It Gets Better... and soon!

Sometimes I get super tired of all the gay-bashing and homophobia I hear from the sphere of public speech. It seems every time I turn around it's something new, and yet so old, all the fear and ignorance back in the news. Is it any wonder the suicide rate is so high amongst gay teens? I know things are bleak right now; there are a lot of negative things happening around gay rights right now. In Iowa, three of the Supreme Court Justices were up for reelection and all three were voted out after the National Organization for Marriage, an evangelical group devoted to stopping the legalization of same-sex marriage, poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Iowa. DADT has been through major ups and downs the last couple months, and the new commandant of the Marines, General James F. Amos, has recently been in the news for saying the ban should be upheld and saying things like "There is nothing more intimate than young men and young women — and when you talk of infantry, we're talking our young men — laying out, sleeping alongside of one another and sharing death, fear and loss of brothers." Slightly creepy and demonstrating a general homophobia, in my opinion. It is worth noting that Gen. Amos' position is not new for the commandant of the Marines. His predecessor, Gen. James T. Conway, was a staunch supporter of the ban.

The Trevor Project, a great organization aimed at suicidal gay teens, has been running a great PSA campaign targeted at hurting kids, using a wide array of celebrities to get out the message 'it gets better.' However, will all the negative news, why should a gay teen (or anyone) be optimistic? Well, I'm saying it *is* going to get better. I love this country, and I believe some day we will meet our promise of 'liberty and justice for all.' Until then, all I can do is offer up what nuggets of hope I find. Today, I found three.

The first isn't legislative news, nothing has changed in enforcement yet, but today it is being leaked the Pentagon study commissioned to find out the feelings of military members regarding lifting the DADT ban has found over 70% of the military says the effect of lifting the ban would be positive, mixed, or non-existent. The study is not due until Dec. 1st. As I said, this does not mean anything in terms of enforcement yet, but it is a positive sign. I would add those feelings are backed up by empirical data from other countries, which allow open service, which shows lifting a ban on open gay military service either had a positive effect, or little effect.

The second is a bit of a personal indulgence. I'm an American Library Association nut. I can hardly wait when the literary awards and handed out. This year the ALA is adding an award to its Youth Media Awards, the Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award to honor "English-language works for children and teens of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered experience." The Stonewall Award for adults has been in place for forty years, but this is its first year in children's category. ALA officials noted the decision to add the award was made before the outbreak of teen suicides in recent months. However, according to Roberta Stevens, association president, "Millions of children in this country are being raised by gay or lesbian parents. There are young people who are gay and sometimes they feel very alone. This is a real opportunity for youths who may be feeling alone to read about other like themselves." I hear that. Oh, and might I suggest as the recipient for this year Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan? It would be awesome and much deserved.

Third, last, and best of all are recent findings by the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study (NLLFS), the longest study of its kind, now in its twenty-fourth year. Read all about it HERE, but if you don't want to, basically what the findings say is 0% of children raised by lesbian couples report being physically or sexually abused. This is great news on many levels, but the long term implication is because the people in charge of adoptions and foster care and the like want to place children in homes without violence, the lesbian-mothers model of family could be more widely embraced and accepted as a safe environment in which to raise a child.

See? Some good news! America has yet to fulfill her promise of equality, but there is no doubt in my mind she will some day. Be realistic and know that things aren't going to be perfect over night, but know things have improved and are poised to improve in the long term, even if presently the outlook is a touch bleak.

It gets better.

Banned Book Week

*infomercial style* Has a book you love ever been banned? I know lots of mine have! 


When I first heard of book banning and burning, it was in reference to an ancient culture, and I presumed the practice had stayed in the past. It wasn't until an incident involving Harry Potter that I realized book banning was still alive and well. Book banning has always deeply bothered me. Maybe it's how I was raised, but the thought of it repulses my mind and sickens my stomach.


 Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings.  ~Heinrich Heine


A couple years back one of my favorite authors posted a video to his brother, Hank, about one of his books being banned. He explains the situation around the ban, and then explains what the disputed scenes were really about. (Oh, he also stands up for young people.)



Earlier this month, the school system of a town near me banned The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie from the classroom because of language and sexual situations. Keep in mind, this is a ban for high school class room. I have yet to read the book, so I cannot speak to the supposed vulgarities, but I'm familiar with some of the town youth and I hardly think they'll learn any new words or behaviors from reading the book. I take that back, in reading the book, they might pick up the behavior of reading critically and thoughtfully.
 

I was blessed to be raised in a house where I was allowed to read any book whenever I expressed an interest. My mom even pushed me to read several banned books I might not have been interested in until much later. The following are some common or recently banned books I've read.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson

Fahrenheit 451, by Ray BradburyThe Giver, by Lois Lowry
Harry Potter (series), by J. K. Rowling
James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Twilight, by Stephanie Meyers
Where's Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
The Witches, by Roald Dahl

I love so many of the books on my list. My favorite is a real toss up between Fahrenheit 451 and To Kill A Mockingbird, both have played such a large role in my life. However, just because a book is banned doesn't mean it's a great book. I'm not a fan of Twilight and book has a dichotomous effect on me. On the one hand, it kills me that such a badly executed story is selling so well. On the other hand, it makes me hopeful for my own career. Despite my many criticisms of the book, I hate that it is skyrocketing up the banned books charts. 


All books are not created equal, but all books deserve equal rights.


See a list of commonly banned books and then tell me your favorite banned book in the comments!

Happy Constitution Day!

Hello and welcome to the inaugural post on my political blog. I plan to publish personal opinion pieces on issues, reports on things I read or watch, and random politically-related thoughts and questions.

Very quickly, I would like to define politics. Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. I have heard politics also defined as the process by which people gain power. Both are good, accurate definitions, but I find the first particularly appealing because it offers insight not only into politics, but into those who follow politics, the special subgroup of humans known as ‘political junkies.’ What type of person is a political junky? I have a theory and it involves a Venn diagram.

I admit, I am prone to people watching, and thought I try not to commit lashon hara, I am human.

There is an “About” page if you are interested in a little more background on me, but overall, I think the only thing worth telling here is I’m a college student; I’m majoring in writing with a minor in political science; I’m a Democrat; and I’m super excited about voting for the first time this November.

Okay, on to some fun!

First of all, happy Constitution Day!  A few years back a bill was passed by the late Senator Byrd which says all institutions of higher education which receive federal funds must hold some sort of Constitution Day event. The institution of higher education I attend held a seminar which counts as chapel credit. I’m attending a Christian college which requires all students attend chapel, so the chance to attend a seminar on a document and subject I love instead was a treat. (I once joked I argue about law the way the preacher boys on campus argue about New Testament.)

The seminar gave me a plethora of things to talk about, but I’d like to mention one here. One of the professors talked a little about the three branches of government, and how Congress is the first amongst equals. It makes sense for Congress to get more power than the Executive and Judiciary branches though. For one, Congress has more people involved than the other branches, and for two, all of Congress is elected by the people. Technically, the President is elected by delegates, and the judiciary (Supreme Court) is appointed by the president and then confirmed by the Senate, so the people have less influence over those branches. The professor made a point of saying if we (the students) truly wished to change government we need to examine the House, not the presidency, because the president doesn’t hold all the power. Later in the conversation, the issue of God in the Constitution and the possibility of America becoming a theocracy came up. A different professor told the crowd he would not have voted for Mitt Romney because Romney is Mormon, and if you want to see theocracy, then put a Mormon to office. To be honest, I don’t understand why my Baptist college rails against Mormonism so much, (they’re even leading a mission trip to Salt Lake City to convert Mormons) but I also know very little about Mormonism. The implied meaning of this statement flabbergasted me, but the seminar ended right after, so I had no time to voice my question. (Plus, goodness knows if I have to take from that professor some day. No need to start a relationship by being argumentative.) The implied meaning I gathered from the statement was if you elect someone of a religion different than yours, they will drastically change the make-up of government. (This astounds me. Can you say George W. Bush??) This right after a different professor iterated the Executive branch only has so many specific powers, and it is not where the true power of the US Government lies. Does the president even have close to the power needed to make the government a theocracy instead of a democracy? I don’t think so, but maybe I’m wrong. It did kind of explain to me why there have not been any non-Christian (or loosely Christian) presidents. What do you think? Does the president have the power to create a theocracy? Should America be ruled by a theocratic government? Which theology should we embrace?

Comment question of the day: What’s your favorite and least favorite amendment? (Quick reference link)

At this time in my life, I'm thankful for the 19th and 26th amendments. I suppose the closest I come to disliking an amendment is the 18th, but it was repealed by the 21st amendment and my 21st amendment right is not a right I yet practice... soooooo.

Happy Constitution Day!