Archive for the 'queer' category

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...

Mar 13 2013 Published by under queer, venting

OMG you guys. O M F G. I thought that I couldn't be surprised by stupid, homophobic things said out loud anymore. BUT...BUT...THIS IS JUST SO FUCKED UP THAT IT IS BLOWING MY MIND.

You may remember that in Minnesota there is an on-going debate about marriage equality. The voters actually became the first to reject a constitutional amendment against marriage equality (YAY, MN!). And now the Minnesota State Legislatures have even advanced a bill legalizing marriage equality! Holy progress, Batman!

And that is where shit gets fucked up. In a public hearing on the marriage equality bill, a "concerned father" decided to "enlighten" the lawmakers on what actually happens when TEH GEYS get married. And guys...I hope you are sitting down. Because, well...THIS dude is out of his fucking mind. Seriously. See for yourself, if you are drunk brave enough to watch.

I...just...but...OH FOR FUCK SAKE. You can read a transcript of this dude's fucked-up-beyond-belief testimony here.

There is too much stupid here to unpack it all. But holy fuck. The dude seems to think it is a big shock to the legislatures that gays have sex. FOR REAL. And he is really freaked out about this idea of "ejaculation inside the colon". Not to mention the fact that he clearly doesn't have the faintest idea of what an enzymes are, not to mention how they are different from viruses (like HIV, which causes AIDS) and bacteria (which you treat with antibiotics). Way to take stupidity + homophobia to a whole 'nother level, dude.

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My own path...was not straightforward

Jan 24 2013 Published by under queer, Uncategorized, venting

My IRL life has been pretty...unsettled recently. I hope to blog about this a little more in the future. But one thing that has fallen out is that I've been thinking more about the immediate reaction to Jodie Foster's Golden Globes "coming out" speech. As I process these IRL events, I can't avoid thinking more about my own coming out process. And there is a lot of stuff that keeps running around in my head...so I'm gonna try to get them out on by writing them here. BE WARNED: this is going to be a little personal and navel-gazing. If that sort of things bothers you, now is the time to click away. But, if you would like to see what else I have to say about being queer as a tt-asst. prof, look here.

IME, when you are openly queer, someone will inevitably ask "when you knew". I've struggled with this question. On some level I always knew...but at the same time I really didn't know. It took me a Really Long time to admit to myself that I was gay. Being lesbian wan't an option that I was aware of growing up. Maybe because I grew up in a big-red-flyover environment. Not to mention that I didn't even know any queer folks (that I was aware of). Whatever the reason, the whole idea was off my radar. I felt a lot of pressure to act straight - to BE straight. And honestly,  I BELIEVED I was straight. But...then folks I knew started having sex , and I didn't know how to react. I felt weird and isolated. Like I was failing somehow. So I tried to be straight the only way I knew how. I slept with guys - as many as I could. Not because I really wanted to, but because I felt like it was expected of me. That if I did that, then I would be "normal" and everyone would accept me. I went off to college and kept up with the whole dating (and sleeping with) dudes thing. I wanted to fit in. But still, something wasn't right. I didn't feel good about myself. At some point, I started to meet real, live queers - classmates, teammates, co-workers.  They were my friends. They were great people, and I loved them. I asked a bunch of questions that are, honestly, embarrassing when I think back on them*. "How did you know...?", "But...how does it work?" etc. My friends were awesome: patient, kind, and so open.

I wasn't ready to answer those questions for myself. It was too hard. It was half-way through grad school that I was able to admit that I was queer. To realize that sleeping with guys to "pass" made me feel cheap and fake. That it was self-destructive. When I finally admitted to myself that I was gay it felt like a huge burden lifted. I felt...more comfortable with myself. It wasn't "easy" - I could have kept on pretending to fit in. That would have been easier on many levels. Hell, I was terrified coming out to my family and friends. Every time I had the "coming out" conversation I had to prepare myself for the possibility that the person I was talking to might decide to cut all ties with me. It was (is) always possible. And that is really fucking terrifying. It still is.

Sometimes, I look back and wish that I had done things differently. That I had been strong enough to stand up for myself earlier. I think that us LGBTQ* folks are good at telling our coming out stories. These are awesome, empowering stories. And I love to hear them. But it is harder (at least for me) to talk about how destructive it was for me during that period when I tried so hard to fit in. When I actively denied my own truth. I am still working to understand the effects of that period of my life. I wish I could be as patient and understanding with my younger self as my fantastic queer friends were with me. I'm working on it, because this is my history. It's what makes me who I am today. I would never judge anyone else for behaving the same way in the same situation. I would cheer that they survived. I would give them a hug and tell them that IT GETS BETTER. It totally sucks that I have internalized so many negative judgements about what I did when I was younger. I know that I did the best I could back then. And the younger me deserves a lot of love and respect for making it through really hard circumstances.

Sure, I was goofy and somewhat misdirected as a youngster. THAT'S WHAT YOUNG FOLKS DO. And honestly, my life is pretty fucking amazing right now. I have a fantastic daughter. Being a mom is teaching me so much about patience and acceptance - and the process of growing up. I have a job that I love, where I don't have to hide who I am. I don't let anyone assume that I have a husband, or that Mini-G has a "Daddy".

And that is why I make an effort every day to be as out as I can.  I want anyone else that may be going through their own struggle to know that they are not alone. To see that others have made it through. That it can be fantastic, even. And that is why I encourage anyone that CAN come out does, following the Rachel Maddow model and the slightly more..colorful.. version by Dan Savage. Being visible in the community not only helps younger folks that may be struggling, but can help gain support of straight allies. But no one can tell another person when they are ready to come out, or how they should do it. I don't care if you are Anderson Cooper, Jodie Foster, or a stick figure on the interweb. Everyone has their own journey to get to the place they feel safe and comfortable enough to make their statement. The journey is important, too.  And every single person that does come out is fucking courageous as hell.

 

*I'm embarrassed now, but at the time these questions were very important to me. And really, they are not embarrassing questions. I would (and do) answer these kinds of questions pretty regularly.

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Inauguration Love

Jan 23 2013 Published by under queer

I know I'm a couple of days late, but I just read this article by Melissa Harris-Perry (who is freaking badass!) and it reminded me of how awesome I thought Obama's Inauguration Speech was. So much great stuff. I especially liked the "from Seneca Falls and Selma and Stonewall" bit. It is a big deal to have the president literally link the fight for gay rights with other major Civil Rights movements. As Melissa Harris-Perry writes:

"When the president name-checked the watershed moments of the women’s rights, civil rights and LGBT equality movements, he offered a powerful moment of official recognition. ... ... ... Previous presidents have asked marginalized Americans to read themselves into the national story, but President Obama actively wrote these groups into our history. Obama positioned Seneca Falls, Selma and Stonewall as the fulfillment of a nascent promise in Jefferson’s declaration, and thereby recognizes the deeply American narrative embedded in these moments."

Fucking awesome. I hope the policy follows the rhetoric, but even so it is pretty amazing to get that kind of recognition from POTUS.

If you didn't watch it yet, it is totally worth 20 min of your time:

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Jodie Foster FTMFW

Jan 14 2013 Published by under queer

Hello again, bloggy friends! I've had an unexpected hiatus from the blogging. Real life kinda leveled me. I am hoping to be able to blog some of...but not now. Because last night something pretty awesome happened.

Jodie Foster "officially" came out.

I think this is fucking fantastic. Not that I didn't know Jodie Foster was a lesbian. It wasn't really a secret. She has acknowledged it in the past when she talked about her breakup with her partner and co-parent. But last night, she said it in front of 10 MILLION PEOPLE. Holy crap.

I've written before about how it can be tough to come out over and over again. I can't imagine how much harder it must be to have to do this when you have been in the public spotlight since you were 3.  I think Andrew Sullivan is off-base critisizing her timing or what words she used. Coming out can be hard and emotional. Give her a fucking break. I like the perspective of Dorothy Snarker much better. I think it is great that she felt like she could do this. I could see the nervousness, and I totally related to it.

So YAY JODIE FOSTER.

That is all.

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Announcing #AlliesFTW Q&A

Oct 04 2012 Published by under academia, gender, queer

A while back on twitter, I got in a conversation with Joe (@josephlsimonis) from charismatics are dangerous about what folks in academia can do to be allies for the queer* students in their midst, especially trans* folks**. As we were chatting about things that profs/teachers/faculty can do to help queer students feel welcome and comfortable in academia I realized that I really had no idea.  I don't know what will help other queer folks feel comfortable in any given lab group environment. And yet, I am in a position where there may be queer students in the classes that I teach. And if there is anything I can do to foster their interests in science, I want to know what it is, so that I can do it. In short, I want to be an active ally. But how? What specific steps can I take to make the academic environment better for queer students? We talked about allies in the DiS Blog Carnival earlier this year, and came up with some good ideas when Labroides asked what a new prof could do to create an environment that fostered diversity, so that ze could recruit and retain folks from different backgrounds into hir group. And now is a great time for all of us to up our game. This leads us to the announcement:

ANNOUNCING #AlliesFTW

Queer students often have widely different classroom experiences that can vary based on their specific queer identity/expression, as well as and any other identities which might intersect with their queerness in the classroom. Many young adults are coming out/identifying as queer while in college, and so the classroom and other academic settings are important places to make as welcoming and affirming as possible.

We are hosting a blog Q&A to discuss the issues that queer students have in academia, and to try to figure out what those of us in a role of  professor/teacher can do to foster an environment that allows our queer students to thrive. Since every student and environment is different, we hope that we can get a diverse group of folks both asking questions and contributing answers. So here's the plan: over the next couple of weeks, we are going to be asking for you to submit questions for the Q&A carnival. If you are a teacher/prof, what questions do you have about how to be a super ally? If you are a queer student, what do you wish the teacher/prof would take into consideration? Submit your answers in the comments section here or on Joe's blog, or email your responses to me (gmail at primaryinvestigator) or her (gmail at josephlsimonis). If you would like to remain anonymous we will strip your emails from any identifying information before posting questions on the blog. And if you are on twitter, join in with the hashtag #AlliesFTW.

We will collect question/comments until Oct 19 or so. Then Joe and I will put together the list of questions and post them on our respective blogs so that you can all chime in to give us a sense of which are the best ones to answer first. Then we will try to address each question/comment on the blog. We can only speak from our personal experiences, so the hope is that we will spark a good discussion that includes and reflects the spectrum of experiences.  We will try to keep the series going as long as progress is being made. In the end we can all be better allies!

 

*by queer, we mean anyone who falls under the broad lgbtqgqia+ or "gender and sexual minority" banners
**the trans* notation, with asterisk,  is a way to note that gender is not binary, and there are not just "boys" and "girls". I learned about it from Joe, and it is pretty awesome.

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Marriage equality - yet another reason to love football?

Sep 07 2012 Published by under queer

Marriage equality has a pretty shitty record when it is put to a popular vote.

This fall, at least three states will be voting on marriage equality: Maryland, Minnesota, and Washington. In these states voters will decide whether LGBT citizens have the right to marry the person of their choice. Things are (hopefully) a little different this time. For the first time ever, there is popular support for marriage equality. President Obama voiced his support for marriage equality, and this is now part of the official Democratic platform. The NAACP has followed suit, as did famous people like rappers (BTW, you did watch Jane Lynch on the Maddow show, right?).

Of course, some folks don't agree. A delegate to the Maryland General Assembly, Emmett C. Burns, got a little miffed when Baltimore Raven's linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo voiced his support for marriage equality. Delegate Burns jumped into action, sending a letter to the Ravens organization asking them to "take the necessary action, as a National Football Franchise Owner, to inhibit such expressions from your employees". What followed is the best response ever, in the form of an open letter to Del. Burns from Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. The whole letter is awesome, and you should read it. And not just because he uses the phrases "lustful cockmonster",  "narcissistic fromunda stain", and "mindfucking obscenely hypocritical". Seriously, go read it.

Do you wan to know why marriage matters? Imagine that a couple goes to the hospital because of complications in a pregnancy. The woman sits in a room, terrified, as she loses her child. Her partner is not allowed to be with her, because the hospital doesn't have the right papers. That is fucked up, right? Does it matter that the partner was another woman? In this situation, even the legal domestic partnership didn't sway the hospital to recognize her as "next of kin". Everything about this is just fucking wrong.

This is not an abstract scenario for me - it is personal. There are a multitude of rights that I am denied in my relationship because I have partnered up with another woman (1138 federal rights and protections). I have spent the time and money to make sure that I have a will, power of attorney, and the other legal documents that may be required in an emergency (an extra thing that I have to worry about if something horrible ever happens - where is the nearest copy of the legal paperwork?). I'm lucky that I can do those things - it's not cheap - but even so, there is no guarantee that the papers will be enough.

That I have to ask for permission to get married from my neighbors makes me sad and angry. I don't know what's the best way to make the case. I have no idea what talking points or arguments work. I LOVE that there has been people willing to go public with their support of marriage equality. Thank you Mr. Kluwe, Mr. Ayanbadejo, President Obama, 50 Cent, et al. But what matters now is that folks vote in favor of marriage equality when given the chance. I don't think that folks standing in line at Chik-Fil-A are going to change their mind. But I want to be hopeful that many of my fellow citizens can empathize. That everyone can think of how they would feel if they were in my situation. Because the odds are good that you know someone in my situation. Maybe, like Dr. Isis, you are related to someone in my situation.

Right now, I need your help. We need your help. Please don't stay out of the way, above the fray. If you can, give some money to organizations that support marriage equality (PBO, MD, MN, and WA). If you live in a state where this issue is on the ballot this fall, put a sign up in your yard. And when you go to vote, think of me and my family.

Cory Booker's excellent argument in support of marriage equality

 

UPDATE: There is now a version of the letter that Kluwe has edited so it does not have swear words. It is still full of win.

 

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Staying out of the fray

Aug 02 2012 Published by under queer, Uncategorized

OK, one more. I'm a little worked up over the whole thing.

I know that some people are avoiding the whole Chick-Fil-A thing. These are generally good people. They didn't go to CFA yesterday, and generally support their gay friends. But they are being silent on the whole issue. Not posting/tweeting about it. Just ignoring the whole thing. Because they only eat at CFA a few times a year anyway, so it's not that big a deal. Not worth getting into those arguments. I get it. It can be exhausting to argue with people about these things. But right now we need allies. This is why I <3 Dr. Isis so very much. Just realize, that your silence means something, too. I refer you once again to the excellent post at Owldolatrous Productions (Srsly, go read it. Then tweet it, share it, etc.).

But what are you guilty of? When you see a bully beating up a smaller kid and you don’t take a side, then you ARE taking a side. You’re siding with the bully. And when you cheer him on, you’re revealing something about your own character that really is a shame.

 

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More than a sandwich

Aug 02 2012 Published by under exhaustion, queer, Uncategorized, venting

Yesterday, a lot of people apparently went to stand in a long line to buy a fast-food chicken sandwich. Some of these people claim to be supporting "The First Amendment" against "Intolerant Liberal Thought Police". Or something. But really, they just wanted to make a point that they hate The Gays.

First, let's clear somethings up:

1. This has nothing to do with free speech. Dan Cathy can say whatever he wants, and he (and THE COMPANY) can give their money to whomever they please. And anyone can go to Chick-Fil-A anytime they want (except Sunday), though that is probably not the healthiest choice. No one is suggesting that either of these activities  should be made illegal.

2. Boycotts are widely used as a mechanism for consumers to demonstrate that they disagree with a stand that a company takes. Some "christians" have urged a boycott of Starbucks after they publicly supported marriage equality. This is their right, just as it is my right to advocate a boycott of CFA because they fund hate groups.

3. Intolerant. I'm not sure that folks understand what that means. If someone gives money to a group that works to limit my rights (and the validity of my family), I may express outrage. I am not the intolerant one in this scenario. There is a great post on the Owldolatrous Productions that one of my Actual Friends* posted on FB.

Asking for “mutual tolerance” on this like running up to a bully beating a kid to death on the playground and scolding them both for not getting along. I’m not trying to dissolve Mr. Cathy’s marriage or make his sex illegal. I’m not trying to make him a second-class citizen, or get him killed. He’s doing that to me, folks; I’m just fighting back.

If you went to Chick-Fil-A yesterday to "show support", think about what you actually did. You gave money to a company that will turn around and give some of their profits (your money) to groups that work to make it illegal to be homosexual. Not just to oppose marriage equality. The hate rhetoric that regularly flows from these organizations goes way beyond just opposing marriage equality. And if you go on twitter or FB to gloat about what you did, you have just told your gay "friends" that you went out of your way to stand in a long line for a shitty chicken sandwich as a demonstration of how much you despise them. And trust me, you have gay friends. They may not tell you (can you blame them?), but you most certainly do.

Think about this next time you want a chicken sandwich, or waffle fries or whatever. In effect, YOU are giving money to these groups. Groups that make it fucking hard for ACTUAL PEOPLE, including me and my family. Groups that work to ensure a culture and policies that contribute to high suicide rate in GLBT kids that have to grow up in this environment. I haven't eaten at CFA in many, many years. But I can't imagine any chicken sandwich being so good that it is worth this. There is no piece of food so awesome that it could ever convince me to give money to the KKK or any other hate group.

For me, it's personal. The boycott of CFA isn't about the first amendment. It isn't about religion, or however you define "traditional" or "biblical" marriage. It's about my family. I hope they fucking go out of business. I hope society stands up and says "this is not OK". I hope that people who care so much about the bible pay more attention to the "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" part. I'm not optimistic that will happen.

.

Here are some other perspectives, from someone else that got upset with their FB feed yesterday, and from a CFA employee. I wish that everyone that worked at CFA and felt this way would quit, even though I understand that this might not seem like a viable option.

*I grew up in a big red state. I have quite a few posts on my FB timeline gloating about going to CFA. These people obviously don't value my friendship.

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Just an example of why I <3 Dr. Isis

Aug 02 2012 Published by under hilarity, queer

Yesterday, Dr. Isis (@drisis if you are on twitter and don't follow, then WTF?)  took to the twitter and demonstrated why I <3 her so, so much. She started fighting back against the idiots and bigots that were bragging about their day of eating greasy chicken sandwiches w/ a side of hate. She even got blocked by Scott Baio!

Other awesome tweeps joined in (YAY to you all!), and of course Drug Monkey (@drugmonkeyblog) kept the #FWDAOTI going. I didn't get to play much, because my mom is in town and I was busy catching up with her. But every time I checked in, it was full of win.

I made a little storify that has a sampling of the awesome. It doesn't have everything, and it's not in the right order, probably. In my defense, it was the first time I storified anything. But you can get the gist. I can't figure out how to make it show up here, but you can see it here. And if you don't want to click through, here is a sample from Dr. Isis's timeline last night. Fucking. Genius.

 

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time flies on by

Jul 26 2012 Published by under mentoring, queer, Uncategorized

This week has been a little ... crazy.

First there is only what can be considered a mentoring FAIL. I am writing a review article with a grad student, and I think it is fair to say that I royally botched it. It became clear (a little late in the process) that I had not given my very new graduate student enough guidance. This is not hir fault. My expectations were totally out of whack. So now I have spent the last week spastically writing the thing over, and will have to work to make sure that ze does not feel like a failure because so little of hir sentences show up in the final version.

But then things looked up! My wife sent me a picture of a super-cute fuzzy little puppy. And he gets to come and live with us! YAY for PUPPIES!

zOMG! It's a super-cute puppy!

And finally, today is my anniversary.* Nine years ago, my wife and I stood with a small group of friends by a nice stream, said some nice things, and then had a super dinner. It was awesome. We told Mini-G about the anniversary this morning and her immediate response was "so what are we doing?". It was super cute.

 

*A question that I always get when people hear it is my anniversary is: "Really? I didn't think that gay marriage was legal". Please don't be that person. My relationship is not recognized by the government, but that does not change the fact that today is my anniversary. FFS.

 

 

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