Monosexism

Another term I learned recently is monosexism. Here is a blog post about a report that looks at the effects of monosexism on bisexuals.

cis-sexism

One of the reasons I love teaching my heterosexism class is that I continue to learn new things. This time around, I learned about the term cis-sexism, which is a better way to describe the systematic oppression and discrimination against trans communities.
Here is a link to a blog called Deeply Problematic which does a very good job of explaining the term.

How many gay people does God have to create...?

This is from mediate.com

While the topic hasn’t been in the news much since the Justice Department’s decision not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, the battle over same-sex marriage rages on in the states. During a hearing on a proposed constitutional ban on same sex marriage in Minnesota, Democratic state Rep. Steve Simon asked a rhetorical question that elegantly crystallized the issue, and despite the measure’s advancement along party lines, could prove an effective rallying cry for marriage equality.

Simon spoke eloquently about the question of “nature vs. nurture,” wondering if sexual orientation could fairly be compared with “skateboarding or gardening,” and drew a round of applause when he posed the question, “How many gay people must God create before we accept that he wants them around?”

It was a compelling moment, but the entirety of Simon’s comments were just as compelling. From the beginning, he cannily identifies the problem with such measures, that they are largely based on religious justification.

Stonewall

The Stonewall Rebellion was the official beginning of the modern queer rights movement in the United States. Up until the riots began in June of 1969, homosexuality was criminalized and many considered it a mental disorder. This was the beginning of a decade of liberation and visibility, which would soon be pushed back by a backlash from the growing religious right and the outbreak and devastation of AIDS. In spite of the setbacks, gains were still made and the struggle continues.

Heterosexist Propaganda

Here is an ad funded by NOM, the National Organization for Marriage. Notice how it uses fear to persuade voters to vote against full marriage equality. What is the fear? It doesn't matter. What matters is that fear is being used to motivate people to take away the rights of their fellow citizens. Click the link above (click on NOM) to see how much money the National Organization for Marriage has been able to raise using hatred and fear. I'm not sure if NOM is a religious organization, but other organizations, employing similar tactics, like the Mormon and Catholic churches, receive this money tax exempt. This is a business folks. It has nothing to do with morality or any actual threat. Someone's getting rich off of this stuff.



Here is a parody of the same ad. Sometimes it's good to laugh at the ridiculousness of the fear-mongering.

What does the Bible really say?

"For the Bible Tells Me So", is an excellent documentary that looks at what the Bible really says about homosexuality, taken in the context of the culture and the times in which those things were written. Those who quote scripture as justification for denying full equality to sexual minorities, "cherry pick" and often ignore other biblical admonitions that they find "inconvenient". Every now and then I get the e-mail that has been circulating for years asking how much would be a fair price to sell my daughter into slavery, something that is sanctioned in the Bible, but would obviously be unheard of for most American Jews and Christians. Popular culture has also taken this on. In this clip from The West Wing, also featured in the documentary, Martin Sheen takes on a radio talk show host who seems to resemble Dr. Laura Schlessinger. This is how I would like to see my president respond to those who use the Bible to deny me my rights as an American citizen. Maybe one day I'll see it.
Until then, I'll watch this clip again and again and dream.

Norma Gay

Kathy Griffin is (in her words) a "potty mouthed comedian", but she is also an incredible straight advocate for lgbt equality. In this episode of "My Life on the D List", Kathy decides to use her celebrity to campaign against Proposition 8. It's great to see examples of how to talk to people and get them to question their unquestioned assumptions. Sure, you might not be gay or lesbian or might not even support same sex marriage, but how would your life be affected if same sex couples had the same rights as you? Wouldn't the world be a better place if we were all equal? In a world where people are motivated to vote out of fear, a simple appeal to logic and fairness seems to do wonders.

The birds and the fish...

Why did thousands of birds and fish mysteriously die? According to Cindy Jacobs, from Generals International (GI is some sort of Christian ministry of which Cindy claims to be a "prophet" of the Lord), it was because of the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

I don't know why these birds and fish suddenly died, but I would suspect some sort of environmental pollution. But no, not this woman, she is convinced that God punishes us for our sins of acceptance and equality. It seems like it is a comedy routine, but it's for real.