Cartoon: Letter of the Law

Since I'm not drawing weekly cartoons anymore, I thought I'd occasionally post some Boiling Point Classics. Kicking it off with a 2003 cartoon above on Don't Ask, Don't Tell that is, happily, no longer relevant. The men's names have no significance, but Willow was my beloved (now deceased) toothless cat. (For more current cartoons on the topic, see the work of my pal Matt Bors).

As for new material, I'll have links to the Spanish-language cartoons on LGBT issues and immigrant rights I did for Lambda Legal's "Fair Courts Matter!" campaign as soon as they're available. (You can download the original English-language guide here, but the Spanish version has additional all-new cartoons).

Back in the political cartooning game! (sort of)

Hey readers, it's been a while, but ... I'm actually drawing cartoons again! Keep your eyes peeled for a few new pieces for Lambda Legal's Life Without Fair Courts Project. They'll be on immigrant rights, and available in both English and Spanish.

And I still haven't been able to fix my old blog feed. Some day I'll have time to do that...

P.S. Here's a random bonus photo of Cartoonist Baby, aka Baby Z... in a hoodie I sewed for her adorned with Masheka's doodles:

Note her natural faux-hawk (or fro-hawk, really)--she's totally punk rock.

Cartoon: Screw Blue

Click to enlarge

Yes, I'm playing cartoon catchup again--this one ran over a week ago in print. I must admit I've been a bit busy preparing for the arrival of the Cartoonist SuperBaby (as in, Masheka and I are both artists and packrats, and we have to get rid of over 1/3 of our earthly posessions and furniture to make room)...

Cartoons on Haiti coming this week of course.

By the way, you may remember this nameless couple--they've appeared a few times over the last year or so, starting with the election. Maybe at some point they'll get actual names.

Cartoon: Leave Caster Semenya Alone!

Click to enlarge

Seriously, screw gender testing, and screw those IAAF jerks telling this world champion runner she's not a real woman. The only reason she was tested was because she didn't match some visual standard of European femininity. I'm not sure how much to trust the media on any of this, but I read reports today that she is "shattered" by the humiliation of the gender testing and possibly on suicide watch.

More reading and background on this:

• "An Intersex Perspective on Caster Semenya"
  
• Feministe: "Caster Semenya Case Opening Old Wounds"
  
• Feministe: Essentialism, gender and Caster Semenya
  
• The Root: "Caster Semenya's Race and Sex Struggle
  
• Feministing: South African Runner's Makeover
  

(Thanks to the Transadvocate feed for many of these links).

Senator Kennedy, Hero of LGBT Rights!

Click to enlarge

I did this front-cover tribute illustration for Bay Windows' special Kennedy tribute issue. The idea was Kennedy as an LGBT rights hero, so I looked to vintage superhero comic book covers for inspiration:

The editors tell me the reaction to the cover was so positive they're framing it and sending it to the Kennedy family.

And here's the final cover with logo on top:

Mark Fiore: "Obama vs. Obama"

Great Flash animation by Mark Fiore, "Obama vs. Obama."

Toon: Barack Obama, Fierce Advocate of LGBT Rights!

Click to enlarge

Disappointed, yes. Surprised? Not really.

For more angry venting, you must watch and/or read the bad-ass speech my pal Jaclyn Friedman gave at the Boston Dyke March on this topic. A sampling:

That Presidential Proclamation? It would sure sound sweeter if it were backed up by actual action to end discrimination against gay, lesbian, bi and trans Americans willing to DIE in service of our country's military whims. And it would be more than a little helpful if Obama would stop caving to the religious right and start condemning marriage discrimination, instead of defending it like he did today.

Of course, marriage rights themselves would be a lot less important if quality, competent health care was available to every person in this country regardless of marital status, income, age, race, sexual orientation or gender identity. But who needs universal health care when you've got a shiny proclamation that proves the president knows we exist? He likes us! He really likes us.

Even the HRC is getting feisty about Obama's odd—Clintonian, even!—interpretation of "fierce advocacy."

P.S. Rachel Maddow is so rocking this topic:

Maybes: APE in San Francisco this year; new LGBT cartoon collection

Masheka and I may go to APE (Alternative Press Expo) on October 17-18 in San Francisco this year. If we do, I plan to put together a collection of my LGBT-themed political cartoons (which I've been meaning to do anyway).

"Free speech" doesn't equal "free from criticism and consequence"

Great post by Barry (which he calls "horribly earnest") about the bigoted radio DJs who called for violence against transgender kids.

My only small quibble is that I don't see why we have to support the pencil manufacturer if we don't like his/her views (why couldn't we buy pencils from someone we like better?) See my cartoon "Victims of Gay Rage" for more on this.

Toon: The HETEROmance Wedding Package

Click to enlarge

A Tasteful New Tradition for Old-Fashioned Couples!

Inspired by this ridiculous photograph of a couple getting married as part of an anti-gay protest. Can you imagine this couple showing their grandkids the wedding album thirty or forty years from now? "Grandpa, how come you were against equality?"

Some questions about this photo:

• Why are these bigots so damn happy? Does it really give them that much joy to be joined together in matrimony as part of a "screw you" to same-sex couples?
• Why did the NYTimes caption this picture "A protest on Wednesday over the Washington City Council’s vote to recognize same-sex marriages from other states included a traditional wedding ceremony" (emphasis mine)? What part of any traditional wedding ceremony involves gay-bashing signage? That totally wasn't in the wedding planning manual I used...

New Hampshire! (almost)

New England's still on a winning streak for marriage equality. Rhode Island might be a while yet, though.

The National Organization for Marriage’s “Rainbow Coalition”!

Click to enlarge

Drew this after those ridiculous NOM ads first popped up on YouTube.

The actual quote I'm referencing from NOM's ridiculous gay-bashing "Storm is Coming" ad: "But we have hope...a rainbow coalition of people of every creed and color are coming together in love to protect marriage."

Marriage Equality in Maine!

New England keeps getting more awesome!

Angie Zapata's killer found guilty

Justice won't bring her back, but it's better than nothing. Thanks to reader Brenda Ann for the link.

P.S. Much more coverage from Autumn Sandeen of Pam's House Blend.

Colbert's Big Gay Storm Ad

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Colbert Coalition's Anti-Gay Marriage Ad
colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor NASA Name Contest

If you haven't already seen it...

Amazon reclassifies LGBT & other books as "adult"

WTF is up with Amazon hiding/unranking LGBT and feminist books as "adult" today? I learned about it via Twitter #amazonfail while in the midst of framing the BattleStar Galactica propaganda poster ("Mechanics! ... Those Vipers Won't Fix Themselves!") I got for Chanukah/Christmas last year.

According to one tweet I saw, affected books included such titles as The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk.

Now I am just going to sit here and be embarrassed at how often I have shopped on Amazon.

Toon: The Friend of My Friend is... (On Transphobia)

Click to enlarge

This cartoon has been brewing in my head for a while--it really depresses/irks me that in 2009, there are still numerous people in feminist and queer circles who actually think it is acceptable--even REASONABLE or RIGHTEOUS or FEMINIST--to be transphobic or to "debate" the inclusion of transgender and other gender non-conforming folks in LGBT and women's spaces.

Equality is SO not up for debate, sorry! It's one thing if someone genuinely is a bit confused on proper respectful gender terminology or genuinely doesn't know much about gender identity or transgender issues--it's another if someone has had ample opportunity over a long period of time to ditch their bigotry and emphatically chooses not to.

Anyway, the actual final cartoon came together after a fantastic panel at the WAM 2009 conference, "In/Out of Focus: Gender, Non-conformity and the Media," featuring Jack (Angry Brown Butch), Julia Serano (Whipping Girl), Miriam (Feministing) and Kate Bovitch. I asked the panelists what their opinion was on non-transphobic feminists/activists who continued to be close with transphobic feminists/activists, etc.

Julia Serano's take (and I apologize if I misquote, since this is based on scribbled notes) was that while some people are willing to listen, at this point it's clear that some people just aren't--which is just ridiculous in this day and age. "In 2009 there are very few feminists and LGB folks who haven't been exposed to trans people." Still, "a lot of times there's a lack of calling out. They want to give feminist friends the benefit of the doubt."

But "there needs to a shift from 10 years ago. People should know better."

Jack commented that this has all happened before, and gave the history of the exclusion of queer women from the feminist movement as an example.

And then my handwriting degenerated into illegible scribbles. Still, you get the idea. I'm reading Whipping Girl now and it's fantastic.

Toon: Apocalypse Iowa!

Click to enlarge

Even the happiest heterosexual homes will not survive the unstoppable juggernaut of... LEGAL GAY MARRIAGE!

Obviously I drew this before Vermont joined the equality party--they'll get their own cartoon next week. (Maybe something about how it's a short slippery slope to the evils of man/maple-syrup marriage!? But seriously...)

Hurrah for Vermont!

The good news just keeps rolling in!

Hurrah for Iowa!

So Massachusetts, Connecticut—and, now, Iowa!—are officially the three coolest states in the union. I'm totally embarrassed for New York. Aren't we supposed to be, like, trendsetters or something? Lucky for me I'm really from Massachusetts. From Bay Windows:

The state supreme courts in New York, Maryland, and Washington State have ruled that laws banning gay marriage are rational even though the states’ reasons wouldn’t pass many people’s laugh test. New York, for instance, said banning gay marriage provided an inducement for straight people to marry. Washington said it "furthers procreation" among straights.

So banning gay marriage puts straight people in the mood? Like a fancy over-priced homophobic perfume?