You guys. Oh my gosh.

Goodbye Don't Ask, Don't Tell! Don't let the gate constrict on your fundament on the way out.

Woooohoo! XD :D :D My day is made. Made, I say!
Home from Dad's family Christmas. Whew, long day. Currently going goofy over old episodes of Where In Time Is Carmen Sandiego? but that's for a later post.

Right now, I need to share a link. Thanks [livejournal.com profile] newredshoes for said link, and hi NPR!

It gets better? Darn right it does.

This is how you make Chanter yelp 'Yes! Yes!' at her laptop. I thought this'd never happen. Wheeeeeew!
chanter1944: a blue-shaded dyed egg (not enough blue in the world)
I won't go on about politics today, because all the Americans on my flist are probably all sick to death of them right now. Election day, oomph. Let's just put it this way:

voting after work=:)
registering in Dane County finally!=:)
using a talking accessible voting machine for the first time=:) and dang, that's cool, not to mention waaaaay more high tech than anything I've used to vote before! Welcome to the big city, Charlie.
discovering a problem with the talking voting machine and getting it fixed=:? :( and then :)! the ink cartridge was empty
being the first of the day to use said talking voting machine=:) whoa, really?
Bosco getting tons of love from all the election officials=:) aww
confusing Madison streets=:( whoever planned this city with its wheelspoke street intersections was loaded on something, for real
running into (not literally) a rather nice art student from the UW who sounded like the lead singer from Rascal Flats on the way home=:)
not daring to share my number with said nice art student for fear of being too forward when I'd just met him=:(
running into (again not literally) the owner of a local bar and his adorable jumpy puppy when almost at my front door=:) cool human, cute puppy
finding out that the bar in question won't turn alternative folken away if you know what I mean=:) I've been looking for a place like that!

... Whew. I haven't done a list like that in a while. Right, now there will be dinner, and then there will be NPR. Maybe there will even be NPR during dinner. XD

Spirit Day

Oct. 5th, 2010 08:37 pm
chanter1944: a starscape, including a spiral galaxy (on a quest for a jewel)
Originally posted by [livejournal.com profile] neo_prodigy at Spirit Day
 


It’s been decided. On October 20th, 2010, we will wear purple in honor of the 6 gay boys who committed suicide in recent weeks/months due to homophobic abuse in their homes at at their schools. Purple represents Spirit on the LGBTQ flag and that’s exactly what we’d like all of you to have with you: spirit. Please know that times will get better and that you will meet people who will love you and respect you for who you are, no matter your sexuality. Please wear purple on October 20th. Tell your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors and schools.

RIP Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh (top)
RIP Justin Aaberg, Raymond Chase (middle)
RIP Asher Brown and Billy Lucas. (bottom)

REBLOG to spread a message of love, unity and peace.




And I jus got a purple-patterned sweater and top, too. Quoth Dairene Callahan, referencing the Powers That Be: There are no accidents.
chanter1944: a blue-shaded dyed egg (not enough blue in the world)
Well, other than sticking something sharp on the seat, that is?

this is how you do it.

I read the headline before it, which talked about the Feminist Majority Foundation releasing astatement in celebration of the ruling, and I literally bounced up and squeaked 'Yes, yes!' :D :D :D I know, there's another court ruling coming down the road, but all the *same*. That's just it, actually. All the same. We're the same. That's been acknowledged today, and how.

I believe a suitable exclamation here is 'Currahee!'
chanter1944: a Band of Brothers appreciation icon highlighting Gene Roe (BoB: my fandom needs some scissors!)
I can't really say much, as I'm posting from work with sneaky access, to quote a friend, but I had to link to this story. It deserves reporting. I for one am celebrating. Equality will out, if that's not a horrible and/or terribly irreverent pun. Yay!

*beams!* Now if the offending school would get it's act together...
Checking in from Waupun, because it's family Christmas with Dad's relatives tomorrow. I just got in about an hour ago. That's one thing.

The other is sort of related, if only because it happened between the time I got here and now. I was flipping through the channels shortly after I rolled in, went to see if any decent sci-fi was on, and what did I hear?

An episode of SG-1. As in, a season 5 or earlier episode of SG-1.

Yes, some of you folken already know where this is going.

At risk of misquoting A Scandal In Bohemia... curses, she still has me in a power. Only not curses, because I wouldn't honestly trade it, but still... oh man. She has me as enchanted as she ever did.

Owie.

For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about... uh, it's a long story that might make some of you laugh and/or think I'm a total freak, possibly both. Ask me for the full details via AIM or something, I'd sooner not spill the whole thing in a post.
chanter1944: a blue-shaded dyed egg (not enough blue in the world)
Seriously, you deserve a round of applause for this one. I suppose the fourteenth time's the charm, or something. I won't dwell on that rather horrible statistic just now; for the moment I'm content and more to say better extremely late than never. You've finally done it.

I thank you from the bottom of my liberal, nontraditional, soon-to-be-better-recognized heart. and I doubt I'm alone.
chanter1944: a slightly faded picture of a three-legged torbie kitty cat (supermodel kitty)
Instead of bringing you lot a post with actual content of the 'this's what's been going on in my little corner of the world' variety, you get a quote. A quote from the ever-amazing [livejournal.com profile] sarahtales, she of the infinite number of clever and truthful turns of phrase. I really hope she doesn't mind me quoting her over here, but this's the sort of thing that needs doing.

The femme fatales, the ninja ladies, the shy girls, the chatterboxes, the ones several guys wanted, the ones none of the guys wanted, the heroines, the sassy sidekicks, the girl the hero fell in love with in one episode we never saw again, the girl who wanted a guy she didn't get, the girl who was with a ton of different guys, the girl who was devoted to her job, the girl who was into other ladies, the murder victim, the tomboy, the feisty redhead, the dumb blonde. There was never anything wrong with any of them.

It's worth it to recognise that we're all okay. We were always okay.

I applaud you for this. Loudly. So do Sariel, Alina, Tracy, Kayla, Lor (Lorany-that-was), Leah, Amy, Jillian Rhodes, Nancy and even Butterfly. And countless others besides; naming them all would make this list of headvoices *much* longer than necessary. At risk of oversimplifying things a bit, all I'll say is this.

Sarah? You've got it right. *salutes!*
chanter1944: a blue-shaded dyed egg (not enough blue in the world)
[Error: unknown template qotd] Oh wow. My ideal life ten years from now... well. It definitely contains an apartment in this city -- not a huge one, not a swanky one, just a nicer one with two bedrooms at most and preferably a little balcony/patio thingie that's got room enough for a mid-sized container garden. Someplace where my bedroom's not in the middle of my living room, you know? Being either within walking distance of work or, if that's not possible, walking distance of a bus line would be lovely, as would not ending up in the suburbs, yurgh! And cats, please. There absolutely must be a kitty or two in this setup; a couple FIV positive, raggedy-eared former strays who're the biggest loves in the world but who everybody else overlooked because they had black fur and one eye gone, or a missing leg, or just the FIV thing on it's own. I'd love to be known, in ten years time, as that friendly, slightly quirky but in a nice way lady that all the neighbors like. I'd love to be working somewhere that pays the bills but doesn't make me feel like a sell-out, somewhere meaningful, where my journalism skills are usable but where the newspapery aspect might not be the main focus of things. Some little nonproffit, maybe, some community organization that's really doing good on the ground, regardless of how small the improvements to conditions/situations are. Talking with people as part of my job, telling stories from the field and really seeing them lead to something positive, or if nothing else just get the word about X issue out there, positive or negative, in a human voice - that's what I want. And then at the end of the day I'd have somewhere to come home to and not be bothered by anyone if I didn't want to be; I'd have options if I *did* want to do something of an evening/night, but I'd have a place to recharge if that's what I felt like doing. If I wanted to, I could just as easily spend a night in with RP, assorted fandom and my kitties as I could go out somewhere and meet a friend. and I'd have friends to meet, coworkers or people from elsewhere, probably a mix of coworkers and cat rescue folks and SCA folks and who knows who else. I wouldn't be just that blind girl, or that queer girl, or that geek, or that bitch who never shuts up; I'd actually be someone who people would want to hang around. I'd probably know a crowd of other geeks, and we could all squee over fandom together, and talk politics at each other, and make references that nobody else in the coffee house gets. There might be a significant... whoever in the mix too, some delicate little elegant somebody with an accent to make a body's toes curl and enough of the femininity I lack to be fairly easily classified a greenrider to my blue. Yes, my ideal's a woman. Maybe we'd be living together, but somehow I don't see that; spending the odd night over at each other's place sounds more the thing, and neither of us would wake up feeling dirty in anything more than the most mundane sense in the mornings. She'd want me around. Enough to be with me, even, long-term. Sort of casual yes, probably, but long-term. Enough to meet my folks, and win them over to a few things (not least of which is the idea that someday one of their sons-in-law might just be a daughter-in-law), and go to family Christmases with me, and not get the curious kind of scandalized looks from anybody, Reetzes and Scheels or Forsythes, even when I introduce her as "This is Elaine. Or Kim. Or... whoever." The important things.

and NO KIDS, ta very much. I'll leave that to the other two girls. The mother-type I am *so* not. I'll just be the auntie that all the nieces and nephews and second cousins think is cool; my generation's version of my aunt Laurie. I'll give the kids back at the end of the day, thanks.

Oh, and everybody would know me as Charlie. They'd know my proper name, but everybody that mattered outside family would pretty much use the nickname. That'd actually be really nice.

Good God and assorted holy cousins. I'm Luna Lovegood, aren't i? Either that or I'm just a really bloody sad case with more romantic issues than I realized. Maybe both. and... this turned into a surprisingly long and rambling answer. Whoops.

*scarlet-faced Charlie scarpers*
chanter1944: a Pringles can with the words 'you can't write just one' written across it (drabbles are like pringles)
In light of what I saw on the BBC Worldservice website this morning. And no, this is not the rant about possible ads on said site. that's upcoming--oh, is it ever.

J.K. rowling has revealed that Albus Dumbledore is homosexual.

I know it's all over blogs and fansites this morning, and I agree with Rowling going "Oh, God, the fanfiction," in the wake of the admission. but I need to take a second to applaud here.

dumbledore is the Harry Potter series' John Avery Whitaker; he's the Everyman, the wise figure that all others are compared to, at least in the eyes of Order members. He's enigmatic, cryptic to a fault when he finds it necessary, and quirkily elegant; truly as close to the ideal of a school headmaster as a person can get without descending into parody. the man is many things, with one notable exception.

Obvious he most certainly isn't.

thank you, J.K. Rowling, for creating a character with a distinct personality and worldview, strengths and flaws and idiosyncracies, and for not making his sexuality anything more than a natural part of his life. too often homosexual characters are made to stand out simply because of who they are attracted to; either they're flamingly obvious, or they're misunderstood, or someone deliberately points out that 'Well, you're *gay*, so,' when in reality sexuality is no more a defining characteristic than heterosexuality. Yes, it matters, but it's only one facet in a very large construct.

Thank you, J.K. rowling, for realizing that we don't have to be defined by who we sleep with, and that we don't all stand out in a crowd because of which way we lean. We've got personalities for that. thank you, in short, for realizing that we're normal.

ahem. That's my piece said. *waves a wizarding rainbow flag?*

Oooof.

Sep. 22nd, 2007 09:37 am
chanter1944: a cream-colored yellow Labrador lying at the top of a staircase, one paw draped over the top step (mellow yellow)
Right. Well. Now I get hit with the consequences of going out with Brandi and Kate. It's not the day I turned 21 by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm still headachey and going eeek! at sufficiently loud noises. Ow.

And yes, I remember everything I did last night. there was conversation about crewmembers from both Voyager and Picard's Enterprise, and there was desperate avoidance of people from home who turned up - my God, but I hope they don't remember me being there! and there was intentional coming out to one of them, though he might've been too far gone in his cups to make sense of it, let alone recall it the next morning. And okay, I hope they forget I was there, but remember me outing myself. What is it with drunk me and attempting to right past wrongs?

there was also the embarrassment that only comes of being both less than sober and blind. benson is not Arey. I get the impression that the person who helped me find Arey wasn't exactly clear-headed himself, so maybe he won't remember my idiocy and if the girlfriend he was walking around with does, hopefully the next time we meet, I'm sober and can make a better impression. *embarrassment*

Ahem. *goes back to being a mostly non-drinking university student*
chanter1944: an image of a green dragon (green dragon)
Then again, not exactly rainbow low either.

I finally got round to telling Mom about being bi. I ended up spilling the beans on Tuesday, in the middle of the thirty minutes of walking exercise she's gotten me into since I've been home--the walking's really not bad at all, truth be told. I started out by asking if some time before I go back to uni, could she, Dad and I have a conversation. She guessed where I was headed, as I've alluded to it once or twice before and let's not go into that failed attempt at admission last summer... ahem. For a minute or... several I was afraid we'd end up going round and round the same circles we have before, but after talking a few things out she at least accepted the idea. I agree with her that awareness is an ongoing process, but I am who I am. At least she knows now, and the telling didn't go over as terribly as I was afraid it might. Inside the rainbow, anyone? *cough* forensicators *cough*.

Now I'm trying to figure out how and when to tell Dad. I'd like to get it said before I go back to whitewater in a week, and I've asked Mom to be there when I do the admitting--call it moral support from someone who already knows and is if not thrilled, at least halfway to OK with everything. I *really* hope it doesn't go terribly...

but that's one told, at least.
Last night, the Federal marriage amendment passed in Wisconsin.

Marriage is now to be defined as between one man and one woman, and civil unions are out the window.

I am now a second class citizen. In. my. own. state.

In a word, fuck.

I am *so* leaving this bloody country...
Today is national coming out day!

And I'm officially out. :) Finally! All my friends around here knew, and the blind community knows pretty much--sorry if I'm surprising anyone here, so I figured it was time. The only obstacle left?

Telling my parents.

Oh boy...
An NBC news broadcast tonight got me thinking--don't blame me, my father's the one watches it, I was in the room out of plain curiosity. This is the result. And no, it's not fiction.

Women marrying and having kids, disgust with Americans living to work, and general not-out-to-my-family angst inside, skip if this squ--wait, if you're reading my journal you probably won't be too squicked by this. )

Holy cow was that ever a load off. I'll write about something much more light-hearted later... like my Great America trip. Yeah, that...
Doesn't have the same kind of ring to it as invasion Iowa does, really.... :)

Anyway, forensicsy update behind the snippet, and a few other things as well.

And a few other things )

Yay spamation! Spam spam spam yum. :)

Anyhow. End spam. Just sorted out the exam I have tomorrow and an appointment time to get into Ambrose and get meds refilled. It was bad enough I forgot the sharding things Friday morning, now they run out! Oy! Now off to dry my hair.
Borrowed from [livejournal.com profile] vagablonde.

I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.

I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.

I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.

We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.

I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.

I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they
could adopt me.

I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again.

I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.

We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.

I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.

I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another
woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.

I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.

I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.

I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.

I am the woman who died when the EMTs stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual. (yes, this actually happened: read more)

I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn’t have to always deal with society hating me.

I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.

I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.

***

Repost this if you believe homophobia is wrong.

Profile

Chanter

June 2025

S M T W T F S
1234567
89101112 1314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930     

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 3rd, 2025 09:25 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios