(Image from here)
Monday, 8 August 2011
Graphing lols.
Following on from my last post I did a little more reading and found this picture... Highly amusing.
(Image from here)
Equality is Mandatory
First of all, an apology. Both for the absence in my postings (I went through a perfunctory phase of introspection and even a little gloom) and in the current course of this blog's direction. It was not my intention for it to become a place where I write essays on the current state of affairs for same-sex attracted folk in Australia. It just seems that lately, it is these issues that gets my attention sufficiently enough to form strong opinion and makes me want to share my two cents.
The topic for today: Marriage Equality.
After reading this article, exceptionally well written and poignant, I became inspired to share my views on same-sex marriage.
I do not know anyone that this currently is affecting in Australia. I do not know when/if it will ever affect me. I can, however, categorically say that should I ever chose to enter into marriage with another man and that choice be unavailable, I would fight the government with every fibre of my being.
That statement said, let me explore the issue a little. I'm 28 now, a few of my friends are married already, some are looking at taking the plunge soon. I had the overwhelming privilege of being involved in one of my best friend's weddings in the July holidays, and the weddings of my two sisters in the previous few years. Two male friends have tied their respective knots with their lovely wives, and another 3 or so close friends have found "the one" with which they want to settle. They get to do the grand wedding, or the escape to Fiji, but its their choice.
Another of my good friends, a fellow dandy camper, has been with his boyfriend (tangent: I HATE the word partner...) for several years now and they're experiencing the same heady bliss that comes with a stable long term relationship. Yet fundamentally, they don't have the same freedom to express their love for each other publicly, because our Government won't recognise their union. I am not angered by this, I am simply disappointed. I compare this to a gay couple I know living in New York City. They might not want to get married right now, but at least they can.
Time for some generalisations.
The article discusses some of the main points for anti-gay marriage proponents. I would like to expand upon some in this post:
1) Marriage is the sacred union before God of man and woman, bible blah blah. Horse shit. I attended the most sacred and beautiful pagan wedding/handfasting in the holidays. It was moving and it was recognised. Next!
2) Marriage is traditionally reserved for couples preparing for a family. Cough. Lets ignore people's right to choose whether or not they have kids. Lets ignore couples that can't have kids. Let's ignore the many different styles of family that can be found in any given street. Next!
3) Children require male and female figures in order to be healthy well adjusted individuals. Again, lets ignore the awesome jobs many single-parent families do... Not of all of them are "teen whore pregnant at 16, no father, living on crack" scenarios. To say that a kid is fucked in life because it doesn't have a mum and dad married is just plain ignorant.
Well, let me see, any valid reasons that same-sex unions shouldn't be recognised? People have asked, why is it so important? We were given de facto status we should be thankful. Again, I use the term "we" loosely here, you'll find as many apathetic GLBTIQ people as you will that are passionate for marriage. You'll even find many that don't want it because they see it as "heteronormative". To each their own, but I have an unwavering belief in and fundamental yearning for equality in all things. To be given de facto status but denied full access to marriage rights denies people so many things. It just adds to the social stigma that same-sex couples are second class and don't need to be fully accepted.
If you know someone this directly affects tell people your views. If your son, or niece or best friend's kid or those two guys down the street might one day feel the need to marry a same-sex partner we should be pushing for it! Tell your local politician of your views, sign those petitions, 'like' those Facebook groups. If you're lucky enough to not live in a seat where your federal member is a redneck and refuses to ask his constituents their views then good on you. If you are in the same situation as me, let them know. Mr Coulton, I am writing to you shortly.
I finish with a quote from the article:
This kind of silent segregation harks back to pre-civil rights movement America, as aptly put by Ellen DeGeneres, the gay American talk show host: ''Telling us we can't get married but can settle for a civil union is like a bus driver saying to a black schoolkid, 'I'll get you there if you insist, but you can sit at the back of the bus.' ''
End Rant =)
The topic for today: Marriage Equality.
(Image from here)
After reading this article, exceptionally well written and poignant, I became inspired to share my views on same-sex marriage.
I do not know anyone that this currently is affecting in Australia. I do not know when/if it will ever affect me. I can, however, categorically say that should I ever chose to enter into marriage with another man and that choice be unavailable, I would fight the government with every fibre of my being.
That statement said, let me explore the issue a little. I'm 28 now, a few of my friends are married already, some are looking at taking the plunge soon. I had the overwhelming privilege of being involved in one of my best friend's weddings in the July holidays, and the weddings of my two sisters in the previous few years. Two male friends have tied their respective knots with their lovely wives, and another 3 or so close friends have found "the one" with which they want to settle. They get to do the grand wedding, or the escape to Fiji, but its their choice.
Another of my good friends, a fellow dandy camper, has been with his boyfriend (tangent: I HATE the word partner...) for several years now and they're experiencing the same heady bliss that comes with a stable long term relationship. Yet fundamentally, they don't have the same freedom to express their love for each other publicly, because our Government won't recognise their union. I am not angered by this, I am simply disappointed. I compare this to a gay couple I know living in New York City. They might not want to get married right now, but at least they can.
Time for some generalisations.
The article discusses some of the main points for anti-gay marriage proponents. I would like to expand upon some in this post:
1) Marriage is the sacred union before God of man and woman, bible blah blah. Horse shit. I attended the most sacred and beautiful pagan wedding/handfasting in the holidays. It was moving and it was recognised. Next!
2) Marriage is traditionally reserved for couples preparing for a family. Cough. Lets ignore people's right to choose whether or not they have kids. Lets ignore couples that can't have kids. Let's ignore the many different styles of family that can be found in any given street. Next!
3) Children require male and female figures in order to be healthy well adjusted individuals. Again, lets ignore the awesome jobs many single-parent families do... Not of all of them are "teen whore pregnant at 16, no father, living on crack" scenarios. To say that a kid is fucked in life because it doesn't have a mum and dad married is just plain ignorant.
Well, let me see, any valid reasons that same-sex unions shouldn't be recognised? People have asked, why is it so important? We were given de facto status we should be thankful. Again, I use the term "we" loosely here, you'll find as many apathetic GLBTIQ people as you will that are passionate for marriage. You'll even find many that don't want it because they see it as "heteronormative". To each their own, but I have an unwavering belief in and fundamental yearning for equality in all things. To be given de facto status but denied full access to marriage rights denies people so many things. It just adds to the social stigma that same-sex couples are second class and don't need to be fully accepted.
If you know someone this directly affects tell people your views. If your son, or niece or best friend's kid or those two guys down the street might one day feel the need to marry a same-sex partner we should be pushing for it! Tell your local politician of your views, sign those petitions, 'like' those Facebook groups. If you're lucky enough to not live in a seat where your federal member is a redneck and refuses to ask his constituents their views then good on you. If you are in the same situation as me, let them know. Mr Coulton, I am writing to you shortly.
I finish with a quote from the article:
This kind of silent segregation harks back to pre-civil rights movement America, as aptly put by Ellen DeGeneres, the gay American talk show host: ''Telling us we can't get married but can settle for a civil union is like a bus driver saying to a black schoolkid, 'I'll get you there if you insist, but you can sit at the back of the bus.' ''
End Rant =)
(Image from here)
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
The word of the day is Depleted.
So, it has been a few days since my last post. I do apologise. I really want to say horrible things about Fred Nile and the whole Ethics class thing, but I can't be bothered... I managed to stave off full-blown flu, but I still have the fatigue, the sniffles and the misery. Yesterday was a blast, but it was a long day. Here is the itinerary:
05.00 Wake up
06.00 Depart School, drive to Dubbo
07.30 Check-in
08.00 Fly to Sydney
09.00 Land in Sydney, catch a cab
10.30 Arrive Bicentennial Park
11.00 Awards ceremony
13.00 Walk around Olympic Park/Showground
14.00 Rivercat to Circular Quay
15.00 Walk around doing the tourist thing... Opera House, Bridge etc
16.00 Train to Airport
16.30 Check-in
17.00 Fly to Dubbo
18.00 Land in Dubbo, drive back to Mendooran
19.15 Arrive home
So yeah... Long.
I was exhausted this morning, but had to go to school for our Education day open day. I spoke on assembly about our award, we presented it, blah blah, had to stop myself from having a good old cough on stage from my crappy voice lately. Went to a lot of trouble to make my classroom presentable and have a great lesson running while it was "open classrooms" and no one came. One of the kids gave me attitude and refused to work, follow instructions, etc and gave me shit to big note himself in front of his mates, so I got him punished accordingly. And then I was just plain loathsome come home time and now I'm just resoundingly neutral.
Physically depleted.
Emotionally depleted.
Psychologically depleted.
Just plain ol' fucking depleted.
End Rant =|
05.00 Wake up
06.00 Depart School, drive to Dubbo
07.30 Check-in
08.00 Fly to Sydney
09.00 Land in Sydney, catch a cab
10.30 Arrive Bicentennial Park
11.00 Awards ceremony
13.00 Walk around Olympic Park/Showground
14.00 Rivercat to Circular Quay
15.00 Walk around doing the tourist thing... Opera House, Bridge etc
16.00 Train to Airport
16.30 Check-in
17.00 Fly to Dubbo
18.00 Land in Dubbo, drive back to Mendooran
19.15 Arrive home
So yeah... Long.
I was exhausted this morning, but had to go to school for our Education day open day. I spoke on assembly about our award, we presented it, blah blah, had to stop myself from having a good old cough on stage from my crappy voice lately. Went to a lot of trouble to make my classroom presentable and have a great lesson running while it was "open classrooms" and no one came. One of the kids gave me attitude and refused to work, follow instructions, etc and gave me shit to big note himself in front of his mates, so I got him punished accordingly. And then I was just plain loathsome come home time and now I'm just resoundingly neutral.
Physically depleted.
Emotionally depleted.
Psychologically depleted.
Just plain ol' fucking depleted.
End Rant =|
Saturday, 30 July 2011
On 'playing gay' in a 'straight world'.
No, this isn't a post about me pretending to be something I'm not. The story of my life in the closet is far too broad (i.e. novel) to put in one post, perhaps piece by piece over time, it will be easier to swallow. Ergh, bad choice of words right there...
Anywho, trolling Samesame I came across this story:
An interesting read about things very current in my life:
The current state of queer policy in schools
Regional schooling and homophobia
Putting on kick-ass productions with gay characters involved.
Recently, Mendooran Central has decided that we are going to stage a production of "Two weeks with the Queen" in which one of the sub-plots involves a gay couple, one man suffering AIDS and the other watching him die. The storyline is both beautiful and topical. It calls upon the audience to appreciate a gay coupling as a normal and respectable thing. One man deeply in love with another. They are made to examine homophobia and social abandonment, the stigma of the disease and the trauma of loss. Very relatable, yes?
When it came to casting, the other teachers involved and I asked ourselves, would our kids be up to this role? On paper, it was powerful and moving, but in reality it would be very difficult for a teenage boy to play.
Our little community has three gay people in it, as far as I know. Myself, and a couple living out on a property, and by all accounts they are a very happy, stable couple. With such a small demographic, its no surprise that most of the kids at my school had never met an actual gay person before meeting me. Again, it is not surprising that when approached, the kids we thought would be up to it politely refused. Yet, to his credit, one student had the bravery to accept one of the roles and kudos to him, he will deserve every accolade that will come his way.
We had one gay down, now we needed another. Sadly, we couldn't get another. So we adapted the play, which is something mentioned in the article. We dropped the sick partner (he was only in two scenes after all), but we're still exploring that storyline to it's full extent, just with exposition (in the form of phone calls, writing letters) by the others characters that would have been involved. Non confrontational, but just as powerful. Leeton High dropped the Kurt character due to student disinterest in the role, and that's fine in my opinion. It is a big ask for a teenage boy to risk ridicule or questions about his own sexuality by playing a gay character. Why I ask? What is so bad?
As adults, we, well most of us, know that there is nothing wrong with being gay, lesbian, transgendered etc. etc. Teenagers however, they are full of stress and hormones and pressure and angst, they are generally so desperate to conform that the thought of being different utterly terrifies them.
The article discusses the lack of policy and structure for GLBTIQ students in rural schools, and that Leeton High doesn't have one. I can safely say that neither do we at Mendooran. Does this mean that we aren't supporting our kids any less? I don't think so. I'd like to think that by being a positive role model to any students "asking those questions" that they could come to me and I could either have a chat or refer them to where they could find more information. I don't know if any of our kids are gay or questioning, I have those I suspect of course, interestingly this boy was not one of them. Maybe there are kids out in the country for whom sexuality isn't an issue, I'm excited by that.
Now, what was the point of this post? Hmmm, damn you tangent Gods... Oh yes! Give the article a browse, it is very interesting. Being out in the country (pun intended) for 4 years now has afforded me a decent perspective on the state of education and queer issues out here, perhaps I am losing perspective on what is happening back in the Metro? More research is needed!
End Rant =)
Our little community has three gay people in it, as far as I know. Myself, and a couple living out on a property, and by all accounts they are a very happy, stable couple. With such a small demographic, its no surprise that most of the kids at my school had never met an actual gay person before meeting me. Again, it is not surprising that when approached, the kids we thought would be up to it politely refused. Yet, to his credit, one student had the bravery to accept one of the roles and kudos to him, he will deserve every accolade that will come his way.
We had one gay down, now we needed another. Sadly, we couldn't get another. So we adapted the play, which is something mentioned in the article. We dropped the sick partner (he was only in two scenes after all), but we're still exploring that storyline to it's full extent, just with exposition (in the form of phone calls, writing letters) by the others characters that would have been involved. Non confrontational, but just as powerful. Leeton High dropped the Kurt character due to student disinterest in the role, and that's fine in my opinion. It is a big ask for a teenage boy to risk ridicule or questions about his own sexuality by playing a gay character. Why I ask? What is so bad?
As adults, we, well most of us, know that there is nothing wrong with being gay, lesbian, transgendered etc. etc. Teenagers however, they are full of stress and hormones and pressure and angst, they are generally so desperate to conform that the thought of being different utterly terrifies them.
The article discusses the lack of policy and structure for GLBTIQ students in rural schools, and that Leeton High doesn't have one. I can safely say that neither do we at Mendooran. Does this mean that we aren't supporting our kids any less? I don't think so. I'd like to think that by being a positive role model to any students "asking those questions" that they could come to me and I could either have a chat or refer them to where they could find more information. I don't know if any of our kids are gay or questioning, I have those I suspect of course, interestingly this boy was not one of them. Maybe there are kids out in the country for whom sexuality isn't an issue, I'm excited by that.
Now, what was the point of this post? Hmmm, damn you tangent Gods... Oh yes! Give the article a browse, it is very interesting. Being out in the country (pun intended) for 4 years now has afforded me a decent perspective on the state of education and queer issues out here, perhaps I am losing perspective on what is happening back in the Metro? More research is needed!
End Rant =)
I couldn't resist sharing this...
Trying to work, I falter and get on Facebook, engaging in an entertaining conversation with a lovely lady. This was her profile picture, just had to share it:
The word of the day is Focus.
Short one today. There is just something about the reality of thinking "oh shit, this assignment must be submitted tomorrow" that just gets all academic cannons firing.
I FUCKING LOVE REPORT WRITING!! RARRRGH!! (''\(;,,;)/'')
I FUCKING LOVE REPORT WRITING!! RARRRGH!! (''\(;,,;)/'')
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