hey its the weekend!

...unfortunately, for aj, every day is the weekend and yet no day is the weekend.

anyway, here is an oldie but a real goodie that a recently came back to my attention due a particularly conscientious tipster (special thanks to another devoted reader who converted the audio into a video file cause blogger won't let you upload mp3s and aj can't figure out i-movie. lame!)

little known fact: i attempted to use this song to flirt with my girlfriend back before we were dating! (chicks dig feminists amirite?)

BREAKING NEWS

Diablo Cody strikes again!  Feministing reports!

Prop 8? Prop 6??

So I really don't normally care enough about California's Proposition 8 or any related marriage debate to mention it in a way that involves anything other than poking fun at the whole conversation, but I recently came across the following article from a Toronto gay newspaper in July 1979, which gave me a bit of a pause. As you can see, it's a news blurb on polling data following the defeat of Prop 8's happier predecessor, Proposition 6--better known as the Briggs Initiative (which all of you who have viewed the lovely biopic Milk should be familiar with). Anyway I'm not possessed of the time to comment at the moment, but since I transcribed the blurb anyhow, just thought I'd share...

Poll reveals friends: Blacks, Hispanics

LOS ANGELES – An election day poll conducted by the Associated Press and NBC News last November showed Blacks and people of Spanish origin more favorable to the extension of fair housing and employment laws to cover homosexuals.

            52% of Blacks thought gays should be covered while 31% thought they should not. Among Spanish speakers 41% were in favor and 44% against. The general population sample found 41% favorable and 46% unfavorable.

            Analysis of data gathered from voters leaving the polling places on election day shows that Blacks and young people were the two groups voting most heavily against Proposition 6 – the so-called Briggs initiative which would have banned gay teachers from the California school system. Blacks opposed the measure by a 74 to 26 percent margin and voters under 30 opposed it 71 to 29.

            Results also showed women opposed the initiative more often than men.

you know you have a problem when

...the targeted advertising emails you receive from Amazon.com start announcing 4-for-3 deals on "paranormal romance favorites"

sunday hayyyy

One thing that is always an excellent idea is moving to the music. This is true whether you are a graphic design student or a roomful of kittycats.

BOOMBOX from Ely Kim on Vimeo.

i'm just going to leave this here

As part of lolAJ's ongoing exploration of questions like, "Are gay people funny?" I thought I'd impart you all with a cartoon recently penned by a friend of mine. I don't want to give too much backstory because I think it makes for pretty good standalone commentary on academic culture, but suffice to say the oeuvre depicts a real-life sociology of the body class gone wrong.

OK I lied, here is some more backstory. It would be remiss of me not to mention that the real-world gender presentation of this comic's villain was described to AJ as "ironic butch pirate/train conductor." Rock on, academia! \m/

and belatedly...

Merry Black History, everybody! And thank you to various and sundry Black LGBT community members who have been circulating this and other articles; lolAJ will hopefully have a more comprehensive listing for your perusal before too long.

 

---

Oh right, and the other posts I initially meant to link (and continuing to plug transgriot) are:

Black LGBT History is Your History Too

and

African American Trans History - 50s style

Also, hey do u like J-Setting? AJ loooves J-Setting. So does Beyoncé! And so do a lot of gay black ppl who live down south! In fact, and as always, they totally liked it first. THIS ARTICLE IS HIGHLY INFORMATIVE.

Transgender MD, etc

Out of the blue today, AJ received the following email from his mother:

Hey do youknow that there is a new premier TV show next week called Transgender MD? It's about a transgendered woman gynecologist. Can't wait! love, mom

I submitted it to Postcards from Yo Momma, but fear it may be pearls before swine.

On a related note, and also out of the blue today, AJ received this text message from his father:

Do u ever wonder what effect yer blogging might have on yer future employment prospects?

Food for thought, to say the least!

~aj

UPDATED TO ADD:  Score!

ASK A LESBIAN: "Sleeping with Straight Girls"

Straight girls: what is their deal? Can you be a straight girl and still be a feminist? Is being a straight girl a politics or a lifestyle? But most importantly: What happens when straight girls start sleeping with lesbians?

^^^ can u spot the str8 girl?

One little known fact is that straight girls actually sleep with lesbians all the time. On the other end of the spectrum, sometimes you have particular lesbians--such as AJ's girlfriend--who then go and, like, have all this sex with dudes. So is my girlfriend a lesbian or a straight girl? Furthermore, AJ has become increasingly aware of a particular demographic known as "queer women," which is basically a self-referential term that is used by some straight girls who on occasion like to mack with lesbians.

All of this is just to say that the more research he does, the more AJ finds the line between straight girl and lesbian to be a fine and fuzzy one indeed. As a matter of fact, since AJ is fortunate enough to have not only a lesbian expert in residence but also a str8 girl friend who desires advice on how to proceed with sleeping with her current lesbian, it seemed only obvious that I should put them in conversation with each other. (Which is to say that this installment of AAL features not only real live lesbian advice but also the genuine questions of the str8 girl community.)

So, to explore the issue further, lolAJ is pleased dedicate this particular "Ask a Lesbian" to questions about the relationship between lesbians and heterosexual women -- IN BED. Fortunately, lolAJ's resident lesbian expert Nell has a lot of experience sleeping with straight girls and she has volunteered to share her insight with the rest of us. Neway, let's get on with it.

STR8 GIRLS WANT TO KNOW:

Dear Nell,

As a st8 girl I operated under the basic assumption that all lesbians wanted to have sex with me. Now I don't even know if this is the case! N8ll, how do you know if a lesbian wants to have s8x with you?

Sincerely,

str8 not n8rrow

Dear str8 but not n8rrow,

You may not know the secret signals of of the sapphic sect, but you probably know how to flirt. So try that with your lesbian of choice, and see if she responds in kind. Also I think you are using that 8 improperly.

Helpfully yours,

Nell

-----------------------------

Dear Nell,

How queer-identified is too queer-identified... for the first date?

Sincerely,

str8 outta tha closet

Dear Str8,

You should walk a fine line between implying that you've always been a secret queer... and that this is a totally new world to which your lesbian friend is introducing you. That will make said lesbian feel both secure in your queerness and like a player who deserves a really shiny toaster.

helpfully yours,

Nell

---------------------

Dear Nell,

Can I say dykey? All of a sudden I feel like I can't. Even though i did like FIFTEEN TIMES today to describe like everything i did. 8.

Sincerely,

str8 is gr8

Dear Breeder,

Your new found sensitivity about homo-slang is endearing, but unnecessary. Go on using it in any and all ways you find useful.

Helpfully yours,

Nell

[eds. note: Nell, that is horrible advice!]

------------------------------

Dear Nelly,

So like whaddo I do? I guess I can't just lie there anymore.

Sincerely,

Scared str8

OK stop the presses. In a somewhat unorthodox move, AJ's going to take the reins in replying to this one, because it speaks directly to his life experience on the lesbian continuum.

Dear Str8,

As it so happens, there is in fact a subspecies of lesbian for whom "just lie there" is precisely their distinguishing modus operandi. These lesbians are the first cousins of straight girls and are known as "femmes" or "bottoms," which are synonymous terms (occasionally you will happen across an extremely rare breed of lesbian known as the "butch bottom," but that is typically considered a crime against nature). Now, it might strike you as "unbalanced," "unfair," or even "aping heteropatriarchal relations" to have just one lesbian doing all the work in the bedroom, but femmes are possessed of a remarkable phenomenon known as "wiles," which nearly all butches are powerless to resist. As a result of a femme's "wiles," a typical butch is not simply willing but rather indescribably eager to perform all the labor of sexual relations while the femme just lies there the whole time. 

helpfully yours!

AJ

Nell, what is your characteristically pithy advice?

Dear Str8,

The universal motto of lesbianism instructs, "communication is really important" ... So, you know, just ask your lesbian friend what her pleasure is and... how to accomplish that particular sexual act.

Helpfully,

Nell.

----------------------------------------

OK I THINK WE ALL LEARNED A LOT TODAY. Adulations and phone numbers can be provided to Nell via the comments section of this post.

Yours in Sisterhood,

AJ

My Sister's Keeper.

ok srsly wtf

Here is something I've been thinking about lately.

How did this

and this

turn into THIS

I think she is actually trying to frown in this picture but you cannot tell because the botox is packed so tightly into her forehead you could bounce a superball off it. UGH TORI YOU USED TO BE SO BEAUTIFUL WHAT DID YOU DO.

Here's another one showcasing the forehead and also evidently that she shops at forever 21 these days. Also Tori was never this skinny back when she was a goddess:

:(

Ok one more time. Good Tori:

Good Tori:

Good Tori (note: I couldn't find a date but I think this one is pretty recent--I'm going to say c. 2000--suggesting that the Fall occurred in the not-too-distant past. Plz note the unassuming t-shirt and absence of hair extensions)

And then there was BAD Tori! BAD!!

Ack! How far we have plummeted since the days of a girl and her piano and her bottle of manic panic

omg tori plz remove that wig immediately

Bad Tori
Aiiiieeeeee!!* my eyes!

nobody even say the words "doll posse" i will probably start crying


--------


* this sentiment not to be confused with i i e e e

a very special holiday kitteh

Hey I just saw Milk! Or: 10 things the gay mainstream WANTS you to believe about queer history!

1. YES WE CAN has MOAR images of homo respectability!
2. gay rights = african american rights = ladies' rights = consumer's rights = whatever = &c., &c. (This is why, for instance, African Americans must have their leaders and gay Americans must have our own leaders.)
3. If u are gay and want change and whatnot u should definitely get out of the streets and into the campaign office because that is where politics happen.
4. The Tenderloin smells like pee.
5. DO NOT FEAR: Contrary to popular belief, gay men do not have sex, they just get naked and slap each other's butts while rolling around and giggling.
6. oh im sorry were you expecting AJ to insert some comment about the post-Stonewall gay liberation movement and how it evinced a very different set of politics and praxis than can be found in the biopic Milk? WELL UNFORTUNATELY THAT WOULD BE HARD TO DO BECAUSE IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THAT MOVIE GAY LIBERATION SEEMS TO HAVE NEVER HAPPENED.
7. One lesbian is PLENTY.
8. HEY WE PAY TAXES!
9. Individually, coming out is the most important thing a homosexual can do in his life; collectively, coming out is the most effective strategy for alleviating pretty much anything that would ever be objectionable to a homosexual community.
10. OMG finally we must thank our lucky stars for the white gender conforming male homosexuals of yesteryear because otherwise how would any of us have any RIGHTS and stuff? TRULY I TELL YOU WE WOULD HAVE NONE.

ok

it is unspeakably embarrassing that it took a feministe post for me to finally see the video for this song which has been around for like 4eva but i gotta say this its simply aj's favorite video he's seen all year. it makes me miss new york so bad my heart hurts like its died a thousand deaths

ps MIA is relevant to my interests

quickhit: <3 internet, feminism <3

I'm not sure what is more relevant to my interests: the NYT blog article on orgasmic childbirth or the fact that the very first question Feministing's readership picked up on is whether having an orgasm from a baby traveling through your vagina raises questions of consent with regard to the baby.

Keep having ideas, everyone... AJ likes it!

let's talk about the weather

AJ was getting bummed because the balmy 37˚ weather we're experiencing right now is about to plummet about 50 degrees and not make it above 0˚ tomorrow (how am I supposed to get to school) until I decided to mess around and see what kind of weather everyone else is having...

In defense of Mother Russia, it looks like it's about 2 AM right now in the North Pole of Cold, so idk maybe it'll get up there as the day wears on. If you're like AJ, you might now be wondering what's the coldest part of the United States, and if you saw 30 Days of Night, you might be thinking, "Oh! It's Barrow, Alaska!" but you would be wrong as Barrow is right there on the Arctic Ocean, which basically acts as an insulator. In fact, the weather in Barrow right now is not so different from Minneapolis. Landlocked parts of Alaska (as tends to be true for landlocked areas in general) get much colder, making Fairbanks one of the coldest cities in the U.S. Now, the *northernmost* western hemispheric city AJ was able to locate on weather.com is Iqaluit, Canada, which is the capital of Nunavet and somewhat further north than Barrow. The northernmost permanently-inhabited settlement in the western hemisphere is the Canadian Forces Station Alert on Ellesmere Island in Nunavet, but that's not on weather.com so whatever. 

Anyway, USA Today confirms that Minneapolis is the coldest major city in the United States. Boo. Minnesota is also home to International Falls, known as the Icebox of the Nation, supposedly the coldest town in the continental U.S., though apparently this has been challenged by Fraser, Colorado. Hm, I think I've been there. On the other hand, the *snowiest* U.S. cities (according to a different USA Today article) are neither in Minnesota nor (as one might expect) upstate New York. Blue Canyon, California, weirdly, takes the snow cake. 

Anyway that's all I have to say about that!

UPDATE TO ADD: OMG! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT WITH ALL OF THIS TALK OF CANADA AJ NEGLECTED TO MENTION THAT WOLVERINE TRAILER IS 110% RELEVANT TO MY INTERESTS 

spitzface is now a meme!

MY GUBERNATORIAL "OOPS" FACE... LET ME SHOW YOU IT!

:-[

AJ gives props: VIKING METAL

And now for another installment of lolAJ's intermittent feature: Props!

Do you know what is exceedingly awesome? VIKING METAL. It is a well established fact that few things approach the awesomeness of viking metal. It is also true that nothing is more EPIC. AJ has been thinking about viking metal a lot lately and is pretty grateful that such a thing exists. Unlike his little brother, however, AJ is far from an expert metal connoisseur and there are probably all kinds of things he doesn't even know about viking metal! However, here are a few videos that AJ particularly enjoys and wishes to share with his readers.

Turisas: "Battle Metal" (probably the greatest viking metal video in existence)

Amon Amarth: Twilight of the Thunder Gods

Einherjer: Iron Bound

Bathory: One Rode to Asa Bay

Enjoy! Hope I didn't alienate too many readers lololol! xo-AJ

PS: ODIN OWNS YE ALL!!!!1ONE

Ask a Lesbian: Proposition 8!

AJ apologizes for the wait readers have endured to hear Nell's thoughts on Proposition 8 (moar liek prop h8 amirite) -- presently our fearless lesbian is keeping a very busy schedule fighting hard to secure same sex domestic partner benefits for pharmacists! Without further ado, lolAJ is pleased to present to you: ASK A LESBIAN --- PROPOSITION 8. 

Wait but first! Some music to set the mood...

READERS WANT TO KNOW

Dear Nell,

Which do you think is more significant: that Americans elected a black president or that they banned gay marriage in California?

thanks,

interested

Dear Interested,

In fact, neither one is significant. Both are simply spectacles distracting us from substantive issues. 

Cynically yours,

Nell

-----------------------------

Dear Nell,

In a post-racist and post-proposition 8 country, what is the most important thing Gay Americans can be doing to work for marriage equality and other gay civil rights?

thanks nell!

Dear post-racist,

The most important thing Gay Americans can be doing these days is making it clear to everyone that they are simply Americans who happen to be Gay.

Your in assimilation,

Nell

-----------------------------

Dear Nell,

Which do you think is a bigger problem: racism in gay and lesbian communities? Or homophobia in African American communities?

thanks,

concerned


Dear Concerned,

I think the biggest problem is YOU.

Sincerely,
Nell

P.S. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/12/04/poll-prop-8-voting-driven_n_148379.html

-----------------------------

Dear Nell,

Which out and proud gay celebrity would you rather be and why: Ellen Degeneres or Jane Lynch?

sincerely,

curious


Dear Curious,

That's a great question. While Ellen has a certain appeal that comes with daytime tv stardom and really became the face of the anti-Prop 8 movement as people tearfully asked each other, "But what will happen to Ellen and Portia??," I'd have to go with Jane Lynch. She's just got more of a sense of irony, from what I can tell. By looking at her. 

Keep reading!

-Nell

kwik hitz

via Feministe, AJ has learned of SRLP's recent victory in getting a bar to legal name changes removed--"possible confusion" is no longer a valid reason to deny a name change petition if an individual is going from a masculine to a feminine name or vice versa. In my ignorance, I did not realize that petitions in NY (where AJ had his name legally changed) were regularly denied on these grounds.

AJ's a little tickled because "fraught with... confusion" is precisely how he'd describe his entire experience living as a transgendered person.

I am still waiting on SRLP to get some kind of ban on judges doling out patronizing lectures to trans people who are going through name change processes tho I guess in the end they make for good stories.