Late Night: Videos and Valentines

From authentichistory.com. Click to visit.

So this was going to be a late night rant and link dump on the armageddon that’s been unleashed on women’s civil rights, but I had to put that on tap for later this week–stay tuned for that. Tonight’s late night open thread is just going to be a place to share some “on the bright side of the dark side” takes on all the current events going on. All you late nighters and early morning peeps and anyone catching up during the day, feel free to add your own stuff in the comments.

I’ll start with the vids and then end with the XOXO.

First up, from Jon Stewart and the funny guys and gals at the Daily Show (h/t Dakinikat):

Kristen Schaal doesn’t think hard-earned tax dollars should go to women who have only been rape-ished.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Next, Fox News vs. Amsterdam (h/t Sima):

This one is my offering… from Funny or Die and Sendhil Ramamurthy:

The revolution in Egypt has taken to Facebook and there they will find their new leader.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

And, fyi, I think the Egyptian protests are much bigger than just being a social media get-together. I don’t think “We are all Khaled Said” is merely a “facebook page.” The Egyptian protesters have my solidarity all the way–what they are doing is endlessly awe-inspiring. But, I also think the parody above is comedy gold as far as skewering the news and the times we live in goes. I haven’t seen The Social Network (don’t really have any desire to) so I may be off-base, but Sendhil’s spoof seems a cross between that movie and the Egypt developments somehow. There’s another video on FOD of Mubarak apologizing to Chicago’s “It’s Hard to Say I’m Sorry.” You can click on it to watch it. It actually ended up kind of depressing me with the ending, so I didn’t bother snagging the embed to my vodpod account.

Here’s one I saw circulating on twitter — “5 Year Old Child Leads Revolution in Egypt!”:

And, on a hunch, I did a quick youtube search for “girl leads egyptian revolution” and found two hits straight away:

Ok, now for the Valentines…

First, from Mona Eltahawy’s twitter yesterday:

I don’t do Valentine’s Day. Making exception: my heart goes 2 #Egyptian women & men of revolution: u make me more alive than ever! #Jan25

And, from a GetEqual e-mail I got today:

Subject: This is our lunch counter moment

In 1960, four freshmen from the North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College in Greensboro, NC, sat down at a Woolworth lunch counter and created one of the most iconic images of the civil rights movement. It took six months, but these brave young men and the activists who joined them brought to light just one of the clear markers of discrimination that African-American women and men experienced throughout the United States.

And, 51 years later, we respectfully and humbly are trying to follow their lead.

Across this country, LGBT Americans who wish to marry their partners are refused that right. Thankfully, there are heroes among us who have been taking action on marriage equality in creative ways for decades — and, this year, GetEQUAL is partnering with Marriage Equality USA to go directly to just one of the sources of government-sanctioned discrimination to take action at marriage counters across the country on February 14…Valentine’s Day!

Take action with GetEQUAL and Marriage Equality USA on Valentine’s Day: www.requestmarriage.com

What lengths would you go to in order to get married or to fight for the freedom to marry for those you care about? Would you take a few hours of your time to turn out for one of the events being organized next week? Read these amazing and heartbreaking stories of those called to action:

– Ed and Scott: From their home in the inequality state of Missouri, Ed and Scott organize periodic bus trips to Iowa, where marriage equality is currently the law of the land. They’re taking another trip next week for Valentine’s Day, which will bring their marriage total to 100 couples! [1]

– Brian and Anton: Doing all they can to turn a tragic story around, Brian and Anton are fighting for their relationship. Anton is scheduled to be deported to Indonesia on Valentine’s Day — a country that is hostile to LGBT citizens and where Brian cannot follow him. [2]

– Mark and Dante: Mark (a GetEQUAL board member) and his now-husband Dante wanted to get married, but didn’t want to have to leave their home state of Texas to do so. Through the magic of the internet, Mark and Dante celebrated their marriage with friends and family in Dallas, while their officiant had her feet firmly planted in Washington, DC, where marriage equality is alive and well!

– Gina and Katie: Over the course of the past four years, Gina and Katie have maintained a long-distance relationship between the U.S. and the U.K. because same-sex bi-national couples are not extended the same rights as heterosexual couples. As the daughter of a bi-racial couple, as a child Gina’s family was forced to move across the country when her parents relationship was also not recognized by their government. Now Gina is taking action in an effort to avoid having to leave her job, family, friends, and everything she knows in order to be with the person she loves.

While our lives remain a political football, and the President continues to “struggle” with his views on the validity of our relationships, these equality heroes are doing everything they can to own their equality as they help bring a little more love into the world.

Take action with GetEQUAL and Marriage Equality USA on Valentine’s Day: www.requestmarriage.com

We can’t expect the lunch counters of the past to speak for the marriage counters of the present — it is our responsibility to highlight the urgent injustice of being treated less than equal. Many will tell us that we should just be patient — but we believe that love trumps patience. Will you join us in taking action?

Get Out! Get Active! GetEQUAL!

Robin McGehee, Director

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[1] Watch Ed and Scott’s film of their work at www.heartlandtransportthemovie.com/watch, and help fundraise for next week’s Valentine’s Day trip at www.showmenohate.com.

[2] Help Brian and Anton in their last-ditch effort for Anton to stay in the country at http://bit.ly/hBmbob.

Ta-da! What pick-me-ups do you have to share? Leave a comment and spread some cheer.