The Cranky Lesbian, Prop 8 and Facebook

If you believe the stereotype, lesbians are always angry about something. The Cranky Lesbian is a blog that plays on this stereotype, with the 25-year-old Californian blogger directing her “crankiness and prodigious amounts of homosexuality” towards topics such as the recent U.S elections (Palin anyone?), Grey’s Anatomy (the Callica romance!) and those just-for-fun 'Are you a Lesbian?' quizzes.

Most recently, the Cranky Lesbian has also been directing her crankiness towards California’s Governor Schwarzenegger (most famous for his portrayl of a cyborg and pregnant man), because he mostly kept quiet about Proposition 8 and didn’t fight against it. As you all probably know, Proposition 8 was passed at the recent U.S elections to amend the constitution in California to ban same-sex marriage.

Proposition 8: Are Ellen and Portia still legally married?

Of course, this leaves in limbo land all those couples and celebrity pairings such as Ellen and Portia who got married after the Californian Supreme Court overturned the ban in May. (For all those law geeks out there, here's the judgement in full). What will happen now?

My Facebook has been flooded by friends since the elections with requests to join groups such as 1,000,000 Million Strong Against Newly Passed Prop 8. I cannot help but be a bit cynical about this digital activism.

What do you think about such Facebook groups? Do they bring about change? Or is it just a way for us to vent our frustration online? Whether it be about the success of Proposition 8 over in Calfornia or closer to home, the end of historically queer establishments such as the Newtown Hotel and the axing of The L Word on free-to-air Australian television.

- C

DeGeneres Speaks Against Proposition 8

Comedian and top ranking talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who married Portia de Rossi in August, has urged people to oppose Proposition 8, which seeks to overturn the right for gays and lesbian to marry in the state of California.

The amendment to the marriage legislation would effectively ban gay marriage in California, if it passed a public vote in November.

On her blog DeGeneres wrote: "There's a California Proposition on the ballot that's a little confusing. It's Proposition 8. It's called, 'The California Marriage Protection Act' - but don't let the name fool you. It's not protecting anyone's marriage. Not yours. Not mine. The wording of Prop 8 is tricky. It's like if someone asked you, 'You don't want dessert, right?' But you do want dessert so you say, 'Yes,' which really means you don't want dessert. And if you say, 'No,' which means you do want dessert - it sounds like you don't. Either way, you don't get what you want. See - confusing. Just like Prop. 8.

"So, in case I haven't made myself clear, I'm FOR gay marriage. And in order to protect that right - please VOTE NO on Proposition 8. And now that you're informed, spread the word. I'm begging you. I can't return the wedding gifts - I love my new toaster."

The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 have seen donations pour into both campaigns. Supporters of the ban on gay marriage had raised $1.2 million by late August for their cause. Actor Brad Pitt and director Steven Spielberg have donated large sums of money to gay rights campaigners fighting the ban.

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