Parents talk about transgender child's transition
Language-
"in the wrong body"
"biological girl"
"presenting as a boy"
Depression from "presenting" as a girl. Idea that it is "completely new, completely different" to be transgender. Increasing resources online and off.
They say Andy was happy. They say he was accepted by his younger sister, his friends, his classmates and his school. Andy's Boulder Valley kindergarten through 8th grade school created a unisex bathroom for him and listened to transgender speakers about the reality of living as the opposite biological gender.
Was everyone really so accepting?
Gold Rush Conference
Gender Identity Center of Colorado
Too short... very brief and obvious. Follows the "transgender child" story template.
See Tom Be Jane
Language
"biological male"
mixing of pronouns
"Nichole today dresses, acts, and lives like a girl." -- "acts" "dresses" like a girl-- gender stereotyping!
Aurora ZACHARY LIPSCOMB
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/932783.stm
"Gender Identity Disorder"
-- court case -- MTF child taken away by authorities from parents for trying to enroll her in school as girl.-- OHIO
"Studies show that many [trans kids] end up as gay adults"--- WHAT studies? It would be interesting to seek out and read these, if they exist.
-- edit- (4) mentions communities critique of ONE study done on this subject-- also an article about brains of transgendered individuals having unique characteristics that cannot be "Grown out of"
MICHAEL KANTARAS custody case
Wiki
-- see sources listed in Wiki article
Karen Doering- attorney for National Center for Lesbian Rights
Mark Angelo Cummings- Transman on a Mission
"birth defect" of transgenderism
GID- calling trangenderedness a "disorder."
Philadelphia Trans-health Conference- "How Young is Too Young?"
A Boy's Life
Why do all these articles focus on Barbies and dress up? Are these kinds of articles damaging to non-transgender/non-gay transvestites? How are they contributing to stereotyping along gender lines?
Language-
"God made a mistake."
"the 'I' was a girl, often with big red lips, high heels, and a princess dress."
"(natal) son"
"affirmed female" vs. mtf "because how can you be a male-to-female if you really were always a female in your brain?" (7)
"born in the wrong body" catchphrase
Dr. John Money-- gender as a social construction ---- see DAVID REIMER -raised as girl but rebelled against this- was born boy. lived again as male.
what about option of genderlessness? (X: A Fabulous Child's Story)
BRAIN GENDER- MELISSA HINES
Norman Spack- "hormonal fix"
puberty/hormone blockers- science as an aspect of trans rights movement. Also-- infertility as an issue. "Reversible"? To what point?
Barbara Walters 20/20 Special with "Jazz"
Trans Health Conference in Philadelphia
J.T Hayes Newsweek
Kenneth Zucker- in Toronto- "specialist"
Is Milton Diamond report on twins published yet?
Study in Nature- 1995
Monkey study- 1988- "masculinize the brains but not the bodies of the female babies"
The "Sissy Boy Syndrome" and the Development of Homosexuality- "we can't tell a pre-gay from a pre-transsexual at 8"
Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders will be updated in 2012- effort to get Gender Identity Disorder off list
transexual identity as easier to accept than homosexuality
the "right clothes"
Notes/Thoughts on all
Christine Jorgenson!
Christine in the Cutting Room - upcoming film by Susan Stryker
Friday, February 26, 2010
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
To the Lady
TO THE LADY by Mitsuye Yamada
The one in San Francisco who asked:
Why did the Japanese Americans let
the government put them in
those camps without protest?
Come the think of it I
should’ve run off to Canada
should’ve hijacked a plane to Algeria
should’ve pulled myself up from my
bra straps
and kicked ‘m in the groin
should’ve bombed a bank
should’ve tried self-immolation
should’ve holed myself up in a
woodframe house
and let you watch me
burn up on the six o’clock news
should’ve run howling down the street
naked and assaulted you at breakfast
by AP wirephoto
should’ve screamed bloody murder
like Kitty Genovese
Then
YOU would’ve
come to my aid in shining armor
laid yourself across the railroad track
marched on Washington
tattooed a Star of David on your arm
written six million enraged
letters to Congress
But we didn’t draw the line
anywhere
law and order Executive Order 9066
social order moral order internal order
You let’m
I let’m
All are punished
The one in San Francisco who asked:
Why did the Japanese Americans let
the government put them in
those camps without protest?
Come the think of it I
should’ve run off to Canada
should’ve hijacked a plane to Algeria
should’ve pulled myself up from my
bra straps
and kicked ‘m in the groin
should’ve bombed a bank
should’ve tried self-immolation
should’ve holed myself up in a
woodframe house
and let you watch me
burn up on the six o’clock news
should’ve run howling down the street
naked and assaulted you at breakfast
by AP wirephoto
should’ve screamed bloody murder
like Kitty Genovese
Then
YOU would’ve
come to my aid in shining armor
laid yourself across the railroad track
marched on Washington
tattooed a Star of David on your arm
written six million enraged
letters to Congress
But we didn’t draw the line
anywhere
law and order Executive Order 9066
social order moral order internal order
You let’m
I let’m
All are punished
poetry is...
poetry is that rough and muddy sport through which I tackle words and force them into orderly and sometimes sensical rows
it is an art of romantic but unloved women who lock themselves in towers in castles in foreign lands to wait for their beloveds to save them
it is a science whereby alchemy creates of the dirtiest and plainest of elements gold from the friendly folks at hallmark
and, of course, the ghost of emotions past- the harsher the greater- which are exploited time and again for fame and recognized genius
... etc.
it is an art of romantic but unloved women who lock themselves in towers in castles in foreign lands to wait for their beloveds to save them
it is a science whereby alchemy creates of the dirtiest and plainest of elements gold from the friendly folks at hallmark
and, of course, the ghost of emotions past- the harsher the greater- which are exploited time and again for fame and recognized genius
... etc.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
For K---'s Class
See how I censored it all 1800's-y? ...
----
1-
Shoulders moving, hunched, hand before face
on cheeks and eyes and nose and over mouth
"I have sacrificed," he says, or the subtitles say he says, "How I have sacrificed."
Shadows weighing down the eyes, wrinkles, aging hands and grey- all
Stop
A song (what was it?)
Dramatic, instrumental, and slow
Motion- slow or fast- and slow
Strings increase
then, in the air!
then, down!
"I have sacrificed," she said, or so they said she said.
Hopes, pride, a life
Faster- strings, percussion, movement
it goes
once last
Swish
Bang
Slice
Twirling
Spinning
Up and smoothly falling and smoothly doing and then just falling
No!
"We have sacrificed," they said.
"And for what?"
----
2-
So, how was it?
How was what?
You know.
So?
And?
And what?
I mean, well, I had to do it, so what does it matter anyway?
So it was bad?
I didn't say that.
It seemed like you did.
Well, I didn't.
So what did she say?
A lot of things. It's been awhile.
Like?
How it'd been a while.
And?
I don't know. Her life- my life- life in general-- life.
What in her life?
Look, she didn't say she missed me-
-I didn't ask that-
-and that's all that matters. All that mattered.
----
3
The signs of a future hoarder- a television freak/star. 4 copies of the same photo of the same baby, old ids from other countries, expired bus passes and transfers, stubs for movies I never saw. Business cards hanging around like a bucket list cut into confetti then saved for years and years and years and years like a living will that says, "pull the plug! this one must go!" A receipt someone else left at the counter- held onto for some voyeuristic reason understood only by dead shrinks and incarcerated sociopaths. Spent giftcards from seven Christmases past. Torn and too many times folded coupons. The phone number of a lover gone-- long gone.
My This wallet is a grave
but then
it isn't really mine
I guess
----
1-
Shoulders moving, hunched, hand before face
on cheeks and eyes and nose and over mouth
"I have sacrificed," he says, or the subtitles say he says, "How I have sacrificed."
Shadows weighing down the eyes, wrinkles, aging hands and grey- all
Stop
A song (what was it?)
Dramatic, instrumental, and slow
Motion- slow or fast- and slow
Strings increase
then, in the air!
then, down!
"I have sacrificed," she said, or so they said she said.
Hopes, pride, a life
Faster- strings, percussion, movement
it goes
once last
Swish
Bang
Slice
Twirling
Spinning
Up and smoothly falling and smoothly doing and then just falling
No!
"We have sacrificed," they said.
"And for what?"
----
2-
So, how was it?
How was what?
You know.
So?
And?
And what?
I mean, well, I had to do it, so what does it matter anyway?
So it was bad?
I didn't say that.
It seemed like you did.
Well, I didn't.
So what did she say?
A lot of things. It's been awhile.
Like?
How it'd been a while.
And?
I don't know. Her life- my life- life in general-- life.
What in her life?
Look, she didn't say she missed me-
-I didn't ask that-
-and that's all that matters. All that mattered.
----
3
The signs of a future hoarder- a television freak/star. 4 copies of the same photo of the same baby, old ids from other countries, expired bus passes and transfers, stubs for movies I never saw. Business cards hanging around like a bucket list cut into confetti then saved for years and years and years and years like a living will that says, "pull the plug! this one must go!" A receipt someone else left at the counter- held onto for some voyeuristic reason understood only by dead shrinks and incarcerated sociopaths. Spent giftcards from seven Christmases past. Torn and too many times folded coupons. The phone number of a lover gone-- long gone.
but then
it isn't really mine
I guess
Writing Practicum #4 (I think...)
I lost track of the numbers. Oh well.
Mi Rebozo-
Mi rebozo mi rebozo,
a vine creeping down my torso
not like a noose in the slightest
around my neck- my rebozo
You smell like perfume, oodles and oodles of perfume, that I sprayed on you before locking you in a drawer for five days straight. Those were cold days when my neck felt bare like it was just waiting for a vampire to come over and take a nip.
It couldn't be helped. That man, the drunk one, you know, he threw up all over the train and I was in the same car. The stench- it carries and you, my rebozo, you caught it- you sacrificed your loveliness to keep the smell from carrying to the engineer, who surely would have crashed from the terrible odor's intensity.
Mi rebozo mi rebozo,
a vine creeping down my torso
nostalgically catching the wind
always de moda- rebozo
I tore you- you must forgive my carelessness. You came with a tag for washing instructions and I couldn't very well have a store-bought rebozo. What would the other Latin@s think? They would think, "that poor girl- nobody loves her. See how she has had to pay for her rebozo."
Which isn't true at all, for I've got a homemade rebozo too- I've got two. But those ones aren't so long and aren't half so bright, and don't make me feel like an old film star at all. They make me feel like I reek of la frontera, las fronteras, like the vomit of that man on the train that hangs on you, my poor rebozo, even behind the perfume.
So I cut the tag off, and cut a bit of you off along with it.
Mi rebozo mi rebozo
a vine creeping down my torso
que hermoso, que hermoso
my fills the sky rebozo
Mi rebozo favorito, you did not come from Chile, you did not come from México, you probably did not even come from Kawagoe, where I bought you on sale for less than $10. But you shine like that bell tower in Kawagoe and you glisten like the sands of Monte Albán and you sparkle like the sea off the coast of Valparaíso. You are woven with memories for I have forced them in between the yarns.
Just like you smell (mostly) beautiful because I have doused you in Marc Jacob's Daisy. You smell just like me.
Mi rebozo mi rebozo
Mi Rebozo-
Mi rebozo mi rebozo,
a vine creeping down my torso
not like a noose in the slightest
around my neck- my rebozo
You smell like perfume, oodles and oodles of perfume, that I sprayed on you before locking you in a drawer for five days straight. Those were cold days when my neck felt bare like it was just waiting for a vampire to come over and take a nip.
It couldn't be helped. That man, the drunk one, you know, he threw up all over the train and I was in the same car. The stench- it carries and you, my rebozo, you caught it- you sacrificed your loveliness to keep the smell from carrying to the engineer, who surely would have crashed from the terrible odor's intensity.
Mi rebozo mi rebozo,
a vine creeping down my torso
nostalgically catching the wind
always de moda- rebozo
I tore you- you must forgive my carelessness. You came with a tag for washing instructions and I couldn't very well have a store-bought rebozo. What would the other Latin@s think? They would think, "that poor girl- nobody loves her. See how she has had to pay for her rebozo."
Which isn't true at all, for I've got a homemade rebozo too- I've got two. But those ones aren't so long and aren't half so bright, and don't make me feel like an old film star at all. They make me feel like I reek of la frontera, las fronteras, like the vomit of that man on the train that hangs on you, my poor rebozo, even behind the perfume.
So I cut the tag off, and cut a bit of you off along with it.
Mi rebozo mi rebozo
a vine creeping down my torso
que hermoso, que hermoso
my fills the sky rebozo
Mi rebozo favorito, you did not come from Chile, you did not come from México, you probably did not even come from Kawagoe, where I bought you on sale for less than $10. But you shine like that bell tower in Kawagoe and you glisten like the sands of Monte Albán and you sparkle like the sea off the coast of Valparaíso. You are woven with memories for I have forced them in between the yarns.
Just like you smell (mostly) beautiful because I have doused you in Marc Jacob's Daisy. You smell just like me.
Mi rebozo mi rebozo
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
I Must Remember to Check This Out!
And steal books from the list bwahahah... by which I mean, to add them to my list, and then to check and see if they are at the library. Because, well, um, I just don't have the money$ to get all the books they don't have at the library. Hm, maybe I should buckle down and go used book shopping crazy-like on a huge scale in the near future to sneak out these books. Mom- are you interested? We can hit every Half-Price Books in the state and THEN go to Powell's and spend the night in Oregon! Yay!
... I need to go to sleep. Here is the link to a librarian's list on a blog: http://booksforkidsingayfamilies.blogspot.com/
... I need to go to sleep. Here is the link to a librarian's list on a blog: http://booksforkidsingayfamilies.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 8, 2010
GLBTQI Children's Lit Reading List
I hope I actually remember to update this thing-- in purple= I've read it-- in green= not available through KCLS (King County Library System) :( I will come up with some other color code when I figure out how to get these books without going broke-- I may be prowling Half Price Books a lot in the coming months O.o They have them for so cheap on Amazon but the shipping is crazy! Le sigh!
*= I loved this book
Updated 2.15.10
EDIT: 2.17.10--- holy moly, do you think they might have some of these at the UW Libraries? I didn't even think that they would have children's books, but why WOULDN'T they? There are people that study children's lit exclusively! I will check out some of these puppies on the UW Libraries site, and then readjust everything from green to orange that isn't there either.
10,000 Dresses
123 A Family Counting Book
ABC A Family Alphabet Book
Aisha's Moonlit Walk-- check KCLS
All Families are Different
All Families are Special
El Amor de Todos los Colores- the Many Colored Love
Amazing Mommies
Amy Asks a Question
Anna's Aunts Get Married
Anna Day and the O-Ring
And Tango Makes Three
Antonio's Card/La Tarjeta de Antonio by Rigoberto Gonzalez
Asha's Mum
At My House, What Makes a Family is Love
Bedtime for Baby Teddy
A Beach Party With Alexis
Belinda’s Bouquet
Best, Best Colors: Los Mejores Colores by Hoffman, Henriquez and Vega
Box Girl
A Boy's Best Friend
The Boy Who Cried Fabulous ("gay tendencies"... this sounds v. stereotypical)--- NOTE: NOT A GLBTQ-THEMED BOOK. It's pretty offensive that the boy is deemed "gay" by readers just because he uses the word "fabulous." Really? Really? Le sigh!
Buster's Sugartime (I find it hard to believe an Arthur book has GLBTQI themes but...)
The Case of the Stolen Scarab (Candlestone Inn Mystery #1)
A Clear Spring
The Daddy Machine
Daddy, Papa, and Me
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Wilhoite - Very sweet, though I'm not sure the men need to be half naked so often. ^^*
Daddy's Wedding
The Day They Put a Tax on Rainbows and Other Stories
The Different Dragon
The Dragon and the Doctor
The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans and Other Stories
Else-Marie and her Seven Little Daddies
Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story
The Entertainer
Everywhere Babies
The Family Book
Families: A Celebration Of Diversity, Commitment And Love
A Family Has in it the People You Love
Felicia’s Favorite Story
Flying Free
From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun- by Jacqueline Woodson
Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones
Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude- Jonah Winter*
Gloria Goes to Gay Pride
Going to Fair Day
The Harvey Milk Story
Heather Has Two Mommies
Hello, Sailor
Holly’s Secret
How it Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages
How My Family Came to Be— Daddy, Papa and Me
How Would You Feel if Your Dad Was Gay?
If I Had 100 Mummies
In Our Mothers' House
Is Your Family Like Mine? by Louis Abramchik
It's Okay to Be Different
Jack and Jim
Jennifer Has Two Daddies
Jenny Lives With Eric And Martin
Josh and Jaz Have Three Mums
King and King
King and King and Family
Koalas on Parade
Living in Secret by Christina Salat
Losing Uncle Tim (Though it seems to be about AIDS actually- which assumes that everyone who has HIV/AIDS is gay)
Lots of Mommies
Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and Their Families (photography)
Lucy Goes To The Country by Joe Kennedy and John Canemaker
Mama Eat Ant, Yuck
Milly, Molly, and Different Dads
Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle
Molly’s Family
Mom and Mum are Getting Married!
Mommy, Mama, and Me
Monicka's Papa is Tall
Morning Light (Also actually about HIV/AIDS- but I haven't read these, so I should check them out first)
Mother's Day on Martha's Vineyard
My Dad Has HIV (ditto...)
My Family, Our Family, Your Family
My House
My Really Cool Baby Book
My Two Uncles
The Name on the Quilt: A Story of Remembrance
The Not-So-Only Child
Oh the Things Mommies Do!: What Could Be Better than Having Two?
Oliver Button is a Sissy (gender roles)
One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dad
One Hundred is a Family
Pugdog-- check KCLS
Queen Munch and Queen Nibble
The Rainbow Cubby House
Ray Loves Milo-- series?
Real Heroes by Marilyn Kaye
Red Ribbon (ditto)
Ryan's Mom is Tall
Saturday Is Pattyday
A Smile So Big
Spacegirl Pukes
Tale of Two Daddies
The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein
The Skull of Truth: A Magic Shop Book
Tales of Zebedy-Do-Dah
Tanny's Meow
Tiger Flowers (ditto)
Too Far Away to Touch (ditto...)
Two Daddies and Me
Two Moms
Two Moms, the Zark, and Me
Uncle Aiden
Uncle Bobby's Wedding
Uncle What-is-It Is Coming to Visit
We All Sing with the Same Voice
We Belong Together
What are Parents?
When Megan Went Away
When Grown-Ups Fall in Love
While You Were Sleeping (not the movie with Sandra Bullock...)
The White Swan Express
Who's in a Family?
William's Doll (gender roles)
Wishing for Kittens
Your Family, My Family
Zack’s Story
The Zark and Me
*= I loved this book
Updated 2.15.10
EDIT: 2.17.10--- holy moly, do you think they might have some of these at the UW Libraries? I didn't even think that they would have children's books, but why WOULDN'T they? There are people that study children's lit exclusively! I will check out some of these puppies on the UW Libraries site, and then readjust everything from green to orange that isn't there either.
10,000 Dresses
123 A Family Counting Book
ABC A Family Alphabet Book
Aisha's Moonlit Walk-- check KCLS
All Families are Different
All Families are Special
El Amor de Todos los Colores- the Many Colored Love
Amazing Mommies
Amy Asks a Question
Anna's Aunts Get Married
Anna Day and the O-Ring
And Tango Makes Three
Antonio's Card/La Tarjeta de Antonio by Rigoberto Gonzalez
Asha's Mum
At My House, What Makes a Family is Love
Bedtime for Baby Teddy
A Beach Party With Alexis
Belinda’s Bouquet
Best, Best Colors: Los Mejores Colores by Hoffman, Henriquez and Vega
Box Girl
A Boy's Best Friend
Buster's Sugartime (I find it hard to believe an Arthur book has GLBTQI themes but...)
The Case of the Stolen Scarab (Candlestone Inn Mystery #1)
A Clear Spring
The Daddy Machine
Daddy, Papa, and Me
Daddy's Roommate by Michael Wilhoite - Very sweet, though I'm not sure the men need to be half naked so often. ^^*
Daddy's Wedding
The Day They Put a Tax on Rainbows and Other Stories
The Different Dragon
The Dragon and the Doctor
The Duke Who Outlawed Jelly Beans and Other Stories
Else-Marie and her Seven Little Daddies
Emma and Meesha My Boy: A Two Mom Story
The Entertainer
Everywhere Babies
The Family Book
Families: A Celebration Of Diversity, Commitment And Love
A Family Has in it the People You Love
Felicia’s Favorite Story
Flying Free
From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun- by Jacqueline Woodson
Generous Jefferson Bartleby Jones
Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude- Jonah Winter*
Gloria Goes to Gay Pride
Going to Fair Day
The Harvey Milk Story
Heather Has Two Mommies
Hello, Sailor
Holly’s Secret
How it Feels to Have a Gay or Lesbian Parent: A Book by Kids for Kids of All Ages
How My Family Came to Be— Daddy, Papa and Me
How Would You Feel if Your Dad Was Gay?
If I Had 100 Mummies
In Our Mothers' House
Is Your Family Like Mine? by Louis Abramchik
It's Okay to Be Different
Jack and Jim
Jennifer Has Two Daddies
Jenny Lives With Eric And Martin
Josh and Jaz Have Three Mums
King and King
King and King and Family
Koalas on Parade
Living in Secret by Christina Salat
Losing Uncle Tim (Though it seems to be about AIDS actually- which assumes that everyone who has HIV/AIDS is gay)
Lots of Mommies
Love Makes a Family: Portraits of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Parents and Their Families (photography)
Lucy Goes To The Country by Joe Kennedy and John Canemaker
Mama Eat Ant, Yuck
Milly, Molly, and Different Dads
Mini Mia and Her Darling Uncle
Molly’s Family
Mom and Mum are Getting Married!
Mommy, Mama, and Me
Monicka's Papa is Tall
Morning Light (Also actually about HIV/AIDS- but I haven't read these, so I should check them out first)
Mother's Day on Martha's Vineyard
My Dad Has HIV (ditto...)
My Family, Our Family, Your Family
My House
My Really Cool Baby Book
My Two Uncles
The Name on the Quilt: A Story of Remembrance
The Not-So-Only Child
Oh the Things Mommies Do!: What Could Be Better than Having Two?
Oliver Button is a Sissy (gender roles)
One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad, Blue Dad
One Hundred is a Family
Pugdog-- check KCLS
Queen Munch and Queen Nibble
The Rainbow Cubby House
Ray Loves Milo-- series?
Real Heroes by Marilyn Kaye
Red Ribbon (ditto)
Ryan's Mom is Tall
Saturday Is Pattyday
A Smile So Big
Spacegirl Pukes
Tale of Two Daddies
The Sissy Duckling by Harvey Fierstein
The Skull of Truth: A Magic Shop Book
Tales of Zebedy-Do-Dah
Tanny's Meow
Tiger Flowers (ditto)
Too Far Away to Touch (ditto...)
Two Daddies and Me
Two Moms
Two Moms, the Zark, and Me
Uncle Aiden
Uncle Bobby's Wedding
Uncle What-is-It Is Coming to Visit
We All Sing with the Same Voice
We Belong Together
What are Parents?
When Megan Went Away
When Grown-Ups Fall in Love
While You Were Sleeping (not the movie with Sandra Bullock...)
The White Swan Express
Who's in a Family?
William's Doll (gender roles)
Wishing for Kittens
Your Family, My Family
Zack’s Story
The Zark and Me
KCLS Booklists
Provided at the King County Libraries and targeted (in a non-"I'm going to shoot you" way) at kids through young adults.
Edit: Updated 2.5.10
100 Books Every Child Should Hear Before Starting School
100 Libros En Español Que Cada Niño Debe Oír Antes De Empezar La Escuela
50 Favorite Picture Books
Adventure Books for Children
African American Literature
African American Heritage Books for Children
American Historical Fiction Books for Children
Animal Stories for Children
Asian Heritage Books for Children
Booklist for Babies
Booklist Grades 2 & 3
Booklist Grades 4 & 5
Booklist for Preschoolers
Booklist Toddlers
Books About Kindergarten
Books to Grow On
Classic Fiction
Classic Nonfiction
Classic Novels for Middle School Readers Booklist for Teens
Classic Read- Aloud Books for Children
Contemporary Read-Aloud Books for Children
Contemporary Realistic Fiction Books for Children
Eragon Read-A-Likes
Fantasy Books for Children
Fantasy Booklist for Teens
Fantasy for Teens
Folktales and Fairy Tales for Children
Fun & Easy Reads for Grades 4-6
Funny Books for Children
GLBTQ Booklist for Teens
Grades 2 & 3 Books for Children
Grades 6-7 Booklist for Teens
Grades 8-9 Booklist for Teens
Grades 9-10 Booklist for Teens
Grades 11-12 Booklist for Teens
Graphic Novels for Teens
Hispanic Heritage: Books for Children
Horror for Teens
Horses: Books for Children
Humor Booklist for Teens
Kindergarten & Grade 1 Booklist
Latino Literature
Megalit Fiction
Megalit Nonfiction
Mystery for Teens
Mystery Books for Children
Mystery Booklist for Teens
Native American Heritage Books for Children
Romance Booklist for Teens
Scary Tales for Children
Science Fiction Booklist for Teens
Science Fiction Books for Children
Spots Books for Children
Teen Horror
Twilight Read-A-Likes
Urban Fiction
Washington State: Books for Children
World Historical Fiction Books for Children
World Historical Fiction Booklist for Teens
Wah! I lost my Latino Booklists!!!!
Also, KCLS teen suggestions online.
And for kids.
Well, now that I've got a list, I can super check next time I go to the library to fill gaps-- like "Hispanic Heritage" and 4-5 grade!
Anyway, I'm thinking of doing a study on these booklists. Not sure how that'd work, but they seem like something in need of being researched and attacked. Oops.
Edit: Updated 2.5.10
100 Books Every Child Should Hear Before Starting School
100 Libros En Español Que Cada Niño Debe Oír Antes De Empezar La Escuela
50 Favorite Picture Books
Adventure Books for Children
African American Literature
African American Heritage Books for Children
American Historical Fiction Books for Children
Animal Stories for Children
Asian Heritage Books for Children
Booklist for Babies
Booklist Grades 2 & 3
Booklist Grades 4 & 5
Booklist for Preschoolers
Booklist Toddlers
Books About Kindergarten
Books to Grow On
Classic Fiction
Classic Nonfiction
Classic Novels for Middle School Readers Booklist for Teens
Classic Read- Aloud Books for Children
Contemporary Read-Aloud Books for Children
Contemporary Realistic Fiction Books for Children
Eragon Read-A-Likes
Fantasy Books for Children
Fantasy Booklist for Teens
Fantasy for Teens
Folktales and Fairy Tales for Children
Fun & Easy Reads for Grades 4-6
Funny Books for Children
GLBTQ Booklist for Teens
Grades 2 & 3 Books for Children
Grades 6-7 Booklist for Teens
Grades 8-9 Booklist for Teens
Grades 9-10 Booklist for Teens
Grades 11-12 Booklist for Teens
Graphic Novels for Teens
Hispanic Heritage: Books for Children
Horror for Teens
Horses: Books for Children
Humor Booklist for Teens
Kindergarten & Grade 1 Booklist
Latino Literature
Megalit Fiction
Megalit Nonfiction
Mystery for Teens
Mystery Books for Children
Mystery Booklist for Teens
Native American Heritage Books for Children
Romance Booklist for Teens
Scary Tales for Children
Science Fiction Booklist for Teens
Science Fiction Books for Children
Spots Books for Children
Teen Horror
Twilight Read-A-Likes
Urban Fiction
Washington State: Books for Children
World Historical Fiction Books for Children
World Historical Fiction Booklist for Teens
Wah! I lost my Latino Booklists!!!!
Also, KCLS teen suggestions online.
And for kids.
Well, now that I've got a list, I can super check next time I go to the library to fill gaps-- like "Hispanic Heritage" and 4-5 grade!
Anyway, I'm thinking of doing a study on these booklists. Not sure how that'd work, but they seem like something in need of being researched and attacked. Oops.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
the rub
A rant.
I really really really really want to reread Howl's Moving Castle and wish to high heaven that I could drop all reading and devour that book once again RIGHT NOW. Alas, alack, and woe to me, I must finish Little Women and Summer Will Show for my book clubs first. Then, I really ought to get some sort of queer theory text finished-- a few have come in at the library and once I pick them up they'll feel like time bombs sitting on my shelf, waiting to explode me into a million little pieces, which is also the title of a book.
Anyway, Little Women is a bloody long thing. It just keeps going. There seems to be no continuing plotline except Jo working on controlling her temper and a tiny bit of romance between Meg and Laurie's tutor, whose name I cannot recollect. Plus, the damned book is having a toll on my writing and particular choice of vocabulary and I do not like it ONE BIT.
Not the book, I mean. I do like it a few bits- many bits in fact. It is sweet and I like Jo's transgenderedness (not transexualness- look them up minus the ed ness if you like). But I am pretty sure the lass'll be identifying as a woman by the end of the book-- the title spoils all, you see.
I'm also listening to Hard Times by Dickens in the car and would just like it to be done as well. I'm thinking that Librivox (free books on tapes of manuscripts in the public domain) might have Summer Will Show (let's check now-- drat! hasn't! Anyway, I've got loads of books to read). I don't much like Hard Times, which is a shame, on account of I've loved most Dickens books in past. Well, all three anyway (Oliver Twist, Christmas Carol, Edwin Drood).
Anyway, I'm trying to hold off on Howl's Moving Castle and hope this mad desire will propell me through Little Women and Summer Will Show. Here's hoping!
<3
I really really really really want to reread Howl's Moving Castle and wish to high heaven that I could drop all reading and devour that book once again RIGHT NOW. Alas, alack, and woe to me, I must finish Little Women and Summer Will Show for my book clubs first. Then, I really ought to get some sort of queer theory text finished-- a few have come in at the library and once I pick them up they'll feel like time bombs sitting on my shelf, waiting to explode me into a million little pieces, which is also the title of a book.
Anyway, Little Women is a bloody long thing. It just keeps going. There seems to be no continuing plotline except Jo working on controlling her temper and a tiny bit of romance between Meg and Laurie's tutor, whose name I cannot recollect. Plus, the damned book is having a toll on my writing and particular choice of vocabulary and I do not like it ONE BIT.
Not the book, I mean. I do like it a few bits- many bits in fact. It is sweet and I like Jo's transgenderedness (not transexualness- look them up minus the ed ness if you like). But I am pretty sure the lass'll be identifying as a woman by the end of the book-- the title spoils all, you see.
I'm also listening to Hard Times by Dickens in the car and would just like it to be done as well. I'm thinking that Librivox (free books on tapes of manuscripts in the public domain) might have Summer Will Show (let's check now-- drat! hasn't! Anyway, I've got loads of books to read). I don't much like Hard Times, which is a shame, on account of I've loved most Dickens books in past. Well, all three anyway (Oliver Twist, Christmas Carol, Edwin Drood).
Anyway, I'm trying to hold off on Howl's Moving Castle and hope this mad desire will propell me through Little Women and Summer Will Show. Here's hoping!
<3
Notes on Rohy's "On Fairy Stories"
Rohy argues that The Lord of the Rings and other "fairy" tales are not as sex- free as they appear-- this sexuality is instead queer and thus generally ignored.
Double meaning of the word "fairy"-- idea that "fairy" tales really are more rich in queer sexuality/romance.
Homoerotic tension between Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli, Sam and Frodo, Frodo and Bilbo.
Heterosexual relationships as concluded but with no lead up, homosexual relationships as full of budding and building but no conclusion (930).
"And even after Hollywood's effort to straighten the tale, viewers of [Peter] Jackson's films have been only too willing to discuss homosexuality" (928).
"Sex seems absent to readers for whom the only real sexuality is hetero and in whose optic the homo consequently cannot register as sexuality at all" (929).
Desire for the ring versus desire for sex. (Sexually imagery of "thrusting" the finger into the ring, ring as symbol of genitalia (931)) (932). Image of stealing the ring similar to writing's on rape: "You can lay the blame on me, if you will. You can say that I was too strong and took it by force. For I am too strong for you" (402 qtd. 932)."
Thought-- the desire for the ring is felt by all who come in contact- similar to STD?
Lacan- look into further.
Only the ring makes full love (sex plus romance) impossible- thus all marriages take place at the end of the book?
Thought- Why is parenting always associated with heterosexuality- "straight love's consummation" (937)?
I first read The Lord of the Rings at the age of thirteen, in San Diego in the late 1970s. Lugging my father's paperbacks around the junior high school, I lost myself in Middle-earth during solitary lunches and, I suspect, in classes devoted to less interesting subjects. Among all the wonders of Tolkien's imagined world, I was most fascinated by the queer relations at the heart of the text, and in a strange adolescent way, I found in The Lord of the Rings an unexpected source of encouragement. Someone had given words to this love. Someone had shown it could be real. Though today I find the queer turns of the novel no less astonishing than I did at thirteen, I know now that Sam and Frodo could respresent, for me, the very possibility of homosexuality- as they have for countlesss readers- because I failed to see the way they also represent its impossibility. Or rather, I understood that impossibility only in the melancholy note of the Grey Havens pages, only in a vague regret that the love I loved was, it seemed, denied its proper story. (944)
1895 Amer. Jrnl. Psychol. VII. 216 This coincides with what is known of the peculiar societies of inverts. Coffee-clatches, where the members dress themselves with aprons, etc., and knit, gossip and crotchet; balls, where men adopt the ladies' evening dress, are well known in Europe. ‘The Fairies’ of New York are said to be a similar secret organization. 1923 [see FAG n.5]. 1925 F. LONSDALE Spring Cleaning II. 75 Mona. I say, what's the fairy's name? Richard. I have happily forgotten it for the moment! 1929 R. HUGHES High Wind in Jamaica iv, ‘Who are they?’ Emily asked the Captain... ‘Who are who?’ he murmured absently... ‘Oh, those? Fairies.’ ‘Hey! Yey! Yey!’ cried the mate. 1945 E. WAUGH Brideshead Revisited I. v. 102 Two girls stopped near our table and looked at us curiously. ‘Come on,’ said one to the other, ‘we're wasting our time. They're only fairies.’
Works Cited
"Fairy." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University. 1989. 7 Feb. 2010
Rohy, Valerie. "On Fairy Stories." MFS Modern Fiction Studies 50.4 (2004): 927-948.
Double meaning of the word "fairy"-- idea that "fairy" tales really are more rich in queer sexuality/romance.
Homoerotic tension between Merry and Pippin, Legolas and Gimli, Sam and Frodo, Frodo and Bilbo.
Heterosexual relationships as concluded but with no lead up, homosexual relationships as full of budding and building but no conclusion (930).
"And even after Hollywood's effort to straighten the tale, viewers of [Peter] Jackson's films have been only too willing to discuss homosexuality" (928).
"Sex seems absent to readers for whom the only real sexuality is hetero and in whose optic the homo consequently cannot register as sexuality at all" (929).
Desire for the ring versus desire for sex. (Sexually imagery of "thrusting" the finger into the ring, ring as symbol of genitalia (931)) (932). Image of stealing the ring similar to writing's on rape: "You can lay the blame on me, if you will. You can say that I was too strong and took it by force. For I am too strong for you" (402 qtd. 932)."
Thought-- the desire for the ring is felt by all who come in contact- similar to STD?
Lacan- look into further.
Only the ring makes full love (sex plus romance) impossible- thus all marriages take place at the end of the book?
Thought- Why is parenting always associated with heterosexuality- "straight love's consummation" (937)?
I first read The Lord of the Rings at the age of thirteen, in San Diego in the late 1970s. Lugging my father's paperbacks around the junior high school, I lost myself in Middle-earth during solitary lunches and, I suspect, in classes devoted to less interesting subjects. Among all the wonders of Tolkien's imagined world, I was most fascinated by the queer relations at the heart of the text, and in a strange adolescent way, I found in The Lord of the Rings an unexpected source of encouragement. Someone had given words to this love. Someone had shown it could be real. Though today I find the queer turns of the novel no less astonishing than I did at thirteen, I know now that Sam and Frodo could respresent, for me, the very possibility of homosexuality- as they have for countlesss readers- because I failed to see the way they also represent its impossibility. Or rather, I understood that impossibility only in the melancholy note of the Grey Havens pages, only in a vague regret that the love I loved was, it seemed, denied its proper story. (944)
fairy, n. and a.
c. A male homosexual. slang.Works Cited
"Fairy." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University. 1989. 7 Feb. 2010
Rohy, Valerie. "On Fairy Stories." MFS Modern Fiction Studies 50.4 (2004): 927-948.
Notes on Herzog's "Sissies, Dolls, and Dancing..."
Notes on Ricky Herzog's "Sissies, Dolls, and Dancing: Children's Literature in the Seventies."
Fear of "gender deviancy"- (a) reflection on parents (62), (b) harassment by society (62), (c) confrontation to gender duality (62), (d) pathologization= something IS wrong if your boy "acts like a girl" or visa versa (63), (e) fear that children will develop into sexually stigmatized adults (63)
Weakness of argument- why does Herzog consider fatherhood to be distinctly heterosexual?
Importance of voice for "gender-inappropriate" children (72)
1965- first "gender identity clinic" opens at Johns Hopkins
1966- first sex reassignment surgery completed
*1969- Stonewall Riot
1972- William's Doll is published
1973- "Homosexuality" removed from APA's list of psychiatric disorders.
1977- Supreme Court uphold's school board's decision to fire a teacher for "immortality" after he comes out as gay (Murdoch, 197, qtd. 65)
1979- Oliver Button is a Sissy is published
**1980- "Gender identity Disorder" is formally pathologized.
**1980- First APA DSM that does not contain "homosexuality" as a mental disorder
*The 1969 Stonewall riot- which flared up in retaliation to a police raid on a gay bar in which the police were "checking for attire 'appropriate' to gender" (Kaiser 198)- marked the birth of the modern gay-rights movement. As Charles Kaiser put it, "The stonewall riot had served as the [gay-rights] movement's de facto Declaration of Independence" (240) (63).
**Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick notes, "This is how it happens that the depathologization of an atypical sexual object-choice can be yoked to the new pathologization of an atypical gender identification" ("How" 256, qtd. Herzog 63)
Richard C. Friedman, in his book Male Homosexuality: A Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspective, reasons, "The rights of parents to oversee the development of children is a long-established principle. Who is to dictate that parents may not try to raise their children in a manner that maximizes the possibility of a heterosexual outcome?" (260) (65).
I have discussed the state of society in the seventies and the numerous anxieties regarding boys' femininity that leads to this "policing of gender" in order to contetualize the very real stakes and manifestations of the discourge on gender and sexuality in this era. Children's literature is an influential and vital part of this discourse. (66)
A Guide to Non-sexist Children's Books--
William's Doll
Oliver Button is a Sissy
Tough Eddie
What's This about Pete
Tomboy
The Boyhood of Grace Jones
Nice Little Girls
Berkeley's 2003 "males in nontraditional roles" booklist
Mem Fox
Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?
OPPOSITE--
Gay is Not Good
Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign
OTHER-
Courting Justice: Gay Men and Lesbians v. The Supreme Court
Homophobia and the Law
The "Sissy Boy Syndrome" and the Development of Homosexuality
Ricky Herzog- Strategic Literacy Initiative.
Works Cited
Herzog, Ricky. "Sissies, Dolls, and Dancing: Children's Literature and Gender Deviance in the Seventies." The Lion and the Unicorn 33 (2009): 60-76.
Fear of "gender deviancy"- (a) reflection on parents (62), (b) harassment by society (62), (c) confrontation to gender duality (62), (d) pathologization= something IS wrong if your boy "acts like a girl" or visa versa (63), (e) fear that children will develop into sexually stigmatized adults (63)
Weakness of argument- why does Herzog consider fatherhood to be distinctly heterosexual?
Importance of voice for "gender-inappropriate" children (72)
1965- first "gender identity clinic" opens at Johns Hopkins
1966- first sex reassignment surgery completed
*1969- Stonewall Riot
1972- William's Doll is published
1973- "Homosexuality" removed from APA's list of psychiatric disorders.
1977- Supreme Court uphold's school board's decision to fire a teacher for "immortality" after he comes out as gay (Murdoch, 197, qtd. 65)
1979- Oliver Button is a Sissy is published
**1980- "Gender identity Disorder" is formally pathologized.
**1980- First APA DSM that does not contain "homosexuality" as a mental disorder
*The 1969 Stonewall riot- which flared up in retaliation to a police raid on a gay bar in which the police were "checking for attire 'appropriate' to gender" (Kaiser 198)- marked the birth of the modern gay-rights movement. As Charles Kaiser put it, "The stonewall riot had served as the [gay-rights] movement's de facto Declaration of Independence" (240) (63).
**Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick notes, "This is how it happens that the depathologization of an atypical sexual object-choice can be yoked to the new pathologization of an atypical gender identification" ("How" 256, qtd. Herzog 63)
Richard C. Friedman, in his book Male Homosexuality: A Contemporary Psychoanalytic Perspective, reasons, "The rights of parents to oversee the development of children is a long-established principle. Who is to dictate that parents may not try to raise their children in a manner that maximizes the possibility of a heterosexual outcome?" (260) (65).
I have discussed the state of society in the seventies and the numerous anxieties regarding boys' femininity that leads to this "policing of gender" in order to contetualize the very real stakes and manifestations of the discourge on gender and sexuality in this era. Children's literature is an influential and vital part of this discourse. (66)
A Guide to Non-sexist Children's Books--
William's Doll
Oliver Button is a Sissy
Tough Eddie
What's This about Pete
Tomboy
The Boyhood of Grace Jones
Nice Little Girls
Berkeley's 2003 "males in nontraditional roles" booklist
Mem Fox
Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?
OPPOSITE--
Gay is Not Good
Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign
OTHER-
Courting Justice: Gay Men and Lesbians v. The Supreme Court
Homophobia and the Law
The "Sissy Boy Syndrome" and the Development of Homosexuality
Ricky Herzog- Strategic Literacy Initiative.
Works Cited
Herzog, Ricky. "Sissies, Dolls, and Dancing: Children's Literature and Gender Deviance in the Seventies." The Lion and the Unicorn 33 (2009): 60-76.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
A List
Literally- I'm thinking and I don't want to lose this info in a mess of documents. I shall provide no explanation, so you may think what you will and feel most engaged in a wonderful mystery.
- Queer-themed children’s lit in early primary school as lead-in to GLBTQI issues entering sex ed curricula.
-IS
-Middlesex
-The Children's Hour- film and book
- introduction/chapter one as layered account
- where to find interviewees?
- Queer-themed children’s lit in early primary school as lead-in to GLBTQI issues entering sex ed curricula.
-IS
-Middlesex
-The Children's Hour- film and book
- introduction/chapter one as layered account
- where to find interviewees?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I was going to make a new blog
but I figured you all pretty much either know that I'm interested in GLBTQI issues by now. Anyway, I've been reading through a lot of the books on the "GLBTQ Booklist for Teens" from the King County Library, in addition to a chunk of yuri-themed (female, female relationships-- so far, not a one has had any more affection in it than a chaste kiss) manga (漫画 <- "loose picture"-- Japanese comic book), and as many queer-themed children's PICTURE books as I can find.
Let me tell you, while there are a good number, they tend to suck (major monkey balls- L, you are with me in spirit). The most common thing I find in these tales, whether young adult fiction (mostly US-written so far) , Japanese comic, or children's pic book (mostly European or US-written... I should make a table actually), is a plot that basically takes a well-known fairy tale or love story and just switches the gender of one of the protagonists.
For example, I read Malinda Lo's Ash, which was a retelling of Cinderella with two ladies. (Another- Romeo and Julian- Joey Escobedo -"Shakespeare's literary classic revised for the alternative couple."- "alternative," really?) Hurrah for lesbian romance, but for God's sake, that doesn't mean the author can ignore the hard realities of a same-sex relationship. Honestly, why was everyone so okay with the two ladies being together? She might've put it in a context where same-sex coupling was not considered anything to gawk at, but this was not that setting. It just came across as silly. And having had the basic plotline already written up for her, I'd kind of expected more detail-wise.
Anyway, that's the big thing in most of these children's books-- everyone's so accepting. I don't think children are being prepared at all for the difficulties they will assuredly face even as soon as they hit grade school. The only GLBTQI children's book that has dealt with the harsh realities is X: A Fabulous Child's Story- Lois Gould. The child in this book is raised without gender- nobody knows if "it" is a boy or a girl. X's classmates become accepting but their parents are angry-- a lot of parents WOULD and DO respond this way. Pretending that prejudice doesn't exist seems like it would set kids up for confusion and disappointment. School's rough enough as it is.
Now the young adult books, they are just annoying. Not all of them. I thoroughly enjoyed Geography Club- Brent Hartinger. The protagonist's greatest fear was that the other kids in his high school would find out he was gay. Him and a few other queer kids start a "Geography Club" as a front for a GSA because they figure it sounds too boring for anyone to actually want to join. Not only is it hilarious but it is painfully honest-- the protagonist is an asshole at times. He is not going to stand up for the least popular kid in school even if that kid is called a "fag." The focus is NOT on the romance- thank the stars! I hate romances...
Like Empress of the World - Sara Ryan. The two ladies going out is a-okay with everyone but two boys that nobody likes anyway. Oh, and they go out for two weeks before one breaks up with another. And the dumped gal gets all super depressed and mopey and talks about the hole in her chest for 100 pages. It reminded me of Twilight, which I'm not going to link (you can find it yourself!). I guess I'm making it sound mean, but the truth is, even if it is her first relationship with a girl and that really is how teenagers feel, it was annoying to read. And way too much stupid drama. There doesn't even need to be real drama for teenagers to make drama, so why throw in soap opera-ish cliches?
Anyway, the manga have been the best so far. I read all of Revolutionary Girl Utena (authors are harder for comics, because there usually is at least the artist and the writer- for this one there's a whole production company. Anyway, I'm not writing them, but not because of the Japanese names. I just wanted to point out that I'm not including the names because it would take forever on account of there being so many and it would be very prejudiced to choose a writer over artist over background-sketching company etc.), which was lovely, though I have no idea what happened. Which just goes to show that complicated sexuality stories can have complicated plots as well. Actually, though this is known for its lesbian couple, the couple wasn't really lesbian because one character was secretly intersex.... I think... It was very confusing and a lot of people turned out to be gods. Anyway, it was still sweet. I just wish Utena would protect herself from stupid people kissing her so much! For a "revolutionary girl" she's kinda weak in that regard.
Oooh, I also read Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Okay, I love this one and it is extremely silly. Basically, a Japanese high school boy is accidentally killed by aliens so, in order not to get in trouble with some intergalactic space travel commission, the aliens rebuilt the poor lad's body as a girl's. So it gets a lot of media attention and poor lad -> lass has to go back to school in spite of it. But the gal who wouldn't date him before is now hugely crushing on her because she was gay! But he doesn't want to be a lesbian... Oh, but there's also the girl who loved him when he was a boy and still kinda loves him now even though he's a girl. AND there's his best friend who's a guy and has the HOTS for our protagonist because s/he's pretty durned cute and they obviously had a lot in common.
Phew. Anyway, it's interesting because the sex change was unintentional and that prejudice aspect hasn't come in because of it.
Now I've just been reading the first volume of After School Nightmare which I insanely loved. It is CREEPY and stars an intersex highschool student. The intersexuality is a huge element but the plotline is super interesting as well. Basically, some kids at school have to go to this basement infirmary after school and go to sleep-- then BATTLE in their dreams. And they're images in the dreams are they're TRUE SELVES so some of them are terrifying-- one gal has no face or chest, another is just a long hand. Our poor protagonist (who lives as a boy) shows up in girl's clothing. But they kill each other in the dreams because someone will have a key inside. And sometimes it shows memories-- everyone is SUPER traumatized. no more caps...
Anyway, I'll try to write down all that I read of this nature. I haven't included everything here (not by far!) and should write down all the yaoi manga as well (male, male couples), but it's a start.
This is a long post....
Let me tell you, while there are a good number, they tend to suck (major monkey balls- L, you are with me in spirit). The most common thing I find in these tales, whether young adult fiction (mostly US-written so far) , Japanese comic, or children's pic book (mostly European or US-written... I should make a table actually), is a plot that basically takes a well-known fairy tale or love story and just switches the gender of one of the protagonists.
For example, I read Malinda Lo's Ash, which was a retelling of Cinderella with two ladies. (Another- Romeo and Julian- Joey Escobedo -"Shakespeare's literary classic revised for the alternative couple."- "alternative," really?) Hurrah for lesbian romance, but for God's sake, that doesn't mean the author can ignore the hard realities of a same-sex relationship. Honestly, why was everyone so okay with the two ladies being together? She might've put it in a context where same-sex coupling was not considered anything to gawk at, but this was not that setting. It just came across as silly. And having had the basic plotline already written up for her, I'd kind of expected more detail-wise.
Anyway, that's the big thing in most of these children's books-- everyone's so accepting. I don't think children are being prepared at all for the difficulties they will assuredly face even as soon as they hit grade school. The only GLBTQI children's book that has dealt with the harsh realities is X: A Fabulous Child's Story- Lois Gould. The child in this book is raised without gender- nobody knows if "it" is a boy or a girl. X's classmates become accepting but their parents are angry-- a lot of parents WOULD and DO respond this way. Pretending that prejudice doesn't exist seems like it would set kids up for confusion and disappointment. School's rough enough as it is.
Now the young adult books, they are just annoying. Not all of them. I thoroughly enjoyed Geography Club- Brent Hartinger. The protagonist's greatest fear was that the other kids in his high school would find out he was gay. Him and a few other queer kids start a "Geography Club" as a front for a GSA because they figure it sounds too boring for anyone to actually want to join. Not only is it hilarious but it is painfully honest-- the protagonist is an asshole at times. He is not going to stand up for the least popular kid in school even if that kid is called a "fag." The focus is NOT on the romance- thank the stars! I hate romances...
Like Empress of the World - Sara Ryan. The two ladies going out is a-okay with everyone but two boys that nobody likes anyway. Oh, and they go out for two weeks before one breaks up with another. And the dumped gal gets all super depressed and mopey and talks about the hole in her chest for 100 pages. It reminded me of Twilight, which I'm not going to link (you can find it yourself!). I guess I'm making it sound mean, but the truth is, even if it is her first relationship with a girl and that really is how teenagers feel, it was annoying to read. And way too much stupid drama. There doesn't even need to be real drama for teenagers to make drama, so why throw in soap opera-ish cliches?
Anyway, the manga have been the best so far. I read all of Revolutionary Girl Utena (authors are harder for comics, because there usually is at least the artist and the writer- for this one there's a whole production company. Anyway, I'm not writing them, but not because of the Japanese names. I just wanted to point out that I'm not including the names because it would take forever on account of there being so many and it would be very prejudiced to choose a writer over artist over background-sketching company etc.), which was lovely, though I have no idea what happened. Which just goes to show that complicated sexuality stories can have complicated plots as well. Actually, though this is known for its lesbian couple, the couple wasn't really lesbian because one character was secretly intersex.... I think... It was very confusing and a lot of people turned out to be gods. Anyway, it was still sweet. I just wish Utena would protect herself from stupid people kissing her so much! For a "revolutionary girl" she's kinda weak in that regard.
Oooh, I also read Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Okay, I love this one and it is extremely silly. Basically, a Japanese high school boy is accidentally killed by aliens so, in order not to get in trouble with some intergalactic space travel commission, the aliens rebuilt the poor lad's body as a girl's. So it gets a lot of media attention and poor lad -> lass has to go back to school in spite of it. But the gal who wouldn't date him before is now hugely crushing on her because she was gay! But he doesn't want to be a lesbian... Oh, but there's also the girl who loved him when he was a boy and still kinda loves him now even though he's a girl. AND there's his best friend who's a guy and has the HOTS for our protagonist because s/he's pretty durned cute and they obviously had a lot in common.
Phew. Anyway, it's interesting because the sex change was unintentional and that prejudice aspect hasn't come in because of it.
Now I've just been reading the first volume of After School Nightmare which I insanely loved. It is CREEPY and stars an intersex highschool student. The intersexuality is a huge element but the plotline is super interesting as well. Basically, some kids at school have to go to this basement infirmary after school and go to sleep-- then BATTLE in their dreams. And they're images in the dreams are they're TRUE SELVES so some of them are terrifying-- one gal has no face or chest, another is just a long hand. Our poor protagonist (who lives as a boy) shows up in girl's clothing. But they kill each other in the dreams because someone will have a key inside. And sometimes it shows memories-- everyone is SUPER traumatized. no more caps...
Anyway, I'll try to write down all that I read of this nature. I haven't included everything here (not by far!) and should write down all the yaoi manga as well (male, male couples), but it's a start.
This is a long post....
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Remind me to critique
some of the things I've posted in the last few days.
Some quote from the Blood Moon website (they have some books too):
"I am prepared to believe that the sense of
romance in those of our brothers and
sisters who incline towards love of their
own sex is heightened to a more blazing
pitch than in those who think of
themselves as normal."
Lord Laurence Olivier
"I won't be directed by a fairy!" I have
to work with a real man!"
Clark Gable, snarling about his
then-director, George Cukor,
on the set of Gone With the Wind.
"All my life, I've spent time with gay men.
Montgomery Clift, Jimmy Dean, Rock
Hudson. There is no gay agenda. It's a
human agenda."
Elizabeth Taylor
"That dykey bitch"
Margaret Sullavan,
talking about
Katharine Hepburn
Some quote from the Blood Moon website (they have some books too):
"I am prepared to believe that the sense of
romance in those of our brothers and
sisters who incline towards love of their
own sex is heightened to a more blazing
pitch than in those who think of
themselves as normal."
Lord Laurence Olivier
"I won't be directed by a fairy!" I have
to work with a real man!"
Clark Gable, snarling about his
then-director, George Cukor,
on the set of Gone With the Wind.
"All my life, I've spent time with gay men.
Montgomery Clift, Jimmy Dean, Rock
Hudson. There is no gay agenda. It's a
human agenda."
Elizabeth Taylor
"That dykey bitch"
Margaret Sullavan,
talking about
Katharine Hepburn
Programs at UW and UWB
Okay, so let's list all the one's I ought to look into. No excitement yet- alright?
Because I need to keep my options open, I should probably consider applying for law school too. Unpleasant. To. The. Nth.
Anthropology (unlikely)
Communication
Comparative Lit (unlikely)
Creative Writing (MFA)
Cultural Poetics (UWB-MFA)
English
Individual PhD (?)
Social Welfare (very unlikely)
Sociology
Women's Studies
Urgh. I wish there were more options!
Because I need to keep my options open, I should probably consider applying for law school too. Unpleasant. To. The. Nth.
Anthropology (unlikely)
Communication
Comparative Lit (unlikely)
Creative Writing (MFA)
Cultural Poetics (UWB-MFA)
English
Individual PhD (?)
Social Welfare (very unlikely)
Sociology
Women's Studies
Urgh. I wish there were more options!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
From the New York Times
This article made me smile and cry. I looked very much like the Joker as a result.
   |
Children Speak for Same-Sex Marriage
By SARAH WILDMAN
LAST month, advocates and opponents of same-sex marriage packed the New Jersey State House in Trenton, supporters in blue, opponents in red. Near the end of the day, Kasey Nicholson-McFadden took the microphone. “It doesn’t bother me to tell kids my parents are gay,” he said in a clear voice. “It does bother me to say they aren’t married. It makes me feel that our family is less than their family.”
Kasey is 10 years old. When the New Jersey State Senate voted against same-sex marriage on Jan. 7, he was devastated. “We tried to buoy him and say, ‘It’s another step in the process and it’s not over yet,’ ” said Karen Nicholson-McFadden, one of Kasey’s mothers.
In fact, Garden State Equality, the New Jersey gay-rights organization that invited Kasey to speak, quickly told reporters they would pursue the issue through the judiciary system. It will be familiar territory for the Nicholson-McFaddens, who vow to press on — be it through rallies or lawsuits.
For as long as Kasey can remember, Marcye and Karen Nicholson-McFadden have been petitioning the State of New Jersey for the right to marry. So while much of Kasey’s free time is spent on typical preteen activities — in-line skating, swim team and soccer practice — some of it is spent appearing in advertising campaigns and events organized by Garden State Equality. So many of that organization’s 64,000 members have children that the group provides day care and activities for teenagers during its events.
In 2008 about 116,000 same-sex couples across the country were raising a total of about 250,000 children under age 18, according to an analysis of Census data by Gary J. Gates, a demographer of the gay and lesbian population at the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles, law school.
While opponents of same-sex marriage worry that schools will teach that gay and straight relationships are equal, many supporters focus on a different, but still child-centered, issue: What about the children now being raised in families headed by gay men and lesbians? How does the lack of marriage benefits for their parents affect them?
In recent years, an increasing number of these children — ranging in age from 10 to nearly 40 — have taken active roles in campaigns organized by Colage (formerly known as Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere), and civil rights groups like Lambda Legal and Glad (Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders). Their involvement is helping to change the narrative of same-sex marriage to a story about families from one about couples.
With 31 states having rejected same-sex marriage — most recently in Maine, New Jersey and New York — strategies used by supporters now include projecting a mainstream family image in public opinion campaigns surrounding court battles like the challenge to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that reversed marriage rights for same-sex couples in California. Many gay rights activists think that hearing articulate children of same-sex parents ask why their families should have fewer rights than their neighbors goes a long way toward turning the family values argument on its head. Last week, Chiah Connolly-Ingram, 21, the daughter of a lesbian couple, helped close the rally outside the Federal Courthouse in San Francisco, where Proposition 8 is being challenged. “As the daughter of lesbian moms, I know that children are affected by this decision,” said Ms. Connolly-Ingram, a student at City College of San Francisco and an intern at Colage.
Zach Wahls, a freshman at the University of Iowa whose mothers married this summer in Iowa, one of the few states where same-sex marriage is legal, said in a recent interview: “At the end of the day, it’s really about separate but equal. This isn’t just about lesbian and gay, it’s about tolerance and acceptance.”
Evan Wolfson, executive director of Freedom to Marry, a New York-based organization that advocates for legalized same-sex marriage, said: “There is no good reason to punish children raised by gay parents by denying parents marriage and its protections. It harms kids rather than helping them.”
Opponents of same-sex marriage are unswayed. “It doesn’t make any sense that a small segment of society can leverage major social change simply by putting children into these situations purposefully,” said Andrew P. Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, the California organization that sponsored Proposition 8. “Society is not forcing same-sex couples to raise children. If they are going to exercise their choice, it remains their choice and not become something that society has to realign itself to accept.”
Mr. Pugno’s position is shared by others. “The real question is whether same-sex relationships benefit children to the same extent that living with a married mother and father does, and we believe they do not,” said Peter S. Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council, the conservative Christian organization. “Children do best when raised by their own biological mother and father who are committed to one another in a lifelong marriage.”
Gay rights activists challenge that claim, citing support from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, among other organizations.
The debate over same-sex parenting was central in Iowa, where the State Supreme Court ruled last April that a state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman was unconstitutional, in a suit filed by same-sex couples against the Polk County recorder. “The defendant made children the center of its argument,” said Camilla Taylor, the lead lawyer for Lambda Legal, which argued the case. “There are many reasons why the purpose of the marriage ban has nothing to do with child welfare,” Ms. Taylor said. “But since the defendant was claiming that the purpose of marriage law was to protect the children of heterosexual parents, we wanted the defendant to have to answer why the children of same-sex parents are any less deserving of protection and support.”
Lambda Legal approached each of the plaintiffs with children and asked the families if the children themselves would sign on as co-plaintiffs. The move appears to have shifted both public and court opinion. “What I did, it wasn’t just for my family, it was for a ton of families,” said McKinley BarbouRoske, now 12, who, along with her sister, Breeanna, was a co-plaintiff in the suit filed by her mothers, Jen and Dawn BarbouRoske.
Observers of the movement away from failed ballot initiatives and toward courtrooms say child welfare and parenting will again be central to court battles because the argument over same-sex marriage often swirls around questions of whether changing the definition of marriage has an impact on children. In California, the legal team challenging Proposition 8 has called upon psychologists, historians and social scientists to testify on their behalf, a tactic that worked well for supporters of same-sex marriage in Iowa. Meredith Fenton, 33, the daughter of a lesbian and, until recently, the program director at Colage, said that when marriage equality entered into the public debate, “those of us who have lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered parents realized that, at root, one of the things debated is us.” Many organizers, including Ms. Fenton, say the absence of children’s voices during statewide ballot initiatives and court fights was a mistake.
That’s not to say that there is a uniformity of opinion among children of same-sex parents. Some question the funneling of money and resources into the marriage battle.
“We grew up recognizing our families as families whether or not the government did, and we’re frustrated by the suggestion that we should have to make our families look like straight ones in order to be considered a valid family by the government,” Martha Jane Kaufman, a playwright and teacher in New York, and Katie Miles, a graduate student at Columbia University, wrote in an e-mail response to questions about their blog, Queer Kids of Queer Parents Against Gay Marriage! “From our point of view, marriage is an institution that contributes to the privatization of social services like health-care and immigration rights that actually should be guaranteed basic rights for all human beings,” they wrote.
Since Ms. Kaufman and Ms. Miles put up their blog, a number of other children from gay and lesbian homes have come forward saying that marriage would not have helped their families. “From a legal standpoint I totally understand why the marriage equality debate has taken center stage for families,” said Danielle Silber, the volunteer coordinator for Colage in New York City. “It seems like an easy quick way to gain legal recognition and social validation for the normalcy and legitimacy of our families.
“That said, for so many of our families, marriage equality doesn’t really apply and wouldn’t open rights or protections.”
Ms. Silber’s own family, with two mothers and two fathers who broke up and repartnered or remained single, would not have benefited, she said.
Abigail Garner, 37, whose blog, Families Like Mine and 2004 book of the same title addressed the voices of children from same-sex families, is also wary. “If we are seeing marriage as a way to access health care, where does that leave people who are currently unemployed or who are single?” she asked. “We need to look at things marriage gives people and ask why that is conditional on being a couple.”
Writing Practicum #3
I'm posting it to my other blog because I'm going to write it about chronic pain. And so, if you are sneaky, you can seek it out. But I wouldn't because it's just me whining about pain. Hrm. Not fun.
Writing Practicum #2-2
My Name-
I go by Mandy. Partly because it rhymes with candy. Everyone loves candy- nobody doesn't like candy. It's like Sara Lee and Raymond. Which are also names.
There's no "I" in Mandy. Not like there's no "I" in team.
I had a teacher in sixth grade whose name was Mary with a "Y," like the Virgin, who changed it to Mari with an "I" because she thought it made her sound more "exotic" or some fucked up reason like that. I hated her. Still do with the part of me that's still 12-years-old. Anyway, Mari with an "I" is Mah-ree and that was my host sister's name in Japan. She deserves better than to have some bitchy ex-school teacher share her name.
I go by Mandy because I like that Barry Mannilow song. My dad says that it's really "Randy" and Barry just changed it to be more hetero-normative. My dad used to sing it to me back when we we were poor and I was always sick. He doesn't sing it anymore; I wonder why.
I went by Mandy in Japanese class because I thought it would be one character shorter than Amanda in katakana. It isn't. マンディis four characters, just like アマンダ.
I go by Mandy, even though I sometimes go by Amanda and sometimes go by Marty and sometimes go by Mandita and sometimes go by Mandarelli and sometimes go by Pooh and sometimes go by Kattie and sometimes go by A.J. and sometimes go by Martin and sometimes go by Manny or Manny Panny or Mandy Pandy or Manda Panda.
Honestly, I don't care what you call me, so long as you don't spell Mandy with that damn "I" like my teacher in sixth grade.
Nobody doesn't like Mandy, everybody loves Mandy. That's the idea.
I go by Mandy. Partly because it rhymes with candy. Everyone loves candy- nobody doesn't like candy. It's like Sara Lee and Raymond. Which are also names.
There's no "I" in Mandy. Not like there's no "I" in team.
I had a teacher in sixth grade whose name was Mary with a "Y," like the Virgin, who changed it to Mari with an "I" because she thought it made her sound more "exotic" or some fucked up reason like that. I hated her. Still do with the part of me that's still 12-years-old. Anyway, Mari with an "I" is Mah-ree and that was my host sister's name in Japan. She deserves better than to have some bitchy ex-school teacher share her name.
I go by Mandy because I like that Barry Mannilow song. My dad says that it's really "Randy" and Barry just changed it to be more hetero-normative. My dad used to sing it to me back when we we were poor and I was always sick. He doesn't sing it anymore; I wonder why.
I went by Mandy in Japanese class because I thought it would be one character shorter than Amanda in katakana. It isn't. マンディis four characters, just like アマンダ.
I go by Mandy, even though I sometimes go by Amanda and sometimes go by Marty and sometimes go by Mandita and sometimes go by Mandarelli and sometimes go by Pooh and sometimes go by Kattie and sometimes go by A.J. and sometimes go by Martin and sometimes go by Manny or Manny Panny or Mandy Pandy or Manda Panda.
Honestly, I don't care what you call me, so long as you don't spell Mandy with that damn "I" like my teacher in sixth grade.
Nobody doesn't like Mandy, everybody loves Mandy. That's the idea.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Oh
And I hit post 400. As Sheldon would say, "Bazinga!" I will put that clip up if some ruffian rips it and puts it on the Youtube. Let's hope!
EDIT: Someone did. Here's one. Could be Buzzinga, apparently.
EDIT: Someone did. Here's one. Could be Buzzinga, apparently.
I forgot my headphones today...
...so I got these weird ass ear buds at the student store. It is impossible to concentrate without listening to music at my work. If I don't have them, I have to listen to [CENSORED] each day calling various customer service lines to complain-- seriously, every day. It is insane and exhausting.
So I went to the student store and got these earphones:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001WSYWB2/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics
The Amazon won't let me put the image here. If you can't see it- they look like little pieces sitting in your ears. Why would anyone want that?? It's CREEPY! Not cute.
But beggars can't be choosers and they were by far the cheapest (it was either the bees or some pigs). They are even weirder, I think.
Moral of story-- don't forget your earbuds! You'll end up looking like you have bees infesting your ears! I will try to take a pic of my ears with the creepy ass (sorry for the cursing, but you will understand when you see!) earbuds in them tomorrow-ish. If I actually do the photo lesson thing with D on Wednesday (yay!) then I'll probably harass him to take it.
Wish me luck on all! Wow, that might be asking a lot. Just wish me luck on a bit? Lurves!
So I went to the student store and got these earphones:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B001WSYWB2/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=172282&s=electronics
The Amazon won't let me put the image here. If you can't see it- they look like little pieces sitting in your ears. Why would anyone want that?? It's CREEPY! Not cute.
But beggars can't be choosers and they were by far the cheapest (it was either the bees or some pigs). They are even weirder, I think.
Moral of story-- don't forget your earbuds! You'll end up looking like you have bees infesting your ears! I will try to take a pic of my ears with the creepy ass (sorry for the cursing, but you will understand when you see!) earbuds in them tomorrow-ish. If I actually do the photo lesson thing with D on Wednesday (yay!) then I'll probably harass him to take it.
Wish me luck on all! Wow, that might be asking a lot. Just wish me luck on a bit? Lurves!
Famous Look-a-Likes
On Facebook, they are doing this fun and silly thing where you change your profile pic with one of someone famous that you've been told you look like. The only person I've been compared to is Sandra Bullock and that was by my grandma, who loves me. I don't think I look at all like Sandra Bullock and would be LIBELING the name of poor Miss "Beautiful as the Dawn" Bullock if I were to claim any similarity whatever.
So, do I look like anyone famous? Hmmmm? Hmmm?
So, do I look like anyone famous? Hmmmm? Hmmm?
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