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Pleeeeease feel free to chat, blogwhore, and link-share in the comment thread… 
I’m thinking of changing my This & that frequency to Tuesday, Thursday, and weekend. The reason is that I (and my sockpuppet bookworm friend) find a lot of articles during the week I’d like to share, but I’d like to cut the number of articles I highlight in these posts to four or five articles. These last two have had eight or nine articles in ‘em (I actually split this one up into two parts — one for today and one for tomorrow because there were sooooo many link-farming links!). So, upping the frequency of these This & That: Open Thread diaries to three times a week from the current format of two a week is something I’m thinking about. Your thoughts?
So anywho, here’s some of what Bookworm Bob & I have been looking at so far this week:
• Helen Boyd at (en)gender: Trans-centric:
One of the things I’ve always liked about Vanessa Edwards Foster is that she doesn’t lose sight of the goal: actual equality. I agree with her that our standards are low when it comes to justice for the trans people, and their families and friends, who are murdered. I agree that “manslaughter” is not murder, and that shooting at someone who is basically a sitting duck in a car can’t possibly have been an accidental killing.
But what I don’t agree with is the vitriol directed at the LGB leadership of the organizations that called the ruling on Teisha Green’s murder a victory.
Our standards are low because we are too used to seeing no justice at all when it comes to people who intentionally hurt and kill trans people for being trans…
…Do we know Michael Scott Goucher? Richard Hernandez? Satendar Singh? Ryan Keith Skipper? Jeremy Waggoner? Daniel Yakovleff? These are the names of gay men who have been murdered for being gay in the last couple of years. I didn’t know most of their names.
Community goes both ways. We all have more than enough mourning to do.
Hear, hear, Professor Boyd.
• A press release referencing the current issue of Journal of African American Studies with ‘Go to the doctor? Only if I’m really sick…’:
African American men could be putting their health at risk by avoiding disease screening, in the belief that the results might threaten their masculinity. Because they prove their masculinity through their sexuality and sexual performance, seeking medical advice including HIV/AIDS testing goes against their notion of masculinity.
• Los Angeles Times‘ More bodies go unclaimed as families can’t afford funeral costs:
The weak economy is taking its toll, with an increasing number of bodies in Los Angeles County being cremated at taxpayers’ expense.
*Sigh* … The bad economy seems to be hitting the poor — especially the new poor from this economy — hard.
• The Australian‘s India wants births remote-controlled:
INDIA intends to harness the passion-killing properties of late-night television to help control a potentially catastrophic population explosion.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has called for the country to redouble its efforts to bring electricity to all its huge rural population.
The introduction of the electric light and television sets to those vast areas that still did not have them would discourage procreation, he argued. “If there is electricity in every village then people will watch TV until late night and then fall asleep. They won’t get a chance to produce children,” Mr Azad said. “When there is no electricity there is nothing else to do but produce babies.” He added: “Don’t think that I am saying this in a lighter vein. I am serious. TV will have a great impact. It’s a great medium to tackle the problem … 80 per cent of population growth can be reduced through TV.” …
Fbbbbt. Just expose all of the men in India to American gay men, and then they’ll catch “the gay” — they’ll get to keep the passion, but have new partners that won’t increase the birthrate. 
That’ll save the environment from the new pollution related to the production of electricity for the new customers. 
Er…ah…right?
• San Francisco Chronicle‘s All systems go for Apollo anniversary (with images):
Six-year-old Jack Tilley from Los Altos, or another kid like him, may one day design the rocket that transports astronauts to build a permanent space base on the moon.Tilley and scores of other junior rocket scientists blasted off model spacecraft Sunday from the Moffett Field tarmac before a rapt audience invited by the NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing on July 20, 1969.
In addition to an all-comers rocket launching session, Moonfest 2009 included hands-on exhibits, games and lectures by notable scientists…
So, so kewl. Anything to get our youth rocketing their dreams off to the stars seems pretty wonderful to me.
So…It’s an open thread! What are you reading or thinking about today?
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Fort Worth City CouncilNot sure if everyone has heard yet, but the Fort Worth City Council has asked the AG’s office to conduct an independent investigation into the events at the Rainbow Lounge.
There were 21 people arrested inside of the lounge and zip tied. Six of those were fully arrested and carted off to jail. Three people were injured. The FWPD and TABC seem to be blaming each other. Four people, who police and Fairness Fort Worth feel have some of the most important evidence, still feel so fearful of the FWPD and TABC, that even with lawyers present, they won’t speak to either group because they are afraid.
I hope this can bring about a better relationship between Fort Worth, the who DFW area, Texas, The US, and the GLBT community.
I’m not ready to blogwhore yet, but I’m working on somethingI’ve adapted a parody of a parody. You know SBC’s “Throw the Jew in the Well”? I wrote one called, “Throw the Gays under the Bus.” Caveat: I want to make it perfectly clear that I’m criticizing the administration w/r/t DADT, gay civil rights, that damned Tony West brief, etc. BUT as a straight person, I want to make sure that it is abundantly clear that I do not hold the bigoted beliefs expressed in the lyrics. To that end, if anyone would like to vet my song, please help me. I don’t want it to become some anti-GLBTQ anthem if it goes viral. And I’d like to submit it to the White House Press Club dinner people, make a video, etc. I’m brushing up on my guitar skills.
Gay Tax RevoltHoly Crap, it looks like another LGBTQ is actually uttering “that which shall not be uttered” when it comes to a JUSTIFIED tax revolt.
Views: A gay tax revolt by Noel Ambery II
Link here:
http://www.windycitymediagroup…
While older activists (whom have been working tirelessly for civil rights for decades) may consider a tax revolt as “the youngins being too entitled and whiny/impatient”, there is a good chance that some youngins are wondering “what the f*ck are we waiting for?”, esp. if they consider abiding by the rules (lobbying, playing nice, obeying the law) utter bullshit when the law itself excludes ourselves and our most beloved family members.
Just another confirmation of why the gay rights struggle has a long way to go.I just got home from a County Council meeting in Aiken, SC where the main topic of discussion was the repeal of blue laws that keep stores closed before 1:30 and after 6:00 on Sunday. Listening to the arguments of the Christo-fascists, one would think that the world will come to an end if people are allowed to shop on Sunday morning. No arguments from them except religion and traditions. The chambers of commerce all spoke of the lost sales tax revenue because we are a border county with GA that doesn’t have the restrictions. Although they haven’t voted yet, it looks like the repeal will pass. Its one small step into the 21st century.
Yeah, it is
And it’s not so great for the working wounded, either.
I used to coordinate 15 projects at a time. Now I coordinate 63, because my department was halved with layoffs. This is in addition to being the only remaining trainer for two key certifications, and the only auditor for a critical business process. Cost of living is going up, but I’m on a wage freeze. And today, my department got ragged on for not being timely. I just about blew up. The only thing that stopped me from telling them to go to hell, and walking out, was that I’m the only income in our family these days, and without my income, we’d lose everything. Something has got to change.
I’ve got a great suggestion for IndiaIf they want to make a dent in their population growth, they could begin by making marriage gender neutral and pass non-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation and gender identity. What’s more, the government could start celebrating homosexuality and transsexuality, publicly praising their gays, lesbians and trans people, lavishing them with adoration. In time, India would become a fully open and accepting society where everyone who is GLBT could be out and proud, and embraced by their culture.
Well, it only makes sense, since we tend to produce far fewer children than non-GLBT people. Any society that wants to reduce its population should love us.
Enlightening a publisherMy publisher added a line to the blurb of my trans Robin Hood novel that was just insanely offensive. And they didn’t even realize it. Bear in mind, this is a publisher that doesn’t let gay characters use the word “queer” as an umbrella term for the entire community.
They added:
But Marion is no normal woman, no normal princess. In fact, she isn’t a woman at all.
When I pointed out that “normal” and the negation of her womanhood were offensive (and would cost sales), it was quickly changed.
One baby step at a time. I may not understand all the finer points of trans etiquette, but I do what I can.
Cover and revised blurb here, along with a chance at a free copy
http://valarltd.livejournal.co…
This & That? I’ll bite …
Idaho Spoil Sports:
Male wrestling team banned from wearing bikinis
http://www.ktvb.com/news/speci…
Petty, weird, amusing, pathetic?
I don’t know what to make of this story.
The embedded video in the KTVB report is scaled awfully small, so here’s a better link:
http://www.ktvb.com/video/inde…
Over at the little FoMo forum I follow, I think SA2.0 got it right:
Bikini topsOffensive? This is from some alternate universe where Obama isn’t an American citizen and America is becoming socialistic/communistic/fascistic or whatever.
I don’t know if there was more to it then what was in the linked article, butthat sounds like some pretty harmless fun the boys were having. Of course, if they’d have had any real stones, they’d have worn the bikini bottoms, too.