Pride & Opinions

I know your type.

You’re the early adopter, techno-geek who probably sat in line for three days to get the new iPhone 3G.

Well now you’ve got something new to add to your web arsenal, in the form of the Pride and Opinions Blidget!

What is a Blidget you ask?  Why, it is just the coolest way to add Pride and Opinions to your web site or social networking site (MySpace, Facebook, etc).  This widget will keep you and your readers up to date on all the coolest stuff that appears daily here at P&O, and it makes it a lot easier for you to see the content and links you directly to the new pages so you can visit the latest and greatest with a simple mouse click. 

Plus, it looks really great and everyone will want to know how you got so cool all of a sudden.

This snazzy little number can be added anywhere you have a page and it is available in several sizes to fit into even the tightest of spaces (no, don’t get me started on that double entendre, okay?  It’s just too damned easy.)  This is just the latest in a series of ways that you will be able to share Pride and Opinions with your friends all while making it easier for you to see what is going on here.  Cool, huh?  And you didn’t even have to stand in line next to a guy named Z wearing a Transformers t shirt who hasn’t showered in recent times and keeps talking to you in yoda speak.

Just click the "Get Widget" button down there and set yours up today!

It occurred to me a few days ago that this site is nowhere near where it should be.  Having just taken it over a few weeks ago, the content is evolving on a daily basis and I have tons of great things in the works for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to enjoy. 

The problem is how to get them here to see it in the first place, and for that reason I decided to start the official Pride and Opinions MySpace page.  Not only will this page allow me to reach out to a greater number of glbt community members, it will also afford me the opportunity to find more great glbt causes to bring to your attention, not to mention the tremendous amount of glbt musicians that have a home there as well.

If you are a MySpace member, please add Pride and Opinions to your top friends list and help us spread the word.

I’ve also created a Pride and Opinions page on YouTube to serve as a repository for all the videos I have planned (no, not those videos, you freaks).  If you would like to subscribe you will find the profile at http://www.youtube.com/prideandopinions.

To help spread the word about this web site to the greater glbt community, I ask that you bookmark the posts here using Twitter, Stumble Upon, DIGG or any other similar service that shares your favorite web sites with others. Finally, if you have any questions comments or suggestions about Pride and Opinions, please never hesitate to give me your opinion!

 
Chin Han, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Christian Bale,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart and Morgan Freeman
at The Dark Knight premiere in NYC, 07/14/2008

Just a quick note to direct you all to my review of the latest Batman flick The Dark Knight on my other site YouTubeDigger.

Atlanta Pride 2008
photo by photognome, used with permission.

Queercents has an interesting article today on the gendering of money - the ways in which money is spent and valued differently based on whether you’re feminine or masculine. In general, I’m suspicious of claims that all men spend money in one way and all women spend it in another, and I liked the article’s take on the subject:

I’ve also often heard the generalization that, in investing, “men are more confident, while women are more realistic.� And then, of course, there are the stereotypes that young men are walking, talking, video-game-playing Judd Apatow movies who live in their momma’s basements and refuse to grow up until they turn 45, and young women are vapid consumerist zombies with too many shoes. I tend to hugely resent generalizations and stereotypes based on gender difference, especially those offered without a lot of critical awareness. I know young (and older) people of a wide variety of genders who are on top of their money—and who are not.

A critical conversation about gender difference can be interesting and productive, though. Gender difference doesn’t just happen–from little girls’ toys to grown women’s office dress code, gender is created and re-created all the time. Money is–as usual–a interesting lens to see into this part of our lives.

But though it’s certainly implied through a discussion of Suze Orman, the article doesn’t explicitly discuss the relationship between the gendered money of men and women to the gendered money of GLBT men and women - so I’d like to expand the conversation. How do you think the gendering of money affects GLBT individuals? Setting aside the stereotypes about rich gay men for a moment, are there real ways that money is gendered to affect the GLBT community? I think there are definitely some situations brought on by a lack of fair access to traditional structures, like mortgage incentives and tax breaks, that force GLBT people to spend differently in order to have the same things, but do you think it affects the reasons people spend? I’m not sure, but I think a discussion could be interesting.

GLBT, Finance, Gendered Money, Queercents

GLBT, Finance, Gendered Money, Queercents

AfterElton has a well-done, if depressing, look at gay-baiting in election coverage. I feel like it should surprise me that mainstream news folks feel it’s totally appropriate to make sexist, racist and homophobic comments about nominees, but it doesn’t, and that seems even sadder.

GLBT, Elections, Campaign 2008, Politics

GLBT, Elections, Campaign 2008, Politics

It is currently absolutely freezing in Minnesota, so I thought an all-Minnesota GLBT roundup was in order. I’m going to a debate tournament in Illinois this weekend, so I can only hope that the freezing wind chill doesn’t bring in a blizzard to boot.

* 365 Gay: “Transsexual Seeks GOP Nomination For Minnesota Legislature,” - “The re-election in 2006 of Sen. Paul Koering, the state’s first openly gay member of the legislature and fellow Republican has served as an inspiration she said.” I love Minnesota.
* Lavender: “Making Choices,” - I need to read Minnesota’s GLBT Magazine more often.
* Eleventh Avenue South: “GLBT Friendly Workplaces in Minnesota,” - Minnesota has more GLBT friendly businesses than any Midwestern State than Illinois.
* Phlamer: “Midwestern College Named Most Gay Friendly School In America,” - Not new, but I’m an alum, so yay Macalester!

Have a good weekend, and stay warm!

I know it’s been all politics all the time around here, so I have a question for everyone.

Does anyone not like Project Rungay?

I mean, don’t get me wrong. Project Runway is not my favorite television show. I like it, but like many cable shows, it can never be appointment television, since they show it like 203948203948 times during any given week and I can always catch up later if I miss it, which isn’t the case for prime time network TV. I get excited for new seasons, and I care about the contestants, but I don’t scour the web for cast spoilers.

That being said, I like Project Rungay’s coverage almost as much as the TV show. Take this entry, about Chris March’s latest dress. It’s funny, and snarky, and I only wish these folks were there to watch the show with me.

If you watch Project Runway, and you’re not reading the Rungay version, you should be.

[tags] GLBT, Pop Culture, Project Runway, Project Rungay [/tag]

As Mombian notes, the new year is not only a time that many use to reflect on financial goals and upcoming situations, but also one when many states have laws that go into effect. New Hampshire, as I’m sure many are aware, passed a civil union law, the first one to do so without any legal challenge. As she says, “That’s progress, much as many of us still hope for full marriage. All of New England now has some form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples, except for Rhode Island.”

In addition to having civil unions, though, Mombian points out a good article from The Washington Post about same sex divorce, which points out the pitfalls of different and overlapping legal jurisdictions when it comes to legal status for GLBT relationships. One example of how divorce settlements differently affect GLBT couples is the case of alimony and tax payments:

For same-sex couples, divorce can be financially ruinous. Heterosexual couples claim a tax deduction for alimony payments, but that benefit is not available to gay and lesbian spouses because the Internal Revenue Service does not recognize their marriages.

Divorce lawyers say that, while gay people making alimony payments are hurt the most by the IRS policy, their ex-spouses are also affected, because a tax deduction often provides an incentive for larger payments.

“In a straight context, alimony is an income stream from one person to another and tax-deductible to the person who is paying it,” said David W. Eppley, a divorce lawyer with lesbian clients. “But in a gay divorce, there aren’t two parties, there are three, and that third party is Uncle Sam.”

Even though it seems weird to go into a relationship thinking about its dissolution, this article makes clear that the assumptions held by heterosexual couples about the right that is divorce often simply don’t apply to gay couples. As one person quoted in the story says, “Current tax law allows only $12,000 to be transferred from one gay spouse to another without being subject to a gift tax. “Federal law looks at gay divorcees as strangers,” Eppley said. “Bob can’t transfer property to Steve without it counting as a taxable transfer, whether in capital gains or a gift and potentially both.”"

That, to me is sad. The article is good, though, and worth a read, especially if the change in New Hampshire’s laws have you considering a run to the border.

Link to The Washington Post via Mombian.

GLBT, gay marriage, gay divorce, New Hampshire

GLBT, gay marriage, gay divorce, New Hampshire

The New Year provides a built in mechanism for people to reconsider their financial position, taking into account both past mistakes and perceived future challenges or changes. If you’re gay and live in New Hampshire, now might be an especially good time to take stock of your finances as you make big changes.

Nina at Queercents has written an excellent round-up of resources for going about creating that list of financial goals. These types of resources are especially important, I think, because although a lot of folks know that they want to have goals, they don’t know how to implement them. Starting by what counts as a financial goal is a good idea, and Nina quotes a good definition:

Erin Huffstetler, the Frugal Living guide at About.com explains what a financial goal should look like. A financial goal states:

what you plan to accomplish
what resources you’ll need to make it happen
how much time you’ll need to make it happen
how you plan to make your goal fit into your overall budget and life

Her link to the Frugal Living Guide provides access to much more information, and a Financial Goals Worksheet that you can use to list and organize your goals.

Read the whole article; it has much more information and many more links. Good luck with your financial goals for 2008!

finance, GLBT finance, New Year’s resolutions, financial goals

finance, GLBT finance, New Year’s resolutions, financial goals