Jennifer Knapp Comes Out

Do I hear a who's Jennifer Knapp?  Well maybe no one that you know.  Well, hell, its no one I know either.  So why do I care that she's come out?  I care because she's a Christian.  

From all I've read, Jennifer Knapp is probably as famous as Kelly Clarkson in the evangelical music world.  She is a grammy nominated artist who is also a multiple Dove Award winner (the Dove Awards are the grammys of the Gospel world).  According to the news article, she took a 7 year hiatus during which she underwent a midlife crisis that led her to examine her faith, sexuality and career.   In her interview with the Advocate, she says she dropped out of sight because she was a lesbian.  Today, she announced that her new album and the fact that she's coming out. 

She says this:

"I hope that the defiance does come across as humble.  If there's any frustration, it's trying to politely break the yoke of being asked to be something that I just can't be, and with all humility go: 'Just please be kind when you discover the truth.' It's kinda all you can do."

For people who don't see why this is a big deal, let me tell me now, it is.  Not just for me personally, but quite honestly for the larger Christian community.  According to Reuters, there is no other publicly open lesbian gospel singer.  But more than a being the lone representative in the Christian world, what's more amazing is how she's reconciled her faith with her sexuality.  She's moved from thinking that you HAD to exchange one for the other to seeing that the two really aren't in opposition.  Coming out is in itself an uphill battle, and that's not even taking an entire religious worldview into consideration.  

On Christians who would likely oppose and boycott her music, she says: “I’m quite comfortable to live with parts of myself that don’t make sense to you,” 


I know with all my heart that Jennifer Knapp is not an anomaly.  Faith and sexuality aren't dichotomous or mutually exclusive.  There is little need to throw scripture across the room.  Either side would do this just as well and we all know that.  Let's really keep in mind what's really important - real people in all their real differences, in all their real similarities - real living breathing feeling people.   

Thank you Jennifer Knapp.

Who Cares what a 3 Year Old Wears??

So there's been a tad bit of hype on why Angelina is turning her daughter Shiloh into a boy and well most lesbian media has been abuzz with WTFs.  So I'd thought I'd throw in my 2 cents worth.

So the girl wears boys clothes, carries a sword like the swashbuckling pirate she hopes to be one day, big fat freakin hairy deal.  So I'm going to cast my mind back to when I was a slightly smaller person, maybe when I was about 9 or so.  I remember I was a kid who absolutely hated wearing skirts.  I hated dresses, I hated ribbons.  I hated pink.  Anything representative of femininity in its socially constructed glory.  I like dressing like a boy then too - only jeans, sometimes the occasional bermudas (it was the early 90s) and lots of sneakers.  I remember I even wore a tie once, a ghastly one at that.  So sure I'll admit I was into the whole androgynous thing at one point, after all,  I grew up in an all girls school and well being a girly girl in that situation was totally frowned upon.  The most outstanding and drool-worthy girls in our school were athletes who were out there in the sun running, sweating, yelling - they weren't interested in skirts or dresses.  In fact, if the netball association then didn't require players to wear those culottes, most of them would have never seen the flip side of a skirt for years to come.  

Fast forward to 2010.  Do I wear bermudas still?  Yeah with a nice tank top and flip flops if the weather permits.  Might I add my favorite berms are in cameo colors?  Do I wear skirts and dresses?  Sure if the occasion calls for it.  Do I wear jewelry?  Totally.  I love pretty necklaces, I love wearing make up, I don't wear a lot of skirts/dresses only cos' I think they make me look shorter than I already am, but I wear pink, along with black and any other color,  So no one is interested in my wardrobe I get that.  Point is, who cares what you wore as a kid?  My parents let me wear whatever I wanted to, even that ghastly tie.  I think I turned out ok, some people may beg to differ, but today I'm your regular girl, sometimes girly, sometimes not.  The fact that I wore a tie, and I think it was to a cousin's wedding now that I think about it, might have steered you to imagine me as a some hard core butch with bounded breasts today.  Yew and no.  So just let the kid wear whatever she wants.  God only knows what she's going to turn out to be.  Add to this the fact that I have a girly ex classmate who's well called Andy or something today.  You just don't know and that's the wonder of it all aint it?

No To Rape

I know most people don't think about this much, but marital rape is an important issue.  

I don't personally know anyone who has been raped, within the context of marriage or otherwise.  Rape is rape, regardless whether or not the person suffers from it within the context of holy matrimony or not!  Most people assume marital rape isn't as bad simply because wives already have sexual histories with their husbands.  I seriously beg to differ. Rape by an absolute stranger as traumatic as it is, is likely a one off event, perhaps one that occurred out of sheer chance even and is certainly and surely constituted as rape. Marital rape on the other hand is more likely the result of an abusive relationship and seldom a one off event.  In fact, I think its worse when its done to you by someone you actually know, and maybe even loved.  And like bad icing on a cake, the law doesn't even recognize it as rape.  


There is a website www.notorape.com and they are collecting signatures for a petition to repeal Section 375(4) and Section 376A(5) of the Penal Code.  I've signed it.  Have you?

So Ungrateful

June 16, 2009

Helping foreigners fit in

Grassroots leaders start activities for them to bond with S'poreans ( an excerpt)

By Sue-Ann Chia & Ang Yiying

WITH more new immigrants living in Punggol Central, grassroots leaders in the area have created new activities to help them bond with Singaporeans... Most of the new immigrants are from India, China, the Philippines and Myanmar.  'They are usually very happy to be here and have settled in well,' Mr Chong said. With his trademark grin, he added: 'When you ask Singaporean residents for feedback, they will complain that they have to wait more than 15 minutes for the bus. But when you ask new immigrants, they are happy that the bus comes in under 30 minutes.' Absolutely thankless.  How can people ask or expect for public transportation to be better!  We should be counting our lucky stars if the bus comes in under 30 minutes.  We should hold ourselves to public transportation standards in India, China, the Philippines and Myanmar! We should definitely also start allowing live chickens on board.  Indeed we are on our way up the developed country hierarchy.

Crisis of Credit Explained

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

In Support of Not Smoking

I am not a smoker. Neither is my sweetie. My dad used to be a smoker but more than 10 years ago, he stopped. My brother smokes like a chimney. My mother is also a smoker. She tried quitting last year but found it too difficult. Each cigarette that they puff kills me as much as it kills them because I know that one day, I will all too soon lose them to that little white & brown stick. While I'm not for ostracizing smokers, I do support smoke-free environments. If that seems to you like its an oxymoron, its not. Its a matter of social courtesy. People should smoke in places where its appropriate. I support the its my body, my life arguments, after all its my body and my life too you know. Oh well, I won't get into this argument but I will pledge to support the creation and enjoyment of 100% smoke-free environments.

The Virus of Bigotry

Someone called me a racist the other day. It was a remark made in jest when I declined the offer to have lunch at this new Malay restaurant nearby because I don't quite take to Malay food. I don't take chilli and well, like it or not, Malay food tends to get spicy and hosing my food down and coming back like an overstuffed water balloon isn't exactly what I would describe as a hearty lunch.

Even though I don't quite think he meant it, it shocked me all the same. I have a strange knack for being somewhat aware of society's lack of regard for those different from the majority, be it in the silence that shrouds them or the raucous voice of exclusionary legislation. I have an even great knack for not remaining silent about any of it. I guess it partly stems from the fact that I sometimes find myself on this other end of the continuum where I'm different, and not in a good sorta way, from everyone around me. On other occasions, I purposefully position myself there. I do take pride in my cultivated ability (I say cultivated because it takes a whole lot of learning and un-learning to see this) to be cognizant of this fence of bigotry that so often divides scores of otherwise analogous peoples. So you would see why I would be somewhat abashed at being called a pigheaded despotic red-neck bigoted racist. Okay sure, maybe not in so many words, but that was surely how it rung between my ears. 

But honestly I don't blame him for what he said, because God only knows its true. The virus of bigotry is as fiercely contagious as ten thousand ebola carrying monkeys scrambling through morning traffic and I see evidence of infection when I look at me, yes me. The hearty strains of the bigotry virus are difficult to see but they are there. The virus is strongest when I hear intolerant remarks made against those who are different and do nothing, and say nothing. Makes me feel like shit, but I honestly can't say much being where I am. I try to challenge myself to slay this monster day by day, its not easy, especially where I work (if you knew where I work, you'd understand what I mean). The virus, at least within me, will be purged someday.