sundries

[rm]

Check your freezers! Ground beef recall.

You can still help the fight for marriage equality in Maine. If you are a Maine resident, you need to vote. In fact, if there is a local election in your area today, please be sure to vote. These elections tend to have very low turn-out and its how extremists get weird referendums passed and anti-science people onto school boards. It's always good to vote.

What makes an American? Or, let's watch people be anti-immigrant racists about the guy who just won the New York City Marathon.

There's been another arrest in the Richmond gang rape.

Amazing environmentally friendly alternative to a converted van for those who use wheelchairs. Of course, it just seems to be in Europe right now, and the top speed is relatively low (so no going on a highway with this!) but it looks great for getting around a city.

Asperger's as a vanishing diagnosis.

This guy was almost Han Solo. Works for me. Check the smile.

Who you share a hotel with can be why cons are often unexpectedly funny.

Look, I saw this on 5251962's journal, and now you need to know too, just because: Bats have oral sex.

DAVID TENNANT, YOU LEFT DOCTOR WHO FOR THIS!?!?1?!!?!?!??

The things I learn on Twitter: there are lesbians on the 90210 retread.

hughcasey has an alert for the dino-obsessed!

Missing Sky Harbor baggage found.

Comments

[rm.livejournal.com]

No one has to refer to you, or anyone as an openly straight person because it is assumed that most people are straight. Additionally, no one has to come out as straight. When a woman introduces her boyfriend or her husband no one blinks or pauses or asks what she means. All of those things happen when I woman introduces her girlfriend or wife -- often even when the people she is introducing them to are queer-allies.

What defines a person? Our jobs? Often when we meet someone new and have nothing to say we ask what they do. I think this is a terrible measure of a person, few of us are fortunate enough to have jobs we love or jobs that define us in ways that we choose. Is defining someone based on who or how they love really worse than this? I can't think so at all.

The other day there was a big LJ drama with some woman who didn't think gay people existed 100 years ago. Existing and being visible is really, really important. Especially when a disproportionately high percentage of teen suicides and runaways are LGBTQ. It's important for gay people to be seen in the culture in every which way.

Finally, I think you stray into (unintentionally) dangerous category when saying "why does this have to be so front and center" since so many bigots use the "you can be gay, just don't shove it in my face" argument, but which they mean, don't put pictures of you and your partner on your desk at work or acknowledge them in any way. I know this is not what you mean, but it needs to be acknowledged since you did ask.

I agree with you, I think, about the adoption thing, about how that seems non-normalizing, but that's not a topic I have any personal frame of reference on and would defer to others about.

[sociallyawkrd.livejournal.com]

I agree about straying into the dangerous category and had thought of that. I don't at all have a problem when the person chooses to make the distinction. And I did not listen closely so possibly the owner had made public statements about the importance of her being the first openly gay MLB owner. That doesn't bother me at all.

I don't for the record think it is a bad thing to identify with your sexual orientation. I just grimace when it feels like the media or whomever is saying being gay is a one off. At the same time I don't want it to be ignored for exactly what you said, existing and being visible.

I think I am still stuck on how I feel. But as I suspected your answer is through provoking.