
Wyoming       50%      62% (29%)
Okalhoma      48%      61% (46%)
Nebraska      47%      56% (50%)
Mississippi   47%      53% (56%)
Alabama       44%      50% (52%)
Alaska        43%      60% (33%)
Lousiana      43%      51% (51%)
Texas         42%      46% (43%)
Georgia       41%      46% (45%)

It is interesting to note that the top three, ranked by regular churchgoers, are Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming, which plausibly matches the ranking in terms of Mormon-ness. Certainly the gay-bashing wedge agenda plays well with the devout Mormons, but it doesn't seem to be enough for the rest of the country (including many social conservatives). In Texas where our same-sex marriage ban passed with 76% of the vote, Bush's approval among regular church-goers is 46% (only 4 points better than the state-wide average), whereas in Utah the approval gap is a shocking 19%.

Forget about Mitt Romney, it looks like George W. Bush will go down in history as the first Mormon president.

Au revoir Paris

2006-05-18T10:13:00.000-05:00

There are certain celebrities that resonate so strongly with the gay community that they become enduring icons. In the past this was mostly the realm of a certain kind of singer-actress (Cher, Bette M, Judy, Liza, Barbra). Sadly, in the freshly minted post-gay world that we live in these divas of the past are being replaced by people who -- how can I put this politely -- aren't quite as large as life, let alone larger than life.

If there is a single overarching characteristic of the queen divas that sends gay men's hearts aflutter it is exactly this larger-than-lifeness. When your person life is like a bad soap opera (get outed, fight with family, get thrown out of house, live in seedy urban neighborhood teeming with ne'er-do-wells) there is something cathartic about living that overly dramatic life in an old-movie over-dramatized sort of way. How can you not love Bette D when she warns her guests to "fasten their seatbelts" and then proceeds to get stinking drunk and treat everyone around her like garbage? It's as if she's teaching us all the etiquette of being a difficult queen (I can almost hear Miss Manners' inner diva advising: "it's OK to get wasted, alienate your friends, and ruin your own party -- as long as you warn your guests first.")

Unfortunately, now that we are here and queer (and advertisers and marketers are used to it), the holistic elevation of a star to a diva is not the only way to get through to every gay man's inner queen. Take, for example, the latest crime against taste by serial skank Paris Hilton. Here is a woman who is famous for being a slut who also happens to be rich.

Like a thinner and nastier Anna Nicole Smith, Paris has lap-danced her way into the hearts of no one in particular, and now that her 15 minutes are up (again) she needs reinvention. Being a professionally rich and talentless slut is harder than it looks owing to the fact that unappealing, uninteresting, and untalented celebrities are rather easy to come by in these days of "reality" entertainment. So, her (almost certainly) overpaid publicist is working on another reinvention of Paris which apparently involves a campaign to become a gay diva.

Out magazine bought (or was paid to buy) into this concept of Paris as gay diva (proof the web is exacting a heavy toll on print media?), and even went so far as to feature her on the cover in an old-hollywood starlet style; it's almost as if they're admitting up front that she is just pretending. Now, Out is certainly free to publish whatever they like, but I think it is important to remember that with the mainstreaming of gay issues (good thing) comes the mainstreaming of gay culture (maybe a bad thing). We have acted as the guardians of taste, style and high culture since (at least) the times of Oscar Wilde. It would be a shame to punish straight people for being more tolerant by allowing the mainstreaming of gay culture to ruin our communal sense of taste and style. Who would do their hair and decide what they should wear if it weren't for us?

As Mr. Slave (a true gay icon) pointed out in the "Stupid Spoiled Whore Video Playset" episode of South Park (after handing Paris Hilton a crushing defeat in a public whore-off), there are much better role models out there than Paris Hilton. If we are to maintain our credibility as the arbiters of style, we must reject this shameless attempt to curry our favor. It may not be the most important aspect of our duty to society, but the rejection of Paris Hilton as a gay (or any other sort of) role model may well be the most satisfying.

These aren't the droids you're looking for.

2006-05-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

I have often thought that Dick Cheney may well be the dark lord of the Sith. This would probably either make Karl Rove or Mary Matalin his Sith-y accomplice, which is irrelevant to this discussion but fun to consider (it certainly couldn't be Bush -- he's too transparent and incompetent). I make this point since I have been trying to decipher Mary Cheney, and her personality would make a lot more sense to me if, as they say, the force was strong with her...

This isn't the conservative lesbian you're looking for.

At times it has been difficult to even grasp at the concept of the existence of Mary Cheney. She has been living in the same piece of invisible real estate that her father often vacations at, existing in a sort of quantum state of being known and unknown simultaneously. Is it contempt for the media, disdain for the public, or simply a little bit of dark jedi mind-trickery that keeps her unknowable, swaddled in a blanket of non-existence which is at once both tangible and wholly unreal? It doesn't matter. I'll say it again and with more weight in case the words themselves are deconstructed by their proximity to the mere concept of Mary Cheney:

It doesn't matter.

Mary Cheney, or at least the simulacrum which passes for the tangible realization of the concept of Mary Cheney, has been trying to assert her claim to existence recently. She has a new book, and has done all of the associated book release promotional punditry. She has willingly come out of the closet of non-reality that she normally non-exists within enough to actually appear on Good Morning America and Primetime Live without simultaneously appearing elsewhere. Apparently, when the daugther of the Sith wants to be heard she gets to be heard.

The problem is, she isn't really saying anything. There is nothing about this construct of Mary Cheney that couldn't have been built by an unholy alliance between Industrial Light and Magic and an undead Lee Atwater, from the creepily monotone photo that accompanies this article to the now-infamous comment about John Kerry's name check of her Kinsey rating in the presidential debate (Kerry = "son of a bitch"; Edwards = "slimeball").

Along with these bombs, she lobs a water balloon at Bush and Dad (FMA = "a gross affront"). More than that though, she even "seriously considered" doing something, but I suppose she was kept from speaking, acting, or making any observable change in the GLBT political universe because of the fact that she doesn't actually exist.

Mary (or the concept that is her -- this existential ambiguity is so very confusing), with the release of this book, is now faced with a choice: existence or non-existence? Unfortunately, I am guessing she will opt for the latter because she currently serves as an important anti-role model.

The woman that would be "Mary Cheney" embodies the GOP concept of the perfect gay daughter. That is, she is perfectionistically monochrome, quietly unreal, creepily normal, not seen and not heard. This provides cover for the bigots and comforts conservative families struggling with a lesbian (or gay boy) of their own. The ILM/Atwater conception of Mary Cheney as the iconic non-icon is of great utility to the Republican wedge strategy, and as such it will never change. So, after this book I expect that we will see Mary Cheney recede out of pseudo-reality and back into a purely conceptual existence, leaving gay rights activists on the left and the right with a feeling of vauge confusion and a lingering whisper of...

This isn't the conservative lesbian you're looking for.

Closet Tolerants vs. Public Homophobes

2006-05-15T10:06:00.000-05:00

...and we're the winners.

It has been clear to me for some time that the public face of rampant homophobia that is currently the trademark of the GOP is a facade. The business interests that have bought this administration certainly don't buy into the homophobia (it's bad for business), Bush quietly supports civil unions, Cheney loves his gay daughter (more on her soon in a upcoming post, I promise), and Ken Mehlmen avoids questions about who turns him on more, Thatcher or Reagan. So, if there's love for all things lavender in the corridors of red power, why isn't that red a little more publicly pink?

Karl Rove.

His electoral calculations involve strong grassroots support among the most homophobic segment of the country. They're older, whiter, more bigoted, and more religious than most, so by any measure they are outside of the mainstream of society, but they vote early and they vote often. More importantly, they do what they are told and so they make great footsoldiers in the GOP army, knocking on doors and spreading the word of their savior, Prophet Bush.

Except he's not their savior, and they may be starting to realize that.

Now, I don't put much stock in the things that people like Richard Viguerie and James Dobson say, because usually it starts with a prayer to White Jesus, and it ends with some rambling screed against the gays. However, I know I can count on the likes of Dobson to act as a weathervane. These people make their living by squeezing money and influence out of the extremist right wing of the extremist Republican party, so you know they are going to try to articulate sentiments that appeal to that constituency, wether or not they believes it personally.

So, when I saw this in the New York Times, I had a mixed reaction:

"There is a growing feeling among conservatives that the only way to cure the problem is for Republicans to lose the Congressional elections this fall," said Richard Viguerie, a conservative direct-mail pioneer.

Mr. Viguerie also cited dissatisfaction with government spending, the war in Iraq and the immigration-policy debate, which Mr. Bush is scheduled to address in a televised speech on Monday night.

"I can't tell you how much anger there is at the Republican leadership," Mr. Viguerie said. "I have never seen anything like it."

In the last several weeks, Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and one of the most influential Christian conservatives, has publicly accused Republican leaders of betraying the social conservatives who helped elect them in 2004.

A lot of this is certainly posturing. If Dobson and/or Viguerie can convince the GOP leadership that they can withhold (or deliver) essential support, their personal stock will go up. If they can make that case at a time when the party is in crisis (which is how I would characterize the current GOP position given the president's 29% approval rating) it goes up even more. Thus, I'm not actually expecting Dobson to turn against Bush (wouldn't that make him a modern Judas?), but I know that this certainly means that Bush is in trouble with his base.

The FMA will certainly fail this time around, and in the forseeable future. In fact, there would have to be a seismic shift in US politics for the FMA to have even a remote chance of passing. Currently, US opinion is against gay marriage (55% think it should be illegal), but only 38% support the idea of a federal marriage amendment, and the trends are in our favor.

At some point a break will occur between the Christianists and the GOP because it will be increasingly difficult for publicly homophobic legislators to stay elected as public opinion continues to shift towards equality. This shift is happening now, but will the break occur this November? I don't know, but I certainly plan to do everything I can to help it along.

He-Man and the Masters of the (Gender Role) Universe

2006-05-12T14:30:00.000-05:00

Slate has a piece on the homoerotic overtones of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe which is sort of profound, and yet so funny that at one point I laughed so hard I almost cried. Feel the love:

The best part about rewatching He-Man, after the initial nostalgia-burst, was tracking the show's hilarious accidental homo-eroticism—an aspect I missed completely as a first-grader. In the ever-growing lineup of "outed" classic superheroes, He-Man might be the easiest target of all. It's almost too easy: Prince Adam, He-Man's alter ego, is a ripped Nordic pageboy with blinding teeth and sharply waxed eyebrows who spends lazy afternoons pampering his timid pet cat; he wears lavender stretch pants, furry purple Ugg boots, and a sleeveless pink blouse that clings like saran wrap to his pecs. To become He-Man, Adam harnesses what he calls "fabulous secret powers": His clothes fall off, his voice drops a full octave, his skin turns from vanilla to nut brown, his giant sword starts gushing energy, and he adopts a name so absurdly masculine it's redundant. Next, he typically runs around seizing space-wands with glowing knobs and fabulously straddling giant rockets. He hangs out with people called Fisto and Ram Man, and they all exchange wink-wink nudge-nudge dialogue: "I'd like to hear more about this hooded seed-man of yours!" "I feel the bony finger of Skeletor!" "Your assistance is required on Snake Mountain!" Once you start thinking along these lines, it's impossible to stop. (Clearly, others have had the same idea.) It's a prime example of how easily an extreme fantasy of masculinity can circle back to become its opposite.

As funny as this is, I really do think it represents something profound. By staking claim to (at least part of) hyper-masculinity we have successfully defined ourselves instead of allowing straight society to define us. This is a huge success given how merciless society has been (and continues to be) to gender non-conformists. If we can take a piece of hyper-masculinity when they are attempting to define our gender role as feminized sissys, then there's hope for further progress down the road.

Case in point: our re-appropriation of Nazi imagery when Tom of Finland's attraction to their uniforms led him to infuse his blue collar fantasies with a dash of over-the-top fetishization. His distinct style has since come to define gay male hyper-masculinity, and serves as a delicious irony.

Sure they rounded us up and put us in death camps, but they're gone now, and not only are we still here, but we're jacking off on their jodhpurs, licking them clean, and loving every second of it.

Thomas Pynchon's new novel?

2006-05-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

If I were Thomas Pynchon, and I were writing a new novel about secrecy, scandal, and the CIA, I might name one of my characters, who may or may not be, at various times, shrouded in mystery and awash in moral ambiguity, something very much like "Dusty Foggo". I really hope this scandal has legs, just for the sheer entertainment value.

I have no great insight here, I've just been seeing this name all week and everytime I flash back to Pierce Inverarity and Oedipa Maas.

Gay Googling

2006-05-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

Wanna know who is googling the gays? Sullivan pointed out a very interesting (and deliciously nerdy) google feature called Google Trends which lets you track various statistics about searches and see who is searching for what. This leaves the 'why' up to you, which is probably dangerous since post hoc deduction is almost invariably biased, but it's fun to mine google for interesting tidbits...

(note: I ran all my searches over all years and regions)

"gay"

The top 5 cities googling "gay" are:

1. Santiago, Chile
2. New York, United States
3. Mexico City, Mexico
4. Los Angeles, United States
5. Houston, United States

At first I was suprised that we were the third most "gay googling" city in the US, but then I noticed that a significant majority of these searches were done in spanish. Houston certainly has a massive spanish speaking population (as do all of these cities). I'm not sure what this means, but it certainly confirms something I already knew -- we should we be working harder to make inroads into hispanic communities.

"gay porn"

In sharp contrast to "gay" the vast majority of "gay porn" searches are in English (probably since porn is an english word; what is spanish for porn anyway?) with Dutch being a not-even-close second -- but we already knew the Dutch are into that sort of thing :).

"gay rights"

There is a sharp spike in searches in early November of 2004. I wonder if simply making gay rights part of the national conversation hurt us in the election? It certainly got people talking and thinking -- maybe that ultimately will prove to be a good thing?

"gay marriage"

There is a huge spike when Bush called for a gay marriage ban in Feb 2004. That's the power of the bully pulpit. Although, given the cities doing those searches (Cambridge, Minneapolis, Pleasanton, San Francisco, Boston, Sacramento, Austin, Portland. Seattle, & Washington) it is pretty clear that the people doing the googling are (on average) not conservatives.

This raises an interesting question: can we estimate the fraction of google users that are conservatives simply by comparative searches? I checked a few (Bush, Kerry; pro-choice, pro-life; Republican, Democrat; liberal, conservative) and the conservative choice usually had more volume, but these comparisons are too inartful (searching on Bush may or may not corrolate with supporting him) to make any conclusions.

Anyway, go waste some of your own time in the Google Lab, it's a lot of fun and you may gain some insights in the process.

Big Fun at Community Center Events

2006-05-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

There's two Community Center events looming that are worth mentioning...

First, is the monthly HGLBTCC Bingo night. I've been the the last couple of these and they honestly have been the most fun of any gay events that I have been to in Houston. Sure it's for a good cause, but go do it anyway, I gurantee you'll be coming back for more and dragging all your friends with you the next time.

The next Queer Bingo is on Saturday, May 20, 2006 at the 1415 Grill (1415 California), Doors Open at 5:00pm and the Games Begin at 6:00pm.

Second, is the annual art auction fundraiser. I went to this last year and bought a huge abstract that fits my apartment perfectly (and it was cheap). Last time there were a crazy number of pieces (several hundred) and there really was something for everyone; prices ranged from a few bucks for small knick-knacks to hundreds for large paintings by 'name' artists, so there's no excuse not to go even if you are on a budget.

The HGLBTCC's 'An Art Affair' happens on Saturday June 3 from 7-10pm at the Winter Street Studios (2101 Winter Street).

The Ultimate Double Standard

2006-05-09T11:24:00.000-05:00

It has become recently very fashionable for gay conservatives to trash Democrats for their lack of "real" support for gay issues. In particular, Andrew Sullivan (and his pals at the Independent Gay Forum) have been beating this dead horse more than usual of late. The latest crime against gay sanity in this vein is in the form of an email from a reader to which Sullivan simply adds: "I agree. And so do many gay Democrats." I'll address the highlights below, but please go read the whole thing here so you get a clear picture of exactly what he is agreeing to.

Republicans who are welcoming, loving and tolerant of homosexuality get stripped of it by association, while the Democrats have done nothing real on a national level to promote understanding.

First, lets start with those "welcoming, loving, and tolerant" Republicans. Dick Cheney (of all people) is supposed to be the poster boy for the Republican "closet tolerant" (Sullivan's phrase, not mine) since he's got the gay daughter that he loves so much. However, a quick trip down memory lane reminds us that "closet" is the key word in the phrase "closet tolerant". Below I list the GLBT lowlights of the platform that he and Bush ran on in the last presidential race (taken from the HRC's Scorecard for the 108th Congress):

- Supports the Federal Marriage Amendment and publicly endorsed it in February 2004.
- Supports changing the U.S. Constitution, which may, in addition to banning same-sex marriage, prohibit certain domestic partner benefits.
- Does not support extending full marriage equality to same-sex couples.
- Has never supported the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.
- Opposes the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act. Did not support adding sexual orientation to the Texas hate crimes law when he was governor.
- Has failed to advocate for needed increases in federal spending for HIV prevention and the care and treatment of people with HIV/AIDS.
- Opposes allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. “I’m against gay adoptions.”
- Supports the current “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which prohibits gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly in the armed forces.

So even though Cheney the "closet tolerant" loves his gay daughter as any parent should, he still actively and vocally works against gay rights at seemingly any opportunity. It's not that Cheney is "stripped" of his tolerance by association, he discards it knowingly and carelessly by his own actions. I think that this makes him more despicable for knowing what is right and doing wrong anyway -- and Sullivan Agrees with me in his essay on the closet tolerants for The Times Online:

Does their personal tolerance make their policies less or more distasteful? I’d say more distasteful, since they know better. A man with a gay daughter in a loving relationship should not be campaigning on the idea that such relationships destroy the family. Whose family? Cheney’s?

Now, what about those democrats who "have done nothing real on a national level to promote understanding"? In 2004, 43 Democratic senators voted against cloture for the Federal Marriage Amendment, 3 voted for it. The Republicans, on the other hand, had 45 votes to move forward on a constitutional ban on gay marriage, with 6 voting against it.

I give our Democratic senators (and house members) full credit for standing up and saying publicly with their votes that they do not support discrimination against GLBT people. This is not "nothing", in fact it is a very significant something given that these gay marriage votes are designed by the Republicans as a tool to drive a wedge between the Democratic party and a significant fraction of their base. Not only that, but some high-profile Democratic leaders have come out in full support of gay marriage rights (in particular, 2008 presidential candidate Russ Feingold). Again, this is not "nothing". Simply hearing a bona-fide national level political leader wholeheartedly support us and our relationships is huge.

Next, we get into that weird area of complaining that the Democrats weren't successful enough at stopping the Republican agenda:

As a vet, I was ashamed and angry when Clinton instituted "don't ask, don't tell" -- Clinton, who had the opportunity as executive to make the military get realistic, caved. He signed DOMA into law.

Sure "don't ask, don't tell" is horrible policy, but it was the compromise position that allowed gays (albiet closeted gays) into the military. I certainly don't support the policy since I see it as pathetic window dressing on the then-existing policy of "we'll throw you out if we catch you". However, that's not Clinton's fault (from the Wikipedia):

It ["Don't Ask, Don't Tell"] was introduced as a compromise measure in 1993 by President Bill Clinton, who while campaigning for the Presidency had promised to allow all citizens regardless of sexual orientation to serve openly in the military, a departure from the contemporary complete ban on those who are not heterosexual. The actual policy was crafted by Colin Powell and has been maintained by Clinton's successor, George W. Bush.

Similarly for the Defense of Marriage Act (again from Wiki):

The Defense of Marriage Act was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996, after moving through a legislative fast track and overwhelming approval in both houses of the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress.

To review, Clinton wanted to let gays serve openly in the military, but that was strongly opposed by the military and conservatives, so he eventually caved and signed onto the compromise policy designed by Colin Powell. As for DOMA, the Republican controlled congress successfully passes the Defense of Marriage Act and Clinton fails to show enough backbone to veto it. Certainly Clinton is to be blamed for failing to stand up for GLBT people when he did these things, but let's be honest here. The lion's share of the blame for both DOMA and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" rests with Republicans.

Finally, we have this gem:

It's shameful that the Democrats get credit for something that they, on a national level, have done NOTHING to fix. The Cheneys and the Rudy Giulianis and anyone else, from any party, who is willing to stand up for their gay friends and family members should be encouraged, not vilified and not found guilty by party association.

Wow, what a spectacular double standard. When Democrats fail to sufficiently stand up to the anti-GLBT Republican agenda they are doing "NOTHING" and its "shameful" that we give them credit for trying and failing. But, when one or two Republicans secretly think gay people are OK we should forgive all of their public sins (like pushing for a Federal Marriage Amendment).

I call bullshit on that.

The bottom line is that we need to reward our friends and punish our enemies. As long as the Democrats continue to support us publicly (even if it their support is woefully imperfect) I will reward them to the extent that they have helped us. The corollary to this is that we must continue to punish those Republicans who publicly work against us, especially if it means punishing "closet tolerants" (they should know better). To do anything less is political suicide.

31% -- Now get to work.

2006-05-07T22:29:00.000-05:00

Bush is at 31% approval, and the usual gloating can be heard ringing throughout the blogosphere. I certainly think he deserves every bit of bad press that he gets, however, I am afraid we may be facing a big problem come November. Once the conventional wisdom becomes that Bush and the Republicans will lose big in the mid-term elections we will be in trouble.

If Republican talking heads can convince their base that the sky is falling, there will be lots of urgency for conservatives which will translate into successful fundraising and volunteer recruitment. On the flip side, I am sensing more than a little self-satisfied smugness among liberals, and this may cause people to (wrongly) think that the election is in the bag. Basically, if you found yourself smiling when you heard that Bush is flirting with the 20s, you need to ask yourself "how can I get involved". With so few people voting in midterm elections, getting directly involved is the only thing that really matters.

If we are fooled by the siren song of low poll numbers, we will be disappointed when we find that the only people who cared enough to come out to vote were the frightened and motivated 30% that still blindly support Bush.

Thumbs Down for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani

2006-05-05T10:52:00.000-05:00

Bill Maher once pointed out that the problem with political discourse in the US is that many people can't (or are intentionally unwilling to) hold two ideas in their head at the same time.

I was reminded of this when I saw that Iraq's Shia leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has issued a fatwa against GLBT people that has lead to at least one confirmed killing (of a 14-year-old boy) -- a killing carried out by the Iraqi police on the doorstep of the boy's house.

Some conservatives (I'm looking at you, Andrew Sullivan) have made a big deal out of the fact that many on the left have not condemned (or at least sufficiently condemned) the extremist and anti-American elements in Iraq. This point is made time and again as a sort of indictment against liberalism. This is of course designed to soothe the bruised neo-con ego (I'd be ashamed too if I had joined the chorus for war in Iraq), and has very little to do with gay rights. That being said, I will take the bait (and make no mistake -- it surely is bait and nothing more)...

I decry al-Sistani's fatwa as heinous and horrible. The idea that GLBT people should be murdered for their orientation is the most extreme example of the kind of bigotry that I am dedicated to fighting against. It is anathema to the message of all major religions (yes, including Islam) and wholly unacceptable in any society. I look forward to the day when a more enlightened view will prevail in the middle east and all over the world.

...but here is why I call it bait. Focusing on al-Sistani and his violent homophobia is wasted effort. No sane person would support him, and none of my words or efforts will effect his decisions. How could I hope to diminish his influence or change his mind about democracy and human rights when Bush and all the resources at the disposal of the military and federal government can't? There's only so many hours in the day and I've got a lot of work to do here in Houston, Texas, and the US before I can really worry about foreign governments.

So, let's try to keep these two ideas in our heads at once:

1. I think fatwas against GLBT are repugnant and unaccpetable (like, um, duh!).
2. I am going to focus on things that I think I can change, like fighting for GBLT rights at the state and local level here in Houston.

FMA Redux

2006-05-04T17:38:00.000-05:00

Summertime in an election year -- it must be time for a federal marriage amendment.

In a move which suprises absolutely no one, Bill Frist is pushing a constitutional gay marriage ban at the federal level again. Even though everyone knows that it has less than no chance of passing it is back on the agenda for three "good" reasons.

1. "Recorded Votes" -- The red-state R's want to put all the D's they can on record opposing the FMA so that they can run misleading ads claiming the D's want to legalize gay marriage.

2. "Urgency" -- All successful fundraising needs an urgency hook (why should I give today?) and the Christianists are going to be hammering this issue like Mario on a coin box (hit it repeatedly as hard and fast as possible until money stops popping out).

3. "President Frist" -- Frist wants to get a big promotion and the only way it can happen is if the hard right wingnuts decide to back him. He's wants to make it very clear that he's their guy and not McCain.

Now, since #2 works for us just as well as it does for them you've probably already heard about this when HRC called to ask for money, and therein lies the conundrum. Everyone knows this thing will fail, and nobody really needs to spend any money on either side. However, if we "just say no" to HRC we may be handing the right a fundraising advantage which is even bigger than the one they usually enjoy.

What to do?

Well, I think everybody will need to decide for themselves on this one, but personally I am kicking the FMA habit. I will continue to work on marriage locally, and work on my own elected officials to garner as much vocal support against the FMA as possible, but I'm not going to throw money at it this time.

I'm saving my cash for important local races like Hubert Vo and Ellen Cohen. I personally think that's a much better use of my meager donation dollars than sending it into the void of the federal marriage kabuki. This thing will fail wether or not we send millions to DC, so let's save the money for something that can do some real good.

South Carolina's Sex Toy Inspector Exam

2006-05-03T14:09:00.000-05:00

Since the sale of sex toys may soon be illegal in South Carolina, they're probably going to need some inspectors to insure that no sex toys slip through the cracks.

With that in mind, if you are interested in boning up on your basic sex toy identification skills, you should check out this strange little quiz.

If you want to compare scores, Lab-mate Graham and I did it together and we got 9 out of 15...

The Politics of Petrol

2006-05-02T18:11:00.000-05:00

The federal government has almost no facility for changing gasoline prices in the near term. Supply and demand are for more powerful in our market economy than the governments ability to intervene -- and yet I support every effort to extract a political cost from Republicans in power by stirring up public ire over gas prices.

It's just not fair, and I wholeheartedly support it.

The Republicans have been fighting against gay rights to provide a very large carrot in their carrot-and-stick relationship with the Christianists for years. We keep hearing sub rosa murmurings (usually from Log Cabins) about how Bush supports same-sex domestic partner benefits and Cheney loves his gay daughter, but support for us doesn't pay political dividends so they don't support us.

This strategy has worked exceedingly well, so it's time to take a page from their play book.

In the political calculus of their design utility is paramount. There is nothing high-minded or visionary about squeezing the gays to wring out a few Christianist votes, but they have done it and will continue to do it as long as it keeps them in power. So, admitting up front that there is nothing high-minded or visionary about fighting high gas prices (I actually think gas prices should go up more -- and have an additional federal tax added on top of that), that's what I think we should do.

...and when Andrew Sullivan or "Big Dick" Dale Carpenter start to carp about how my position is "intellectually indefensible" I say, "so what?" Your GOP boys perfected the hyper-partisan ultra-political environment we find ourselves in today, and if you don't like where that has taken us go complain to them about it.

Don't hate da playa baby, hate da game.

One China, One Child, One Gender

2006-05-02T11:39:00.000-05:00

My sister Tammie adopted a baby girl from China. Anna is playful and funny, and so inquisitive about everything. She's a joy to be around, and I only regret that I live so far away and don't get to see her very often. I have no interest in raising children of my own, but if I did adopting from China would be at the top of my list of options based on my sister's wonderful experience.

Oops, strike that -- adopting from China is not an option for me because the Chinese government is as homophobic as it is cruelly authoritarian:

In response to publicity about Chinese children being placed with same-sex couples, the government now makes all prospective parents sign a statement pledging that they are not gay or lesbian. Officials have also decided that no more than 8% of adopted Chinese babies will go to single parents.

(taken from this article in The Advocate)

Now, there are lots of reasons to hate the Chinese government: their obsession with Taiwan as part of China, their inexcusable cruelty to Tibet, their dismal human rights record, their obsessive attempts to contol the flow of information, etc. In light of all this, working to get them on the right side of gay rights seems pretty low on the list, especially given the fact that they are creating a radically gender-imbalanced society:

More than 116 male births were recorded for every 100 female births according to results of a national census which have just been released.

Officials in Beijing fear that the resulting imbalance will "damage social and economic stability" in the future, and encourage the trade in kidnapped women.

(taken from this article in The Guardian)

For those of you who don't know, the reason China has a booming adoption trade is that their "One Child" policy (which punishes families for having more than one child) is leading to lots of abandonded, aborted, and murdered baby girls (my niece Anna was abandoned outside of a restaurant less than a week after being born). Because of the cultural value of sons in China, the "One Child" policy is increasingly becoming the "One Male Child" policy.

In a society of a billion people the current gender imbalance will leave 74 million men single and unable to take a wife (this assumes that each and every woman marries and stays with their husband for life)

With 74 million single men and 0 available women I am guessing that the Chinese government will soon be facing gay rights issues much bigger than a few stateside homos adopting little Chinese girls.

Vote Smart

2006-05-01T11:33:00.000-05:00

We keep saying that we need to "hold our elected officials accountable", which is a great idea, but the reality is that most of us don't even know who our senators are, let alone our representatives or elected judges.

This is a problem no more! My friend Amy pointed me to this neat web site, vote-smart.org, which tells you exactly who represents you (based on your 9 digit zip code). So, next time you are chatting with a friend or phone banking and someone asks who their representatives are or how they can find out, just point them to vote smart.

Martha's Woes

2006-05-01T10:04:00.000-05:00

Kuff has a nice piece on Kuff's World about the state of the Ellen Cohen/Martha Wong race (district 134).

Apparently, some Republicans (especially the repugnant Dan Patrick) are none too happy about her voting for Perry's business tax plan. Now, as Kuff notes in his piece, that's not even the biggest of Martha's problems...

HD134 is one of only a handful State House districts to vote against Proposition 2, the anti-gay marriage amendment, last November. Wong actually was "present not voting" on the Joint Resolution that became Prop 2, but activists in her district are not in a forgiving mood. More worrisome than that, of course, is the $300K that Cohen has raised so far.

I should point out here that as one of those "activsts in her district", my biggest problem with Martha is the fact that she voted in committee to move the gay-marriage ban forward. That was a key vote which puts her on record as being against gay equality. The fact that she was "present not voting" on the floor vote just shows that she's a coward as well as a bigot.

Also, it's not just that Ellen Cohen has a big war chest to back her up. There are a variety of progressive groups in the district that are lined up behind Ellen and there are going to be block walks, phone banks, and house parties right up until election day. However, that doesn't mean that this one is in the bag. Martha is in trouble, and I think Ellen has a real shot at winning this race, but it is up to fair-minded people in the district to capitalize on the opportunity. If the grassroots activists and organizers sit on their hands in 134, Martha could easily win this one.

Bob Perry -- Gay and Great?!?!

2006-04-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

Last year (and for how many years before that?) Houston area homebuilder and extremist right-wing activist Bob Perry won the OutSmart "Gayest and Greatest" Homebuilder award. Now for the most part I don't take these sorts of unscientific "public participation polls" too seriously, but I mean come on people Bob Perry?!?!. This guy provided the money behind the Swift Boating of John Kerry, and more importantly put up $10,000 for the "yes on prop. 2" campaign (check out this excellent discussion of the money in that race for details).

I am left asking what exactly is there about Bob Perry that is gay and great? He hates us enough to spend significant amounts of money against us, and he supports the politicians who hate us enough to keep bringing up this homophobic legislation. Gay people who buy Perry homes ought to be ashamed of themselves for putting their money into the pockets of our enemies, and most certainly not recommending him as a "gay and great" homebuilder.

Maybe we should call Bob and congratulate him on being so "gay and great". Is there any question as to what his response would be???

The Rosie View

2006-04-28T11:43:00.000-05:00

Now that Meredith Viera has taken over for Katie Couric it looks like they will be replacing her "voice of reason" on The View with our own Rosie O'Donnell! I can't think of a better choice since she is a great advocate for our issues (as well as for other progressive causes). I would make a snarky comment about her fighting with mega-diva Star Jones, but Queerty had the perfect comment so I will simply reproduce it here and stare at it with loving awe:

...if nothing else, we'll tune in to watch her go malignant on that bitch Star Jones, which will undoubtedly look like a National Geographic special on walrus fights during mating season.

Justify Your Shuffle

2006-04-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

The Onion's AV Club has been running a column, Random Rules, where notable people are asked to put their iPod on shuffle and justify the first few songs that come up. I find this fascinating as it proides a unique window into the mundane lives of the famous. It's not just about what songs come up (although that is certainly part of it), but also about how they try to justify the songs that arise.

Since I love to write about music, and I find this idea so compelling, this is the first in what will certainly be a regular feature here at QiT. So please, come and marvel at my contorted musical tastes as I try to justify my shuffle...

"Champagne from a Paper Cup"
by Death Cab For Cutie
from Something About Airplanes

A nice and slow burning emo dirge from the masters of the genre. I'm not a Death Cab fanatic, but their heavily emotional indie sound has a very 'northwest' sensability that reminds me of my youth in Seattle. A good song from a good band.

"Spill"
by Aube
from Cataclastic Fracture

This is a dense wall off noise that sounds a bit like a distorted radio playing in some nearby subspace pocket that is full of whipping winds and distorted moans. Aube is the moniker of a Japanese noise artist who is one of the best in the business, however, this isn't among his best (at a little over a minute it doesn't showcase his ability to build and layer heavily processed found sounds). This is from a (somewhat disappointing) compilation featuring tons of tracks from a who's who of the noise scene. Not for the faint of heart, but I've always loved this crazy sound-art stuff.

"Papalon"
by Squarepusher
from Hard Normal Daddy

A beautiful and poignant piece from Tom Jenkinson's most consistent album. Here he shows off his signature mixture of electronics, jazz bass, and crazed drum programming. This song certainly has a place among the best of Squarepusher, and this album is a must have for all serious fans of electronic music.

"It Ain't You"
by Squirrel Nut Zippers
from Hot

I love Katherine Whalen's voice and this song showcases it beautifully with just the right old-timey jazz backing from the rest of the (always excellent) Squirrel Nutters. She has a real Billie Holiday or Blossom Dearie sort of vibe, I can almost close my eyes and envision a bejeweled drag queen camping it up to this one.

"Gravedigger Blues"
by Beat Happening
from Crashing Through

Another quintessential northwest indie band. This song is a goofy a capella bit from deep-voiced maestro Calvin Johnson. I first heard Beat Happening back in the late 80s when I worked at my college's radio station, and they have always defined the college sound for me. Fun and interesting, but rough around the edges, like the best of their stuff.

"In the City in the Rain"
by The 6ths
from Wasps' Nests

One of gay composer-genuis Stephin Merritt's projects. This song is steeped in his classic melancholy and heartache, with quaint and simple instrumentation. So very heartfelt, I find his material with The Magnetic Fields to be more accessable, but his side projects are full of some interesting gems and are definately worth hearing.

"Please Stand Up"
by British Sea Power
from Open Season

A kicking rock anthem from one of my favotire bands. Their previous album was my favorite of 2003, and this album was among my favorites of last year. Lots of bands have had great success mining the 80s for stylistic nuggets, but none more effectively than British Sea Power. Think Pixies meet Echo & the Bunnymen in Joy Division's garage, they are oh so very cool.

"U R The Sony of my Life"
by GCTTCATT
from ampErase

Confounding glitch-noise-electronics that I could never really get into. I bought this because it was on a label (mego) that College Buddy Harvey was trainspotting, and he has introduced me to some great stuff (like Aphex Twin), but this one is a dud. I can't even appreciate it on a sound art level because the composition is so scattershot.

"Pomme Fritz (Meat 'n Veg)"
by The Orb
from Pomme Fritz

A mediocre jumble of intertwined melodies from the Orb's disappointing self-indulgent phase (is it over yet?). This song is actually pretty good compared to some of the garbage they have spewed out over the years, but this is still such a pale imitation of their earlier greatness I find it depressing. They redefined ambient music (with an assist from The KLF) in the early 90s and produced the double album masterpiece "Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld". It's been downhill from there, and the only reason I kept buying their stuff was in hopes that they would quit releasing crap. I eventually quit buying, but as far as I know they never quit releasing crap.

"Assume Power Focus"
by Throbbing Gristle
from Live Volume 2

Live Throbbing Gristle must have been a thing to behold, with equal parts performance art, S&M exhibitionism, and early electronic musicianship, they managed to invent a new genre of "industrial" music. Listening to this recording certainly cannot capture that experience, but hearing Genesis P-Orridge scream "all I want you to do is go out and kill" is still chilling.

(Note: Albums which are not linked are out of print and not generally available, though you may still be able to find them at your local independent music store or at your favorite online auction site)

A Log Cabin "Success"

2006-04-26T13:16:00.000-05:00

Given all the ranting about Log Cabins I have been doing recently I had a little chuckle when I came across this little nugget from the AP:

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. — State Sen. Paul Koering, a Republican who announced last year he is gay, received his party's endorsement for re-election after seven ballots.

Koering beat challenger Kevin Goedker on Tuesday night with a final vote of 63-42, above the 60 percent threshold needed for endorsement.

"I'm very, very happy, very honored to win the endorsement," Koering said.

Goedker, a member of the Brainerd City Council, said he hasn't decided whether to push his campaign to a September primary.

After several tight ballots and a move to withhold endorsement to either candidate, Koering told delegates he planned to run in a primary with or without their backing.

"I spent seven years of my life to get this job and now I just lay over and die? I'm running for office," Koering said.

Koering won the Senate District 12 seat in 2002 by topping longtime Sen. Don Samuelson by 143 votes. Samuelson had beat Koering twice before.

Koering disclosed that he is gay last April, around the time he joined Democrats in defeating a move to force a vote on a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.

Nine senators, including Senate Minority Leader Dick Day, joined Koering at the endorsing convention in a show of support.

The message is pretty clear to any closeted Republican incumbents -- come out of the closet and we will punish you.

Although, to be fair, maybe it wasn't the fact that he was gay that caused the problem, maybe it was just that he supported gay rights.

Burning Down the Log Cabin

2006-04-25T14:48:00.000-05:00

Since I spent some time yesterday musing on the idea of gay (and gay-friendly) Republicans, I found it quite fortuitous when I ran across this piece on the subject.

I won't quote it all since you really need to go read it, but I do want to reproduce the finale here since it dovetails nicely with my main point from yesterday: At what point do we give up on the log cabins?

Read George Bush's lips: The party doesn't want you. Can you hear that? It doesn't want you. You can't pretend any more that you can change it. It doesn't want you. You can't make a difference. It doesn't want you. If the Republican party was a night club, you'd be that poor schlub who never gets past the bouncer. Do you really want to spend the rest of your life standing in the rain outside of a party whose members are actively planning to hurt you?

Gene Stone clearly thinks that the time for giving up is now.

I can't disagree. Why exactly do we need the log cabins? The GOP has thoroughly and repeatedly rebutted the idea that working for change from within is a good idea. The Log Cabins are not now, nor were they ever working from within. The GOP does not want us, they will never listen to us, and we can't change their minds.

Maybe some day they will change their own minds and we will be able to viably work from within the GOP, but not today. For today they don't want us, so why would we want them?

We put the "Bi" in Bipartisan

2006-04-24T21:42:00.000-05:00

Stephen Miller over at the Independent Gay Forum has a little piece on the Gill Action Fund's bipartisan giving. I'm all for bipartisanship (Karl Rove was the one who said it was "date rape", not me), but it is a means to an end and not a virtue unto itself.

Stephen's tone suggests that he feels otherwise, although, ironically, the first quote he uses (from an article in the Bay Area Reporter by Bob Roher) undermines his main point:

The foundation and action fund also have learned to play both sides of the political aisle. "Part of Tim's giving strategy on the Republican side has been, let's help Republicans take their party back, rather than change them into Democrats. There are reasons they are Republican, and we have to respect that," said Trimpa.

McFarlane adds in a conspiratorial whisper, "And many of us happen to agree" with some of those reasons.

McFarlane's parting shot implies that he wants to give money to Republicans because he agrees with parts (presumably the non-homo-hating parts) of their agenda. A Republican working for a gay rights fund finding ways to give money to Republicans sounds more like partisanship than pragmatism to me, but maybe that's just because I live in Houston.

Here in Houston the most effective political advocacy group is the Houston GLBT Political Caucus (disclaimer: I am a vigorously active member of the HGLBTPC). They vet and endorse candidates and try to help people who are good on GLBT issues get elected. This is non-partisan group, but the reality of bi-partisan gay rights activisim really hits home when you start calling candidates just to ask them to screen with a gay rights group; the undeniable reality is that GLBT people are radioactive to Republicans in Texas. Most Republican candidates won't even return the phone call, let alone sit down and discuss the issues with the HGLBTPC. There are some exceptions -- notably the HGLBTPC endorsed Anne Clutterbuck for Houston City Council and worked in her distrct to help get her elected. She's a great person, and a great friend of the community, and I would love to clone her, but let's be really, actually pragmatic here (as opposed to Stephen's sham, canard-filled pragmatism) -- the stated goal of the Republican party is to undermine the gay rights agenda. That's why I start to retch when I see Stephen throw out this little quote from the aforementioned article:

McFarlane has joined the growing chorus of those within the LGBT community calling for "actual legislative wins," and accountability. "In the past it was we've gotta elect a Democrat, we've gotta elect a Democrat. And the Democrats haven't done very well, nor have they responded to our adversaries."

Sure, Democrats can be craven and cowardly little asses who give more lip service than action, but please, let's not pretend that Republicans are just waiting in the wings to step up and push our agenda. Log Cabins have been working for years to build power within the party and what do they have to show for it? George W. Bush and the Federal Marriage Amendment, which by the way, Republicans will wield as a wedge (yet again) for the midterm elections. Since we want accountability for Democrats how about for the Log Cabins? How long should we give them money before we decide that the Log Cabins "haven't done very well" or "responded to adversaries"?

If we criticize the Democrats for not being good enough advocates for our issues without pointing out clearly that the Republican party is our biggest enemy, what does that say about us, and what kind of message does that send to those (admittedly imprefect) Democrats who help us?

I bet Magneto is a pushy bottom...

2006-04-24T13:30:00.000-05:00

This one is for Boyfriend Jim, from yahoo news UK:

Actor Sir Ian McKellen complained on the set of upcoming sequel X-Men: The Last Stand, because he wanted his character Magneto to have some gay sex scenes.

The Lord Of The Rings star, who has been openly gay since 1988, insists a homoerotic sub-plot would have enhanced the movie.

McKellen tells Empire magazine, "He hasn't been given a love line, which I think is a pity. It would be wonderful if the camera hovered over Magneto's bed, to discover him making love to Professor X."

However, McKellen admits he needed camera trickery to help him match Magneto's muscular physique.

He adds, "I'd like to see him at the gym, because in the comics he has the most amazing body. I'm the slimline version of Magneto, but of course, these days you could morph my body into something really fantastic."

For the record I think McKellen is hot as is, and I would pay good money so see him in a hardcore XXX-men scene with Patrick Stewart.

Lordy, where's my fainting couch? I'm getting the vapours just thinking about it...

Passing Muster

2006-04-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

Boyfriend Jim's best friend Stephen died earlier this year. It was tragic and heartbreaking, and I only mention it here because they first met while both Jim and Stephen were at Texas A&M. This fact is relevant beceause Stephen's death led Jim and I into the unique world of the Aggie Muster this weekend.

As I was told (repeatedly by speakers at the event) Aggie Muster started in the late 1800s as a way for alumni to reconnect and relive their college days. During WWII it became the memorial service that it is today when some Aggies held muster on an island in the Philippines shortly before it fell to the Japanese. For a college which is steeped in military tradition this grants the event a sort of mythical, mystical aura. It has since become a remembrance of all Aggies who have died in the previous year.

Now, since I was an outsider here (in so many ways) I tried to approach this as a sort of anthropological expedition. The experience was mostly positive (if somewhat sad) but there are a couple things worth noting here since there was, for me, a distinct clash of politics and culture in the room.

The first thing that I noticed about the muster was that the whole thing felt like a partisan Republican event. There were drab and ugly Foley's ties hanging around fattened necks in every shade of red, and it was clear that the president's approval rating in the room was probably more than double the 33% he currently enjoys among the general population. There was effusive praise for the president (for "doing such a great job"), as well as lots of love for Governor Perry. I was left wondering how much praise was heaped on Clinton at Aggie Musters held while his second-term approval ratings were in the toilet.

While somewhat unseemly for a mass funeral (Stephen certainly hated Bush, as no doubt did other honorees), it was only mildly offensive. Praising Bush at this particular moment in his political career seems more comical and self-deluded than aggressively or harshly partisan. So, in keeping with the anthropological spirit of the evening, I will turn my focus to useful lessons that can be learned about the conservative culture.

It may come as no surprise to most, but the dominant theme for the evening was tradition and ritual. The whole event had the feeling of a highly stylized religious service (at times bordering on cult-like), and it struck me that this perhaps defines the disconnect between liberals and conservatives. Modern liberal culture strives to deconstruct our society's norms and rebuild the world into something new and better. Modern conservative culture wants to honor the past by preserving it in amber and perpetuating it into the future. Of course, everyone has a little bit of both within them (the desire for the comfort of the known competing with the desire to build and experience something new and exciting).

Thus, I think that this is the basic political challege the GLBT community faces in Texas (and probably the country as a whole): we need to change society into something new and better to win gay rights, but without disturbing too much the traditions and comforts of the past. This is frustrating to me since the institutions of the past are obliterated and reinvented with every generation (e.g., telegraph -> radio -> TV -> internet -> what comes next?), but as long as our enemies can build political power out of framing us as the destroyers of history we will continue to lose big in Texas.

However, wether we win or lose on GLBT rights issues, gay Aggies everywhere will continue to mourn the loss of their recently departed college friends every year on April 21st.

You can count on it, it's our tradition.

The Bigot's Discomfort

2006-04-21T14:23:00.000-05:00

I came across this article in yesterday's L.A. Times (via Towleroad):

In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said that a T-shirt that proclaimed "Be Ashamed, Our School Embraced What God Has Condemned'' on the front and "Homosexuality Is Shameful'' on the back was "injurious to gay and lesbian students and interfered with their right to learn.'' The court said that the shirt can be barred on a public high school campus without violating the 1st Amendment.

You mean I can't wear my shirt that says "Christianity Is Stupid. Give Up." in homeroom anymore? Is it really wise to stop the homo hater from hollering his hatred of homos? Does a bigot have the right to express his discomfort?

Apparently not -- at least in high school.

Now, the rules in school have always been different because the state is responsible for providing an environment condusive to learning, and as we all know some clown is always trying to push someone's buttons; without a more restrivtive set of rules chool would just be cruel (and that's not cool). In this sense the ruling makes sense. Sure kids are free, but school isn't life.

However, it pays to remember that we don't run this place, and when rules are used to restrict people's freedoms, we're usually the ones getting restricted. If the bigot can't speak his discomfort, neither can the oppressed. It is a sort of a win, there's a few less GLBTweens who'll feel betwixt, but I have no doubt that this one will come back to haunt us.

Weightlifting and Modern Male Gender Roles

2006-04-20T11:35:00.000-05:00

Back in the early days of graduate school, long before my thesis began to loom large in my life, I worked out regularly at the local gym. I was in the best shape of my life, and have long since learned to regret having let that slip away from me. Thus, I have succumbed to the encouragements of Boyfriend Jim, and I have activated my membership at a truly spectacular workout facility here in Houston. It has been great getting back into a workout routine, and I have spent some serene moments contempating the environs while ensconsed in the warm, humid embrace of a T-shirt soaked through with sweat while milling the tread. As the preening male eye candy struts around the gym like so many roosters in the chicken coop, my non-X-rated thoughts have turned to the state of gender roles and identity in modern society. Honestly, what defines the modern male geneder role more succinctly than the weightroom at a college gym?

Here are some relevant observations in no particular order:

The Scowl -- If there isn't a rule against smiling then there may as well be. Like in those vaugely creepy military photos for proud mothers of sons in uniform, everyone looks really deadly serious. Unlike in Tom of Finland's hyper-masculine utopia, these guys do not look like they are having a good time.

iPod nation -- Either music trumps butch-ness, or working out begs for a soundtrack, but no matter how you slice it the iPod is ubiquitous. I guess it is somewhat a status symbol (being the must have gadget these days) so maybe that's why all the guys allow themselves this somewhat femme luxury (how butch can yeo really look in vibrant white earbud headphones?).

Couples -- Guys who are there with their girls invariably seem to get less of a workout because they are too busy paying attention to their chicks (lots of talking, conspicuous hand-holding, etc), or maybe its just that they don't need to work out so hard because they know they're getting some tonight.

The Look -- It may be my imagination (or active fantasy life), but it seems that most of the guys try to look without looking when you are lifting. I'm sure some of it is sublimated homoeroticism, but most of it is probably just to see what the competition is, how much they are lifting, and whose iPod is bigger.

For the record, mine is 60 Gigs.

The Equality Riders vs. The Latter-Day Saints

2006-04-19T14:33:00.000-05:00

The equality ride is a group of young GLBT activists going to non-inclusive universities across the country and talking about GLBT issues. It is sponsored by SoulForce, a group which actively tries to free GLBT people from religious (and political) oppression. So, I was totally unsurprised to hear that when SoulForce's Equality Ride reached BYU some of the activists were arrested.

Being raised mormon, my mother, brother, and sister all attended BYU. If everything had gone "according to plan" for my mother's side of the family I probably would have gone there too. I know from experience that the culture there tolerates no dissent. There is a reason that the mormon church is often characterized as a cult. This is a church in which uniformity is rewarded, and diversity is obliterated. If anyone needs to hear the Equality message it is the kids at BYU.

Of course, the church did everything possible to shut down the equality riders, but they wouldn't stand for it. Rather than pack up and go home after being unable to have the dialog with students that they came there to have, they came back onto campus and did a silet protest:

A die-in with lilies--the beautiful simultaneous representation of past death and promise of life--occurred as I read off the names and stories of gay Latter Day Saints. Suicide is a marked characteristic of the gay LDS culture. The stories ranged from 1965 to present day. What have we learned? I asked. The 24 who were arrested for “dying” on Tuesday were only a tiny fraction of those who have killed themselves because they could not reconcile their LDS faith and their sexuality.

(read the whole account of the BYU visit here at advocate.com, it's worth it)

I am certain that we GLBT mormons will never get the satisfaction of an apology from the church, but it is really nice to know that someone out there at least notices and acknowledges the suffering.

Isn't that what churches are supposed to be there for?

Activist Cyber-Squatting

2006-04-18T11:20:00.000-05:00

Jerry Falwell has been trying the get the website fallwell.com shut down for years. If you go visit the site you'll find this on the front page...

I was just 12 years old. My family and I were on vacation in Virginia. My dad and I were watching television in our motel room. Jerry Falwell's "Old Time Gospel Hour" was on. Reverend Falwell looked into the camera and, preaching against gay people, said, "Even animals don't do that."

That was the first time in my life that I ever felt unworthy of the love of God.

...which pretty much explains why Jerry is so pissed off.

Luckily, the Supreme Court just refused to hear Falwell's appeal of a curcuit court ruling which stated that the owner of fallwell.com "clearly created his Web site intending only to provide a forum to criticize ideas, not to steal customers" (see MSNBC for details). Which means that the courts actually got one right, and it looks like they've just green-lit activist cyber-squatting.

If this catches on, bad spellers everywhere may be subjected to a vast markeplace of ideas counter to those of the sites they intend to visit...

Big Bunnies Bash

2006-04-17T12:54:00.000-05:00

Easter weekend in Houston was once again filled with half-naked homos downtown drinking all they could drink and shaking their bunny tails to fab-homo beats. The music was a little loud for my taste (I'm more interested in talking to friends than dancing). But the weather was perfect, the boys were hot, and out in force. I normally dislike large crowds, but when the density forces you to "accidentally" rub up against some of the hotter, more naked party-goers it is certainly worth it.

Now, I have often inveighed against our community's particular penchant for partying, but there is a special place in my heart for the Bunnies party since it is where I met boyfriend Jim. Also, as Pride King Jack pointed out at the party, the organizers put on a great event with no visible problems (which is harder than it looks), and raise a ton of money for the community in the process, so I can't hate the playas -- just the game.

Dalton was there snapping pictures (natch), so if you want to see the sights head on over to his site.