Of course, other people always end up saying it better than I do. :) Obama Loves Queers! (Except Not) by Mia McKenzie. Also this Tumblr post with gifs that's pretty fabulous (I love love the last one). 

In the meanwhile, Argentina just passed a fabulous gender identity law that allows adults to request a legal gender change on their documentation without the approval of a doctor. I think this might be a first in the world, and I can't think of anything about this law that makes me hesitant. It is going to make life easier for a lot of people; it makes it possible for people to get SRS if they want it, and not to get it if they don't want it, and it respects everyone's choices. I'm incredibly happy this is happening, and I hope it will invite other countries to follow suit.

(Oh, and remember this, Europe and North America, when you're tempted to talk about how you're the most bestest defenders of freedom and liberty.)

There's a more complete article just published in Le Monde, and it also has a discussion of the state of affairs in France. (Spoiler: It's not great.)

Yay. :)

I have lots to post, about my parents' visit and our roadtrip to Alberta, and Joss Whedon and probably a dozen other things if I'm basing myself on the tabs I currently have open in Firefox. I don't have time for that right now, but I did want to take the time to post in a timely manner about the trial of CeCe McDonald, a young black trans woman who was arrested for murder after an altercation that started because CeCe and her friends were being called racist and transphobic insults by a group of white people they passed by. The whole story makes me so profoundly upset and heartbroken but I am going to stay concise.

Yesterday, CeCe pleaded guilty to manslaughter. This Feministing article provides some background and an overview of where the situation is at. If you can, take a moment to read it as well as this interview with Dean Spade over at PrettyQueer. It's a really good, well-informed interview and I just really want people to be aware of this case. Including the fact that trans people are assigned to penal institutions based on their sex-at-birth, which as you can imagine is a really fucking fantastic way to make sure they continue to encounter daily violence.

The American justice system (that's what we're talking about here, but I wouldn't be kinder with other countries)
has a very strong tendency to work better for some people than for others, which is a nice way to say that the justice system is a profoundly upsetting example of how institutional racism and transphobia can work (in inextricably linked ways) to reinforce privilege and make some lives more valuable than others. Trayvon Martin's case also highlighted that recently, but we're less likely to hear about CeCe because we're less likely to hear about trans people, and also I think it's important to keep talking about cases like this, as a reminder that it's never just about the abstract notions of privilege and marginalization, it's about very real people and very real lives that get shattered. It's also a reminder that these are not exceptions; this is how the system works.

It's also an important reminder, for me, of my own (white, cisgender, middle-class, able-bodied) privilege, because some people don't need to be reminded; they know all too well that this is how the system works.

Support CeCe website.

Some of you may remember the suicide of Tyler Clementi. His roomate, Dharun Ravi, was convincted last week after being found guilty of privacy invasion, tampering with evidence, and bias intimidation (a hate crime). Tthis is a really interesting example of a case that has been taken up as an example of what bullying can do, yet there is a lot more going on than a straightforward case of 'homophobia' in the restricted sense of the word.

I'd like to draw your attention to two articles on the topic: the first one, by Danah Boyd and John Palfrey, sets the stage by suggesting that Ravi is less the problem than ourselves and the culture that we have created; the second one actually comments on Ravi's conviction itself:

This case is being hailed for its symbolism, but what is the message that it conveys? It says that a brown kid who never intended to hurt anyone because of their sexuality will do jail time, while politicians and pundits who espouse hatred on TV and radio and in stump speeches continue to be celebrated. It says that a teen who invades the privacy of his peer will be condemned, even while companies and media moguls continue to profit off of more invasive invasions.

This case is sad, not just because it is profoundly sad and upsetting that Clementi came to kill himself, but because it underlines our incapacity to take responsibility for the pervasiveness of heteronormativity and homophobia, to see both phenomena for what they are: structural rather than individual issues. We are showing more and more concerned for homophobia, but our energy seems to be almost solely channelled into creating 'dangerous bodies', in the Foucauldian sense: we are learning to identify 'homophobic' individuals, in a way that intersects deeply with narratives racism and classism. As someone who has been fighting against homophobia in schools for a long time now, there is something very disheartening about seeing homophobia finally being identified a social issue, yet becoming so in a way that leaves the roots of the problem untouched. We convict Ravis and in the process, we absolve ourselves and fail to actually see how we continue to feed into a culture of gender binaries and heteronormative expectations that make the world an inhabitable place for our queer children.

If you are interested in a really in-depth look at the whole case, check out this article on The New Yorker. It's long and painful, but it does justice to a terribly sad and complex story.

OK so I just need to admit to myself that I'm never going to have the time for big updates, so I just need to update quickly and more frequently. So! This is me trying this new strategy and sharing two links on the politics of books:

First, an article on the recent court case in Belgium on racism in Tintin in the Congo. I ended up having a mini-argument with someone I know over whether this court case was a case of 'censorship' and it really annoyed me; I think this article does an excellent job of deconstructing why. Frankly, I think it is disturbing (and telling) that this Tintin book continues to sell, and sell well, and I don't know how we can pretend that it doesn't say something about our (French) culture's complacence about, and comfort with, very racist stories.

I haven't had a chance to post about reading The Hunger Games, which is too bad because I feel like there's a ton to say. I loved the series, and while the first book was obviously more of an awesome page-turner than the rest of them, I actually didn't stop enjoying the books at all. One of the biggest things for me is that this series does I think an incredible job at dealing with gender in a nuanced way. I kept expecting the book to fail, reverse into old familiar narratives, and it never did, and that alone makes it fairly brilliant YA fiction to me. This article on masculinities in the Hunger Games summarizes it well, but there's so much I'd like to add. The character of Peeta in particular is a remarkable one to me. (It makes me want to look into how Peeta fans articulate their liking the character.) I can't wait for the movies, although I'm so frustrated that the cast is so expectedly white. WHY.

I really feel like I haven't given the Occupy movement enough attention here or even in life. Probably most of you will have read or seen the video of what happened at UC Davis with non-violent student protestors getting pepper-sprayed - this photo (and other versions of it) has been circulated around a lot, and you can see a video of the whole incident here. There's a lot of good articles that have been posted about OWS, but in the wake of the UC Davis incident, I particularly liked the analysis of Glenn Greenwald at Salon. I think he hits a particularly powerful note when he says that, "Rights are so much more effectively destroyed by bullying a citizenry out of wanting to exercise them than any other means." I would add that this is obviously more true of a democratic state, where people become attached to the idea of 'being free' and 'having rights'.

There's also this cool letter from someone in the Occupy Vancouver movement that I just shared with my Sociology 100 students: Why I Occupy. I like it most for the way that it handles the criticism that OWS doesn't have 'clear demands': "Many people wonder why we have not produced a list of demands yet. It is not necessary for Occupiers to come up with legislation or policy prescriptions. Many people have done excellent work drafting out how a fairer and more just society would function. [...] There is no political will to use these blueprints to benefit the people. Political will is mobilized to protect the wealthiest one per cent. We are generating that political will."

--

Ivan Coyote, who's nothing short of awesome, wrote a note on being yelled at for using the women's bathroom a couple of months ago, and recently wrote a follow-up note on this bathroom bullshit. Both these posts are really fantastic, and I really encourage you to read both. An excerpt from the end of the second post:

"I am sick of hearing that my safety is not as important as other women’s. I resent the implication that butches and trans women and men are never survivors of male violence themselves, and thus do not also need a safe place to pee, and the suggestion that we should somehow be segregated in our own bathrooms so we don’t bother the rest of you normal people, is simply fucked beyond belief.
I also want to state again, for what seems like the one millionth time, that single-stall, lockable, gender-neutral washrooms would solve all of our problems. I refuse to be divided and conquered on this issue. I will not allow myself to be placed in opposing corners of the ring when it comes to all of our safety. I call bullshit."

I've also had another piece from Feministing bookmarked for sharing forever that actually makes for a nice companion piece to the bathroom discussion: There are no safe spaces. The idea of 'accountable space' is one that very much appeals to me, although I'm sure it has its limits as well.

--

On a more shallow, but fun note, this interview of Joss Whedon by a high school student is really fantastic.

And to finish, the New York Times published recently a piece on my hometown, Rennes that made my heart ache with nostalgia and a longing to be back in Brittany.

Aaaand a few links that have nothing to do with each other but they do have to do with what's on my mind these days! I'm a little frustrated that I'm not finding the time to comment on some of these really important things that are happening, but I'm still trying to balance everything in my life. :/

How to Be a Friend to Trans Folks Without Putting Your Foot in Your Mouth: A Short Guide for Cis People. These things are always good to go over, if only as a reminder, and I like the suggestions in this one. Which pronouns do you prefer? should be a much more common question :/

Vancouver's Insite drug injection clinic will stay open. This is a ridiculously important ruling for Canada, which ensures that harm reduction programs such as Insite have a chance to do their work, even with a Harper government.

by Lemony Snicket (at Occupy Writers). So much to say about the Occupy Mouvement, but for now, I'll keep it short with a few links. I like the Lemony one, and this one, which unpacks what's going on with one of the images against Occupy Wall Street: Don’t EVEN get me started, mythical bootstraps college student. Finally, I think this collection of photos of the 1% who stand with the 99% is full of very powerful acknowledgements of privilege and requests for more taxation, which I find overwhelming because it's so unlike anything we're used to hearing. Good for a lot of these young people to recognize they may have worked hard, but that's not all that got them where they are. I wish we would hear these people more, instead of politicians being afraid of even whispering about taxes.


On a TOTALLY DIFFERENT note, some fandom stuff because light-hearted is, occasionally, really great. :)

Out in every way, Sean Maher is happier than ever. So so happy to hear any article where Sean talks about how great the response to his coming out has been. This never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Jewel Staite talks Firefly, food, fun and Fillion. Just a very fun interview that reminded me of old times. :)

As it turns out, there's also now BIG NEWS, which is this website. Sean mentioned it yesterday and it was exciting enough but OMG Alexis Denisof, Amy Acker, Fran Kranz, Nathan Fillion?! This is going to be the best thing ever. I can't wait to find out what part Sean plays, and to see some of the footage. This is so wonderful, and as far as I'm concerned, FAR more interesting than the Avengers movie. Whedon Shakespeare movie FTW. :D :D

Anyway, back to work, I have a midterm review to prep for, as I expect students will be flailing!

EDIT: Apparently Sean is going to be Don John, which at this point means little to me, so I need to go back to the play and check it out. :) :)

Sean is coming out to the public.

He told me a few weeks ago that he'd finally decided to do it, and I felt really happy for him that he felt like he could take that step. It's a pretty big, scary step to take for anyone who's been in the habit of keeping quiet for so long, and it's obvious from the article how liberating this is for him. I actually think the article is really great - very touching and honest, the writer did a great job.

So. I'm delighted for him. :) :)

Originally posted by darkspirited1 at SIGNAL BOOST: SAY YES TO GAY YA

I forgot yesterday that I had a bunch of French links I wanted to share!

First the website Vie de meuf; reading it is a great, unwelcome reminder of the kind of sexist crap that women still have to hear every day. A recent post about porn made me think that I would disagree on some things with the feminists who maintain the website, but it's a pretty cool resource regardless.

Second, I wanted to share a bunch of links on the recent changes made to the biology curriculum in France; it now vaguely integrates questions of sexual diversity. And it's been causing outrage amongst our conversative morally-righteous Christian right.
- L'homosexualité enseignée à l'école : une pilule qui passe mal
- Identité sexuelle: Copé soutient les 80 députés UMP
- Manuels scolaires : le mauvais procès des bon chic bon genre
There's repetitions over the three articles, but I wanted to link them all for my own reference. As a sidenote, one of the things that annoy me the most about these articles and this whole fake controversy is that people keep saying that the new textbooks were influenced by gender theory; even if it was true, it's been watered down to the point where it's not only almost impossible to recognize the influence of gender theory, but where gender theory would actually have TONS of issues with the way things are being formulated in the textbooks. But whatever.



Also I forgot yesterday this really interesting article on the sexualization of Casey Anthony, written by one of the bloggers from Tiger Beatdown. "Casey Anthony may have killed her daughter, Casey Anthony made out with a girl at a party–there is no connection between the two ideas. Unless, that is, you buy the idea that being sexual — impermissibly, 'shocking'-ly sexual! In public! With a girl, even! — makes you a monster. Or the idea that, for a woman, enjoying sex is a moral offense that can be fitted onto the same scale of human evil as murdering a toddler. If you buy that, the connection is perfectly clear."

This post is wayyy overdue, and I'm sure I'm going to forget links because I've been accumulating so many. But life has been super busy! Allie was off work for the past couple of weeks so between that and the puppy, it's been hard to sit down and update. I really want to take the time to do it soon, though, I really like being able to go back and read what I was thinking at a given time, so I don't like when lots of things happen and I don't write them down.

Anyway, on to some links!

- The Larry King murder case goes to mistrial, which is so ludicrous and upsetting. I simply do not understand how a murderer can walk because people couldn't agree if what he did was manslaughter or murder - basically everybody understood that he killed someone but couldn't get their shit together to sentence him? What? Also: the defense's reasoning is so upsetting. First of all, it's blatant Gay Panic Defense, which I really thought we were done with; also, the killer snapped because he heard Larry say he wanted to be called Latisha? How the fuck does that count as anything near emotional trauma or whatever. Ugh.

- In happier news, Meet Jackie, A Transgender 10-Year-Old With Full Parental Support. The support that the family is showing this kid is really awesome and it's very moving to see how much they care for her and her future. Three notes: (1) Really, massive gender stereotypes in the video's introduction? People having expectations for what their baby is going to be like based on their apparent genitalia is so fucking ridiculous. (2) Gotta love how grandpa thinks that Jackie deciding to live as a girl was a decision, but her deciding to keep going as a boy would not have been one. Just because you're going with the status quo doesn't mean it's not an active process of making decisions, everyday and over time. (3) I find interesting how a lot of trans people, and I think especially trans kids, often feel like they have to emulate really stereotypical versions of feminity or masculinity. It's hard to tell how much of that is personal preference, and how much is the need to protect yourself from being accused of not being a 'real' girl (in this case).

- What Do You Mean When You Say You Want ‘Strong Female Characters’? On top of a very thoughtful and well-articulated post on the difficulties and contradictions of this idea of strong female characters, the comments are equally interesting and not maddening, which on the internet is, well, almost a miracle.

- Most of Tiger Beatdown would be worth linking to, to be honest, but Meet the Men of #reasonstobeatyourgirlfriendis funny, harsh, and excellent.


Also a bunch of links on The Playboy Club, which starting in a couple of weeks. I had pretty high hopes for the show, because I think there is great potential there to have a fascinating, critical and entertaining show about the sex industry, women, sex negative cultures, etc. And obviously I'm still waiting to see how it actually plays out when I watch it, but a number of articles have made me feel a lot less confident that the producers and creators can actually pull it off. Read for yourself:
- The Bizarre Pitch For 'The Playboy Club': It's All About Female Empowerment?
- Why is TV focusing on women of the prefeminist past? (It talks about the upcoming show on Pan Am, too.)
- Showing Off Your Boobs Is Not The Same As Female Empowerment, Anyone Telling You Different Is Trying To Sell You Something.
I haven't finished reading all these articles but they definitely raise some crucial questions about the way that feminism (or female empowerement, to make it sound less political and radical!) is often used in very particular ways, with very little critical thinking involved. I'm curious to see how it plays out on both shows - and I'm really hoping Sean's storyline, at least, is not totally mismanaged.

And to finish, on a completely different note, a colum about regulations and the food industry! Can Big Food Regulate Itself? Fat Chance.

Sun is finally out. Probably only for a couple of days, but considering we had hail yesterday, I'll take even temporary nice weather! It's basically been February here since, well, February, and we're all really, really tired of it.

I just wanted to post a few links quickly; it's going to be a little all over the place but bear with me.

First, a really excellent analysis of sexist discourse in the French media following the whole DSK scandal. Les informulés d’une rhétorique sexiste. It's in French and I wish there was a translation available, because it's fantastically insightful, and not just for French culture.

Some of you may have heard about the story of parents in Toronto raising a 'genderless' kid. You can read the original story (complete with douchy neighbors, friends and family members! I always love the whole 'your kid will get bullied' argument because, y'know, if a kid gets bullied, the problem is not the kids who bully and the parents who teach their kids things that could lead them to be jerks to other kids). But you can also read this reflection on the piece from the Raising My Boychick blog, which is excellent. I only want to point out that while I think it's cool to assume your baby's gender is aligned with their biological sex (assuming that's straightforward) until your kid is old enough to tell you otherwise, it's important that you tell the kid that, directly or at least indirectly. Otherwise you might be the most open-minded parent who'd be totally cool with a trans or gender nonconforming kid, your kid might never know.

While we're on the topic of gender/sexuality, the New York Times recently ran a beautiful series on gay teenagers. The stories are touching, but what really drew me in is the photography. Wonderful and quiet photos.

Now for the unrelated to gender and sexuality stuff:

Allie started a food blog with her friend Katie, The Dough Also Rises - and you should all check it out, because they make really, really delicious food. With simple recipes! Which is always nice (I don't like overly fancy things that I could never reproduce/require ingredients I couldn't find if my life depended on it). Keep an eye out for the yam burrito. SO GOOD.

I may have mentioned (or not) that we're rewatching every Harry Potter movie in expectation for Deathly Hallows Part 2, and it's been great. Harry in the first movie is just the most adorable kid on earth, but it's so great to see all of them grow up. :) And then today mieystrapurore posted this video, which is amazing. It's just beautifully made, with wonderful music, and it takes you through the whole journey that is the HP series. If you have any attachment to this story, you should watch it. Maybe several times.



And to finish on another pop culture note, I never even mentioned here that The Playboy Club has been picked up by NBC! SO EXCITED to see Sean in there; he's psyched about the storylines that writers have in mind for his character, which makes me even more excited to see it. Let's hope it doesn't get axed by like, episode 3, I'm going to be so upset if that happens. Unless they make a spinoff about Sean's storyline, I'd be down with that.

As I expected, this month before we leave for Europe is not going to be the most relaxing of times, but I wanted to take a couple of minutes to post some links and acknowledge that yesterday was IDAHO, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. I went to the breakfast organized every year by the queer community centre here in Vancouver, and it was pretty good overall - mostly one of the speakers was fabulous. She's a prof at SFU and spoke about her genderqueer son and the fact that we need to stop gender-policing our kids and crush their fluid potential; it was such a touching and compelling speech, I'm glad I went just for it.

Also, I like this comic strip and it's in French, which is a nice change! It comes from this post, even the comments are overall pretty good.

The NYTimes also published this opinion column the other day about why it's problematic to be in favour of same-sex marriages based on economic reasons. Nothing ground-breaking, but a solid and well-written piece, so, worth sharing!

I've finally picked up a book that Allie and I picked up pretty randomly while we were in Seattle, and that Allie just read and highly recommended, Annabel by Kathleen Winter. It's amazing. It's the story of a kid who is born intersex in Labrador, and the writing is fantastic. Allie and I both have issues with how some of the stuff is handled, but it's so worth reading no matter what. It also has this line that I love so much, when the kid is just a baby:

"[The baby] looked back at her the way [the baby] looked at all strangers, with a direct gaze that said, I have not been badly treated yet, and so even you are to be trusted."

Deux adoptions à l'étranger par des couples homosexuels reconnues en France. (thanks to semisweetsoul for the info!)

Great news for these couples, and nother small step forward for the possible future recognition of LGBT/queer families, but it actually has fairly little impact for French same-sex couples who currently live and raise their family in France. The situation is growing increasingly ludicrous, as is the case for marriage, where LGB French citizens are actually at a disadvantage when compared to people in transnational situation. Ugh. Here is to more hoping that we finally start treating our LGBT/queer citizens the same as straight citizens and straight couples...

Instead of getting angry about nuclear power and ranting at all of you guys, for once, I'm just going to link to a note (in French) by Dominique Voynet that's particularly articulate, I think.

I also want to link to all these photos from the aftermath of the tsunami/earthquake in Japan; they're awesome and incredible (both in the original sense of the word), and incredibly moving. I also like photos because they make the reality of something like this more palpable to me, even though it remains hard to believe when you're safe and quiet in your corner of the world. Anyway; it's terrifying just how much damage natural catastrophes can do.

And to finish, a cool story from a mom about how she dealt with slut-shaming and her 10-year-old son. I love this because it's doing more than saying, slut-shaming is wrong! and it's actually giving parents (and non-parents) some tools for how to confront this kind of stuff when it happens. I think a lot of why we still don't react to gendered harassment (whether it comes out in the form of homophobia, sexism, or slut-shaming) is that we just aren't sure how to. It's cool to see how other people do it so we can, not necessarily reproduce it exactly, but learn from it. :) Also, a nice reminder that this is why you need to talk to kids about sexuality when they're pretty young, and you can't wait until they're older - these mechanisms are set in place very early on, and if you don't address it there, it's way harder to do anything about them later, once they're well-rooted into a broader system of being in the world.

I've been accumulating links in my tabs again, so it's time to share. :) But first, since I'm going to re-post a bunch of links that zombie_process posted, I'd like to direct you to the original post first.

First up - public employees!
- A Letter to Scott Walker from a Wisconsin Teacher, which touches upon tons of really good points and issues that have been raised since Wisconsion public employees started protesting. On this topic, I have been watching this whole thing unfold mostly through the eyes of my facebook friends (someone reposted this excellent note, for example), Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert, and the anti-teacher rhetoric is pissing me off. I just do not understand people who can't see the massive amount of work, dedication and energy that teaching (at ANY level) requires. More broadly, anti-public-employee rhetoric in general baffles me, but the anti-teacher stuff is particularly angering.

Always good - gender and race stuff!
- My son, the pink boy. It's both a reflection on raising a gender nonnormative boy and a rant against recent advice that Dr. Phil gave to a mom regarding her own gender nonnormative boy.

"Who's confused? My son knows exactly what he likes. When Sam was 4 and his male peers trick-or-treated as Batman and Spiderman and gorillas, Sam was a princess. At 5, he was a queen, regal and proud and full of the royal prowess that Disney offers all little girls. He liked feather boas and lip gloss and dancing. Did he think he was a girl? Nope. Was he confused about being a boy? Nope. Did he need to be taught what boys are supposed to like? Nope -- how boys are supposed to behave was abundantly clear from the trains and trucks we bought him before we realized he was a pink boy, the behavior of all the boys he knew, the messages on TV, and the judgments of all the Random Moms. He just liked what he liked, the way other kids did -- only his likes were different."

- Tomboy [article in French, video in French with English subtitle]An article and trailer/interview for what looks like is going to be a really fascinating movie about a girl taking on a boy identity for a summer. I can't wait to see it. I was a little uncomfortable about the director bringing in the notion of lying into it, but I like the way that the movie seems to approach the whole thing, from the perspective of the child's lived experience rather than trying to make a statement.

- A Bitch magazine article on race and this year's Oscars, in particular the (bland) tribute to Lena Horne. The author ends with a note that really strikes a chord:

"Lately, I’ve been reading how history has sanitized Rosa Parks by characterizing her as a sweet, apolitical lady who just happened to be too tired to give up her bus seat one day. In reality, Parks was a dedicated social activist prior to her arrest. She joined the civil rights movement, in part, to end sexual violence against black women. I’d hate to see history sanitize Lena Horne in the same way. Unfortunately, that prospect seemed likely during last night's ceremonies."

- A Salon article expressing disappointment about Natalie Portman would say on Sunday night that motherhood is 'the greatest role of her life'. Motherhood is one of those difficult topics, where it's hard to walk the line between embracing motherhood, respecting women who make the choice to be moms full-time, and still acknowledging that the concept of motherhood comes with very heavy string attached in our society. The problem (to me) is not that motherhood is necessarily problematic and oppressive, it's the way that people essentialize the experience and conflate it with 'real' womanhood. In short, when we continue to see and interpret motherhood as being the ultimate fulfillment in a woman's life that (1) tends to dismiss fatherhood, and reinforce the idea that it is less central to a man's life and (2) lessens the choices and lives of women who don't want to be mothers, or even just don't want to prioritize family above all else.

- Anyway, so I wanted to link to this other article which fronws upon the tendency in feminist-oriented circles to frown upon motherhood, and it's funny because I just don't see these two articles as fundamentally contradictory, in the end. (As a sidenote, I believe the author for this article is in a same-sex relationship, which very much can change how the dyanmics of motherhood play out.) I don't know. I want to believe there has to be a place for recognizing gendered dynamics and lamenting them, without necessarily throwing under the bus everything that's been traditionally considered feminine and womanly. In short, I want to be able to say motherhood as we understand it is problematic, without necessarily judging women who want to be mothers and want to prioritize this aspect of their life. Maybe I'm hoping for too much.

- Sort of in the same vein, but wildly more depressing, this article which responds to suggestions that Laura Logan (an American reporter who got assaulted while reporting from Egypt) should not have been sent to the field in the first place. Great great piece, both about the gendered and racialized aspects of this story.

And a miscellaneous link to finish.
- Falsehoods Programmers Believe About Names. It's, obviously, not just about names and programmers, but actually highlights assumptions that people make constantly, and not just about names, when you think about it. Anyway, this whole post resonates with me because my first name (of French origin) contains two accents but my Canadian university (reminder: Canada is officially a English-French bilingual country) still can't handle it and replaces the characters with ? whenever I log in, and in my university email. Super professional, let me tell you.

I don't even know where to start with what's been happening with public workers (especially teachers) in Wisconsin and other places (especially Ohio) in the United States lately, or with the unrelenting attacks by conservatives on Planned Parenthood and issues relating to women's health. I can't even link to that many articles because I've been almost avoiding reading too much about these issues because they make me so profoundly angry, frustrated and disappointed. But if you are interested in reading more, I can at least recommend this piece by Diane Ravitch on teachers in Wisconsin, and this piece by Rebecca Traister on cuts to Planned Parenthood. (This is also a helpful overview of the responses from pundits to the cuts over at Salon.) If you are in the U.S., I would also urge you to sign this Open Letter to Congress on behalf of Planned Parenthood, and to consider donating to them.

If I get started on all the implications of this conservative push, I will never stop, and I have other things to get to today, so I won't start. I will just say that these moments of U.S. history are the exact reason I do not admire the country and despise its tendency to think of itself as the Best Country of All Times; these moments also make me so, so glad I ended up not attending grad school in the U.S., because I hate the thought that the decision would have been read as, 'one more person really wants to move here because we're awesome!'. Canada is far from perfect, and France regularly does its share to make me ashamed they delivered me my passeport, too (and France also has a tendency to think of itselfsuper highly, which doesn't help). But this kind of bullshit reminds me of just how awful the rhetoric gets in the United States; it's so bad (and maybe more importantly, it's given so much visibility and credence) that it almost feels like a parody of what you can hear elsewhere in politics. Ugh ugh ugh. I wish I could hope that it's going to 'get better', but I feel like there's actually very little to indicate that it will. And the saddest thing, to me, as a French citizen, and as someone who may well end up a Canadian citizen? Both these governments think that emulating the U.S. blindly is a GREAT idea.

So anyway, as usual, this has ended up as more of a rant than I was hoping. >.> The worst part is I know I shouldn't even care or whatever, but I feel so angry and tired and disappointed on behalf of all of my awesome American friends who deserve better than this crap.

To finish on a more positive note, President Obama and his administration are apparently continuing to grow a spine! : the Justice Department will no longer defend DOMA against lawsuits challenging it as unconstitutional. This is great news, although with limited effects for now, obviously; but considering court cases challenging the constitutionality of DOMA are making their way through the court system right now, it's a huge step forward. It also sends a strong message in favor of marriage equality, which is also very important.

EDIT: I also recommend this Tiger Beatdown article by "Grizzili Fetus". Funny in that way that doesn't make you laugh really, because it's too right on target.

A few links before the weekend!

- A Guide: How Not To Say Stupid Stuff About Egypt: I haven't really commented about the situation in Egypt because, well, I haven't really had time to comment on much, but also because I'm feeling super careful with this whole thing. I feel wildly unqualified to make any kind of statement or claim because I know so little about the situation, and I refuse to believe it's as simple as some (especially American) pundits and journalists make it seem. But anyway, at least that guide was helpful, I thought.

- "#DearJohn: On Rape Culture and a Culture of Reproductive Violence": A fantastic post over at Tiger Beatdown in response to Republican efforts to limit access to abortion and redefine rape.

But we’ve been talking about “forcible rape,” right? And how fucked-up that construction is, how all rape is based on a lack of consent and “force,” in the sense that you get beaten up, is just an additional crime? Probably everybody reading this blog knows that a lot of people don’t understand that principle. And they don’t understand it because we live in rape culture; so much sexual violence is normalized, and accepted, that it’s invisible. We can’t understand that it’s rape unless we also see physical injury, or a knife, or a gun.

- Maybe more important, head over to Daily Kos and read this post, which deals with the less visible aspects of the bill that the 'forcible rape' bullshit was part of. The core of it is here: "You're meant to recoil in horror at that redefinition. And if the bill's proponents are lucky, you'll spend all your time doing that. Because then you'll miss out on the fact that H.R. 3 is also the killing blow capping 30 years of consistent losses on abortion restrictions."

- Nothing new to most of you/us, but always interesting: Physiological impacts of homophobia. I wonder if they only ask LGB youth who have been bullied, or if they spoke to straight-identified youth who have been targets of homophobia, too.

To finish with three more light-hearted links:
- Pick-up lines for feminists, a wonderful poem. My favorite stanza is, "where have you been / all my life? / hopefully fighting / against oppressive / patriarchal systems."
- Why you should always pay your webdesigner.
- Comic creator gets back at Christian organization which used an image of his to lobby against sexual minorities.

I can't find this information on google for the life of me. I'm looking to get a new scratching post and there's one I like but it's all carpet - my scratching posts have always had a corded component, which seems to be where the cats like to scratch best. So - does it matter or no if the scratching post is all carpet?

#most-uninteresting-question-ever

Dealing with banking while being an expat sucks SO MUCH, people, I can't even tell you. Or maybe my bank just really, really sucks; there's definitely good evidence for that.

I'm going to try this new thing where I post more regularly, which hopefully could mean fewer massive posts. (I'm sure it's not going to happen, but one can hope!) So, let's give this a go with only two links today. :)

- That's Not Twain, a NYTimes opinion piece on the new version of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn that's coming out next month, in which the word "nigger" has been changed to the word "slave". I won't go on forever, partly because the piece says it well enough on its own: "Substituting the word 'slave' makes it sound as though all the offense lies in the “n-word” and has nothing to do with the institution of slavery." I'm worried that this, to some extent, sanitizes the U.S.'s racist past (especially that of the South) and it will only encourage a re-envisioning of that past as not only incongruent with the present (racism was then, now we don't put that word in our books!) but also as really not that bad.

- Immigration Rules Tightened For Gay Couples in Canada. Again, the piece really says it all; this decision is problematic on so many levels, and clearly singles out a group with no actual rationale. If you're worried about marriages of convenience, believe me, most of them are probably straight marriages. Ugh. I feel like this partly comes from this stupid place that make people believe that if same-sex marriage is authorized, same-sex friends will start marrying everywhere. Re: ugh.

EDIT: Reading the actual policy, it sounds like all that CIC clarified is that if you were married OUTSIDE Canada, the marriage needs to be legal in the country you were married for it to be recognized in Canada and thus be the basis for your spouse to sponsor you. If you're married in Canada, you're good to go, even if one of you is from the UK, say. What is confusing about this "clarification" is that the only way you could have gotten married outside Canada is if you live somewhere where marriage is legal... I realize there are a few, localized instances where people were married even though the marriage wasn't legal (SF in the U.S. in 2004, Noël Mamère in France the same year) but that seems to be such a tiny number that it doesn't really qualify as a loophole, nor would it be a way to address a supposed spike in spousal applications, or marriages of convenience... so, I'm confused. If someone has a better idea what's going on, I'd love to hear it.