516: I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl...
--mostly 'cause I think I've used that subject line no less than three or four times now... Oh well, it's true--I haven't been posting. And now that I seem to have managed my schedule to a far less crazy level, I really have no excuse...XP
First item of the day... actually, I should post about that individually, just 'cause it's so huge. Laters.
Second (er, first) item: Thursday, my school had another Open Mic, so I went and read four poems--I think I've posted them all on here, but here's a quick linky-poo:
Sholeh Wolpe...
Pumpkin
Fake Stars
Streetwalker
Actually, it occurs to me that I never posted Fake Stars, actually... Huh. Laters.
Anywho, Open Mic was great fun, as usual... a lot of talented people here, I'll give 'em that. A lot of guys (and some awesome girls!) with guitars. Got to see Neslie play... she got really nervous and flubbed through it in starts and bursts; wish she had more confidence, because she would actually be quite good.
And I got up in my purple sunglasses (still couldn't see through the glare of the lights) and my crotch-split purple corduroys--"If you find this poem boring, you can amuse yourself by coming up and sticking your finger in", I said. I got through the first three poems pretty well--but on the last one, I added in snarky lines after every sentence, so it was pretty funny. (Considering I'm trying to translate this poem into French right now, I'm just butchering it all over the place. XP)
Also: I need to write longer poems. In "Pumpkin" I've finally acheived what I threatened to do since I was 16 and write a poem that was literally one sentence long. Also: Ivy did some spoken-word, which was very cool. I might want to try that out--maybe we could even do a Poetry Slam together! ^_^
(Note: Neslie and Ivy are cute asian chicks; they also work on the QC.)
***
And, of course, there was the election. This is the third thing.
I'm ecstatic we have, for once, a non-white, non-old President. He's still kinda middle class, but I can deal with it. Whether he does anything or not, it's still a big achievement I think. Criticize me all you want, but I really think you can't underrate the symbolism of this victory--and not just 'cause he's black. For all the cynics of my generation who grew up with Bush, this was our first proof that the people actually can have a say in who gets elected.
Also, did Prop 4 pass or not? I heard that it didn't. If so, I'm glad, obviously. Though, talking to my Aunt last night, I conceded the point that it could be better for the parents to know, so they could help their kid through it... But I really still stand behind my stance that there are tons of girls who won't feel able to tell their parents (I'm especially thinking Hispanic girls here, and probably Black girls too), and they're gonna end up opting for more dangerous, under-the-table abortions.
My view--as with all sex-related things--is that by banning it, you're not making it go away. You're simply making it more dangerous and more of a problem. It's like prohibition--if you make it legal, you make it more mundane. You can regulate it and help protect people better. (This is also why I would be behind legalizing prostitution and lowering the drinking age.)
But the real issue for me is that of proper sex education. It's the same problem--if we just say "don't do it!" and refuse to give any options... what do we expect to happen when we offer no recoruse? I mean, hasn't it been statistically proven by this point that sex education prevents pregnancy and STDs more than abstinence-only education? In the latter, you're just putting more pressure and shame which leads girls to think that abortion is their only option anyway. I find it highly ironic (in a tragic sense) that the very people who are so against abortion are precisely the ones creating the conditions that bring it about.
And the fact that I am more concerned with Prop 4 and abortion than, say, Prop 8 oughta tell you something about me: no matter what my biology or orientation, I'm a woman first and a gay man second. In fact, I'm not even a gay man, in my estimation--this is a topic I will be writing about in future, no worries--so I've mostly been a bystander as far as that's concerned.
For instance: back at Pride this summer, I guess I ended up signing up for some mailing-list for the Prop 8 campaign in Sacramento--and it always informs me of rallies and protests and things I can't possibly go to, being down here. I glance over them these days, but don't delete them. They sit there in my mailbox, a reminder of a community I don't really feel a part of.
By this, I mean more Sacramento than the gay community in general. I guess I'm gay--but I still haven't figured out my identity issues yet, so it's easier for me to talk about women than about gays, because I don't really feel like a part of that.
These are typical feelings of alienation, though. The main point is: so many people have had so many good, interesting and insightful things to say about it--what's left for me to say? That I'm almost glad it didn't pass, because it's got people up in arms now and it prolly just would've been like Prop 4, where they put it on the ballot next year?
I really don't think it belonged there as a Propostion anyway. I agree with queerbychoice's stance that issues of minority rights shouldn't be put up to majority election. I still think comparing this to civil rights is the best way to think about it--but doqz does bring up the issue of it undermining their historical experience. I don't think this has to be the case--but I'd better not start another rant on feminism vs. racism so late in this post.
Basically, y'all are like my aunt: I need to talk to you/post more, 'cause I do have a lot to say/want to hear. So I'll try and be better in future. ^_^