Over the last 48 hours, I've been reading e-mails and Facebook updates from bi activists who were upset because no bisexual service members were invited to yesterday's “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” repeal signing. My initial reaction to the fuss was “So what?” because at that point, I was glad just to see the back of DADT. However, at the end of the discourse, I was also angry and it wasn't over White House invitations.
Over 13,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coast guards were discharged under DADT. While it's unknown how many of the discharged were bisexual, I was told by bi activists that those who were willing to speak out against DADT were ignored by major gay rights organizations and the media. Hearing how yet another issue that affects all queers suddenly became “gay-washed” infuriated me.
Bisexual erasure goes far and beyond DADT. Since the beginning of the LGBTQ rights movement, bisexuals (in addition to transgender people) have been treated like second-class queers. While the transgender movement is finally being recognized, the bisexual community continues to be mistreated and erased. Whenever bisexual activists bring up the issue of biphobia within the community, they're either accused of “over-reacting” or being divisive.
For far too long, bisexuals have received the short end of the stick. One reason is because many within the mainstream L/G community assumes that bisexual issues are similar to lesbian/gay ones and that we're all fighting for the same things. While biphobia and homophobia are similar in nature, they're still two different beasts. Recent studies have revealed that the social stigmatization of bisexuals have led to great health and economical disparities.
Read more @ the blog...
After months of speculation and word-playing, rapper Nicki Minaj finally confirmed that her bisexuality was just a publicity gimmick. She now joins the ranks of other straight celebrities who love playing bi for record sales, such as Christina Aguilera and Katy Perry. While her revelation is completely unsurprising, her actions are far from harmless, as they further perpetuate the stereotype that bisexuality is nothing more than a cry for attention.
The guessing game over Ms. Minaj's sexuality began with the release of her single “Go Hard”, where she rapped that she'd only stop for “pedestrians or a real real bad lesbian”. Since homophobia has been a long-standing issue in the hip-hop industry, many queers (myself included) were excited to hear references of bisexuality coming from a popular mainstream rapper. That excitement was enhanced when Nicki did an interview with Details Magazine in May, where she was asked this question:
Q: As an openly bisexual rapper, do you think hip-hop is getting more gay-friendly?
A: I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it's harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we'll see one in my lifetime.
Ms. Minaj had every opportunity to clear up the fact that she wasn't bisexual by just correcting the interviewer but she didn't, which made everyone assume that she was bi. However, a month later we were left scratching our heads when she told Black Men Magazine that she doesn't date or have sex with women unless “of course, until Cassie comes available”. This generated buzz throughout the LGBT blogsphere that she was recanting everything she said.
Read more @ the blog
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skywardprodigal passed away early Friday morning. I am shocked and devastated. skywardprodigal being very intelligent...Always posting thought-provoking content (and pretty things)...Always have you thinking. I thought one day we might have a chance to talk in real life, or even meet. You put these things off because well...you don't think the person will pass on anytime soon.
Again - we love eco fashions. But this is just weird. source
Lucerne is a beautiful city which sits in the valleys of Suisse, surrounded by large snow-capped mountains and a river that runs through the land (like . Big pain is that they use the Franc, which is just as pretty as the Euro, but virtually useless anywhere else BUT Switzerland. While everyone bought Swiss Army knives & watches, I stocked up on chocolates and scenery!
We checked into our hotel, which was a converted women's jail...My floor looked like a cellblock and my room looked like a cell. It even had bars on the cage & windows. It was kinda cool and I got to brag to my peeps back home that I spent the night @ a Swiss jail cell! If I ever go to Lucerne, I'd stay there again!
The tour manager arranged it so that we got into a nightclub + VIP seats 100% free! I had all the young guys buy me drinks b/c it was my bday...5 vodka cocktails down the hatch! And by the just about everyone was drunk, even the two Japanese girls. (they were so cute)
The nightclub was meh...Reminded me of a lame early millennium throwback in Long Island. Most of the guys looked like guidos and they played music I haven't heard since the dawn of my 20s! But they had a go-go cage & light up platform...so that makes it ok. I swung off the bars, danced with everyone in the club...Including a girl from Portugal. I also high-fived a Turkish dude...He was cool.
The Aussie Crew (as usual) got annoyingly rowdy and shitfaced. One guy fell off the go-go cage and hit his head...Then he went and mooned a couple making out. Another one was so drunk he was cross-eyed and rubbing his crotch on peoples hands.
I wanted to take the walk back to the hotel and asked the tour manager for directions, which were shitty because he was pissy drunk. I got lost. Thank god the locals spoke English b/c I was walking into the Swiss ghetto! Got to my hotel...Tried to get some sleep, but guess who prevented me from doing such?
6-November: Long drive from Switzerland to Paris (9h). Tried to sleep on the bus but the girl behind me kept on pulling my seat back as she got up! We got to our hotel late in the night. By far the hotel in Paris was my fave because it was so cozy and neat...And it had a flat screen TV! We had dinner (which was veggies and mashed taters for me) I don't even think the French ever heard of vegetarians cos the waiter asked me if I ate chicken?
After dinner, we took a tour of Paris @ night. It sure is a magical city! Ended up @ the Eiffel tower, which had this wonderful light show to commemorate its 120th anniversary! Once we ducked the annoying souvenir vendors, we entered the tower and bought tix to go on the upper decks (I got up to the second level, while everyone else went to the very top). I walked around the deck of the tower, shot photos of the amazing Paris skyline and bought some souvenirs @ the shop.
After the Eiffel Tower, the bus drove around the city to see all of the typical touristy places- the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame, etc. Then back to the hotel and bed.
7-November (last day): The tour group went to a perfume factory to see how French makes their perfume. I ended up buying a bottle and now I am sans $55 USD haha! After that, it was free time...Do whatever you want.
I walked around the shopping district, picked up souvenirs for my friends back home and took the Metro to the La Grande Arche, where a friend of F's lived. I had some American fare for her and since we didn't meet in A-dam, I was gonna try and drop off her goods w/this friend. He wasn't home and the concierge @ his building would not take my package, so I ended up making the long train ride back to my hotel room to drop off everything and dry out.
I went back out and took the Metro to the Louvre, which is MASSIVE. I knew I didn't have time to go inside the museum, so I checked out the outside garden, where I took photos of these cooky sculptures. While taking pics, I am approached by a gypsy woman who asked me if I spoke English. I looked @ her like she was crazy and kept it walking...Mostly because she was about to pull the infamous card scam that Rick Steve's website warned you about.
Europe has a large problem with pickpocketing and cons by the gypsies and usually that's the first thing tourists are warned about before going across the pond. They even have their children stealing when they should be @ schools getting an education. Everyone I know who has travelled to Europe has talked about the trouble they had w.the gypsies. It's really annoying as hell and I can see why the Euros don't trust them.
I walked around Paris and took photos of just about everything to the point where I was being scolded by vendors! It was embarrassing in the end.
And yes- it is true what they say about the French. While most Europeans in general know more than one language, the Parisians will not speak anything other than French to you. I saw an American woman approach a French man and asked him if he spoke English. He walked away from her saying nothing. I was like DAMN! COLD BLOODED! I ain't gonna hate on the French for that. Then again, basically EVERYONE who travels to Paris knows what they're in for...That's why I took the travel crash course. But magically, I regained most of the French I learned in school (and lost). Viva la survival mechanism...lol
I went inside the Notre Dame & roamed around a bit more to find a place to eat...But it was getting cold & dark, and most French cafés had no viable veg options. So back to the hotel room, where I found a pizza shop around the corner and had a kir royale @ the hotel lobby bar, while most of the tour went to see the Moulin Rouge.
Someone was knocking on my bedroom door @ 2am. I ignored them because @ this point, I was getting beyond annoyed w/these folks getting irresponsibly drunk. Turned out later that one of the 18 year old Aussies got drunk, lost everyone's hotel keycards and threw up on the bus so people were trying to find their hotel rooms.
8-November: Time to say goodbye. Dropped off @ airport. Bought a bottle of duty free liquor. I flew back home.
pics!
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