Twenty Points on LGBTQ

I have heard on many (many) occasions over the course of my life, folks say things like this about homosexuality: “They can do whatever they want, just keep it away from me.”

This is brainless.

As a hetero, White, cis-male, I have little business speaking on these matters. All I’m doing here is clarifying terms. Much of the mistreatment, hate, and ignorance of the LGBTQ community comes from people who fit into my demographic. This makes it my problem.

This is not about being PC. It’s about being C—and a better human being.

Twenty points:

1. Most of those “folks” mentioned above are Baby Boomers. Few of them will read this. They’re too busy knowing everything.

2. Being gay is not a choice.

3. Neither is eye color.

4. If you’re heterosexual, you did not choose to be attracted to the opposite sex.

5. Therefore, “they” are not doing “what they want.”

6. And do gay people really want YOU on the team anyway?

7. I have had gay friends, and have spent my fair share of time in gay bars. Number of people who tried to recruit me: zero.

8. Gender is a social construct. It is not related to sexual orientation.

9. People are assigned a “sex” at birth based on one’s anatomy.

10. What we consider ”masculine” or “boyish” is something humans made up. Likewise, for “feminine” and “girly.”

11. There is nothing inherently “male” about trucks. Or cars. Or mud. Or blue. Or pipes & cigars. Or guns. Or grilling.

12. Trans people commonly feel they do not fall anywhere in this polarity: male or female. Or they identify with the other gender. The former are called “non-binary” (or “gender neutral”), whereas the latter are simply “trans.” Some are “gender fluid” and float between the two

13. Again, this is not a lifestyle choice. This is part of how the person feels and how they view themselves. No one is going to “make you trans” any more than they’re going to “make you gay.”

14. “Queer” used to be a slur. Now it’s a badge of honor and a term indicating political defiance, e.g., “gender queer.” You do not have to use it. It’s probably better if you don’t. I don’t.

15. “Hetero-normative” is the cultural dominance of heterosexuality. Like, being straight is normal and being gay is something else, e.g., “homosexual sex.”

16. “Intersex” people are those born with a wide variety of differences in their reproductive anatomy. “Hermaphrodite” is an outmoded term.

17. Oh yeah, LGBTQ is an acronym for “lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer.” It often features a plus sign after it indicating the numerous orientations and gender identities out there.

18. Gallup reports 9 percent of Americans are LGBTQ.

19. The term “sexual preference” is stupid.

20. My pronouns are: break up/the/banks. I also use universal/health/care. And sometimes I use lower/income/inequality. I state this not to diminish the concept of identity; I just tire of academics and intellectuals fixating on the smaller problems instead of the larger ones. They prefer cosmetic alterations.

Comics:

 

Palestine

This blog piece is not based on research nor is it analytical. It was basically written as I typed.

Palestine was part of my life for many years. It is still on my mind, though I don’t write about it much these days, and I don’t travel there (or anywhere) anymore.

Palestine I miss you. I miss your food, the warmth of your people, the smell of your shops, enjoying a cigarette on a rooftop at night listening to your sounds.

I feel like I have failed you. I still watch and stay informed as to what you’re subjected to: the humiliation, the destruction, the death, the imprisonment and torture.

I. F. Stone once said that the Palestinians are the Jews of the Middle East. Spot on.

Many Americans don’t even know where you are. They are taught to love Israel and despise Arabs/Muslims. Americans have a long, rich history of doing what they’re told.

Sadly, this ignorance allows the “conflict” to grind on. If Americans actually knew you and saw what is happening—and what has been happening for decades—they would not stand for it.

Those who do know but have said nothing are not dissimilar to those Germans who said nothing while their government was carrying out atrocities.

No, I’m not comparing the two. (I guess I have to say that.)

But what do we call using hungry children as target practice? Sexually assaulting and torturing prisoners? Calculating caloric minimums and creating—by design—food insecurity for millions?

I love you. I have such good memories of being there. I’m always more comfortable in Arab countries. I do not care if I ever see Europe again; I will always return to the Middle East—and specifically Palestine.

You will always live in my heart, regardless of what the future holds.


Photo 1: Me in a private home in Gaza after a long day.

Photo 2: Me and journalist/friend Vikram on the Gaza-Egypt border joining foreign nationals to form a human wall while locals in Rafah repair a sewage pump. The people of Rafah would get shot at if they tried to do so without the human wall. We eventually got shot at, too. Consulates and embassies were called, and the shooting stopped. The Israeli press (Haaretz) covered this story.

Episode 21: Human Nature, etc.

Michael and I talk about the Mandolorian, human nature, Nazis, War & Peace, and the Doors.

Sides?

 

An old friend of mine recently invoked the concept of “sides.” We were talking about international relations, and he wanted to make sure he was cautious in his consideration of news content, an understanding motivation. This gave me the thought for this blog post.

I have heard it I don’t know how many times. A person suggests there are sides and the truth must be somewhere in the middle. I know this to be common, and would like to speak to it here.

THERE ARE NO SIDES. Americans have divided everything political into the designations liberal and conservative. There’s CNN and Fox. There are Democrats and Republicans. And so, to be judicious, we should aim toward the center.

The center of what? The center between crap news and crap news is … you guessed it: crap news. CNN and Fox are both abysmal. I tell students to read their news instead and turn the television off. Read a top-tier newspaper instead. They might not be perfect—and they’re not—but they’re much better than televised news. The New York Times, the Guardian, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal. Pick one. Or two.

As I’ve written about before, liberal is the center. Americans agree to the tune of two-thirds on just about everything. The nation is not divided. There is no “left.” Both major parties are to the right of the center. Obama, the Clintons, Biden, Harris: they are all right-of-center 1970s Republicans. Bernie is right of center. Not by much, but he is. There are no leftist lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Zero. The center is quite likely you.

So, the center between wrong and wrong is wrong. The red team and the blue team do not represent the American people—not by a long shot.

Does the truth lie between the Israelis and the Palestinians? No. Israel occupies Palestine, illegally and brutally. They are in the wrong. Don’t like terrorism? Israeli intelligence has an answer for why Israel has security concerns: the occupation. It continues, therefore terrorism continues. And this is from Israel’s Shabak intelligence service. Are they imbeciles? Are they self-hating Jews? Probably not.

If you find yourself dividing reality into sides, you’re likely headed down a blind alley. And if you seek the center between those sides that do not exist, likewise.

Episode 20: Addendum

  

 I had more to say. Unlike me, right?

Events