Once More With Voting: We Hold Out Hope for DADT Repeal on Sunday Funday

DADT:

As you may have heard by now, there is one last flickering glimmer of hope for a Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal through Congress. After the defense programs bill including the repeal was voted down in the Senate, several senators including Kirsten Gillibrand, Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins have sponsored a stand-alone bill to repeal DADT, which Harry Reid has promised to fast-track through Congress to get a vote before Congress adjourns for the end of the year.

We don’t have the background or expertise to make an educated guess about how that vote will go, nor do we have a crystal ball to make an informed one. All we can do is hope. The fate of tens of thousands of servicemembers, as well as the collective dignity of our community, is in the hands of people who have virtually no incentive to help us, and many of whom actually have an (electoral) incentive to hurt us. It’s entirely possible that this will end like it almost always has for us: in defeat. But if it doesn’t, won’t that be incredible? A miracle, even?

GAY FACEBOOK:

Mark Zuckerberg is following in Google’s footsteps, and compensating his gay employees for the money they’re cheated out of by the federal government when it doesn’t recognize their partnerships as legally valid. Maybe someday the government will take the cue, too.

LESBIAN LAWSUIT:

Lesbian engineer Melissa Stampf was accused of sexual harassment and allegedly ‘groping the breast’ of a coworker; yesterday she successfully won her case claiming that no straight white male had been accused of the same thing in similar incidents. Stampf is believed to be the only Asian-American female engineer, and she was just awarded $480,000.

FEMALE MARINES:

Here’s a photo essay of the only all-female team of Marines in Afghanistan. Regardless of your feelings on the military or our engagement in Afghanistan, there’s something kind of brave and inspiring and heartening about them, no?

UGLY SWEATERS:

Christmas and Chanukah are okay, I guess, but let’s be real: winter is all about the ugly sweater parties. And much like the Mad Men-themed parties that you are probably also throwing, you fucking hipsters, you know that this is no time for screwing around, this shit is serious. Here is your guide to doing it properly. DON’T MESS IT UP or you might not get invited to the mustache party.

SEALS:

“They’re basically kittens that live in the ocean.” WE ARE ALL MADE OF SEALS.


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Rachel

Originally from Boston, MA, Rachel now lives in the Midwest. Topics dear to her heart include bisexuality, The X-Files and tacos. Her favorite Ciara video is probably "Ride," but if you're only going to watch one, she recommends "Like A Boy." You can follow her on twitter and instagram.

Rachel has written 1141 articles for us.

36 Comments

  1. Don’t click on the ugly sweater link and scroll down. You’ll see that stupid article called Does Girl-on-Girl Kissing Count as Cheating? and it will ruin your Sunday Funday. Think of the seals.

      • I don’t speak the french, but I’m sure what terracottatoes said was: Much like a filthy mouthy Midas everything I say turns to solid sexy gold.

      • there is french being spoken on autostraddle, i approve wholeheartedly. and quebequois slang, which is really cute.
        (and i sometimes make double entendres without noticing too. english is twisted. Or french minds, idk)

  2. OMG YOU GUYS THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS POST BUT YOU ALL NEED TO KNOW THAT THERE’S A DARIA MARATHON ON LOGO RIGHT NOW.

  3. #58 appears to be pretty satisfied with itself. #62/#93/#99 is what i felt like today after 3 bowls of soup. i love the seals!

    • “Otter people” vs. “seal people” is the aquatic version of “dog people” vs. “cat people”.

  4. regardless of the fact that they conflated seals and sea lions together in this thing (when in fact they are two very distinct species), this is still the effing cutest thing i’ve ever seen. they should probs show slides of this while the senate debates the DADT repeal

  5. “Stampf is believed to be the only Asian-American female engineer.”

    That seems incredibly unlikely to me. (OK, I read the article: the only Asian-American female *locomotive* engineer, this seems slightly more probably but still seems like it should have been followed with a phrase like “working for Long Island Rail” or something.)

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