This article explores a side of the blues I never knew existed. Apparently there was certain degree of openness about lesbian blues singers when it was indie that I wouldn’t have expected to find in 1920s America (as well as hidden via slang and double-entendre references to lesbianism)

John Waters was on NPR to talk about his new book, Role Models.  In the course of talking to Terry, he mentioned dealing with people with Alzheimer’s.  He asked a friend of his, a nurse who works with Alzheimer’s patients - “People forget who their family is, what they did that day or even five minutes ago.  Do they ever forget if they are gay or straight?”  And the answer was “no”.  He surmised this meant it was built in versus a choice.  Because you could forget a choice you made.  While not perfectly conclusive proof, I think it certainly adds to the idea that it is inborn rather than simply a choice.

Recently I was listening to Fresh Air’s interview with David Weigel.  The occasion was a book he had written about how the Republicans are shifting what their party is about.  Frankly, I’m a bit concerned.  The party seems to be less and less about small government and big business and more and more about courting religious fanatics.  Seriously, a lot of these people sound just as bad as the Mullahs in Iran.  There’s nothing wrong, of course, with courting religious voters.  For some people they don’t care if their government is going to have financial policies that will harm them as long as they try to make abortion illegal again.  But religious fanaticism is wrong whether it’s Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, or any other religion.