Today on Autostraddle: A testament to the strength of the reality show contestant who finishes second because they’re just way too cool to be first – Robin Shoots America’s Best Dance Crew Fanny Pak! (They’ve got their own sneakers now.) Also check out our preview from the NewNowNext Awards — video and photos!
+ Today’s the day. The California Supreme Court has made a decision to uphold Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California by stating marriage is only between a man and a woman. However, over 18,000 same-sex couples who were married between June and November while the legalization was in effect will keep their legal status.
Riese says stuff: I think we need to step back and really re-evaluate our approach here. There’s so much strength in our community from advocates who’ve fought all their lives for things my generation now takes for granted. And as a queer girl with a gay Mom, I’ve been thinking about this issue for pretty much forever … and while we fully believe change is possible, and it will happen, I think it will have to involve experienced advocates listening to newer, younger voices … and similarly; newer, younger voices getting educated on how we got where we are today. The world is changing really fast, and the ways we used to do things aren’t working for our new problems. We need to change how we approach these struggles and face our opponents, and that won’t start at the courthouse, that will start by increasing our social, cultural & economic capital through other avenues. I have a lot of feelings about this. When I figure out how to put them all together, I’ll share them with you.
+ I mean before you know it, you can expect the anti-abortion people to call themselves “pro-life” or something! Oh wait … Bill O’Reilly: “Because the [pro-gay marriage forces] won this public relations war, you can expect to see the racist-bigot label marketed in other controversial situations.” (@the boston herald)
+ Gawker’s Assimilated Negro rounds up female & male feminists to comment about feminist blog Double X: Part One and Part Two.
“Fox Sports has compiled a list of women that can hold their own against men in the sports world — because everyone knows the real measure of a female athlete is how she competes against dudes. Fox starts their “Girl Power” list with Rachel Alexandra. Perhaps you’ve heard of her: She’s a horse.” (@afterellen)
+ Celebrity yearbook megapost — check out little Lady Gaga right there, wishing her skirt was shorter. (@ohnotheydidnt)
+“There is something nice–refreshing even–about a single article that incorporates everything you despise in a certain worldview. What’s more, rather than looking for polite or euphemistic words, it is lovely to be able to say that the article is, simply, dreadful.” (@the national review)
+Fear You Can Believe In? Republicans, Fearmongering and gay marriage: Senator Rick Santorum agreed, saying that “standing up and defending marriage” from gays is the “ultimate homeland security.” (@huffpo)
+Art Without Men: France’s Centre Pompidou is banishing male artists for an entire year — “quite an expression of solidarity with women in the art world.” (@bitchblogs)
+ Obvs: Iowa City group aims to draw gay weddings! (@press-citizen)
+ I think maybe these people are just bored: “Ten people stood outside the empty State Office Building on Genesee Street Monday holding signs and singing “what a mighty God we serve” in protest to a bill Gov. David Paterson proposed to legalize gay marriage in the state.” (@utica od)
+ Within a few years, we may have evidence to prove or disprove the argument that gay marriage is bad. But I don’t wanna wait. I wanna know right now when will it be? (@lancaster online)
+ There are so many things about this debate about the exploitative “I’m Confused” ad that make me want to stick my head in the oven. The last line is a real kicker – Sirius XM’s Michelangelo Signorile discusses NOM ad with Laura Ingraham on Fox News:
+ Wanda Sykes: controversial comic roots for the odd man out. (@ The Miami Herald)
+ Looks like “Concerned Women for America” doesn’t really have anything to be concerned about after all (as expressed in the video above) — this 6th grade girl made an entire power point presentation about Harvey Milk and wasn’t allowed to show it. That shit is bananas. (@cnn)
AND Introducing your Auto-Straddler of the Day:
from Alex:
Here’s Version 4 of the awesome Web Trend Map. I hope y’all love information graphics as much as I do. Either way, this is super nerdy of me.
+
from Laneia:
She said, “Have you seen these? They kinda freak me out more than glass ones…” I say, don’t be scared, girls. Wooden dildos! This is an article, not a store, btw. [@geekporngirl via @ElliB]
Someone should alert management to the fact that Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen are included on that Celebrity Yearbook thing.
I’ve always wondered what those two looked like as young women. It’s like they just popped out of nowhere as fully grown adults.
Sidenote; if I ever home-schooled my kids, I’d make a really kick-ass yearbook, Tinkerbell would be most likely to succeed.
“But I don’t wanna wait. I wanna know right now when will it be?”
^This was subtle. I love it.
Also, thanks for all the work-time reading material per-usual.
ohhh! i wanna be lil’ kate beckinsale’s bff! we could make sundaes and bracelets!
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the cnn story on the censored 6th grader makes my head explode.
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how does one earn the title of ‘gay commentator’? i think we’re all gay commentators, yeah? ANYWAY! don’t they realize that the NOM ad exploits kids b/c it uses ITTY BITTY ACTORS and the ‘it takes a family’ ad doesn’t exploit b/c it uses REAL KIDS with REAL GAY PARENTS?! for fuck’s sake.
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i just have one more thing to say RE: gay marriage — when will someone explain to these ppl that the term ‘marriage’ is a religious one and that the only reason we really need to be allowed to ‘marry’ instead of ‘civil union’ is b/c our laws have the word ‘marriage’ in them, which, BTW, is a blending of church and state, and is the real issue?!!?? /hissyfit
Indeed, the word marriage is one of the biggest problems. It should be civil unions for all and marriages in the church OR civil marriage for all and Holy Matrimony for the church. Somewhere along the line it all got screwed up/mixed together in the language of the law.
Also, I like how I indirectly made the Team Picks today ;) I read the article and I watched the videos and I know those wood dildos are finely sanded, hand crafted, sealed in food grade varnish and whatnot… but when I look at them I just think my grandparents stair rails. And splinters!
re: the first paragraph — thank you!
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i can’t be the only one who had the random urge to fuck their grandparents stair rails, can i?
Alex, please remember that there’s nothing cooler than super nerdy. (I would know…)
The struggle for same-sex marriage is not really about the right to marry anymore. It’s about people realizing that every single person in this world, no matter how different, should have the right to choose their own life, make their own decisions and to be themselves, but without taking those basic rights away from others. It’s about respect, and it’s about freedom.
Isn’t personal freedom without a big government one of the fundamentals of right wing politics? I don’t understand.
I’ve never felt more ashamed to be a Californian than I do today. WTF is happening to California? I would tell you myself, but I have no idea. When so many countries are recognizing equality and giving same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexuals – what does this country think it’s preserving by upholding something that makes a population of it’s citizens a bunch of second class citizens. I could go on forever about this. I’m not just a happy camper today.
California, you fail at life today.
when do we do a “Before They Were Straddlers” yearbook post of ourselves???
you know what’s really weird is just the other day I was thinking “i wonder what laneia looked like in high school.” that probs sounds creepy, I believe it was related to reading your thing on the roundtable and attempting to visualize your fight with your boyfriend.
in short this is a brilliant idea.
quite recently, i have been object of mockery and laughs because of my sexual orientation among people in our generation. this has given me very little hope on how things can change in the future…i am not very optimistic. but i look forward to your thoughts, riese.
We tried to split the state of California in half awhile back. Maybe it’s time to try again. The religious rights can keep Orange County, Fresno & the Governator! This is not the California I grew up in where we accepted, everyone from the moonies to Dennis Hopper in my youth.
i know i should have deep thoughts about prop 8 and stuff, but all i can think about is how natalie portman was probably the only person ever to look that pretty in high school.
I was thinking the same exact thing.
Re Prop 8: As disappointed as I am in the decision, I can’t blame the judges. It wasn’t them, it was the California voters that put Prop 8 through and we shouldn’t be disappointed in the judges themselves. Let’s remember that they once upheld same-sex marriages (when it was appropriate). Here, they were really bound by the law and the arguments that the parties presented to them.
Re the Fox News clip: ack! I was at a loss as to how to react, but to laugh at the lady’s “last word”: “Thankfully moral values don’t change.” Uhh … right, Lady.
you know you’ve been reading too much autostraddle when…you read the word “rise” in a chapter for school and at first you think it says “riese”
You know you have been reading/watching to much autostraddle when you start saying (not writing) but saying words like totes, brill, obvs, whatevs…
Several months ago I was stuck on the C train with some traveling Christian salesman who was preaching against gay marriage until another subway-taker called him selfish. He then transitioned into a different sermon about how giving your life to God is the only unselfish thing you can do and that daring to call him selfish is a sin. So my lesson from that trip is, you can really make the Bible say whatever you want it to.
you kno i see a lot of bull but this is a little too much thats whats up holla