feminist blogs

Same-sex marriage is now LEGAL in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to all couples who are finally able to tie the knot, and thank you to the D.C. politicians who voted in favor of equality.

In case anyone hasn't heard, when you sit down to watch the Superbowl on February 7th, you might have to prepare yourself to watch an anti-choice commercial. Though CBS has never allowed "issue ads" to air in the past, somehow Focus on the Family was able to get through. The ad will feature University of Florida football star Tim Tebow.

I'm betting the ad won't blatantly say "pro-life," and that's partly why it was accepted. Anti-choice activists like to use deceitful tactics to trick people into visiting their websites and their fake clinics. I predict the ad will be a hokey message of "let's celebrate family and babies because WHO DOESN'T LOVE BABIES?!" type of deal. Fast-forward to clueless Superbowl viewers saying, "Well, uh, I think family's important... and I like babies... hot damn, I'm gonna visit FocusOnTheFamily.com right now!"

And FocusOnTheFamily.com is no site to be taken lightly. Enjoy some excerpts from the stuff they're preaching:

[From the section on sexuality]

Boys and Girls Are Different:

God made boys and girls different in order for both to become lifegivers. When you are older and married, you may someday have children. Girls have babies — boys don't. Girls have the ability as they get older to birth babies. A baby is a gift from God and grows in the womb in Mom's tummy.

Affirm Your Child's Gender:

"Isn't it great to be a girl!" "What a strong boy you are." These messages affirm your child's gender identity. Do not (even jokingly ) put down or make fun of your child's gender. "What a baby" or "What a sissy" does not help your young son. Affirm your daughter's unique beauty. Let her know how special she is, particularly in Daddy's eyes.

Babies Come from God — They Should Be the Result Only of Marital Love:

Babies are all made by God. This is why we protect their life right from the beginning. How do babies come into the world? The best way for a baby to come in to the world is through the love of a married man and woman. Sadly, this doesn't happen all the time. However, God's best plan is for a baby to be born with a mother and father that are married.

[From the section on "How We Dishonor God in Our Sex Lives"]

The Challenge of Homosexuality

Male and female are not cultural constructs but God-created parts of humanity made for each other to show forth the image of God in the world. Remember Genesis 1:27: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them."

Male and female, together, are the fullest picture of the image of God in creation. That's why they need each other. Adam wasn't complete without Eve.

Homosexuality denies this and falsely states that differences in male and female don't really matter. Nothing could be further from the truth. Homosexuality violates the Trinitarian image of complementarity in a profound way.

[From the section on Transgenderism]

We call upon all parents to take a proactive role in their children's development by providing them with a strong, Christian example of what it means to be male and female. Many of the problems associated with transgenderism, like confusion and pain, stem from a lack of parental involvement and guidance.

These people not only preach an anti-choice agenda, but also promote anti-feminist values that include reinforcing gender roles and justifying hatred against queer people. They call premarital sex a "monstrosity" and fully support the harmful practice of putting those with same-sex attractions in counseling to "fix" them. This is a dangerous site, and I worry about the consequences of exposing nearly 100 million people to it.

But of course, reproductive rights activists and feminists are not letting this slide. There are a number of online petitions you can sign and forms you can fill out to contact CBS, including one on the Feminist Majority Foundation site. I'm not sure if CBS will end up pulling the ad (I mean, $2.8 million is a lot of moo-lah), but it couldn't hurt to tell them that we're pissed off that they're allowing this. In your message, try to include some of Focus on the Family's other harmful ideals, such as their stance against LGBTQ people, and Tweet/Facebook/blog about it. We'll see what happens come February 7th.

It's been widely known that Meghan McCain, John McCain's outspoken daughter, is a proud supporter of same-sex marriage. She even posed in an advertisement for the "NO H8" campaign against Prop 8 in California.



And nowwww... Cindy McCain, John McCain's wife, has decided to pose for the campaign as well.



I'm very surprised that Cindy so publicly supports marriage equality. The NO H8 Campaign website posted the images and announced that Cindy and Meghan are "redefining Republican." Despite my disagreement with many of their political views and my dislike for John McCain, I really respect their willingness to go against the grain by speaking in favor of a political view that is so unpopular within the Republican party (and with John McCain himself).

I think this is an important step in the right direction, to where eventually LGBTQ rights won't be a political debate, but a given. If two of the country's most well-known Republicans can recognize that denying rights to same-sex couples is a form of hatred and discrimination, surely others can as well.

I stumbled across a Top 10 Most Bizarre Sex Ed Videos list at Ranker.com, and wow. Compared to some of these creepy and outdated videos from 50 or so years ago, even abstinence-only education doesn't seem that bad.

My favorite was the video that tried to educate children on "the homosexual," usually an older mentally disturbed man who picks up little boys in his car and drives them to motels to force sex on them. It warns the viewer: "One never knows when the homosexual is about. He may appear normal." Shudder.

I hope everyone had/is having a fabulous holiday! I haven't been able to write a post in a few days because of the festivities, but here's what's been going on:

• With more and more people becoming aware of the fact that abstinence-only programs do not work, supporters of the no-sex-until-marriage curriculum in schools are looking for its revival in the health care bill.


• Both pro-choice and anti-choice activists are displeased with the final Senate version of the health care bill.


• Sarah Thomas has become the first woman ever to referee a college football bowl game.


• Mexico City has legalized adoption and marriage rights for same-sex couples.


• Jill of I Blame the Patriarchy wrote a post yesterday about an anti-feminist blog run by a husband and wife team, called The Art of Manliness. Eesh.


• Cara of Feministe sheds light on the sexual trafficking of Native American women.


• Check out Racialicious for commentary on the new Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog.


• It isn't just the painful phrase "no homo!" that is becoming prominent in pop culture, but its counterpart "no lesbo!" as well. Commence banging head against wall.

Watch Rachel Maddow take on one of those "gay people can become straight with therapy!" nuts. It's awesome.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

New York State Senate Votes Down Gay Marriage Bill.

My heart just broke.

Governor Carcieri, of Rhode Island, has decided that "domestic partners" can't be buried next to each other, i.e. same-sex couples.

"This bill represents a disturbing trend over the past few years of the incremental erosion of the principles surrounding traditional marriage, which is not the preferred way to approach this issue," said Carcieri.

Are you serious?

As some of you might have heard, rumors were flying that the state senate was supposed to vote yesterday on whether or not to consider legalizing same-sex marriage in New York. As a proud New Yorker, I was hoping for the best. Unfortunately, the senate got caught up with budget-related issues and didn't get to vote on the marriage bill.

But, according to Governor Paterson, the bill should be voted on by the end of the year. So, if you're a New Yorker, please please visit the Human Rights Campaign's website to send a message to our senators and encourage them to vote in favor of same-sex marriage in New York!

Yesterday, in a move that resembled the famous Prop 8 debate in California, voters in Maine decided to repeal the state's new law that allowed same-sex marriage.

I was horrified when I heard this. It's to the point where I'm so hesitant to celebrate any small victories or any states gained or rights earned because part of me knows that there is a good chance that someone will take it away from us.

A friend of mine who was particularly upset about this said, "We're supposed to be moving forwards, not backwards." Unfortunately, the process of gaining equality is a painstakingly slow one. While we are pushing forwards, there will always be people trying to shove us backwards. We have so many battles to fight.

The only comfort I can take is in the fact that I know we are the ones who are right in this situation. I know that technically, opinions can't be wrong, which is true... but this is so much more than just, "I have this opinion, and you have your opinion." Opponents of same-sex marriage promote hatred, close-mindedness, and discrimination. That is wrong. And I believe that eventually, though it might take some time, justice will prevail. I have enough faith in this country to know that one day, the good, the just, and the right side will triumph.

Until then, hang in there, my loves <3