Hey-o, tapioca pearls and organic fruit smoothies! This is my debut Sunday Funday and may I just tell you that I’m freakin’ jazzed. The world is full of so much shitty shit shit and I’m just tickled to bring you some good news to start your week.
Right now my human dino baby is vigorously jumping around in her Jumperoo. She’s squealing and flapping her arms and she lost a sock in the process and boi howdy, I wish anything made me as happy as jumping is making her right now.
Let’s do this thing.
America Writer and Autostraddle Fave, Gabby Rivera, is “Dope as Hell”
DOPE. AS. HELL.
+ Gabby Fucking Rivera is killing it right now as the first-ever queer Latina writing a comic about a queer Latina superhero and the first queer Latina writer at Marvel Comics, period. Have you picked up your copy of America #1 yet? Mey interviewed her first, for the record (and you should go read the Autostraddle interview right NOW if you haven’t because it’s fuckin’ great), but also Gabby was interviewed by the Washington Post this week, like whoa!
I get to see groups of little brown girls and their moms all done up in their America Chavez cosplay gear. And the stories that we tell through ‘America’ will be part of their pop culture experience… And, hell yeah, there’s pressure, but also I love it and it’s making me a better writer. It’s a blessing.
+ Gabby also did this lil’ interview for The Advocate about writing America Chavez, where she answers the very important question of whether America will have any romantic storylines, to which she replied:
America’s a vibrant young, fierce, and gorgeous superhero babe. You can bet your Yeezys that she’s going to be dating. But it’s not going to be some heavy meditation on the stresses, inequities, and violence faced by LGBTQ people. We get enough of that in the news and in personal essays. That work is vital and important. But America’s series is meant to be a space of joy and fantasy. I also want it to be a healing piece of media/art so that folks who are being beaten down by the system and life in general can laugh and cheer and get a moment to breathe easy in this chaotic world. We get to watch America, an unapologetically queer Latina, deal with everyday love stuff. I’m so ready for that, aren’t you?
SO READY!
Boston St. Paddy’s Day Parade Gets a Taste of the Rainbow
via NBC boston
The organizers of the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, MA, voted unanimously to allow OutVets, a LGBTQ veterans organization, to march in the parade this weekend. Initially, OutVets was barred from participating following a vote of the South Boston Allied War Veterans Council, the organizers of the parade. The Council has a long history of banning participation of gay groups, even litigating the issue to the Supreme Court (and winning) in 1995. Gay organizations were allowed to participate for the first time in 2015.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (a Republican!), Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, Congressmember Seth Moulton, and Congressmember Stephen Lynch were among those who spoke out in support of OutVets and vowed not to participate unless the Council reversed their decision.
Local sponsors pulled out and veterans spoke publicly against the decision. The honorary veteran parade marshall who was set to lead the parade stepped down in support of OutVets.
Ultimately, the parade’s lead organizer, Tim Duross, made the unilateral decision to allow OutVets, since he couldn’t convince the other members of the Council. His name was on the permit, so he was able to make the decision without Council support. “It may be my last decision as parade organizer, but it’s the right thing to do,” he said. Later, the Council took up the vote again and unanimously agreed to support Duross’ decision to allow OutVets to participate.
Bills, Bills, Bills
Activists at the Massachusetts Sexual Health Lobby Day (Photo by Adrianne Mathiowetz for The Rainbow Times)
+ 15 Florida Republicans have signed onto the Competitive Workforce Act, a bill that would ban discrimination against LGBT people in employment, housing, and businesses. While more GOP support would be needed to pass the bill, it’s a “seismic shift” according to Hannah Willard of Equality Florida. Willard said, “What we saw over the last five years, especially, is a growing number of people who understand LGBT equality does not have to be a partisan issue.”
+ Massachusetts LGBTQ and repro rights orgs’ ambitious 2017 agenda includes a bill that would help train elder service providers on how to appropriately care for LGBTQ seniors, a ban on conversion therapy, a bill to make it easier for minors to access confidential health care, a bill requiring insurance companies to reimburse for HIV and STI testing, and a comprehensive sex ed bill.
Said Arline Isaacson, co-chair of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus, said:
State legislators are more important now than ever before to protect us, to protect our freedoms and to protect us against the excesses and the overreach of the Trump administration. I hope that the LGBTQ community will understand their interconnectedness with other groups. We’ve got to work together if we are going to defeat these lousy proposals.
Pride Is a Protest March, Again
Stonewall was a police riot. Pride is a commemoration of the annual protest march started by the Gay Liberation Front following the Stonewall riots. However, Pride in many major cities has become more of a capitalism-sponsored celebratory dance party, with corporate banners instead of protest signs.
L.A. Pride is going back to its roots in 2017. The organizers are cancelling the typical pride parade and instead joining up with the LGBT Resist March, planned for June 11th.
The decision is one part logistical issues and one part the current political climate, but I’m not complaining! 250,000-500,000 people are expected to attend L.A. Pride.
Get Yer Tissues Out
Taiwan is poised to legalize same-sex marriage this year, which would make Taiwan the first Asian country to legalize marriage equality. Businesses are already clamoring for that pink dollar. But try to put your feelings about late-stage capitalism aside to enjoy this video by HSBC Bank in Taiwan of a bride being walked down the aisle by her boss after her father refused. Look, I’m not a wedding traditionalist or romantic by any means. I’m not even strongly in the pro-marriage equality camp, but this is pretty… heartwarming. And her dog is SO FLUFF. GODDAMMIT, HSBC!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR88AF3yN_M
Finally, Darlene Connor Comes Out to Her Dad!
Oh, Sara Gilbert… look at you now…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y6xiZVRu3c
Will be picking up America #1 asap!
I expected a queer reading of why we’re marching in the St Patty’s Day Parade, perhaps involving Pat Califia, but if it’s straight up about the parade it’s Paddy! “Trust me, I’m”…British.
I wish it was something cool related to someone named “Pat,” but no, no, not that. I fixed it for youuu!
Haha :) why thank you kindly!
Yay KaeLyn welcome to Sunday Funday! ?
You’ll be seeing/reading more of me on SF!
Not to be pedantic and it is progress, but if it’s about the St. Patricks Day Parade it’s Paddy not Patty. Trust me I’m Irish.
HAHA. OK, fixed.
Thanks KaeLyn ~ it’s great to have you on Sunday Funday!
My lovely Taiwanese-Canadian co- worker was talking excitedly about the news at work yesterday; what really made me happy is that she was happily sharing with another co- worker, and neither is them is gay (that I’m aware of). From all the Taiwanese people I know or have met here, I won’t be surprised if the legislation does pass.
Also, I really want to visit Taiwan ~ and this makes me feel it even more ???
From what I understand, Taiwan is a very liberal place. In researching that video, I found that some jurisdictions in Taiwan already allow same-gender couples to register as partners. 11 municipalities allow this, which means 80% of Taiwan allows same-gender partner registry. I hope they pass the marriage law this year! Fingers crossed!
I’m so bummed that they canceled LA Pride.
I think it’s great to have an LGBT March and all but why does it have to be at the expense of the Pride Parade? Why can we have both?
They just canceled the separate parade. The Pride festival is still on (and still a ticketed event). I get the disappointment about the parade but, personally, I think it’d be cool if Pride parades took this time to go back to their roots, all across the US. Pride parades were protest marches, originally, after all.
The festival is the worst part of Pride. Even on a good year the entrance to the festival following the parade is a giant mess. Long, disorganized lines for tickets, slow ticket sellers, slow security checkers – it could take over an hour to make it through the gates.
This year they are going to have a massive protest parade end right at the entrance to the festival AND the footprint of the festival is drastically reduced due to construction further limiting the number of people that can be admitted.
What could possibly go wrong?
There is at least Long Beach pride parade(unless they changed that too and I didn’t realize it).
The Sara Gilbert videooooo <3 <3 <3
I was about the same age as Darlene when I watched the show with my family.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueJF2FUKV84
Oof. Such a great moment.
Same. Darlene was one of first girl crushes.
Love the articles this week :D need the cheer!
Don’t we all… :p
Wonder Woman’s trailer.
I’m going to ignored a big part of this movie, all the Chris Pine’s parts…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INLzqh7rZ-U
St. Patrick’s Day!! Get it right please. It’s our national day.
DC is also including a March in their Pride this year. I don’t think Baltimore is, sadly, but honestly given the current climate to an extent any parade, any large gathering, any celebration of our identities is a form of protest again. The march in DC is actually the day after my mother’s wedding, so I requested it off as part of the bundle, just in case ‘political protest’ wouldn’t get approved. Also because my mother would not approve, and that makes me giggle.
Sounds like a good couple days of very different celebrations to me!
Hey sorry to be the person that rains on the cute Taiwanese lesbian wedding, but HSBC is one of the banks that is directly funding the Dakota Access Pipeline. Seems worth a mention before we all start celebrating that bank as progressive and on our side.
Yeah, that sucks. Never apologize for being a feminist killjoy. I am not encouraging anyone to bank with HSBC (gross). It’s interesting to see the scramble for the pink dollar by evil corporations emerging outside of the US, though. I guess it is (grossly enough) a sign that marriage equality is probably coming to Taiwan soon.
My daughter had that exact jumparoo thing and she turned 9 a few days ago and I’m having feelings about it.
Aww! @heather, I’m sure it seems like just yesterday. I already feel like she’s growing up so fast!
I loved this Sunday Funday! I am curious, when you were talking about gay marriage in Taiwan, you made the comment, “I’m not even strongly in the pro-marriage equality camp.” Am I correct in taking that to mean you have some reservations about gay marriage? Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion! I am a huge fan of your work and just felt a need to understand what you meant.
Hi, @razzy! Thanks for asking. I consider myself “anti-marriage pro-marriage-equality” meaning that I support the legalization of same-gender / same-sex marriage. Personally, I don’t believe the government should be in the business of incentivizing relationships between adults or privileging some relationships over others. As a tradition, I feel marriage should be primarily a religious and cultural institution. Even in that context, marriage is a patriarchal institution that was about the exchange of property (a wife and everything she represented–possibly land, family name, literal goods). Mainly, though, I don’t believe the government should be sanctioning how we create families and giving rights and privileges to people who are married v. single, poly, etc. Ultimately, though, I believe that the abolition of marriage as a government institution is FAR FAR AWAY from where we are right now.
And right now, people need the protections legally-recognized marriage offers. People need to keep their immigrant partners in the country. People need health care for their partners. People deserve to be treated the same as heterosexual couples, even if I ultimately believe marriage is the wrong system, it’s a system that should be fair. So I advocated for marriage in my state and nationwide. I went to the rallies and I spoke about my family and I wed my spouse in 2011. I believe we can queer marriage, the current system, in some small ways by participating in it. Idealistically, I’m still in theory aligned with the abolition of marriage as a government institution. I also believe in fairness and equity and believe marriage should be open to everyone right now.
That’s the brief answer, believe it or not!