Friday, June 26, 2015

Friday Links (rainbow connections edition!)

It's Friday! It's not just Queer Pride Month, this is Queer Pride Weekend (at least in many places, including my home, Seattle)! Tomorrow, June 27th, is the anniversary of the Stonewall Riot, which most credit as the beginning of the modern gay right's movement, which is why most folks in the U.S. celebrate June of Pride Month and why so many Pride Parades happen on the last weekend of the month.

It's time for every les-bi-gay, transgender, genderqueer, femme, butch, stud, stem, glittering fairy, cycle mama, leather daddy, drag king, queer nerd, gym bunny, baby dyke, cuddle pup, drag queen, bear, wolf, otter, twink, single, swinger, couple, trouple, PolyFamily, anyone I left out, and everyone who loves any of the above to step out and get down in the Pride Bash Extravaganza!

(Remember, you don't have to be queer to celebrate it. Know someone who's queer and want them to have a happy life? Then you can join the party!)

Anyway, here is a collection of some of the things that I ran across over the course of the week which struck me as worthy of being shared. Sorted into categories with headings so you can skip more easily:

Link of the Week


UPDATE: BREAKING: Supreme Court Rules Same-Sex Marriage To Be Law Of The Land Nationwide In Historic Ruling.

Same-Sex Marriage Is a Right, Supreme Court Rules, 5-4.

This week in Justice:


Jury finds that anti-LGBTQ “ex-gay therapy” is a total fraud.

With All Eyes on Marriage, Gays Just Won Another Enormous Legal Victory.

Supreme Court Allows Nationwide Health Care Subsidies.

In Fair Housing Act Case, Supreme Court Backs 'Disparate Impact' Claims.

SCOTUS Decision in FHA Case Reinforces Critical Tool To Address Housing Discrimination.

Police Cannot Arrest You For Watching and Criticizing Them from a Distance In Washington State.

This Week in Queer(ish) History


Cops Raid Gay Bar. What Happened Next Changed History.

Every American should know about the largest mass murder of gay people in US history. Media reaction to the 1973 mass killing at Upstairs Lounge reflected society's views on homosexuality.

The Case of the Sultry Mountie: Doing Family History Queerly.

The Long, Winding Path of Same-Sex Marriage.

John Waters Says He Never Actually Came Out As Gay Because Nobody Asked.

How One Army Vet Designed The Iconic Symbol Of The Gay Rights Movement. Though I've read about (and written about) Gilbert Baker, design of the Pride Flag before, this is the first time I've ever seen a picture of the man himself.

Political/culture war news:


California Judge Throws Out Ballot Initiative Calling For Execution Of Gay People.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only anti-equality initiative filed in California this year: LGBT Coalition Forms To Fight Horrific Anti-Transgender Ballot Initiative In California.

No Matter What the Supreme Court Decides, the Fight for LGBT Equality Isn’t Over.

Catholic Church Sends Warning Letter to Australian Businesses Supporting Marriage Equality, and No One Cares.

Satanic Temple Will File Federal Lawsuit Against Missouri Abortion Laws.

Conservatives Demanding 'Fascist, Anti-Christian' Gay Pride Flag Be Taken Down. Right... and exactly when, in history, did Gay people enslave non-gays, buying a selling them, ripping them from their families, and then declaring a war the resulted in the deaths of 300,000 americans to try to keep their right to enslave?

Though the Wonkette's headline is even better: Oppressed Wingnuts: Please Stop Lynching Us With Gay Rainbow Flag!

Atlanta Gay Man Bashed With Bat While Helping Change a Flat Tire.

Transgender Teen Killed In Mississippi.

Jon Stewart doesn’t give a damn anymore: Why the “Daily Show” host has never been more watchable.

Why Christians Aren't Being Oppressed By Gay Marriage.

Science!


Kennewick Man Was Native American; DNA Analysis Confirms What Tribes Said All Along.

DARPA: We Are Engineering the Organisms That Will Terraform Mars.

70-Year-Old Tree Cut Down in NYC Will be Cloned and Planted Again.

Spooky Physics Phenomenon May Link Universe's Wormholes.

Ancient Human With 10 Percent Neanderthal Genes Found.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!


Interview: David Gerrold.

An open letter to the WSFS about unintended consequences.

This Week in Love vs Racism


Combating My Racism.

Because I Would Otherwise Scream.

This Week in Racism


The Confederate Flag Doesn't Commemorate the South's ‘Lost Cause'—It's the Symbol of a Cause Won.

Not a Tea Party, a Confederate Party.

How long will we let conservatives write off Republican racism as a coincidence?

Why I Can’t Forgive Dylann Roof.

How White Christians Used The Bible -- And Confederate Flag -- To Oppress Black People.

Republicans have firm rules for fighting terrorism—unless it’s committed by domestic racists.

Michael Moore Nails Every Racist, War-Mongering, Pseudo-Christian, RW Gun Extremist - In One Tweet.

The Key Thing Conservatives Don’t Get About Obama’s Use Of ‘N*****’.

Just Putting These Here So They Can Be Part of the Permanent Record.

Fox News Race Experts So Mad Obama Allowed To Use N-Word And They Aren’t.

Burning the Flag: This is one of the hardest things I’ve ever written. It may cost me readers, and it may cost me friends.

This Week in Sexism


John Oliver shows how trolls have turned the internet into a nightmare for women.

News for queers and our allies:


The New Law That Would Outlaw LGBT Discrimination Everywhere.

My Whole Life I've Been Asked If I'm a Girl or a Boy.

What same-sex marriage reform could mean for the LGBT youths of America.

Op-ed: I'm Gay, Not Trans, and That's OK.

These Black Trans Couples' Stories Tug At Our Heartstrings.

An Island With Only 48 Residents And No Gay Couples Just Legalized Same-Sex Marriage.

Reclaiming the spirit of Pride.

Allah Made Me Muslim; Allah Made Me Queer.

On choosing pronouns and embracing ‘queer’.

Everyone is sharing this special engagement notice from today’s Irish Times.

How ‘Twin Peaks’ helped one queer teen find himself.

I was a family man in my 50s when I finally came out of the closet.

What The Hell Do Butch And Femme Even Mean Anymore?

'Cisgender' Added to Oxford English Dictionary.

The obligatory Sad Puppies/Hugo Awards update:


BREAKFAST OF BULLSHIT: FUTUREPHOBIA, THE HUGOS AND THE INVENTION OF SF’S PAST.

Silence is Support.

Farewells:


The two-time Oscar winner, 61, worked on three James Cameron films, two 'Star Trek' movies and classics like 'A Beautiful Mind,' 'Field of Dreams' and 'Apollo 13.'.

Patrick Macnee, Star of ‘The Avengers,’ Dies at 93.

Things I wrote:


Who raised the kid?.

“I can’t be a bigot, because…”.

Oppressed oppressors, part 3.

What’s there to be proud about?

Savage Heroics and Barbaric Eroticism – more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!


Magic Mike XXL - Matt Bomer sings 'Heaven':



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Leonard Nimoy reads Isaac Asimov's 'The Last Question':



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Asimov said of all the stories he wrote, this was his favorite. And he said the story had “the strangest effect on my readers. Frequently someone writes to ask me if I can give them the name of a story, which they ‘think’ I may have written, and tell them where to find it. They don’t remember the title but when they describe the story it is invariably ‘The Last Question.'”


He said people wrote and asked him so often, and the story they were trying to remember was always this one. So one time when he got a phone call that was clearly an international call on a bad connection (which we had to put up with back in those days), he could barely understand the person, but he thought he caught the phrase, "don't remember the title." So Isaac said, "I yelled into the phone, 'the name of the story you can't remember is The Last Question!'" Then he repeated it, in case the person couldn't understand. The line was just static for a moment, he heard, "thank you" and the person hung up. "So now he probably thinks I'm psychic."

The Golden Girls on Marriage Equality:



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What's the Definition of "Traditional Marriage"?:



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Show Me Your Pride - By Miss Coco Peru - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:



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Benny - Little Game (Official Video):



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Conchita Wurst - You Are Unstoppable:



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Tove Lo - Timebomb:



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Friday, June 19, 2015

Friday Links (toxic bigotry week)

It's Friday! It's the third Friday in June. Happy Queer Pride Month! I had planned on calling this week's Friday Links something like "adorable octopus edition" but there is way too much serious and depressing news, and I left a lot of it out!

Anyway, here is a collection of some of the things that I ran across over the course of the week which struck me as worthy of being shared. Sorted into categories with headings so you can skip more easily:

Link of the Week


They published this op-ed about 36 hours before the Charleston shootings: The Other Terror Threat: the main terrorist threat in the United States is not from violent Muslim extremists, but from right-wing extremists.

Science!


Gun owners not likely to use firearms for self-defense, study claims.

The Little Boy Who Should’ve Vanished, But Didn’t.

Gravity --"The Clue to the Dark, Quantum World of Our Universe."

Tiny Octopus Is So Cute Scientists Might Name It ‘Adorabilis.’

The Oldest Depiction of the Universe Was Made in 1600 BCE.

Does a black hole create a hologram copy of anything that touches it?

This really belongs under an Anti-Science headline, but: 5 completely insane things Christian fundamentalists are teaching their kids.

Gay moths? London museum gives insects ‘gender treatment’ to protect artifacts.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Giant Cell Arteritis Correlated with Solar Cycles.

General relativity explains why Schrodinger's cat is alive.

Remembering Clyde Tombaugh on Pluto's doorstep.

Helium-Shrouded Planets May Be Common around Other Stars in Our Galaxy.

Cosmic ray observatory to explore hotspot.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!


Terry Pratchett’s Daughter Says Discworld Is Over.

SORRY, GAME OF THRONES: IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME.

Mad Max: Fury Road Makes Your Rape Arguments Invalid.

Thousands Of Gay Geeks Unite At Flame Con, New York’s First LGBT Comic Con.

Political/culture war news:


Opinion: Washington needs to tell the truth about police violence.

Why There's No Conservative Jon Stewart.

The GOP Needs a War on Christianity.

John Oliver and Helen Mirren debunk U.S. torture practices: “The reason so many of us believe that torture works is that it does—on TV”.

Donald Trump Campaign Offered Actors $50 to Cheer for Him at Presidential Announcement.

Caitlyn Jenner and Rachel Dolezal: Clash of identity and authenticity.

"Shit's Gonna Hit the Fan": Talking to a Billionaire About Class War.

#NoMoreBushes trends on Twitter as Jeb Bush announces he will run for president.

This Week in Racism


Too often we give lots of press to the hateful killers who commit these crimes, when we should be remembering the victims. There are pictures of each of the nine people killed in the church in Charleston, with some biographical details. I needed more than one kleenex: These Are The Victims Of The Charleston Church Shooting.

Why Recognizing The Charleston Church Shooting As An Act Of Racially Motivated Terrorism Is Only The First Step.

Police Search For Man Suspected Of Killing 9 At South Carolina Church.

For Charleston’s Emanuel A.M.E. Church, shooting is another painful chapter in rich history.

Is South Carolina Just Gonna Fly That Confederate Flag Today or What?

"he just said 'I have to do it. You rape our women and you're taking over our country. And you have to go.'"

An Emotional Stewart Drops the Comedy to Talk Charleston: ‘We Still Won’t Do Jackshit.’

Shot fired into Saint Matthew Church in Memphis.

Tip from Kings Mountain florists led to Charleston shooting suspect's arrest. Not just a tip: she called police from her car and kept following him, giving police updates along the way!

Larry Wilmore smacks down Rachel Dolezal: “Sorry lady, you are white, you don’t get an opinion on this. This is not a Buzzfeed quiz”.

Rachel Dolezal Isn't the Most Important Race Story in Spokane: The Media Circus over One Woman Is Distracting from the Underlying Issues That Need Addressing.

This Week in Sexism


How Tor Books Threw Its Women Employees Under The Bus.

Forget Redefining Beauty: This Fat Chick Just Wants Some Nice Clothes.

News for queers and our allies:


This Trans Man's Breast Cancer Nightmare Exemplifies The Problem With Transgender Health Care.

Daddy Issues - After years of thinking my father couldn't understand his gay son, I was surprised to find he accepted me in ways I never could have imagined possible.

What Religious People Actually Think About Using ‘Religious Liberty’ To Justify Anti-Gay Discrimination. 59 percent of white mainline Protestants, 63 percent of non-white Protestants, and 64 percent of Catholics reject "religious liberty" bills.

'Oranges, Baby Powder, Handcuffs And Duct Tape': Inside The Trial That May End The Gay 'Cure'.

Southern Baptist Manual Offers Suggestions on How to Get Around LGBT Anti-Discrimination Laws. Because, obviously, Jesus wants them to disobey the law and discriminate against their neighbors. Because when he said "love your neighbor as you love yourself" he didn't mean literally love them...

You Have Two Men To Thank For The Greatest Strides In LGBT Representation On TV.

Gay Marriage Isn’t About Assimilation. My Engagement Was a Radical Act.

Don't Listen To Same-Sex Marriage Foes: It Was Always About Hating On The Gays.

California attorney general moves to dismiss ‘shoot the gays’ ballot proposal.

'As a Christian, I am Sorry:' Evangelical Pastor's Reflections on Attending First Pride Parade.

Southern Baptist President Bravely Pledges Resistance Against Non-Existent Forced-Marriage Threat.

'Israel wouldn't be able to "pinkwash" the oppression of Palestinians if the Palastinian Authority and the other Muslim nations that surround Israel treated their gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender citizens at least as well as or better than Israel treats its own sexual minorities. The treatment of LGBT people in the Arab/Muslim world is "barbaric, anti-gay, and backwards"—that's not Israeli spin, that's a fact. If you think "pinkwashing" is wrong—if you think it's actually a thing—then you shouldn't just be calling for a boycott of Israel. You should be calling for better treatment of LGBT people in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and what's left of Syria.'

How Schools Justify Canceling Valedictorian Speeches About Coming Out.

Meet Ryan Anderson, The Anti-LGBT 'Scholar' Peddling Junk Science To National Media.

What Are the Sounds of Transphobic Dinosaurs Dying?

Richard Land Bigotsplains Why Acceptance of Gay Rights is Growing.

Black gay men face shocking bigotry.

MARRIAGE NEWS WATCH: 1. The president doesn’t get to veto Supreme Court rulings. 2. Rick Santorum will never be president.

The obligatory Sad Puppies/Hugo Awards update:


Infoxicated Corner: ALL THESE THINGS ARE TRUE: Saumya Arya Haas. "It is true. As in many SF/F tales, a world is at risk. The world of “tradition,” the world where straight, cis, white guys are the inheritors of the throne, the world where women and minorities have their identities dictated and blunted by a dominant narrative: that world is gravely at risk."

The "Heinlein Couldn't Win a Hugo Today" crowd is now boycotting Heinlein's publisher.

Puppies Crying Bitter Tears.

The Blending Puppies.

I am a real person and I stand with Irene Gallo.

Final Words on #Hugowank.

Thoughts on toxic bigotry.

And other news:


JACKASS OF THE WEEK: CHRISTOPHER MIMS.

Happy News!


Christian Homeowner Threatens Neighbor Over 'Relentlessly Gay' Rainbow Yard Lamps, Because Children; Homeowner Promises More Rainbows. "Needless to say... I need more rainbows... Many, many more rainbows…."

Pete Buttigieg, Mayor Of South Bend, Indiana, Comes Out As Gay.

Meet The First Gay Couple To Graduate Together From The Boston Police Academy.

Boy Who Lost Stuffed Tiger At Airport Finds Tiger Stayed Very Busy.

Things I wrote:


Hugo Ballot Reviews: Novella.

Sincerely (up) yours,.

Hugo Ballot Reviews: Graphic Story.

The Best Kind of Books Are Magic Books – more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!


THICK THIGHS by Willam feat. Latrice Royale:



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How Much Would it Cost to Build Jurassic Park?:



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Thousands drawn to Indy Pride Parade:



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Curious otter pup:



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Long After You're Gone: A Leverage Tribute:



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Greg Holden - Boys In The Street (Official Music Video):



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Friday, June 12, 2015

Friday Links (baby small-clawed otters edition)

It's Friday! The the second Friday in June. Happy Queer Pride Month! It's been a grueling week, though the difficulties of each day have been very different. I really need this weekend!

Anyway, here is a collection of some of the things that I ran across over the course of the week which struck me as worthy of being shared. Sorted into categories with headings so you can skip more easily:

Link of the Week


Alyssa Wong: "No, Short Fiction Isn't Too Short to Include Diversity."

Science!


The Surprising Reason Why Some People Smile More.

Endangered otters make comeback in Sweden.

Five Weeks to Pluto: The Strange Discovery of Planet X and a World Like No Other (Part 2).

Mystery on Mercury: Strange Pattern of Huge Cliffs Defy Explanation.

Supernova prized by astronomers begins to fade from view.

Monstrous Galaxy Spotted Near The Edge of the Universe.

Saturn's biggest ring just got BIGGER: New image reveals it is 20 times larger than any other ring in the solar system.

Alaska researchers may use drones to study otters.

Political/culture war news:


Dennis Hastert Apparently Had Sex With Male Students. Does That Make Him Gay?

Pope Creates Tribunal To Judge Bishop Child Sex Abuse Cases.

When the Therapist Is a Quack. Bad headline: any therapist offering gay cures is a quack. Period. Every single medical and psychiatric association has said so.

GOP Calls for 'All Hell Breaking Loose' Over Gay Marriage, Because 'God'.

Hillary shocker: Who needs Elizabeth Warren? Clinton unleashes inner liberal, media freaks out.

Michael Slager, Cop Who Fatally Shot Walter Scott In South Carolina, Indicted For Murder.

5 reasons George W. Bush is still one of the worst presidents ever.

Indiana’s ‘Religious Freedom’ law is already hilariously backfiring.

Liberals Make Big Comeback in 2015, Poll Analysis Finds.

How to Tell the Difference Between an Open-Carry Patriot and a Deranged Killer.

Rand Paul Caught Trying to Use Fake Quote from Founding Father to Justify His Ignorance.

Michigan Senate OKs bills allowing adoption agencies to deny LGBT parents.

Ben Carson: Gay Rights Aren't Civil Rights Because Gay People Don't Have Separate Water Fountains.

Libertarianism is for white men: The ugly truth about the right’s favorite movement. Wait, you're just now figuring this out?

This Week in Racism


On Fox News: A White Sexual Abuser Was “Curious” But A Black Victim Of Police Abuse “Was No Saint."

What determines if a murder case gets solved? Race.

This Week in Sexism


#Distractinglysexy Twitter campaign mocks Tim Hunt's sexist comments.

Abortion rights leader’s pregnancy surprises opponents: ‘Is that real?'

Woman Charged With Murder For Taking The Abortion Pill [UPDATED].

News for queers and our allies:


Conservative British MP Comes Out, Announces Wedding to Secret Partner of 29 Years.

Why we still need our gay bars.

How The Nonreligious 'Nones' Are Driving LGBT Equality in the U.S.

Straight talk on gay marriage: Even if gay marriage becomes legal, it will not be compulsory.

Evangelical Christian Leaders Are Taking Baby Steps Toward LGBT Acceptance.

Tony Campolo Calls for Full Inclusion of Gay & Lesbian Christians.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE’S NOTHING LEFT TO SAY ABOUT MARRIAGE.

16-YEAR-OLD ADAM KIZER'S DEATH DRAWS ATTENTION TO BULLYING, SUICIDE EPIDEMIC AMONG BISEXUAL TEENS.

Archivists Recover ‘Lost’ 1961 TV Documentary on Homosexuality.

Why the military depends on gay and lesbian troops.

Murders of LGBT and HIV-positive people in the US rise 11% in 2014.

An Updated Graphic Guide to LGBTQ YA Literature for Pride Month.

"Midnighter" Is The Gay Comic Book You've Been Waiting For.

New Study Sheds Light on Problems Facing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Homeless Youth.

Dear Bigoted Couple Who Want To Divorce To Protest Gay Marriage….

The obligatory Sad Puppies/Hugo Awards update:


co-signed, strong letter to follow. Dara comments on the Irene Gallo situation and rounds up several other links that shed more light.

Tom Doherty Statement on Tor.com [fixed]. What Tor's publisher should have said.

Puppies in Their Own Words. I disagree with one of Jim's conclusions... but my disagreement deserves a blot post of its own.

The Revolution of Self-Righteous Dickery will Not Be Moderated.

Quantum Phenomenon That Existed in the Early Universe --"Evidence Observed".

How Tor failed Social Media 101.

Farewells:


Hermann Zapf, the font designer behind Palatino and Zapf Dingbats, has died at 96.

Christopher Lee dies at the age of 93.

Ron Moody, Who Delighted Audiences As Fagin In 'Oliver!' Dies.

Ornette Coleman, Composer and Saxophonist Who Rewrote the Language of Jazz, Dies at 85.

Gilbert Lewis, the Original King of Cartoons on 'Pee-Wee’s Playhouse,' Dies at 79.

Godzilla Actor Hiroshi Koizumi Dies at 88.

And other news:


Woman Asks Psychics to Connect With a Dead Sister Who Never Existed… and (Surprise!) They All Do.

Why Don’t Christian Writers Know Why People Really Leave Church?

Happy News!


3 Asian Small-Clawed Otters Born At Denver Zoo. And for a little more information: New mom Asha nurtures her baby otters at Denver Zoo.

Watch: John Waters gave the 2015 commencement address at RISD and CRUSHED IT.

http://www.alternet.org/media/collapse-rush-limbaughs-radio-empire.

Spy Beats Entourage at Box Office Because Women Don't Hate Themselves .

2015 Gale/LJ Library of the Year: Ferguson Municipal Public Library, MO, Courage in Crisis.

Things I wrote:


Two very different coming out stories, and a reflection on mine.

Putting the genie back in the bottle.

Hugo Ballot Reviews: Novelette.

The Moon Harshed My Mellow: more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!


冬至 Tooji –The Father Project:



"Tooji is a Norwegian artist. As a one year old boy, he came to Norway together with his mother, who fled from the authoritarian regime in Iran. Tooji became known in Norway when he won the national Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 and represented Norway in the international final of ESC in Azerbaijan with the song "Stay". In the autumn 2013 Tooji cut all ties to the Norwegian music industry and moved to Stockholm, Sweden. Toojis new song "Father" is Oslo Pride's official pride anthem for 2015."

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Three Otter Pups Born at Denver Zoo:



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Fly Over Dwarf Planet Ceres:



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Rachel Maddow - Franklin Graham's anti-gay banking protest backfires:



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Alan Colmes vs. Todd Starnes: Are Christians persecuted in US?:



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Prides - Messiah (2015):



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Aston Merrygold - Get Stupid (Official Video):



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Friday, June 5, 2015

Friday Links (run-away pig edition)

It's Friday! The first Friday in June. Happy Queer Pride Month! I'm still limping around a lot thanks to some torn ligaments in my ankle and foot. But I've been steadily improving (elevation and ice are my new best friends)!

Anyway, here is a collection of some of the things that I ran across over the course of the week which struck me as worthy of being shared. Sorted into categories with headings so you can skip more easily:

Link of the Week


Minnesota Cordially Invites You To Come Gay It Up With Your Hot Dish Husband.

Science!


New Images of Pluto from New Horizons Gradually Reveal More Detail.

ORIGAMI ROBOT FOLDS UP, SWIMS, DIGS, THEN DISSOLVES.

Ultraviolet study reveals surprises in comet coma.

Australian experiment confirms quantum theory weirdness.

Pluto and Its Moons Are Weirder Than We Thought.

Solved: The Riddle of the Nova of 1670.

What Will New Horizons See — and When?

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!


MIND MELD: Genre Awards: What are They Good for Anyway?

'Star Trek' actress Nichelle Nichols suffers stroke.

"Just this one teensy, tiny little change...".

Madeline Ashby: Fiction Writer and Futurist.

Nichelle Nichols Recovering From Stroke.

Political/culture war news:


SUPREME COURT REJECTS ARIZONA’S REQUEST TO REVIVE ANTI-IMMIGRANT LAW.

Thoughts on The Kipnis Clown Show and the Drama of University Life. "In other words, Kipnis wrote a sharp-tongued, one-dimensional caricature of university sexual assault and trigger warning activists at Northwestern. And they turned around and proved her one-dimensional caricature 100% right."

America’s grand historical deception: Why it pretends White Supremacy no longer exists.

Minnesota Woman Terrorizes Muslim Couple.

The Daily Show Blasts Media's Dismissive Coverage Of Sen. Bernie Sanders' 2016 Campaign.

Garbage collectors are more likely to die on the job than police patrol officers.

When “Religion” Is Just Bigotry.

Once Again, Mike Huckabee Proves That Republicans Don’t Know Anything About the Constitution.

The Real America. "Younger and/or foreign readers may not recall how big a role the alleged moral superiority of small-town America used to play in conservative politics (and still does, to some extent)..."

Imagine If Muslims Surrounded A Christian Church In The US With Assault Rifles During Prayer Time.

COLLEGE RUNNING BACK INDICTED ON HATE CRIME CHARGES FOR ASSAULTING GAY COUPLE HE SAW KISS ON THE STREET: VIDEO.

Pastor Tells Graduating High School Seniors They Will Go To Hell If They're Gay.

Yes, Bush helped create ISIS — and set up the Middle East for a generation of chaos.

Black family faces jail time for cheering teen at a Mississippi high school graduation.

Rick Santorum Wants Pope Francis To Stop Talking About Climate Change.

School kitchen manager: I was fired for giving lunches to hungry students.

You Can Be Prosecuted for Clearing Your Browser History.

Duggar Endorsements Disappear From Huckabee's Campaign Site. Imagine that...

This Week in Sexism


These 25 Examples of Male Privilege from a Trans Guy’s Perspective Really Prove the Point.

mad max – what is okay and what is not. "The single biggest thing I walked away with, though, was that the realisation that its philosophical assumption that women shouldn’t be sex slaves is what really caused the the misogynist/”manosphere”/return-of-kings crowd to explode."

The "Fake Geek" is Not The Problem When It Comes to "Fake Geek Girls" by Chris Brecheen. I think I linked to this last year, but it came across my screen again, and it's worth re-reading from time to time.

I Have Been Sitting on Manspreaders For the Last Month and I Have Never Felt More Free.

News for queers and our allies:


North Carolina governor vetoes bill on religious objection to gay marriage.

And while the state senate moved quickly to vote to override the veto: Gay marriage override vote in NC House pushed back again. They've rescheduled several times because they've lost some votes. Couldn't possibly be because national media has pointed out that the anti-gay marriage measure could also be an anti-interracial marriage result, among other things...

Va. Family Drops Charges Against Trans Woman Arrested for Aiding Their Suicidal Trans Son. "I never imagined helping teens or others would come to something like this," said Julianna Fialkoswki, who alleges mistreatment from Lynchburg police.

Catholics are way more supportive of marriage equality than people think.

Covering a parade is not covering a community: 5 things to keep in mind this Pride Month.

Why Do Comic Books Mean So Much to Some Queer People? - Queers and Comics Meet at Flame Con.

'Therapists' Called Clients 'Fags,' Made Them Strip in Gay Conversion Therapy.

Pastor Warns Gays Are Becoming Too Powerful, Turning Entire Generations Bisexual.

IN Guv Issues Pride Welcome, Forgets LGBT People.

“God” Purchases Two “God Loves Gays” Billboards in Utah For Pride Month.

how prom became queer.

‘Intolerant Jackass Act’ Proponents Can Begin Collecting Signatures. While the status of a “Sodomite Suppression Act” proposed state ballot initiative remains in limbo, proponents of a rival “Intolerant Jackass Act” initiative were cleared by state Secretary of State Alex Padilla to begin collecting signatures Wednesday. The rival initiative would force the filer of the Sodomite Suppression Act or any similar initiative to attend sensitivity training and donate $5,000 to a pro-gay or pro-lesbian organization. When Huntington Beach attorney Matt McLaughlin filed the Sodomite Suppression Act earlier this year, which would make homosexuality punishable by death, it set off a nationwide backlash for its evident hatred and dubious constitutionality. Attorney General Kamala Harris sought a court injunction rescinding her obligation to prepare a title and summary for the initiative, a necessary step before proponents can begin gathering the 365,880 signatures necessary to get it on the ballot.

The obligatory Sad Puppies/Hugo Awards update:


This JUST In. There is a game children play—or more often, try to play at—when they are caught doing something they know they shouldn’t. It’s called “I WAS JUST”.

Pink SF and Puppies.

Why Guardians?

And other news:


US airport screeners missed 95% of weapons, explosives in undercover tests.

Web Decay Graph. "I’ve been writ­ing this blog since 2003 and in that time have laid down, along with way over a million words, 12,373 hyperlinks. I’ve noticed that when something leads me back to an old piece, the links are broken disappointingly often. So I made a little graph of their decay over the last 144 months."

Wayward pig gets ride in police car, poses for epic photo.

Things I wrote:


Blurring patriotism into….

Achieve my goals with this one weird trick.

Colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky, also on the faces of people passing by.

Citizen of the (two-fisted) Galaxy: more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!


Funny or Die - The Duggars Respond To Sexual Abuse Scandal:



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MIKA - Good Guys:



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Will Young - Love Revolution:



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Rachel Lark :: Gay Man on the West Coast :: Live @ Bawdy Storytelling (NSFW, but funny as heck!) "I wanna be normal for having orgies, and radical for having kids...":



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NYC Pride Month 2015 Ad:



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Neon Trees - Songs I Can't Listen To:



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Jennifer Hudson - I Still Love You (a wedding music video that made me cry):



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