Thanks to Winter for her comment about my post last week Like a Horse and Carriage.

Just so she can feel less alone, I thought I should bring everyone's attention to this Richard Goldstein article that was published in The Village Voice in September '03. A lot of different queer people raise their thoughts on marriage, some with reservation, some in actual defiance.

Mr. Goldstein also refers to an earlier Voice article by Judith Levine.

These two people are far braver and more articulate than I am.

As for the song "Love and Marriage," it's from the television musical version of Our Town which starred Frank Sinatra as the Stage Manager. Weird, huh? You can find out how to catch it at the Museum of Television and Radio throughout October by clicking here and downloading a .PDF schedule through the NY: Musicals on Television link.

In any civil rights fight, it is of course necessary to present an unified front. But in order to present that front, the oppressed have to be confident that they want what they are fighting for, don't they?

So I've been thinking about gay marriage a lot lately. For both personal and political reasons. While I don't think any group should be deprived of rights and privileges afforded to another, I can't help but think back to the queerness of the '80's and '90's and it's quest to legitimize all walks of life and end discrimination based on (consensual) sexual/gender practice/expression.

Which leaves me asking the following questions: what exactly are we fighting for? Should we be fighting to gain the same rights and privileges given to married heterosexuals? Or should we by fighting for a society where married, monogamous pairs of people aren't granted privileged stauts because they are participating in an "ideal" arrangement for raising kids?

So can we talk about Queer as Folk for just a second? I know it's already gone off the air, and I admit - I'm a little late coming to it. But recently after sufferring a disgusting illness (which you can read about in this entry on my personal blog Play Rey Play), I started watching Queer As Folk through a vicodin haze.

After the first season, I really eff-ing hated this show. I thought it was the most shallow, poorly written piece of crap to hit the airwaves. In fact, it made me want to watch reality TV (okay, not really).

But then I got sick, and I ran out of Netflix, and the Blockbuster near my house didn't have anything I was interested in seeing. And so...QAF Season 2, Disc 1 and 2 and 3 and... QAF Season 3 and 4....

I'M TOTALLY ADDICTED.

But Seasons 3 and 4 are really so much better. Almost all TV shows have the same horrible fate: a strong first season premise that eventually degrades into petty soap opera and silly ratings stunts. As far as I can tell, QAF did the exact opposite. I mean, crystal addiction? Testicular cancer? Homophobic mayors? Three characters with HIV that actually deal with their disease? I'm amazed. I love it. And it's totally queer for them to get it ass backwards.

Discuss (just try to minimize Season 5 stuff so I can stay unspoiled).