I was in the airport last Friday when the Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage came down, and one of the first thoughts I had on that was, “Looks like I picked the right week to go to San Francisco.” And you know what? I was right! The city was, verily, bedecked in rainbow flags and happiness. After my events at ALA on Saturday I went with friends to City Hall, where the pride celebration was in full swing, and watched people being happy, all over the place (plus occasional hippie nudity, because San Francisco). It’s very rare to be in the right place at the right time, when history is actually and genuinely happening around you. But I was, and I was delighted in the happy circumstance that put me there.
I’m even more delighted that my country is now a better place than it was at 9:59am on June 26, when a minority of states still didn’t allow gays and lesbians the simple, basic right of marrying the person whom they loved and wished to spend their life with. Those days are now gone, thankfully, despite a few pockets of resistance, which I don’t suspect will last very long. Texas, as an example, is a place where the Attorney General is telling county clerks they may defy the Supreme Court; it’s also a place where two octogenarian men, together for more than 50 years, became the first same-sex couple to wed in Dallas County. Who do you think history, and Texas, will celebrate more: The two men confirming their decades-long love to each other, or the government official symbolically standing in front of the courthouse door to oppose their right to confirm that love?
Bluntly: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is going down in history as a bigot. So will Texas’ governor and lieutenant governor. So will Ted Cruz, Mike Huckabee and all the other politicians (and would-be politicians) who are thumping around now, pretending not to understand what it is that the Supreme Court does, or the legitimacy of its rulings under the Constitution, and pretending that their religion makes that feigned lack of understanding all right. Dan Patrick, the Texas Lieutenant Governor, has said “I would rather be on the wrong side of history than on the wrong side of my faith and my beliefs.” Well, Mr. Patrick, you’re not only definitely on the wrong side of history, but you’re also on the wrong side of your professed faith. Jesus never once said “be a bigot in my name.” If you believe He did, you might want to recheck your Bible. That admonition is not there, although the admonition to love your neighbor as yourself is.
On a related topic, this Time magazine article by Rod Dreher on orthodox Christians being “exiles in our own country” struck me as a bit dramatic. Not being in step with the mainstream of American life and opinion does not make you an exile, especially when you suffer no estrangement under the law. When the mainstream of American life did not include the idea that same-sex marriage was a viable thing, which was an opinion different than mine, I was not in exile in my own country — although same-sex couples may have been, as the law estranged them from the rights they should have had under the Constitution, now affirmed by the Supreme Court. The affirmation of those rights did not and does not take away rights from anyone who believes same-sex marriage is wrong. You may still believe they’re wrong; you just can’t stop those couples from getting legally married. Unless you think it should be your right to deprive others of their rights, everything’s the same for you as it was before. And if you do believe it’s your right to deprive others of their rights, then you’re a bigot, whether you cloak it in religion or not.
I suspect that this is the thing Dreher is really worried about, whether he’s aware of it or not — that the perception of certain religious sects will change from them being depositories of rectitude to cisterns of intolerance. Well, this is a fair concern, isn’t it? Over the last twenty years in particular, nearly every American learned that someone they cared about or even loved — a family member, a friend, a co-worker or neighbor or a person they admired — was not straight, or 100% conforming to society’s ideas of gender. Over the last two decades, Americans decided it was more important to tell those people they still loved them and that they deserved the same rights as everyone else, than it was to listen to those people who said, through their words and actions, that these people we loved represented some sort of threat. Your mom is not a threat to America, if she happens to be gay or bisexual. Nor is your dad. Nor your sibling, or your best friend, or Doug from Accounting or Jillian down the street or Ellen DeGeneres. Who are you going to choose to stand with? Your sister, or some dude at a pulpit demanding we believe the bowels of Hell will empty if she marries her girlfriend? Your sister’s girlfriend is awesome! That guy is a jerk!
Which is the thing: the religious sects terrified that they will now lose their moral standing lost that standing long before, when they said, in so many words, in so many actions, that the people we love and know and know to be good, and their desire to have the same rights as everyone else, are what’s wrong with America. Dreher laments we now live in a “post-Christian” America, but he’s wrong. The Americans who are standing with their loved ones and neighbors are in fact doing exactly what Jesus asked them to do, when he said that we should love each other as we love ourselves. It’s possible, however, that we live in a post-accepting-bigotry-cloaking-itself-in-the-raiments-of-Christ America. And, you know. I can live in that America just fine.
Regardless, the America we do live in now lets anyone person marry any other person who they love. I like this America. I am glad I live in it.
The Girl Scouts are not only good role models for young girls, but for all of us, deciding the dignity of trans girls is more important than money. That should be rewarded, I think.
THEY DID IT IN ONE DAY. SUCK IT, TRANSMISOGYNISTS.
They’ve nearly doubled the goal in one day. DOUBLED. This is the best thing, the very best thing.
This year’s Hugo Awards controversy is confusing. There are two kinds of puppies! Are the puppies against diversity, or literary snobbery? And so on. But really, this is all about books, and particularly what kind of books we’re supposed to celebrate. So here are eight books that can help you understand the Hugo mess.
In case you dont understand, when LGBT people say they feel uncomfortable with people posting rainbows over their icons whilst not being supportive of LGBT people in the least this is exactly what they mean
“Despite what you may believe, you can disappoint people and still be good enough. You can make mistakes and still be capable and talented. You can let people down and still be worthwhile and deserving of love. Everyone has disappointed someone they care about. Everyone messes up, lets people down, and makes mistakes. Not because we’re inadequate or fundamentally inept, but because we’re imperfect and fundamentally human. Expecting anything different is setting yourself up for failure.”
I only wish more people were like this crow.. (source)
This is proof that they are watching us… always. Constantly trying to blend in with us so that when the assimilation is complete we will never suspect their world-comination plan coming.
I for one welcome our feathered environment-concious overlords
You’ve probably been told the “golden rule” at some point in your life, but it’s not always ideal for those times you want to ooze charisma . That’s where the “platinum rule” comes in.
I’m continuously terrified that people will think LGBT rights is a finished fight as soon as marriage equality passes nationally. There’s still so much extremely important stuff to get to. Marriage is not an end goal.
I spent three weeks in a mental hospital and what I discovered there I feel like should be put into words.
we are not who you think we are.
the boy with turrets told the funniest jokes
the girl who raked her nails up and down her skin could create the most exquisite drawings
the girl who abused drugs had the wisest soul
the boy with schizophrenia had the biggest heart
the girl who tried to kill herself told the boy with insomnia stories to help lure him to sleep
the boy who wanted to kill himself had the deepest passion for cooking
the girl with slits and scars all over her body dried my tears and told me I was beautiful
the boy with anger issues gave the warmest hugs
the girl with bulimia told everyone every day that they looked beautiful in their bodies
the boy who was a compulsive liar told us that he wanted us all to get better, and that he was for once telling the truth
the girl who almost drank herself to death stood up for anyone that felt they were feeling bullied
the boy with social anxiety made sure nobody sat alone at meals
we are not who you think we are.
*slams reblog button*
Actual chills
Psychiatric hospitals have the most stigma.
God this is beautiful
I’m gonna print this out and read it day after day. We’re real people. We are. And we are so much more than our issues.
This is so fucking true. When I got sent to the psychatric ward, they were the kindest most brilliant people I ever met. But the doctors treated us like monsters, prisoners.
Cops standing in front of big drug seizures look great on the evening news. But it sells a lie that we’re winning, just like George Bush on an aircraft carrier declaring that a war was over that still rages on today.
It’s not only that we can’t win this war, it’s that we’re destroying ourselves fighting it. We are literally addicted to the War on Drugs. A half-century of failed policy, $1 trillion, and 45 million arrests has not reduced daily drug use—at all. The U.S. still leads the world in illegal drug consumption, drugs are cheaper, more available, and more potent than ever before.
Our justice system is a junkie, demanding its daily fix of arrests, seizures and convictions. It needs drugs. It’s as hooked as that guy sticking a needle into his arm even though he knows it’s killing him.
“So, I ask to the women who are still not sure about rape culture, patriarchy, or male supremacy, if you see the problem behind a culture in which “no” is punishable, but where failure to say “no” makes any violation of your personhood your own fault. When you sit back for a moment and think to yourself that surely you can say no to men, and that I am blowing things way out of proportion, then at least do this test within your own life: Start saying No more often when No is what you really want to say. Establish firm boundaries with men and do not let up. See if the male you are saying no to immediately stops and respects your boundary, or if his automatic response, reflexive—as though he’s been learning how to do this since he was a boy, as though he sees no other response more logical than this—is to attempt to do what you have just asked him not to do to you. Notice how you feel when telling a man “no” as well. Do you feel butterflies in your stomach? Do you feel guilty (denying him his right of access to you)? Do you feel mean? Do you feel unsure at all as to whether or not you have the right to tell him no? It is very easy to feel that men are not so bad when you are still making sure to give them what they want.”
Honestly. Even if the teenagers are acting like shits. Because that's what teenagers do, they act like shits, and we all just nod and smile to ourselves because in a couple years their hormone mix is going to balance out and they're going to suddenly take on a lot of responsibility that they just don't comprehend right now, so let teenagers be little shits, and stop picking them apart.
when I was a teenager getting made fun of by adults on the internet I thought it was shitty, but I thought maybe I felt that way because I really was just a silly oversensitive little kid like they were saying.
so, as an adult with an Officially Valid* opinion, let me tell you:
adults who make fun of teenagers on the internet are deeply fucking shitty.
2015: Man-on-man marriage
2017: Man-on-child marriage
2019: Man-on-dog marriage
2021: Man-on-car marriage
2023: Hopefully the world ends by then tbh
Two consenting adults, be they man and woman, man and man, woman and woman, or any other combination not specified by the above, are now granted the right (as they always should have had) to enter a legally binding contract and obtain all its attached benefits.
Children cannot give consent. Children cannot legally sign contracts. Children cannot get married.
Animals cannot give consent. Animals cannot legally sign contracts. Animals cannot get married.
Optimus Prime is a sentient being and leader of the entire Autobot race and I don’t think you have any place telling him who his people can and cannot marry. If he is okay with Rewind and Chromedome or Astoria and Powerglide then you need to step off.
WELL SAID
It’s very easy to make Gracie’s mistake here if you persist in thinking of marriage as “a man and his chosen marriage object” rather than, you know, “two people choosing to marry each other.”
Says something about how some people view heterosexual marriage.
This is probably my biggest problem with conservatives (aside from the racism, xenophobia, sexism, and homophobia): the fact that they spend all their time lecturing the rest of us on morality and yet can’t live up to their own ridiculous standards.
Bristol Palin having kids, whether she’s married or not? Don’t give a fuck. Bristol Palin having kids out of wedlock when both she and her mother are outspoken advocates for abstinence and shaming those who dare to view sex as anything more than a baby factory? Not cool.
obviously first of all you don’t have to be obsessed with a thing to enjoy it but also if you look at the kind of games that are considered “casual” it becomes obvious so quickly that “casual” means “non-violent/not hyper-masculine’”
like. Popcap games has made a lot of money off the fact that people are so not casual about Bejeweled that they will pay actual money to progress faster
the two most-played games on my 3DS are Animal Crossing and Tomodachi Life, and I have just shy of 669.5 hours logged between the two of them and there are people who own two copies of Animal Crossing: New Leaf because they want multiple towns or because they want a spare to cycle villagers through so they can get their ideal town
the Sims games have one of the most dedicated and helpful modding communities I’ve ever seen, there are so many people who devote countless hours to picking apart EA’s broken code, to figuring out how to fix everything when EA breaks all the custom content with their latest patch, to filling in features that the game lacks for no obvious reason
people are not casual about these games???? but apparently talking to the AI instead of killing it makes the game not worth taking seriously
I also think it’s telling that people deride the Sims as being “not a real game” but no one says the same thing about Minecraft. It’s almost as if the Sims’ playerbase being overwhelmingly female has something to do with what is or isn’t considered a game.
Also? My mom used to dual-box Farmville. If that isn’t hardcore gaming I don’t know what is.
I literally had someone tell me female Pokemon players don’t count because we’re all casual gamers.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson has made a small game out of decrying the factual inaccuracies of popular movies, but do these noted inaccuracies actually…matter? On one hand, showing the dinosaurs in Jurassic World without feathers is a scientific error, but what about the fact that Jurassic World exists at all? Isn’t it just fantasy? Does it matter that in Gravity, gravity itself seemed to not necessarily obey our current understanding of it?
But research into the management of SNAP shows that even as the ranks of users have grown, the program’s rate of fraud has been dropping — and is significantly smaller than fraud in Medicaid, Medicare and other government programs, said Stacy Dean, a vice president at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, a Washington think tank.
“There’s a huge disconnect between reality and the perception of the program,” Dean said.
In Florida, the program is most effective of all: The state ranks first in getting food stamp benefits to the people who needed them.
In 2012, Florida earned an $8 million bonus from the Department of Agriculture for its accuracy. Less than 1 percent of Florida’s food stamp funding went astray, the department said.
Medicare, by comparison, the federal health care program for seniors and disabled people, loses about 8 percent of its payouts to fraud nationally, according to government figures.
……
What are they [people who sell their food stamps] spending the money on?
“We have asked the recipients in the past and it runs the gamut,” Heacock said. “Most of them say they’re trying to pay bills or buying school supplies for their kids. Most of it is pedestrian. But I’m not always believing that.”
…….
The state recovers some of that lost money by garnishing wages or benefits but that can take time.
“You’re going after indigent people to begin with,” Heacock said.
-seriously from california to new mexico is terrifying like it’s eight straight hours of pale red desert and the sky is so large that everything, even your car, even your hands, looks like a tenuously small and fragile diorama placed on an endless pale red table and left there to dissolve.
-a gas station that for some reason has large dinosaurs made out of scrap metal. they are 1000% awesome. sometimes they move. take a million pictures.
-a fruit stand that sells the best fruit you have ever eaten. later you won’t quite remember which fruit. strawberries, maybe? peaches?
-small black birds, subtly different in every state. some have gold eyes and some are a little iridescent and some are black from beak to toes. the sparrows they compete with for crumbs look exactly the same wherever you go.
-a completely empty rest stop. no one eats at the concrete tables. no one plays in the tiny strip of grass or gravel. you will find a small and beautiful stone.
-a hawaii license plate, somewhere around ohio. i still don’t know how they get the cars across the ocean. i don’t know why anyone would leave hawaii for ohio. i don’t know why anyone lives in ohio.
-an incredibly weird duck. you had no idea ducks could look so incredibly weird, and you wish you were still ignorant of how incredibly weird ducks can, apparently, look.
-a small folksy roadside waystation that sells fudge and incredibly tacky statues of eagles and wolves and cowboys. if you like fudge, eat the fudge from here.
-a lizard doing pushups. if you are particularly fortunate: many lizards doing pushups.
-approximately one gajillion starbucks shops. don’t bother counting them. it will make you angry.
-a storm somewhere around oklahoma, if you’re lucky. the clouds tower up in fantastic fluffy castles miles and miles into the air and are painted pink and gold and purple and the sky turns a dozen impossible shades of blue and when the rain comes down over your car it sounds like the world is ending.
-weird burrs will stick to your legs. you’ll flick them out of the car eighty or eight hundred miles from where their parent plant was grown, and not be sure whether you should wish the little hitchikers well or not.
-a dog wearing sunglasses with his head hanging out of a car window. this will be the high point of the trip.
-the world’s most depressing restaurant. you will know it when you wind up there and have to eat the terrible food, and listen to the terrible music, and look at all the listless waiters and want to tell them get in my car, for god’s sake get in, i’ll take you out of whatever crapsack little town this is that you can’t get out of on your own. but you won’t say that because it’s rude. maybe they have family here. maybe they even like it here.
-a painting of a sailboat in a motel located at least a hundred miles from any significant body of water.
-several genuinely hilarious postcards. buy them.
-a cat that will not let you pet it. this will be the low point of the trip.
-corn. so much corn you will get scared. who the fuck is going to eat all this corn?
-a small stream in some small woods and the light will come down perfectly and the water will be beautiful and the grass will be beautiful and there will be flowers maybe or the leaves of the trees are starting to turn gold and there are birds chirping and it will be so perfect you will want to stand there and stay forever and live in this little magical painting off the side of the highway and be some kind of highway druid. but instead, you’ll get bored after a while, and get back in the car.
i specifically chose animals that are (or believed to be) extinct due to human influence: thylacine, great auk, baiji, west african black rhino, golden toad, dodo, passenger pigeon, and quagga. there are many other species i could have included. the plants are also based on extinct species, but i found much less information about extinct plants, unfortunately.
the text doesn’t necessarily relate to each animal or their extinction. it’s all basically the same idea: let’s all be nice to each other, because today, the universe is vast and incomprehensible, we are all suffering, we are all going to die, and we’re all in this together. for today.
i’m busy for a couple weeks with conventions, but after that i’m considering a companion series with ancient extinct animals, so feel free to send me your favorites :)
On June 26th, 2015, the United States Supreme Court ruled that bans on same-sex marriage violate the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. This is your image of the week:
Super Opinionated.
Source: Slate.
