I was uncharacteristically quiet last week when the California Supreme Court decided that anything goes as long as the majority votes for it. I was quiet, because 1.) I knew they were going to f**k us over and B.) I am no longer emotionally capable of handling bad news. As soon as the verdict was read, I changed the channel to The Golden Girls, thus starting a week-long orgy of comedy, comics and, you know, the usual stuff you do at orgies. Something’s going on in North Korea and Dick Cheney’s rattling his saber about something, and I haven’t a clue. I can tell you all about Dorothy’s friend Jean falling in love with Rose and the origin of the Orange Lanterns (these things are not necessarily related), but I couldn’t really tell you if the rest of the world has come to an end or not.
Intruding upon my self-imposed exile into ignorance has been a string of emails from friends urging me to watch videos about Prop 8. Giving in to the promise of funny, yet poignant artistic expressions of civil disobedience, I enjoyed the clever work of the filmmakers responsible for The License and The Defenders. It’s about time someone asked the world, “Have you actually ever read the Book of Leviticus? It’s completely insane!” I was also happy to see Xena herself join in the fight. Lucy Lawless has been a great friend to the gay community and a champion of marriage equality. In this video, she very clearly explains the difference between marriage and domestic partnership. The same sentiment is expressed, in a funnier sort of way, in another video called “Will You Be My _____?” Finally, leave it to the folks at The Onion to bring to light the lengths gay men and women will go to get married in this news clip about the threat of transsexuals to heterosexual marriage.
But the anti-Prop 8 video I found to be the most profound isn’t an anti-Prop 8 video at all. It isn’t preaching to the converted, nor is it bludgeoning anyone with irony. It’s simple, elegant and powerful. Naturally, it’s from Sesame Street. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going back into hiding now. The Golden Girls are waiting.
I was uncharacteristically quiet last week when the California Supreme Court decided that anything goes as long as the majority votes for it. I was quiet, because 1.) I knew they were going to f**k us over and B.) I am no longer emotionally capable of handling bad news. As soon as the verdict was read, I changed the channel to The Golden Girls, thus starting a week-long orgy of comedy, comics and, you know, the usual stuff you do at orgies. Something’s going on in North Korea and Dick Cheney’s rattling his saber about something, and I haven’t a clue. I can tell you all about Dorothy’s friend Jean falling in love with Rose and the origin of the Orange Lanterns (these things are not necessarily related), but I couldn’t really tell you if the rest of the world has come to an end or not.
Intruding upon my self-imposed exile into ignorance has been a string of emails from friends urging me to watch videos about Prop 8. Giving in to the promise of funny, yet poignant artistic expressions of civil disobedience, I enjoyed the clever work of the filmmakers responsible for The License and The Defenders. It’s about time someone asked the world, “Have you actually ever read the Book of Leviticus? It’s completely insane!” I was also happy to see Xena herself join in the fight. Lucy Lawless has been a great friend to the gay community and a champion of marriage equality. In this video, she very clearly explains the difference between marriage and domestic partnership. The same sentiment is expressed, in a funnier sort of way, in another video called “Will You Be My _____?” Finally, leave it to the folks at The Onion to bring to light the lengths gay men and women will go to get married in this news clip about the threat of transsexuals to heterosexual marriage.
But the anti-Prop 8 video I found to be the most profound isn’t an anti-Prop 8 video at all. It isn’t preaching to the converted, nor is it bludgeoning anyone with irony. It’s simple, elegant and powerful. Naturally, it’s from Sesame Street. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be going back into hiding now. The Golden Girls are waiting.
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