Helen Boyd Kramer's journal on gender and stuff
In this cool article about Massachusetts’ push for transgender civil rights, the great geek/trans intersection is once again revealed:
In her office down the hall, Zircher, who holds many software patents, has three computer screens and two keyboards. On the bookshelf are titles such as “Advanced Windows Debugging’’ and “Hunting Security Bugs.’’ There’s also: “She’s Not The Man I Married’’ and “My Husband Betty.’’
Our thanks to Bella English and to Dana Zircher for the mention.
Here’s a remarkable article about how the SCLC – a civil rights organization – just called up its LA chapter’s president for protesting Prop 8. That’s right – the org took a neutral position on the matter, which is bad enough, but now they’re thinking of chastising a chapter head who didn’t remain neutral. I say: good for him.
A very happy birthday to my big sister Kathleen! I joked recently that I’ll be forever grateful that there is someone older than me in the world, as stupid as that was, but at some level it’s true. Not having had a kid sibling myself, as the youngest, means there is no one in the world who I can remind of the time she got a marble stuck up her nose.
(Okay, I didn’t ever do that. but it would have been Kath who took me to the emergency room if I had.)
A cool anthro prof gives an hour-long video lecture about YouTube, Web 2.0, and all the new networking tech. Fascinating stuff, especially if you missed some of the important historical “moments” in the development of YouTube.
In case you can’t tell from other photos, here’s one giving you an idea of exactly how large our cats are. That’s a standard sized desk in a hotel room somewhere (I think Kenosha, WI) and the cat is Aeneas – the smaller of the two boys, weighing in at 15 lbs. (or thereabouts). His brother is around 18 lbs., and is both taller and larger.
My favorite is when we bring the boys to the vet together, & Aeneas comes out of the carrier first, & the vet tech comments on what a big cat he is. “Just wait,” we usually say, & then Big Guns, as we call him, comes sauntering out. At that, the vet tech usually just blinks for a while.
& Yes, those are my pink flannel cat pajamas. They’re my favorites. I got them from North Shore Animal League, which is a no-kill shelter. They have lots of cool cat jammies (and dog jammies, for those of you who do that sort of thing), and all profits go to doing the cool work they do.
We don’t use the words “husband” or “wife” because they’re gendered, but we don’t generally use “spouse” because it seems too clinical, or legal, & yet I wonder if it lacks warmth precisely because it’s not gendered.
I’ll be speaking out in Bay Shore, Long Island, on July 18th, as part of the Long Island GLBT Center’s “Transgender Voices” series.
Dali & Disney actually worked together on an animated short, & it’s finally gone from drawing board to completion.
(spoiler alert for tonight’s episode)
“English Only” advocates at their own conference standing under a banner where the word “conference” is spelled wrong.
Maybe that explains why they’re so adamant: they need to master their first language, first.
(via Think Progress and The Atlantic, & thanks to Betty)