Pride

I missed the Pride Parade this year; family obligations. Beyond all the partying and bravado, up until now, the parade has been a celebration of the right to kiss and hold hands in public, and not be bothered in private. Pretty basic.

Marriage? Many corporations, the kind where people really want to work, rather than just put in hours, already offer partner and dependent benefits. The real challenge is the tax code -- married/single/dependents? Do we susidize, via current tax credits, a belief system that having 15 children is a good thing?

Going to the Dogs

I've always been more attracted to dogs than cats.

That is, until I started living in urban areas where dogs, and more specifically, their feces, have taken over all the green space and too much of the sidewalk. You can't lie in a grassy park without lying in dog crap. Every sidewalk tree basin becomes a disgusting toilet bowl.

Oh sure, the responsible owners pick up after their dogs. But there's still a disgusting residue. There are so many dogs, that even if only one out of ten owners were irresponsible, it's still alot of crap everywhere.

I used to be shocked and annoyed at the amount of money spent on pets, when after all, our pets enjoy more luxuries than most of the world's humans. I currently rationalize that owning a pet is more environmentally sound than having children -- that is, a dog, cat, or even a horse, consumes fewer resources than the typical American child. So let them spend ridiculous amounts of money on their pets. Just figure out a way to prevent them from smearing feces across the public space. At least the irresponsible parent who throws a diaper out the car window leaves a neat plastic-wrapped bundle of crap.

Transparency

Trying to remember my first acquaintance with trannies (ahem: transvestite/cross-dresser,transexual/sex-change,
transgender/politicallycorrect-non-sexual reference), I came up with:
Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side"
The Kink's "Lola"
Violent Femmes "big hands, I know you're the one" (like a "Blister in the Sun")

Now, walk three blocks from my apartment, and chances are you'll run into, if not be propositioned by, women with curiously manly properties (as well as women with womanly properties curiously on display). Sex change surgery ain't cheap and there are plenty of carnival tourists willing to pay for rare adventures.

Just when you thought it was safe for anyone to walk the streets, the Gwen Araujo murder was a grim reminder that the Bay Area has nothin' on the Midwest when it comes to violent clashes over lifestyle.

Transgender Dylan Vade says you shouldn't have to describe your genitals to potential dates. Sure, waving your genitals can be a recipe for ridicule. But the Gwen Araujo murder should serve as more than a transgender tragedy. This is a tragedy of young males grappling with their identities. In some circles, manhood is proven by physical aggression, or even violence (rarely by genital waving). In an ideal culture, adult role models demonstrate how to responsibly separate anger from violent action. Unfortunately, in the real world, sometimes physical aggression, violence, and murder rules, with authority figure rationalization -- often to the detriment of a just and civil society.

p.s. The Horizons Foundation has set up a fund for educating adolescents about transgender issues. Will this play in Peoria?

Let there be BLOG

...and so the web was filled with drivel, spewing forth from undisciplined minds.