Meeting Places and Romance
Out of It: The Proposal, Hook-Ups, Dating Apps,Virginity and Sexual Mores
Rose Madeline Mula writes: Within an hour, a slate of ten contestants on The Proposal is quickly winnowed down to one, who then becomes engaged to a mystery man or woman, who has been hidden behind a pod until the end. Before the climactic engagement, the couple has spent a total of less than five minutes or so talking to each other. What’s next? A program where a marriage of strangers will be consummated, on camera, before the first commercial break?And I really don’t understand apps like Tinder that enable guys and gals to dial up an immediate “hook-up” with an unknown partner as easily as ordering delivery of a pizza. more »
Jo Freeman's Marching for Immigrants – Again; With the Theme of 'We Care'
Jo Freeman writes: Once inside [the Hart Office Building] women occupied a central atrium and intentionally disturbed the peace. The US Capitol Police said that they arrested 575, though some reports said there were over 600. After about ten percent of the women had been arrested, several Democratic Members of Congress came to greet the women. These included Sen. Ed Markey, Kirsten Gillibrand and Tammy Duckworth. Sen. Gillibrand sat down and linked arms with the protestors. Sen. Duckworth rolled in with her new daughter in her lap. Rep. Pramila Jayapal sat down and was arrested with the other women. Sen. Elizabeth Warren waved to them from an upper floor. more »
Masterpiece Theater: Man In An Orange Shirt
Man in an Orange Shirt was commissioned by the BBC and premiered in the UK for its “Gay Britannia” season, celebrating the 50th anniversary of partial decriminalization of gay sex with the 1967 Sexual Offences Act. Prior to the 1967 ruling, the arrest and imprisonment of gay men brutally destroyed lives. Though the 1967 act was far from ideal, decriminalizing only homosexual acts done in private, it paved the way for people to organize as activists for meaningful rights and change, such as the 1976 London protest by supporters of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality more »
Elaine Soloway's Rookie Transplant: Sleeping Around; YMCA: Then, Now; How to Fight
During our 30-year-marriage, the two of us constructed a wall. Tiff-by-tiff, the bricks grew taller and more impenetrable with each year, until it toppled in divorce. My second marriage was a pleasure cruise. We sailed along watching the same TV programs, walking our dog, taking occasional vacations — and on the rare instances we argued, it was always Tommy who said, "Let's not be mad at each other. Let's talk about it." A few words, maybe a tear from each of us, hugs, and then it was over. more »