Reaching Out

I have a TON of links for you this weekend, dear readers!

First, a great deal of abuse has been hurled at Lou Jing, a Shanghai girl who participated in a reality show, Let's Go! Oriental Angels -- because she is half-black and it shows. ChinaGeeks (which I think I'll have to add to my blogroll) has a discussion on the appalling racism Lou Jing faced. Here is a video interview with Lou Jing. Thank goodness for transcripts. (h/t jolantru for tweeting)

Harper's "Canada Has No History of Colonialism" Fail
Recently, at the G20 summit, Canadian PM Stephen Harper went on record talking about how wonderful Canada is, how other countries would like to be Canada, and also, Canada "has no history of colonialism". D: Whut? Canada's history is based on colonialism. Shit, some Canadian institutions still run on old colonial practices. Click for the Racialicious open thread on this fail.

"Straight Allies Bitching about Oppression of New Lambda Awards Restrictions" Fail
Yes, there is an award given out for fiction featuring GLBTQ characters and issues. I never knew this until recently. Anyway, restrictions were suddenly imposed on this year's Lamba Literary Foundation award - only authours identifying as GLBTQ could win them. Now, this came somewhere in the middle of the whole thing so understandably, it was upsetting. But how upsetting is this to straight "allies"? Upsetting enough to compare the new restrictions to lynching, segregation, hate crimes, et al. Here's a further explanation on why this kerfuffle is made of Fail. For further reactions, please check out this linkspam

The "Free Roman Polanski" Fail
Surely you must have heard about this by now, but allow me to summarize for those who haven't. In 1977, Roman Polanski, famous Hollywood director, during the filming of Chinatown, asked a 13-year-old girl to come over to a friend's house for a photoshoot. During which time, he plied her with champagne, fed her a quaalude, then proceeded to rape her over her protestations. He was arrested, pled guilty to the charges of rape, spent 40-odd days in jail, and then fled America before he was sentenced. Due to stupid international laws regarding criminals and stuff, he couldn't be arrested in France where he's been in all this while. Recently, at a film festival in Switzerland - one country which said would extridite him if he got there - he was arrested. Huge outcry followed, with a lot of Fail, with some nonsensical bullshit defending Polanski like Whoopi Goldberg's "it's rape, but it's not rape-rape." (This, in particular, burned, because I'm a huge fan of Goldberg's. A petition to free Polanski was drawn up with big-name Hollywood actors signing it.

So, here're transcripts from the 1977 guilty plea, Polanski's own reaction over the media circus surrounding his arrest, which clearly demonstrates his lack of remorse, and a link to Google Books on further lack of remorse from Polanski.

Here's an editorial on the whole affair. Melissa McEwan nicely encapsulates the whole things at Comment Is Free on why the outcry from Hollywood is telling of the rape culture perpetuated. Kate Harding has a reminder for them: Polanski raped a child. There was a movie-documentary made about Polanski's arrest, which has been pointed out to be unashamed rape apologia. One of the lawyers interviewd for the movie has admitted to lying on camera. His reason? He was told it would air in France, not America. Polanski also had promised to pay $500k to his victim in a 1993 settlement, but never did.

The response has been RAEG-ful: here is a list of people who have signed the petition to free Polanski. Names included: Natalie Portman, Tilda Swinton, Whoopi Goldberg, Monica Belucci, Terry Gilliam, Guillermo del Toro. Here's a link listing people who're on record saying they don't support Polanski. Their awesome names include: Luc Besson, Neil Gaiman, Lisa Kudrow, Bill Maher (wtf?) and Jay Smooth. And of course, Eve Ensler. Chris Rock, as misogynistic as some of his acts can be, can still be coherent about the fact that this act was rape. Filmmaker Allison Anders, who I'd never heard of until now, has a guest-post on how art is not enough to justify Polanski's crime.

From the blogosphere? little light has a little puzzle activity time over at Feministe for people unconvinced that Polanski should be charged for rape. Lauren tackles the "GET OVER IT" sentiment - namely, how we can't "just get over it". Jennifer Kesler of the Hathor Legacy reminds is that the point of this trial is to judge his actions, not whether he was an amazing artist. She also has something to say about the "it's rape, but not rape-rape" nonsense. Talullah Mankiller tackles Roman Polanski's claim that his victim looked older than she was (but he knew she was still 13, just a couple of weeks away from 14, as if that makes a difference, and still raped her anyway).

When the victim came out saying she wanted to put it to rest, all of Polanski's defenders started co-opting her words. Melissa McEwan points out, his defenders are pretending to give a shit about the victim when all they want to do is protect the rapist. Finally, an article from Kate Harding comparing the reactions to Dakota Fanning's involvement in a rape scene in the movie Hounddog, for which she, her parents and the filmmaker were shamed for depicting a young girl on the big screen in a sexual assault scene -- and how suddenly, when Polanski actually, physically raped a child, everyone comes to Polanski's defense:

In many cases, there's overlap between two of the most common defenses of him: "He only pled guilty to sex with a minor, not non-consensual sex," and "We should listen to what the victim says -- she doesn't want him prosecuted!" We should listen to what the victim says now, as a 45-year-old woman, when it fits with the narrative that Polanski's already suffered enough and shouldn't endure further indignities. But what about listening to what the victim said then, at 13? What about listening to her testimony that she said no, that she asked him to stop, as he raped her orally, vaginally and anally? Some people are making very curious arguments about when, exactly, it's important to listen to the victim.

And when I consider that alongside people's refusal to listen to what Dakota Fanning said at 13 about her decision to play the lead in "Hounddog," her reasons for doing it, her distinct lack of traumatization, and her pride in providing a voice for actual victims, I can only conclude that as a society, we're just not much interested in listening to 13-year-old girls' thoughts on what they do with their own bodies, and what's done to them.

It really rings true, what Melissa McEwan wrote and I'll paraphrase here: there's only one Roman Polanski, and thirteen-year-old girls are a dime a dozen.

You might, too.

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Two months after the foster child came to live in Wayne LaRue Smith's two-story Key West home, the brown-eyed 5-year-old boy looked up from the kitchen table and, in a plaintive voice, asked what seemed a simple question.

``Will you be my daddy?''

At first, Smith, a foster father who has cared for 33 children in state custody, could not say yes.

Smith, who is openly gay, could raise other people's children. But in Florida, the only state that outright bans all gay people from adopting, he could never adopt a child of his own.

Until now.

.........

''Chief among the interests served by Florida's adoption law is the best interest of Florida children,'' Assistant Attorney General Valerie J. Martin has written. ``Can it be seriously contended that an arguably rational basis does not exist for placing adoptive children in the mainstream of American family life?''

The state did not defend the ban, however, in Audlin's court.

In a strongly worded 67-page order signed Aug. 29, Audlin wrote that Florida's 1977 gay adoption ban arose out of ''unveiled expressions of bigotry'' when the state was experiencing a severe backlash to demands for civil rights by gay people in Miami.

''Disqualifying every gay Floridian from raising a family, enjoying grandchildren or carrying on the family name, based on nothing more than lawful sexual conduct, while assuring child abusers, terrorists, drug dealers, rapists and murderers at least individualized consideration,'' Audlin wrote, was so ''disproportionately severe'' that it violates the state and U.S. constitutions.

...

Smith and Skahen were, in most respects, model foster parents, state records showed.

''The applicant is seen as nurturing, stable and devoted,'' a social worker's home study concluded. ``As an individual, he is considered to hold high moral character and is known to be gentle and patient.''

...

Smith and Skahen now are raising the 12-year-old boy Smith adopted, and a 10-year-old foster child whom they expect to remain with them until he reaches adulthood. There also are two cats, a dog and two hermit crabs.

The family maintains a strict routine in other areas, as well. Children open their backpacks every afternoon when they come home so the dads can inspect for homework. Homework is done promptly. The family shares dinner every night, no excuses. Quiet time after dinner and before bed. Lights out at 8:30, except on the weekend.

''We were a family going into this,'' Skahen said. ``We're just more of a solidified family now.''

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It's a bit problematic because this decision didn't overturn the ban, but it's something.