Labels Jars Not People

In college, I met this pretty girl and I liked her a lot and she invited me to hang out in her dorm room and we listened to the Eurythmics and didn't really talk much. Then, at one point, we ended up lying on the floor on our backs, our bodies nearly touching, and I glanced to my left and noticed her dresser had a big sticker on it that read "Label jars not people". And I turned back to look at the girl again and thought, "That is a really dumb sticker and this girl must be a dork." Then, I mocked her a little bit because everyone knows the way to get a girl to like you is to make fun of her.

Scratch that.

Don't ever mock someone you like. That's so Elementary School Boy.

Of course, I did get the girl eventually...but thankfully, when we moved in together she didn't get to bring her dorm dresser with the sticker along.

I'm not sure why I am telling you this little story other than the fact that I want to call your attention to a giveaway at Lesbian Family that involves labels and thought this quaint tale of labels and mockery might be a good introduction to said call to attention.

I realize now that it probably wasn't.

Except that maybe you have jars to label or something else you want to label and if you leave a comment on this post at Lesbian Family, you could win labels which is more exciting than dorm room dressers, right?

If you win, we could label you "Winner" which is better than "Paprika" though we could label you "Paprika" if you want. I mean...my heart is open to all the spices, even herbs. I don't judge.

So go comment (click on the image in the sidebar to head on over) and pass the link along to others so that everyone can label jars not people.

The Case of Peppermint Patty

We watched Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving tonight and, as Snoopy was throwing plates around the table like frisbees, I took a peek at Twitter and saw that Lisa had been watching with her kid who wanted to know if Peppermint Patty and Marcie were lesbians.

Now, I do not believe in outing as I have made very clear in the past but I'm not above speculating about a fictional character.

I would argue that both Peppermint Patty and Marcie are lesbians though neither of them have figured it out themselves.

Exhibit A - Clothing: Peppermint Patty was the first girl to be shown wearing shorts in the Peanuts comic strip. Marcie was the second character to do so. All of the other girls wore dresses. Girls who wear pants are not necessarily queer, obviously. Girly girls can be gay too (Maybe Lucy is hiding something which is why she is so crabby and unhappy all the time). But, androgynous style and practical footwear are pretty common among lady lovers.

Exhibit B - Softball: Peppermint Patty is the captain of the softball team and the star pitcher. Lesbian. Softball. Enough said.

Exhibit C - Relationship to Marcie: Peppermint Patty and Marcie. Marcie and Peppermint Patty. They are always together. Marcie is always looking at Peppermint Patty with such admiration and addresses her primarily as "sir". Peppermint Patty relies on Marcie to help her navigate social relationships and Marcie gladly does her bidding. I would argue that Marcie has a crush on Peppermint Patty (though she isn't aware of it) and I think Peppermint Patty is just generally clueless. I saw this dynamic in pre-lesbians all the time in college.

 Exhibit D - Crushes: Both Peppermint Patty and Marcie have crushes on Charlie Brown. Let's be real here...Charlie Brown is a nice but bland guy and the kind that girls have crushes on because it feels safe. Neither Peppermint Patty and Marcie are in touch with their feelings at all so they just pick Charlie Brown randomly to crush on. Plus, if they both really felt anything for him, wouldn't they be competing in some way for his attention? Wouldn't they have moments of tension because they both have feelings for the same boy? They would and they don't so it's pretty obvious they don't really give a darn about Charlie Brown.

I predict that Peppermint Patty and Marcie went to college, got drunk after a softball game and made out. They both immediately realized that they had been in love all along. After graduation, they moved to Portland, Oregon, rented a small house and got a black lab. Marcie is getting an advanced degree in library science and Peppermint Patty became a gym teacher. The end.

By the way, as I was searching for images for this post, I ran across Peppermint Patty/Marcie fan fiction. That's right - there are Patty/Marcie shippers out there which proves there is truly fanfic for everyone.

Photo Credit

Transgender Day of Remembrance

Write what you know. That is the most common advice given to writers and I am very good at writing what I know. It's what I have always done, weaving stories based on my own experience. I did it for years prior to starting this blog in journals, in music, in manuscripts that are tucked away in a file cabinet and I've done it here for the past six years.

Writing what you know is comfortable. It is certain. It is indisputable because you own your own experience.

I have never written about things I don't know because I don't feel qualified. I worry that I don't have the right language and that I will make a mistake and reveal my ignorance. So, I stay quiet and leave all the things I don't know - and there are many - to those who do and tell myself that it's better that way.

But, yesterday in my writing group at the Loft, my mentor said something that struck me, "Everyone tells you to write what you know but it would be better to write what you want to know."

I thought a lot about that today as I read articles about the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

I have not written about transgender issues because I've never felt that I could do so with any sort of confidence. The most I've ever done here is include the T in GLBT which has only served as a kind of placeholder for bigger conversations of which I am not actively a part.

Today, I want to step outside of what I know and what is comfortable. I know that I may not have the right words but I want to offer the words I do have to honor all those who have lost their lives as a result of transphobia.

To those who want to mark the day in some way, check this out: Transgender Day of Remembrance - 10 Things You Can Do

To all the transgendered people who have touched my life in recent years, friends and acquaintances, I say thank you and I stand with you.