A Supremely Ridiculous Argument

Sometimes I read something that is just so mind-blowingly irrational I don’t know where to begin.

Robert P. George, in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece titled, “Gay Marriage, Democracy, and the Courts,” begins by stating that it would be “disastrous” for the U.S. Supreme Court justices to rule on a federal lawsuit that “has been filed to invalidate traditional marriage laws.” He continues, “They would repeat the error in Roe v. Wade: namely, trying to remove a morally charged policy issue from the forums of democratic deliberation and resolve it according to their personal lights.”

Those of us who believe Roe v. Wade was a valid ruling made on the basis of sound legal reasoning will see the obvious error of the second statement. Let’s also be clear that any federal lawsuit to invalidate the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) will not in any way, shape, or form “invalidate” traditional marriages. They will remain as legitimate and traditional as ever.

George then goes on to try and refute those who say the fight to legalize marriage for same-sex couples is similar to the fight to legalize interracial marriage. He says the two situations are not the same, however, because those who sought to permit interracial marriages did not question the concept of marriage “as a union that takes its distinctive character from being founded, unlike other friendships, on bodily unity of the kind that sometimes generates new life.” He continues: Read the rest of this post »

Run for the Border

No, not that border.

The Connecticut border, where hordes of maritally minded same-sex couples from New York are pouring across into towns like Greenwich and Stamford to get hitched, according to several recent newspaper reports. “Connecticut Border Town Is Same-Sex Marriage Haven” declares Newsday, making it sound a little like a refugee camp.

The Connecticut Post adds, “Aside from New York, same-sex couples from as far away as Texas, Nevada, Colorado and California have married in Greenwich.”

Rumor has it the California Supreme Court will rule on Prop 8 later today. Will they expand the territory of equality, or continue to force their own citizens to travel in search of it?

(Greenwich Town Hall photo credit: Umuzungu. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.)

Morning Must-Read: “Where Did You Get Them?”

Max Mutchnick, creator of Will & Grace, shares his story of trying to get through airport security with his (male) spouse and their two girls.

It’s hilarious, as one might expect from Mutchnick, but the real kicker is at the end. A lesson for us all.

Gay Marriage Propaganda Film

This is going to make the blogospheric rounds, I’m sure, but I can’t help a repost:

(Thanks to 23/6, via Andy Towle, via Good As You.)

Protect Children, Ban Divorce!

Prop 8-spawned videos are flying fast and furious. I’m partial to this one. (Thanks, Good As You.)

Sarah Palin Almost Convinced Me

Sarah Palin almost got me. Not that I’d ever vote for the McCain/Palin ticket, but I was almost convinced that Palin had a spark of understanding about LGBT issues when she said of “one of my absolute best friends for the past 30 years, who happens to be gay,” that “She is not my gay friend, she is one of my best friends. . .”

Well put.

Then she blew it: “. . . who happens to have made a choice that isn’t a choice that I have made.”

Given that the LGBT community jumped all over Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson when he said that being gay was a choice (a statement he later retracted, saying he didn’t understand the question), Palin should have been much more careful with this one. Even if it is her belief, the fact that she talks about it on national television indicates a lack of judgment, or lack of media training, which in her case may amount to the same thing. (If you want to test out Palin’s interview skills yourself, visit the new site Interview Sarah Palin.)

The best part about Palin’s comment, though? Gay dad and sex columnist Dan Savage’s response. After the jump. Read the rest of this post »

Cinderella’s Gay Blades

A modernized version of Cinderella by the Russian-based Imperial Ice Stars caused controversy in Australia Tuesday when “two male characters share a romantic scene together on the ice.” And no, one of them isn’t the fairy godmother. They’re just a couple of guys at the ball.

Artistic director Tony Mercer said, “I don’t think there is anything offensive about including a gay couple. You see them day in, day out on the street.”

Conservatives are having the usual conniptions about exposing children to this sort of thing. Geez, it’s not like it’s a couple of guinea pigs or anything. (Coincidentally, though, Sarah Brannen, author of Uncle Bobby’s Wedding, also does beautiful photos and watercolors of champion figure skaters. Check them out if you’re already looking ahead to the Winter Olympics.)

(Thanks to PageOneQ for a link to the the Herald Sun coverage of this.)

Residents of Lesbos Sue to Reclaim Term “Lesbian”

Some residents of the Greek island of Lesbos are suing the LGBT-rights group “Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece” in an effort to reclaim the name “lesbian.” The BBC reports “The man spearheading the case, publisher Dimitris Lambrou, claims that international dominance of the word in its sexual context violates the human rights of the islanders, and disgraces them around the world.” He says it causes “daily problems” to the islanders’ social lives.

What’s next? Happy people suing to reclaim the word “gay”? Besides, haven’t copies of The L Word or Ellen made their way to Greece by now, at least via Internet video? Lesbians are beautiful, rich people with gorgeous homes and active social lives. Sometimes they tell jokes and dance. Where’s the disgrace in that?

Do We Really Need This?

Neither my son nor this blog would be here without the benefit of modern technology, and for that (mostly the former), I am grateful. I’m a minimalist when it comes to childcare technology, however, although I’ve found a baby monitor to be a useful gadget. The New York Times, however, takes a look at several new “babytronics” designed to make life easier for new parents and better for their children.

Most had me rolling my eyes. I think a battery-operated nasal aspirator would have freaked out my son to no end. I don’t think an electronic device that helps me track “how long it has been since the baby has gone to sleep, been fed, had her diaper changed or taken her medicine” has much advantage over the pencil and paper I used to track the last of the four. My son was more than willing to inform me when sufficient time had passed since the first three.

My winning pick for the “Most Useless Gadget” award is the LENA System (only $399!), a credit-card sized “language measurement tool” that slips into the front pocket of a specially designed outfit for your child. Several days a month, you use it to record conversation between parent(s) and child, then plug it into your computer so the special software can analyze “how many words you have spoken to your baby, how often your baby responds, and where you match up against the rest of the American population, to ensure your infant is getting that all-important verbal edge on other infants.” Apparently, the system is based on “research demonstrating a correlation between the amount parents talk to their babies during their first three years and their professional success later in life.”

“Yes, I know little Bessie’s going to get into Überelite Nursery Academy. I said 1287 words to her today but Sally only said 1123 to her Johnnie. Too bad he won’t be going to Harvard with her. Maybe he can stuff envelopes for her presidential campaign.”

What are your contenders for most-useless baby products? What are some gadgets you’d like to see invented that would in fact be useful for parents?

Penguins Threaten Traditional Family Values

And Tango Makes Three, the children’s book based on a true story about two male penguins who adopt an abandoned egg, tops the American Library Association’s list of “10 Most Challenged Books of 2006,” “for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group.” A challenge, according to the ALA, is “a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school, requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” Other books on the list include Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Beloved, based on “sexual content and offensive language.”

As I’ve said before, it seems the right has felt particularly sensitive about penguins ever since they claimed March of the Penguins as an example of “traditional family values.”

Personally, I think it’s time for a March of the Penguins on Washington.

What’s your favorite book from the ALA list, this year or in the past?