Fuck the Patriarchy

I’ve lost the capacity to be disappointed in America. I know that is my privilege speaking – many communities have long ago lost faith in their fellow citizens’ concern for their life and liberty. Yet I stupidly thought we had maybe learned our lessons from 2016. Maybe we were ready for an incredibly smart and extremely qualified woman instead of, you know, the least qualified and most heinous man in the whole fucking world. Yet here comes the American electorate, Lucy-ing all sane citizens with that damn football. Again.

So, again, I look at every passing person and think, “Did they vote against my and other marginalized people’s pursuit of happiness?” And the answer, in most cases, is probably, “Yep, they sure did.” Racism, sexism, greed, stupidity. Pick your Pandora's box poison, it all went into his win and our loss. Those are some hard truths about your fellow Americans to sit with. Hard truths, but unfortunately nothing new.

As the horror of the second Trump term grows ever closer, we each need to find the best way to survive and – if we can – thrive. And that starts with checking on your people. All of the people I care about are scared and stressed and barely holding their shit together at this moment. While many of us may want to turn off the lights and find a safe place to gently rock back-and-forth, I implore everyone to keep caring, keep connecting.

When people say that our institutions will not save us, this is exactly what they mean. I feel foolish to have taken this long to fully understand how vulnerable and ineffective so many of our civic systems truly are. If they cannot protect us during the onslaught to come, then they were never actually designed to help those who need it the most. Instead we must strengthen our communities and find new alliances for support and power in the coming years. Think globally, act locally should be more than just a bumper sticker mantra.

A clear-eyed look at our country’s history shows those of us who support expanded freedom and civil rights locked in an endless knock-down, drag-out brawl against those who are against including more people in the American dream. From colonialism to slavery to civil rights to women's rights to LGBTQ+ rights and immigrant rights. I mean, we’ve been punched in the face by the patriarchy for 248 years, what’s four more?

The entrenched cis-het white male power structure has always worked against giving more and more diverse people autonomy and equality. I mean, the Founding Fathers went to war over freedom from taxation, not just freedom for all – full stop.

So where are we? Well, fucked. Clearly. But also, kind of in the same place. The same people who always fight against progress are fighting against progress. The time and labor those of us who want progress will have to expend pushing back against their bigotry, stupidity and nonsense is precisely why they do it. We’ll be fighting for the next four years – and then some – to get back to where we are now. But fight we must.

I too am frightened and angry and exhausted all at once. But I also feel a grim solidarity with all similarly like-minded people. And while the total vote tally may wind up showing fewer of us this time, we are still legion. To say that I’m comforted that so many other people are in the same panicked state – stressed, sad, scared – would be wrong. I don’t feel comfort from the unjustified suffering of others. But I will say it makes me feel a little less alone. And maybe you too will feel less lonely in this grim moment. Some 74 million of us are all feeling the same fear and loathing.

May all of us, after a little rest and a good cry, dust ourselves off and continue the work of creating that more perfect union. Keep fighting, keep connecting, keep lifting each other up. Our fight does not end with one election. Our communities are stronger and more resilient than one man. We will continue bending the arc of the moral universe toward justice for all. Because, and I mean this with every fiber of my being, fuck the patriarchy.

Mental Health Vacation Vixen: Still MVP

I am sorry, but while I am technically back, I am not ready to talk about it. I’m just not. I’m somehow still in the exhausted phase, even after a vacation. And it has only been one week. I hope you are all taking care of yourselves and those you love. We’ll certainly need each other.

Vacation Vixen: Kamala Harris

Please, America. Please vote for the woman this time. Please vote for the Black and Indian women. Please vote for the best and most accomplished candidate* (*major party, I don’t have time for quibbles today folks). Please vote for the only candidate who will uphold our Democracy. Please vote for the only candidate who isn’t a racist. Please, America. Vote and finally reject that sad, vengeful, bigoted orange excuse for a human being. History must beat hate, once and for all. Kamala Harris for President. Period.

p.s. Also, come on, you know you want to see me write about President Straight Bette Porter for the next four-to-eight years. Right? Right.

My Vote, Your Vote, Our Vote

The older I get, the clearer I get about voting. Mind you, I have always voted. I even got to vote before I turned 18, because I was going to be out of the country on election day on my school foreign exchange trip. So I got to cast my absentee ballot early.

And I have voted in every single election since – save for one very small local primary I forgot was happening more than a dozen years ago – because I believe it is our duty as citizens. But, more than that, I have come to understand it as our duty as humans. Because a vote isn’t just an expression of political ideology – though of course we love to wrap emotion and identity and philosophy into each decision. But what a vote really is the physical exercise of how we systematically care for one another.

Our political system, as endlessly imperfect as it is, is still our best collective mechanism for change. As such, as we sadly know too well, it is also extremely resistant to change. Which is where voting comes in. Our democracy (except for the Electoral College, which – don’t get me started…) relies on an informed citizenry who votes. That more than half to a third of all eligible voters simply don’t bother to vote in any given election – honestly it blows my mind, but in some ways I get it.

I especially get it if people don’t vote out of hopelessness. That doesn’t mean I accept the lazy “both sides are the same” arguments. But I understand that years, decades, centuries of circumstances not changing for the most marginalized people can lead one to think nothing is possible.

But here is the thing. The entire history of humanity – and this country – has been a slow, and very painful march toward more inclusivity. It has not always been linear, nor has the progress always been significant or ever nearly enough. But slowly, slowly (and, yes, so very painfully) more and more people in this country are able to pursue life, liberty and happiness.

We have so much work to do. But almost none of that can happen if Trump wins again. That pathetic excuse for a human being with the Supreme Court-annointed immunity of a God-King and every lever of our federal and judicial branch at his disposal? It’s not hyperbole to think we’d stop making civil rights progress altogether – at least for the duration of his presidency/dictatorship, if not the remainder of our lifetimes.

So, again, that’s where voting comes in again. Yes, it’s imperative to vote for Kamala Harris and repudiate Donald Trump at the polls. Yes, we must rid our politics of the hateful MAGA cult. Yes, we must hold the House and win back the Senate. Yes, we must flip statehouses and city councils and school boards.

We do this not because we think Democrats or progressive candidates are magicians. Voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz won’t automatically solve all of our inequalities. But they are the only candidates who stand a chance of winning who can be pushed, and forcefully prodded if needed, to be better. And while marginally better may not feel like nearly enough, especially with the weight of so much suffering in our world, it is still infinitely better than the alternative.

And that, that is my whole philosophy of voting. I vote to do the most good for the most people. Each ballot I cast is a calculation. No, I may not agree with every single policy proposal or political stance of every politician I vote for. And, trust me, I’ve been plenty disappointed by Democrats over the years. Like, grow a damn backbone and stop thinking corporations will save us. But I am also a realist, and I know exactly how slow that moral arc of the universe has proven to be. It’s up to us to make sure it keeps arcing toward justice – and we must work to bend faster.

So, in this election, the choice could not be simpler. A vote for anyone other than Kamala this election is a vote that says my political ideologies are more important to me than the people who will be hurt by a second Trump presidency. Which, hey, this is a free country, you can feel however you want to feel and vote however you want to vote. For those voting for him, that harm is the feature, and not a bug, of his candidacy – obviously. But for the rest of us you can’t deny that his policies will hurt Black people, Brown people, Muslims, other POC, immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ people and trans/gender nonconforming people especially.

Plus, anyone who wants generals like Hilter can never be allowed back in the White House. Period.

So with one week to the election, and having already cast my ballot, I still believe in the possibility of a better America. And electing Kamala and finally defeating Trump (again!), well, that’s the first step toward any kind of brighter days. Vote Harris-Walz 2024. LFG.

My Weekend Presidential Crush

This is, as you all know, a gay pop culture blog. Duh. I write about the effervescent fluff that makes life fun, because who doesn’t like having fun? But as a queer person of color, politics is always personal – as I know it is for so many of you. So I have also written about every presidential election since this blog started – wayyy back in 2006.

Remember 2006? Before Obama. Before Hillary. Before Trump. And I’ve been unabashedly liberal, progressive, whatever you want to call it since this blog started. Heck, I’d say I’ve gotten more liberal as I’ve aged – to defy the getting more conservative as we age stereotypes. This Gen Xer is no Boomer, dammit.

I think this is because with each passing election, it feels like the stakes keep going up. The differences between the choices become more stark – more dangerous, more destructive, more divisive. So much so that we’ve gotten to the point where democracy is, legitimately, on the ballot. Someone who says he wants to be a dictator on “day one” and says vote this once and we’ll “fix it” so you never have to vote again is no small threat to our life, liberty and pursuit of happiness.

So, I dreaded this election. I, like so many others, continue to have PTSD from 2016. And, up until late July, it felt like it was all slipping away again. A second Trump presidency felt almost inevitable. I renewed my passport. I kept reminding myself that lots of people around the world live under fascism and authoritarianism. It would be awful, it would be painful, but maybe we could survive it – maybe. I even started to mentally prepare myself for the possibility of not seeing progress on civil rights in our nation for decades, possibly longer. Possibly for the rest of my lifetime.

It felt like election night Nov. 8, 2016 all over again. I remember the next day writing that the America I believed in did not exist. And, for a while, it didn’t.

But, whew, what a difference a Kamala makes. Now, instead of the existential dread of a wanna-be-dictator running our country, I am filling the giddy excitement at the possibility of America’s first female president, first Black and South Asian president. The possibility of, yes, hope. And the realization that there have always been more decent, rational, welcoming and inclusive Americans who care about their neighbors and communities than angry, spiteful, fearful hatemongers. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve got plenty of those too. But, essentially, we are a people who want to be seen as, and do, good.

While we don’t always live up to our better angels, we have indeed made great progress. We’re still not that more perfect union, and who knows if we’ll ever be. But as long as we keep striving, keep fighting, maybe we’ll get there one day.

I think the great lesson on Kamala Harris’s candidacy is that we should dream bigger. No more we can’ts because (x, y and z). No more, but will people vote for a (fill in the Black). Because, yes, we can. We can elect the first woman president. We can elect the first Black and Asian woman president. We can do better. We can fight for better. We can defeat Trumpism, once and for all. We can demand a better future, because we deserve it.

I know Vice President Harris isn’t perfect. (Hello, neither is Bette Porter – ahem.) But I believe she is a decent, rational, welcoming and inclusive American who cares about us, our neighbors and our communities. And I believe if we work hard, talk with our friends and families, and continue to fight for what is right, on Nov. 5 we will write a new, better chapter for the history of our country together. Now wouldn’t that be truly great. Happy let's fucking win this thing weekend, America.

Music Monday: Hotties for Harris

Yes, I am fully coconut pilled. But then you know I’ve been on Team President Straight Bette Porter since, well, wayyy back. And here we are, at a singular moment when the momentum, excitement and unadulterated joy is all on our side. Just think, a month ago it felt inevitable that America’s worst inclinations – toward a horrifying christo-fascist future – would win. But now, the fight has returned among those of us who still believe we can build that more perfect union for all of us. What a difference a little hope makes. And what a difference a joyful warrior like Vice President Kamala Harris makes. I expect Megan Thee Stallion to be the first of an endless stream of rap, pop and every other genre superstars showing up at rallies to lend their voices. We have history on our side – and all the hot girlies. Hotties for Harris, indeed. Happy Monday, kittens.

Madam President Monday

Well, well, well. Here we are again. Hello, Madam President Straight Bette Porter. I even pulled out my old Kamala shirt from 2019. We’ve got work to do. Let’s beat that fascist orange fucker. Happy Monday and let’s go win this election, kittens. LFG.

My (Belated) Weekend Crush

Pardon my tardiness with this weekend's Crush. I was just tired and busy and tired and busy and tired and busy. You know, normal pandemic shit. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the historic passage of the American Relief Plan by the Senate. Yes, the Democrats retreated on some stupid things for no good reason other than stubborn centrist dogma. But let it never be forgotten that not one single Republican voted for the plan that provides critical help to struggling Americans amid an ongoing pandemic that has killed more than half a million of our neighbors and plunged our economy into uncertainty while billionaires continue to rake in astronomical profits. Madam Vice President’s tie-breaking vote wasn’t needed (though only because one GOP Senator had an emergency and couldn’t be there to cast his “no” vote otherwise it would have been 50-50). But you have to think young, impossibly hip Kamala Harris would have marveled at her future self. Happy what’s left of your weekend, all.

A New America

We did it, Joe. We did it. The Age of Trump is over, finally. Today is the first morning in four years we, as Americans, can wake up without the looming dread of whatever fresh hell one morally corrupt man could unleash on us and the world. He is not president anymore. May he never be allowed to hold public office ever again, and may his monstrous failure follow him the rest of his days.

And now, we turn our attention to the work ahead. Even the most rosy-eyed Biden supporter wouldn’t say everything is fine now. We have so much work to do, clearly. But I do believe President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are willing to put in that work.

But yesterday wasn’t about that. (Even though President Biden signed 17 executive orders that started us on the absolute right path.) Yesterday was about removing the orange stain that has been on our country, and rejoicing that people who actually care about the American people are back in charge.

Through these long, horrible four years the act of joy for marginalized groups has been in and of itself an act of resistance. Yesterday was a day for joy. A day for change. A day for history. And, yes, even a day for some fun.

So let’s enjoy the little things. Like how good all the women at the inauguration looked stunning in their jewel tones. And how great it felt to see history happening before our very eyes. A very good thing happened yesterday, and we should all take a moment to relax our shoulders and unclench our jaws. Yeah, we got shit to do. But I for one slept a whole lot better last night.

So, here is an assemblage of largely unimportant, but totally fun – because remember fun? – observations that I had about the inauguration.

1. When Kamala Harris/Straight Bette Porter is Vice President, we shall wear purple.

2. Hillary Clinton looked amazing and happy and that alone makes it a pretty good day in America.

3. Michelle Obama looked... Well, you have eyes. Use them to enjoy.

4. I look forward to an administration where the biggest scandal is whether Lady Gaga went too Hunger Games with her outfit.

5. Having Madam Vice President’s young great-nieces be part of the ceremony was wonderful. I am so tired of moronic Large Adult Sons vying for their father’s nonexistent love. Bring on the future.

6. Yes, after all the official ceremonies were over, you were not alone in “researching” Ella Emhoff and Maisy Biden. Respectfully, obviously. Always respectfully.

7. The President’s daughter Ashley Biden was blatantly pandering to get into Gender Fuck Thursday. Guess what, pandering works!

8. This is so simple, but it’s just so damn nice to see two people in the White House who love each other again. And, you know, also give a damn about their fellow Americans who aren’t billionaires of convicted tax frauds. These are decent people, and may we begin to be a decent country.

So, what were your favorite moments? Sure, it was weird when an ageless J-Lo asking the purposely small assemblage of elderly lawmakers, family and dignitaries to “Get loud!” And, don’t worry, we’ll talk more about Amanda Gorman later.

Hope you had a happy Joe Biden is President and Kamala Harris is Vice President Day, kittens. We have endured four years of constant horror. We survived, while 400,000 did not. Now, let’s roll up our sleeves. We’ve got an America to fix.

Today.

I consider today the true start to 2021. Sure, we may technically be 20 days into this New Year. But we have not been able to shed the ugly shackles of 2020 – and indeed the last four years – until today. At noon D.C. time, Donald Trump becomes just another rich asshole yelling at his television, but this time without a Twitter account. He will no longer be president, and that in and of itself makes the world just a little better.

I’m not naïve enough to think Joe Biden’s inauguration will fix everything automatically. President Biden and Vice President Harris are competent and compassionate leaders, but they are not magicians. Still at least now we can begin the work. I hope these last four years have held a mirror up to ourselves as a country. We can no longer pretend not to see the hatred, the willful consumption of misinformation, the lack of empathy and the denial of basic facts that has consumed the psyche of nearly half our neighbors. Yeah, 74 million people voted for four more years. But 81 million people said, fuck no – never again.

We must hold the people, and the Republican Party, accountable for how far we’ve fallen in just four years. And we must vow to hold every future administration, from Biden-Harris and every woman and man who comes after to a higher standard that cannot be hijacked by partisanship. We need to actually help the people who need help. And listen to science. And fully enfranchise more people. And unpack the courts. And grant LGBTQ people full equality. And so on, and so forth.

All that, and we haven’t even touched on the history we’re about to witness. Kamala D. Harris, first of her name and first female Vice President of the United States of America, first Black Vice President of the United States of America, first Indian-American Vice President of the United States of America. Damn, that’s exciting – and not just because I get to write Vice President Straight Bette Porter for the next four years.

But first, we have to make it to noon today. Happy Biden-Harris Inauguration Day & Last Day of Trump, kittens. We made it.

What the Vogue Is This?

Look, you know I love strong women in suits. Like, I REALLY STRONG LOVE WOMEN IN SUITS. But, and this is very painful but, I do not in any way shape or form love the new February cover of Vogue with incoming Vice President Kamala Harris in a suit. The print edition cover hit the Series of Tubes over the weekend and let me just say, queer women and anyone with eyes should be mad. How mad?

THIS MAD!

On behalf of queer women who have a thing for tops in suits everywhere, THIS IS A HATE CRIME. https://t.co/MqSjsmIUHm

— Carmen Phillips (@carmencitaloves) January 10, 2021

What is this utter bullshit? This looks like it was taken for middle school picture day. It does not look like a picture that honors the first woman and first woman of color to be elected vice president in the history of the United States of America.

It’s awkward. It’s informal. It’s awful. The pink draping. The crease in her shirt. Her hands. The lighting. Her expression. THAT DAMN SUIT.

Now, take a look instead at the digital cover.

Same photographer, same editor and set designer. But so much more dignity. Yes, it’s still pretty basic and nowhere near as glamorous as so many of its other covers. But at least I don’t want to hurl it into the sun by comparison.

But I don’t necessarily blame the photographer or team behind the shoot. Instead, I blame Vogue management. According to reports, the blue suit photo is the cover Madam Vice President and photo team had agreed on to be the print cover. Indeed, it’s the digital cover for February. But the keepsake edition, the one everyone will see in grocery stores, it’s that other cringe-worthy photo. And lesbians aren’t the only ones complaining about the cover, not by a long shot.

Please don’t ask me about the cover this week has been hard enough

— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) January 10, 2021

I know this is might seem small ball – given everything that’s on fire right in our government – to complain about a fashion magazine cover right now. But the history that is about to be made cannot be understated. So anything that doesn’t properly honor the importance of this moment just feels disrespectful.

This is also not the first time Vogue has badly bungled a cover shoot featuring prominent Black women. In short, Vogue is very, very bad at this. And Vice President Straight Bette Porter deserved so, so, so much better.

My Weekend Crush

In general, we shouldn’t “stan” politicians. I know, I know – I have a lot of fun with Madam Vice President Straight Bette Porter. It’s no secret I’m a fan of my son-to-be former senator and incoming Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. But there’s sincere appreciate and there’s blind worship. And we’ve seen way, way, way too much undeserved worship these last four years.

Now, you might argue, but you bought yourself a Kamala shirt, you hypocrite. Yeah, I bought that shirt and wore it on Election Day. But, no, I will not be wearing a big obnoxious Biden-Harris baseball cap around town for the next four years. And I’m not going to fly a Biden-Harris flag telling you to “Fuck Your Feelings” on my lawn anytime soon. Before Trump only the craziest of crazies would wear campaign gear non-ironically after the campaign was over. But here we are, with people who are using their cult-like devotion to a politician as shorthand for a personality. Like, what the actual fuck with all these flags and hats? But it’s the natural distillation of people who view politics as nothing more than a winner-take-all sporting event.

This is a long way to go to say, if we are going to stan politicians we should at least pick ones worthy of the adoration. And in her short time in the national spotlight, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has proven herself to be more than formidable. AOC is a model for how progressives should push their agenda. She’s so smart and she’s so spot-on with her messaging. Instead of in-fighting, Democrats (moderates, progressives, et al) should learn from each other. Again, it’s not a sport. We’re all a team, and when we work together and play to our strengths we can win and make meaningful change for the people who need it most. We really, really can.

So here’s the to future of progressivism. And, um, I would be remiss if I did not say that AOC looks good in a suit and in the general face region. So there’s also that. Happy safe, health and righteous weekend, all. And by next weekend, we should have an Electoral College Certified new president to celebrate. No, we’re not tired of winning yet. And we’re not done either.

Gender Fuck Thursday: VP Straight Bette Porter

Look, I’m not saying my more-than-two-year campaign to get Straight Bette Porter elected to the executive branch is the reason she got elected to the executive branch. But, I’m also not saying it’s not the reason Kamala Harris was elected Vice President. I mean, we all know the polling absolutely sucked. So, who can say – really? Ahem.

In the continuation of my highly scientific research into the definitive correlating properties between Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris and runner-up Los Angeles Mayoral Candidate Bette Porter, I present you both in signature suffragette white. I mean, as soon as our new Madam Vice President came out in her white suit for their victory speeches, we all knew this post was coming.

And now that it’s here, well, I think we’d all agree that the science remains indisputable. Four years of Vice President Straight Bette Porter sure looks good, kittens. It sure, sure does.

Music Monday: MVP Edition

@meena

VICE PRESIDENT AUNTIE 🇺🇸

♬ Walking - Mary Mary

Madame Vice President is walking, people. She’s walking. Also, if you need a little more profane celebration, please enjoy Chrissy Teigen and John Legend recreating me and my wife celebrating from the previous weekend. And in 64 days, we get to do that permanently. Happy Monday, kittens.

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A post shared by chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen)

My Weekend Presidential Crush

It’s hard to put into words what this election has meant to America. Yes, we fired Donald Trump in no uncertain terms. That asshole lost. And, no, it wasn’t even close. It only seemed close because it takes a long while to count all the votes, particularly the increase of mail-in votes because WE’RE IN A FUCKING RAGING PANDEMIC YOU ABSOLUTE SELFISH NON-SCIENCE BELIEVING MORONS. Not that I have strong feelings about that last part - or any part of the last four years. But more than 5 million Americans choose sanity and competence over unchecked hate, greed and dishonesty. So that is at least something.

The uninhibited and hard-earned joy we felt on Saturday, when the race was called, has since evolved into extreme relief and continued exhaustion. So much still must be fixed, even to get back to where we were let alone make real progress.

And then there’s the fact that so many millions upon millions of our fellow citizens still voted for that man. It’s beyond disheartening that nearly half of America saw Donald Trump and his racism, his sexism, his homophobia and transphobia, his corruption, his ineptitude and his pathological narcissism and said, “Yep, four more years of that, please and thank you.” And it’s just as disheartening that just about the entire Republican Party is indulging his vanity and vengeance with this “stealing” the election nonsense. It’s all lies, per usual, but they’re politically expedient lies and the GOP cares about holding power above all else and especially above helping people.

I know it won’t be easy these next four years. Heck, I know it will be pretty much hell these next two months and change as we watch That Orange Stain wallow and lash out. There is perhaps no one more accustomed to getting his way than Donald Trump. But now he’ll forever be an impeached one-term loser who let more than 240,000 Americans die and couldn’t even protect himself or his family from a deadly pandemic.

It’s sad to say that the relief I feel in us at very least ridding ourselves of this monstrous excuse for a human being has somewhat overshadowed the history this election represents. Vice President Kamala Harris. Madam Vice President. The first woman vice president, the first Black woman vice president, the first South Asian vice president. So many first we should be reveling in but instead we’re all just waiting for that hateful, grifting Oompa-Loompa to exit the Oval Office.

The duality of these emotions reminds me of 2008, when the elation of electing the first Black president was tempered by the passage of homophobic Prop. 8. One step forward, but also one step back. The arc of the moral universe is indeed long, and some days it feels like it just keeps getting longer. But at least we keep trying to bend it toward justice. Well, at least 77.5 million and counting of us are. Happy safe, healthy and righteous we’re gonna have a new president weekend, all.

p.s. It is just now dawning on me that I get to write Vice President Straight Bette Porter for the next four years. See, 2021 is definitely already looking up.

p.p.s. To the "Anonymous" dropping novels in the comments, no politician is perfect. Not Bernie. Not Liz. Not AOC. Not Obama. None of them. You vote for the best candidate with the best chance of winning and moving the government and society toward the goal of full equality and civil rights for all - especially the marginalized and the underrepresented. You have the audacity to call Kamala pure evil when Trump has been president for the last four years? Damn that Kool-Aid must be delicious. Has she made political decisions I disagree with? Sure. Every politician has. But if you want to write a novel about her being pure evil find another blog to haunt. And if you want to deny the science of the pandemic, well, I invite you to sincerely and with my full blessing kindly fuck right off forever. It's my personal blog, and your freedom of speech is not being infringed upon. Go start your own blog and write posts on it every day for 14 years. It's still a free country.

Music Monday: Vote Edition

One day. One day and one vote and we can turn 2020 around for the better. One day and one vote and we can make America a kinder country again. One day and one vote and we can banish the worst president of the modern era from our lives forever. One day and one vote and we can make history. But it starts with that vote. Vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Vote for Democrats up and down the ballot. Vote because America needs you to vote. Happy Election Eve, kittens. Now get out there and vote.

p.s. Oh, and since yesterday was my birthday if everyone would vote for Joe and Kamala tomorrow that would make my birthday wish come true this year.

My Vice Presidential Weekend Crush

This year has been more than a lot. This infernal year, this endless pandemic, this criminal administration. Through it all, in our struggle just to get through the day-to-day, we can lose sight of the history we are witnessing. Yes, all the horrible stuff we can’t look away from is history. The unprecedented corruption, cruelty and criminal negligence of Trump and all his enablers should go down in the history books as one of America’s darkest periods told in the same embarrassedly hushed tones as the Japanese internment camps, McCarthy era witch hunts and America’s original sins of chattel slavery and the genocide of Native Americans.

But, we don’t have to write just another shameful chapter on America’s history of racism, sexism, xenophobia, classism and ongoing exclusion. We can choose another path. We can choose to open doors instead. We can choose to make history in the best, most inclusive way possible. We can vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, and in doing so break the 232-year exclusive stranglehold of men on the presidency. Sure, it’s not the Main Event. But it’s a heartbeat away and that has never, not in the entire history of our country, happened before. Madame Vice President sounds pretty damn good to me.

But Kamala Harris would not just represent a victory for women. She would represent a victory for Black Americans, for Indian-Americans, for immigrants and first-generation Americans.

Think about how you felt when Barack Obama was elected that November night in 2008. That indescribable feeling when you know a country just made itself better. You may quibble over his policies, but you can’t reject the history the man made and the difference having him in the Oval Office made in how countless Americans now see themselves. They realized perhaps for the first time that they too could become president if only they worked hard and inspired people.

And with Kamala, the exact same thing could happen. It’s hard to dream when you haven’t shown what is possible. When I was a little kid I used to like to watch the Miss America beauty pageant (I know, don’t start, the ladies were pretty). But as an Asian-American kid watching this pageant every year I also knew inherently that I could never be Miss America because I’d never seen an Asian-American woman win the crowd (and in fact it took until 2001, long after I’d stopped watching, for that to happen).

Now, the vice presidency is much more important than Miss America. And the impact could be so much more important.

But, and this is an important but, it isn’t just that Kamala would be so many historic firsts. It is that Kamala is also eminently qualified, unquestionably brilliant and genuinely compassionate. Of course, that only makes sense. To be a first means to have overcome so many obstacles and navigated such an uncharted course for yourself, you’d have to be. No one who wasn’t all those things could accomplish these firsts.

And, look, it doesn’t hurt that Kamala Harris is indeed the Straight Bette Porter. Strong, smart, powerful and pretty darn good in the who face-body area. What? History can be sexy. Now, everyone go vote for Democrats up and down the ballots. Here’s to seeing these firsts happen in four days. Vote. Happy safe, healthy and righteous weekend, all.

My Weekend Crush

Look, I’m not saying Kamala Harris was every woman, particularly every Black woman and woman of color, who has been talked over in a meeting by a mediocre white man. In fact, it was even worse because this was an exceptionally accomplished lawyer, former district attorney, former California Attorney General and current U.S. Senator being talked over incessantly to be condescendingly being lied to by a man who refuses to be in the room alone with a womman who isn't his wife. Do men ever get tired of hearing themselves speak? Well, I never tire of hearing Kamala speak – particularly when she speaks truth to power. And reclaiming her time from that barely sentient bottle of off-brand ranch dip was very, very much speaking absolute truth to unchecked power. More of that, always and forever.

"I'm speaking." pic.twitter.com/KOu5MUkrCH

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) October 8, 2020

Now, I could go on and on about how absolutely insane everything is right now. How our “president” is an unhinged racist, sexist, corrupt lunatic roid-raging out about arresting his political enemies and undermining our entire democratic process in front of the whole damn nation while simultaneously doing his best to spread a deadly virus to as many people as possible. Or how we should not, repeat should abso-fucking-lutely not trust the word of anyone in this administration on Trump’s health or – as we can all clearly see – his obvious lack thereof.

But instead I want to remind everyone that Straight Bette Porter is real, and she is going to make an extraordinary Vice President. Honestly, I feel like she is doing it on purpose at this point.

The one good thing that happened this week is our mail-in-ballots arrived. Our vote is truly the only thing that can redeem 2020. Well, that and more of the Harris family having absolutely no fucks to give when it comes to this monstrous excuse for a man in the White House and every last one of his pathetic toadies. Happy safe, healthy and righteous weekend, all.

SORRY I HAD TO pic.twitter.com/U48L51mJSk

— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) October 8, 2020

De Plane Boss

Can’t wait to see @KamalaHarris walk on that debate stage pic.twitter.com/HPIN63UXeX

— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) October 6, 2020

Sorry, I got distracted because like a decade's worth of news happened in like 48 hours and my brain was still trying to comprehend the utter moronic recklessness of it all. But what I do know is while I still have grave concerns about the safety of this debate given how the entire Trump Administration is a superspreader, I cannot wait to see Straight Bette Porter clean Mike Pence's Evangelical ass. And, you gotta admit, Kamala deplanes better than anyone else. Even the real Bette Porter.

Mask Up, Ladies

Never mind women in tank tops. These days, women properly wearing face masks in public is my new sexuality. After seeing how amazing Cate Blanchett looks in a face mask to prevent the spread of coronavirus, I thought I’d share the love. Because, and I cannot stress this point enough, all women look amazing in face masks. Why? Well, wearing a face mask means 1) you believe in science, 2) you care about other people, and 3) you aren’t an enormous asshole – at least not on the issue of spreading a potentially deadly and debilitating highly communicable respiratory illness.

I know, it seems absolutely insane that six months into a global pandemic we still have to try (largely in vain) to get more people to wear face masks. Like they’re mandated in my state (as they should be across the county) yet compliance is still hit-and-miss. But the very same people screaming about their “FREEDOMS!” are the people who keep telling Black Americans they won’t get shot by police if only they comply. But ask them to comply by putting a piece of cloth over their big, stupid mouth and nose to keep those around them healthy and you’d think we rolled the Constitution into a blunt and started smoking it in front of their faces.

Anyway. Long story short, be like Charlize, wear a damn mask. And, while you’re at it, wash your hands and fill out your Census.

Charlize Theron

I have every confidence if Charlize/Furiosa/Andy ran across you not wearing a mask, they would 100 percent kick your ass.

Janelle Monae

Giving out food to those in need and accessorizing with a hat. She can do it all.

Tilda Swinton

Masks, for humans and space aliens.

Jennifer Lopez

Ageless, flawless, but definitely not maskless. Bonus points for the tank top on a Tuesday, too.

Lady Gaga

Honestly not sure if this mask is medically sound, but it sure is hard to miss.

Naomi Osaka

Wearing the names of Black women and men killed by police on your way to winning her second U.S. Open championish is, what the kids today call, a whole mood. A very, very good mood.

Chrissy Teigen

A mask plus three pizzas? Who says the perfect human being does not exist?

Hillary Clinton

We probably wouldn’t even still have to be wearing masks if the stupid Electoral College didn’t exist.

Kamala Harris

A mask, a blazer and some Chucks. Now that’s my Vice President Straight Bette Porter.