YOU CAN'T TRIPLE-STAMP A DOUBLE STAMP!

So are those Llynn Flewelling novels worth it? I feel like some published gay, but the first few pages were actively bad. Reading The Lies of Locke Lamora at the moment which at 12% in holds interest, but the contemporary feel of it gives me hope for canon queerness which I can only assume will be disappointed. Any recs?

While it's wonderful that that couple in Malawi has been pardoned, it's outrageous that after all this time outlets like the BBC -- and I expect the BBC to know better -- are still misgendering Tiwombe Chimbalanga; she's got a gay man, she's a transwoman. More info here.

Interesting article on why the Defense of Marriage Act is doomed.
Like DOMA, the law in Moreno sought to keep federal benefits out of the hands of a group Congress didn’t like, and the Court held that those benefits had to be provided.

C'mon Australia, you can do it too.

Further to the landmark ruling in California, and following Marty Lederman's quick post at Balkinization, I want to repost a little bit of the majority opinion (from page 101):

There is no persuasive basis for applying to statutes that classify persons on the basis of the suspect classification of sexual orientation a standard less rigorous than that applied to statutes that classify on the basis of the suspect classifications of gender, race, or religion. Because sexual orientation, like gender, race, or religion, is a characteristic that frequently has been the basis for biased and improperly stereotypical treatment and that generally bears no relation to an individual’s ability to perform or contribute to society, it is appropriate for courts to evaluate with great care and with considerable skepticism any statute that embodies such a classification.

FUCKING. YES.

Have been in an historical fiction mode recently. Oh my god, not that they're historical fiction, but if you ever see a book of Grimm's Fairy Tales lying around cheap, grab that shit asap. They're just hilarious in the most disturbing way possible and appear to contain no coherent moral philosophy whatsoever, which is refreshing.

TH White's The Once and Future King is marvelous, I would definitely recommend to anyone with the faintest interest in Arthur legends, the Middle Ages, Just War theory, or even that English type of self-deprecating, ironic humour. He can turn a beautiful phrase, too. Don't be discouraged by the Disney movie. I'm really surprised that we didn't read it in the course I did on Medievalism; it's very pomo. But I suppose it lies between Malory and Zimmer Bradley on the radicalness continuum (if you've read either of those but not this, what are you waiting for??????), so maybe that was why. Anyway it's got a rep as a classic for a reason.

So I was reading about it on wikipedia and in a note on other versions of the Arthur Legend I saw that someone had written a novel positing a relationship between Mordred and Lancelot. Being in the "Lancelot is gay as a slightly straight carousel" camp myself, I was intrigued and had a devil of a time tracking down a copy.

It's called Mordred, Bastard Son, by Douglas Clegg, and I must say, avoid at all costs. This is the first book I've had to stop reading after ten or so pages since Eragon (sorry Eragon fans!); the writing manages to be atrocious and boring at once, can you imagine? I was so disappointed!

But luckily immediately afterwards I came across Slow Water, by Annamarie Jagose, a NZ writer. It's set in 1836 and covers the passage from England to Australia, and the relationships that develop on board, especially the one between a clergyman and the third mate. It not being set on a man-of-war I was a little lost at the start (I was like, where are the lieutenants? Why aren't they practicing gunnery?!) but Jagose is quite the genius, she manages to write in an "historical" mode like O'Brian, but, like O'Brian, in a style uniquely her own. It's just gorgeous and simple and subtle and moving.

I highly, highly recommend it to age-of-sail fans, and people who like queer fiction. Australians and New Zealanders I'm sure will also get that antipodeal kick out of it.

Dear Vito Russo,

I love you a lot, but I saw Marathon Man last night, and if that's what you call cutting out the gay, boy, you must be watching with one eye closed.

Love Jessie

PS: It was good but not nearly as good as the book. Plus the first movie I've seen where I had problems with Dustin Hoffman. OTOH, Roy Scheider was very pretty.

PPS: Battlestar Galactica is so the best sci-fi show ever! I am Laura Roslin's bitch. Now if only their queer creds would catch up with their gender and race creds.

Sunday Mail, July 24, 2005:
Actor Kate Hudson has signed on to star opposite Owen Wilson in You, me and Dupree. The comedy focuses on a newlywed couple whose relationship quickly turns sour when the groom's unemployed best man moves in for a brief period and seems to have no intention of leaving.

My god, the wondrousness of it! I am finally beginning to believe: Owen Wilson will never actually star in a straight movie.

Seems like SBS is pretty consistently playing queer movies after Oz on Monday nights. For instance, last week was an absolutely delightful John Hurt (and a surprisingly entertaining Jason Priestly) in Love and Death on Long Island. Tonight at 11 is Summer Storm, a German coming-of-age film that looks interesting.

Meanwhile, Oz has over the last few months been rushing headlong into what I like to call the crack years. When I first started watching Oz I was so blown away by the subject matter I didn't realise how inherently soap opera it was in structure, but from the third season on it becomes increasingly obvious and bizarre. This is probably soap opera 101, but the way I see it, soap operas begin with characters and a closed or limited location. The fun of the soap is watching the characters interact, and to do that you need plot; perhaps because of the limited location or the sheer number of episodes needed to be put out the plot moves incredibly quickly, and because it movies so quickly, it becomes increasingly outlandish. While a lot of the shows I watch have soapy elements (SV anyone?) Oz is the most overtly soapy one I can stomach, probably because it's so (often unintentionally) hilariously done, and then manages to have moments of actual real, powerful poignancy. And of course there's the perv factor.

Ahahahahaha my bitchy review of RotS got picked! I won! Well, with three other people. And, erm, they spelt my name wrong. But I still get a SW graphic novel (any recommendations as to which one to choose, if I get a choice?) and a double pass to see Sin City! So lainy122 and frostmourne, looks like I can go with you to see it after all *is smug*

Another interesting Balkin link, although this is by a guest contributor: Would you cross the street to avoid marrying in a heterosexuals only jurisdiction? The actual op-ed it links to is not all that interesting, and it's all aimed at heteros only of course, but the concept is. I've long thought that I'd never get married because of my various objections to it (namely, legitimating some relationships at the expense of others, and throwing in a whole bunch of rights to seal the deal), and that even if I would get married, I'd never get married till I could marry a girl as well as a boy. But the above is an implication of legalised queer marriage I hadn't thought of.

Just a little quickie (but not really) update. Have been bizarrely busy lately and have barely gotten on the comp at all, woe. And in the next couple of weeks I have three essays due, so I I'm going to get very, very behind, I think.
BUT, check out the cool topics I get to do my essays on:
For Anarchism and Libertarianism: Ursula Le Guin's The Disposessed
For Beauty, Pleasures and Principles: The sublime in the LotR films.
For Politics, Ideology and Discourse: Queer theory and Alexander, and The Persian Boy (well, I haven't really formulated the question for that one yet...). Means I'll have to watch Alexander again, but I can skip all the crappy bits at least and stick to Jared Leto's moony eyes.

Totally to my surprise, I have become a rather large fan of Battlestar Galactica. It's weird for me because generally my key into a TV series is the characters first, and scenario second; the main reason I watch Stargate, for instance, is to see Jack, Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, Hammond, Janet, etc. But BSG I first turned on just to perve on Jamie Bamber and CKR, and none of the characters except Boomer have grabbed me in the way that I'm used to. But the scenario is great, the writing is awesome, the acting just as good. 1.11, Kobol's Last Gleaming pt 1, was one of the best hours of genre TV I've ever seen; the trailer alone blew me away. And one by one, the other characters are getting to me, although I've felt little need to read fic yet. The next season better hurry up! Plus, there are just so many cool women!! It blows me away. Now all we need is a queer character, like, GASP, there are queers in the ENLIGHTENED FUTURE? and this thing'll break some real ground.

Authority: Revolution #9: FUCKING AWESOME!!!!!
Lucifer #62: I am loving this series so much, and I was so happy to see the return of Jayesh and Karl, I have been waiting and waiting for them to pop back up. Yay!

Saw Tori Amos on Monday. I was closer to the stage than I thought I would be, but I still had a lot of trouble seeing her clearly, especially when the light was all green or all blue, and I've had a headache the last few days from straining my eyes. I so need new glasses. The supporting guest was the dude from George, and he actually played Polyserena, which I like a whole lot, and he also covered Black is the Colour of my True Love's Hair. But other than that I could have left him.

Tori herself was so funny and charming and adorable. I almost sort of didn't really believe she existed till I saw her live, she's just that kind of personality. But yeah, she was excellent, so amazingly talented. Her song choices were limited because she had no backing band, but I still thought she could have had more variety, it was mostly her "light" ballads, whcih got a little samey, none of her thumpers (such as Sugar and Professional Widow) and only one arty freakout (like I Can't See New York), which was the Beekeeper, and it was the highlight of the evening, absolutely mesmerising. Actually, that, Original Sinsuality, and Mother Revolution were arguably the best songs of the night, and they're all from her latest which is pretty weak in spots (well, the three songs I've mentioned, plus Marys of the Sea, are the best songs on the album, and they're really excellent, so I suppose it's not so surprising that they were high points).

( setlist, minus a few songs I've forgotten, in an approximate order. * means especially good )