Professor J's Place

October 11 is National Coming Out Day. For years, I’ve made a joke of this on social media. “Hey, friends, guess what?” Or, “Surprise!” There’s a sort of forgetting when you’ve been “out” for nearly 2/3 of your life. But I have recently reawakened to a powerful truth. Coming out, even today, is risking your life.   A few years ago, I was working in a summer program for high school students, and a boy came to class with his face bruised and swollen. An adolescent fight? No. Gay bashing by other young people? No. His father beat him because he was gay. His father . Other teenagers become homeless, hence the need for homeless shelters dedicated to the care of LGBTQIA+ youth. Drug addiction is rampant among LGBTQIA+ as a result of this violence, shame, and isolation. And last but most important, dozens of transwomen, gay men, and lesbians are maimed and murdered each year. In such an environment you may wonder, why come out? First, it is hard to be two people—to show one...

This is the line this morning at 8:45 at UTSA. I am so proud.

The other night, Susan and I were having a discussion about McCain and Palin and their liberal use of the word maverick . I said that I rather resented the use of Maury Maverick's name by a couple of right-wing nuts. After all, among liberal Texans, especially liberal San Antonians, Maverick is a name that evokes some of the finest memories. Susan hastened to inform me that a maverick is an unbranded cow or horse. Yes, I said, but I'm sure it comes from the name Maverick first--at least that's what I've always heard. Since all of this was pillow talk (aren't you guys jealous?), I waited until morning to look it up. It turns out that we were both right and both a little bit off. The word maverick does indeed stem from the men of the Maverick clan, but it comes from Samuel Maverick (Maury's grandfather) who was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and a great liberal who, by the way, didn't brand his cattle. So an unbranded cow was often called ...

"The Democrats underestimate Palin at great risk." --Michele Norris (NPR) We need to focus here, folks! The stupid commentators (are you listening Bill Maher?) who joke about Palin's inability to lead because of her gender are working against us. Focus on the record. --Palin is against abortion even in the case of rape, incest, or the health of the mother. (Though perhaps it is acceptable to save the life of the mother.) --Palin is for drilling for oil in delicate ecosystems. --Palin said we "should not be afraid" of going to war with Russia over Georgia. --Palin does not believe in evolution. --Palin believes in "abstinence only" sex education. --Palin says we should not ban assault rifles. Is that not enough? We can also look at the serious allegations that face Palin about abuse of power, nepotism, and book banning. And we can look at the truth (or lack there of) in some of her claims. The fact that she took the money for the "bridge to nowhere...

(And I'm not saying that McCain is a misogynist old fart who will drive us straight to hell, if given the opportunity.) The juiciest part starts at around 5:37--in case you don't want to listen to the smarmy old goat.

You all know that I am a die-hard Senator Clinton fan . I have loved her and supported her through campaign misteps and misstatements in large part because she offered us the first (and possibly only) opportunity to vote for a good person who was also a woman. But now that is over. I keep hearing that there are many women who are sad and angry and ready to vote for Senator McCain. I keep hearing that women need a reason (besides the war and healthcare and Roe) to vote for Obama. Okay, my feminist friends, here it is. Carol McCain. Carol McCain is Senator McCain's first wife. She is the woman who waited for him while he was in Vietnam. She is the woman who had a tragic automobile accident while John was a prisoner of war and had to undergo losing much of her mobility, four inches of her height, and much of her "classic" beauty without his help. And then McCain returned from Vietnam and opted for the life of a playboy and a star without his faithful, and still beautiful wi...

I'm about mid-way through that pile of papers (okay, more like a server full of documents), but I had to share this with you. Jozet sent it to me, and you know how I heart her. I was lecturing the other day and I said, "I am not endorsing any political candidate," and one of my students said, "Oh yeah? I've read your blog!" Busted.

When I was an undergraduate, there was a young man in the English department, another student, who was a bit of a jerk. I remember one March day when he was complaining about the women’s history activities on campus, and he said, “We have black history month, and we have women’s history month. When are we going to have White Men’s History Month?” I reacted to this query in much the same way that I reacted to everything Andy had to say—with a sneer and a snort. “Every month is white men’s history month. Have you ever taken a history or literature class?” He didn’t like me very much. A couple of weeks ago—after the Texas primaries— Julie asked me to write about why I had decided to support Hillary Clinton and become a delegate for her. Obviously, I haven’t done so yet. Indeed, I find it difficult to continue my support in the face of so much negative campaigning. Of course, I have obligated myself to be a delegate and to support Senator Clinton, so clarifying my reasons for supporting ...

Remember Elizabeth Dole's comment about Hillary Clinton when both of their husbands were running for president? "I can't say what she is, but it rhymes with 'witch'." This question is as old as feminism. Why is it that strong, assertive, and most importantly, successful women are called bitches? Why is it that there is no masculine equivalent to that word? Because a strong, assertive, successful man is just a man! I think Tina Fey may have been taking part in a time-honored tradition: reclaiming an insulting word. Back in the 1980's, lesbians decided that the word lesbian was not an insult, but a neutral descriptor. And dyke? A Dyke is a strong, assertive, political lesbian. If I take that word, you can't hurt me with it. At least that's the idea. So, for me, Tina Fey was claiming a word that has been used and used and used against women and saying, yes. Yes, I am a bitch. I am a strong, assertive, political woman. Me too. Oh, yeah, and ...

"Women have come so far as feminists that they don't feel obligated to vote for a candidate just because she's a woman. Women today feel perfectly free to make whatever choice Oprah tells them to."

Then comes doing our level best to destroy the family. Susan and I sat cross-legged on our bed last night and swore our undying love for one another. No witnesses, no music, no officials; just two happy gals staring into one another's eyes. I am very happy. It's funny, wearing this ring has made me a little self-conscious; I spent the day feeling like I had a neon sign on my forehead that said, "Look at my finger!" My office mate Mark said he felt the same way after he got married. Symbols are powerful things for English majors. Now if only I could claim her on my health insurance. "We learn to love by loving." Iris Murdoch

I just looked at the news to see this announcement on the BBC website. The title of the article: Edwards to Quit White House Race. Okay. I recently talked to a young (27 or so) friend of mine who said that he really got interested in the last two elections, and four years ago he had his heart broken, so he just didn't think he would care about politics quite as much anymore. I told him that my first presidential election was Jimmy Carter losing to Ronald Reagan. I told him that I had become accustomed to getting my heart broken on a regular basis. I told him that a true democrat was something like an Aggie: faithful in the midst of crushing and regular defeat. But the truth is, I still don't get it. John Edwards is handsome, intelligent, concerned about human beings, and he has a kick-ass wife. His ideas are progressive, and he (as is said about Sen. Obama) appeals to the better angels of our being. I know that sometimes he got a little heated, and I wasn't always nu...

I was listening to the developer of this quiz on Talk of the Nation yesterday afternoon, and then I got the link from The Domestic Goddess. 85% Mike Gravel 83% Dennis Kucinich 73% John Edwards 69% Barack Obama 67% Chris Dodd 66% Joe Biden 64% Hillary Clinton 59% Bill Richardson 26% Rudy Giuliani 25% Ron Paul 23% John McCain 16% Mike Huckabee 16% Mitt Romney 16% Tom Tancredo 6% Fred Thompson 2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Flash back a month or so ago. Susan asks sweetly, "What do you want for your birthday?" Now, I will probably post on this topic one day soon, but it has been a long time since I have wanted something and waited for it. If I want something reasonable (not an RV or a new lap top or anything outrageously expensive), I purchase it for myself. Gone are my girlhood days of the wish list. Everyone I know is this way--we just don't allow ourselves want any more. So, I thought and thought, and here's what I came up with: Yep, that's right. A trip to Johnson City! For those of you out of "the know" (or those of you not from Texas), Johnson City is the home of Lyndon Johnson, our thirty-sixth president. It was actually named for his grandfather's brother, who donated the land for the original settlement. What a trip it would be to grow up in a town named for your family. Perhaps that gave LBJ some of his sense of responsibility and destiny. Perhaps it lent a l...

In an earlier post this week, I identified myself as a yellow dog democrat. Bipolar Lawyer Cook asked what that could be. She is not alone. For some people, including my partner , this is not a well known term. Melanie, over at Bean Paste , was quick to offer the definition in the comment section, but I wanted to give you a little bit of the history (I'm all about the history, dear readers). There are competing online versions of the history of the term, and this time, I think that Wikipedia has the more correct of the versions. DO NOT tell my English students about this; they will insist that their desire to cite Wikipedia in academic writings should be honored. The term, "Yaller Dog Democrat" springs from the post restoration period in the South when white men swarmed to the Democratic party as a response to the restoration. Wikipedia sites the book, Exit Laughing , with the story of a Kentucky democrat , Theodore Hallam, saying that he would sooner vote for an old yal...

Social Justice Crusaders , also known as rights activists—believe in equality, fairness, and preventing neo-Confederate conservative troglodytes from rolling back fifty years of civil rights gains. Thanks to Mark for this idea. The test can be found at http://www.fightconservatives.com/Inside-the-Book/What-Breed-of-Liberal-Are-You.html