And the saga of clueless hetero people being obsessed with teh GHEY SEXXORS! continues, now with added fuckery.
Amazon dot-fucking-com has decided to strip the sales ranks from TLGBQ books, which keeps them from showing up in bestseller lists and some searches, because they have been deemed "adult" material.
Someone is thinking "what about the children?" in deciding to do this, and indeed, I wonder "What about the children?"
What about the gay children?
What about the lesbian children?
What about the bisexual children?
What about the trans children?
What about the children that come from families with transitioning, transitioned and/or queer parents/siblings/other family members?
Why the fuck doesn't anyone think about them?
Cause its only about the sex right? Thats the only reason anyone is trans or queer, because of sex. Dirty steamy stinky sweaty sex. We are all just straight folk with a fetish, right? And if its about sex, then we can't have the children seeing it! Oh NO! Except for Playboy. Because objectifying women is okay, hell, standard operating procedure, and we have to train em young, amirite?
What can you do about this?
There’s a petition going here, and you can complain to Amazon directly. Their exec customer service email is ecr@amazon.com and their customer service phone number is 1-800-201-7575. Folks are trying to google bomb the term Amazon Rank (more info here). And, of course, you can boycott Amazon. I am also going to contact the company I work for (who sells our product to Amazon) and let them know that it would be a great show of support to the non-cis and non-het communities if they joined the boycott as well.
If you want more information, the first link in this post leads to a great collection of links and a great take-down of this stinky business.
I intend to do everything I can to let this company know that I don't appreciate being treated like a shameful family secret.
ETA: textual fury has mentioned in the comments that books about disability and sexuality are also disappearing!
What the fuck! Its like the biggest troll in the world got into Amazon and took the fuck over! Only cis, het, abled bodies can bump uglies now or else its too "explicit" for kids?
I have also heard rumors that feminist theory is starting to go missing as well.
I will say this again, because it bears repeating: What...The...Fuck?!
Showing posts with label teaspoons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaspoons. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Thursday, March 05, 2009
"Conscience": Its Like "caring" but ...not.
Obama administration is working to repeal DHHS regulation that prevents health care organizations that receive federal funds from firing or refusing to hire health care workers who refuse to dispense medical care for "moral" reasons. Still wishy-washy on actual "conscience" clauses which allow health care workers to refuse medical care in the first place. Important distinction: what is being repealed is the idea that a clinic that provides family planning services could fire someone who refuses to dispense birth control for their refusal. What is not being repealed is their supposed right to refuse care. This concept of conscience clauses and right to refuse care can and does apply to much more than reproductive health. Doctors could refuse to see or touch gay or trans patients, pharmacists could refuse to dispense medications to people who are transitioning, EMTs could withhold lifesaving measures from someone they found "repulsive" and claim conscience.
What I want to know is: what kind of conscience can rationalize refusing medical care, which in some cases is life saving and in almost all cases is necessary to some degree, on the basis of personally not wanting to encourage "immoral" behavior? What kind of conscience thinks that another person's health and LIFE is worth less than their ability to say they are "moral"? When did your right to a "clean" conscience trump the right of someone else to live? You have to think that this person in front of you has less of a right to live than you have to sleep at night. Its fucking psychotic. How dare you call yourself moral when you are willing to let people die for your conscience? When does your right to feel good about yourself become more important than someones life!? How the bleeding burny fuck CAN you feel good about yourself knowing that you harmed someone and/or actively contributed to their death?!
The only answer I can come up with to explain it is hate.
You hate anyone who lives a life you don't agree with. You hate them to the point that possibly letting them die is a-okay for you because they aren't really people anyway. Women who want to make their own decisions about their reproduction? Not people. Queer folk who live openly? Not people. Transpeople who just want the chance to be themselves? DEFINITELY not people. Multiply these sentiments by several hundred if the aforementioned women/queers/transpeople are not white, or are poor, or live in a "developing" country, or don't fucking speak English, or don't try REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to be as "normal" as possible or any number of things that add to your smug feeling of superiority that masks insecurity, fear and hate.
This is the difference between you and me, you so-called "moralists." I want everyone to have the right to live their lives as they see fit provided they don't prevent others from doing the same. You? You only want people like you to have that chance. In my perfect world, you would be allowed to have your life, and your opinions still. The only difference is that you would not be able to dictate the life of anyone besides yourself.
In your perfect world, I wouldn't even exist.
I refuse to lay down and die so you and yours can live in your perfect world.
What I want to know is: what kind of conscience can rationalize refusing medical care, which in some cases is life saving and in almost all cases is necessary to some degree, on the basis of personally not wanting to encourage "immoral" behavior? What kind of conscience thinks that another person's health and LIFE is worth less than their ability to say they are "moral"? When did your right to a "clean" conscience trump the right of someone else to live? You have to think that this person in front of you has less of a right to live than you have to sleep at night. Its fucking psychotic. How dare you call yourself moral when you are willing to let people die for your conscience? When does your right to feel good about yourself become more important than someones life!? How the bleeding burny fuck CAN you feel good about yourself knowing that you harmed someone and/or actively contributed to their death?!
The only answer I can come up with to explain it is hate.
You hate anyone who lives a life you don't agree with. You hate them to the point that possibly letting them die is a-okay for you because they aren't really people anyway. Women who want to make their own decisions about their reproduction? Not people. Queer folk who live openly? Not people. Transpeople who just want the chance to be themselves? DEFINITELY not people. Multiply these sentiments by several hundred if the aforementioned women/queers/transpeople are not white, or are poor, or live in a "developing" country, or don't fucking speak English, or don't try REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to be as "normal" as possible or any number of things that add to your smug feeling of superiority that masks insecurity, fear and hate.
This is the difference between you and me, you so-called "moralists." I want everyone to have the right to live their lives as they see fit provided they don't prevent others from doing the same. You? You only want people like you to have that chance. In my perfect world, you would be allowed to have your life, and your opinions still. The only difference is that you would not be able to dictate the life of anyone besides yourself.
In your perfect world, I wouldn't even exist.
I refuse to lay down and die so you and yours can live in your perfect world.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Holy Shit!
I GOT MY WISH!
Well, one of them anyway, the Global Gag Rule is fucking GONE! At least until the next anti-choice president reinstates it. Seriously, can we get some legislation on this already? We are talking about women's lives here, not some fucking ideological disagreement.
There has been some annoyance on my side of this issue about why President Obama (GOD but writing that feels good!) waited til the day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade (when this was initially scheduled) to do this. While I can understand that annoyance, I don't share it. He fucking DID it people, and he did it in a way that doesn't have anti-choice assholes losing their shit.
As painful as I know this is, because we have been waiting for 8 fucking years for this, we can't afford to just upend the power structure that has been built over that time. Why the hell should we subject those who disagree with us to the same treatment we have been subjected to? What purpose does that serve except to foster more resentment that there already is? That and the bat-shit crazies that feel threatened by a liberal president who is also a POC don't need any more encouragement at this point.
Compromise doesn't have to mean what we have been told it means for so long. Progressives are regularly told to back down a little bit so we and vicariously, our message, will be more acceptable. The demand of compromise has regularly been used to silence us and block our efforts. So-called compromises have been made on their terms, and usually include us giving us the very issue that is central to our struggle (Example: civil unions instead of marriage for queers) while trying to placate us with crumbs from the table. That is not true compromise, and it never has been, but this troll's bargain has been dressed in the language of "reasonable compromise" for so long and used to paint progressives a rigid and inflexible, that any compromise is suspect. Any admonition to respect the other side is possibly a way to get us to shut our collective face and know our collective place.
This DOES NOT have to be the case. We can define compromise as well, in a way so that our needs and rights are respected. We don't have to become what we despise, and we don't have to become what the other side wishes we were.
We won this one for now. I am content with that and ready to keep working.
Polish those teaspoons people, we have an ocean to deal with.
(and thanks Sady for getting my wheels spinning on this)
Well, one of them anyway, the Global Gag Rule is fucking GONE! At least until the next anti-choice president reinstates it. Seriously, can we get some legislation on this already? We are talking about women's lives here, not some fucking ideological disagreement.
There has been some annoyance on my side of this issue about why President Obama (GOD but writing that feels good!) waited til the day after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade (when this was initially scheduled) to do this. While I can understand that annoyance, I don't share it. He fucking DID it people, and he did it in a way that doesn't have anti-choice assholes losing their shit.
As painful as I know this is, because we have been waiting for 8 fucking years for this, we can't afford to just upend the power structure that has been built over that time. Why the hell should we subject those who disagree with us to the same treatment we have been subjected to? What purpose does that serve except to foster more resentment that there already is? That and the bat-shit crazies that feel threatened by a liberal president who is also a POC don't need any more encouragement at this point.
Compromise doesn't have to mean what we have been told it means for so long. Progressives are regularly told to back down a little bit so we and vicariously, our message, will be more acceptable. The demand of compromise has regularly been used to silence us and block our efforts. So-called compromises have been made on their terms, and usually include us giving us the very issue that is central to our struggle (Example: civil unions instead of marriage for queers) while trying to placate us with crumbs from the table. That is not true compromise, and it never has been, but this troll's bargain has been dressed in the language of "reasonable compromise" for so long and used to paint progressives a rigid and inflexible, that any compromise is suspect. Any admonition to respect the other side is possibly a way to get us to shut our collective face and know our collective place.
This DOES NOT have to be the case. We can define compromise as well, in a way so that our needs and rights are respected. We don't have to become what we despise, and we don't have to become what the other side wishes we were.
We won this one for now. I am content with that and ready to keep working.
Polish those teaspoons people, we have an ocean to deal with.
(and thanks Sady for getting my wheels spinning on this)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Blog for Choice day
Its Blog For Choice Day.
The 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade is traditionally marked by anti-choice(I categorically reject the term "pro-life" to describe these people. Anyone who supports laws that kill women and do not save fetuses is not "pro-life.") advocates widely protesting the fact that women are still worth more than an unborn fetus. Today, there are anti-choicers marching in DC showcasing "Women Who Regret Their Abortions." The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Not only are these... people... doing just that, they are running this campaign on faulty information.
Say it with me kids: THE NOTION THAT WOMEN ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED MENTALLY BY HAVING AN ABORTION HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY DISPROVED.
Saying otherwise over and over again with no solid proof is the same as smashing your head against a brick wall: its pointless, and proves no other point than that you are a moron.
The concept of medical choice covers more than just abortions, more than just reproduction. It means that as human being we have the right to decide what will medically be done to our bodies. It all comes down, as Liss at Shakesville put it, to trust. I trust people to make their own medical decisions. I apply this universally: I trust people to decide when to have children, I trust people to decide if ther bodies are right for them, and I do not trust someone who doesn't know me or mine to make that choice for me.
What I want to see from our new pro-choice President is the end of the Global Gag Rule that pulls American federal funding from any organization that dares to think the word abortion and results in the maternal mortality rate world-wide going up. I want to see the end of the DHHS regulations that allow medical providers to refuse necessary services based on being offended. I want to see the end to the so-called "partial-birth" abortion ban. I want safe, affordable access to contraception, and abortion, as well as comprehensive sex-education programs.
Its not enough, but dammit, we deserve to be treated like people, not fucking brood mares.
The 36th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade is traditionally marked by anti-choice(I categorically reject the term "pro-life" to describe these people. Anyone who supports laws that kill women and do not save fetuses is not "pro-life.") advocates widely protesting the fact that women are still worth more than an unborn fetus. Today, there are anti-choicers marching in DC showcasing "Women Who Regret Their Abortions." The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Not only are these... people... doing just that, they are running this campaign on faulty information.
Say it with me kids: THE NOTION THAT WOMEN ARE ADVERSELY AFFECTED MENTALLY BY HAVING AN ABORTION HAS BEEN REPEATEDLY DISPROVED.
Saying otherwise over and over again with no solid proof is the same as smashing your head against a brick wall: its pointless, and proves no other point than that you are a moron.
The concept of medical choice covers more than just abortions, more than just reproduction. It means that as human being we have the right to decide what will medically be done to our bodies. It all comes down, as Liss at Shakesville put it, to trust. I trust people to make their own medical decisions. I apply this universally: I trust people to decide when to have children, I trust people to decide if ther bodies are right for them, and I do not trust someone who doesn't know me or mine to make that choice for me.
What I want to see from our new pro-choice President is the end of the Global Gag Rule that pulls American federal funding from any organization that dares to think the word abortion and results in the maternal mortality rate world-wide going up. I want to see the end of the DHHS regulations that allow medical providers to refuse necessary services based on being offended. I want to see the end to the so-called "partial-birth" abortion ban. I want safe, affordable access to contraception, and abortion, as well as comprehensive sex-education programs.
Its not enough, but dammit, we deserve to be treated like people, not fucking brood mares.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
"Post Racism" my shiny white behind
There has been some buzz lately that the election of an African American to the highest office in the land means the end of racism in America.
...
...
...
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
oh yeah, that's a good one. No seriously.
You see, in the REAL world where progressives function, we know this is not the case. One man does not a glass ceiling shatter. We have seen things like this stated before, like when Geraldine Ferraro was on the Mondale ticket, or even more recently, with the Clinton and Palin insanity this last election.
Every time something vaguely progressive happens, it is treated as though this one thing means all oppressions are now officially "out of style," it just isn't cool or with it to be a misogynist, racist fuckneck anymore.
That doesn't stop rising,
racially motivated crimes. (Second and third graders chanting "Assassinate Obama!" for fucks sake?)
To think that it does is to apply a gloss over the realities that people live with, like the likelyhood of being murdered for not fitting gender norms particulary if one is a person of color.
Don't be fooled.
Power systems survive by duping the less powerful into thinking that one small inch forward is equivalent to a major achievement. Its a pat on the head to silence those of us who want to live our lives without oppression informing every move we make.
In the immortal words of Melissa McEwan, promise to keep working my teaspoon, even when my arms are tired.
...
...
...
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
oh yeah, that's a good one. No seriously.
You see, in the REAL world where progressives function, we know this is not the case. One man does not a glass ceiling shatter. We have seen things like this stated before, like when Geraldine Ferraro was on the Mondale ticket, or even more recently, with the Clinton and Palin insanity this last election.
Every time something vaguely progressive happens, it is treated as though this one thing means all oppressions are now officially "out of style," it just isn't cool or with it to be a misogynist, racist fuckneck anymore.
That doesn't stop rising,
racially motivated crimes. (Second and third graders chanting "Assassinate Obama!" for fucks sake?)
To think that it does is to apply a gloss over the realities that people live with, like the likelyhood of being murdered for not fitting gender norms particulary if one is a person of color.
Don't be fooled.
Power systems survive by duping the less powerful into thinking that one small inch forward is equivalent to a major achievement. Its a pat on the head to silence those of us who want to live our lives without oppression informing every move we make.
In the immortal words of Melissa McEwan, promise to keep working my teaspoon, even when my arms are tired.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
The ham is floating
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
WE ELECTED A NEW PRESIDENT!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
This has to be one of the bestest birthday presents EVAH!
On the day I turn 25, I am very aware that this is a day to tell my grandchildren (should I ever have any) about. It is a day that has seen a true historic moment, but it is not without it's sadness.
Last night was amazing. I got home from work around 10:30, and pulled out the tequila. I was stressed and nervous as hell, dealing with the stress of watching the numbers trickle in while I was supposed to be working.![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
entropyinjersey, amichandrn and I watched the election maps as the returns came in. As soon as Ohio was called, we knew, but I refused to believe it until there was a concession speech from McCain and an acceptance speech from Obama.
Then my mom called, screaming about McCain conceding, and how I had to come over and drink with her. So I went over, we drank and we watched President-elect Obama's acceptance speech, and there were many tears.
We could hear some noise from outside, and saw a local news cast about people taking to the streets in celebration...so we took to the streets in celebration as well.
We walked up to Broad street and there were people hanging out of car windows, running in the streets, dancing, singing, shouting, hugging...Most of them were my age or thereabouts, and it was so beautiful to see. As we got closer to City Hall, we came upon a crowd of dancing, laughing people in the middle of the street, they chanted "YES WE CAN" and waved an American flag above the Obama signs, proud, some for the first time, of the potential that their country had shown.
We decided to head back due to the rain and the fact that it was 2am. We walked down Market street to Independence Hall, and stopped at a display/archeological dig that is excavating and exploring the lives of slaves in the home of the first presidents. This site was a big issue when it was discovered, and led to a discussion of how honest did we want to be about our nation's history, and the stories of those who truly worked to build it. It took protests and activism, and demands that the truth not be silenced in order to preserve some heroic ideal of the founding white men who began the government that now will have a man of African decent as Commander-in-Chief.
Needless to say, it was a profound moment of looking at the immediacy of our history. An election where a woman who is the daughter of a slave
can cast a vote for an African-American man, and see that man in the highest office in the land, an election that brings people who were long thought not to matter in and gives their voices wings.
However, all is not well, and there is still much to do, considering all but one proposition that enables discrimination against LGBTQ persons and divorces them from their human rights have passed, including Proposition 8 in California. We are still living in a world where some people are told that they are lesser simply because their very existence is seen as a threat to those who want to keep their unearned privileges. We will have to fight for recognition as full human beings, who simply want to live our lives in peace.
This election is not an end, but a beginning. I truly believe that we can make a difference and we can win based on integrity and compassion.
Yes...
We fucking can!
and we better.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
WE ELECTED A NEW PRESIDENT!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
This has to be one of the bestest birthday presents EVAH!
On the day I turn 25, I am very aware that this is a day to tell my grandchildren (should I ever have any) about. It is a day that has seen a true historic moment, but it is not without it's sadness.
Last night was amazing. I got home from work around 10:30, and pulled out the tequila. I was stressed and nervous as hell, dealing with the stress of watching the numbers trickle in while I was supposed to be working.
entropyinjersey, amichandrn and I watched the election maps as the returns came in. As soon as Ohio was called, we knew, but I refused to believe it until there was a concession speech from McCain and an acceptance speech from Obama.Then my mom called, screaming about McCain conceding, and how I had to come over and drink with her. So I went over, we drank and we watched President-elect Obama's acceptance speech, and there were many tears.
We could hear some noise from outside, and saw a local news cast about people taking to the streets in celebration...so we took to the streets in celebration as well.
We walked up to Broad street and there were people hanging out of car windows, running in the streets, dancing, singing, shouting, hugging...Most of them were my age or thereabouts, and it was so beautiful to see. As we got closer to City Hall, we came upon a crowd of dancing, laughing people in the middle of the street, they chanted "YES WE CAN" and waved an American flag above the Obama signs, proud, some for the first time, of the potential that their country had shown.
We decided to head back due to the rain and the fact that it was 2am. We walked down Market street to Independence Hall, and stopped at a display/archeological dig that is excavating and exploring the lives of slaves in the home of the first presidents. This site was a big issue when it was discovered, and led to a discussion of how honest did we want to be about our nation's history, and the stories of those who truly worked to build it. It took protests and activism, and demands that the truth not be silenced in order to preserve some heroic ideal of the founding white men who began the government that now will have a man of African decent as Commander-in-Chief.
Needless to say, it was a profound moment of looking at the immediacy of our history. An election where a woman who is the daughter of a slave
can cast a vote for an African-American man, and see that man in the highest office in the land, an election that brings people who were long thought not to matter in and gives their voices wings.However, all is not well, and there is still much to do, considering all but one proposition that enables discrimination against LGBTQ persons and divorces them from their human rights have passed, including Proposition 8 in California. We are still living in a world where some people are told that they are lesser simply because their very existence is seen as a threat to those who want to keep their unearned privileges. We will have to fight for recognition as full human beings, who simply want to live our lives in peace.
This election is not an end, but a beginning. I truly believe that we can make a difference and we can win based on integrity and compassion.
Yes...
We fucking can!
and we better.
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