Gay anti-gay Spokane, WA mayor John West appeared on the Today show to defend the sexual abuse allegations against him. He also took an opportunity to defend his anti-gay voting record:
"I voted to represent my legislative district in the Legislature. I was not an advocate," West said. "I was not a leader of the charge in any of those cases. Every representative and every senator from my district voted the way I voted."
West, who characterized himself as "bisexual, gay" who had intimate relationships with both men and women after his divorce about nine years ago, said he doubts he would have voted differently had he not been closeted.
In other words, West is saying he would have done what everybody else did. What is that called? There's a word for that. Say it with me. SHEEP. Was he elected to just do what everybody else does? I don't think so.
[b]Update, June 1, 2005[/b]
Well now, since John voted the same way everyone in his district voted, he should agree with this vote too, eh?
The Spokane council unanimously asked John West to resign. I don't expect to hear any protest whatsoever from John on that decision -- since he always does what everybody else does!
05.31.05 (8:52 am) posted by Genia
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I've been experiencing blogging burnout lately. I won't bore you with the details because I'm sure you don't care.
I extend my condolences to all gays and lesbians in Canada. All my LGBT neighbors to the north will soon be royally screwed.
Some people just can't be bullied. A school in Michigan had a poster in the hall that said "gay people are everyday people" for two years without a word from anyone. When one conservative parent protested and asked that the poster be removed, several teachers ordered more posters so they could hang them in their classrooms. Now there will be 26 posters in the school. As conservative and anti-gay Michelle Malkin likes to say: Touche.
Now we know why Mary Cheney said nothing while her father was a huge pansy about the anti-gay constitutional amendment. Her words are worth a $1,000,000 advance. You work it, bitch! I ain't hatin'.
05.28.05 (4:59 pm) posted by Genia
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I decided to get out my home office today and work at the local coffee shop, hijacking a ride on their free Wi Fi. I ended up talking to a stranger next to me for a few hours -- just as I was ending a rant on viagra. The stranger? Turns out he was a minister. This is something he didn't tell me until after we discussed religion, homosexuality, and gay men and their ability to smell each other's pheremones. He's a very open-minded minister.
So, on to the rant I started:
Tari sent me an email about the feds investigating a link between viagra and blindness. I will avoid making any Wonkette-like jokes about the penis and missed aims being the real cause of this blindness, although I am so tempted. Wait, I think I actually did that.
So, my first thought: who the fuck cares? And then, I felt bad because no one wants to be blind, regardless of the reason -- even if the cause was sexual gratification. And then, the bleeding heart liberal progressive in me mustered up enough anger to be pissed at the pharmaceutical industry for pumpin' out (no pun intended) yet another drug that's hazardous to a person's health -- all in the name of the mighty dolla'.
Statistics show (video) that 23 million men use viagra -- at least 400 of them were known sex offenders. That means, pharmacists are dispensing a lot of erectile dysfunction medication. So, being the curious person I am, I wanted to know how many women are using birth control a year. There's a connection, hang in there.
So, I searched and searched for a website that would give me information about the amount of women who are prescribed birth control pills on an annual basis. I wanted something other than "millions of women" -- because 5 million is drastically different from 30 million. Wouldn't you agree? I even checked Planned Parenthood. I didn't find any information that would would give me any idea of the amount of women who use birth control pills annually. Why do we know that 23 million men use viagra, (mentioned here, here, here) but only "millions of women" use birth control?
So, of these 23 million men who head to their local pharmacist to pick up their erectile dysfunction medication, how many of them are ever asked by the religious fundamentalist if he's going home to his wife, his mistress, or his boyfriend (or all three if he's kinky like that)? And how many of these men are getting their meds paid for by their insurance company while "millions of women" have to fight constantly with their insurance company to get coverage for birth control? Does anyone -- besides me -- see a problem here?
By the way, back to my new friend, the minister. I got his phone number before we parted. We'll be getting together again to debate more exciting issues.
05.25.05 (8:56 pm) posted by Genia
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Three years ago, I was a Human Resource/Operations/Cafe Manager for Borders Books, Music, and Cafe. My staff was challenging -- putting it quite nicely. I had a girl who could never get to work on time. She was scheduled to arrive at 3:00 and she arrived at 3:15. When she was on a written warning for attendance, she asked me to change her schedule to 3:30; she arrived at 3:45. When she was on a final warning she asked me to change her schedule to 4:00. I did. She arrived at 4:15. She was a hair away from termination and asked me to change her schedule to 4:30, then give her a 16 hour shift on Sunday -- bumping someone else off Sunday's schedule (because she couldn't get to work on time). I refused. She then went to my boss and told him I wouldn't work with her because she wouldn't sleep with me. Umm, yeah. She went there.
I had a 47 year old white woman who couldn't stand having a 29 year old niggah telling her what to do. It ate her up.
I had 5 supervisors who had worked in the store for 4 years who felt they were next in line for the HR Manager position. I was there for about 6 weeks and was promoted to the position. Needless to say there was quite a bit of tension there. I hated going to work everyday and I didn't trust anybody.
Retail is drama. That's just the way it is. I hate drama. Save it for ya mama.
The store was full of queens. Borders has a reputation for attracting gay people -- especially gay men -- and they brought all their shit to work. Mo' Drama.
Where am I going with this? There's a certain level of professionalism I had to practice in my position. Regardless of how I felt about Ms. Thang who couldn't get her bitch ass to work on time, or my drama queens who stood around and gossiped about their weekend fuck fests, I could never, ever say what was really on my mind.
So, if they deserved to be treated with respect, why is it that a group of 9 year olds don't deserve the same? Eventually, because I just couldn't handle working with stupid bitches, I had to leave Borders. It was my experiences there that motivated me to do the self-employment thing for the past three years. Maybe this teacher needs to decide if he has what it takes to work with 9 year olds.
Man, I am STILL jaded about Borders. Am I twitching?
Milwaukee Police Disciplined for Stupidity Incident
05.25.05 (8:13 am) posted by Genia
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Did it take 13 police officers to deal with one man who was accused of stealing a wallet and a police badge at a party? Take a moment and think about that question.
Frank Jude Jr, who is biracial, attended a party thrown by an off-duty police officer. While at the party, Jude was beaten by a group of off-duty police officers and accused of taking a wallet and police badge. Jude said the officers used racial slurs. "The criminal complaint contends that the three men choked, punched and kicked Mr. Jude, put a knife to his neck and a gun to his head and stuck a sharp object in his ears while he was handcuffed." All this over a wallet and a badge? No drugs? No weapons? No women? WTF? You bastards disappoint me.
Eight of the 13 officers involved were fired. The other 5 officers received other disciplinary action.
I'm sure some Black conservative will say Jude had it comin' because he had no business showin' up at that white boy's house in the first place. That act alone makes Jude a "thug" -- ain't that right, La Shawn, girl?
Personally, Milwaukee reminds me of Alabama -- a much more drunken version of Alabama. Wrap your brains around that idea and reflect for a moment.
05.24.05 (7:31 pm) posted by Genia
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I'm finally getting around to commenting on Ellen DeGeneres' revelation that her stepfather molested her when she was a teenager. I don't mean to minimize her experience, but I didn't want to jump on the celebrity bandwagon. Oooooh, Ellen was sexually abused. Can you believe it? Her? Yes. I can believe it. Sexual abuse happens to millions of children (girls and boys) every year.
My mother was married 5 times. Actually, she's currently on her 6th marriage. She definitely has no problem doing her part protecting the sanctity of marriage. Three stepfathers had "fast hands" and one stepfather in particular was the worst. My mother is the type of woman who likes her men more than her children. You know the type. I was sexually abused by my stepfathers and several male cousins for years -- especially if my mother was particulary fond of those male cousins.
Ellen mentioned that her sexuality is not a result of the sexual abuse she experienced as a teenager. It's a shame she feels the need to even say that. It's a common misconception that women who are sexually abused as children "become" lesbians. Millions of heterosexual women were sexually abused as young girls. My sister was raped by our brother. She suffered just as much sexual abuse as a young girl as I did. I am a homosexual; she is not.
According to MedLinePlus, childhood sex abuse affects both males and females. That's always been my belief as I've always been extremely paranoid with my two boys and won't leave them alone with anyone I don't know and trust completely.
05.24.05 (6:35 pm) posted by Genia
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A recent survey in Australia revealed that gays and lesbians between the age of 14 and 21 were more likely to come out now more than ever.
The survey cited improvements in self image, the media, and gay television shows like Queer Eye and The L Word as reasons the participants gave for coming out. That explains why the "religious" right wants to do away with all queer positive images on television and ban all gay books.
Even though these young people were much more enthusiastic about coming out, they still experienced verbal and physical abuse because of their sexuality.
Sex Offenders Receive Viagra At Taxpayers' Expense
05.23.05 (8:26 pm) posted by Genia
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Religious righties are concerned about unmarried women using birth control pills, but so far, they don't seem too concerned about sex offenders getting viagra prescriptions filled using Medicaid. Oh, the hypocrisy.
"I am asking that you take immediate action to ensure that sex offenders do not receive erectile dysfunction medication paid for by the taxpayers. I urge you to take administrative action to remedy the situation or draft an amendment to the underlying statute as appropriate," Hevesi wrote.
Hevesi said his office found that from January 1, 2000, through March 31, 2005, 198 Level 3 sex offenders received Medicaid-reimbursed Viagra after being convicted of a sex offense. Sex offenders are those convicted of crimes such as rape, sexual abuse, and sexual conduct against a child.
Seems to me that filling viagra prescriptions for sex offenders would be against a religious rightie's personal beliefs -- unless children who are ALIVE aren't as important as children who haven't been conceived yet; unless children who are ALIVE aren't as important as the pro-life agenda.
I just love using this blog to expose such blatant hypocrisy on the right.
And around the conservative blogosphere, what do I read on this subject? Very little, if anything. Big surprise there!
Black Lesbian MBA Files Suit Against Apple Computer
05.23.05 (3:25 pm) posted by Genia
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A Black lesbian, who was once employed by Apple Computer as a human resources compensation consultant, has filed a suit against the computer company citing racial discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, and weight discrimination:
[Shaune] Patterson, who has an MBA from the University of Texas, amended her complaint to include claims of sexual orientation and genetic characteristic discrimination. Prior to her one-month suspension, Patterson alleges that one of Apple's managers wrote a memo describing her as a "rather obese-sized black lesbian." According to Patterson's attorney, Waukeen McCoy, "Apple discounted my client's achievements, choosing to base the decision to discipline not on her performance, but rather on her size, race, and sexual orientation."
We once discussed fat bias vs. gay bias (comments still intact) here at SistersTalk and my opinion was that fat women felt the brunt of discrimination much more than men. How many "rather obese" men work for Apple computer worldwide? Quite a few, I bet. How many have been disciplined or lost their job because of it? Not many, I bet. Throw in Peterson's sexuality and race and I wonder just how long she lasted at Apple before this situation.
The Black Informant mentions this story as one of many that does nothing more than feed into Black folks' "victim mindset." But keep in mind, this brotha wants to be on the conservative GOP bankroll (as many like him so wish they could be) and will do anything to get there -- including sweeping stories of discrimination under the rug. So, who's he an Informant for, exactly?
Now, having once worked in Human Resource, let's talk about the real idiots here. That would be the dumb asses at Apple who were stupid enough to actually write such a moronic comment and place it in her personnel record to begin with. BUT, the Black Informant didn't bother to discuss that because he's too busy kissin' suckin' GOP ass. Thanks to the jackasses who don't have the first clue how to protect their organization from a lawsuit, this "rather obese-sized black lesbian" will be one rich obese lesbian -- and it'll be much deserved. Check mate!
05.22.05 (4:14 pm) posted by Genia
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CNN reports the good Christians have some house cleaning to do. A pastor, his wife, and at least six other adult members of a defunct church in Louisiana have been arrested for at least 24 cases of child sex abuse. Their victims? Why, members of their church. Who else?
The former pastor told deputies he had been having sex with children for many years and "also educated the children as to how to perform sexual acts with each other and with animals," Carpenter said.
Carpenter said the pastor unwittingly implicated himself while talking to investigators. He was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated rape of a child under age 13 and one count of crimes against humanity for alleged sexual acts involving animals, the detective said.
As I've already said, the good Christians really do need to focus on other things -- besides adult homosexuals sleeping with other adult homosexuals. But what do I know, eh? I'm just a fucked up homo sinner.
05.22.05 (2:02 pm) posted by Genia
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Earlier this month, I responded to an email I received from Q Television, the first network designed specifically for the LGBT community. My complaint was that the network appeared to cater to the G[ay] sector of the LGBT community -- based largely on what I saw in the introduction video.
I received an email from one of the investors who pointed me to WOW -- Women on Women -- "a lesbian talk show dedicated to issues covering all women." Hopefully, Q Television will have more shows like this one that will address the needs of its lesbian and bisexual women viewers.
As one of the commentors from my earlier thread mentioned, The L Word is immensely popular (with gay, straight, and lesbian viewers) and perhaps Q Television should take a hint from its popularity. I'm not suggesting Q Television copy The L Word's dysfunctional drama, but I am suggesting that there's definitely a place for a television series (or 2) about lesbians and bisexual women.
05.21.05 (5:35 pm) posted by Genia
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That bitch is bold.
Mary Kay Letourneau married her former student (now 22 years old) in a top-security wedding. What? No protestors? Come on, religious conservatives, you're disappointing me here. Or is it possible that you condone such behavior, since after all, it is a male-female union -- a sacred union, as you call them.
The photo accompanying the story shows Mary and her now-adult-man smiling so pretty-like. But, let's not forget this photo and this photo and this photo and this photo of her and the baby she had for that 13 year old.
We once had a conversation (comments are still intact) here about the age of consent and I remember one reader who didn't seem to have a problem with a grown woman having sex with a kid because "they're gonna do it anyway" and she herself was having sex as a teenager. I will say it again: grown women or men shouldn't be having sex with adolescents or teenagers. I was also floored that this same reader viewed adult women who choose to be prostitutes as "victims" but didn't view teenagers who have sex with adults as "victims."
Kids are going to be hormonal at age 12 and 13; adults have no business taking advantage of that. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.
[b]Update:[/b]
Talk Left had a good comment thread on this in September, when Mary and her now-man announced they would get married.
One conservative finds this a bit "creepy" and wonders if this would be different if Mary had been a man molesting a female student. I wonder the same.
And this blogger is annoyed that Entertainment Television will potray the wedding as if it's some fairytale come true.
And I'm disgusted by this About.com piece on Mary. The writers are excusing her behavior because she's bipolar. WTF? Are they saying bipolar people don't know any better? WHY do we always have to make an excuse for women who do disgusting things? And why is that excuse always a mental issue? According to the About.com article, the kid she molested, along with his mother, filed a suit against the school district where Mary worked. Now HOW did this kid go from suing the school district to marrying that wretched whore?
05.20.05 (5:47 pm) posted by Genia
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I want to apologize in advance for the thin postings lately. I'm anxious to put this brand spankin' new degree to use, so I've been job hunting and interviewing like crazy. I will resume my usual pace as soon as I can.
This post is inspired by SistersTalk reader Bacchanal, who asked: "Genia, What the hell is a "boi?" I keep seeing this word on the net and I'm so fuckin' clueless.... (As usual.)". I responded the best I could about this mysterious lesbian lingo that even confuses me sometimes. I thought I would mention a few terms I find quite curious. My definition of the word is based on my own personal experiences and observations and is not meant to be a definitive guide to lesbian communication.
Boi: this term has several meanings, but I usually see it used 2 ways. A boi is a lesbian or queer woman who appears "masculine" in appearance and enjoys being the submissive partner in a D/s (Dominance/submission) relationship with a lesbian or queer women who is also "masculine" in nature. A boi can also be a lesbian or queer woman who is masculine in nature, but prefers the word boi to "butch". This boi usually does not engage in D/s.
Queer: this term is used in so many different ways that I'm not sure what it means anymore. The most common use of the term "queer" is a woman who likes both men and women but refuses to identify as bisexual. It can also mean a woman whose sexuality is "fluid." Translation: she's not straight and that's about all she's saying.
Hym: this word is the feminine spelling of the word "him." I see it used most with lesbians (or queer women) who are "masculine" in nature and don't like being addressed as a woman. In my experience, those women who are transgendered (Female-to-male, FTM) and who do not like being addressed as a woman, prefer the "feminine" version of words like him and his (hys).
Womyn: Ugh! The most horrid waste of time I've ever seen. This word means woman. Why do women (especially lesbians and queer women) use it? An act of defiance. Plain and simple. This applies to the word "womon" also -- in my opinion.
Daddy: the dominant partner in a lesbian D/s relationship. This term means so much more than I could possibly explain here. Some -- not many -- lesbian (and queer women) use Daddi instead of Daddy.
Syr: this means Sir, and is usually used to address a Daddy. I never address anyone by "Sir" unless she's my Daddy. And since I don't have a Daddy . . .
Fag: this word is the most confusing for me. It denotes a stone butch lesbian who is interested only in other stone butch lesbians. I don't see this word used this way too often, but I see it enough that it warrants a mention.
I still use the word Black as I never graduated to using "African American" on a regular basis. So, of course I'm the lesbian who thinks this trend of changing the spelling of "masculine" words -- as an act of defiance -- is a bit much, especially when I see lesbians who don't have the first clue what's going on in the news about politics or gay and lesbian issues focusing their energy on changing the spelling of "him." It's all quite amusing at times. It can get frustrating too, because you never really know what a gay woman (or queer woman) wants you to call her.
Oh, one more word that has an entirely different meaning than it used to have:
Dyke: I use the word to describe myself, but I'm told I'm not a dyke because I shave my legs and armpits. The term was once used to describe a certain type of homosexual woman, but now, even bisexuals are calling themselves dykes.
05.20.05 (4:35 pm) posted by Genia
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Saddam Hussein is pictured here in his underwear -- photos compliments of the USA. British newspapers are publishing this photo and saying they received it from a "U.S. military source interested in hurting the Iraqi insurgency." Personally, I could care less if these photos humiliate Saddam; the man killed his own people.
Regardless of my feelings about the photos, I am still very much against the war in Iraq because I view it as Bush's personal pet project.
If we really cared about tyrants killing their own people, the USA would have attacked Zimbabwe a long time ago. So spare me the we liberated Iraqis rhetoric, please. Let's liberate those people in Zimbabwe, eh? Or, is it possible we're waiting on another President to take on Zimbabwe as his pet project? I certainly hope conservatives will support a Zimbabwe attack as passionately as they've supported the Iraq war.
Bush said, very incoherently, that he didn't think the photos of Saddam will incite any violence:
"I don't think a photo inspires murderers. I think they are inspired by an ideology that is so barbaric and backwards that it is hard for many in the western world to comprehend how they think," he said at the White House.
Translation please. Is he saying Americans aren't wired to understand -- or commit -- barbaric behavior? I know a few white Americans who understand it very well. Let's not pretend we don't have our own terrorists.
Number 9 says he would wait for Scott McClellan to express as much outrage about the Saddam pictures as he did about the botched Newsweek article, but he's not hoding his breath.
Concluding the time had come to act, the Republican-controlled Senate began debating one of President Bush's most contested judicial nominations Wednesday in a showdown that could lead to a historic decision over whether the White House can place like-minded judges on the federal bench over the objection of minority Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., rebuffed last-minute Democratic attempts to avoid that showdown, pushing Texas judge Priscilla Owen's nomination toward confirmation despite Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's efforts.
05.18.05 (8:01 pm) posted by Genia
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And baby makes three? Bette and Tina's baby is born! Tina named her Angelica. I'm thinking the name is symbolic in some way. I'm betting Tina won't be back next season because the producers will kill her off. The last we saw of Tina, whe was passing out after a difficult delivery. At the end of the episode, Bette was explaining to the gang that Tina was still in recovery and hadn't met her new baby yet. After Tina passed out, one doctor mentioned she might have an "infection." I have $100 that says she won't be back next season.
Alice was annoying and insecure as usual. How embarrassing to have Alice show up at Dana's training session -- using "you left your boxing gloves at home" -- just to question her about why she didn't say goodbye before she left. Can we say "needy?" Who wants to bet Alice and Dana won't last past episode 3 next season?
Gloria Steinem guest starred on the last episode. She was the "surprise guest" at the funeral for Bette's dad. Of course, Jenny-the-new-lesbian-fem inist noticed her first: [i]"What's Gloria Steinem doing here?"[/i] I didn't like Steinem's appearance for many reasons -- one of which is because I'm so sick of the show explaining lesbianism to its straight audience. That's exactly what Steinem's appearance was meant to do. A good 5 minutes of the show was spent discussing lesbians, feminists, and bisexuals -- pretty much explaining the difference between the three. You know, "not all feminists are lesbians and not all lesbians are feminists." I was so fuckin' annoyed to hear yet another discussion about heterosexual sex on The L[i][esbian] [/i]Word. Is this a show about lesbians or not? Can we PLEASE have a show about lesbians? I did like what Steinem said about man-haters. She said it was her opinion that the women who live with men are the real man-haters because lesbians can just take it or leave it. That's always been my opinion too, as the loudest anti-male voice to ever visit this blog was a bisexual "dyke." Her long ass anti-male rants were quite humorous (and riddled with hypocrisy) at times.
It was great to see Peggy Peabody deal with that horrid daughter of hers (Helena). Peggy is one woman who knows exacty how to deal with Helena. This character's appearance is always an interesting treat as I love the fact that she's a horney bitch (all the time) and encourages others to feed all their sexual desires. Helena was pissed that Bette and Tina are getting closer, so [I'm sure] she had Bette fired. I say it again: what a sore loser that one is!
Shane and Carmen are an item -- a very hot item indeed. Shane told Carmen she loved her. Awww, how sweet.
But, while Shane and Carmen were having hot sex, Jenny was in the bathroom taking a razor to her thighs. Jenny "remembers" being raped by a couple of men when she was a young girl. But, she's not sure if her memories are real or if she's making it all up. That scene was troublesome for a couple of reasons: (a) it reinforces the idea that women "become" lesbians because they were abused by men when they were younger, and (b) the producers won't give the audience any clarity on the issue. Is Jenny making this up because she's a drama queen who lives in her mind? Or, did this really happen? Oh, and Jenny is stripping for a living now because . . . she can! She enjoys having the right to decide for herself to take off her clothes for men; it's somehow therapeutic. [i]Umm, professional counseling may be a bit more productive.[/i] But hey, if the new lesbian wants to strip for men, let her. It's just so damn cliche to cast a confused "lesbian" as a stripper who does that kind of work because she's dealing with childhood issues. So incredibly cliche.
Hopefully the TOE guy is gone for good. I would love to see more of Ivan next season -- especially if he and Kit will become an item. I was enjoying the transgender storyline. I'm hoping Dana and Alice split up because, well, Alice is annoying and needy and insecure. And finally, it would be great to see more diversity on the show next season. That's been my biggest complaint so far. Oh, and more BDSM next season. Yes!
Passing Ownership of a Woman from Father to Husband
05.18.05 (12:28 pm) posted by Genia
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It took me awhile to compose myself before I could write this entry. SistersTalk reader Tari sent me several links to an online bible study course on female property rights -- a Biblical interpretation of who actually owns women:
So I really am "Daddy's girl." And no man can approach me as an independent agent because I am not my own, but belong, until my marriage, to my father. At the time of my marriage, my father gives me away to my husband and there is a lawful change of ownership [emphasis mine] . At that point and at that point only, I am no longer bound to do my father's will. Instead, I must answer to my husband.
Now, seeing as how I don't run around bangin' bibles and preachin' the gospel, I turn my nose up at this bullSHIT the moment its scent starts lingering in the air. But, I would expect that all the conservative Christian women -- particularly those who have taken to using blogs to defend the religious right's stance on damn near everything -- would have no problem whatsoever with this Christian notion that women belong to men. If I hear even one of them bitch in disagreement, I shall call them out for the hypocrites they are. You know who you are! The whole lot of them ought to be owned by a man, instead of sittin' pretty all single and independent. How unChristian-like that is! Is there a special place in the Lake of Fire reserved for these women?
The Bible teaches a son leaves his parents in order to take a wife, and daughters are given in marriage.
[. . .]
When a son leaves to court a woman, he is fulfilling God's creation design for the formation of marriages. He is not abandoning his parents; he is leaving them, with honor, according to God's Word. His parents do not resent it if they have been submissive to the Word and have been preparing him to do so.
According to that passage, any woman who leaves her parent's home and is unmarried, is abandoning her family. She is to be given away; it's not her right to leave without permission.
Now, any conservative Christian woman who disagrees with that passage and proclaims, "the bible doesn't literally mean a woman belongs to a man" is doing what they claim homosexuals do all the time: translating the bible to mean what they want it to mean. "Fake Christians" is what one Republican calls anyone who adjusts the bible to mean what they want it to mean. So, how many fake Christian women are out there? Quite a few!
Lucky for me, I'm no bible banger (or Christian blogger, same thing) because I can disagree with these passages without looking like a hypocrite.
Reading this hoopla on female property rights really offers a different perspective on evangelicals and their views on gay marriage. Gay relationships really throw their notion of property rights out the window. For them, you have two women living in one household -- as a couple -- with no man present to claim his property. Gay male relationships can be difficult to work into the property rights argument because how does a man belong to another man (ignoring the issue of slavery in this wonderful country, where anyone can belong to a man as long as he buys that person). Gay relationships are just messin' up that whole notion of gender roles -- and the evangelicals can't stand that.
05.17.05 (1:43 pm) posted by Genia
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I watched this video about the oil-for-food scandal.
British MP George Galloway called US lawmakers a "Republican lynch mob" consisting of people who are doing nothing more than putting up smoke screens with "secret evidence." He also mentioned the "secret evidence" that led the US into war, claiming Iraq had WMDs. He said:
''Now I know that standards have slipped over the last few years in Washington, but for a lawyer, you are remarkably cavalier with any idea of justice,'' Galloway said.
[. . . ]
''Senator, in everything I said about Iraq, I turned out to be right and you turned out to be wrong,'' he pointedly told Coleman, whom he labeled a ''neo-con, pro-war hawk.''
Well, the US has to find something to distract people with -- as usual -- so we can try not to remember just how long soldiers have been in Iraq fighting about their missing weapons, an allegation supported by "secret evidence."
05.16.05 (9:19 am) posted by Genia
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Oh dear lord. I've heard it all. Ok, maybe I haven't.
A NJ judge has ruled that a lesbian couple can sue the employer of one of the women because the employer made her professional life so difficult that it ruined her sex life. Do straight people get to sue for this too? I've never heard this complaint she speaks of.
WTF?
I was just dying to know what other bloggers had to say about this:
One blogger was amused that the couple was still having sex after 9 years. He also had something to say about how lesbian relationships work. Umm, note the operative word "HE" here.
At any rate, the article mentions that Linda Henry was subjected to various forms of harassment -- including being given unfair shifts. It can get hard to have sex when the two people work different shifts, eh? Umm, I wonder if this is a convenient excuse for lesbian bed death. Sorry, I had to go there 'cuz I'm jaded and single.
This blogger discussed what he called the Sodom and Gomorrah Visit to Jerusalem being cancelled -- and gives us great pictures of handsome naked men to go along with that. Makes ya wonder if this guy is a closet case. I so wouldn't be surprised. There are lots of anti-gay closet cases out there.
05.16.05 (8:45 am) posted by Genia
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Fifty per cent of America feels they have the right to tell people who they can marry. A recent poll shows that 37% of the country minds their own damn business, while 50% of the country wants to be very involved in my decision-making process about lifetime partners.
So, anybody wanna guess how many of that 50% are divorced?
By the way, The Washington Post says only 760 people were polled. Wow! What an extremely large sample size. If you did that same poll at my undergraduate alma mater, you would get very different results. So, be careful about these "unbiased" polls.
05.16.05 (8:29 am) posted by Genia
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Special treats for me yesterday.
I officially graduated yesterday. It was all about the ceremony. It was very humbling to graduate with so many women -- especially Black women. In my MBA program, there were very few Black women, but based on what I saw yesterday, there's no lack of Black women graduating from college in this part of Wisconsin.
Another treat: Author and syndicated columnist Jacquelyn Mitchard spoke at our ceremony yesterday. She gave a very good speech on the media and its conservative slant. Now, I was a bit shocked to hear that speech because CSU is a Catholic University. I assumed incorrectly that all Catholics are (a) conservative, and (b) Bush supporters. So, to hear this speech at a Catholic school's graduation was amazing. I will get a copy of the speech and post it later.
Another treat: a few white guys down the isle from me hated hearing Mitchard's speech (there was cackling), especially when she talked about the 300+ hours of conservative talk radio. I was lovin' their discontent. I was also relishing in the fact that the graduation ceremony was all about the ladies! I should have expected that (since the school is run by a group of Franciscan nuns) but I was pleased to sit there and watch a very female-dominated ceremony.
Another treat: I saw the hottest lesbian yesterday at the ceremony. I caught her eye twice. Ha! She graduated too and is now Dr. W. You go girl!
A curious thought from yesterday: I kept thinking "these nuns all remind me of lesbians." Too strange.
And finally, my last treat of the day: I met an amazing lesbian attorney who loves English Literature (my undergrad degree), Lee Young Li (I studied under him as an undergrad at Beloit), and Rita Dove (another of my favorite poets).
It was definitely my day yesterday. My boys watched their mama graduate again. I really hope this helps to accomplish my goal of starting the tradition of college (instead of prison) in my family.
I'll post graduation pics later. My best friend and her girlfriend are so archaic. They didn't use a digital camera.
05.15.05 (1:09 am) posted by Genia
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I received an email from ST reader Aaron about David Chappelle, the star of Comedy Central's The Chapelle show. The article Aaron sent me is very different from an article written 2 days ago by the same soure: The Houston Chronicle. May 12th's article says Chapelle checked himself into a mental hospital in South Africa, while the article written 2 days later (same authors) makes no mention of his mental health. Why the change?
First, let's note how Gawker handled the story. Gawker's title is Dave Chappelle: I’m “Mentally Ill,” Bitch -- complete with a not-so-flattering photo that's meant (I assume) to play on Chapelle's mental health. And then note how one visitor responded to the news of Chapelle's mental health at Prometheus 6: "I'm sorry but this is sooo typical and boring. Make it big, see your dreams come true and then mess it all up. Stupid and silly." Now, let's look at how other celebrities are treated when they have mental health issues. I suppose success means you have to be happy, right? Because all those poor sons-of-bitches out there who wish they could live like a celebrity (and spend like one) can't imagine why a celebrity would have mental health problems.
Why is it more socially acceptable to be an alcoholic than it is to be a mental health case? Both conditions are diseases. Margot Kidder once said, "Mental illness is the last taboo. . . . It's the one that scares everyone to death. . . " I would have to agree. I also want to add that it's easy to make fun of crazy people. Most people don't seem to mind when the people around them do that. Between gays and crazy people, people will have material for offhanded jokes for quite awhile.
Martin Lawrence was one of the most overplayed mental health breakdowns the media could have possibly written about. I do believe his breakdown received more coverage than Ann Heche's breakdown. I won't speculate why because I'm tired and it's pretty late.
Now, back to the first Houston Chronicle article and the second article. Did the authors get struck with a guilty conscience all of a sudden and decide to avoid mentioning Chappelle's health in the second article? That's what I'm guessing. Seeing Gawker totally play on the mental meltdown is no big surprise; they do anything to get that traffic meter up. So far, I'm not seeing too much from bloggers on this, but I suspect that could change as more details are released. I also expect to see him referred to as a psycho thug by the Black, conservative, alcoholic blogger who refers to all Black men who embarass her as "thugs."
Southern Baptist Calls for Gay Probe at Public Schools
05.14.05 (9:29 pm) posted by Genia
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Southern Baptists can't find anything else to do with their time. One such bored religious nut is calling for Baptist churches to investigate whether public schools are promoting homosexuality. This idea was rejected last year, but Bruce Shortt is trying again. He also called on all parents to remove their children from public schools, stating that all Christian parents should send their children to like-minded Christian schools -- or educate their children themselves. 'Cuz ya know, ya can't have children growing up with an open mind. Now can ya?
I could go on, but there's so much to mention that I could be here all night. I'm thinking the church really needs to be working on something other than worrying about homosexuals. They have a rather large list of problems to choose from!
I noticed evangelical bloggers never talk about all this church corruption. Why is that?
05.14.05 (5:37 pm) posted by Genia
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Controversial Bush appointee Dr. W. David Hager loves his sex rough -- and screw the little wife (no pun intended, folks) if she doesn't share his passions. According to The Nation, Dr. Hager's wife is accusing him of forced sodomy and psychologial abuse. His exwife says that between 1995 and 2003, Hager repeatedly sodomized her without her permission. He don't need no stinkin' permission. You're the little lady!
You may remember Dr. Hager as the self-proclaimed expert on women's health. PMS, ladies? Just pray. JESUS will cure your ailments.. According to the article, Hager left $2000 checks on the dresser to compensate her. Did this man have prostitution fantasies or something? I'm lovin' his family values.
Dr. Hager accused Democrats of opposing his appointment to the FDA because he's a Christian soldier of God. Umm, maybe they knew you were a jackass and it had nothing to do with your "religious" beliefs. I'm guessing Dr. Hager doesn't view forced sodomy as rape -- as long as the person you're forcing to do it is your wife. I'm guessing he still thinks the gates to heaven are open for people like him -- while gay men who willingly participate in anal sex will burn in hell.
I tell ya, that GW really knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he?
The good doctor is stepping down from his FDA post. He had this to say:
He said the article -- which includes graphic details about their sex life together -- was "not based on all of the facts."
"As I said before, the allegations as stated do not reveal all of the information and therefore they're incomplete and not true," the obstetrician-gynecologist said.
"No one likes to be criticized, no one likes to be torn apart privately or publicly and I think that it's disappointing that my former wife has chosen this avenue to vent her anger and bitterness."
Umm, yeah. Another conservative white man playin' the victim.
Limbaugh Offers Advice on How to Argue Against Gay Marriage
05.13.05 (7:26 pm) posted by Genia
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Recovering drug addict (and 3 times divorced) offers advice to conservatives about How to Argue Against Gay Marriage. I wonder if he's ever done a series on "How to Get Divorced" or "How to Use Drugs and Avoid Prosecution." I'd love to read his opinion on those subjects.
Obviously, Limbaugh's rhetoric is something you stick on the back of your toilet and read when you need a good laugh, but I wanted to humor ST readers for a minute or two. Here's what the king of marriage (and divorce) had to say:
CALLER: -- and I can't see a logical argument against it [gay marriage].
RUSH: Mmm-hmm.
CALLER: I know you say it's between a man and a woman --
RUSH: Mmm-hmm.
CALLER: -- and you don't like it when the racial issue is brought up.
RUSH: Mmm... It's not that I don't like it. I just think it's a false premise. It's not that I don't like it.
CALLER: Well, a long time ago a black man and a white woman or a black woman and a white man couldn't get married --
RUSH: Yes?
CALLER: -- and interracial marriages were not in the definition of marriage. So I don't really see how logically two consenting adults --
RUSH: No, no. Wait, wait, wait, wait. That is not true. It's not true to say that interracial marriages were not included in the definition of marriage. It was a cultural taboo that people of different races did not marry and did not create kids that would not be of, you know, "pure racial heritage of either parent." But it was not something enshrined basically in a custom or a tradition.
Notice how he cuts the caller off and starts to ramble before the caller can make the point that the argument against gay marriage is ridiculously stupid. Many states had laws that banned interracial marriages. These ideas/laws were indeed rooted in tradition, but were clearly designed as discriminatory efforts. Interracial marriages were much more than a cultural taboo; they were illegal.
CALLER: I've heard you talk about how it was for people that were going to have a family and have kids but there are a lot of heterosexuals that get married in civil ceremonies without plans of having kids.
RUSH: Yes, that's all true, but the vast majority of people who do get married have kids whether they want them or not, they happen, but at some point, at some point that's what the purpose of marriage is.
Umm, here's where Rush failed to mention that he was married three times and never had any children. So, what was the purpose in his three marriages?
CALLER: -- and, you know, they don't want to be seen as not committed. They're in a monogamous relationship, and I think that marriage in the gay community would help support monogamous relationships.
RUSH: Well, I, frankly, disagree with that, but that's just an argument about something that neither of us knows. The only way you can look at that is to take a look at the monogamous relationships in heterosexuals and homosexual relationships and try to make some projection on it. But what I hear you saying is you just don't want to be mean and you don't want to be discriminatory and you don't want to deprive people of happiness and this sort of thing.
Oh yeah, Limbaugh, you would know what true commitment is, wouldn't ya? Notice how he's making this woman out to be someone who's just a typical woman who wants to be nice? He's treating her like she's not arguing from a logical standpoint, but an emotional one. Here again, he failed to mention he's been married and divorced three times. He wants to slam committed monogamous gay relationships without ever admitting he's a big mouth hypocrite. Much like his drughypocrisy. He slammed drug addicts without ever admitting he was a drug addict himself.
I'm suddenly laughing at the sheer amount of gay people who support this clown. What the hell are you people thinking?
05.13.05 (12:30 pm) posted by Genia
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According to the Chilean Supreme Court, lesbian relationships confuse children about proper sexual roles. The Chilean Supreme Court forced a lesbian mother to give up her three children, explaining female homosexuality could "negatively affect the development of the children and eventually create confusion over sexual roles."
That's a mighty curious thing to hear from the country that has (not 1, but 2) women as front runners for the Presidency. If a woman running the country doesn't make children (rightfully) question gender roles, then I don't know what will!
Now, since when does the Supreme Court define gender roles? This could be a long shot, but maybe they really mean bedroom sexual roles when they use the word sexual -- instead of gender roles as I assume they are implying. If that's the case, holy shit! Chile is looking more and more like America everyday: writing laws that dictate what sex acts people can or can not indulge in the kitchenliving roomlaundry roombathroom bedroom.
Thanks for the tip: Black Looks (she pulled me out of my half "day off.")
Ah, social conservatives and their gender identity issues. Some of these folks hoist their potbellied bodies and manly bulges into frilly cocktail dresses, and still command the respect of the nation. Others enthusiastically have sex with barnyard animals without any detriment to their fine work as arbiters of morality. But a lesbian mom? No sirree, that's where they bravely draw the line.
05.13.05 (8:18 am) posted by Genia
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A quick gay news roundup this morning, then I'm off to do other things for the day -- like, oh . . . living. I finally realize self-employment doesn't mean "no vacations for Genia." I'm calling in sick today. Ok, maybe half the day.
The anti-gay Republican Senator who was caught with his pants down in a gay chat room -- and accused of offering men jobs for sex and accused of molesting young boys -- has become the newest crusader for gay rights. Pfft! Just kidding. West is playing that "you're just coming after me 'cuz I'm gay" victim card and hoping someone is stupid enough to fall for it. I will admit I am reveling in West's demise. I'm feeling a really sick sense of pleasure in watching him go down.
And moving on (before I start drooling here) . . .
A proposed amendment banning gay marriage was struck down in Nebraska. Now, why is it that the folks in Nebraska have more brain food than the folks in Florida?
Oh girl, I can smell your gayness. The Hindu Times reports on the latest noise that homosexuals can smell each other. Lord, I tell ya. The shit people come up with. This gives new meaning to the word gaydar. By the way, gaydar is in the dictionary. Can you believe that? Where have I been?
Gay-marriage opponent Kristian M. Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute, said he was uncertain what Barrios intended but suspected he was attempting to pull conservatives from the compromise. Asked if Barrios' move made him worry that conservatives could abandon the measure, Mineau said, "It definitely does."
This guy might be on to something, but I certainly thought it was yet another horrific move by yet another opportunistic gay man. There sure are a lot of them, eh?
And, an article on Cheryl Jacques (former HRC director) discusses her continued efforts in the gay rights movement.
I've started this effort in honor of my great friend, lesbian triathlete Andrea Ratkovic. How dare those rat bastards at the AFA say people like Andrea aren't worthy.
What others are saying:
Chicagoist discusses another group that is calling for a Kraft boycott.
Pesky Apostrophe is just as annoyed with the Jesus freaks as I am.
MeatWeapon offers advice about how to deal with the phone staff when you call and offer your support.
Susie called and offered her support after she received the AFA's anti-Kraft email. Ha!
Update, May 12 8:30pm
Support Kraft Foods launched. As if I didn't already have a million things to do.
Openly gay Senator Jarrett T. Barrios has proposed an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution that would not only ban both same-sex marriage, but it would ban civil unions as well. Sounds to me like Barrios has an agenda and wants to be on the conservative bank roll. I won't even think for a minute this guy is a self-hatin' fag because he's not. He's an opportunist if I ever saw one.
Now, Barrios married his male partner in November 2004 and has 2 children. What a great way to get a divorce without ever having to say you were divorced! This is what Barrios had to say when he married his partner:
Choking back tears he spoke about how an amendment would affect his family and how important full marriage rights are to gay families.
Barrios gave two examples of the different status he holds as a gay parent: If he died tomorrow, he said, his partner and children could not collect Social Security. He also said he cannot designate his partner as his state pension beneficiary.
"Don't kid yourself that a ban on same-sex marriage will not hurt your gay and lesbian friends, relatives, and colleagues," he told the convention. "It will. Believe me, it will."
So, I guess Barrios is now saying he has no problem hurting gay and lesbian families, relatives, and collegues. It must've been temporary insanity when he married his partner of 10 years. What was he thinking?
liberal bloggers
That bitch is bold. 
Saddam Hussein is pictured here in his underwear -- photos compliments of the USA. British newspapers are publishing this photo and 
And baby makes three? Bette and Tina's baby is born! Tina named her Angelica. I'm thinking the name is symbolic in some way. I'm betting Tina won't be back next season because the producers will kill her off. The last we saw of Tina, whe was passing out after a difficult delivery. At the end of the episode, Bette was explaining to the gang that Tina was still in recovery and hadn't met her new baby yet. After Tina passed out, one doctor mentioned she might have an "infection." I have $100 that says she won't be back next season. 
I received an email from ST reader 
Controversial Bush appointee 
Recovering 
Those "religious" nutcases are getting on my last nerve . . . 
I really do need a