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Advene Advent

Betty & I regularly have conversations about what’s Christian and what’s specifically Catholic, since neither of us seems to know all the time. That is, I was raised Catholic and I’m never sure if an idea or ritual I was raised with is specifically Catholic or if it’s believed/practiced by other types of Christians, too. & For her it’s similar, since she was raised 7th Day Adventist.

The holiday season tends to bring more points to discuss, of course; this year we were buying a bottle of wine for some folks who put us up when I saw an Advent calendar for sale. I hadn’t had one with the little doors with the chocolates inside since I was a kid, so of course I had to buy one, because I’m just old enough to feel sentimental about kid stuff.

& Since then, Betty & I have been trying to figure out if Advent is a Catholic thing specifically or if it’s something a lot of Christians “do” with the exception of 7th Day types. (I think it’d be pretty damned funny if they don’t mark Advent, considering they call themselves “Adventists,” no?)

We could just look it up but we’re not going to. Instead, we’ll keep bugging each other, as I introduce her to a lovely bit of fun; everyday we’ll take turns opening the doors of the calendar though in all likeliness I’ll eat most of the chocolate (since she has no sweet tooth). That said, everyone can go check out some nifty online Advent calendars. My favorite so far is this neat one of comic book art because I like the tech – only the doors that should open, do – and the art itself.

So, happy Christmas season, all!

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Good Riddance, 2007 – #2

2007’s Best ‘What America’s really about even though we seem to have lost sight of the fact’ Moment:

Nikki Giovanni rallying the students at Virginia Tech.

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Good Riddance, 2007 – #1

Betty and I have been joking for a few months now that our whole goal is to make it through 2007 in one piece. It’s just been that kind of year, where so much of what could go wrong didn’t exactly go wrong, but didn’t exactly go right, either. It was the kind of year where if we had a party we were really looking forward to on a Saturday night, that Saturday our hot water wasn’t working so we couldn’t shower before the party, & so, didn’t go. It was the kind of year where my father – after months of deliberations by various specialists – finally had a defribulator put in his chest, only to have that very same defribulator recalled – exactly six days after his surgery.

So goodbye, and good riddance, 2007! In order to look back at the year, I’ll be posting the Best & Worst (as well as Most Surprising, Most Unexpected, etc.) of what the year had to offer, starting with:

2007 – Gayest Theatrical Moment:

Rufus Wainwright performing Judy Garland’s Carnegie Hall concert in its entirety, and with remarkable faithfulness to the original. Though he did mention that the “clang clang clang” bit was, all by itself, the gayest live concert moment of the year.

Tune in for more, and feel free to add some of your own.

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Sexual Politics

The other night at the Crossdressing: Erotic Stories event, the three of us who read were asked about sexual politics. Veronica Vera’s response really hit the nail on the head, so I asked if she would send me something of a transcript of what she said. Here it is.

The political consequences of sex without guilt are enormous.

enormous.

Our culture is mired in guilt and this has kept us bound in chains of fear and powerlessness, not only about the experience of sex but of the experience of being human. Our institutions of state, church and the media, either through ignorance or guile continue the process.

When we feel guilty, we do not voice our opinions. If we do not voice our opinions, we cannot raise questions. If we do not raise questions, we cannot effect change.

When I gave myself permission to touch myself and my sexuality in all of its aspects, I gave myself permission to feel. I validated my feelings. The right to feel is a basic right and with it comes the right to have an opinion, and what follows is the right to ask questions. We ask questions and we meet others who are asking the same questions and together we create a world.

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It’s World AIDS Day

from avert.org:

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007 some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.

Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world.

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

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The Dating Game

According to Perez Hilton, Calpernia Addams is going to be the star of her own new reality show, where she gets to choose from among eight bachelors.

MTV’s GLBT channel, Logo, will be airing a reality dating show starring a transgender woman as the lead!

Transamerican Love Story is centered on transgender activist and actress Calpernia Addams.

The show follows Calpernia as she whittles down a group of eight bachelors, living together in a Los Angeles-area home, with the help of her best friend and fellow transgender activist Andrea James.

So what do we think of that? Really, I’m not sure what I think, though I do wish Calpernia well in the endeavor, & that she picks a guy who doesn’t suck.