Celebrating the end of Don't Ask Don't Tell!

Found on the Fantastic  It's ok to be Takei  Facebook page.

Staff Sgt. Chris Cano, a Marine recruiter, arrives Tuesday at a recruiting booth at the Dennis R. Neill Equality Center in Tulsa on the first day of the end of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?" With the ban gone, the Marines appear determined to prove that they will be better than the other service branches in recruiting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender service members.

Quotable: "Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues"

"Morbid Curiosity Cures the Blues" is a collection of true(ish) stories of...well, the weird.  One quote from the closing of a story by Claudius Reich, about a bombing targeting homosexuals in London struck me.  The story itself is called 'Dragon's Teeth' and is worth a read, as is the anthology on the whole.
This is what captured my attention:


     "Y'know, I keep forgetting how many people want me dead.  While homophobia has had a horrendous impact on the lives of me and mine, it's [the bombing, which killed several people] rarely this damn visceral.So much of the worst of it was during childhood and adolescence--While you don't get over that, not unscathed, nonetheless that was still half my lifetime ago.  While I remain braced against fools acting hateful--when you're on the Better Dead list, though any given minute will likely be uneventful, you don't drop your guard--most days, the problem's absent or at worst negotiable.  I don't cry easily.  That some scumbag out there, who hates me for something that's properly none of his damn business, can make me sob, pisses the hell out of me.  That my anger is merely the shield arm, protecting older wounds, makes me seethe.  That there's nothing I can do--no cure, no defense in or from this fallen world--enrages me most.
     I';d love to be left alone in a room with this bomber, or Pat Buchanan, or the guys from Laramie--just me and my steel-toed Docs and more righteous fury than I know how to live with day to day.  There are those who've harmed me and mine in ways I can neither fathom nor condone walking freely upon this earth.  I have seen the face of mine enemy and I'm more than ready to rise up and smite him.  I yearn to see him put down like a rabid dog.  I hope I get to watch.
     Unfortunately, I imagine that's how the bomber felt."


I don't know if it's appropriate, but replace the word 'Homosexuality' with...well, almost any oppressed minority, and I think it still works.  In my case, that minority is Jewish.  I'm not in daily danger from wearing a Star of David, nor do I expect to be harassed on the street (at least, in that part of MI where I live) like my gay friends might, but knowing that people out there want me dead is still terrifying.  There are people who would kill me first, as I'm the result of a 'mixed blood' marriage.  That links me with my friends....with the community at large in a way some people won't (not can't) understand.  Another quote comes to mind...

"First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me."  

~Pastor Martin Niemöller


We have to stand united.

E-mail from the office's of Governor Rick Snyder.

I just got this email in response to a pro gay marriage plea I sent MONTHS ago to Michigan's Governor, Rick Snyder.

Ms. Lax [yep, my real last name!],

Thank you for expressing your views supporting same-sex marriage.  The Governor asked that I respond to you directly on his behalf.

In case you were not aware, more than 58 percent of Michigan residents who voted in the November 2, 2004 election voted in support of Ballot Proposal 04-2.  That proposal constitutionally established that the “union of one man and one woman in marriage” would be the only agreement recognized as a marriage or “similar union for any purpose” in Michigan.

Again, thank you for contacting the Office of Governor Rick Snyder, and if I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

Sincerely,

Janelle A. Arbuckle

Constituent Relations Specialist

Office of the Governor

Constituent Relations Division

Reading!

I'm reading 'Queer America: A GLBT History of the 20th Century', so look for a review soon!

Another tragic death attributed to bullying

Jamey Rodemeyer, age 14 killed himself after being bullied for being bisexual.  His 'It Gets Better' video is chilling and heart wrenching.
"It gets better. It gets better." He insists.
How many more will die before something is done?

Rest in peace, Jamie

Want to find GLBT friendly establishments?

http://www.dailygaypon.com/home.php
Seems like a cool site.  Give it a look!

I've added a Widget!

I've added a new Widget to my blog: a change.org petition to get gay marriage on the 2012 ballot! Please, take time to click and support this worthy endeavor.

Rebecca's Musings

     I've said time and time again that my connections to the GLBT movement run to my emotional core.  My friends and future in-laws are in committed relationships, but share few of the rights my boyfriend Bahamute and I posses. I've read one book that has given me hope, but also terrified me about the rights they lack, and what they have, and will, suffer in their lives.
     I feel I am not doing enough.  I can't afford to contribute monetarily (fresh outta college, and job-hunting). My support is, as of this moment, wearing a silly tee-shirt, reading books, signing online petitions, and speaking out to coworkers about the issues. I try to support my friends who are GLBT in any way that I can.
    Can I really change anything? I'm only one person.  I want to help on a local and global scale. I want to make it safe for my friends and loved ones to live and love.
    I know I can't do these things by myself.  I must be part of a bigger movement.  I'm not even GLBT: What can my support really add to the movement?
    I don't know.  But I won't stop trying.  If my silly shirt and provocative talks don't get a response, I'll find something else that will.  I'll keep trying.
     I have to.

Change.org petitions--Legal Edition

Remove North Carolina's proposed ban on same-sex marriage
Self explanatory.
Lift the ban that keeps gay men from donating blood.
I donate blood as much as I can (O+, the most common kind), and I know there is a constant shortage.  They scan all blood anyway, so what is the risk?
Tell Republicans: Don't Repeal DADT Repeal
Don't let one of the biggest GLBT victories slip away.

Change.org petitions--School Edition

Please, sign these: one tiny click could do so much.

McIntosh County Georgia Schools: Allow my transgender son to use a safe restroom at school!

Lake County School District: Don't let teachers teach hate towards gay people!

The Master's School: Stop kicking out gay and lesbian students!

10 years

We will never forget.

Gay Marriage in Michigan Petition

As a member of Change.org, I try to sign as many petitions for the various causes I believe in.  The site has has some major victories in the GLBT rights sphere (check out their victories section to see!). The petition for Gay Marriage in Michigan is woefully undersighed. Even if you don't live here, I urge you to sign.  There are lots of pro GLBT causes.  Take a gander and see!
Sign the Petition!

The Funny Pages!

Yeah, I lol'd.

In case you missed it...

The Freddie Mercury Google Doodle video!

small side note

I've been given an old computer by a friend, so I can blog somewhat regularly. :D

Shirt Tale #1: Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum

Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum, as I've said earlier, is an arcade/interactive museum, with everything from old Chuck E. Cheese anamatronics to historical movie viewers.  And it's proprietor, Marvin Yagoa, still empties the ticket-takers himself, despite many years of flourishing business.


It's this man I met on my first outing wearing 'The Shirt'.


It was just as we were leaving the establishment that I stopped to talk to him: Marvin had known my father in the past (sadly, my father passed away two years ago), and I wanted to see if he still remembered him.


"What's your shirt say? What does that mean?"  He cut in.


I explained that I was Jewish on my father's side, that I played Dungeons and Dragons, and that I supported gay rights.


"See that new machine?"  He pointed to a tall doll wearing a wedding dress.  "That's my new wedding machine.  It'll marry anyone, man and man, it doesn't matter."


I left, beaming.  Chalk Marvin  up as a great man with a great establishment. 

Book review: 50 ways.

"50 Ways to Support Lesbian and Gay Equality: The Complete Guide to Supporting Family, Friends, Neighbors or Yourself..." is a collection of short essays about GLBT issues.  It's edited by Meredith Maran but has a vast collection of different writes contributing to it's pages. 

This book opened my eyes in a number of ways, many of them frightening.  The amount of rights denied to homosexual couples is appalling.  I honestly had no idea that marriage conferred so many things in the eyes of the law.  But it also speaks of positive gains in areas of adoption law.

This book is from several years ago, and doesn't contain information on the recent law changes in NY. Its information is not limited to American anglo-saxon experiences: the contributors run the cultural gamut.

It's a must read for anyone who cares about, or is, GLBT.

Well, this was a great time to start a blog...

My desktop just died. :( On the plus, Bahamute has a laptop, so in the ensuing months I'll be saving up for a new computer, I can still post.

Unfortunately, I can't afford the zoo trip now. Instead, I'm wearing the shirt to 'Marvalous Marvin's Mechanical Museum' later today. For anyone who doesn know, it's a a museum/arcade in SE Michigan. If you live in Michigan and have never been, I recommend it. 

I'll post what, if anything, goes down, tomorrow.