Douchebag, Asshat, or plain ol' Jerk?

I object to the word "pussy" to mean weak while "balls" is a measure of strength, because those words are so gendered and their use implied that the described characteristic was emblematic of the (binary) gender that had them.

I overthink language generally, and one result of such overthink is my affection for the use of the word "douche" as an insult. Such use is relatively modern; furthermore, no one seems to know what it's supposed to mean.

The fact that it's an innocuous French word meaning "shower" is irrelevant. In American English, "douche" always carries its "feminine freshness" connotation. Therefore when "douche" is used as an insult, it's obvious to me what it means, and what it means is exactly what makes it a genius insult. It's a matter of medical consensus that douching is useless at best, and more likely harmful. So there you go. Next time you reflexively call someone a "douche," you might be surprised to find out how well the description of "useless at best, harmful at worst," applies to said person.

Furthermore, one has the option to more specifically insult someone as a "douche nozzle" and "douche bag,"

I Am Pro-Life

Image courtesy of Jonathan Fitch
at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It might surprise many who know me well to find this out. I'm the last name that would come out of your mouth when asked who your "pro-life" friends are. But I am, and I'm here to set the record straight.

August 31, 2016: The day I fully came on board with singular "they"

For several months, I have fully embraced singular "they" when others requested it. I also used it in certain writings where I specifically wished to avoid a gender-specific pronoun. You can see it in action in my article in Colorado Lawyer about transgender discrimination law.

I have long been aware that my queer/progressive/woke/anti-racist identity conflicts with my grammar nerd. I was always good with language, and my excellent grammar became a way for me to distinguish myself. As important to my identity as my social justice activist is my mastery of the white man's English.

Even now, while I recognize that a rigid, prescriptivist take on grammar is oppressive as fuck, I'm also not OK with language anarchy. I love language and I think it deserves respect - I've analogized the regular use of textspeak, for example, to using a designer dress as an apron. Or if “designer dress” has no meaning for you, just substitute a garment that you consider important and valuable. Perhaps a religious garment. Now imagine it being used solely to keep polenta spooge off someone's clothing. 

Developments in Federal Bathroom Law

Introduction and Disclaimer

Restrooms are only one part of the discussion. I believe the root of many of society’s problems is our obsession with genitalia; that is, in using genitalia to assign “male” and “female” and then assuming that those assignments are relevant and useful ways to socially classify people. This has been something that courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have assumed since their inception. The only change since then is to what extent we classify and regulate. We no longer tolerate “but she’s female” as a reason to deny women law licenses or prohibit them from working as bartenders; indeed, it seems ridiculous to do so in 2016. Yet it remains the case that it is typically taken for granted that a gender-inclusive educational facility requires separate living accommodations for men and women.

Against the binary: Athletics and Chris Mosier

The Olympics are on right now, and I am enjoying the hell out of them. Women’s rugby is in the Olympics for the first time ever; men’s for the first time since 1924. The athletes are so talented and their bodies are works of art. And gender has a spot in the phenomenon, in ways both celebrating how far we’ve come and exposing how much there is still left to do.

On the celebration side, we have Chris Mosier, the first openly trans athlete to make TeamUSA. 

An apology from a worthless ally

“Another black man was executed by the police last night.”

“I heard – the guy selling CDs.”

“No, another one. in Minnesota.”

Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. The latest two names on a list that I was going to try to write out here, but I don’t know how to do it right. How far back should I go? What about all the ones we don’t know about?

 “Seriously, fuck a white ally, I need a white accomplice, freedom fighter, revolutionary on our sides. The march I want to see go down: white folks marching on every damn police station in this country and shutting it down, filling up the jails, stopping the flow of traffic and disrupting commerce. It's not like we won't be out there, we always are, but can you all really step up in ways you have never imagined and take arrests, hits and blows, we need a rest. P.S. if this offends you, too bad. We are getting killed every 28 hours and less by the people that we pay to serve and protect.” – Rosa Clemente, via Facebook

I’m a person of color, but few know that by looking, and I get the attendant privilege that comes with being perceived as white. I once was driving in downtown Denver with two young black men – a colleague in the CU admissions office and a student volunteer – when we got pulled over for nothing. Once the cop ascertained that I was there of my own free will and we were heading toward a work event, he let us go.

Prince is dead! Long live gender ambiguity!

I believe I was among the first to find out that Prince died. A friend posted as the news about a death in Paisley Park broke (and let's take a moment to raise a glass to the awesome name of the estate), and I watched coverage live as it was confirmed that it was indeed His Purpleness. That sucks; he was so very talented and way too young to die.

It's not like when David Bowie died and I received personal condolences from many; I wasn't that much of a Prince fan. But boy did I enjoy the hell out of his music, and I appreciated his eccentricity and his experimentation and his general vibe. And although I was aware that the symbol he used as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince was a combination of the traditional male and female symbols, it never seems to have entered my consciousness that like David Bowie, like the character Jo Polniaczek on The Facts of Life, Prince influenced my understanding of what I would now call gender fluidity. but among the coverage, I heard a reporter refer to Prince's gender-bending ways and compare him to David Bowie, and OF COURSE.