Defend Equality, or How sometimes I, too, get my activist on

Some pics from the rally in front of City Hall, NYC:

Self-pics have never been my forte, but this one came out okay, no?

GAY is the new BLACK 

- now if only Tina would say that on SNL...

I loved this poster based on The Wizard of Oz:

Are you a good witch or someone who voted "YES" on PROP 8?

When will be able to say... "Ding Dong, Homophobia's dead"?

A Note on Prop 8, or How Kushner's Angels in America's relevance increases no?

The passing of Prop 8 last Tuesday seems to have reinvigorated the 'gay base' so to speak, with protests around the country against the Mormon Church (whose grassroots campaign and its 20 million dollar donations made sure it passed) and constant op-eds and editorials from the 'elitist leftist un-American' media about how it truly is one of the history books (to be filed under: wow America, even when praising racial equality in the Presidential race, the gays still took the hit). All the late night and early morning pundits are outrage (except for Hasselback and Sherri on The View :: rolls eyes ::) - everyone and their dog is linking and embedding the Keith Olbermann 'Special Comment' vid. All in what? In hopes of getting bigots on our side via a 'happiness argument'? - I don't know how effective that will be... but I'm glad to see people thinking of ways to try and overcome what seems like a huge set-back in equality rights (for more on that head over to Sullivan's piece at the Daily Dish). 

Last night I started re-watching the HBO adaptation of Tony Kushner's Angels in America (which, if you haven't seen then... well, I don't know who you are cause really how do miss out on an opportunity to see Meryl, Al, Jeffrey, Emma, Patrick and Mary-Louise performing one of the greatest plays in American history?) And re-watching it for what seems like 4/5th time it hit me that after Tuesday, Kushner's words have taken an ever more present urgency - how ironic that other than feeling dated and 'historic' (and far more than a mere 'AIDS play'), Kushner's play feels ever more vibrant and political, asking hard questions about the Church of the LDS, the role of religion and faith as it related to the gay community, the constant and unquestioned need for progress and movement...

And so I leave you with some food for thought:

Harper: It's terrible. Mormons aren't supposed to be addicted to anything. I'm a Mormon.

Prior: I'm a homosexual.

Harper: Oh! In my church we don't believe in homosexuals.

Prior: In my church we don't believe in Mormons.

Roy: No. Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual so identified fit in the food chain, in the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simples: clout. Not who I fuck or who fucks me, but who will pick up the phone when I call, who owes me favors. This is what a label refers to. Now to someone who doesn't understand this, homosexual is what I am because I have sex with men. But really, this is wrong. Homosexuals are not men who sleep with other men. Homosexuals are men who in fifteen years of trying cannot get a pissant antidiscrimination bill through City Council. Homosexuals are men who know nobody and who nobody knows. Who have zero clout. Does this sound like me Henry?

Joe: I think we ought to pray. Ask God for help. Ask him together...

Harper: God won't talk to me. I have to make up people to talk to me.

Joe: You have to keep asking.

Harper: I forgot the question. Oh yeah. God, is my husband a ...

Joe: (Scary) Stop it. Stop it. I'm warning you. Does it make a difference? That I might be one thing deep within, no matter how wrong or ugly that thing is, so long as I have fought, with everything I have to kill it. What do you want from me? What do you want from me, Harper? More than that? For God's sake, there's nothing left, I'm a shell. There's nothing left to kill. As long as my behavior is what I know it has to be. Decent. Correct. That alone in the eyes of God.

Harper: No, no, not that, that's Utah talk, Mormon talk, I hate it Joe, tell me, say it...

Prior: I don't. An I'm sorry but it's repellent to me. So much of what you believe.

Hannah: What do I believe?

Prior: I'm a homosexual. With AIDS. I can just imagine what you...

Hannah: No you can't. Imagine. The things in my head. You don't make assumptions about me, mister; I won't make them about you.

Prior: Fair enough.

Hannah: My son is... well, like you.

Prior: Homosexual.

Hannah: I flew into a rage when he told me, mad as hornets. At first I assumed it was about his...

Prior: Homosexuality.

Hannah: But that wasn't it. Homosexuality. It just seems... ungainly. Two men together. It isn't an appetizing notion but then, for me, men in any configuration... well they're so lumpish and stupid. And stupidity gets me cross.

Prior: I wish you would be more true to your demographic. Life is confusing enough.

And of course, Harper at the end: "Nothing's lost forever. In this world there is a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we've left behind and dreaming ahead. At least I think so."

VOTE! or How you should... you really should!

Hang on Lipstick-wearing Pitbulls, or How I'm gonna get Mavericky in here

This is not a political blog. Mainly because I'm not a political person per se. But there is something to be said about the power of political figures in popular culture (where I reside for most of my day). Governor Sarah Palin is one of such figures.

I have been following Ms Palin more so than I have ever followed any politician. At first it was the novelty of... well, her foreignness (she would label it "outsider-status" later in her campaign trail). And after what was seen as her rise to the spotlight in a well-scripted and well-delivered speech at the Republican convention (funny how so few people caught on to her empty rhetoric, her low jabs at the opposite ticket and even her inability to mention Obama by name!) she has been in a political see-saw: "She's spunky!" "She's reigniting the Republican party!" "She's inexperienced!" "The media has in it for her!" "She can't answer questions!" "Gotcha journalism!" "Satisfactory performance at the VP Debate!" etc. etc.

What irks me more about this person is her personality. No, not her folksy demeanour (though that does get on my nerves: nuclear is pronounced "n(y)oōklēər Governor, and it doesn't rhyme with jugular), but her barracuda/pitbull image she has so carefully constructed for herself (under the banner of "Maverick" whatever that means right now after it has been diluted with so much use). This is a commendable thing - from not knowing what a VP does on a daily basis to being the star of the Republican party takes a hell of a lot of work and charisma. But here, I can't agree more with Matt Damon - picking the McCain ticket on accounts of Ms Palin (the former's hail mary pass) is as preposterous as to warrant a comparison to a bad Disney movie.

But while I have enjoyed the media circus around this woman, the fact that her gender politics have not gone (to my eyes) under harsher scrutiny bothers me. So, taking a note off of Palin's book:

First of all, leave aside the fact that she misquoted Madeleine Albright (Palin's paraphrase: "There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't support other women" / actual quote: "There's a place in Hell reserved for women who don't help other women" which while being accurate to some extent, distorts the quote to the point of hilarity, if she hadn't followed it by a bully-like maneuver towards the 'elite media' which is so obsessed with 'gotcha journalism') let's just focus on her point: a woman who doesn't support another woman because she is a woman is going to go to hell?

Coming from a woman who presided over a city where women were charged for their rape-kits, who while supportive of 'equal pay' is against legislation that would allow employees to sue over wage discrimination, who wants to overturn Roe v Wade (abortion shouldn't be an option even in case of rape/incest for her!) yet in her statement to the press states that  "We [Todd and her] are proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents" (her daughter has a choice, but women around the country shouldn't?) and that doesn't even cover her "I tolerate gay people" discourse (can anything be more demeaning or condescending?) and her moose-hunting, wolf-shooting mentality.

If Palin wants the 'media elite' to spin her little hokey joke around, she better fact-check which candidate vying for VP has been more "supportive" of women: Joe Biden. 

For more info on Sarah Palin go here.

No Country for Old Men/"I can see the end of your political career from my house" image from Boy Culture who shares most of my anxieties over the Palinator.

And to leave you on a bright note - a friend of mine runs Antigone Magazine and over there they're currently working on a video project continuing their Dreams for Women series. When asked to participate, there was only one dream that came to mind: