My Interview with Jenn Dolari

How long have you been doing comics?

I've been drawing comics since about 1987 or so. Although, years before, I'd taken piano lessons and learned to read and write music. I noticed musical brackets kind of looked like faces in profile, and started drawing faces on them, much to the chagrin of my piano teacher. So I'd been drawing on and off since about 1982. But it wasn't until 1987 when I started really sitting down to draw comics.

The other night, during the live stream I recognized some of the techniques you used from my own (very limited) art training. Have you had any formal training, or are you entirely self-taught?

I'm not really a natural artist. I am a natural writer, I hope. I really began my comic work as a writer. Around 1987 I had a dream that began to blossom into a story I wanted to tell. I broke it down into about 15 parts and began writing it. Now, this is 1987. I was 13. I wasn't exactly the best wordsmith out there, and even I realized I wasn't telling the story very well. So I decided...why not draw it? I was already drawing the faces in brackets, why not try to draw this story?  Then you don't have to worry about writing description, but you just need to focus on dialogue.  Problem is...I'd never drawn a comic before. Or drawn all the description I wasn't going to write.

In 1985, there was an anime series called Robotech airing on syndicated TV, and I adored it. I didn't get a VCR until just before the series ended, so, to relive the story, I bought the comic book adaptations. I used those as a starting point. At first, I just traced the art that corresponded to scenes in my story. Eventually, I learned to copy them without tracing. And eventually learned to draw reasonable facsimiles in a year or two.

Over the years I looked into various artstyles and forms to create these comics, and eventually started using the ball-and-rod forms of basic drawing. But I never had any real formal training, or classes. I just did what I did in order to do it.

Do you have any previous works out there?

I worked on that particular comic, now called The book of Xand, on and off from 1987 to 1992. Made a few pitches, tossed it around a few comic companies, none of which were interested. So while there's a lot of concept art and half-finished pages, there's really nothing that I can call done with that story. I'm hoping to do the Xand story after I finish either Closetspace or A Wish for Wings.

I’ll look forward to seeing that! What made you decide to do these two in particular?

You're probably gonna want to get a sandwich. Maybe a drink or two, before I start.

Ready? 

I've got my drink.

Alright.

Around 1992, I'd joined a crossdressing support group called the "Boulton and Park Society." I was their one transgender member in a group of crossdressers, but there weren't any other support groups at the time in the San Antonio area.  At the time San Antonio was a very hostile town for anyone who wasn't straight, and Boulton and Park was the only group who offered to help, so I took it. I began drawing a comic in the group's newsletter called "A Different Perspective," and in the last few strips, two characters emerged who I liked very much. A tall thin brunette named Carrie and a shorter feisty redhead named Allyson.

You don’t say…

Around 1992, I realized The Book of Xand would never get made, and about the same time, a new storyline began bubbling up in my head. I took a liking to our two new heroines, and their story as
two crossdressing and/or transgendered characters began to form. I decided to make that my next story.

I was trying to get into any form of entertainment at this point, and shaped the series around a one season, twenty six episode television story, 'cause once the network or syndicate figured out what the heck I was writing, I doubt I'd get more than one season. After that failed spectacularly (in order to write an episode of TV, you must be a member of the Writer's Guild, and to become a member of the Writer's Guild, you need to write an episode of TV, and I couldn't play that circular logic game), I teamed up with a friend, Dove Sherman, to try and publish a twenty eight page comic.  Dove would draw, while I would write, since I didn't have much faith in my art as a professional artist. Many of Dove's redesigns show through in the comic to this day.  We'd planned to shop it around, but Dov felt he wasn't up to drawing 28 pages a month, and around this time I soured on the whole comics business.

Eventually I kind of threw up my hands and said "Well, it'll never be" and began a career in technical support. About 1997 or so, I began thinking about a webcomic, and how I could get around the quota limitations of the day (I didn't have much space, and each comic would have taken up valuable kilobytes), and it wasn't until 2000 that through Keenspace (now ComicGenesis) that unlimited space and bandwidth became available. I didn't, however, want to throw my two best properties out in case it failed.

In 2001, I lost my job and ended up moving back home to San Antonio. I decided to see what the old anime club was doing that I'd once belonged to in the late 90s, and caught a few episodes of shows they were playing. Specifically, "Omishi Magical Theater Risky Safety" (about an angel and demon in training) and "I'm Gonna Be An Angel!" (about another angel in training). When I got home, I was putzing around in the loft of my parent's house, where my mother was working on a cousin's quinceañera coming-out party. The theme? Angels. About a hundred statues were staring down at me all evening long.  That night, the threads of all those angels began to weave around my brain and make a new story about a girl who wanted to be an angel. I decided that would be the story I posted to Keenspace.

After a computer crash, and a six month hiatus while fixing it, I came back to Keenspace, this time bringing Closetspace as my comic. Shortly thereafter, I realized I could do both weekly and began telling both stories.

Before we get into the actual comics, I want to ask you about where you get you inspiration from and who or what some of your influences are.

As I mentioned earlier, I really enjoyed Robotech, but even before then, I was hooked on Battle of the Planets in the 70s, and Star Blazers in the early 80s, so anime was a big inspiration. Robotech in particular (and Dune in a smaller way) really put a love of over arcing multi-generational stories in me (The Book of Xand takes place from 3113BC to 3797AD, spans three planets and even an alternate universe!). A more comic-related influence was the company putting out the Robotech comics, Comico. While Comico had a few ongoing comics, most of them were self-contained stories with a specific beginning-middle and end. Mage: The Hero Discovered, about a man who is granted superpowers but refuses to take on the responsibilities of said powers, was a wonderfully put together fifteen issue comic. I never liked superhero comics, because they never ended, and here was one that did. From that point on, I made sure all my stories ended (even the Xand one!)

A Wish for Wings uses a lot of angelic and demonic imagery but seems to stay well clear of established religions. Can you tell me a bit about the theology of this world? What mythos did you seek inspiration from? (Aside from the Renaissance version of Abrahamic Angels, I mean.) 

Most of the theology of A Wish for Wings has been mostly hinted at, but in my head there's a specific theology and organizations, of it. In doing so, I've gone out of my way not to use any established religion to create the theology of the story, and instead, inspire it. In fact, my attitude has been "All religions are right...but only parts of them" in creating the theology. I'll go more into them in the comics as we near the end - but as they're not spoilerific, I'll share them here.

The most major influence is one of the tenets of Mormonism: when someone reaches a kind of enlightenment, they are allowed to become the god of a new world. Deyus Pitha, the Creator we see and is mentioned occasionally, is the one who was put in charge of the Earth.

There's also a little bit of Milton in there: Deyus, and six people he chose, came to the backwater planet earth to help these evolving apes turn into civilized humans. But there was a problem. While he himself was perfect, his handpicked helpers were not. One became jealous and wanted to take his powers for his own. He wasn't so much defeated, as a cease-fire was created.

A tiny bit of Islam: The angels went into hiding to keep humans unaware of their abilities and from attempting some kind of coup-de-etat themselves. They began to cover themselves from head to toe in cloaks that hide them from the world. Their outfits resemble hijab and niqab garmets used by Muslim women.

There's a smattering of the Jewish heirarchy of angels as well: As humans were the one directly affected by this coup-de-etat, Deyus decided to add humans to the angel's ranks, although as foot soldiers. Instead, he and the original angels, along with a select few humans, would be in charge of these new human angels. Deyus, realizing he had five other helpers who could also attempt to seize his powers, left, leaving....

...well, that would be spoiling, wouldn't it?

I hope you don’t take this the wrong way (meaning badly) but in watching how the Angels and the Shadows interact with mortal humans, I’m reminded of some of the Jack Chick tracts I’ve come across over the years. Any influence there? I primarily mean artistically, but theologically or mythologically as well.

Not really. While I actually admire the artstyle in Jack Chick tracts, I'm rather disappointed in the message they deliver. I'm sure, though, he's pulling off some of the same influences I am to make A Wish for Wings.

What role does religion play in your own life?

Very little. I was raised not just Roman Catholic, but Mexican Roman Catholic with all the added extra bits of ceremonies and religions. I burned out quickly. I was an atheist for a while there, and a rather mean and nasty one. The kind who tells kids there's no Santa Claus and their mom is the Tooth Fairy. 
Wicca really worked for me (and if fact, some of the magic work Andrea does in her training are
based on Wiccan magic work).

In the end, I just decided to live by The Golden Rule as delivered by two of the greatest philosophers of the 20th Century: "Be excellent to each other."

Did any of the more homophobic or transphobic aspects of it play a part in driving you away from the Church?

Not really.  As I mentioned, it was more burnout than a break in theology.  Which may be the reason I'm a bit more tolerant towards people of faith than many of my friends.  I didn't have one thing that said “Nope, no more religion.”  It was more like “Cant' I have a break?  Please?  There's just too much of this stuff.”

OK… The colors...

I get that (at a very basic level) Blue is Angelic- and Red is Shadow-based magic (Jedi/Sith Light-saber influence?) that Purple magic is more powerful and reserved for Royalty (though whatever that means to Angels has not yet been fully revealed) and Yellow is also more powerful (more than Purple?) and means something else, as yet unknown, but something dangerous. (Green Lantern influence?) Without giving me any spoilers, (and I do mean ANY spoilers!) do I have that much basically right, or did I miss something that’s actually IN the comic so far? Was there some kind of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock thing going on here that I missed?

Imagine magic as a color wheel. Red at the top, Orange at 2PM, Yellow at 4PM, Green at 6PM, Blue at 8PM, and Purple at 10PM. The farther away the color is from each other, the more powerful/hurtful it is. Each person has a color that comes naturally to them. Human Michael's (whose name may end up getting some Soviet revisionism since I didn't expect to have two characters named Michael in one story) natural color was Green. Andrea's is Yellow. Iskander, who was once royalty on earth, coincidentally was purple, the color of royalty.

Somewhere along the lines, the angels chose Blue as their color of choice. This way they could work together in a fight without damaging each other. The events of "The Impure Heart," where a teammate who was using another color than blue, killed another angel who was blue, are what made blue mandatory for all angels, and outlawed all other colors. After this, all angels were trained to use blue, usually at the cost of losing their natural colors. Andrea is trying to keep her yellow magic,
however - because it was the color human Michael taught her to use. She keeps it to remember him by. Red is used by the shadows because...well...that would be telling, wouldn't it....

Obviously Wish for Wings does not have the LGBTrans-focused story and cast that Closetspace does (and we’ll get to that) but it looks like you were still giving a nod to it with Khaneni/Nen’a. Was his (xis? her?) status of Gallus meant to >be like a 3rd Gender / Bi-Spirt kind of being, akin to the Hijra in the Hindu religion?

There have always been gender questioning humans, likely for as long as humans have been around. Many cultures had specific duties for these people, or classes, or regulations. Many were hurtful, or attempts to cure their condition. But others allowed them to live their lives as best they could in their
adopted roles. In Khaneni's case, he wanted to be a woman, or in the tribe's terminology, a Mother. Given his incompetence as hunter, and Han'a's talent for it, he was, essentially, allowed to switch places with her, taking her place as a mother and his place as a hunter. As for those pronouns, I tend to go by name in describing her.  Khaneni was “his” name.  Nen'a is “her” name.

I do plan to one day tell the story of how the Tribe was lost in its own story, called The Long Road Home. In it, there will be an extended version of The Lesson of Patience, that goes into Nen'a's status as a gallus in more detail. While she's considered a mother, she can't bear children, so is still expected
to father one to fulfill her child-debt (and does). Since she doesn't menstruate, one of her duties is to tend to women who are bleeding. She even has to temporarily lose her status as a Gallus to cover for a time when then hunting teams are shorthanded.

She's also made a medicine woman, as we see in later episodes of A Wish forWings. Not because she is excellent at it...but because the older medicine woman believes that she will not be killed by other, less tolerant, members of the tribe if she provides a service they cannot do without. 

So what about Han’a? Was she the same, or more just a victim of the tribe’s circumstances? (I read her more as gender non-conformant or pre-feminist (basically a tomboy) rather that truly trans.)

Han'a is a very special case. The tribe doesn't allow women to hunt. Their services are to maintain the tribe's home, gather plants and vegetables and tend to the children. It was with that mindset that Han'a was raised. She only becomes a huntress when the tribe suddenly becomes so shorthanded, they need to train the female children to help.  She's drafted into service, but as it turns out, shes good at scouting and, while not making many (or really any) kills, she becomes a trusted member
of the team. When the emergency is over, it's her talent that allows Kahneni to take her place as Nen'a. And for Han'a to remain hunting.

The thing is...she really wants to be a mother. That's how she was raised from Day 1. She only hunts because the tribe needs her to, then asks her to. When she gets her first killmark, it's the final commitment to that way of life for her.  She's made her decision to remain a hunter, but in her heart, she still wants to be a mother. When she loses the ability to use her arm, she immediately goes back into the Mother role, but makes sure to teach her daughter, even behind the tribe's back, how to hunt. She now sees it as a life skill.

Again, in The Long Road Home, I'll extend things a bit, to show how she fits in with the tribe in her new role as huntress and how protective they are of her. When she becomes part of a hunting team, they look after her as much as she looks after them. There's a scene where a tribe member attempts to rape her. She fights him off, and when her hunting team mates find out, essentially beat him to a bloody pulp. When Nen'a is called to bring him back to help, and finds out he tried to rape her wife...let's just say Hippocrates is a few thousand years away.

There's also the fact that, no matter if she's a huntress or not, she's still a female. Like Nen'a was required to father a child, Han'a still bleeds monthly, and cannot hunt (there are rituals that are followed for menstruating women). Her team basically treats it as if they have a sick member of the hunting team and sit that week out...but really, they just enjoy the time slacking off.

So far we’ve seen ancient tribes (14,000 years ago?), ancient Rome (200 AD) and roughly the present day. Are there going to be more time periods used to reveal the storyline and introduce more characters?

The tribe is 14,000 years ago, yes. 12,000BC. Sadly, I sometimes get the two confused in the narrative occasionally, though. At this point, I've pretty much laid out all the backstory I'm going to and we'll be moving forward. If there's another time jump, it may be to an even earlier time than 14,000 years ago during the original coup-de-etat of Morningstar against Deyus. Although I may save that for The Long Road Home. No specific time period on that, other than "The very beginnings of civilization."

The villain so far, (though I assume not the BIG Bad,) Perrimore... Was he inspired by any real-life person or fictional character? (Or his nefarious plot inspired by real-like events? (9/11, Unibomber, OK City?)

Arthur Perrimore isn't really the big baddie of the series, as we'll soon see. He's more of catalyst, for reasons that will soon come clear in the story (Notice he has zero connection to the story until the bombs go off?). Arthur is one very, very, VERY unbalanced human, who had enough strength of will to pull of a 9/11 style attack on all his enemies. He is the Unabomber, David Koresh, and Jack the Ripper
all mixed up. He had a point to his madness, such as Jack the Ripper, brought about by a religion conviction of his own making, like David Koresh, and the genius of Ted Kaczynski. He was a man who had a grudge, wanted to act on the grudge, and the intelligence to make it happen.

I love how you do a lot of your exterior backgrounds, in both W4W and Closetspace. Are these mostly photographs that you’ve taken?

While webcomic artists tend to draw their own backgrounds, I'm a much slower artist than most webcomic artists I know. So I go with filtered pictures for my backgrounds instead of drawing them. There are a few drawn backgrounds, when I've had time to draw them. With very few exceptions, the pictures are all pictures I've taken. The shores of the Black Sea in Roman times are actually Salish Beach in Canada. Andrea's remote childhood home is actually an old mansion in San Marcos, TX. Carrie and Andrea's house is the J T Jones house in Decatur, Alabama. 

Are these places that you frequent, around your home town then?

Many of the pictures come from around the Texas Hill Country, which I consider my home. Some are from my years in Seattle and Pennsylvania, but most are local to the Hill Country. And since I had relatives in the airline industry, I got to fly free a lot around the country. That's where all the above cloud pics come from!  I actually have a library of several thousand pictures I've taken since the 90s that I use for sources.

I wonder what the owners would think about them being featured in a TG comic!

When I first walked by the J T Jones house in Decatur, AL, in 1997, I took a pic of it because it was just a beautiful house. When I needed a Big Victorian Gingerbread house for Allison to live in, I grabbed that pic and scanned it in to use. But it was the ONLY picture I had! And I used the heck out of it. Eventually, I found some fans who lived in the area, and asked them to take pics of the house for me. One of them asked me what he should say if the owners came out and asked what I was doing. All I could say was "show them the comic!"

Given that it's a famous house in Decatur, and is often shown on tour, I don't think they'd mind, especially as I've moved it out of Decatur into Central Texas. If they asked me to remove it, I likely would. I have other pics of Victorian houses I can use. But theirs is gorgeous.

This story is a bit different from many other TG Webcomics in the extent that it doesn’t shy away from showing a lot of the darker, downsides of living as trans, in your chosen gender. A lot of the story so far has centered around mental illness (anxiety, depression, paranoia, panic attacks,) the fear of being
clocked, violence, rejection of family, hate, and even the idea that some people regret their transitioning – which you mentioned the other night caused some people to consider Closetspace to be a bit “gatekeepery.” Aside from that last one, which I’ll come back to, how much of this is drawn from your own experience and are any of the characters in Closetspace based on or inspired by real people?

Very little of Closetspace is based on my own experiences. A few have been informed by my experiences, but nothing in the comic is specific to my life. The closest would be the restaurant scene with everyone staring at Carrie. In Carrie's case, the waiter kind of gets suspicious because the both of them order steak and beer. And the cooks and staff start leering at her. In my case, I went somewhere where the staff already knew I was trans (my friend and her husband were
management there).

Sadly, my attempt to fit in was ruined by the cooking staff leering and catcalling from the back.  Being the 1990s, and the cooks had to be appeased or they'd walk out, I never went back.  Things would likely be different now, thanks to advances in acceptance – but it wasn't a lot of fun at the time.

While Carrie is not specifically based on anyone person, Allison is a different story. For most of the development of Closetspace, Allison's story was one of someone who crossdressed wondering if surgery was the right thing to do. There are people out there who crossdress but have no want to have surgery – and Allison didn't know if she did or not. In that version of the storyline, eventually, she decided against surgery, but otherwise lived as a woman.

About the year 1999, I came out to a friend as trans. This is someone I'd known a long time, and I considered (and still consider) a good friend, and knew he would be understanding. What I didn't expect was he would come out as trans as well. He, now she, proceeded to transition along with me, but much faster. She got her hormones around the same time I did, but managed to push through to her surgery incredibly quickly. And within a year or two, had her surgery and was out on the other side.

And in the end, and to this day, she regrets what she's done. While she's accepted her new life as a woman and moved on, it's not her preferred gender. And, as we are good friends, she told me a lot of her regrets and how her life has changed. I've always accepted a bit of responsibility for her change. She had to pull the trigger, as it were, but I showed her how to load the gun. And so, I asked her if I could use her story as Allison's. To get the word out there that This Could Be a Bad Idea. She said yes, and I changed Allison's story from a crossdresser trying to figure out if surgery was for her, to someone who'd gotten the surgery and regretted it.

I've gotten some flak for it, mainly because people are saying I'm too pro-gatekeepery about transition, which is that you need a third party to move on in your transition. That's not exactly what I'm aiming for.  It's more of a "You really REALLY need to think long and hard about this" because it's such a huge change that what you expect and what you get can be very different things. You don't need a therapist to approve your transition. But you really should turn to someone you trust - a father, a brother, a god, maybe even a therapist - and ask "Is this really what I need? Is this something I really have to do?" Because if you're not transgendered before the surgery, you will be after.

I’m curious… You (along with Evelyn Poor) did one of the better known cross-over’s with Venus Envy, after it went on hiatus. (I do still consider an update every 18 months to be “on hiatus” LOL.) You did an excellent job mimicking Erin Lindsey’s art style.  

How difficult was that?  (Or did she draw it?  Because it’s a really good facsimile otherwise!) Do you know Erin? What was her response that story arc?

Still got that drink and/or sandwich?  You might want to get those ready again.

I'm good. LOL

In 2004, I was invited to Trinoc-coN in Durham, NC, along side Kittyhawk of Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki and Erin Lindsey's Venus Envy.  Mind blown.  We talked a bit before the con, and she asked if I'd like to share half a table with her, and we did.  We got along excellently, and over the course of the convention, we developed a real chemistry in our panels.  A real transgender Laurel and Hardy kind of chemistry.  We shared convention space again in 2006 and kept in touch afterwards.

In 2008, I moved to Seattle, where Erin lives, and she offered to help me adjust to life in the Pacific Northwest.  After about a year, we developed a bit of an art studio in one room of her house, where we worked most every day doing comics and art.  Seeing as how we were working with each other all the time, the question came up – what about a fun little crossover?

We worked out the specifics together.  Carrie would go and live in Zoe's world as Zoe for a little while, and, on the flip side, Zoe would live as Carrie for a little while.  It was originally meant to be a full fledged crossover involving both comics.  For Closetspace, I would draw Carrie, and she would draw everything else.  For Venus Envy, she would draw Zoe and I would draw everything else.  But considering how differently we worked (I was pushing out a comic every week, she was pushing out three a week), we decided we'd do all our own work with each comic.

Each episode of the crossover I did involving Venus Envy characters was approved by her, to make sure the characters were acting and looking like their characters. Her only two complaints through the whole series was I made Ritchie look too old, and Lisa and Larson were too friendly (something I remark on the last time we see them).  She also had direct input on what Zoe was doing during the crossover, and her fleeing to Mexico and showing up in a bee outfit was 100% Erin.

Around this time, Erin's real life workload began eating into the Venus Envy time, and eventually it went on hiatus.  And a very long term hiatus.  When I realized there might not be anymore Venus Envy, I decided on my own, that I would make this a sort of epilogue to the series.  So that readers of Venus Envy would have some kind of “Everything Is Alright” closure.  In fact, Carrie specifically says to Zoe the one time they meet “It's alright.  Everything is going to be alright.”

I did specifically try to mimic her artstyle.  Working in the studio toghether, I got to see how she made her comics, and mimicked it as best I could.  I tend to draw with paper and pencil, and do cel shaded coloring.  She actually does it all digitally, and paints the colors on like markers.  I learned a lot from that, but also learned, I really like my way better.

Something I didn't expect, though, was how long it would take to tell the story.  My time in Seattle was fraught with setbacks and failures.  Between losing jobs, losing apartments, losing a fiancee, losing yet another house, becoming diabetic, damaged eyesight and everything else, my little three month crossover became a three YEAR crossover.  A running joke between us was that I was drawing more Venus Envy than she was over those three years.

Who knows, if she picks up Venus Envy we may see what the heck Zoe was doing in that bee outfit.

Something tells me we’re not getting that answer any time soon! LOL. So getting back to your own experiences… You mentioned that very little informs Closetspace directly.  Now, if I remember correctly, you said you started transitioning in the late-90’s?

I knew I was transgendered, or at least that something was very, very, very wrong with my puberty in fifth grade in 1985, when the girls went one way, and I went the wrong way. I began crossdressing soon afterwards, and once I moved out in the mid-90s, I lived at home as a woman, and everywhere else as a man. It wasn't until 1997 that I went fulltime (except for a brief stint in 1999, when I was required to go through my probationary period at work as a male). Hormones came in 2000, Been pretty happy since then!

How did friends and family react? What has been the hardest part for you?

My friends were on board with my transition right away. With one exception, no one gave me any guff about my transition, and it was an open secret by my senior year. One person basically went with it for the most part, but I found out later she felt I was a pervert, and only went along with it because she didn't want to lose someone who was otherwise a good friend. We no longer talk.

My immediate family was different. After the shock of coming out had faded, my father was okay with it, although somewhat embarrassed. While he was happy that I was finally happy, it took him a very long time to be comfortable with the idea. My mother and I, however, butted heads quite a bit in the first couple of years. To the point that I felt I needed to leave not just home, but the state in order
to continue with my transition. After I made it, I moved back, and they were shocked, thinking that I'd "gone through that phase already." Only in the last few years has she finally come around, and she has finally accepted me as her daughter… Most of the time.

The hardest part, however, was coming out to the extended family. I come from a deeply traditional and religious Mexican Roman Catholic family. Machismo, which is a term describing the need to be a Manly Man in our culture, is a terrible, terrible thing if you’re gay. When I was about nine, a relative who shall remain nameless attacked me for not being "Mexican enough." If I was going to be beat up for not being Mexican enough, knowing the Machismo culture I felt I was surrounded by, I realized I was in deep, deep shit. So, I essentially estranged myself from them. I went away. For almost twenty years I went away and had no contact with my gigantic extended family. 

Knowing what I do of the culture, I can only imagine how hard that must have been, even still.

Some twenty years later, I poked a few cousins about my transition, and the event went well. I then came out to pretty much everyone, and the news spread like wildfire. The hardest part was the incredibly terrible misjudging I'd done with the family. No one, but no one, questioned my transition. They all went with it, many congratulated me with it, and they welcomed me back with open arms. I'd
misjudged them completely for twenty years, based on one cousin's bad attitude. And I feel terrible about that. It's been about three years since I came out to the family, and I still feel terrible about the estrangement to this day.

At the time things were very different time form how things are today: Gay marriage still seemed a distant dream, and now that's basically a settled issue, and trans-rights are coming the forefront. So while it's certainly different, do you think it's any easier to come out as Trans (or LGB for that matter)
today than when you did?

I do believe it is much easier to come out now than when I did. Now a days, being trans, while not widely accepted, is something that's become part of our culture. More and more, I hear stories of people coming out, and being accepted in families. Jobs even have policies in place for someone transitioning. When I came out, very little of this existed.

In fact, the first support group I joined advocated that if we saw another one of its members in public that we don't actually greet them.  You'd get unwanted attention.  In some towns at the time, such as Houston, I believe, it was actually against the law and could result in prosecution. Things still aren't perfect, but we've made amazing amounts of progress in just 20-some years.

I wonder if you would retell the story you did the other night about the time you first went to the doctor for hormones?

By the time I'd found someone to prescribe hormones, I'd been living as a woman for three years, and had over five years of therapy. This doctor actually didn't require any paperwork for writing prescriptions (although I had all I needed). His one caveat was that he would become my general doctor, and I needed one anyway, so I agreed. We had an appointment or two setting up blood tests and physical tests and whatnot to gauge my general health. We set up an appointment for, what I thought, would be the prescription that would change my life.

I sat down, he sat down, and we had a talk about what was about to happen. The first words out of his mouth were "Are you sure you really want to do this?" I said yes, and he proceeded to tell me about everything that would change and the effects estrogen would have on me. Very in-depth. "You'll grow breasts. And these breasts will not come off without surgery. It will change your body hair, your
body smell, all of your salts. Your urine will even smell different. It's going to affect your mind, and thinking. Some folks have said it's changed their sexual orientation." Once he finished, he told me "I really want you to think about this, seriously. Come back next week with your answer."

I was crushed. I was all hyped up and ready to go. But, he was right. No matter what he said, right then and there, I would have said "Yes, absolutely." If he'd told me to go rob a bank before signing that prescription, I'd have done it. I did think about it, all week long. Weighing everything against
everything else. And it was sobering. Once I took this step, there really wasn't any way back. 
Did I want to commit to this?

I returned to him and he asked me "Well, what did you decide?" I said "Yes. Yes, I want the hormones." He gave me this great big grin, and signed it over to me. I filled it out that evening. That night, before, bed, I looked at the pills I was about to take. There was still one more chance to back out. I took it, and never looked back.

Does Allison represent a person that should have given it more thought then?

Kinda sorta. Allison should have given it more thought, yes. But in the end, her problems ran deeper than she understood, and she fixated on a solution that didn't address the core problems...and in fact, became a problem of its own. She should have thought about it more, yes, but she didn't really
understand what her problem was to begin with.

>Is this the kind of thing that counselors and therapists (whether gatekeepers or not) can truly help someone figure out? Or does this have to come entirely from within one’s self? I always figured if there was one advantage of [the DSM, Gatekeepers, etc…] it would be to help people make sure they were going down the right path FOR THEMSELVES.

In the end, it's your decision - whether it's a triumph or a mistake. While I don't think therapists and counselors should be giving permission to transition I highly recommend this kind of therapy.  Not so much to ask for permission, but to gain your own insights into the why and how of what you're doing. If you're doing your transition for the wrong reasons, I don't believe a therapist should be able to say
"No, you can't have the surgery." A therapist should be able to show you why it's not a good idea so you can say to yourself "This is not a good idea." On the other hand, if you do it anyways, and it's a bad idea, you can't say "My therapist made me do this."

This also has the awesome side effect of transitioning and saying "Hey, my transition was the right thing to do, and I decided it myself!" and taking all the credit no matter what your therapist says, good or bad.

OK… And this is totally a cisgendered person’s ignorance here.. Is Allison NOT really trans then? Or is she trans- but would have preferred to remain non-op, sans HRT? (Or is he tarns and was she just not prepared for the totallity of the change?) (Or should I stop guessing and just let you answer the
question? LOL)

I first came up with the idea for Closetspace in the early 90s, as a kind of way to help me understand what, at the time, I thought was the female-transgender spectrum. We had Carrie, who, like me, was transgendered. She wanted to be a woman, live as a woman, have the surgery, and move on with life as a woman. The prototype of Heidi was someone who crossdressed for sexual release, a fetishist. Victoria was a drag queen. Not part of the transgender spectrum as we know it now, but as the story grew, she became pretty integral to the plot. Becky was our control group – a woman born woman who wants to stay a woman. 

Allison, however, was just a cross-dresser with no real want for surgery, but to live as a woman anyways. In the original plot, Allison's problem was she didn't know if she wanted the surgery or not, and was thinking about it and how it would affect her life. In the current plot - she made the decision and it was the wrong one. She didn't expect she'd be giving up so much of her identity as she ended up giving, and in the end it made her someone she didn't want to be, which we will go more into as her plot progresses. If she wasn't transgendered before her surgery, she is now.

How common is that amongst transgendered people?

I know more than a few who regret their surgeries. But I know many, many, MANY more who are quite happy in their transitions and live the lives they've chosen happily.

Do you have any regrets yourself?

Not at all. My only real regret is I've never been able to afford my own surgery.

Now, the other night, you castigated me a bit (rightly so) for stereotyping all of Texas as the RW caricature that it’s often thought of in Liberal politics as. Obviously, as YOU live in Texas, they can’t ALL be that way! But despite strong public efforts to “Keep Austin weird,” I still submit that Texas hardly qualifies as a bastion of enlightenment: No Gay Marriage, no LGBT Anti-Discrimination laws outside of Austin and San Antonio. And, as you said the other night, a strong propensity to vote Republican almost completely regardless of how they feel about they feel about the issues and the candidates. And don’t get me started on how badly their fucking up the rest of the nation’s school textbooks!

So, first off, what the hell made you want to move back to Texas?! LOL ;)

I was born and raised in San Antonio. I share a deep love for the Hill Country and the amazing history behind it colonization. This has been, and always will be, my home. And no matter where I have moved, I always find myself wanting to go back, to be home. It's where my heart is.  Be it ever so fucked up, there's no place like home.

I can certainly understand that. Second of all... OK, I get that it’s one thing to bash it yourself and another thing for an outsider to, so if a Liberal like me were to go there, what would surprise the most about the gun-toting Lone-Star State?

What nearly everyone I bring to Texas notices: We're friendly. We're amazingly, genuinely friendly. That man walking down the street in his cowboy boots and ten gallon hat that voted Republican in the last general election may have a gun hidden under his duster...but if you smile at him, he will smile back at you.

I recently took a friend through the entire Hill Country, from Austin all the way to Rocksprings and San Antonio all the way to Lake Buchanan. I showed her the ghost towns, the big cities, but mostly the people. And to our credit, we showed her exactly the good-natured, tolerant, friendly people we can be.
Well, with one exception. But high school kids are jerks all around the country.

Yes, yes they are! So, if I can wallow in stereotype just a moment longer, do you own a gun?

I own a Wii Zapper, but never use it cause it's too clunky.  Plus, I only have one game that uses it.

LOL. *spits  out drink* Okaaay… *shakes head* That’s funny. But, in all seriousness, have you ever thought about it? Maybe due to fear of anti-LBGT violence?

While I wouldn't call myself pro-gun, I'm not anti-gun. I'm pro-gun education.

I see a lot of people who post things after every tragedy that say "If I had a gun, that tragedy would never have happened." No, it likely would have been worse, as now you have two instruments capable of killing everyone in the room, and everyone in between in a crossfire. My father taught me at a very young age how to hunt with a rifle, and the education he gave me on it should be given to every single person who wants to own a gun. While I will get one if I feel I need one, I don't have a gun - for EXACTLY what my father taught me: Guns are not toys. They are tools. And a tool for killing. When you point a gun at someone, you can kill that person and anyone else in the range of that bullet, no matter what your aim is. And that's not something you want on your head, justified or not. I will get one if I ever feel I cannot defend myself without out one.  But I've never felt I needed a gun to protect myself.

Now you mentioned being a Left-Wing Liberal in Texas, but having been in Seattle, the people there took you for a… Conservative Democrat? Right-Wing Liberal? I’m curious about some of the issues that would have separated you so much from the pot smokers your Liberal brethren up in Washington?

The joke is: "In Texas, I'm a left-wing liberal. In Seattle, a left-leaning conservative. In Canada, I'm a fascist." The moral of the story is that all politics are local. 

…As one of my favorites, Tip O’Niell, was always fond of saying.

I tend to have a bit of a thing about personal responsibility, though, which gets me pegged as a conservative outside Texas.  When I drive, I wear my seat belt. I don't believe seat belt laws should be mandatory. I used to like to bike ride, but I stopped when helmet laws became mandatory.  I love bike riding, but don't like things enclosing my head (I hate all hats and helmets). As it's the law, I simply stopped biking, although I feel it should be on my head if I don't wear one and have an accident. No pun intended.

Still, I take it that you don’t tend to vote Republican, yes?

I don't vote by party. I will always vote for choice over voting for restrictions, so my vote usually skews leftist. But I find straight ticket voting left-or-right to be an uneducated vote. I vote for who I find offers the most choice. I voted for Barack Obama (I would rather have had Hillary Clinton, but there you are), I'll vote for Wendy Davis come November. In the next election, I'll vote for the one who offers the most choice.

Ah, the doctrine of choice. I can certainly get down with that. ;)

Ok, the other night, you mentioned that you didn’t believe there was a “right way” to be trans, relative to surgeries, hormones, presentation, stealth vs. out, etc… And this seems to be the running theme amongst the (admittedly very few) trans folk I’ve spoken to: Both Christian Beranek and Christine Smith said about the same thing and Evelyn Poor parodies the idea of having to be a “reel womyn” brilliantly over in Trans-Girl Diaries. So… from my very limited perspective, it appears to be a pretty mainstream viewpoint. (With my whopping sample size of FOUR!) But… Where then does the pressure to conform to all of this come from? How does a person get from rejecting the societally ingrained idea that gender has to equal sex, to the idea of FORCING their ideas of Gender Conformity onto everyone who rejects society’s dogma? Is the trans community really this divided about what it means (or TAKES) to be “truly” trans, or are we just hearing from an extremely vocal and perhaps disproportionately represented minority? What’s your take on this?

I find that we're on the edge of a massive paradigm shift in how we view gender. Just a few years ago, we didn't separate sex-assignment and gender. Now, we do. Imagine a rock tossed into a pool. Drops in, and ripples form and spread to the edges of a lake. Now...in the center of those ripples, where the rock went in. That's us. Those are the folks who realize that sex, gender, presentation are all separate things, and that, in general, you should just be comfy in the skin you're in. The majority of society is outside that ripple. They saw the rock go into the lake, they see the ripple coming towards them, but it hasn't hit them yet, so it's not really important yet - or, worse, they see the ripple as an impending threat.

Young trans-folk, born outside the ripple, are born into that paradigm of "Girls are X and Boys are Y." So society tells them, "Well, if you want to be a woman, you're going to have to be the woman society wants you to be" and the conformity, basically peer pressure, starts getting pushed on people. So you have society, and even some trans-folks saying "You're not woman enough, go back to the drawing board" because the ripple hasn't hit their part of the country, or their mindsets.  They don't realize yet that it's okay to "Just Be Yourself" versus "Be the stereotypical woman."

And sometimes, it's hard to un-grain yourself from something so ingrained. To be honest, when I think of a "Cis - Assigned Female At birth" my brain translates that as "Genetic Girl" which was the term used back in the 80s. Also, heavily frowned upon.

Do you think that someone who passes should have an obligation to be “out,” either for the benefit of their SO, or for the trans-movement as a whole?

I don't feel they have an obligation to out themselves. If I could pass well enough to go stealth, I would. But I can't, so, if the world is going to see me as a man-in-a-dress, I'm going to be the man-in-a-dress that teaches them what a transperson really is. I would love it if stealth folk would out themselves and help us, since the public image of us is not very flattering...but if they don't want to, and can live the life they always wanted, I wouldn't endanger that for them.
I’ve heard a lot of criticism of the Human Rights Campaign from the Trans community, that they’ve been consistently thrown under the bus for the sake of the LGB part of the movement. Do you think this is a fair assessment? What’s your take on this?

I think it's a very, very fair assessment. The HRC has repeatedly shown they hold us in a very low regard when it comes to human rights, and have used us as a bargaining chip ("Hey, will you push this legislation if we at least remove the trannies?") in order to get their victories. Chad Griffin of the HRC has recently apologized for this behavior. His apology is noted, but I'll accept the HRC's apology when I see real action.

Do you think LGBT is even an appropriate grouping, given that gender and sexuality, while related, are not the same thing? Or is the group defined by having common enemies than it is by common goals?

I feel we belong in there specifically because of our gender issues. Consider: A man who loves a male bodied person is considered gay. A woman who loves a female bodied person is considered a lesbian. What about a woman, born male, who loves a female bodied person. Or vice versa? Is that gay? Is it straight? Both? None? It’s something to be considered alongside the LGB in the spectrum.

If there was one thing you wanted cisgender people to know or understand about transgendered people, what would that be?

We just want to live the lives we want to live. Trust me - if you let us do that, society will not collapse, god will not send hurricanes or earthquakes in our names, and bathrooms stalls wont' be a place of terror for anyone. In fact, I think we'll be happier over all because everyone will be out of everyone else's business. And if you're not okay with that, if you feel society is better off without us, that's okay, too - because, in the end, our acceptance is going to happen with or without you on board.

OK, the classic hypothetical: If, back at the beginning of it all, Morpheus offered you two pills, one would completely “cure” your dysphoria, effectively making you a cisgendered male, the other would make you into the woman that you’d have been were it not for that “one tiny chromosome” (as Carrie so aptly put it that time on the beach) which pill would you take? (Or would take neither?)

So, you want me to take the blue pill or the pink pill, eh? If I had my druthers, and could take a pill that would make me either a happy male, or happy female, I gotta go with the pink pill. I am who I am today because I'm a woman. And I'd like the carpet to match the drapes.

How do you explain to people that being Trans (or Gay for that matter) is not a CHOICE?

My "choice" led me to be estranged from my family for twenty years, spend a couple of days living in a storm drain, given me more brushes with the law than I'd like, had me screamed out of bathrooms, had me fired from jobs. If I could choose, I'd choose not to have any of that to happen. But in choosing to deny my inner peace in exchange for outer peace, I deny who I am. As another great philosopher once said:

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.

I certainly can’t argue with that! Jenn, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me. Jen Dolari is the creator of Closetspace and A Wish for Wings, which can be found on dolari.net. If you’d like to support these comics, you can find her Patreon account at: patreon.com/dolari. She also live streams many of the comics, so follow her on Facebook if you’re interested in seeing that.

Hey, Washington: CHANGE YOUR DAMN NAME!

Signature Flag

I made this a few years ago, and just stumbled across it as I was looking for something else and thought I'd share it:

It probably violates some part of the flag code, but I like it anyway.

Ladies and gentleman: That immortal luminary, John Cleese

Why the hell is it always "doom and gloom" with the Democrats?

Life in the bubble; OR: Would the modern GOP appall George Washington?

This is some pretty backwards, delusional stuff.  (William should love it.) Though I still do fully encourage everyone to read it in full:

The Modern GOP Would Appall George Washington

In case the author's comment I quoted gets buried, here it is in full. (Bold = parts read aloud.)

I have no problem with "the possible." What I have a problem with is the "refuse to try" or worse still, the "working for the enemy." 

The modern GOP isn't interested in compromise; they are interested only in surrender. Like a battered woman, they foolishly think if they cry "Don't hurt me" enough, liberals will be nice to them. What complete idiots. And that's just the ones who aren't enemies in the camp--liberals who wear an "R" to get elected, then betray the documented values of the Republican Party (if people really liked RINOs, RINOs wouldn't pretend to be conservatives, lying about their positions and their records). 

Compromise? Heck, that would be a big improvement over the "Surrender Caucus" that is running things right now. And surrendering to the evil of the Left is just evil itself. 

~Bob Ellis

And, for reference, from his BIO:

Bob Ellis has been the owner of conservative media company Dakota Voice, LLC since 2005. He is a 10-year veteran of the United States Air Force, a political commentator for the past decade, and has been involved in numerous election and public policy campaigns for 20 years, including a founding Tea Party leader and organizer starting in 2009. He lives in Rapid City, South Dakota with his wife and two children.

Oh, and apologies: Obviously I was referring to the Heritage Foundation, not the Heritage Institute. Despite what William will tell you, I'm not perfect and I DO sometimes make mistakes. But fuck it: You know who I was talking about, so I'm not re-recording it! ;)

Action Movie Presidents

Props to Dan O'Brien for not going to the obvious ones (save for Kennedy) as I would have done. (But come on: JFK, fine, but why no T.R., A-Jax, Washington or Lincoln?) (And maybe Grant.)

4 U.S. Presidents Whose Lives Put Action Movies to Shame -- powered by Cracked.com

An Interview with Christian Beranek

 Right up front, I've got to get something out of the way, what is your gender identity? I ask because when I googled you I found, shall we say, two very distinct types of pictures come up – with you presenting as both male and female. And, of course, there’s the whole transgender web comic thing.  (And for my own reference, just to be 100% clear, your preferred pronouns?)

I identify as female so “she” and “her” are my preferred pronouns. There are loads of pics from the past online as I was very visible in the comic book and film worlds. I am not ashamed of any of those images. I lived that life and it's a part of who I am today.

Do you present that way full time, then?

I live 24/7 female.

How long since you started to transition?

I started taking it seriously in 2010 but really, I've always felt this way.

How did family and friends react?

I am fortunate to have great friends and a supportive family. It did take my parents a little while to accept me for who I am. Thankfully they realized I was still going to be me just way happier.

Has it affected you professionally?

I am sure some people have decided to communicate with me less. I still get some work for hire assignments and consulting gigs. I could be more active in seeking out jobs, I think. For the most part the comic book and film industries have been very accepting of me and I feel extremely fortunate.

Hardest part of it all?

Being considered a curiosity... Sometimes almost subhuman. That and the fact some people feel they have a right to know about your physical status, such as your genitals, just because I’m trans. Imagine if someone asked you “So are you keeping your penis?" or "Are you getting a boob job?" as if it was a legitimate matter of fact conversational question.

So, perhaps a dumb question, but what inspired you to do Validation?  Can I assume that the work is at least semi-autobiographical?

I had the title kicking around for a few years before I took a crack at the story. My inspiration does draw from real life but none of the characters represent anyone in particular. I've dated and been around trans people and knew their was a tale to tell, something way beyond my own. The key was to identify the tone and make sure it wasn't something that capitalized on sensationalism. It had to feel genuine.

What other projects have you worked on?

I co-wrote the graphic novels Dracula vs. King Arthur and Post Apocalyptic Nick and wrote some prequel and background material for the films Se7en, Max Payne and Babylon A.D. A few years back I signed a deal to produce comics for Disney with the intention of translating them into their own film universe. We were rolling along and then one day I woke up and saw the announcement they had just bought Marvel. They didn't need us anymore. I packed my bags soon after and decided to live the freelancer life in New Mexico. I must say I am much happier and productive now.

I do have a couple of long overdue Kickstarter projects I have to deliver on. Once I can get those out there I'll feel even happier.

Beyond that, I am always creating and have various projects at different stages of progress. I never stop.

Who or what are some of your artistic influences, either specifically for Validation, or in general?

I grew up on a steady diet of Kurt Vonnegut, Alan Moore, fantasy and science fiction and loads of philosophy books. I tend to be very selective with the content I consume. I have a wide variety of interests but I want to check stuff out that takes great care in terms of execution. And it doesn't have to be high-brow. I like different things from films such as The Lives of Others to shows such as Trailer Park Boys. You just have to prove to me you have something genuine to say. I know when people are faking it. Dollar grabs are very transparent.

Now… You write it, Kelci Crawford draws it (I love her art, BTW!) and [your brother] Nick handles the web-side of things. And I see from your site that you all are in different parts of the country, how did this whole team come together?

Kelci is amazing! I met her on Deviant Art after I placed a post looking for an artist for the project. She drew up an initial design of Ally and I immediately said "Yes, that's her." From there we hit the ground running. We actually didn't meet in person until Phoenix Comicon this past May.

Wow.

My brother Nick has done loads of website and production work for me over the years. I always try to include him when I can.

Early on, (#6, IIRC) you make it a point for the character to say that character plans to “keep [her male components],” meaning that she is, and plans to remain, non-op.  I know that the issue of having SRS, and whether that is needed to be a “real woman” (or a “reel womyn” as parodied by Evelyn Poor in Trans Girl Diaries) can be kind of a touchy subject in internal trans-politics.  Were you making a personal statement about this, or was this just for benefit of the character?

I know internal trans-politics exist and am aware of various stances.

To me there is no such thing as a "true trans" person. There is no one correct course because everyone has their own true path for themselves. Ally is pretty confident in her decision to be non-op and we’ll explore the reasons behind that more in the future.

You don't need a vagina to be a woman. If you do choose to get SRS it should be for personal reasons and not because of outside pressure. Be true to yourself.

One of the things that stood out to me about Validation was the fact that it DOESN’T feature the big “Cast full of gay.” (Unlike, say, Venus Envy, The Princess or Rain that seem to suggest that in coming out, one will immediately find themselves surrounded by LBGT’s that they never knew were there!) Do you plan to add (or reveal? NO SPOILERS!) any more LGBT characters in the future?

Beyond Roxie?

Oh, shit! How could I have forgotten about Roxie?!

How indeed!

Yes, beyond Roxie.

Yes. There will be several more LGBT characters debuting in the future. There also might be some past love interests who pop up.

Was keeping Ally more alone in all this more reflective of your own experience?

Well, Ally is reaching out beyond online interactions. She wants to live in the real world. She wants experience. And I wouldn't say she is alone but she is definitely independent.

As for my own experience... I am incredibly independent myself but value a good support structure. We'll explore the idea of this support structures down the road.

I may be forgetting something, but it appears that (like many TG comics) the parents are basically out of the picture.  Is there a reason for that? Will there be a flashback / coming out arc in the future?

We will be meeting Ally’s parents very soon during the Holidays storyline.

It appears that Ally is far more “out” than “stealth,” to all of her friends and potentially love interests anyway. Again, the whole “out vs. stealth” thing is another touchy point within the trans community, was there any statement being made there, or is it just easier to write the story that way, free from the complications that would otherwise come up?

Well, Ally doesn't advertise the fact she is trans...

Well, there was this one time…

...but she is well aware of the implications if someone finds out. I don't know if that character trait could be considered a statement or not. People have reasons for living stealth and I respect that. Ally is a bit younger than the pioneers who blazed the trail in the 80's and 90's so she might not know the entire history of the trans movement. Perhaps we'll explore that more in the future. I do think many trans people today tend to forget how much those before them sacrificed to make things better today. And there is still a long way to go.

I love that Ally’s a bit of a comic and rpg geek, a girl after my own heart, so I have to ask:  DC, Marvel, Image or Indy? (You, I mean.)

Whatever is good! I don’t have any loyalty towards any one company. One of my goals is to get hugely successful and buy loads of comics I can't afford right now to catch up on things.

And your favorite RPG?

Growing up it was Dungeons & Dragons. 

Me too!

I'd still play it if I had time and found a good group. I do play games on my iPad, my current favorites beings Clash of Clans and The Simpsons: Tapped Out. I’ve always wanted to get into Traveller and if I had even more time I’m sure I’d be massively into EVE Online. It just looks so insane.

And let's not forget Tiny Unicorn! 

Where do your fall politically?  I’m particularly interested to know how LGBT issues fit in with and rank amongst your feelings on other issues – do you end up being a one-issue voter, a log-cabin Republican, or are you down with the whole Liberal / Progressive agenda as a whole?

I am an independent human being and I hold no allegiance to any one party. I back the people I feel are right for the job. Last election I voted for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian candidate. He seemed to the one who was most on the level. Ally mentions in a recent comic that she voted for him as well!

I have grown tired and bored of the two party system. I wish people would vote with their minds rather than by party line. I sadly don't see that changing anytime soon due to the control the media has on popular opinion. But I'll vote for whoever the hell I want and sleep well at night :-)

How have the repeal of DOMA and the apparent juggernaut of marriage equality cases current sweeping the country affected you?

Not personally. I do think it’s inevitable that on a Federal level gay marriage will eventually be made legal. I get why some states are fighting tooth and nail against it to appease evangelical bases but I just want to remind them of one thing: Jesus was all about love. So vote love. You’ll be less stressed and live longer.

Does Religion play much of a role in your life?

No. And I am not going to say I'm a spiritual person. I live in the moment but am aware of the past and the future. It feels good to do good things and be kind and decent to other people. There has to be something to that but you shouldn't expect a reward for doing so.

Do you ever have difficulty reconciling some of the homo-phobis and/or trans-phobic aspects of it with your own beliefs?

I think some of the various churches of the world are evolving in their views. Pope Francis, for example, is an exciting figure and I think is living life in an awesome way and inspiring good in others. 

As for the hate some sects spew out: That poison comes from within and will eventually eat you from the inside. It's just not healthy.

Now, along with the “LBG” stuff, there have been a rather a few landmark cases for the “T’s” lately as well: schools in several states now officially recognizing students by the chosen gender (for facilities and activities purposes, etc…) for example. There’s a long way to go, to be sure, but what are your thoughts on that?

I think it’s fantastic. You’re also seeing more trans role models such as Laura Jane Grace and Lavern Cox get more attention. If we can couple great ideas with leadership and show patience then nothing will stop us from moving forward.

Any concerns that comics such as Validation might start to seem dated, socially and politically speaking, before too long?

Hopefully things continue to change for the better and Validation can be considered an artifact from a more volatile time in terms of the issues discussed. I do hope the story itself resonates beyond its time because it really is about treating each other with respect and love. Those themes, I feel, are eternal.

Let’s hope.

I’ve heard some very harsh criticisms of the Human Rights Campaign from other transgendered people and their friends and families… How do you feel about them? Do you think the “they throw trans people under the bus every time!” critique is fair?

It all goes back to Stonewall, doesn’t it? I firmly believe trans people, many of whom had stood side by side with LBG brothers and sisters during those tumultuous times, were thrown under the bus to make the movement seem more “mainstream” to the masses. I think it’s slowly getting better, but the hurt of being tossed aside to further the causes of others is still pretty acute.

What about Dan Savage, who seems to have a lot of LGB-positive stuff to say, but no so much on the –T side?

I don’t think Savage, RuPaul, Roseanne Barr and others take the time out to truly understand the plight of trans people and why certain things they say are harmful to the cause. And when called out they take a very defensive stance rather than trying to comprehend why trans people are angry with them. On the flip side, being over-reactionary and ultra-offended about what they say doesn’t help either. What needs to happen is a dialogue. Hopefully people will get to talking soon.

If there was one thing you’d like cisgendered people to know or understand about being trans or about transfolk, what would that be?

It isn’t about your genitalia. It would be grand if people stopped fixating on trans peoples’ boobs, penises and vaginas. You don’t need any of them to feel that you are a man or woman inside. We classify and identify people in ways we were taught socially to accept from the get go. But when you don’t fit into clearly marked boxes people immediately begin the questioning of physical status. It’s something we should all learn to move beyond.

How can I explain to a particularly thick-headed, Right-Wing reader of mine that being LBG and/or T is not a CHOICE? (PLEASE tell me the magic words! I’ve argued this one 1000 different ways and they just don’t get it!)

Sadly you can’t. It’s not worth the effort to try and change their minds. Focus on battles you can win, instead.

Yeah, but where would be the fun in THAT?

If you love drama go for it! Lol I prefer to lead a drama free life.

Thanks a ton for taking the time to speak with me!  Before we wrap up, are there any upcoming projects that you’d like to plug?

I am always working on projects and looking to work on interesting projects. Check my website for updates http://www.christianberanek.com

Thanks a bunch!  I really appreciate you taking your time to talk with me!

Thank you for having me! :-)

Christian Beranek is the author of Validation, which can be found at www.validationcomic.com and is drawn by Kelci Crawford.  You should also check out her previous webcomic, Post Apocalptic Nick.

Roger Goodell vs. Adam Silver

***Note: I had to re-shoot the second video, and I left something out in the final run: That friend I mentioned, in that same discussion, argued the point to me that NEWT GINGRICH was not a "real Conservative." Well, if the Former Speaker Gingrich isn't Conservative, then the word has no meaning. And that's really the point, and the PROBLEM. Words have to MEAN SOMETHING at some basic, lowest-=common-denominator level if we're going to have any reasonable discourse. And the extremists penchant for redefining the terms (aka "No true Scotsman") is just a piss-ant way of getting out of ever having to admit that you're full of shit.

I got yer "family values" RIGHT HERE...

It is is very rare that I do this, but *trigger warning*.

Normally I roll my eyes when I see that, of course I have that privilege being one of the fortunate people to not have to cope with such things.  But I have to admit that this video made me SICK.  Already having read what it was all about, I was actually considering not even watching it.  But... If I'm going to blog about it, I of course owe it to my readers to have at least SEEN the damned thing. OMFG.  My stomach hurts now.  I'm physically sick over the disgusting, despicable display by these revolting, bigoted scumbags masquerading as "parents."



Here is what I have to say:



But every now and then, my faith in humanity is restored a little.

Here is a link to LOST AND FOUND, if you want to  help out, call or donate.

And here's the video of Uncle Pat, showing another set of "Christian Values."


Personally, I don't I could say it any better than Steveningendid on Kos:

You read/heard that right. Anyone with a head with which to think would have immediately told this woman that tithing at this point in this aged couple's life has come to a necessary end. In fact, a reasonable person holding a responsible position at a church might even ask if there is anything the church might be able to do to help. Perhaps dipping into the tithing basket to provide comfort to a fellow congregant in dire straits would please the Lord.

But no, this money grubbing scammer has been on the take for so long, it obviously didn't even cross his mind that a religious institution might look into its heart instead of someone else's wallet. Wouldn't the very philosophy of Christianity dictate that the least fortunate among the flock should not be put in a position to sacrifice medical attention or to keep the lights on for the sake of a tithe basket? 

I'm sure Pat didn't give it another thought as his driver drove him home to the manse.

There are your "Christian Values" for you.

*p'tu*

...it's STILL a scam though!

Crowd-funding a company?

That's just a way to get people to give you money without ever having to deliver ANYTHING in return!

If every bank, investor and venture capitalist out there turned them down, why on earth would I invest in them?

And if they DIDN'T pitch this to those people, then... they don't know how to DO STUFF.

Bottom line? If you're going to give someone money in order that they start something that's going to make THEM fabulously wealthy if it works, you'd better ask for something other than a coffea mug in return, like (1) your money back, with interest, or (2) equity in the project and a share of the profits.

Debunking the Solar Roadways Takedown

Note: Before you watch MY video, I highly recommend you watch SOLAR FREAKIN' ROADS!

And the two "debunking videos" I refer to are Thunderf00t's Solar Roadways, a VERY expensive joke? and EEVBlog's Solar Roadway's are Bullshit!

I highly recommend that you watch ALL three, actually, with an open mind.  The two "take-down" vid's are extremely well done - better than my own reply to them, I will freely and happily admit.  But they miss some pretty obvious things IMHO, and I'm just saying that as far away as SFR's are from being implementation ready, these guys are at least as far away from proving that the concept could never be feasible.

Republican Economic Polices Suck

By the way, I got something wrong... When I said "Michigan didn't have a hug bidget deficit last year, "that wasn't quite right. We actual had a rather large budget SURPLUS. So I ask again: WHY did this have to happen?!

And here is the KOS Article I mentioned: Minnesota Liberalism Trounces Wisconsin Conservatism
Well worth the read. Check it out. (Especially if you don't want to bother watching the video. LOL)

Ferguson Police Meme

A meme, by me, for the Ferguson Police Department and, sadly, many others.

THIS!

Maybe the Police should stop shooting all the black people?

Sources:

http://hiphopandpolitics.com/2012/04/06/29-black-people-have-been-killed-by-policesecurity-since-jan-2012-16-since-trayvon/

http://www.theroot.com/photos/2013/06/unarmed_black_men_shot_by_police_20_sad_stories.html

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/08/03/teen-totes-shotgun-through-town-still-shaken-by-mass-murder-because-2nd-amendment/

Also, Daily Kos has an excellent series of articles on Ferguson, and the absurd number of shootings of unarmed American Citizen (yes, Black ones) that have preceded. it.

Laura Ingrahm and LGBT "Child Abuse"

My take on Laura Ingrahm's recent statement that it's "child abuse" to give [transgendered] "children" "hormone therapy" and that parents "should let them go through puberty, for goodness sake."

I've also solicited some comments from others, who's opinions I both respect, and who are much closer to the issue at hand. I will add them as they come in, so this post will likely (I hope) be updated a few times in the near future.:


Rusty Shackelford (friend from MMFA):

"Besides the obvious (that she's in disagreement with the AMA, APA, HHS, and pretty much every major medical body and authority in the country), a valid point on this whole matter is the hypocrisy, as conservatives suddenly want government intervention into "parental rights" the moment the parents do something they don't like.  Parents hitting their kids is none of your business, but letting a boy wear a dress?  Call child services!"

Sterling Silver

---------------------------

"It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?"

"You can sleep with [black people]. You can bring them in, you can do whatever you want.  The little I ask you is not to promote it on that ... and not to bring them to my games."

"I’m just saying, in your lousy fucking Instagrams, you don’t have to have yourself with, walking with black people." 

"Don't put [Magic Johnson] on an Instagram for the world to have to see so they have to call me.  And don't bring him to my games."

~soon to be former LA Clippers Owner, Donald Sterling

---------------------------

BTW, just so there is no confusion, I did not feel it necessary in my video to specifically condemn Sterling's remarks. That was not actually relevant to my overall point, and at this point is hardly necessary as so many people far greater than myself have already come down on him, hard, and rightfully so.

Obviously the remarks are despicable.  That should go without saying.

I had a kind of different take on the whole thing though, that was at once both cynical and optimistic. And THAT'S what I wanted to talk about here.

A new direction for the blog, and "small government"

...And since my YouTube skills are obviously lacking, here are the two "blink and you'll miss them" graphs that I referred to (and briefly showed) in the video:

And here are the sources for this information (note that Kos in turn has linked to HIS sources!):

Epidemic of GOPer virus will kill thousands in red states
The real IRS scandal that's costing Uncle Sam trillions

This guy's work is AMAZING

Nothing political this time.

Just wanted to share the website of an artist who makes custom toys based on children's drawings. OMFG, so cute... absolutely amazing.

Kicks you in the feels...

In only have two words for everyone who doesn't support gay marriage...

1) Fuck
2) You

A Cracked article EVERYONE should read

Here's something EVERYONE should read.

And AFTER reading that, to anyone who wants to throw around the "Obama's a Nazi" (or BUSH, for that matter!) or "Eddie's a Communist" or whatever...

To anyone who wants to throw those terms around lightly, let me give you a hearty FUCK. YOU.

When we actually start exterminating people (*ahem* gays) or start siezing property whole cloth (as opposed to the Right's bed-wetting about a 1% tax increase on the top 1%'ers) then FINE, there are Nazi's and Communists amoung us.

But UNTIL then?

FUCK. YOU.

Government Welfare or Private Charity?

Conservatives HATE the very idea, the very notion of WELFARE.

Me? I hate, nay I DESPISE inefficiency and ineffective solutions.  And it is with that thought that I give you this:

And this though by the immortal Ricky Gervais:

Yeah... Now would anyone like to even ATTEMPT to tell me why we should prefer to do thing things the way we do?

When the best thing you can say about organized religion is that it is a highly inefficient way to deal with poverty? Yeah: I say it's high time we started taxing [the shit out of] it, just as we do with EVERY OTHER VICE.

Good day.

The kid who made this has a future in political cartooning...

Well done.

Another great article...

...from Cracked.

I found this particularly interesting having done the interview I did with Christine Smith.

One item in particular: The inclusion of Transgenderism in the DSM. While I still believe in the point of medical legitimacy, there were several aspects of that that I had never considered. And yeah... based on these, it probably needs to go.

That's right...

...just keep voting Republican, you brain-dead, inbred, red-necks!

They deserve every ounce of their self-inflicted pain.

But that's certainly no reason to infect them on the rest of the country!

Appalling

Great article:

Six ways America is like a 3rd world country.

Absolutely appalling.  But by all means, keep voting Republican. I'm sure they desire to do absolutely nothing is gong to fix everything.

Oh my god... So perfect...

This is so profound... Everything that is wrong with and everything that is right about the world in one, sublime 'strip:

Amen.

A great post...

I will give the following Cracked article the highest praise I possibly can, and say that,  "I'd wished I had written it!"

It's important. Read it. Digest it. Remember it. And live it!

This is important...

No one in America should work a forty hour week, for a company (such as McDonald's - the single largest employer of minimum wage workers) that makes over a Billions Dollars a year AFTER paying it's CEO nearly $14 Million Dollars, and not be able to afford to live.  And BTW...? McDonald's actually HELPS it's employees get public assistance! So... Here's a thought... If this company is so wildly successful that it can afford to TRIPLE it's CEO's salary from 2012 to 2013, despite a DROP in sales... Then why am I, the Taxpayer having to subsidize it's Labor costs? And I'm only using Mickey-D's as an example here, obviously the issue goes way beyond them, but...

1) If someone works 40+ Hours a week and still needs public assistance? The Minimum wage is too low. Period.

2) If the Company gets the taxpayer to subsidize their labor costs, and the STILL made less money? Then the CEO doesn't deserve to have his salary TRIPLED in one year. Period.

You want to know where the extra money will come from? Here's a thought: Lower your franchise fees, reduce the pay of ALL of the executives accordingly, and, if necessary, let the industry, as a whole, take a one-time hit and then start growing again, on a more sustainable path, without the taxpayer having to subsidize their labor costs. (And BTW? Raising the minimum wage will mean that McDonald's will sell more hamburgers, even at a slightly higher cost.) (DUH!)

The shareholder won't run. Not in the long-term.

And neither will the customers. If I have to pay 10 cents more for a Big Mac?  Well, that's WAY the fuck down there on the reasons I have not to eat a Big Mac!

And Conservatives? The next time I hear one of you cheap, greedy bastards say that you "honor hard work" or that you'll give an "honest day's pays for an honest day's work...?"

...I'm going to hit you in the head with a brick.

Cold outside...

Yeah... As goofy as it might seem to talk about Global Warming when it's 20 below? Saying. "So much for global warming" DOES still make you look like an idiot.

(Of course when it comes to "idiots," that old maxim, "it takes one to know one," is actually the opposite of the truth.) (Think about it... And then watch how the first person to argue that point will end up inadvertently proving it for me.)

Since I couldn't use a hyperlinked image, it's from  XKCD.

Cue the shivering climate change deniers in 3, 2, 1...

Been away too long...

WOW. How time flies! Looked at the blog today and noticed I haven't posted since JULY. And the main reason for that is just how busy I've been at work, as we move towards the launch of [our small part of] a new product - one you might have heard of. (Yeah, it's stressful a times, but it's also pretty cool some times as well.) Plus we've had a death in the family, trouble with my oldest son in school, family members in the hospital... You know, outside of my Red Sox winning the World Series (AGAIN, which feels so weird after waiting 30+ years to say it the first time!) 2013 is not a year that I will remember particularly fondly.

So far, 2014 is off to a much better start. And in all that time so has much happened that normally would have gotten me writing! I mean, there's been so much going on in the world, so much great stuff, so much bullshit... I wouldn't even know where to start... So I'm just going to leave it all for now. Yep: I'm not going to blog about ANYTHING of worldly or political significance today. Just a little post to let y'all know I'm still alive, just really busy. And to Conchobhar, and anyone else who's emailed me... obviously I'm really behind on my email as well - well over 1000 unopened in niceguy9418@usa.com's inbox, if you can believe - but I am (sort of) finally getting caught up, so please bear with me. But here's something, unrelated to anything, that I'd like to leave you with, because I just got back from Mexico last night, and I wanted to let you know how bad air travel has gotten. This was on the napkins that Delta was passing out with the complimentary cup of ice with a splash of Coke in it:

Now consider for a moment... Delta's big marketing push right now, one that they're bragging about to every customer on board, is that I can pay extra to "upgrade" to a seat that has as much extra legroom as can fit comfortably on a BAR NAPKIN, with ROOM TO SPARE!

 I don't know, maybe I have an over developed sense of irony but I found that comical.

 Hey: At least they're not Spirit Airlines (who I flew over Xmas, and will NEVER fly again) who not only charged me $40 for every checked bag (as opposed to the industry standard of $25) but wanted $35 dollars for each CARRY-ON bag! (You know... as opposed to the industry standard of FREE.) What's more, when I didn't pre-pay online for that, they wanted $100, per bag - checked and carry-on - at the ticket counter. To which I told them, "Fuck you," after which they gave me a "deal" and only charged me the "lower" price. To which I said, "Fuck you," again, pointing out that their fees are way out of line with those of the rest of their industry. I did pay that, for my family of FOUR, mind you, but also informed them that I would NEVER fly their airlines again because of their outrageous fees. And I won't. Ever again. Fuck Spirit. 

Just goes to show: when you're looking for "deals" with the airlines, always remember to add in the baggage fees! (And remember that on Southwest, BAGS FLY FREE!)

Another Old Friend...

Guess what, guys? I heard from our old friend, William “The Autopsychic” Johnson yesterday!

And apparently he’s feeling butt-hurt about the new comment settings, claiming some civil rights violation, or something… Well, here... I’ll post his email (just as I told him I would) and then put my response below it:

Re: Freedom of Speech Denied ... Expectedly

Eddie,

I see you are restricting your site to only those who give opinions that equal your own. I would expect nothing less from someone who is such a heterophobic and hater. Otherwise you would have let me post this under my previously allowed web site name. Way to support freedom of speech ... as long as it agrees with your own tweaked ideals.

my response to your hateful article:

"Did you realize that in 29 States it remaines(SIC) perfectly legal to fire someone for no other reason that(SIC) being Gay? Add another 5 where it's legal to fire someone for being Transgenered (SIC)."
Well, let's test your hypocrisy on sexual perversions: do you think it should be legal to fire someone for being a polygamist? Oh? You don't? But, yet you don't support that deviated lifestyle choice, do you? Well, I don't support the gay lifestyle choice and I don't think you should be fired for being gay either, but that isn't what the SC decided on, is it? You seem to be comparing apples to oranges in your rant about rights you think gays should get that heteros don't have. Because I don't think I've seen anything that gives marriage "rights" to heterosexuals, yet you demand those "rights" for gays and other sexual deviances (except polygamy). But, not to worry, though. Knowing you are a "progressive" fully explains the hypocrisy and hatred you hold towards others.

I think all the reasons you support and defend gay equality have been fully explained in relation to their equal standings of being perverted lifestyle CHOICES. When you can defend your heterophobia as a good thing and then refer to homophobia as a bad thing, you are being the hypocrite that all liberals are.

BTW, you DO know that if the SC would actually decide according to LAW and not their FEELINGS then the decision would NOT have gone the way you think it should have. But that's just the hypocrisy of your phobias at work there.

William

Wow. What a fucking drama queen, huh?

William: You flatter yourself. I have absolutely nothing to fear from you posting your opinion here. There has yet to be a single instance in which I’ve been worried that any remotely sensible person will read what I’ve posted, read what you’ve posted and then side with you. With you (and Anonymous, assuming that wasn’t also you) representing the voices of conservatism here, you (two?) have only ever made my job easier. So it is in keeping with both my principles AND my self-interest that your opinion is welcome here.

Now… You mentioned hypocrisy in your email. I’ll get the issue at hand in a moment, but I find it ironic that you would go that route in considering how the last time I heard from you, you accused me of “whining” and yet here I haven’t from you in months (almost a year?) and yet you start in with the melodrama from line one! Just sayin’ man, get over yourself. We’re just talking here.

And now to the issue at hand: Polygamy.

Um… I hate to burst your bubble and pretty much destroy your hypocrisy argument, but I have always maintained that I’m OK with anything going on between consenting adults, and YES, that included plural marriage. Now I’m going to cut off several lines of argument right up front...

I don’t want ANYONE to tell me about how this leads to MINORS being COERCED into these arrangements. The words “CONSENTING ADULTS” are 100% incompatible with “COERCED MINORS.” The OPPOSITE, in fact. I'm opposed to that which is COERSION, and NOT opposed to that which ISN'T. It's not that hard! Also, Will, you needn't bother going next to Bestiality, because “Consenting Adults” implies that they are HUMAN. In fact… CONSENT, in a LEGAL SENSE, already implies not only humanity, but ADULTS as well. Under most tenant of business and contract law, minors are not able to GIVE consent (hence statutory rape laws) and can withdraw it after the fact regardless (hence the need for an adult to co-sign most contracts signed by a minor.) And animals, obviously, cannot give consent in any legal sense, nor enter into contracts. So… Don’t be an idiot.

The only thing… THE. ONLY. THING… I would restrict with regards to plural marriage is the number of spouses (SPOUSES, not CHILDREN) that can be claimed as dependants for tax purposes. I’d keep that at ONE. Not to discriminate, but only to prevent some jackass from abusing the loophole and have 67 wives for “tax purposes.” And I would certainly be willing to entertain alternatves, if that seems "oppressive" to you. Aside for that? I have no problem with Polygamy. It’s not MY THING… ONE wife, darling though she may be, is MORE THAN ENOUGH for me on most days. I need another one like I need a case of bleeding hemorrhoids. But neither I nor anyone else is being harmed by the people involved, just as none are with same-sex marriage, and I see no “crime” being committed here. Neither is my thing, but I see no reason to prevent it.

It’s called, “F-R-E-E-D-O-M.” Maybe you’ve heard of it?

Also, you called me “heterophobic.” (Which, according to spell-check, isn’t even a word!) That’s a really odd accusation to make against a married man, with two children. None of what I support takes ANY of your rights or legal protections away, and none of what I support gives anything to anyone beyond EQUAL TREATMENT UNDER THE LAW. And that’s something this IS at the heart and soul of America, our Constitution, and everything we stand for and the Supreme Court recognized that and ruled accordingly. Also, I’m not sure if you know how things work in this country, but the SCOTUS is under no obligation to uphold legislation passed by Congress, State Governments or Popular Referendum. Their raison deter is to judge the Constitutionality of these very laws! They’re one of those CHECKS AND BALANCES that maybe you’ve heard of? And while I have personally disagreed with many of the decisions made by the Rehnquist and Roberts court, as is both our perrogotives, I would never be so idiotic as to suggest that it was beyond their authority to MAKE those rulings! (As you seem to have done.)

The differecne between YOU and ME is that I want the SAME rights for EVERYONE. You don't. That doesn't make either of us a hypocrite, in and of itself. It just makes you an asshole.
And with regards to being my “heterophobic…” (which, according to spell-checker, isn't even a WORD!) Dude, seriously, I LOVE heterosexuality! Especially the part abpout having SEX WITH WOMEN. Aside from a slight preference for Lesbian over Strait pornography, I don’t see where you get the idea that I am in any way AGAINST heterosexuality. Even in THAT case, it is only because the sight of HUGE COCKS doesn’t really DO anything for me. And hey: I don’t judge… If YOU’RE really into BIG DICKS? That’s OK. It’s just not my thing. But to each their own.

At this point, there’s not really anywhere for you to go from here. (So watch: You’ll probably change the subject.) You could have wasted a lot less of both our time if you bothered to google “polygamy” in the search box on the left. You’d have seen that I’ve argued my position before. But then… Research never HAS been your strong suit. Now I’m going to switch gears here a little bit, because I originally responded to William via email, explaining why I changed the comment settings, and promising to post his email and respond to it publicly. (As I have now done.) Here is the response I received from him:

I've got a google account, and it didn't work. I think you don't intend to allow opposing opinions. It has been made apparent throughout. You are hateful towards anyone who isn't fully in agreement with your "opinion", and to say you would allow it is simply silly. Thanks for the attempted explanation for you hatred, anyhow.

Oh, poor, poor William Johnson. Let’s all shed a tear for the death of liberty, and lament the passing of that time when men lived free.

BTW, Will… If I “hated” you, it would not be because of your opinions. It would mostly be because of this butt-hurt, melodramatic persecution complex you insist on wallowing in. (And it’s not “hate” so much as it’s just really pathetic and annoying.) Your opinions ARE, IMHO, ignorant, misinformed, mostly hateful, and both spiritually and scientifically misguided. But you remained entitled to both have and express them. And as I’ve said before and demonstrated with this post: I would not DREAM of suppressing them. Free speech is sacrosanct with me, and this includes even what some might label “hate speech.” (I’m not saying YOUR’S is necessarily, just saying how far I take that and how seriously I hold to that principle.) I have never, and will never, knowingly or intentionally deleted a comment from you or anyone else, with the exception of obvious SPAM. But just as you are entitled (and welcome) to speak (here), I and everyone else is entitled to our opinions and to respond in kind. So if you don’t wish to be treated like an idiot, stop posting stupid shit!

On a less histrionic note… I have noticed the lack of comments lately, possibly due to the lack of regular postings myself but also possibly due to the comment settings being overly restrictive (although to date Will is the only one who’s complained about that or let me know) or to the lack of disagreement without our favorite punching bags, William and/or Anonymous, [same person?] to kick around anymore. Well, whatever the case, I’m going to try and tweak the comment settings again. I’m going to allow anonymous posting (all posting, basically) but I’m going to require a Captcha phrase to prevent spam. I personally don’t like those, but Blogger doesn’t leave me many options. So I’m going to do that, and post a brief guideline above, just so people like William know what will get a comment deleted and what won’t. And I’ll say it right up front: If the Captcha requirement isn’t effective, I will go back to the current settings. We’ll just have to see how it goes.

And Will? you can test me all you want, but you will fail every single time. There is no political or opinion you could post here that would cause to go against my principles, and you have nowhere near the intellectual gravitas to catch me in a rhetorical trap that I can’t get out of with a trivial effort. But you are certainly welcome to try: I will continue to take on all comers.

The Radical Gay Agenda

Now that the Hall of Fame posts are up to date, I want to post some stuff about LGBT Rights, some of the recent victories, some of the disgusting backlash, and some other semi-related stuff that I've come accross that I want to share.

First of all, HOO-RAY for the Supreme Court Striking down DOMA! And hoo-ray for their deft handling of the Prop 8 case. Of course, it would have been nice for them to have struck it down outright as well, but doing it the way they did prevents establishing the precedent of CITIZENS defending unconstitutional laws, and really, makes it so that NO ONE can say that the court 'over-reached.' In fact, they dealt only with precisely the issue in front of them, staying well within the bounds or Constitutional Law and Precedent, and reached precisely the correct conclusion - in both cases - with precisely the right reasoning. (Leaving the door WAAAY open to strike down State Prohibitions in a later case, using Justice Kennedy's same reasoning.)

The wierd thing is? Had the State of California actually decide intially to DEFEND Prop 8? And then APPEAL the Lower Court's decision to overturn it? Then the Supreme Court WOULD have had the standing to strike it down, thus invalidating ALL OF THE OTHER State's homophobic marriage statutes! Isn't that amazaing? Because California did the RIGHT THING in NOT defending this abomination of a law... OTHER State's still get to discriminate!

THAT'S what you call "unintended consequences." Funny how things sometimes work out, especially considering the backlash the Godlen State would have gotten if they not only DEFENDED the law, but then APPEALED the decision to strike it down! And yet... If they did? Well, shoot, we might have Gay Marriage in all 50 States Rigth Now!

Which leads me to another milestone in the fight for gay and transgendered equality...

Did you realize that in 29 States it remaines perfectly legal to fire someone for no other reason that being Gay? Add another 5 where it's legal to fire someone for being Transgenered. Now Congress is attempting to do something about that with EDNA. And in respose to pointing out all of the media's misinformation about EDNA, MMFA poster santovicente had this to say:

And so it begins. Getting married ain't nearly good enough. Now, we gotta put up with all sorts of laws making it illegal to not like queers.

Now... I put up his post, because I would like to share my response, which I'm rather proud of, before MMFA decides to take it down. (And they really should! LOL)

You're a right royal prick, aren't you?

No, "getting married" AIN'T enough, you festering boil!

"ENOUGH" is being treaty EQUALLY. Not be DISCRIMINATED against. To have ALL THE SAME INALIENABLE HUMAN RIGHTS as ALL HUMAN BEINGS have and are entitled to, you bucket of sweltering pig's vomit!

Personally, I wonder what would be enough for YOU? Concentration Camps and re-education centers? Maybe YOU'LL be satisfied when you'll be able to go through your day without ever having to deal with anyone who's the slightest bit different that you are, you pimply pustule.

THEY are human beings. YOU would be little more than an APE, IF I wasn't such a wildlife enthusiast.

Now... Putting aside the well deserved rant and artistic vitirol, there is a serious point to make here.

In MY VISION of a perfect world, all people get to enjoy the great opportunity and quality of life that this great coutry offers, and get to participate in the great democratic political process REGARDLESS of whether they are Black, White, Red, Brown or Yellow, Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Atheist, Gay, Strait, Bi-, Pan-, Cis-, Trans-, Able-Bodied, Handicapped, Autistic, Blind, Deaf, Mute or Fluently English Speaking. In MY perfect world, ALL PEOPLE enjoy all of the great things that Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness have to offer.

Um...

What does THIS ASSHOLE'S perfect world look like, I wonder? What is so terrible about MY vision, MY ideals, MY 'perfect world' (OURS, really, but you get what I'm saying) that causes scumbags like him to recoil and lash out with hate and venom every time we take one small step closer to it? Seriously!

What are they offering that is so wonderful? What... We all get to enjoy life so long as we do everything just like them?

This isn't chariceture, and it's NOT rhetorical. I want to know what these fuck-nuts on the Right, these Religious Funny-Mentalists have against the idea that ALL human life - ACTUAL human life - is sacrosant, and that no one person's rights are greater than another's, and thus no one has the right to take anything away from another. What the fuck is so WRONG with that? What the fuck is wrong with them? Becuase I cannot even understand, let alone abide, the way these people "think!"

Another MMFA Piece, was this Washingtom Times Piece from Elaine "Shrieking Harpy" Donnelly, saying (among other things) that "Mr. Obama has used the armed forces to deliver on political promises to his homosexual base, and traditional military families are about to pay the bill." This is part of a larger column arguing (falsely) that extending marriage benefits to same-sex couples is somehow going to harm "traditional" military families. Basically that these good old, hard-working Christians are going to have to foot the bill (negligible though it may be) for treating Gays like human beings.

And again, I bring it up, because I would like to share my response:

Um... SO FUCKING WHAT?

The abolition of slavery came with a cost too.

We don't treat our fellow human beings with equality because it's cost effective, we do it because IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO, YOU HORRIBLE BITCH!

(What can I say... I was in a ranting mood today!)

But seriously, again: What the fuck is wrong with these fucking people? What they hell is wrong with treating HUMAN FUCKING BEINGS like HUMAN FUCKING BEINGS?! What part of "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL" do these genetically defective mental midgets not fucking understand?!

There were others, but I'm all ranted out now. I hope you enjoyed reading that, and if I've offended your sense of Christian Morals, please feel free to go fuck yourself. Anytime.

I'll leave you with this EXCELLENT video. I almost wish that Anonymous had the intitive (and the balls) to set up some manner of account so he could keep postiong, becuase this directly debunks a lot of what we we used to argue about - the idea of CHOICE and whether or not one is "born that way." As I've said before: Science WOKRS. Yay SCIENCE. (Sadly, I am not planning to re-instate anonymous posting any time soon unless Blogger fixes their spam filter, BIG TIME. There was just too much crap getting through.)

Gold Star Awards, July, 2013

HAH! FINALLY! I'M FINALLY CAUGHT UP! LOL

1989...

Two Gold, One Silver...


The Johnny Bench GOLD STAR #71: Move On

Much as with June's induction of Color of Change, I'm sure I don't have to explain this one, other than to say that I've been meaning to include it for YEARS. Glad I could finally get around to it.


The Carl Yastrzemski GOLD STAR #72: Gawker

OK... In all seriousness, I'll adimt this was a bordeline SILVER STAR-level nominee. This is mostly... crap. Amusing crap, but yeah... Brain candy all the same. Still... it can make you think. AND it slaps the Conservatives around a bit... So it's OK in my book.


The Red Schoendienst SILVER STAR #64: Angry Toro

Funny. Funny. Memes. Funny. This is yet another collection of just funny shit. If you like The Metapicture, you'll like this. (Although you'll also notice a lot of overlap in their content.) I'm also not crazy about the one picture per page load, but there's no denying that they're always good for a smile.

Gold Star Awards, June 2013

1988...

A single Gold Star...


The Willie Stargell GOLD STAR #70: Color of Change

What can I say that hasn't already been said? This one has been a LOOOONG time coming. Please support their work.

Gold Star Awards, May, 2013

The Second of Four...

1987...

Two Golds...


The Jim "Catfish" Hunter Gold Star #68: Extreme Liberal's Blog

Really? I have to explain this one? Hey: I don't agree with him that Presdient Obama's done a "phenomonal job," all things considered or otherwise, but there's no denything that this man's heart and head are in the right place, and I'm happy to endrorse his work. So check him out!


The Billy Williams Gold Star #69: Quackwatch

If I have not yet made myself clear on this point, allow me make it clear now: I am vehemently opposed to most all forms of "alternative medicine." It's very simple: Science WORKS. And if this ABSOLUTE HORSE-SHIT worked? THEY'D FUCKING CALL IT "MEDICINE!" I hate the anti-vaxers, for all the children they've wantonly killed. I hate faith-healers and parents who pray, while their children die of curable diseases. I hate homeopethists, and all other manner of snake-oil peddlers, and pretty mush ANYONE taking your hard earned cash, while selling you some magical new form of magically endowed water, all the while telling you why Doctors are trying to keep them down. (HINT: It's becuase the shit doesn't fucking WORK!) Reiki, Reflexology, Chi-Manipulation... even Chiropracters and Acupunturists (who stuff "works" but not for the reasons they claim!) If you want all the references you'll ever (likely) need in one place, there's only one place better than Skepdic.com, and that's QUACKWATCH. Keep up the good work, and may Jenny McCarthy burn in hell for all the children she's nmurdered!

Gold Star Awards, April, 2013

OK. Fell behind on these AGAIN, and I promised to get them up to date before moving on. SO... Tonight I'm going to blog until my fingers bleed, I'm going to get these posts caught up, through to JULY, and THEM I'm going to get back to posting thing like I used to. (Works be crazy and I've been lazy. All the same, I still don't like having this backlog of HoF posts to put up. One per moneth is sufficient.) (Nobody ever comments on them anyway! LOL)

OK... We're up to 1986, One gold, Two Silvers...


The Willie McCovey GOLD STAR #67: The Smirking Chimp
George W. Bush may be gone (but for this country;'s sake, let's hope he's NEVER forgotten!) but the news and information website who name was inspired by his caricacture is still alive and kicking and every bit as relevant as ever. Any thinking person should DEFINITELY inculude this collection of 'news and commentary from the vast Left-Wing conspiorcy' in there collection of infromation source.


The Bobby Doerr SILVER STAR #62: The Adventure of Gyno-Star
Do you rememebr SNL's "Abibuguosuly Gay Duo?" Well, imagine them as an outspoken (yet somehow still failry ditzy) feminist with a spunky lit'l lesbian sidekick, only played strait, and you've got THE ADNVENTURES OF GYNO STAR. I was hooked from the moment I saw their earliest nemesis: The Glibertarian! Great sataire, great politics, great fun. Check it out.


The Ernie Lombardi SILVER STAR #63: You Suck
OK, I'll say this right up front: PORN WARNING! NSFW! This is a web-comic I discovered fairly recently, about a succubus stuck on earth and rooming with a horny, 5-foot tall, red-headed force of nature. It's an immature comic aimed at mature audiences, and while still in its early stages, I've got to admit: I love it. (And the horny, red-headed female lead? OMFG... Pure sexual chocolate. I ashamed to admit what a crush I have on her right now! LOL) ANyway, good stuff, but not for those who have a stick up their butt aboutmatuture content.>

Saddened

I was saddened today to learn about the death of an old friend of mine.  We had been out of touch for many years - pretty much since High School Graduation, I'm sorry to say. And over the years I had  looked for him many time online, but to no avail. 

We were in a band together.  I (sort of) played the drums, and he consistently amazed everyone who ever heard him play, with his incredible skills on the guitar. Having gone to a small School, over the years I have had some contact with almost everyone in my graduating class, but not Greg. He was always conspicuously absent from Classmates, Facebook, etc... But it wasn't until today that I found out why.

He passed away in 1998, at the age of 24, of complications related to a heart defect.

I had known about his medical history at the time, but I was still stunned to learn about what had happened.  When I first met him, he became the first friend I made at a new school and he remains to this day, far and away, the most talented musician I have been had the honor of sharing a stage with. I have never met a more talented or dedicated guitarist, and the world was robbed the contributions of a great artist for him having left us at such a young age.

Rest in peace and rock on, my friend.

(video not mine - created by his sister)

Write down this date...

For we shall move forward, once again, despite 
the same fools that have stood in the way of history's 
progress since the beginning of time. And 50 years from 
now, there will still be Conservatives making the same
tired old arguments about the new issues of the day, while 
at the same time insisting they're nothing like the terrible 
people (of the past) who are making those same arguments today.

~Niceguy Eddie

Gold Star Awards, March, 2013

Two down, two to go...

It's 1985. Two Gold's, to Silver's...



The Lou Brock Gold Star #65: Godless Liberal Homo

He’s an atheist. He’s a Liberal. He’s gay. And these are all good things. He’s also a damned good writer, with an irreverent and sardonic wit and a take on things that is very often right after my own heart. These are ALSO very good things. Check him out!


The Hoyt Wilhelm Gold Star: GOOGLE

Do I really have to explain the value of Google?! The only thing I can’t figure out is why it took me this long to include it!


The Enos Slaughter Silver Star #61: Coloring for Grown-Ups

Sometimes the most important points are best made in the simplest manner. And the most child-like. And the most sarcastic. These are some of those points.

The Arky Vaughan Silver Star #62: Savage Love

Ironic that only two posts ago I made mention of one of Dan Savage’s less enlightened moments in the form of some trans-phobic comments he’d made a couple of years. But I still believe (and TG Author Christine Smith agrees with me) that he and his column have done a world of good, and his “safe, sane and consensual” (as well as “good, giving and game”) philosophy serve as an excellent framework for approaching nearly all things related to love, sex and relationships. (Plus… Santorum. LOL. Come on – you’ve GOT to give him props for that!)