My scrap of dirt

I'm a little grumpy for no good reason. I am so tired of GRE prep that I wish I was taking the test tomorrow and not Thursday, so I can get it over with. I badly want distractions but I also have a million little things to do. Which is why I'm updating my LJ. Obviously.

A few happy gay things:
- Sharon just called.
- Lesbians given equal birth rights in the UK. Birth certificates of babies born through artificial insemination can now list two moms, which is awesome but makes me wonder how it works in the case of adoption? I would hope this applies there, too.
- Ben & Jerry's renames one of their ice creams Hubby Hubby in celebration of Vermont beginning same-sex marriages this month.
- The Kid by Dan Savage. I said fuck it and read a book for myself. It was a fast, easy read and I loved it. It's touching, funny, realistic, honest, and I don't always agree with what Dan says but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It felt so good to read something so fast and easy, too.

I also want to quickly review the movies I've been seeing this month but I am too lazy to do that tonight so instead I shall rec fic: Mario Kart Skills Are Outrageous by oxymoronassoc. It's Zac/Vanessa smut so omg het + omg rpf + omg NC-17 so I don't think many of you will want to give it a go but if you're willing to you will see it's SO GOOD. It's hilarious and dorky and right on spot with voices and hot and I just. Really love it. And I would love to hear what you guys think.
(There's one little thing that keeps bothering me in the Zanessa fics I've been reading but I'm too lazy to rant about that, too.)

That's it for tonight.

I really should be working, but I've been following news article for the past few days waiting for a right moment to post and I'm finally doing it now because 1) the stories are probably going to become confusing and 2) I'm afraid I'm going to start confusing New England states.

VERMONT:
A bill that would legalize same-sex marriage has been approved by the Senate (by a large margin, 24 to 6) and it's now moved to the House. It's expected to pass (though by a narrower margin) there, but it doesn't really matter because the governor has said he will veto the bill. Basically a pretty common narrative for when states try to go the legislative way, before the state's Supreme Court intervenes. There is apparently a chance that the House vote could override the veto if the bill garners enough support, but I wouldn't expect it.

NEW HAMPSHIRE:
After voting a first time against legalizing same-sex marriage (by one vote), NH representatives revoted and turns out that wait, yeah, they want to legalize same-sex marriage after all. (Not sure what happened there? Me neither.) The bill now moves to the Senate, and the governor has not said whether he would veto the bill, but he's against same-sex marriage, so I wouldn't be too optimistic there.


Interestingly enough, both states already have civil unions that same-sex couples can contract. That's also the case in New Jersey, so I'm curious to see if things are going to move ahead there too.

In the meanwhile, New York will now recognize married lesbian parents in the case of a biological birth (screw you, people who adopt and try to help out kids), NY Senator Charles Schumer has moved into the 21st-century and now supports same-sex marriage, and Massachusetts is trying to pass an anti-discrimination bill that would include gender identity.

Bottom line: New England is turning gayer every day.

California Court says private school can expel lesbians. Apart from the obvious, two things really bother me about this:
- I want to know if that means a religious school could exclude a black student if they decided that "mixing races" was against Biblical teaching? (It's not like that argument hasn't been made in the past.) It's a genuine question, actually, because from the ruling it sounds like yes, schools would be welcome to discriminate on the basis of race (or anything else). This is really not making me think any higher of religious schools. I'm not against people having faith and wanting to teach it to their kids because for fuck's sake, that should not mean shielding your kids from the reality of the outside world.
- The fact that religious schools are welcome to expel kids based on the perception of homosexuality is really bothersome because it puts a lot of power in the hands of bullies. If a kid doesn't follow traditional gender behavior (and I don't mean cross-dressing, just liking dance if you're a boy will do) and gets harassed as a result, and rumors start circulating, they're at risk of being expelled? Woah. Way to go, fucktards. At least it really rubs in your face just how pervasive homophobia can be.

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On a happier front:

- Cute drawing of Simon, Kaylee and River at the end of Serenity. It's better than the earlier version, though that earlier version was really cute too.

- Felicia Day blods about "Highland Hunk-Fantasy" novels and it's hysterical. I would dislike those novels for many more reasons than she's mentioned but I just love her style of writing.

- Ediie Izzard never gets old, and the Death Star Canteen skit in lego is just priceless. XD

- Dan Savage rocks. That is all.

Doctor Recalls Abortion Complications Before Roe v. Wave. "It is important to remember that Roe v. Wade did not mean that abortions could be performed. They have always been done, dating from ancient Greek days."

I cannot explain how much it depresses me whenever I read something about guns in America. It especially depresses me when I'm reminded some parts of America are so puritan and so morally conservative, and what the fuck being ok with guns but not with the tiniest bit of nudity. But even on its own, the gun thing just depresses me so fucking much. I don't know when the fuck America is going to wake up to the fact that they have a problem with violence, a problem with guns, and that there's a reason school shootings don't happen in countries where gun ownership is restricted. And believe me, it's not because we're better, more balanced, less idiotic people.

I'm also appalled and pissed off that the U.S., failing the rest of the world as usual, has not signed the treaty banning the use of cluster bombs. The fact that it is one of the biggest sellers of this type of weapons obviously has little to do with that.

Finally, Californian voters will be asked to vote in November on an amendment which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. The Supreme Court has refused to delay same-sex marriage until then, so for 4 months same-sex couples will be able to marry in CA. It is morally very doubious to have the majority vote on the rights of a minority, by the way, but I'm curious to see what will happen to the amendment - four months is very little time for people to realize same-sex marriage really doesn't do much of any damage, and the population is very split on the question right now. I'm very afraid of the scaremongering we're going to hear from morally conservative organizations in the next little while in California. I freaking hate when people encourage fear and hatred rather than inclusion and respect for difference. :(

I could and would rant about France, too, but that would really bring me down too much. The government continues to slash social programs that have made our country a better place, and I can't stand to see us make political choices which bring us a little closer to anglo-saxon countries, because there are lots of good things about the U.S., but economic liberalism is not one of them. CEOs have seen their salaries go up by 54% while employees struggle with rising prices, and yet all we ever do is favor people at the top of the pyramid. The rich get richer and who cares about the poor anyway? That's for charities to deal with. (Nationally or internationally.) Also, fucking stop complaining about rising gas prices and make other choices. We have to change the way we live anyway. Truckers are apparently on strike back home and I'm going to be so angry if the government subsidizes them instead of helping them reconvert and turn to viable jobs. We're not the fucking U.S. - we actually have efficient alternative modes of transportation besides cars and trucks.

See. Now I'm even more pissed off. Argh.

I haven't posted anything since Friday, so I have a bunch of links to throw your way!

Most importantly - if you support the strike, go sign this petition. I'm not sure how much impact it can have, but if it collects a very large number of signature, I think it could be impressive and definitely a sign to the AMPTP.

Edward Allen Bernero, executive producer of Criminal Minds, explains the strike to the fans of the show. He explains it in a very straight-forward way. By now if you've been following, you probably know most of this already, but it's a good link to get a first grasp of what's going on.

A writer writes about the strike. Again, a good reference to get an idea of what's at stake.

Joss Whedon talks about the WGA strike (youtube video). Again, nothing really new, but who'll turn down a video of Joss Whedon??

Why the strike sill be a long one. Title self-explanatory...

And a couple of funny things:

A response from the studios. I was perplexed at first, but keep watching.

A Simpson writer pens a Simpson scene that talks about the strike. It's awesome.

That's it for now! The second week of the strike has started, and I'm still hoping both parties will return to the table soon. Some shows have already shut down production and fired their crew, and it's going to be really tough for many people in Hollywood this winter if production doesn't resume quickly.

Two things I wish I could talk about more than I'm going to, but my brain is not cooperating right now and I'm not going to be articulate, so there's no point. But I do want to mention both issues:

- Legislators in France are trying to make it possible to collect data concerning people's religion, ethnicity/race (but we hate the term "race" in French, it's too loaded with historical meaning), cultural background. This is causing an uproar in France as it's considered contrary to republican principles and a dangerous path to categorizing people. I've argued in the past that not collecting this data just makes it harder to have solid figures on discrimination and on the make-up on our population (which can help acknowledge new realities).

However, I find myself torn on the issue. SOS Racisme has started a petition against the practice, which you could find and sign here. "Je refuse l’idée que la lutte contre les discriminations et l’effort pour l’intégration suppose la création de catégories ethnoraciales." ("I reject the idea that fighting against discrimination and efforts for integration necessitates the creation of ethno-racial categories.") The question, of course, is, do those categories exist whether or not you say they do? There's no simple answer. Between integration and multiculturalism there's no true answer, both have their good and bad sides. So I just want to encourage you to think about it - think about your position on the topic. What does it mean to expect people to "integrate"? What are they integrating into, how do we expect them to juggle that with their other identities? What are the risks of multiculturalism? Are all practices truly equal? What if a society that becomes so obsessed with what differentiates its citizens that it forgets what unites them?


- The other thing is the WGA (Writer's Guild of America) strike. The writers went on strike on Monday at 0:01AM EST. They're marching tomorrow, and Jane Espenson will be there. Joss Whedon has come out and said he supports the strike, while Marti Noxon has signed a Variety ad by TV producers who support the strike. I believe this is an important struggle. I believe in a country like the United States where strikes are so rare, people who do make the huge decision to go on strike never make that decision lightly. While I don't understand all of the issues at stake here, I do believe that the writers understand them, and have good reasons to fight their fight. In a society that sinks deeper into reckless, unequal (but "compassionate") capitalism every day, I believe there is no such thing as privileged unionized jobs. There's only under-privileged non-unionized jobs. Those people might earn more than you do, but it doesn't mean their fight isn't right. It's not by running a race to the bottom that we will better ourselves.

My heart is with the writers. I hope that they come to a satisfying settlement soon and that people will be supportive. I would love to still be down in L.A. tomorrow to go show my support - so if you are, if you can, do it. Go talk to them, engage them in discussions, honk as you drive past. People who strike might look like they're only fighting for themselves, but they're not. They're fighting for something bigger than that. Never look at a struggle on its own - that's what the media wants you to do, but that's not how it works. It's all interrelated.

In the words of (amongst others) Alan Tudyk: power to the people, baby. Participatory democracy is our chance, so don't look down on those who act on it.

Nathan Fillion on Ellen. He made me laugh so hard, I love him. He just has a way to tell stories, it's brilliant.

Colombia will recognize same-sex relationships (not quite same-sex marriage just yet, but it's already a step ahad of the US...).


Tomorrow: Thanksgiving dinner!

How come I have heard nothing about that on LJ?? A judge in Des Moines ruled that the "Defense of Marriage Act", which prohibits same-sex couples from getting married in Iowa, violates the Iowa state constitution.

This is the same argument that the Massachussetts Supreme Court used to demand of the state that they allow same-sex couples to get married. However, since the Iowa judge was at a lower court level, the decision is going to be appealed and will reach the Iowa Supreme Court and that's when the decision will truly matter. Especially since the judge has stayed his ruling until the appeal has gone through.

I have mixed feelings about this piece of news - I'm ecstatic that things are moving in the right direction for some States, especially midwestern States. But getting there through rulings is arousing a lot of negative comments about activist judges (sic) and this is worrying in the context of the upcoming primaries and Presidential elections. Moral issues were made central in the 2004 elections and I'm convinced that it played a huge part in Bush's reelection. It would be so frustrating to me if LGBT equality was, once again, used to win votes. I don't want another four years of Republican ruling.


On a nicer and less controversial (ironically for us French people) note, the Maine High Court has OK'd adoption by same-sex couples. While civil unions are still rare in the US and only Massachussetts allows same-sex couples to marry, a dozen other states already allow co-adoption by a same-sex partner.


And on a nicer still and completely personal note, I have Pad Thai for dinner tonight, and everyone who's heard me whine about not being able to find Pad Thai in France will understand how DELIGHTED I am right now.

I think I've found my new laptop! I'll probably buy extra RAM but that shouldn't be too expensive, and since I'll have my current HD as an external HD, I'm not worried about only having 120Go on the laptop. Oh, and guys? If there's anything that SUCKS on this computer, now would be the time to tell me? Before I buy it and all? Kthx.

In random international news, the US presidential candidates are having a debate solely on LGBT issues. What amuses me endlessly is that they're having it on my birthday, August 9. You really didn't have to, guys, but I really appreciate the thought. Too bad they're probably all going to say ridiculous things because they have to stay conservative on those issues to be "acceptable" for the American public. *facepalm*

*points at icon* Heeee!

I've talked at length about the same-sex marriage debate that's been going on in Massachusetts since the Supreme Court ruling in November 2003 that it was unconstitutional in the state of MA to deny same-sex couples the right to marry. Well, this is (hopefully) going to be the last post on the topic, at least as far as MA is concerned:
Today, MA lawmakers have finally rejected the possibility of putting an anti-gay amendment to the vote in the 2008 ballot. Proponents of the amendment can start rallying support again and try and put the vote on the ballot in 2012, but "with public opinion polls showing Massachusetts voters becoming increasingly comfortable with same-sex marriage it is considered unlikely any amendment would be approved."

Seems that same-sex marriage doesn't lead to the total destruction of society as we know it. Shocker.

I wish I'd been there demonstrating outside the State House. Would have been a lovely echo to 2004, and one that would end on a much more positive note, too. Now let's hope other states or the country as a whole can learn from this valuable lesson.

Anyway, while I'm on the issue, might as well spam you with it. Recently was the 40th anniversary of the Federal Supreme Court Ruling "Loving vs. Virgina" which ruled that denying interracial couples the right to marry was unconstitutional in the US. If you look into it, the whole interracial marriage struggle is eerily similar to the challenge same-sex couples are taking on today.

In the same spirit, I highly recommend visiting the website for Faith in America, a group that fights against religion-based bigotry. "Don't accept bigotry disguised as religious truth."

They have great posters to promote their ideas, all available in pdf form on their site:
- A simple history lesson
- Religion-based bigotry has been used by those who wanted us to believe...
- Christ and His Disciples confronted it centuries ago...
- Sexual orientation is not chosen.
- Whose standard?
- Do you know someone who's homosexual?