BlogHer - GLBT - Comments

Listening to Sapphire's book in iTunes

Bailey Alexander — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:44:52 -0600

I'm spending a couple of months aboard our saiboat in northern Italy so I decided to buy the book, turn out all the lights and let her words just wash over me for hours. It was intense but at the end, I was surprised by how much the other students' stories moved me, that was a clever, effective device. Allowing them to compare their pain, own their own story, move on independently.

I sat on a non-profit board in Seattle to help eliminate domestic violence. The issue is everywhere, I've heard it expressed in various languages in several countries, over the fence, walking by an apartment, in different modes of conflict and danger.

I certainly don't equate incest and rape with a color, community, let alone a country. Look at what we do every time we start a war, the first ones to suffer are the children that are raped.

This novel was something else though wasn't it, centered and more effective maybe because the community was known rather than any city, usa.

It was a brilliant use of language, really, in listening to Precious embrace the world thru gradual understanding of a language.

Prior to learning French and Italian, I lived in Rome and Paris so I was illiterate by choice, feeling vulnerable, even if only on the most superficial level, but it was valid. Speaking from somone that understands the power of her own language, the ability to control it, manipulate it, own it, I'm empathetic at the very least, on that level.

I'm not sure that anyone other than a performance poet like Sapphire could have told the story in such an effective manner, with that motive and that result. But I'm so grateful Sapphire went so dark and stayed so honest, if only so the light at the end of the tunnel could feel that much more worth the trouble of traveling towards......

Another related post

Virginia DeBolt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:38:00 -0600

from BlogHer CE Alanna Kellogg is about The Pioneer Woman, but it is essentially the same story of achieving success in a social media world: Love Affair of the Decade: A Cowboy, A Blogger, and a Community.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology CE | Web Teacher | First 50 Words

It does indeed relate

Virginia DeBolt — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:33:26 -0600

This quote from you being an example:

But, there was no Will and Grace, no L Word and certainly no Kevin and Scotty trying to find a surrogate mother and egg donor for their soon-to-be baby on “Brothers and Sisters.” You may take these characters and television shows for granted, perhaps not even choose to tune in, but at least they are represented in popular culture today.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology CE | Web Teacher | First 50 Words

Please see my Blog Post

womenonthefence — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:11:36 -0600

Please see my Blog Post today. I think you may enjoy it! it relates to your topic.

Happy Hump Day!

;)

Erica Diamond

http://womenonthefence.com/blog/?p=1516

Thanks for the good words

Virginia DeBolt — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:27:00 -0600

It means a lot coming from someone who is such a gifted thinker as you.

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology CE | Web Teacher | First 50 Words

Fascinating analysis

Kim Pearson — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:28:32 -0600

I've only seen parts of a couple of episodes of the L word, never having been a Showtime subscriber, but I have been aware of some of the cultural impact that you describe. I know that there is (or was) an L world island in Second Life as well. This is a great analysis of the way that one can leverage "legacy" and "new" media to market a brand.

Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor|KimPearson.net|

The characters

Virginia DeBolt — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:50:35 -0600

were just so likeable. (Well, okay: Jenny.)

Virginia DeBolt
BlogHer Technology CE | Web Teacher | First 50 Words

A Great Thing For the Women in the World

MiaSarai — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:46:05 -0600

I've watched The L Word religiously since it premiered on Showtime. I watched it because it was real, you saw the cast going through real issues that we all experience at some point in our life. I watched during their ups and downs, when they were in love and when they weren't and there was always one of the ladies you could connect with and you see yourself in that person.

The L Word was a great thing for the women in the world, gay or straight you enjoyed it because they dealt with issues that we all were having.

You fell in love with each character because they all had a certian je ne sais quoi that you couldn't help but fall in love with.

and that is NOT what OTOH said

CarolMc — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:53:49 -0600

What OTOH was saying is that little pre gay boys are often very gender dysphoric. They can be given a safe place to be who they are, - biological boys who want to act, look, etc like girls. Not repress them no. But please dont put them on a path at age 5 that tells them " oh you have a minor birth defect, thats all, nothing unusual about you!" and sets them on a path to hormones and surgery. For goodness sakes read the research before you do that. The latest research comes out of the netherlands - where they pay for hormones and surgery if the kid still wants it and even there 80% of kids decided at puberty they were ok in their bodies.

My kid has worn dresses for the past year, in and out of the house. I do not repress him. I am open to the idea that he is transgender. If he gets suicidal, depressed, anything like that then that is a different story. I have no way of knowing and LOTS of research that backs me up that he is probably a little pre-gay boy. Do the research on gender dysphoric children.

Read www.acceptingdad.com

a person in the CNMC group. These kids need to be who they are: little pre-gay boys!

not all these kids are transgender

CarolMc — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:24:42 -0600

There is a LOT of research that most gender dysphoric kids will get more comfortable in their birth sex right around the time of adolescence. I am raising a bio boy who has said he is a girl and has said this for a year now. This idea of transitioning kids at 4, 5 or 6 is completely experimental and I think very irresponsible. There is a group who has been working with these kids compassionately for 15 years or so, the Childrens National Medical Center in DC. They have tons of experience with these boys (primarily boys are referred here) and yes they usually turn out to be gay as long as they are not early transitioned.

Yes, trans people have had terribly tough lives but lets not transition everyone at age 5 - that is absurd. There is research about gender dysphoric children, that is the research one needs to read if one has a child that may or not persist in being gender dysphoric into adulthood. Absolutely true even the latest research published last year still holds that 80% turn out ok living in their own bodies.

CNMC link:

http://www.childrensnational.org/DepartmentsandPrograms/default.aspx?Id=...

PUSH Attacks the Senses

TreniaP — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:26:45 -0600

Thanks so much for your article. I have been chomping at the bit waiting for this film to come out and now it's here. It has been sold out but I hope to see it this weekend. I read the book when it first came out and I saw Sapphire read some of her poetry and all I can say is this story is a full on attack of all of your senses and sensibilities. It was a very hard book to read, I had to put it down several times. Reading PUSH is a lot like driving past a horrific car accident, you don't want to watch but you just can't help it.

One of the most powerful things about this movie is seeing the aesthetic of Precious on the big screen. I read an interview with Lee Daniels and he talked about how difficult it was to find the actress who portrays Precious because there was nobody out there who fit the character. We have not seen a fat, black woman in the movies in this way and it makes people scared, vulnerable and uncomfortable because she represents all of the things Americans have been taught to fear and loathe all at the same time. Precious represents all of my vulnerabilities and frailties, the ones I try to hide and this film doesn't allow people to hide.

Trenia Parham, The Fat Girl Expert

bridging the gap between weight loss & body acceptance

Get your free 6 Months or Bust Weight Loss Consistencey Plan at

Thank you

Nordette — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:36:40 -0600

It's terrifying on some level how many people connect with Precious. It tells me that we have a lot of work to do on our humanity, our treatment of children. Thank you.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

And thank you

Nordette — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:33:58 -0600

And thank you for educating us with your Down Syndrome post. :-)

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

I don't think I could have read it when my children were young

Nordette — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:32:44 -0600

But not reading it really didn't save me from being overprotective. The nightly news was enough to keep me watching my kids like a hawk.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.

You have some crazy adventures there in Canada

Nordette — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:30:47 -0600

That's outrageous, but I can see it happening here too. People are tripping, Laina.

Nordette Adams is a BlogHer CE & you can find her other stuff through Her 411.