happy queer and science links
I love that enough positive queer news stories have come out recently for me to do a post with that theme (and science stories, 'cause I also have an accumulation of those). :)
Transgender New York State Workers Are Expected to Gain Bias Protection
Houston elected its first openly queer mayor in a run-off election (Though I am concerned as to whether "fiscal conservatism" actually means pushing for a balanced budget or just means cutting social services in order to give rich people lower taxes...) I enjoyed Jon Stewart's take on this election (the clip also includes his most recent quip about William and Mary).
D.C. Council approves same-sex marriage bill. Because everything D.C. does has to be approved by Congress, the question now is whether federal Democrats will (be big enough asshats to) pull a NY Senate...(This is an interesting, straight-focused take on the home rule issue.)
Lambda rising, DC's GLBT bookstore, is closing down. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, that place (along with The Blade, which also closed down recently) has sentimental value for me as one of my first connections to Adult/Established Queer Community, and it's sad to see it shutting its doors. On the other hand, the founder was right (at least in the DC context) when he said, "When we set out to establish Lambda Rising in 1974, it was intended as a demonstration of the demand for gay and lesbian literature...Today, 35 years later, nearly every general bookstore carries GLBT books, often featuring them in special sections." I guess the bottom line, though, is that these guys should be able to retire.
And now the science links:
The Mediterranean could have filled in two years.
New research suggests that sex is based primarily on a single gene (rather than a whole chromosome).
The rats from The Princess Bride are for real (or at least there's a similar species)!
Researchers have used lab-grown cells to engineer fully-functioning rabbit penises. Really the main reason I'm posting this article is because of my amusement at the idea of a whole new meaning for the expression, "F___ing like bunnies" (though presumably were this technology to be adapted to humans they would also be using human, not rabbit, cells).
Transgender New York State Workers Are Expected to Gain Bias Protection
Houston elected its first openly queer mayor in a run-off election (Though I am concerned as to whether "fiscal conservatism" actually means pushing for a balanced budget or just means cutting social services in order to give rich people lower taxes...) I enjoyed Jon Stewart's take on this election (the clip also includes his most recent quip about William and Mary).
D.C. Council approves same-sex marriage bill. Because everything D.C. does has to be approved by Congress, the question now is whether federal Democrats will (be big enough asshats to) pull a NY Senate...(This is an interesting, straight-focused take on the home rule issue.)
Lambda rising, DC's GLBT bookstore, is closing down. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, that place (along with The Blade, which also closed down recently) has sentimental value for me as one of my first connections to Adult/Established Queer Community, and it's sad to see it shutting its doors. On the other hand, the founder was right (at least in the DC context) when he said, "When we set out to establish Lambda Rising in 1974, it was intended as a demonstration of the demand for gay and lesbian literature...Today, 35 years later, nearly every general bookstore carries GLBT books, often featuring them in special sections." I guess the bottom line, though, is that these guys should be able to retire.
And now the science links:
The Mediterranean could have filled in two years.
New research suggests that sex is based primarily on a single gene (rather than a whole chromosome).
The rats from The Princess Bride are for real (or at least there's a similar species)!
Researchers have used lab-grown cells to engineer fully-functioning rabbit penises. Really the main reason I'm posting this article is because of my amusement at the idea of a whole new meaning for the expression, "F___ing like bunnies" (though presumably were this technology to be adapted to humans they would also be using human, not rabbit, cells).