A new speaker of the House?

[malada]

So the Republicans have united in voting for Mike Johnson - Christian Nationalist, homophobe and election denier - as their new Speaker of the House.

He's about as good a Speaker of the House as a head of lettuce and I hope he doesn't last as long.

For me, it's become personal: because being shoved back into the closet is a short step from being shoved into the gas chamber.

-m

Comments

[acelightning73]

And being shoved back into the broom closet would be unconstitutional, and awkward.

[malada]

Once you've come out as an atheist/pagan, transsexual leather dyke, everything else is easy.

And I'm not waving flags or shouting in bullhorns - I'm just living my life: going to work, playing with computers, not bothering anybody.

I'm not going back.

[acelightning73]

I'm cisgender, heterosexual, and rather butch in my approach to life. But coming out of the broom closet was a bit awkward. When my son got his first car, I taught him basic maintenance and repair techniques (as I had taught them to my husband after we got married).

When I was a kid, I wanted to do stuff boys did - I wanted to get a ham radio license, I wanted to take flying lesson, I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up. But i got told that womens' brains weren't capable of understanding science or machinery. Now, this never prompted me to want to turn into a boy. I just wanted to fly a plane! And I managed to get good enough at stuff to be taken seriously. The men of my father's generation who were the engineers I worked with at WOR, WNBC, United Nations Radio, would mutter among themselves - "that girl engineer is pretty damn good at the job". And Long John Nebel used to pay for my CHinese takeout for lunch sometimes. And Don Imus was skeptical about my skill; one day in the production studio he wanted to record a big razzle-dazzle intro to walk out on stage at some benefit concert. He started shouting into the intercom what he wanted me to do. I tried to reply, but the interom button at the engineer's position wasn't working. He said, "DUmb bitch, don't you know how to use the fucking machinery?" I walked slowly over to the producer's side of the desk, and pressed THAT button. "Keep your pants on, toilet mouth, we'll do it when I'm damn good and ready." Yes, I'm the girl engineer who called Don Imus toilet-mouth to his face, and lived to tell about it!

[malada]

Damn girl, you're awesome.

Hope you get the chance to fly that plane.

-m

[acelightning73]

Since I had a mild stroke a few years ago, I can't even drive a car. But my 100th birthday, in 2047, I intend to have a big party - preferably in an orbiting hotel, or in Luna City if posssible. If those aren't built yet, there are plenty of great places to party in NYC. And you're invited, of course!

And thanks. I'm glad to have been one of the first in the business. I've just always been good with machinery, and nobody expects that from a woman. My dad didn't see any reason not to teach me any useful skill he could. (And he had the same kind of mystical rapport with machinery. My son didn't inherit all of it, but I taught him the physical skills.) The more of us there are who visibly disprove "Oh, GIRLS can't do THAT!" the more there will be (I'm lookin at you, Kamala Harris)

[malada]

If I get to 2047 I'll be glad to attend! I'll only be 92!

And yeah, I'm still waiting for my moonbase and my orbital city. I've got a double sided Sky Lab poster I should get framed.

-m

[acelightning73]

I worked for Grumman Aircraft on Long Island while they were building the Lunar Modules. I had once had a chance to sit in the pilot's seat of one of the landers as it was being assembled. So something of me did make that trip to space. Every Grumman employee received a pin-on badge, just a plain bright green circle. There was a light on the control panel of the lander that would light up a big round green light when there was weight on all four landing pads. I still have that button.