Judge Walker's Prop 8 Ruling and the Foolishness of Crowds

by: peterson toscano

Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 08:39:27 AM EDT

By Glen Retief

Are crowds wise or foolish?  This is the deeper philosophical question underlying Judge Walker’s judgment that California voters’ restriction of marriage to a union between a man and woman amounted to illegal and irrational discrimination.

This may not have been the literal legal principle at stake—whether hordes of people acting together tend to make good or bad decisions about matters such as minority civil liberties.  But it certainly was a subtext, as Judge Walker, in his robes and book-lined study, displayed an elegance of logic, a depth of thought, and a breadth of knowledge about human sexual diversity for which even his critics expressed admiration.

I’m certainly not out to insult the average Calfornia voter, here.  When I think of the folks who voted both for and against Prop 8, I picture, in fact, someone much like me—a middle-aged man or woman in a Ford Escort, stopping by the voting booth between grocery-shopping and picking up the cats from the vet.  I’m an educator and a memoirist, with little time for legal debates.  When exactly does your regular teacher, accountant, or bricklayer get the leisure to read through tomes on the equal protection clause or on the changing social function of marriage?

DADT Study: Mission-critical specialists continue to be discharged, hurting military effectiveness

by: Pam Spaulding

Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 09:11:43 AM EDT

Our Congress and Commander in Chief are weakening our national security over nothing more than bigotry and soap dropping in the shower. (The Palm Center):

The military continued to fire mission-critical specialists for being gay in fiscal year 2009, according to new data released today. The data show that gay discharges included 8 linguists, 20 infantrymen, 16 medical aides, 7 combat engineers, 6 missile artillery operating crew members, and one member of the Special Forces, among others.

According to Aaron Belkin, "These data show, yet again, that "don¹t ask, don¹t tell" undermines national security. Why are we firing linguists and infantrymen in the middle of two wars?" Belkin is Director of the Palm Center, the research institute at the University of California that released the data today.

The data confirm a long-term trend, and a 2005 Government Accountability Report found that the military fired 757 mission-critical specialists, including 322 linguists, in the first decade of "don't ask, don't tell." JD Smith, co-Director of OutServe, said that today's news shows how "don't ask, don't tell" jeopardizes the safety of the troops. "These discharges put our lives at risk," Smith said. "As leadership continues to fire gay service members in critical career fields, it is the troops on the ground who will pay with their personal safety." OutServe is the first-ever organization made up exclusively of currently-serving gay and lesbian troops. It now includes more than 500 members.

The new data were collected by the Defense Manpower Data Center and made available by the House Armed Services Committee. They were submitted to the Committee in compliance with current law which requires each of the services to disclose on an annual basis the number of service members who have left the service, why they left and what jobs they performed.

"The next few weeks will determine the future of 'don't ask, don't tell'" stated Christopher Neff, Palm Center Deputy Director. "After 13,500 discharges, hundreds of millions of dollars and 17 years, it all comes down to the Senate." The Senate is expected to address the policy shortly after it reconvenes from the August recess on September 13.

The Palm Center also noted that the data showed disproportionate discharges on the basis of race and gender. In the Navy, two officers were discharged in FY 2009 and both were Asian. In the Army, of the five Officers discharged, two were African American, one was Asian and two were white.

Although women comprise only 14% of the Army, lesbians received 48% of the Army's "don't ask, don't tell" discharges in FYI 2009. In the Marines, women comprise just 6% of the force, but received 23% of discharges under the policy. The numbers represent a dramatic shift from last year, when women received 36% of Army discharges and 18% of Marine Corps discharges. In the Air Force, women comprise 20% of the service but received 51% of "don't ask, don't tell" discharges in FY 2009. Women comprise 14% of the Navy but received 27% of the discharges last year.

Family values: OH man rapes teen who bears his daughter - then accused of molesting the daughter

by: Pam Spaulding

Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 08:58:18 AM EDT

Richard Stephson, 55, is in jail and facing multiple charges after what investigators describe as years of abuse. Authorities said the incident started in the mid 80s when Stephson began sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl who was staying with him at his Springfield home. Soon, police learned that the teen was pregnant with his child.

Now, 10 years after his daughter was born, authorities said Stephson offered her money to have sex with him and molested her during family visits.

H/t Jonathan Turley.

Close, but no cigar in Triangle.com's Couple's Best contest

by: Pam Spaulding

Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 08:36:29 AM EDT

Thanks everyone!

A little ' state-sanctioned sodomy' for your Monday

by: Alvin McEwen

Mon Aug 16, 2010 at 07:32:07 AM EDT

crossposted on Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters

This video is from the National Organization for Marriage's abysmal flop of summer tour.

The stop is in Harrisburg, PA. While NOM's Brian Brown is in the background claiming that those on his side of the argument have been "very, very good about the speaking the truth in love," a supporter of his organization and its "summer tour" doesn't mind not hiding behind any pretenses of love. This is just too, too, Freudian in regards to what NOM claims it's trying to do (i.e. "defend marriage") and the mindset of those who support the organization's efforts.

Big hat tip to Matt Algren for bringing this to my attention.

The DNC's Tim Kaine says Your Voice Matters in video e-blast

by: Pam Spaulding

Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 22:28:41 PM EDT

Throughout Pride Month, we asked for feedback about what the Democratic Party can do to promote equality. More than 5,000 members of the LGBT community and allies responded.

We delivered those responses to Gov. Tim Kaine -- the chairman of the Democratic National Committee -- and now, he's filmed a video to answer some of the questions we received. Check it out and share it with your friends.

A poll is below the fold.

Photos and more from NOM's failure rally and The Big Commit event in DC

by: AJLaska

Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 18:36:08 PM EDT

[O]ne person was noticeably missing: Maggie Gallagher. Even though NOM's website lists its chairman, Gallagher, as one of the speakers of the event, she was nowhere to be found on Sunday.

When asked by Metro Weekly about Gallagher's absence, Brian Brown, president of NOM, said Gallagher was initially listed as one of the speakers, but there was a conflict in her schedule. "She's on vacation," Brown said, adding that he did not know where Gallagher was taking her vacation.

Hundreds of LGBT people and straight allies met at Freedom Plaza in Washington, DC today to counter NOM's message of hatred and bigotry with one of love and equality at the Big Commit.  Many local and national organizations - including GetEQUAL, Full Equality Now, the Courage Campaign, Freedom to Marry, and so many others - joined forces to "exchange vows with equality" - to promise to continue fighting for full federal equality for all people.  Speakers included Will Phillips, the child who became nationally famous after refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance in class because not all people are treated equally; Karen Williams, the first openly gay female African-American comedian; and DC Councilmember David Catania, who was instrumental in passing DC's marriage equality legislation.

There were two actions today - the Big Commit, and a Die-In organized by Alan Bounville and other members of Queer Rising, which went to the Capitol Building to directly protest NOM's homophobia, and then to the White House to demonstrate against the horrors of hate crimes and the hate-filled words that lead to them.  Both actions were peaceful and powerful.  Despite using different tactics, we all spoke loudly and clearly in support of equality; we all won today.

Below are pictures from the Big Commit.  If you are a member of one of the organizations that helped organize the Big Commit, please feel free to use any of these photos as you see fit.  Apologies that the photos are in reverse chronological order: you can view all of the photos here.

Let's get Jackson over with, who spoke at the NOM rally and again tried to foment racial division to say that the people in favor of marriage equality are all "rich, gay, white bullies". Gee, then who were all those black same-sex couples who strode up to marry once it was legal in DC, Harry?

Bishop Harry Jackson, the leader of the Maryland-based Hope Christian Church who has campaigned for a referendum on the D.C. marriage equality law, speaks at the final rally of the National Organization for Marriage's "Summer for Marriage Tour" at the U.S. Capitol Building, Sunday, Aug. 15.

In addition to telling the small crowd of anti-marriage rally attendees "the fact that Same-sex marriage advocates have attempted to steal the right of the people to vote in the name of civil rights, is stealing others' civil rights," Jackson waved a copy of "Heather Has Two Mommies," vowing that the book and other LGBT affirming books would be removed from libraries.

Arkansas elementary school student Will Phillips, who made headlines in 2009 when he refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in class because the nation doesn't recognize LGBT people as equal, speaks to the Sunday, Aug. 15, "The Big Commit" rally for marriage equality in D.C.

Washington state's radical-right uses the fetus as a political football

by: Lurleen

Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 21:36:12 PM EDT

Washington state Senator Val Sevens was among those betrayed by Fuiten's public undermining of the Reject R-71 effort.  Although she remained quiet about his dump on the radical-right's anti-equality plank, today she's gone public with a scathing rebuke of Fuiten for his betrayal of the other plank in the radical-right platform: anti-choice.

The dust-up started a few weeks ago when Fuiten endorsed perpetual candidate Dino Rossi, a republican challenging U.S. Senator Patty Murray.  But Val Stevens supports the Sarah Palin-approved teabagger Clint Didier.  Didier has also been endorsed by major Reject R-71 backers like Washington state Rep Matt Shea and Washington Eagle Forum, and the anti-choice Human Life PAC.  In other words, turf war.

Washington Life Coalition's ad

Some anti-choicers allege that Rossi isn't pro-life, and the Washington Life Coalition (WLC) posted an ad (right) to that effect (right-click to see full size).  WLC also recently posted an article questioning the quality of Joe Fuiten's other candidate endorsements ("Pastor's Picks") because Fuiten has also endorsed Steve Litzow's run for the Washington state Legislature.  Litzow is not only pro-choice, but on the PAC committee for NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.  It is Fuiten's ensuing defence of Rossi's anti-choice bona fides that has driven Val Stevens to her tirade.  Read her screed below the fold.

All the actors in this drama profess to be morally upright Judeo-Christians, yet many accusations of "error where the truth is concerned" are flying.  Who among the godly is lying?

A final note: This is all the more intriguing considering Fuiten's relationship to Family Policy Institute of Washington, a local affiliate of Focus on the Family.  Fuiten used to be on FPIW's Board of Directors (still claims to be).  FPIW talked up the Reject R-71 campaign but never really invested in it.  Although FPIW's mother ship Focus on the Family did independently drop some very last-minute money for Reject 71 radio ads, FPIW itself seems to have only gotten involved in R-71 as an excuse to join National Organization for Marriage, or "NOM" in challenging Washington's public disclosure laws (see: Family PAC v. Reed).  Interesting that FPIW would purge Fuiten over his pro-choice endorsements but not over his anti-referendum jihad.  An indication of where priorities lie?  Whatever the reason, FPIW seems as embarrassed about their past association with Fuiten as are some of the candidates he endorses, like Steve O'Ban.

Update: This blogger's report that Fuiten has since withdrawn his endorsement from Steve Litzow seems to be true.  At Pastor's Picks, the King County endorsement list is marked "updated August 14th" and no longer endorses anyone for that position (LD-41 Senate).  According to an August 6 post at Frankly Fuiten, Fuiten also withdrew a previous endorsement for Doug Cloud for the 6th Congressional District and switched his endorsement to Jesse Young because, Fuiten says, "Jesse's platform is more in line with Pastor Joe's socially conservative biblical Christian values."  One wonders if the anti-choicers in CD-6 were on Fuiten's case before Sen. Val Stevens was.

NOM in Atlanta

by: MonicaHelms

Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 08:06:33 AM EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df6NM1_jvTY

On This video, we see the LGBT come together to face the National Organization for Marriage at the Georgia State Capital Building and show their faces to be visible. NOM has a tiny crowd compared to the LGBT Community, as NOM tries to drum up support for their archaic attitudes toward love, marriage and commitment.

With the divorce rate at 50%, maybe straight people should worry about fixing their own marriages instead making a mockery of it. With their bad track record, they shouldn't be telling others how to run their lives.

Number 2 is “The Atlanta Speech of Brian Brown, from the National Organization for Marriage.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxGCAgeusWU Listen to Brian Brown at the Atlanta rally, August 7, 2010. His anger toward Judge Walker on the Prop 8 case and gay people in general shows that he is real scared that what he has been fighting against may just win. It is so interesting to watch people who are on the wrong side of history losing grip on their tedious power structure. I'm glad we caught it on video.

Number 3 is “Interview with Brian Brown, from the National Organization for Marriage.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-riiannZELk On this video, through Paul Schappaugh, the Atlanta LGBT community asks question of Brian Brown, the ED for NOM. Judge for yourself on accuracy, or lack thereof, of his answers. With the divorce rate at 50%, maybe he should be helping straight people fix their own marriages instead trying to tell same-sex couples they can't get married.

We found out later that he said that Dr. Alveda King was "attacked and smeared." This is an out-and-out lie. Apparently, the importance of telling the truth is not part of his Bible.

Number 4 is “The Atlanta Speech of Tanya Ditty, the Georgia Director for the Concern Women for America.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ph6bVODyFhg Listen to the speech by Tanya Ditty, the Georgia Director for the Concern Women for America, given at the Atlanta NOM rally, August 7, 2010. She is big on quoting stats about children needing to grow up with a mother and father, but failed to tell people that these statistics came from studies having to do with single parents and nothing to do with same-sex couples.

Here's another person who misuses facts, makes up facts out of thin air and refuses to see the true facts that are out there.

And, Number 5 is “An Interview with Tanya Ditty, the Georgia Director for the Concern Women for America.”  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k3hAMpzhwM This is interesting in how she dodges questions on various subjects, to hide the fact she really doesn't know anything. She keeps harping on "traditional marriages."

I wonder how far back she wants to go with this "traditional marriage" thing? In the time of Christ, women were property, for the express purpose of producing male heirs for men. Only male children from a woman he has a marriage contract with can legally be his heirs. That lasted until the late 19th Century.

So, does she want to go back to where women are nothing more the property of men? I think it's time for the Concern Women for America to be concern about more important things.

Weekend This & That: Open Thread

by: Autumn Sandeen

Sun Aug 15, 2010 at 16:15:00 PM EDT

So, this is what my cartoon sockpuppet Bookworm Bob have been looking at since our last This & That post.

• Los Angeles Times' Medical treatment carries possible side effect of limiting homosexuality; A prenatal pill for congenital adrenal hyperplasia to prevent ambiguous genitalia may reduce the chance that a female with the disorder will be gay. Critics call it engineering for sexual orientation:

Each year in the United States, perhaps a few dozen pregnant women learn they are carrying a fetus at risk for a rare disorder known as congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The condition causes an accumulation of male hormones and can, in females, lead to genitals so masculinized that it can be difficult at birth to determine the baby's gender.

A hormonal treatment to prevent ambiguous genitalia can now be offered to women who may be carrying such infants. It's not without health risks, but to its critics those are of small consequence compared with this notable side effect: The treatment might reduce the likelihood that a female with the condition will be homosexual. Further, it seems to increase the chances that she will have what are considered more feminine behavioral traits.

That such a treatment would ever be considered, even to prevent genital abnormalities, has outraged gay and lesbian groups, troubled some doctors and fueled bioethicists' debate about the nature of human sexuality.

The treatment is a step toward "engineering in the womb for sexual orientation," said Alice Dreger, a professor of clinical medical humanities and bioethics at Northwestern University and an outspoken opponent of the treatment...

This reminds me about what discredited researcher J. Michael Bailey, PhD wrote about gay eugenics in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 30, No. 4, 2001 article Parental Selection of Children's Sexual Orientation:

As we learn more about the causes of sexual orientation, the likelihood increases that parents will one day be able to select the orientation of their children. This possibility (at least that of selecting for heterosexuality) has generated a great deal of concern among supporters of homosexual rights, with such selection being widely condemned as harmful and morally repugnant. Notwithstanding this widespread condemnation, and even assuming, as we do, that homosexuality is entirely acceptable morally, allowing parents, by means morally unproblematic in themselves, to select for heterosexuality would be morally acceptable. This is because allowing parents to select their children's sexual orientation would further parent's freedom to raise the sort of children they wish to raise and because selection for heterosexuality may benefit parents and children and is unlikely to cause significant harm.

It appears we may be entering the time that J. Michael Bailey envisioned; a time that many of our community activists will no doubt decry as a new kind of immorality. That is, at least for some potential lesbians.

This is also an effect of treating intersex conditions as a disorder -- specifically as Disorders of Sex Development (DSD).

Expect the religious right to respond with some glee.

• Americans For Truth About Homosexuality's VIDEO: Glenn Beck Is Wrong on the Importance of Homosexual 'Marriage':

Looks like Glenn Beck could have benefited from attending the AFTAH Truth Academy [order DVDs or CDs of the Academy HERE; order online through AFTAH's donate page]. Beck is doing incredibly important work in helping to save America from the misnamed "progressives" -- but evidently he is woefully ignorant about the real threat that homosexual activism poses to this nation and our precious freedoms. Memo: to Glenn: people of faith - like Matt Barber and Julea Ward -- already have been fired or discriminated against for defending the historic Judeo-Christian sexual ethic. And this began happening before "same-sex marriage" became the dominant issue in this cultural debate. The oppression will only get worse if homosexual "marriage" is legalized nationally through an activist court ruling. Thanks to Lynn Thomas of Cao's Blog for creating this video.
-- Peter LaBarbera, www.aftah.org [Partial transcription of exchange follows video]:

You can go to Peter LaBarbera's website/link above if you want to read the partial transcript.

The video itself ends with a commentary from the video's creator. She begins her commentary with this line:

Yes, homosexual marriage is a serious issue for religious freedom.

I don't have to say more -- you can see where this is all going with LaBarbera and the video creator.

• Montreal Gazettes's A Question Of Trans Pride:

As the 30-year-old Association des transsexuels et transsexuelles du Quebec marches for only the second time in the annual LGBTA Pride Parade in Montreal tomorrow, some say the focus should now be on transgender issues, including legal rights and social acceptance.

"We have to remember that during the Stonewall raid (a 1969 police raid on a New York City bar that was a pivotal event in the modern gay-rights movement), it was transgender people, drag queens and men in leather who fought back," said Eric Pineault, president of Celebrations LGBTA Montreal, the pride parade's non-profit organizer. "We owe them for their courage. Even though their personal struggles may differ from our own, we're natural allies."

Transgender people, he explained, have to come to terms with their gender identity, whereas gays and lesbians have come to terms with which gender they are attracted to.

With same-sex marriage legal across Canada, the main gay-rights focus has shifted to battling homophobia and for trans people, trans-phobia --bigotry toward a range of people who don't fit mainstream definitions of male or female, including transsexuals, cross-dressers, and others who may or may not plan to surgically change gender.

Marie-Eve Baron, secretary-treasurer of the ATQ, said in the past trans people were reluctant to participate in the parade because they felt they were seen as misfits or freaks. "There was no distinct place for us," she said. "But last year and this year, there will be about 35 or 40 of us and we'll march with our own signs. Many of us make an effort not to dress outlandishly. We believe it's important for people to see us as real people."...

Many of us are out; many of us are proud; many of us will continue to remain out and proud working on freedom, equality, and justice not only for our subcommunity of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, but for the entire LGBTQ community -- as members of my subcommunity have done since even before the Stonewall Uprising.

• momento24's Peru Says No To The Gay Marriage:

According to a survey published today in Lima, Peru, "The 71.5% of Peruvians opposed to the gay marriage, while the civil union is legally accepted in Argentina, Spain, the federal district of Mexico and California."

According to the survey conducted between May and August 9 in 28 cities in Peru by the Peruvian Society for the Study of Public Opinion and Market (CPI), "Only 21.3% of Peruvians approved the idea of gay marriages and 7.2% did not speak on this issue. "

The legislator Jose Vargas of the ruling APRA announced on 26 of July a bill to legalize gay civil unions, which provoked an intense debate in Peru, a country of mostly Catholics.

...The gay and lesbian groups in Lima reported that "Peru did not sign the Declaration of the General Assembly of the United Nations on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity."

• Our Wiener Story Of The Day: New York Daily News' Judge Rules Mets Can't Ban Kosher Food Co. From Selling Snacks At CitiField During Jewish Sabbath:

A federal judge has ordered the Mets to stop banning a kosher food company from selling snacks at CitiField during the Sabbath.

"I cannot get involved in (a dispute) over rabbinical law," Brooklyn Judge Jack Weinstein said with a smile during a hearing Friday.

...Kosher Sports says it doesn't cater only to Jews, should be able to sell wieners any day of the week and was given the green light to stay open.

As always, "The weenie tempts you!"

So anywho...It's an open thread! What are you thinking about today, or what books or articles have you been reading the past few days? Wanna share?

And again, please feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread because...it's an open thread! Woo-hoo!  

One's Gender Identity Isn't Societal Perception Of It; Marriage Equality Isn't Just A GLB Issue

by: Autumn Sandeen

Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 18:04:33 PM EDT

Once again, I hear transgender people all over speaking for me. Here is Autumn once again telling me what's good for me and to add insult to injury...whether I like it or not:

"That's why trans people's marriages are part of the concept of marriage equality, whether some transsexuals like that idea or not."

Now that's a lot of nerve...an unmarried, admittedly asexual, bisexual GLB and homosexual T activist telling me, a heterosexual, married female...what is best for me...and, to boot...whether I like that idea or not. Autumn has appropriated my place in life and told me absolutely why she knows better than I do...about my life.

And, make absolutely no mistake, Autumn and other GLB type are not - repeat NOT - going to cease telling women of operative history what is right for us whether we like it or not. As far as the GLB and homosexual T activists/rank and file are concerned, heterosexual women of operative history are 1) in same-sex marriages...whether we like it or not...reducing us to something less than-other than simply female, 2) are in the marriage equality movement which is simply another way of telling us we are in the same-sex marriage movement...whether we like it or not, and 3) will continue appropriating our positions...whether we like it or not, telling us that they know better than us what is best in our marriage and association...whether we like it or not.

~SA-ET (EnoughNonSense) in the blog post at Enough Non-Sense entitled Whether We Like it or Not

Sometimes, the misunderstanding regarding the difference between self-identification and external perceptions of identity -- well, these find me sighing and shaking my head in some frustration. In my own experience I see the religious right, as well as what I would call the online, transsexual separatist community, conflate the connection of self-identity to the external perceptions of others -- external perceptions that can result in harassment and discrimination.

So going to specifics, in the paragraphs I quoted above from the Enough Non-Sense piece -- where SA-ET quoted my August 4th This & That diary -- she drew a conclusion based on hers and her peers' self-identification as women of operative history being a separate identity from transgender identity. Certainly I see a difference -- a separation -- between the two identities.

SA-ET incorrectly indicated that I was telling her and her peer women of operative history that their self-identification isn't valid; that I was telling them they are transgender, like it or not; that I was telling them that they must embrace the concept of the transgender umbrella for themselves, like it or not.

And too, it was indicated that I was using same-sex marriage as a tool to force them to become members of what they call "Homosexual T". This concept of the "Homosexual T" is from Dr. Harry Benjamin's The Transsexual Phenomenon (Copyright, 1967) in the segment entitled Relationship To Homosexuality:

There are homosexuals who get an emotional satisfaction from cross-dressing. It would be a matter of semantics to consider them "homosexual transvestites" or "transvestitic homosexuals." They simply desire, for their sexual gratification, both cross-dressing and a partner of the same sex.

SA-ET apparently perceives me to be a "Homosexual T" . But just as SA-ET doesn't identify as transgender, I don't identify as "Homosexual T" .

For the record, I identify as a transsexual. If one uses Harry Benjamin's Gender Disorientation Scale (related his book The Transsexual Phenomenon), I fairly closely align with Type Five: True Transsexual (Moderate Intensity):

Gender Feeling: Feminine (trapped in male body)
Dressing Habits and Social Life: Lives and works as woman if possible. Insufficient relief from dressing.
Sex Object Choice and Sex Life: Libido low. Asexual auto-erotic, or passive homosexual activity. May have been married and have children.
Kinsey Scale: 4-6
Conversion Operation: Requested and usually indicated.
Estrogen Medication: Needed as substitute for or preliminary to operation.
Psychotherapy: Rejected. Useless as to cure. Permissive psychological guidance.
Remarks: Operation hoped for and worked for. Often attained.

If only I didn't sociopolitically identify as transgender, transsexual separatists might -- per the relevant, historic documentation -- consider me a "true transsexual." But, of course, only after I had genital reconstruction surgery (the kind of surgery Dr. Benjamin referred to as the "conversion operation"); but, of course, I do identify as transgender.

But I digress.

I was mentioning this conflation on this past Monday when I had lunch with my friend Cecilia Chung. She helped clarify for me something that I already knew intuitively, but hadn't recently articulated as a cogent thought. And that thought is this: being discriminated against because one is perceived to be a member of a minority group isn't the same as identifying as a member of that minority group.

So, there are three components I'm discussing here: 1.) how one self-identifies; 2.) what others perceive one's identity is, as well as those others' preconceived ideas about how those others perceive one's identity, and 3.) the perceptions of those who harass and discriminate against those whom they believe emulate or embrace behavior associated with a particular identity.

So let's use the difference between the concepts of points 1.) and 2.) to show that others on the religious right -- and some feminists -- don't see genital reconstruction surgery as doing anything for the those who identify with Harry Benjamin Syndrome, or who identify as true transsexuals, classic transsexuals, women of operative history, etc.:

[Below the fold: Comments by second wave feminists and conservative "Christians" regarding genital reconstruction surgery, as well as statements by conservative "Christians" and courts as to why marriage equality even applies to those who have had genital reconstruction surgery.]

Parade Mag: Can you teach Michael Vick's rescued dogs new tricks?

by: Pam Spaulding

Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 15:39:43 PM EDT

The dogs there were bred to fight, and those that were beyond their fighting days or refused to fight were tortured, electrocuted, shot and beaten. Part of the agreement that sent Vick to prison, was that nearly $1 million had to be set aside to rescue and rehabilitate as many of the dogs as possible, rather than have the 51 dogs destroyed.

The Parade article explains what happened next.

By the time the case was over and the team had done its evaluations, the dogs had been in shelters for up to nine months. "We'd been told these were some of the most vicious dogs in America," says ASPCA executive vice president Dr. Stephen Zawistowski, who led the evaluation team. Was rehab even a possibility?

What the team found was a mixed bag. Fewer than a dozen of the dogs were hardened fighters. Two had to be put down-one was excessively violent and the other was suffering from an irreparable injury. Then there was a group characterized as "pancake dogs"-animals so traumatized they flattened themselves on the ground and trembled when humans approached. Another group seemed to be dogs of relatively friendly normal temperament who simply had never been socialized.

Jonny was one of the unsocialized-but-happy crowd, which is how he ended up with Cohen, who had a pit bull of his own and had previously fostered six others as a volunteer for the rescue group BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls). "The first step was to let him unwind his kennel stress," Cohen says, referring to the jitters that follow dogs out of long-term confinement. He countered Jonny's anxiety with quiet time and "the rut," as he calls it. "Dogs love a schedule," he explains. "They love knowing that the same things are going to happen at the same times every day. Once they have that consistency, they can relax."

Many of the pancake dogs continued to struggle with fear. A few who seemed well-adjusted later regressed. There were missteps and misfortunes. "Some are better than others, but overall these are happy dogs," says Dr. Frank McMillan, the director of well-being studies at Best Friends Animal Society, whose huge sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, took in 22 of Vick's dogs.

...Consider one of Vick's other victims, Hector. A handsome brown dog with a black snout and deep scars on his chest, he had clearly been a fighter. Yet from the start he had nothing but love for the world. After moving through a few foster homes, he was adopted by Roo Yori...Under Yori's guidance, the ex-fighter blossomed, earning several temperament awards and eventually becoming certified as a therapy dog, working with the sick and elderly, as well as troubled teens.

Regulars here at the coffeehouse know that I am a pit bull advocate, with a special interest in educating people about the breed, which has suffered mightily because of bad PR, bad owners, ignorance about the breed's actual lineage and temperament that makes them wonderful family pets -- as well as why this is not the breed for the first-time dog owner. If you're not willing to put in the time and effort on basic obedience training, please don't adopt a pit. I've always had rescues - including a lab and three Rhodesian Ridgebacks, so I was well versed in bringing a canine into the family.

Pit bulls, aren't a "breed" per se (American Staffordshire Terrier and American Pit Bull Terriers are most similar -- and the pits we see today in shelters are often mixes), thus there is a wide variation in color and size. Some are the beefy 100-lb balls of muscle; many are closer to the historical APBT size of 30-45 lbs, a medium size dog.

Kate and I adopted a 9-month-old, 45 lb. pit from the Wake County SPCA in 2008, one from a litter that was rescued from the side yard of a backyard breeder. She was one of two left (thankfully her sister was adopted some time later). We initially visited with a Golden Retriever prior to meeting Casey, and ironically that dog, a breed considered one of the gentlest family dogs, snapped at Kate.

Casey has been the joy of our lives; she's smart, friendly with dogs and people, and like many pit bulls, very sensitive to correction; they want to please their people, and that's why they are easy to train to fight. Positive training methods are essential to motivate and support the pit bull's bond with its family.

Pit owners will also tell you that they have a great need for affection and to participate in "pack"/family activities. But the one thing a pit bull owner has to contend with is the fear and ignorance out there -- you do become an advocate out of necessity. Your dog becomes an ambassador to counteract the myths. If you aren't ready for the rejection, fear or angry looks from people on the street, get another breed.

An example: Kate and I took worry wart Casey and our beastly Bichon Chloe out on the walking trail in our neighborhood. We have been using these walks to also reinforce our training of the pooches when they encounter distractions -- people walking, running, walking other dogs, etc. Since Casey is a pit bull, we're extra sensitive to encouraging best behavior, but Chloe is the one that's headstrong. They were earning A+s today, doing sits, stays, downs and waiting at the curbs/street crossing as people walked closely by, no lunging.

So it was completely demoralizing when, after a jogger ran by and the dogs were great -- non-reactive and calm, that when we began to walk again, I turned around and a woman was exercise-walking toward us and she saw Casey and waved to indicate "No, no, I'll go back" and I called out "Don't worry, I'll put her into a sit and you can go by." She waved "no" again and went back in the opposite direction. It's hard being the owner of such a maligned breed, but Casey is worth it. Read my original piece about pit discrimination here.

For those who ask - "But what about all those reports of pit bulls attacking people/children/dogs?" Well, a lot of the time the reports don't confirm whether it was a "pit bull" at all - sometimes it's a Rottweiler, Bull Terrier, a Boxer or other breed. Other times it is a pit/mix; the hysteria around pit bulls is irrational.

But take a look at the statistics for more meaningful, reality-based information below the fold. Also after the jump, a video of Casey's first day with us after her adoption from the Wake County SPCA. She had to learn how to climb stairs...

Inalienable Rights: Perry V Schwarzenegger

by: dyssonance

Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 03:01:07 AM EDT

Worst midterm political strategy ever: "Terror Babies"

by: Pam Spaulding

Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 01:33:15 AM EDT

This appears to be the pet project of the deranged Rep. Louie Gohmert of TX, who goes into full live television combat mode with Anderson Cooper, further increasing the possibility that other colleagues fomenting this insane political football, like Sen. Lindsey Graham, are going to soon declare Gohmert radioactive.

Poor Anderson attempts to engage in a conversation with this Congressman, but alas, TEH CRAZY takes over.  

Progressive radio show host Stephanie Miller comes out -- on the air

by: Pam Spaulding

Sat Aug 14, 2010 at 00:01:32 AM EDT

Miller's sexual orientation was not a secret among her friends and family, but she rarely talked about her private life on air - other than to make jokes about being single.

If you're not a radio fan, you still may have seen Miller. She had a brief stint on MSNBC before Rachel Maddow came on the scene and she frequently appears on TV talk shows, often sparring with conservative hosts or guests. Since her dad is a former running mate of Barry Goldwater, Stephanie is quite familiar with the GOP.