Heterosexism and Hypocrisy

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English: The Bisexual flag and Gay flag put to...

English: The Bisexual flag and Gay flag put together  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When the Supreme Court first started hearing arguments against California’s Proposition 8 and the ironically titled Defense of Marriage Act, I wrote that we could expect to see some vicious backlash among the homophobes of our country. They see their privilege coming to an end and that is something they cannot allow. They quake with fear at losing their sanctified place at the head of the table, of having to treat us like human beings. They rage against losing our very being as a punch line for their cruel humor and a reason to deny us basic human rights. This is why they will lash out every chance they can get to punish as many of us as they can for the sin of being ourselves. Continue reading →

All That Fuss and Bother

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homophobia is a choice

homophobia is a choice (Photo credit: SarahDeer)

 

This past week saw a pretty remarkable breakthrough in the LGBT world. Some may want to play it down but Jason Collins’ coming out is a huge deal. Pro sports in general, and in particular the big three team sports in America, have long been an important pillar in the heterosexist narrative. Excelling at sports has been, for a very long time, the proof that you are a manly man, and failure at sports is still often derides as being effeminate or “gay.” Mr. Collins boldly coming out of the closet while he is still playing will do a lot to tear down this horribly destructive culture and help build a new one, where people’s basic human dignity is respected. Continue reading →

Good Allies, Bad Allies, and Sometimes That Doesn’t Matter

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Rainbow flag. Symbol of gay pride.

Rainbow flag. Symbol of gay pride. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Everyone knows now that the Supreme Court of the United States has taken up two separate cases in the fight for marriage equality. These cases may have far-reaching effects for the LGBT community. If the Justices come down on the right side of history, and there is some reason to believe they will, there is a good chance of a backlash from the hetero-sexists out there. The odds are also favorable, however, that it will lead to a further shift in our attitudes. Those attitudes have already been changing, and one need look no farther than one’s Facebook newstream to see that. Continue reading →

Picking Up Speed On That Long Road

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The United States Supreme Court.

The United States Supreme Court. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

For good and for ill the Supreme Court of the United States has been one of the most important motivators of social change in our country. Some of the good has come in tiny doses, some in grand, ground sweeping decisions such as Brown vs. The Board of Education. Some of the ill has come by way of social cowardice and an unwillingness to change the status quo, like Dred Scott. Some of it has come from shallow, foolish interpretation of our Constitution, granting personhood to pieces of paper. Today and tomorrow they begin hearing arguments in what may be the two most important cases of our generation. Continue reading →

Killing Us With Kindness

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OK folks, time to discuss memes again. I am seriously considering creating an entire feature dedicated to deconstructing memes, at least the political ones. I’d like to say that it was only right-wing, anti-equality, anti-poor people memes, that need deconstructing, but unfortunately there are plenty of liberal ones that require it as well. Sometimes they just need to be called out for bad reasoning that hurts the cause, sometimes because they are being insensitive to the people they are claiming to champion, as is the case in today’s meme.

Continue reading →

My Problem With The “New Civil Right Movement”

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An attempt at a discrimination graphic.

An attempt at a discrimination graphic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was just perusing Facebook (I really need to get a life) when I came across something that disturbed me. One of my friends posted a picture of a Jim Crow era water fountain sign. It was the sort of thing you would expect: two arrows pointed in opposite directions letting folks know which fountain was acceptable for them to use based on their race. Beneath this picture, in the comments, was the suggestion that this is what is happening to gay people now. Continue reading →