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Battening Down
Earthquakes, hurricanes . . . I’m waiting for the locusts. We’re battening down the hatches here in New England in preparation for Hurricane Irene. I usually cast a skeptical eye on the sensationalist weather forecasting that seems to be the norm these days, but in this case, I think precautions are warranted. Best wishes to those [...]
The Magic Schoolbus’ New Route
Those of you who have had kids in elementary school will likely know the Magic Schoolbus series. XKCD uses it to make a point about the state of science education: If you’re looking for real science resources for your children, check out Science News for Kids, an online science site for older elementary and middle [...]
What Was Your Favorite Lesbian Mom Celebrity News in 2009?
Let’s keep it light this week:
Happy Fall!
Happy fall to everyone! Fall, to me, has always signaled new beginnings. Too many years in academia, I suppose, and now a son in the educational system. I also love the foods of fall, from fresh apples to savory casseroles to home-baked pumpkin pie. What are your favorite fall activities or foods?
Baby, You Can Drive My Car
This has nothing to do with parenting or LGBT rights, but I thought I’d pass along this timely tidbit on a groundbreaking woman: On June 9, 1909, Alice Huyler Ramsey set off on her successful journey to become the first woman to drive across the United States from coast to coast. Three other women accompanied [...]
Five Years Later: Proof Positive
May 17, 2004: The first legal marriages of same-sex couples in Massachusetts. Still locust-free here in the Bay State.
Make Way for Lesbian Swans
The city of Boston today celebrates the Nineteenth Annual Return of the Swans to the Public Garden, the park captured in the childhood classic Make Way for Ducklings. A parade will be held in their honor as the swan pair, Romeo and Juliet, return to the Garden from their winter home at a nearby zoo. [...]
The Connecticut Catholic Conference’s Misplaced Advocacy
Saturday’s Hartford Courant reports: Concerned that the state’s new same-sex marriage law would infringe on religious liberties, the Connecticut Catholic Conference today proposed some broad exemptions which it believes are necessary to protect those rights. The law does not require Catholic priests—or any other clergy member—to preside over same-sex weddings. However, the church is seeking [...]
Gay Penguin Dads Wed
At the end of last year, I mentioned a pair of male penguins at a zoo in China who had been stealing other couples’ eggs until zookeepers gave them their own. They have become known as the zoo’s best penguin parents. Now, the helpful zookeepers have decided the two birds should formalize their union. They [...]
Cause and Effect
See also under Locusts, Absence of. (Thanks, Wil.)
Palin vs. Maddow
Compare and contrast: The Republican National Committee has spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August. (Politico) On one side of [Rachel Maddow's] still-bare office hang about a dozen suits in varying shades of black and gray, [...]
The Lipstick Schtick
Ellen Degeneres revealed she is the new face of Cover Girl barely a week after the first smear in the lipstick wars between Sarah Palin and Barack Obama. {democracy:13}
See, It Does Lead to Polygamy
Headline from 365gay.com: “LA Mayor Weds Gay Couple” (Or am I the only one who parsed it this way? Compare, for example, “Gay Bishop Weds Longtime Partner,” or, on a straight note, “‘SNL’ alum Chris Kattan weds model Sunshine Tutt,” not to mention, from the amusing annals of straight, marriage-themed reality shows, “Ex-Bachelor Firestone Weds [...]
A Cultural Icon?
I’ve kept my presidential preferences quiet. I think both Democratic candidates have their pros and cons, and while I favor one a bit more than the other, it’s not by enough to make it worth preaching or getting into debates here. As long as it’s not McCain. As a sometime student of medieval history and [...]
Some/Thing Blog Meme
Robin Reagler of The Other Mother has come up with a clever blog carnival idea. For the rest of the week, post a photo, memory, poem, music, or a combination on the following theme: Tuesday, 2/12: Something old Wednesday, 2/13: Something new Thursday, 2/14: Something borrowed Friday, 2/15: Something blue Further details at her site. [...]
Do People Take Women with Short Hair More Seriously?
Strollerderby asks this provoking question in reference to Hillary Clinton. Heh. If it was true, of course, there would have been a lesbian president long ago, and Martina Navratilova’s birthday would be a national holiday. (Yeah, yeah. It’s a stereotype. Laugh with me here.)
Ilene Chaiken: Channeling Shakespeare?
It came to my attention that January 6, when The L Word, Season Five premieres, is the date traditionally celebrated as “Twelfth Night” (though modern observances may place it on the 5th). Shakespeare, in his gender-mix-up comedy Twelfth Night, has Viola, in male drag, comment upon the Countess Olivia: She made good view of me; [...]
Post-Holiday Haiku
I’ll start the year on a light note, with a bit of post-season haiku: Spouse is back to work Son is still awash in toys Legos underfoot And reflecting on some of the year-end political news: Oregon waylaid New Hampshire civilized now Trip to Uruguay? Feel free to leave your own contributions in the comments.
Butch-Femme Holiday Gift Question
OK, my ever-insightful readers: Which of the following items best represents an amalgam of butch-femme, a perfect gift for the keep-’em-guessing lesbian: The Swiss Army Knife in a pink floral pattern or the KitchenAid Mixer with the flame detailing? Other suggestions welcome.
Is that Penguin Insured?
A Florida college is offering employees pet insurance after denying them insurance for same-sex partners. This of course begs the question of whether the pet insurance would cover gay penguins.
The Decline of LGBT Culture?
Famous LGBT enclaves like the Castro District in San Francisco, Key West, Florida, and West Hollywood “struggle to maintain cultural relevance in the face of gentrification,” claims the New York Times. “In the Castro, the influx of baby strollers—some being pushed by straight parents, some by gay parents—is perhaps the most blatant sign of change,” [...]
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