Holy shit, you guys! I’m packing for Camp, despite the fact that I leave in under 12 hours for camp and plan to do my laundry at some point. Whee! This Sunday, I’m on a bus to New York City and Mary J. Blige loves me. Also, other great things are happening!
Emily Dickinson Putting Her Arm Around Someone Who Is A Woman
A photograph researchers and historians believe is of Emily Dickinson may actually be of Emily Dickinson! Only one known photo of Emily Dickinson exists, by the way. It also may be the last vestige of proof needed to rest assured she was queer. Guys, a photo may exist of Emily Dickinson and her lesbian lover. And it’s so fucking cute.
President Obama Is Hilarious
President Obama has named Bill Clinton “Secretary of Explaining Shit.”
Fuck The Haters Forever
Let’s read the amazing, spot-on letter that Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe wrote to Maryland state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr., a homophobic asshole.
Why do you hate freedom? Why do you hate the fact that other people want a chance to live their lives and be happy, even though they may believe in something different than you, or act different than you? How does gay marriage, in any way shape or form, affect your life? If gay marriage becomes legal, are you worried that all of a sudden you’ll start thinking about penis? “Oh shit. Gay marriage just passed. Gotta get me some of that hot dong action!” Will all of your friends suddenly turn gay and refuse to come to your Sunday Ticket grill-outs? (Unlikely, since gay people enjoy watching football too.)
I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won’t come into your house and steal your children. They won’t magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won’t even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population—rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you?
Mary J. Blige Loves Us (Still)
Mary J. Blige said amazing things about gay people at the DNC, as usual. Asked about “I think it’s wonderful. I think that people that support love – it’s amazing. It’s love.”
WONDER WOMAN TV SHOW
Guys, there’s a Wonder Woman television show happening that sounds like it is the embodiment of our deepest dreams for the future. Everyone please raise their children with it, kind of like how my mom raised me with Little House on the Prarie. They cured blindness on that show once, everyone. Deep stuff.
According to Newsarama, a Smallville-like series currently titled Amazon is in development for The CW network and will follow the early days of Wonder Woman. Though little else is known about the project at this point, fans can rest easy knowing the pilot will be written by openly gay television and comic book scribe Allan Heinberg.
via losangelesneedlework.com
Gay Bullying On The Decline
The kids aren’t alright but they’re better.
‘The 2011 survey marks a possible turning point in the school experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) young people in high schools and middle schools,’ according to Joseph Kosciw, the head of research at the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.
Physical harassment, like shoving or pushing, that took place frequently or often was reported by 10.8% of students, down three percentage points from 2009, Reuters reports.
Animals Are Cute Dinosaurs
I don’t know if I can look at 50 of these at once.
Emily Dickinson is really interesting to me.
also my friend who is covering TIFF saw KStew and Jennifer Lawrence huddled together at a party all night and said they both left the party together so that’s what I’ll be imagining all day. :)
that’s all I would ever want to imagine, everyday. :D
Oh my GOD. I usually don’t do the celebrity thing but that is so..mm..relevant to all my interests. Yes.
I am heading to my bunk as I type this.
The profanity-free letter that Chris Kluwe wrote is actually more amazing than the first draft.
“By using your position as an elected official (when referring to your constituents so as to implicitly threaten the Ravens organization) to state that the Ravens should “inhibit such expressions from your employees”, more specifically Brendon Ayanbadejo, not only are you clearly violating the First Amendment, you also come across as a BEAUTIFULLY UNIQUE SPARKLEPONY.”
Yes! When I saw that I hoped it was a link to that version because it is so amazingly awesome.
The sad lemur tears! He had me at the sad lemur tears.
with that kind of style and pizzazz, we really should invite Kluwe to be a guest writer at AutoStraddle. Unless he already is?? *starts looking over author bios suspiciously*
my life is now 300% better. thank you.
That picture of Obama and Clinton is just priceless. I know they are allies and generally support each other, but I get the feeling that that picture illustrates their personal relationship quite well, lol.
ha i want to print that picture out and frame it
I think it would make for a great sitcom. Bill as the mischievous, bumbling neighbor/family friend who gets into trouble and Barack has to bail him out.
Whenever I see something about Emily Dickinson I always think about how her poems can be sung to “Yellow Rose of Texas”
Guys. Guys. I love Wonder Woman. I’d even watch a show on the CW for her. Can I tell you how excited I am for this?
THE EMILY DICKINSON PICTURE IS SO EXCITING. And I adore Wonder Woman, so I’m happy to hear she’s getting proper treatment.
I have been on A DNC high all week BUT with the Wonder Woman news I am now sporting a full on NERD BONER!
Too bad DC has worked hard to purge all the queerness from Wonder Woman in the comics. And you can throw in a big heaping of misogyny in the rewrite of her origin story and the Amazonian society.
Are you referring specifically to the new 52 continuity or just speaking in general? I’m still a little behind, so I’m not quite sure what to think yet. But you’re right. Themyscira is such a gay concept that it always kind of shocks me just how absent the actual gayness, or even subtext, usually is.
I’m usually pretty skeptical of any superhero TV show, to be honest, and that goes double for awesome female superheroes. It’s unfortunate. Look what happened to Birds of Prey. So much awesome potential wasted.
Nice userpic, btw. One of my loftiest lifetime goals would be writing slash starring in an epic Batwoman movie trilogy. Also, I get to cast my Renee Montoya.
Yes, I was talking about the New 52. They made her the daughter of Zeus so now all her power comes from her God of a father. They took away all of her queerness and felt it necessary to make it explicit that she isn’t a sister of Sappho, as they put it. That line by the way, came in the most recent Batwoman issue which she’s in. Maybe DC wanted to slap shippers down before they could get going. lol. Or they were afraid of too much gayness for a single issue.
And about the Amazons this post sums it up pretty well.
http://toobusythinkingboutcomics.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-wonder-woman-7.html
I’d LOVE that movie! Kate Kane is so awesome, no matter what DC does, as long as they don’t fuck up Batwoman I’ll still love them for giving us her and treating her with such respect. It makes me wonder how much of what’s wrong with the new Wonder Woman is DC and how much is her writer Brian Azzarello.
Great post, thanks for the link. I haven’t made it that far yet. I’m only on issue 3 or 4. Honestly, blatant sexism aside, I thought the first few issues were pretty dull, so I’ve been dragging my feet reading them. This is definitely not something to look forward to either. Looks like I’ll just be re-reading my tradebacks of Rucka’s Wonder Woman run instead. Now there’s a straight, white dude who knows how to write for queer and straight ladies. It’s a shame he’s doing Punisher over at Marvel now.
The article’s right, though. There are awesome things going on with other DC female characters, but they don’t balance out the damage done in Wonder Woman. Even though I do miss Oracle, I absolutely love the new Batgirl. I mean, Gail Simone, hello. She’s fantastic. Have you been reading Birds of Prey? Everyone here absolutely should for one simple reason: Starling.
I haven’t been reading Birds Of Prey yet, but I definitely will now. Thanks for the recommendation. :)
OH my God that new origin story made me so freaking angry I think I spat out angry feminist fire. It’s like they are trying to purge all the things that made Wonder woman so cool and trying re-image her into this screaming heterosexual woman who also kinda fights. Also she’s dating superman now…what the hell?
Yeah, so… all of the sudden the whole clay thing it out the window? She’s just the daughter of Zeus now, for some reason? I’m not sure how I feel about that.
I don’t read Justice League, so haven’t seen any of the new Superman romance. Honestly, I could care less about Superman, which is something I only ever feel free to admit in the company of other female geeks. The Wonder Woman matchup I am super excited about is the Batwoman crossover. I can’t wait until next month. I think my brain might explode from all the awesome.
For me the being made out of clay by a woman origin story is what made her so cool.Overall this Wonder Woman/DC reboot is pretty bad. DC is still ignoring a big population of readers and losing loyal fans every day because of bad story’s. One of the only good things to come out of it is Batgirl and Batwoman.
If that Wonder Woman tv series is as awesome as I hope it is I will be twerking up and down the street in happiness.
Allow me to freak out on the Emily Dickinson bit. I just read a whole book of her letters to her sister-in-law. Some pretty passionate stuff! Why have I not heard about this whole Kate Scott Turner thing before now?? I thought she was hot for Susan. Ah well, the photo is awesome!
Chris Kluwe’s letter totally made my week, so much awesome
I love everyone in this bar.