Yearly Archives: 2009
2009 in Review: Teen Suicide
Here I sit on New Years Eve, to post about the blog post/ subject that received the most hits to my blog in the past year, and I’m struck by how dumb I can be. Â This topic is not a happy, fun, or feel-good topic, but exactly the opposite. It I had been smarter, perhaps I would have posted this yesterday, with a warm fuzzy or more positively motivating subject today. But sometimes I’m dumb, and this was the most hit and post and subject of the year on my blog.
I wrote a number of times over the year about teen suicide, but the most viewed post was about a particularly disturbing story, of an 11 year old boy in Massachusetts, who hanged himself because of the level of bullying he received at school. It was one of the shortest posts I wrote as well, because at the time, I just couldn’t come up with words to express anything of value to say. No words seemed to convey or capable of containing a message appropriate to the enormity of the sadness I felt. It was the first time since the brutal murder of Matthew Shephard, that I had felt that specific way. There have been some really brutal gay bashings recently, but none touched me like this did.
I have been trying to think back to what I knew of my sexuality when I was 11, and how I might of experienced being called a “fag” or a “queer.” By 11, I was active in dance, and I know that some kids found me different to be sure, but there were never names or bullying. There could have been. I remember once, probably in the 5th grade, I gave the bag of my dance shoes to my sister to carry to school for me since she still rode a bus and I had to walk the whole way, and kids took it from her on the bus to see what it was. But I never received any direct taunting for this.
My dance teacher was a married man with a daughter, and for me that was proof that just because I danced, I could still be normal. I don’t believe I had any notion of liking boys at that point. Heck, even at 16, I don’t think I understood I was attracted to guys. I only knew that I was different from the other boys- seemingly less-than in the “act like a boy” department.
Teen suicide is not a new phenomenon for queer youth, but I believe that either the numbers are growing dramatically, or we are just now getting a full look at the depth of the problem. It is an epidemic, no less critical, and every bit as devastating as the AIDS epidemic was in the ’80s. However, this is a baffling epidemic. More young people seem to be OK with gays and lesbians, at least at some point as they become young adults. So, if more young people are accepting, why is bullying and hate actions against queer youth increasing? Or were there just as many 11 year olds who chose to kill themselves in decades past, but the deaths were hidden and not discussed?
I tend to believe the problem is increasing, as the vitriol from the far right increases, and more youth are subjected to it at earlier ages. Children are taught to hate- it isn’t in their genes. One of the linked posts below details how children were encouraged to stay home on a Day of Silence, a day created to recognize the results of violence against gay youth. These Christian parents are teaching their kids to hate, or at the very least to turn a blind eye to the effects of their hateful behavior.
How important is this issue to my readers? Hard to tell exactly as none of these posts received any comments, but the number of hits were more than twice what was received for any other post on my blog, for the story of Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, the 11 year old victim of bullying. Twice! And about four times more than the next largest  post!
The solution? More discussion. More awareness of the effects of bullying. And actions taken in the schools by groups such as GLSEN, and gay and straight alliances.
Posts about Teen Suicide:
11 Year-Old Massachusetts Boy Hangs Self Over Anti-Gay Bullying
Is Bullying a Symptom of a Crisis of Masculinity?
‘Getting Real’ About Bullying-Related Suicides
A Young Guy’s Video about Gay Teen suicide
Students Encouraged to Skip School on ‘Day of Silence’| Christianpost.com
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?A transitional year for same-sex marriage
I want to thank @QueerJohnPA and @queerunity  for posting this to Twitter:
#equality RT @queerunity: Excellent analysis of the civil #marriage rights fight in the U.S. http://bit.ly/4r2qMY
This is a story in the LA Times written by Jonathan Rauch that is a great overview of the same-sex marriage situation as we come to the end of 2009. I’m posting it, as an addendum (and great research) to my 2009 in Review post about marriage equality.
A transitional year for same-sex marriage — latimes.com.
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?Martha Stewart Weddings Features Same-Sex Couple for First Time in Magazine’s History
Saw this on Twitter, and I’m very happy to be able to add this to my blog! Jeremy (Hooper) is a blogger that I read regularly, and a really great guy. While this issue is generally seen only from a political angle, it is really nice to remember that there are other ways of thinking about it as well. Gay and lesbian people continue to fall in love, become couples, and seek out ways to demonstrate their commitments to each other. In some places, that commitment ceremony can be called a marriage, and be celebrated with a wedding.
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?Hooper, a well-known blogger who founded GoodAsYou.org in 2005, seemed quite impressed with the magazine’s tact in its feature of the wedding:
“It was 100% about the aesthetics, there was no attempt on their part to make it political. There are three couples in the magazine … two straight couples and us. You’re flipping the pages and you see us, which is exactly the way it should be.â€
2009 in Review: The Manhattan Declaration
#4 The Manhattan Declaration
If I were to simply rank to the 2009 stories based on how important I thought they were , I would probably put this one on top as the single most important story of the year, although I suppose I’d be out on a limb myself given that it didn’t get that much attention at all in the mainstream press and far too little in the LGBT press. But hey, I have no problems being out there on my own. I’ll say more in my 2010 predictions, but if GLBTQ activists don’t start to pay more attention to this one and increase the chatter about it, like they did with the Uganda anti-homosexual law, it will continue to be the force that stops LGBT progress, especially in terms of Marriage Equality, but really on any LGBT issue. But my list is made up based upon the number of hits stories received as well as the amount of interest generated in comments and so forth, and based on that, it is the # 4 story of 2009
While I don’t think there is a direct link between the Uganda law and the Manhattan Declaration, they are still quite connected. The Uganda law is a preemptive action in a developing country to set the stage such that a Manhattan Declaration will never be needed. It is the religious power brokers stepping in early to demonize and criminalize homosexuality, and control government. Whereas the Manhattan Declaration is a reaction to the current political arena here in the US and the growing equality of GLBTQ americans. In the declaration, the religious signatures are stating their willingness to stand against the democratic process and the government in an act of rebellion. I haven’t written at all about the Uganda story on my blog, until now. But a google search or a look at many of of the blogs in my blogroll will offer plenty of information about it. Â Three things about it, and then I’ll get back to my topic at hand, the Manhattan Declaration.
- The Uganda law grew almost entirely out of a anti-gay conference held in Uganda and sponsored by ex-gay groups and other religious groups like The Family. It is, from the core all the way through a piece of “Christian” generated legislation.
- Despite the Christian roots of this law, it is perhaps the most barbaric new law to come into being calling for the death penalty for anyone who is a homosexual, and demanding extradition for Ugandans who are in any other country. I guess these Christians don’t know much about Jesus and judging others. Other radical religious regimes put gay men to death, like Iran, but so many of the folks connected to this law are far from extremists, and could be considered very much main stream Christians in our country. Not only was there American Christian Church involvement, there was conservative political involvement as well.
- It wasn’t until after there was an enormous outcry by activists, bloggists, and the media (like Rachel Maddow) did any of the American links even begin to speak out against the law. Religious leaders like Rick Warren, and politicians initially claimed that they had no comment, until enough noise was made and they finally spoke out in opposition to the law. Yet, isn’t that a handy maneuver? Help craft a law and get it introduced and then afterwards, issue a mild statement?
The gist of the Manhattan Declaration, is that the signers of it are vowing to refuse to obey any law that they feel violates their religious views, specifically any surrounding homosexuality or same-sex marriage. Imagine a country where everyone was able to pick and choose which laws they wanted to obey and which they wanted to ignore? This willingness to stand outside the law, and to do it on religious grounds, makes this highly dangerous, and potentially, it signals the (the beginning of the) end of our democracy, and a turn towards a theocratic dictatorship.
I wrote a few posts about the Manhattan project, but the one that received the most hits was called, Hypocrisy and Religious Freedom:
By trying to claim the right to discriminate in employment, and the providing of public services with public money based on religious freedom and first amendment rights, the Church dilutes the real and meaningful separation of Church and State, and diminishes the power of Religious Liberty. The right to worship, and the right to treat your employees a certain way are very very different indeed. By conflating the two, the Church stands to destroy the very nature of worship, and this would be a great loss to the faithful followers of any religious tradition.
Other posts on my blog about the Manhattan Declaration:
- Hypocrisy and Religious Freedom
- The Manhattan Declaration and the HRC
- Will The US Become A Theocracy?
2009 in Review: Marriage Equality
#5 Marriage Equality
For many, this is probably their number 1 issue for 2009. From Iowa, to Maine to Mexico City and DC, it has been a roller-coaster ride for marriage equality in 2009. I’ve written much about this subject over the year as well, even though at one point, I made a conscious decision to stop writing about it. Truth is that there is no way to write about what is happening for GLBTQ America and not talk about marriage equality. But there were 4 other issues that received more hits or attention on my blog, placing this at #5 for me.
To start, let me set the record straight for anyone who doesn’t know this: I fully believe that all same-sex couples deserve the same rights as straight couples, and so I’m all for Marriage Equality, but I don’t believe it is the single most important issue facing us as the whole collective of GLBTQ communities, nor do I think passing marriage laws will substantially change life for most GLBTQ’s overnight. For me, non-discrimination laws at the local, state and federal level, an end to DADT, and the cultural shifts needed to allow gay teens to come to terms with themselves are more important than the right to get married. I believe that because the legal institution of marriage is so enmeshed with the religious institution on marriage, it is going to be a very long and challenging battle, and I think in the mean time, there are other ways to protect our relationships and our families. I’d rather achieve some rights, a bit at a time, rather than hold out for full marriage and have nothing until that happens.
On the other hand, as an umbrella “right,” the right to marry covers most everything valuable to protecting ourselves, our relationships, our children, and our families, so so, since it is such a powerful topic, it can possibly help us accomplish more than we are able to accomplish pushing for individual rights. still given the batting average so far on gay marriage, I wonder if we would do better to regroup, and work towards some different strategies.
Additionally, I wonder: Is it really about rights, or something else? Some say that the strategic push for Marriage Equality has produced a sound-bite issue that many can rally behind, but at the same time, it has failed to provide rights to same-sex partners and their families. Some would even claim that this strategic approach has set us back rather than propel us forward. Is the push for marriage equality really just a half-assed effort to be just like straight people, instead of a full fledged effort to protect ourselves and our families?
Most of this year can be looked at as set-back after set-back for gay marriage. The brightest points look like Iowa, and DC, although neither is a done deal. Losses in Maine, New York, New Jersey, as well as the earlier loss in California, have invigorated the anti-gay opponents to marriage equality, and they are still doing what they can to turn back the clock where something has passed. In the news, just this week, Mexico City approved Gay Marriage, and unless Congress acts, DC will have gay marriage beginning around the middle of January. Washington State, kept their “everything but marriage” partnerships, yet few activists or the larger community seems to be able to rally around domestic partnerships.
You can search my blog to find everything I’ve written about Marriage Equality, but here is the single post about the issue that received a ton of hits.
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/08/10/100-days-of-marriage-equality-in-iowa/
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?2009 in Review: Trans Issues
#6 “T” is for Trans
I have written much about Trans issues over the past year, often, finding myself in hot water, especially with a group of Transexuals from New Zealand, I believe. And I’m not the only one. Over at the Bilerico Project, things really turned into a mess after the editorial board allowed a post that was very offensive to Trans people to be published. While the original post was really bad, the chaos caused and the vitriol that ensued was unwarranted. People are entitled to their own opinions and entitled to share those opinions. But these situations and many more over the year demonstrate the gulf of misunderstanding that exists between most of the LGB and the T communities.
Unlike yesterday’s post on Religious Freedom, I want to keep this one short, and direct you to a post by Jessica on another blog. Specifically, she is responding to comments made by Tim Pawlenty, and they go a long ways to illustrating some of the issues faced by Trans people, especially MTF. A link to her blog is below, and it is great reading.
I haven’t yet written about Marriage Equality in this year end review (it is coming up in the next few days) but one of the reasons I have been opposed to a hyper focus on marriage equality, is because it doesn’t serve the whole of the GLBTQ communities. States like New Hampshire allow same-sex marriage but also allow a trans person to be refused housing or denied a job. Equality sounds good, but does it make everyone equal?
I remember during my earliest involvement in activism (1976 Columbus Ohio) the struggle over naming our organization. What started at the OGRC (Ohio Gay Rights Coalition) became the OGLRC, as we discussed and came to understand how vital it was to name those who are disenfranchized, until today, when we are left with a pink alphabet soup of letters to describe the who of our collective communities. The “T” has been included for a while, but I wonder if it has been included without any real understanding of what “T” means or includes, or what the issues are that matter most to those who identify as Trans.
I also wonder if there isn’t disagreement within the broadest  understanding of what Trans includes. In what became the longest comment thread on my blog, a number of trans women tried to educate me about Trans issues. The post and comment thread is also linked below. One of the main elements of it however, was the desire by some of the commenters to differentiate between transexual and transgender, and in their view, transgenders were people for whom it was a lifestyle thing, like cross dressing. Another commenter went so far as to say that the gay movement (in the generic sense) should not include Trans, because for those who are intersex, it is simply a medical condition, and they have a better chance of receiving the treatment and acceptance needed without the gay community. I don’t personally know a lot of Trans people, but of those I know, not a single one would agree with that position. My take on it all, is that we (in the most general sense) have a lot of work ahead of us to better understand Trans, and the women and men who identify this way. Without this understanding we can not really move towards full equality.
Here is Jessica’s post on Light Up My… blog
Some of my posts about Trans over the year:
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/12/15/gender/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/10/26/ftm-transgender/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/10/15/transgender/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/09/30/reading-yes-how-about-kalamazoo/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/09/17/violation-and-caster-semenya/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/09/02/dci-to-unravel-transgender-and-intersex-issues-in-new-media/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/08/28/transohio-symposium-shatters-new-ground-for-midwest-transpeople/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/08/02/theology-and-transgender/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/07/16/why-pa-hb-300-must-remain-transgender-inclusive/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/06/19/trans-blogging/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/06/05/you-can-marry-but-you-cant-work/
http://thomascwaters.com/2009/05/21/reply-to-tina/
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?PA Grand Jury Investigating State Senator Orie
This is from the Pennsylvania Progressive Blog, and written by John Morgan. John works tirelessly on the blog, and if you don’t already, I’d encourage you to read him regularly:
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?During the Supreme Court race this year I wrote about the legal and ethical lapses being performed by Judge Joan Orie Melvin and her sister Sen. Jane Orie. Â The Judge campaigned all year with her State Senator sister at her side. Â Now the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office has a grand jury probing the Senator, her office and staff for using public resources in the Supreme Court campaign. Â A raid resulted in several computers and a server being seized. Â Apparently an intern went to the DA the day before the election saying staff and offices were being used illegally in the campaign.
According to news reports Orie’s office was put under surveillance. Â Oops, that could be very bad for the Senator and her sister.
Surprise, surprise…. Â Not. Â The Ories crossed legal lines long ago so nothing which is uncovered by the probe will surprise me. Â The people of Pennsylvania should be ashamed for electing Joan Orie Melvin and her low ethical standards to our highest court. Â It is interesting the intern went to the DA instead of the state Attorney General. Â Tom Corbett, infamous for politicizing the office of AG may have been perceived as an unfriendly place to take such a case.
Related stories:
2009 In Review: Religious Freedom
#7 Religious Freedom
What better day, to post about Religious Freedom, than on Christmas Eve day! I’ve written a few times over the year about this topic, including a post that, at least in my subjective mind, was one of the best posts I wrote all year. It was a post that got a lot of hits, and I really liked it when I wrote it, so I was glad to see it receive these hits. In addition, I’ll have more to say about this subject in a post I’ll publish in January called Predictions 2010.
Religious Freedom is the code phrase for “hate homosexual” and pretend that a person deserves the right to that position because they interpret it as a tenet of their religion. Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer activists, have begun to label individuals who use this code word, as bigots, and if you look up the meaning of the word, Bigot, it fits perfectly. Since Bigot has always had a negative connotation, this isn’t liked by those on the receiving end, even though their actions fit the definition.
But as code phrases, this is a really good one because in it are emotional and patriotic links to the very founding of our country. Whomever first decided to use this phrase was pretty smart in that regard, since the notion that religious freedom has been engrained into every American’s mind as sacrosanct from as early as the first grade of public education. It is almost as if it is in our DNA. The phrase evokes within us, and at the deepest levels, an unquestioning willingness to justify and protect it.
Truly, our founding fathers (and mothers, even though history doesn’t really talk about them) came to this America looking for Religious Freedom. In England, and then in the Netherlands, the Pilgrims, experienced religious persecution for worshiping as they saw fit for themselves. They felt as if those in power sought to force their own religious beliefs and practices onto the Pilgrims. Today, progressives in general, and the GLBTQ communities specifically, feel that the radical religious are trying to do the same thing. So, the code word stands for freedom from forced belief, and freedom to exact forced belief, all at the same time.
The evocation to our earliest beginnings as a country has a strong emotional appeal, yet fails to grasp that we, as a culture, and as a world-wide civilization is so utterly different in so many ways from a time some 400+ years ago. This desire to turn back the clock, and return to some fallacious idea of what was, is a cornerstone of both Religious Freedom and Conservatism as a whole. I say, fallacious, because those who call for Religious Freedom aren’t really interested in returning to what was, just their vision of what it was, since what it really was, is often at odds with their core beliefs. For example, during the first and worst winter in Plymouth colony, the pilgrims pulled all of their food together, and shared it equally, in a very communist methodology, but today’s calls for Religious Freedom also connect to today’s calls for utter capitalism, not the communist-like sharing of wealth practiced in that first winter.
The biggest disconnect, however, is that the earliest American communities, were very closed systems of like-minded people. Plymouth was made up entirely of Pilgrims, for example. And in a closed system, it is so much easier to demand conformity. Yet, we know that historically, even there, in a closed system, someone had to be villianized, and we have the history of the Salem witch trials as one example. So much for Religious Freedom. But those who claim to seek it, use filtered lens to see only what they want to see, and what is in their picture is a fallacious lifestyle free of any diversity of action and emotion.
Religious Freedom, ought however, to harken back to the notion of Faith and Religious Worship. These things were truly at the heart of the founding mothers and fathers of our country, and upon which churches of every flavor of Christianity, as well as other faith backgrounds have sprung up. Our constitution was created a century after Plymouth Colony by individuals who were far less religious and more accepting of a diverse mixture of religious expression. Whereas the Pilgrims sought to return Christian faith and practice back to that of the earliest church, the writers of the constitution were not so restrictive. For example, Jefferson’s bible sought to remove all mention of the supernatural. Such a questioning would have been unacceptable to the Pilgrims.
The real question for Religious Freedom today, is what are the parameters of Religious Worship? Even the most rabid QLBTQ activists seem happy to let the far right religious have there own way, as long as they let the rest of us alone to live our lives. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The other  question for Religious Freedom deals with the issue of consistency. For example, the archdiocese of DC is threatening to stop providing social services if the district allows same-sex marriage, because homosexuality is inconsistent with their religious tenets. They seek to be exempt for nondiscrimination laws. Yet, premarital sex and abortion are also in conflict with their religious tenets. Will they also seek the right to discriminate against unmarried mothers or social service clients who have had abortions? This is where the push for Religious Freedom most breaks down. The most religious can not justify why some things fall outside of their religious tenets and others do not, or why they can adhere to some scripture and not others.
Here are the posts I’ve written on this subject
7th most viewed post from the year
If you appreciate reading my posts, would you like to thank me with a coffee?2009: A Year of iPhone apps
Wanted to publish a list of the 9 iPhone apps I found myself using through this past year (in no particular order):
Awesome apps:
- Kindle- This has become one of my all time favorite apps. Easiest way to read a book on the bus ride to or from work, or after crawling into bed at the day’s end. At first, I thought it would suck, since the screen isn’t that large, but actually the “page” size works out great, and even though you are turning the page more often, I don’t really notice that. Now, I find myself almost irritated if a book I want isn’t available for the Kindle. I especially like the ability to add notes and highlight.
- WordPress2- I really like this app, although my usage goes up and down. I usually blog at home in the mornings, before I leave for work. So, I have started to use this app to read back over what I’ve written, and do last editing/refining. Also use it to approve comments held for moderation. I’ve also found it an easy way to jot a few sentences down and start a post that I finish later after I’m at the computer.
- Public Radio- I use this app every day, and listen to NPR on the way home from work, but I have to say, this app drives me nuts. The station often cuts in and out, and that is really irritating. Â I also find it slow to load and the little “play” button at the far left bottom is too close to other stuff, and I often end up leaving my station and am off waiting for something unwanted to load, and then have to make my way back to my station. I’ll keep using this until I find another Public Radio station app that I like better, but then, it will be so long! Still, I do use it everyday.
- Google- This is another app, I use everyday, but unlike Public Radio, I love this one! I use it mostly to read Google Reader, but also use it to get into Google Docs, and I’ll be really happy if they add Google Wave. Â If there is anything missing, it would be the ability to send something to my blog, like the “Press This” tool for WordPress. When I’m using a browser, I will often use that to send a link over to my blog, save it as a draft, and then write about it later. Without this ability, I find myself using the “share” feature more than I would otherwise, or just adding a star, so I can easily come back later for it, once I’m at the desktop browser. But too often, I never get back to writing about it. Maybe that’s fine- a level of needed editing. I have a social media buddy who says I post 10 times a day! Â If I cut that down to 3 or 4, it wouldn’t be so bad…
- iRewardCards- This is another app, I just absolutely love. It holds all of my “reward” cards and so I’m never without them when I go to a store. As an additional perk, store clerks always seem to find it so cool, and that makes me feel like I’m cool. If there is any thing not cool about this app, it is that too often, the bar code won’t scan, and the clerk has to type in the number, which isn’t too bad, but could be easier. I’m not sure if it is just the type of scanners used, or if it is because I have a protective cover over the iPhone.
- Grindr- I hesitated putting this one on my list, but it actually has been a really handy app. Grindr is a social media app for gay guys. Sometimes understood as a hook up app, that hasn’t been my experience at all. Possibly because I’m an old guy (please say, no you aren’t!!!) but for me, it has worked like any other social media app as a way to meet friends, and stay in touch. It is sort of like a chat client in this regard. I’ve meet some cool guys this way, all totally platonic.I used to use the Gay.com chat for this type of socializing, but since it is browser-only, it isn’t a good option for an iPhone. Grindr, is however, a great choice.
- Bump- This is a very cool app, that I’m glad to say exists for Android and possibly other phones too. It is an easy way to share your contact info withg another Bump user, and that was where I first learned about it. But my partner, who has a Android Hero, use it to pass a variety of files back and forth. Very useful.
- Trektivity- Haven’t used this app too much yet, but got it as a replacement for iTrail (see below.) My partner and I are training for a week-long bike trip from Pittsburgh to DC next summer, and so every time we are out riding, I capture info using this app. I really liked iTrail, but it used up all the battery time too quickly, so for a longer ride it was no use at all. Trektivity seems to handle the power much better, but in all honestly haven’t used it enough to be really sure how much better. Ask me in May or June, and I’ll let you know.
- EchofonPro- This is my Twitter app, and so I am using it all of the time!
The above list are all apps that I downloaded, but there are a handful of apps that came on the phone that I couldn’t live without. I probably use my iPhone as a phone, far less than any of these other apps. Here are my top apps(in no particular order):
Built in essentials:
- Messages- I’ve always been fond of iChat on the computer, and so this app comes close and I use it all the time. Why clutter up an email inbox when you can text instead?
- Mail- That said, I use the email app all of the time too. Much like the Mail app on the desktop, it can have multiple email addresses, in it, and that works out great.
- Calendar- This too is a great app, and close to iCal. I use it for a work calendar (which is from an Exchange server) and my personal calendars that were created in iCal.
- Camera- This is an app, I am using more and more , and really love the ability get a quick picture. As an artist, I am starting to play with it, and see how to get interesting shots that grow out of the idiosyncrasies of the camera, as opposed to seeing them as limitations. I always loved plastic camera photos- this is a digital equivalent in many regards.
- Maps- This is one I never really though tI would use, but find I’m in it more and more. While I have a GPS in the car, I find it a pain in the ass to set up, especially if I’m just doing a quick 10 minute trip. It is easier to use this app, and it doesn’t slow me down. I have an iPhone 3G, and not a 3GS, so I’d expect I’d love this even more if that was the case. New iPhone for me? Maybe next summer.
- iPod- This is clearly the single most used app on my phone. I use it to listen/watch to a number of podcasts every single day, as well as to listen to music.
Lastly, here is a list of apps that at one time were of useful to me, or I thought could be, but for a variety of reasons, never made it work out for me. I’m not ready to delete them off my phone, but I’m disappointed with their use (in no particular order):
Didn’t Make it in 2009:
- ReQall- I believe I wrote about this a year ago, and I found it a useful app to make a voice memo and have it show up in my inbox as text. Conceptually, it seems so cool, especially since I’m a lousy typist, on the iPhone or a keyboard. but it didn’t work out that well for me. I think as soon as I start the record, I think too much about what I am going to record, instead of just saying it. The final text requires so much editing, I can do better typing it from the start. I’d like to give it another try, but I think too, it is now a pay service?
- iWant/Nearby/ AroundMe- These are three apps that do similar stuff. I used them (in the order listed) when I was looking for something, and found them OK, until I took 2 trips- to NYC and to San Fran cisco. I was in SF, looking for someplace to eat, and the apps couldn’t find much, but there was food all around! Â Got me wondering how different places get “listed” with different apps, and that left me wondering if I’ll find what I need when I need it?
- Facebook- This app is OK, but on my phone seems to be an orphan. If I get an email that someone has written on my wall, and I click on it, it opens a web browser, and not the Facebook app. Part of the problem for me, is I’m just on Facebook less than I used to be. I use Twitter more than I use Facebook.
- Noble Paths- I love the idea of this app, but I’m left even after reading all of the “about” section, not really sure what to do to get the most out of it. I have no clue what the target score is all about. Seems so unbuddha-like to keep score? Maybe I’m not a good enough Buddhist? When
- I downloaded this, I expected it to be a part of my daily practice, but it hasn’t turned out that way at all.
- iNeedStuff- This is another app, that I love the idea of, but using it when making a shopping list is clunky, and then I forget to use it in the store. Often, I’ll have “Vegetables” on my shopping list, instead of specific veggies. Seems to be too much typing just to get a list together, and the list is too “item” specific.
- 1Password- Another app, that I love the idea of it, but seems too complicated to use. Syncing it with the computer is a problem. Had it working, then that broke and haven’t been able to set it up again. Unlike on the desktop, this app seems totally separate from the browser, so it is useless to store web site usernames and passwords?
- Loopt Mix- This is a social media app, that I was trying to use before Grindr, but there is rarely ever anyone on-line when I am, and the guys who have profiles seem to be under 27 years old. I like that you can have more than 1 picture, but if no one is ever on, how useful is it?
- iTrail- See above- this is a very cool app, if it didn’t drain my battery so badly so quickly. Lots of great features.
- The Carrot- As I’m writing this, seems like it is all the apps I’ve paid for, I stop using. LOL. The Carrot is one of these $$ apps too. Â I got it to track my peak flow numbers (I have asthma) but then, at the doctors office, I couldn’t use it to show her my readings. Found out I had to view all the data on my computer. That seemed odd, that I could enter, but not track right in the app. This app, allows you to track all sorts of stuff, and that is cool, but I find I just don’t use it.
- iNap- This is a really cool app, and I’ve written about it before. But I no longer seem to use it. It only works in conjunction with the iPod app, so I can’t use it while I’m using the Public radio app. I’ve also found that the alarm it sounds isn’t louder than whatever music is playing, or loud enough that it doesn’t wake me.
2009 in Review: Bathroom Bill Nonsense
#8 on the list: Bathroom Bill
I have written a number of times over the year about the “Bathroom Bill.” This is a phrase appropriated by conservatives and the anti-gay movement, and used as a scare tactic to kill non-discrimination ordinances. Looking back, I counted 11 posts in all over the year, and the one that received the most traffic is linked below. If you want to see the others, just search for “bathroom bill” here on the blog. At one point, I stopped using the phrase “bathroom bill” except in any post to point out the fallacy of the argument. The term itself, being an attempt to frame the issue negatively. and take the focus away from the facts.
My favorite instance of this term, is in relation to the New Hampshire Transgender Rights legislation. New Hampshire, a state where two men or two women can get married- is also a state where you can be fired or refused housing simply for being transgendered. And some LGBT rights activists wonder why the Trans community is so angry at the larger LGBTQ communities…
As arguments go, this fear mongering approach has been pretty successful. The ads used for it suggest that men will dress as women to enter women’s rest rooms to molest women or children- and that seems scary to many. Except when you stop and consider the facts. In states where Transgenders are protected in employment, housing and public accommodations, there are no statistics to support that this happens. No facts at all! Men who want to harm women or children can do that without any help of legislation like this. The scare tactic suggests that any man who dresses as a woman can then claim that he belongs in the women’s room, and there for can not be in trouble for harming a woman. This is so laughable.
What is most problematic about this issue for me is that many, including conservatives can claim that they do not believe anyone should be denied employment or housing because of their sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. For example, this quote is from the conservative blog, A Right Turn:
Looking at the other parts of the bill, I do not feel anyone should be fired jobs or removed from their housing based SOLELY on the fact that they are Gay or Transgender…
But they are hyper-focused on the bathroom!
The other very troubling issue is that the arguments are always focused entirely on MTF tansgenders. It is as if FTM trans folk do not exist at all. My take on this is that, Trans persons are not the issue here at all. The real issue is either gays and lesbian rights. In states like NH, where gays and lesbians already have full rights, it is simply about trying to stop any and all progress in progressive social issues. In states like Pennsylvania, it is about the same, only we are starting from father back to begin with.
To those who think that protecting women and children is their real purpose- consider what it means without this legislation. Consider having a Female to Male Trans person in the women’s room, because legally, that is where this individual must be. Because of the testosterone treatments, she has facial and body hair and a muscular frame. Think on that for a while.
I believe all people should be protected in employment, housing and public accommodations regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Here in Pennsylvania, that means passing PA HB 300. I hope we see that in 2010.
Most viewed post about the Bathroom Bill
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