noracharles: (Default)
An artist duo called The Art Guys, each of whom is already legally married, is marrying an oak sapling in a piece of performance art called The Art Guys Marry a Plant.

Now I'm all for poly marriages, as long as all of the partners are consenting adults, and I'm all for tree loving. It seems to me that people who fall in love/lust with plants or inanimate objects in some ways have it easier than most people. I'm assuming they don't have to worry about unrequited love.

But these guys are not in a poly relationship, it seems they've not asked or received their wives' permission for this stunt, and they don't love the tree or even want to be around it.

In this article one of The Art Guys is asked about the gay marriage debate: "I don't even care about that," says Galbreth of the gay-marriage issue. "It doesn’t even warrant discussion. I'm happy that the issue is out there because it helps promotes us, in a crude sense, when the people mistakenly think that it's a political gesture, which to my mind, it's not."

Until now, I've never understood how the conservative Christians could believe that same sex couples wishing equal civil recognition of their partnership and/or a religious blessing of their partnership was in any way an affront or threat to them or their marriage. But I get it now. This is what it feels like when someone makes a mockery of an institution I cherish and value so highly I'm willing to fight for my right to partake in it.

The Art Guys are fucking douche-bag trolls who mock marriage between two people, poly marriages and people with plant/object fetishes. Now I've gone and given them more attention, but I sure hope no one gives them any money for this repulsive stunt.
noracharles: (Default)
Heterosexuality = everything that is good and normal
Homosexuality = it's about sex, and not for kids

I get so tired of hearing this all the time. What do these people imagine? That I'm heterosexual when I get up in the morning and brush my teeth, that I'm heterosexual when I shop in the supermarket, that I'm heterosexual when I play with the neighbor's cat when it comes running over to say hello, and then when I go to kiss a girl I do some sort of deliberate, mental mode-switch and in that moment only am homosexual? And then afterward, I go back to the default heterosexual mode?
noracharles: (Default)
This makes me feel like Obama is my president too.

On youtube I saw Obama answer a question about legalizing gay marriage. He said that while "marriage" was a religious institution, he did think it was a question of civil rights that all people regardless of gender should be allowed equal rights to civil unions.

I was glad that he apparently takes civil rights seriously, but also felt that by contrasting civil unions available to same sex couples with religious marriage, he implied that "marriage" was only Christian marriage, and only the flavors of Christianity that restrict marriage to being between one man and one woman at that. Many faiths allow same sex marriage and polygamy, and many atheists enjoy commitment ceremonies that are very meaningful to them without being religious.

I understand that he was under strong pressure from Christian voters to put it like that. I understand that having a different name for the same institution when it applies to same sex couples has very little practical meaning, since the language police isn't going to come after me if I refer to a marriage as a marriage indiscriminately. But it still gives me unpleasant associations to "separate but equal".

Anyway, the symbolic value of inviting these families to the Easter egg roll goes a long way towards easing my resentment of the president.
noracharles: (Default)
Same sex couples in Sweden no longer have to be content with a civil union and a religious blessing, they can get married for real from May 1st 2009. BBC article

In Iowa the supreme court has ruled the ban on same sex marriage unconstitutional. Desmoines Register article. Civil marriage should be possible immediately from April 24th 2009, and several churches also offer religious marriage ceremonies for same sex couples.

The social conservatives don't intend to give up their fight against the constitution and civil rights )
noracharles: (Default)

Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution


Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.

Ballot measures Nov. 4, 2008


Arizona Proposition 102: Ban on Gay Marriage - passed >_<

Arkansas Initiative 1: Ban on Gay Couples Adopting Children - passed >_<

California Proposition 8: Ban on Gay Marriage - still counting votes, looks bad

Florida Amendment 2: Ban on Gay Marriage - passed >_<

Why do they hate America?!?