Two Day Magazine

I stumbled upon this video on YouTube today and the timing couldn’t be anymore perfect. I’m sure many of you are aware that North Carolina has now banned gay marriage from the state, thus subjugating the LGBTQ community to a life of second-class citizenship. In case anyone has any confusion, civil unions or domestic partnerships are NOT the same as a legal marriage and do not contain nearly the same amount of privileges and legal rights that a heterosexual couple receives when married by the state.

By: Mia Bencivenga

Being a student of the University of Pittsburgh, you would think that I would know more about the bomb threat investigation that has made national news rather than someone who was not at all affiliated with the University.

Unfortunately, you’d be wrong.

When seeking information about these unsettling threats, I turn to online news sites in order to get information about the investigation.  The University seldom updates us on the progress of the investigation directly.  The only information we are privy to is when the bomb threats happen and where so we know to evacuate.  We also receive the occasional new email about the measures that the University is taking to deal with the problem and to, as they say, ensure our safety.

By: Mia Bencivenga

It’s no secret that transgender people are perhaps the most commonly mocked members of our society.  I believe this because they are terribly misunderstood.

This has been very aptly demonstrated in the recent firestorm over Canadian beauty queen Jenna Talackova’s expulsion from and then re-admittance to the Miss Universe pageant on the grounds that she was not born a female, despite the fact that she knew that at the age of four that she was a girl trapped in a boy’s body, began hormone therapy at the age of 14, and surgically changed her gender four years ago at 19.

Some people are upset she was expelled in the first place, others were upset she was allowed back in.  She was originally expelled for not being a “natural born” woman, but after a little discussion with GLAAD, she was allowed back into the competition.

The very terminology sends people into a tizzy.  What does transgender mean?  What does it entail?  Is she really a woman?  Can a person be both a woman and transgender?  Can we still find her attractive?  Is she really a him because she was born a him?

By: Mia Bencivenga

I, like many other children, was raised Catholic.

For those of you who are not familiar with exactly what that entails, please allow me to sum up our important sacraments.

Shortly after your birth, a priest dunks your head into holy water, thereby cleansing yourself of the “original sin” we are all born with, because Eve had a little bit of an attitude problem with God and went ahead and ate some forbidden fruit.  This is called “Baptism.” 

By: Mia Bencivenga

Marriage.  

In many cultures, it is considered to be a sacred sacrament, one that seemingly binds two people together for an eternity, so that they may worship, procreate, cohabitate, and even decorate as a single collaborative unit.  

Once married, you are in it for better and for worst, richer and poorer, in sickness and in health. You are expected to love your partner unconditionally; accept your partners flaws, even if that means tolerating their gaudy taste in silverware.  

Well, theoretically.

This is a very interesting video. Watch Michele Bachmann as she tries to explain to teenagers that the LGBTQ have the “same civil rights” as heterosexuals because everyone has the right to marry someone of the opposite sex.

And I ask, dear friends...WTF?!

Michigan Senate Republicans passed a bullying bill (which, by the way, had ZERO democratic support) that allows bullying, as long as there is a “religious or moral reason for their actions.”

Meet Tammy. Tammy loves to wear dresses, play with dolls and is a seemingly happy 11-year-old. Tammy also happens to be a boy, whose birth name is Thomas. Thomas was adopted at the age of two and his parents, Pauline and Debra (yes, he has lesbian parents), noticed him identifying as a female from a very young age. At the tender age of seven, Thomas became severely depressed and threatened to mutilate his genitals. It was then he was diagnosed with gender identity disorder.

Another reason the friendly skies aren’t really all that friendly...

I travel a lot. So much so that I believe I have encountered every kind of situation on an airplane. From screaming children to a drunken man trying to fondle the woman next to him, yes, I’ve seen it all. I have seen couples making out, getting down and dirty in their seats; I have seen parents hit their children, scream at their kids, and couples embark on a five-hour long fight aboard a very crowded aircraft. I have never seen, however, a same-sex couple kiss on a plane and now I know why. Apparently, that behavior can get you removed from a flight.

By: Mia Bencivenga

In case you live under a rock, you may or may not have felt the apparent seismic shift that the entire world experienced when ABC announced that Chaz Bono was in fact going to be dancing with a female partner.

By: Mia Bencivenga

Perhaps, out of all of the award shows that exist, the MTV Video Music Awards is one of the more frivolous incarnations.

The fashion is over the top, to say the least.  It is a demented mixture of sequins, garter belts, and cries for attention.  The speeches themselves more or less tend to revolve around so-and-so’s personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  

If there’s anything Jesus wanted when he set out to die for their sins, it was for Lil’ Wayne to win for his music video about those gold-diggin’ hoes. 

Taking “PC” to a new level of insanity...

I don’t know about you, but I am sick and tired of schools not standing up to teens that are being threatened, bullied or harassed. School is a place where you should feel safe, a place where you can secure a higher education and understanding of the world around you. You should not be panicked to attend class for fear of someone calling you a “homo”, “fag”, “slut”, “dyke” or “loser”.

Words hurt. No matter what anyone says, it hurts to hear negative things being said about you and it hurts even worse when those in authority, who are there to protect you, do nothing and stand idly aside all in the name of being “politically correct.”

This disturbs me, as I’m sure it disturbs many of you out there, whether or not you have children.

By: Mia Bencivenga

In my ever present quest for insanity within popular culture to comment on (it’s not a quest so much as I wake up every morning, turn on the news and go “oh, well that works”) I have come across a story that, surprisingly, gives me mixed feelings.

This therapy doesn’t seem homoerotic at all...

So, now we know who is really to blame for homosexuality.

Dads.

Well, more specifically, dads that weren’t very affectionate and loving. Proponents of cuddle conversion (real name) think that the reason men are gay is because of a lack of healthy same-sex affection that they missed out on as a child. Therefore, as adults, they eroticize all male touch.

There are no words. Bachmann is a plague of hate. Why does she care so much about the gay and lesbian community? She is so filled with homophobia and bigotry. I don’t understand why she is so scared? It’s not like you can “catch” homosexuality. She makes it sound like a disease that needs to be wiped out...which (naturally) is worrisome.

Thoughts?