Posts by Emma Hart

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  • Up Front: Card on the Table,

    I have another whine. The more I think about Bakshi's speech, the angrier I get. And I called him an arsehole on the night:

    Now, he's just a reasonable guy, who believes in equality. And if we'd just managed to make a good enough case, and bring a reasoned argument to the table instead of all our over-emotional whining and crying, he'd have changed his mind. But we just didn't.

    Location of the 'burden of proof' aside, here's my issue. He, like a few other opponents, say that if civil unions aren't equal, that should be fixed through the civil union legislation. And what I'd like to ask those people is this: HOW?

    What changes would you make to the civil union legislation that would make separate actually equal? What could you legislate that would make foreign governments recognise my civil union? More than that, what piece of legislation would make our families recognise a civil union as a proper commitment, equivalent of a marriage? I sat two feet from this guy and told him this, gave him my first-hand experience of how my relationship status has been treated as second-class. This is his response. I cannot convey how deeply disgusted I am.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table, in reply to linger,

    Good result; very happy to have been wrong about the scheduling.
    Meanwhile, I/S obliges with a list of who changed their votes:

    Cheers, linger, that's saved me some time this morning. And yeah, Speaker let them run long and have the third vote after 10pm. Possibly to save a riot in the public gallery.

    Auchinvole was also pretty impressive at the time of the passing of the CERA legislation.

    I am full of respect for the guy. And at the select committee, he was full of respect and genuine interest for me. He was more disgusted by CDHB not having a tick-box for 'civil union' than I was, I think. Here's his speech from last night:

    I think it's well worth watching.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table,

    Okay. Second reading has passed 77 - 44. First reading passed 80 - 40 with one abstention. So that's a shift of four votes. Which isn't too bad, really, and pretty much guarantees this is going to pass, but I'd still like to know who those four people were.

    My (liberal bubble) Twitter feed agrees that the winner of the night was Chris Auchinvole, who hugely impressed me on the select committee.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table, in reply to linger,

    Yes, this is quite possible, and a bit of a shit. But. Debate is underway now on Parliament TV. Listener Live and gaynz have live blogs.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table, in reply to Sj,

    Hey Sj. Discussion on the Pistorius Time cover is here.

    And. In case people are unaware, the second reading of the Marriage Equality bill is scheduled for tonight. I've heard anywhere from 7-8:30: like last time this'll firm up as we get closer, and I'll update here for those people not on Twitter.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Capture: Great Southern Land, in reply to Hebe,

    It captures the feeling like nothing else I have seen.

    Yes, seriously, I cannot recommend this enough for conveying the atmosphere of now, here.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    He's also a producer. And if this rates really well? There are all those other Ender books still to go.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table,

    So I have a question. Would Ender's Game be more acceptable if OSC was dead and not activity spewing his bile?

    If he was dead we could dismiss his views as being a product of history, of course we can dismiss his views as being a product of his location now.

    Does it become easier to view the art as separate from the artist over time?

    I think it does, tbh. For a start, you don't have to worry so much about the direct income stream. I mean, I'm a little surprised it hasn't come up yet, but if the point where you get uneasy with him is the money, you can consume his art without giving him money. Get his books from the library or buy them second-hand.

    However. Unlike Renaissance dramatists or (arguably) Heinlein, Card's views aren't typical of his time. You could argue, yes, that they are typical of his religion, that they're a product of his upbringing as a Mormon, as the great-great grandson of Bringham Young.

    But Card is still different. He's the only Mormon who's a Director of NOM. Other Mormons do not feel the compulsion to take the active hand that Card does. So yeah, no matter how much time goes by, Card is still too outstanding for me to excuse. I think. I mean, obviously speculating.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table, in reply to TracyMac,

    So maybe in terms of population proportions, geeks have greater queer acceptance compared to the general population, but there are still plenty who have issues.

    This. Also, I think that's partly because the geek community is queerer than the general population. (At least, that's my perception. We can't know, because we have no data on the proportion of LGBT people in the population. If only there were some way of gathering that kind of social data... Wait, that's a whole different can of bitching.)

    Also, as Bart says, geek texts are gayer. Not only do they deal with concepts of 'outsiders' a lot, but 'mainstream' geek stuff - Dr Who, Buffy, BSG - have LGBT characters.

    I don't want to in any way suggest that there aren't real problems with eg misogyny in geek culture, or that there aren't geek Jerkwads. But actually, things like the geek idea of masculinity is, I think, way less destructive than that in mainstream culture.

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

  • Up Front: Card on the Table, in reply to Peter Darlington,

    Reading all this makes me so pleased that Philip K Dick was a freak and Iain Banks is a leftie.

    Heh, yeah, the flip side of this is the pleasure you get in finding that an artist whose work you love has a life or politics you can admire. Hence my delight when Joss Whedon did this:

    Christchurch • Since Nov 2006 • 4651 posts Report

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