Pride & Opinions

It’s been quite the week, and with all the required napping, this third trimester of pregnancy is currently massively decreasing my productivity. But here are some links for you all to sustain a good weekend!

* Family Equality Council: “Ohio Republicans have difference of opinion regarding lesbian and gay parenting.” - “Not all Republicans are convinced it’s a good idea. Ohio House Speaker Jon Husted (R) says, “This is not an issue about gays, this is about children”.”
* Mombian: “Nominate a Lesbian for “America’s Favorite Mom”” - “Does an LGBT mom really stand a chance? Who knows? Maybe they’d pick one of us just to seem trendy. Even if not, maybe we can open some eyes behind the scenes.”
* Family Equality Council: “No hate here……” - “I am overwhelmed by the majority of youth that I have come into contact with; they predominantly believe that family IS a place made of love and they aren’t imprisoned by the strict and regimented views that many take on the topic of family.”

See you Monday!

This Friday, for my link round-up, I’m actually highlighting one series at The Republic of T., because I think it’s really good, and, although long, really is a must-read for everyone who cares about LGBT rights and the disenfranchised in general. It’s not short, but definitely good.

* The Society of the Owned, Pt. 1: “The ownership society that has always been is just more clearly identified than before, as is the society of the owned now. The trick, and it worked for a while, was to convince the society of the owned that it too was part of the ownership society.”
* The Society of the Owned, Pt. 2: Under the Bus: “Conservatism apparently holds that some people should end up under the bus, or at the very least no one should try to keep them from ending up there.”
* The Society of the Owned, Pt. 3: Deeper in Debt: “What happens when people who thought they were members of the ownership society find out they’re not, and find out which club they really belong to?”
* The Society of the Owned, Pt. 4: Caught in the Middle: “Upward mobility in the American economy has always been something like the popular 1980s computer game, “Frogger,” in which players had to maneuver their frogs across a busy street.”
* The Society of the Owned, Pt.5: The Rage of a Middle Class: “The only sector that’s experiencing job growth (besides government, ironically enough, given the current administration) is the service industry — where wages are lower and benefits fewer — and even that growth is outpace by job losses in other sectors, where does that leave the laid-off middle class homeowner whose mortgage payment just went up at the same time that the value of her home plummeted and her bank cut off access to the home equity loan that many like her would might otherwise draw upon?”

Terrance mentions that there will be more posts in this series, and I’ll be sure to highlight them when they come up.

Today is the district qualifying tournament for nationals for the college debate team that I work with, so good luck to them! Here are some good reads to keep you entertained through the weekend. I picked mostly long stories, because personal narratives seem the most interesting to me at the moment:

* AlterNet: “Becoming a Black Man,” - Is racism felt differently based on gender? I think we know the answer to this one. Link via Feministe.
* Family Equality Council: “Not Your Everyday Trip to Social Security,” - It was a total pain for my husband and I to both hyphenate our names, so I can’t even imagine this situation.
* Queercents: “Foster Parents Balance Emotional Economy,” - I’ve often contemplated being a foster parent, and this is a good perspective on being one.

Have a good weekend!

Racism, GLBT, Transgender, intersectionality, adoption, GLBT Families, Foster Parents

Racism, GLBT, Transgender, intersectionality, adoption, GLBT Families, Foster Parents

Hopefully your Valentine’s Day was awesome, and here are some links to keep you just as happy through the weekend:

*The Bilerico Project: “A Message to LGBT Americans: I Want To Be Your President,” - Senator Hillary Clinton’s Super Tuesday Message to GLBT folks.
* Pam’s House Blend: “Sen. Clinton Today Wrote The Words “Fully Inclusive” With Regards To ENDA,” - a Closer look at the ENDA portion of the Hillary Clinton Super Tuesday Message Linked above, with good stuff in the comments and ensuing conversation.
* The Detroit News: “Military’s hostile climate victimizes families of gays,” - We’ve talked about children of GLBT service members, but what about their parents? Link via Mombian.
* Family Equality Council: “What if ‘Marriage’ was Strictly Religious?” - a good follow-up to conversations about the necessity of benefits for GLBT family members, in the context of separating those benefits from religious marriage rites.

Keep warm and here’s hoping that this weekend isn’t as freezing as the last.

GLBT, Hillary Clinton, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Marriage, GLBT Marriage, civil unions

GLBT, Hillary Clinton, Employment Non-Discrimination Act, ENDA, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Marriage, GLBT Marriage, civil unions

This is the first weekend of many this semester where the person I’m married to goes to a debate tournament and my pregnant self is home with the cats, so the goal is to eat as much red meat as possible (he gives it up for Lent) and watch terrible movies on cable. Here are some articles for the weekend that I thought were interesting but didn’t have a chance to write a whole post about:

* Mombian: “Babytalk Under Fire for Article By Lesbian Mom,” - Nothing makes me want to subscribe to this magazine more than how much they seem to anger conservatives.
* Feministe: “Hillary Clinton on LGBT Youth,” - I like the way she’s so vocal about these issues and the need for services. Plus, a video!
* Queercents: “Tax Tidbit #3: How to Obtain a Copy of Your Tax Documents,” - If you still don’t have them, now’s the time to start asking.
* Darkside Rainbow: “No Style No. 34: I don’t know about you, but I’m not turning those lights on” - I’ve been following the conversation here about gay folks and staph infections (bottom of the post) and it’s pretty interesting.
* After Elton: “Time’s annual Mind and Body Issue asks, “Are Gay Relationships Different?”,” - I’m going with no on this one.

Have a great weekend!

GLBT, Babytalk Magazine, Hillary Clinton, Election 2008, Tax Season, Staph Infections, Gay Relationships

GLBT, Babytalk Magazine, Hillary Clinton, Election 2008, Tax Season, Staph Infections, Gay Relationships

I have the privilege of traveling to lovely Mankato today to judge debate rounds, so hopefully these links will sustain through what’s sure to be a freezing weekend, especially if you’re anywhere near the state of Minnesota.

* Queercents: “The Cost of Losing Weight,” - Being pregnant means I’m not trying to lose weight per se, but we can all stand to be a little healthier, and this entry has a couple of good tips in the comments.
* Stalking Sunlight: “The Benefit of the Doubt,” - Following up from my post yesterday about being a good ally, this post is a great one on the ways that trying to be an ally, or a person trying to reach out to allies, in situations with potentially inappropriate behavior. Link via Faux Real Tho.
* Gay Rights Watch: “28 Retired Generals Call for an End to ‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’,” - a little bit old, but I’m glad that even the military knows that GLBT folks should be allowed to serve openly. Now if only we could convince the right . . .
* The Daily Kitten: “Butternut,” - Not strictly on topic, but on a cold Friday in January, couldn’t everyone use an awesome kitten? I’m partial to the Persian variety, though I don’t make ours go outside in the snow.

See you Monday!

GLBT, Weight Loss, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, GLBT Allies, Adorable Kittens

GLBT, Weight Loss, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, GLBT Allies, Adorable Kittens

With the primaries in full swing now (even though it still seems tremendously early to me), the politics coverage is inevitably increasing. Here are a few articles to keep you entertained through the weekend:

* 365Gay.com: “Gay Rights on Agenda as Congress Returns,” - One can only hope at least some of these bills will pass.
* Gloria Steinem in the New York Times: “Women are Never Front-Runners,” - I love Gloria Steinen. I think this article is a must-read for election coverage.
* Queercents: “The Gay Libertarian,” - is the concept of gay libertarianism a contradiction in terms? I tend to think yes, but some people call me a socialist. This is a different perspective, to say the least.

Have a great weekend!

Here are some articles I found interesting this week that you might want to take a look at, even though it’s not a full post here:

* Queercents: “How to REALLY Reduce the Expense and Environmental Impact of Parenting,” - I especially liked the discussion of how parenting co-ops both save money and ensure a GLBT-friendly learning environment for your child.
* Mombian: “That’s not a Grinch, It’s a Stressed Out Lesbian,” - A little older, but I thought the note that being a lesbian might exacerbate tensions during the holiday season was interesting.
* Republic of T: “The DOMA Test,” - Now that the New Hampshire primary is over, are there litmus test issues for the GLBT community?
* Feministe: “Minorities within Minorities within Minorities,” - a good roundup of intersectional perspectives on feminism, racism, and GLBT rights.

Have a good weekend!

GLBT, parenting, holidays, DOMA, primaries, politics, intersectionality

GLBT, parenting, holidays, DOMA, primaries, politics, intersectionality

A few thoughts to get you through the weekend before the last (most drunken) of the winter holidays approaches

* Queercents: “Diamonds are a Tradition that Gay Marriages can do Without” - a good counterpoint to the article in last friday’s roundup about buying diamonds for a same-sex partner.

* Feministe: “Not in My House!” - This makes me glad I haven’t watched The View since Rosie O’Donnell left.

* Feministing: “This is what a lesbian looks like?” - The idea that folks are trying to “trick” people about their sexual orientation is just bizarre.

GLBT, diamonds, conflict diamonds, commitment ceremonies, trans, Sherri Shepherd, cross-dressing

GLBT, diamonds, conflict diamonds, commitment ceremonies, trans, Sherri Shepherd, cross-dressing

Happy Friday! Hope everyone’s prepared before the onslaught that is the last shopping weekend before Christmas. Even if you don’t celebrate the holiday, you’re sure to be inundated with holiday cheer whether you want it or not. Here are some stories to help you get through it:

* Queercents: “Can’t buy Me Love . . . Last Minute Holiday Shopping” - We could all probably use some tips for how to cope with the biggest shopping weekend of the year.

* Cybernana: “I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” - Who doesn’t want a hippopotamus for Christmas? If it’s you, you have no heart (Link via dooce)

* Queercents: “Femme Economics: The New Bling” - What happens when you don’t want to support conflict diamonds but you do want the ring? Some good tips.

Have a good weekend!