The Realities of Jessica Jones

I wanted today to be a nice, light-hearted discussion of a return to our roots. I was gonna talk about why this blog exists, why I keep going despite all the problems, etc., and I was even going to talk about the new Facebook page (can be found here or linked on the right) where I share so much more that comes through my Facebook feed. But instead, I’m going to be talking about something depressing. Part of this is because I’ve been dealing with some severe depression the past week and barely even want to write today, but as I told a friend this past week who was asking for blog advice, even when you don’t want to write, that is sometimes the best time to do so.

1950s Style, 2070s Values

As some of you may have guessed, I’m off from classes all week so I’m doing Fallout related posts every day. Good times for all. Today, I want to tackle another major argument that people often have in response to the outcry over the forced heterosexual opening. Specifically, I want to address the 1950s aesthetic that is prevalent in the Fallout universe, and more importantly, why that argument doesn’t extend to the values of the people in the 2070s leading up to the apocalypse.

Heterosexual Fallout

Okay folks, today, I’m going to tackle a touchy subject. You’ve probably guessed from the title of this post that I’m going to talk about the whole forced heterosexuality at the start of Fallout 4. Thing is, that’s only going to be part of it. What I’m actually going to address is the fallout (pun intended) that has come about because of discussions over it. See, here’s the thing, it’s reached such epic levels, that even discussing it now has become a reason for someone to be attacked.

A Good Day

Hey all. Today’s gonna be a short post as I’m not feeling well, but I did want to mention the news of the Supreme Court decision legalizing marriage equality in all 50 states and all US territories earlier this morning. While this is a good thing, long time readers already know my stance on the whole marriage equality fight: it really only helps the more privileged members of the LGBT community, and that there are more important issues to be fought for. One such issue is employment non-discrimination, another is the treatment of queer detainees. These are issues that I hope the queer rights movement will fight for using the momentum of today’s success, though I suspect they will instead push for trans military service, based on what I’ve been reading lately. While that is an issue that would benefit me and many other trans veterans, it is still benefiting a relatively privileged group. We can’t keep doing this kind of “trickle down activism” where we focus on what the most privileged members of our community want. We need to instead do “trickle up activism,” focusing on the needs of the most disenfranchised for the betterment of all. That’s what Transendent Lives is all about, and something I will continue fighting for. And next week, I will resume the fight. But for now, I’m going to go lie down. Have a good week everyone.

Marriage Equality is For All

I’ve said it before, marriage equality is a trans issue. Matt Kailey has said it’s a trans issue. Monica Roberts has discussed how it becomes an issue for trans people. Whatever your views on it (and the three of us have different views on the same issue), we can all agree that it does affect trans people.

Unfortunately, as Monica points out, it doesn’t always affect us in a positive way. Sometimes, it affects us negatively. Sometimes, the conflicts between organizations and groups become even more pronounced over this issue. Take for example the Human Rights Campaign’s recent push to have people change their Facebook profile pictures to a red version of the HRC equality symbol. I’ve known a number of trans folk who got up in arms over it (myself included, once awake enough to remember their history) and refused to do so, choosing instead other symbols to share our support of marriage equality without supporting HRC.

Why all the infighting? Well, Monica summed it up pretty well a few years back, but unfortunately, this conflict continues still today. In fact, it’s been blowing up social media feeds since yesterday over an incident that supposedly occurred wherein HRC members told some of the activists to take down the trans pride flag. This is agreed upon by everyone, though there is some disagreements about whether or not the HRC reps told them that “marriage equality is not a transgender issue.”

I don’t know what really happened, I wasn’t there, but I wonder where this rumor came from if it did not in fact happen. People on the scene did say that the trans activists were asked numerous times to remove their flag, and the HRC doesn’t deny this part, only that the phrase was uttered. Did HRC reps say it? I don’t know, only the people there really know. But what I do know is that such incidents continue to throw fuel on the fire of hatred between the two groups. If it happened, then the HRC reps are doing so. If it didn’t happen, then the people responsible for starting this rumor are the ones continuing the hatred.

Is there an easy answer? Unfortunately, yes and no. It’s easy to say but not so easy to do. We need to learn to set aside all the pettiness, from both sides, and work together. That’s hard to do. I can forgive, but I will never forget, and many others hold such a mindset. Unfortunately, that means that we’re always on guard against getting back-stabbed or thrown under the bus again. And that prevents us from working effectively together.

Is marriage equality the be-all-end-all that so many gay-rights activists make it out to be? No, far from it. And I hope that once this is all resolved in a few months, that we can begin working on real issues, like jobs, healthcare, and an end to laws that prevent us doing such things as voting or using the restrooms. Because having a family doesn’t mean anything if you can’t support them or take them out in public as equals.

Heteronormativity – Affecting Queer and Feminist Spaces Too?

So about a week ago, as I was getting ready for school in the morning, I got to thinking about the Bechdel Test. More specifically, I got to wondering if it actually works for lesbian films, books, and other media.

For those unfamiliar with the Bechdel Test, it’s a brief measure applied to fiction to see how women are represented within. It was created by Alison Bechdel, author of Dykes to Watch Out For, and it goes without saying that she is herself a lesbian. In order to pass the Bechdel Test, a work of fiction must have three parts:
1.) There are two women
2.) Who talk to each other
3.) About something other than men.

Marriage Equality, Chick-Fil-A, and Trans Rights

There’s a lot going on in the news the last few days so this one is gonna be a bit long.

A little over a week ago, the Jim Henson Company posted a statement on their Facebook page (which you can read in the photo to the left) basically stating that they will no longer work with Chick-Fil-A due to said companies views on homosexuality and marriage equality (or gay marriage, or same sex marriage, or same gender marriage, there’s always some other term for it). Ever since then, there’s been an uproar of photos made supporting the decision made and attacking Chick-Fil-A. The thing is, Chick-Fil-A being homophobic isn’t new, but they’re basically only now admitting to it. In the past, they’ve made donations to various religious groups that are listed as homophobic hate groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Last week, they finally came out and said that they believe in marriage as one man and one woman.