sundries

In response to getting an F from GLAAD for its inclusion and representation of LGBTQ characters on its shows, SyFy has announced two gay characters for upcoming programs (this was apparently what set off John C. Wright's homophobic diatribe the other day). Both characters are married, and I, like hllangel, who pointed this out, would like to complain.

Now sure, in the future, or whatever, there will be more gay married people, but it's not the realism or lack there of, of marrying off your gay characters in background characterization that bothers me. It's the fact that this might be the 21st-century version of the "sexless gay best friend" (even if I do know lots of married gay folks having scads of hot sex) because our society, in privileging marriage, does so, in part, by removing the "taint" of sexuality from our conception of it. So having some married gay folk on SyFy would be rad, since equal marriage rights are a huge hot-button issue right now, but having the only LGBTQ characters on SyFy be married? It's a bit like saying "don't worry, they won't reach through your television with their predatory sexuality and make you gay."

Yeah, I'm picky. I should be.

Also in the land of SyFy*Fail, much noise has been made about a particularly appalling casting breakdown for some Stargate property or other.

I'm glad people are making noise about this, but what I assume most people don't know is how much Every Single Casting Breakdown Ever is filled with objectionable stuff like this -- while this one is a particular confluence of crazy and hate, I spend day after day combing through stuff that refers to 30-something women as "girls," insists "hotties only" (which is a very particular type of euphemism for a very particular type of beauty), goes on and on about how "despite her gender so-and-so is sassy and tough!" and so forth and so on. Offensively worded requests for people who own ethnic attire that then mismatches the country and the garb are also freakishly common or often phrased "looking for people with saris, kimonos and other costumes." 1. Not costumes. 2. Kimono is a plural noun.

Number one reason to get an agent? My conscience and sanity allows me to submit for so little, because the breakdowns are SO CRAZY. And this is not a business where actors have the power to change things from the inside; we don't. At all. Haven't you heard? I need to lose ten pounds and in France I'd "actually be attractive."

ETA: Apparently the whole thing is much uglier than just the appalling casting call. Thanks to sheafrotherdon for the heads-up and continuing details. See comments below.

Meanwhile, a Marriott in CT blames a woman for her own rape. Good thing I almost always stay at the Sheraton (Marriott needs to solve its shit before Gallifrey One, dammit, because I am not giving these scumbags my money).

Whole Foods is one of the easiest places for me to get Food I Can Eat. Specifically, they make the only gluten-free bread I like. Well, no bread for me, thanks to the fact that its CEO is anti-healthcare reform, anti-union, and not rational or honest on these issues. A more succinct version is at CommonDreams -- thanks to firinel for the link.

Speaking of Gallifrey One, new guests have been announced and they are awesome. Also, now I have to get "Torchwood Lesbian" ribbons made up, so Tony Lee can wear one on his badge. It's a long, fucked-up story.

Patty will be home a week from today!

I get my suit and new shirts a week from Sunday. So, I own a sole, solitary pair of cufflinks. Time to buy cufflinks! Tell me what you love. (Considering where my mother has a life-time discount, I was thinking I should get some classic monogrammed ones, except for the fact that it looks lame without a middle initial and that I have this weird disconnect from my name lately -- it looks, as I've been told my whole life, so totally awesome as a by-line or a screen credit, but it doesn't feel like me an actual person. It's just this long, odd textual signifier of my existence).

Here is the schedule for the Dragon*Con Comics and Popular Arts Conference which is the academic track for Dragon*Con. Not how most people are academics. And I'm just.... there.

As ever, I tend to add into these posts as the day goes on for all the little things I don't want to forget. So, updates may happen!

Snape fans, I need your help

Are you a woman who cosplays Snape?

Are you someone of any gender who cosplays Snape in any sort of intentionally genderqueer way?

Are you a fan-artist who has done drawings of Snape scenes from JKR's book in which he is described with traditionally feminine adjectives or attributes (i.e., that thing where he's wearing a blouse when he first meets Lily as a little kid)?

Are you a fan-artist who has done drawings of Snape with some degree of feminine presentation and those drawings are general audiences (i.e., not cross-dressing erotica)?

I'm giving a paper (a draft version of it was presented at a Harry Potter con a few years back) at the Dragon*Con Comics and Popular Arts Conference on Beyond Queering the Villain: Severus Snape, Gender and Heroism and I have been asked to do a powerpoint presentation to accompany it.

If you are willing to let me use images of your art or cosplay, with full-credit, solely for the purposes of this powerpoint (not published, not a hand-out), please get in touch through comments or email me at racheline AT gmail DOT com.

Thank you!

see, it's like this

yuki_onna has a great post about why it's perfectly easy to boycott books of people who say appalling bigoted stuff on the Internet.

It is not, as so many people seem to think, some dogmatic decision to only engage with people who think exactly like me. Rather, life is short, books cost money, and when it comes down to deciding what I want to read -- allowing for a few cases of staggering genius that actually makes these decisions complex -- I'm not going to read stuff by people who are hateful, threatening and rude to me and mine, online or off.

stuff I might be obsessed with, just a little

The Clockwork Dolls. It's big, it's pompous, it's a bit insane and some of the tracks sound ever so slightly like a cross between the Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack and that SNL Space Olympics thing with a dash of Fritz Lang's Metropolis thrown in. BUT BUT BUT, it's SO GOOD. I just sent Kali the link to Blades in Autumn and told her it sounded like shit young pureblood wizards would listen to. And then like a minute later I emailed again with the addendum, "or maybe teen Time Lords!"

Anyway, you should go listen to this big pompous earworm. There is narrative. And it is So Good.

I feel like I don't really wear dresses enough lately to justify my desire for this, but it's super cute and I could rock the shit out of it, especially as my I'm Not Reall Cosplaying At Dragon*Con look, ne?