Sunday Bitter Sunday #9

This was supposed to be posted last week, but me and Bitter B were too bitter to even finish writing it.

Sunday Bitter Sunday #9: The Advocate

Although I will give The Advocate props for being the oldest running gay magazine, that’s about all I’m willing to give it props for. Much like Human Rights Campaign and other assimilationist queer groups, it’s not for the whole queer community, but is geared towards white gay men and lesbians. For that reason, it’s been awhile since I’ve picked up a copy, and it’s generally been “out of sight, out of mind” for me. Until I saw the cover for the most recent issue:

Fail. Complete and utter fail.

For so many reasons.

First of all, the work of the Civil Rights movement is not finished. Racism is still a reality in the lives of black people in this country (and of people of color in general). The passage of the Civil Rights Act didn’t change that. To suggest that the struggle for racial equality is over (or is antiquated) is doing a huge disservice to people of color in this country. It is denying and bellitting our experiences, as well as completely ignoring the fact that some people are both gay and black (wow, what a concept).

Secondly, there are far too many other social movements and struggles happening now to suggest that gay rights (and notice how the terminology used is “gay rights”, not queer or LGBTQ or anything more inclusive) is “the last great civil rights struggle”. That whole language is just buying into “oppression olympics” bullshit. What about transfolks, intersex people, immigrants, fat people, and atheists/non-believers? What about all the complex intersections of identities that people have. What about all the other issues facing the queer community? Although I think queers should have the right to get married if we want to, I’m sick of the idea that that’s the most important issue facing the community. In some ways, I feel like the marriage movement is about white gays and lesbians wanting to gain access to the same privileges as their straight counterparts. I worry that once we achieve marriage equality, all the trannies, and the brown people, and the freaks, and the outlaws in the community will be left in the dust and forgotten.

When I look at that Advocate cover, I can’t help but think about all these problems. It’s like a visual representation of the failures of the mainstream gay and lesbian movement.

Awesome.

At a press conference earlier today an Iraqi journalist threw their shoes at President Bush.

Thank you sir for doing what almost everyone in the world has been wanting to do for years.

Pics from Oakland’s Prop 8 protest

Protest this weekend

Just an fyi:

Protests against Prop 8 and other similar anti-gay measure are taking place across the country this Saturday Nov. 15. You can go to this site here to find out about the protests happening in your neck of the woods. I will be at the Oakland protest so let me know if you want to come with.

EDIT: They have now created a facebook page for the Oakland event. And even my hometown of Fairfield is having a protest!

Sunday Bitter Sunday #5

Me and Bitter Batman are exhausted:

But we’re never too tired for a healthy dose of bitterness:

With the election fast approaching I thought I’d take this opportunity to get on my soapbox about something. That brings us to this week’s topic:

Sunday Bitter Sunday #5: People who are voting “Yes” on Prop 8

Fuck Prop 8. Seriously. And boo on the Mormon church for being its biggest financial supporter.

I haven’t heard an argument for it that isn’t somehow steeped in religion. Um, last time I checked we still had that whole separation of church and state thing that implies that, I don’t know, we don’t live in a theocracy and people passing laws based on the religious beliefs of some is not okay.

Some people just hate queer folks. Others try to dress it up and make it seem like they’re more accepting than they really are. I think they may be even more reprehensible than the first group. The basic sentiment boils down to this: “The thought of gay people getting married is icky to me because my holy book says it’s wrong. But we shouldn’t discriminate against gay people. No, I’m so tolerant. But they shouldn’t be able to use the word marriage because that’s for straight people only.”

What a load of bullshit. The very fact that they see gay people as unworthy of using the word “marriage” doesn’t sound like “tolerance” or “acceptance” to me. It stinks of discrimination, plain and simple. Sorry, but I refuse to be treated like a second-class citizen because my sexual orientation makes you feel icky.

The other argument these people love is the whole “the court overstepped its bounds, the voters should decide”. Sorry, but protecting the rights of a minority from the tyranny of the majority is well within their bounds. If we had left the issue of segregation up to voters I’d probably still be drinking out of “Colored Only” water fountain.

So if you’re in California, please vote no on 8 and urge others to do the same. Although, I can’t say I think too highly of the institution of marriage itself, queer people deserve the same rights under the law as anyone else.

From my apartment window

Sunday Bitter Sunday #3

Well, after a week off, me and Bitter Batman are back! Check out my new hair (Bitter B helped, because he’s Batman and he knows how to do everything). I didn’t cut it or anything, just wrapped each lock into a tightly coiled ball of bitterness.

This week’s topic: “Hard-working white americans”

I don’t have a problem with actual hard-working white americans (unless they’re racist homophobes. Then they can suck my 8-inch black strap-on). But I am completely fucking sick of this whole meme that’s pushed in the media and the entire Republican campaign that “Joe Sixpack” and “hockey moms” (and the various other bullshit euphemisms being used for white middle and working-class midwesterners) are somehow more American than anyone else. That they are somehow more authentic.

Fuck that shit.

Being a person of color and a queer person, I have a complicated relationship with this thing called America. It hasn’t worked out so great for people like me in the past. But whatever complexities are woven into that, I’m still from here. I was born here and I was raised here and I’m a citizen just like anyone else. I’m sick of the idea that anyone who’s not “Joe Sixpack”is considered out of touch with real America, is an outsider, an Other, a second-class citizen.

Me and Bitter B, we’re those west coast/east coast elitists you hear about. His family has that whole Kennedy-esque thing going on (east coast, old money, liked by many, struck down by terrible tragedy). And I’ve got that whole Bay Area black queer feminist thing going on.  But whatever. Aside from the fact that he’s a fictional character, we’re just as real as anyone else and it’s way past time people realized that.