When will then be now?

Gay rights is something that I probably have no business writing about, not just because i'm not gay, but mainly because although I support G&L rights i'm not super-informed about legislation or the history of the movement. All I know is that it's ridiculous to think that gay marriage somehow threatens heterosexual marriage in a country where divorce is booming (slight less boom now that money is tight, but that says even more about marriage doesn't it?). Like some people are born careful and studious, while others are crazy and reckless - some people are born gay. They should have the same rights as everyone else; full stop; end of story.

The title of this entry references Spaceballs for everyone who isn't a pop culture wiz. There will come a time when we look back and realize how impossibly backwards we were at this point in history, and question ourselves like we do about slavery, segregation, women's rights and so on. Sadly, I have asked myself, "when will then be now?" quite often these days (and not just when i talk about leaving work or going on vacation).

I'm choosing this topic to talk about because my friend Lisa sent me an awesome article about gay marriage in South Africa you can view HERE from the NY Times Magazine. I found it especially wonderful because the marriage officer makes it a completely normal government process by complaining about the paperwork and giving you a list of conditions. Then they judge you on whether your gay wedding has enough pizazz by letting you know, "You have full rights in this new South Africa. You have the right to make a fuss." Hey, if you got it, flaunt it right?

The second reason for choosing this topic is Mashable's Twitter "Are your Tweets Straight or Gay?" status posted this afternoon leading to an article about the largest Scandanavian pride festival - Stockholm pride. The application that ties gay pride with your twitter apparently goes through all of your updates and then determines how gay or straight your words make you appear.

How Hetero?

I came out 76% hetero which is a pretty good estimation I think - I'm pretty unemotional and slightly tomboy-ish. I then tried some people I know to be gay (friends and random celebs) and most of them were more hetero than gay, which causes me to question this whole thing. Does being gay affect the words one chooses to use and is one conscious of these choices? Interesting thoughts...