I think androgynous women are hot. Pamela Anderson looks like a drag queen to me and she is, for she's dragging gender into the absurd. She's so femme that she makes Marilyn Monroe look butch. Then there are the wives of those tv preacherrs and they're so draggy that they must shriek at their reflection when they come out of the shower, for in contrast, their real selves must seem so, so frumpy.

When I'm with women who'd made love to their mirrors, I wonder how much of their brains withered while they primped.

And ultra-masculine men, with the cock-walking, look like parodies of manhood, rather than the real deal.

"You can't have much sympathy for someone who is bringing problems on him/her/itself because of the way they choose to dress and present themselves. In a lot of countries they would be arrested. Fortunately the US is fairly sympathetic to these unfortunate mixed-up people, but there is a limit."

Amen, brother. I was walking past a high school yesterday and I saw all these boys wearing earrings and necklaces. They had product in their hair and many had those girly highlights. In other words, they were light in the loafers and I don't give a good God-damn if half of them played football. Naturally, I had to do what any God-fearing, flag-waving bigot would do. I had to go down to the bar and form a posse so that we could jump those girly boys in the appropriate 3-1 ratio that all bigots employ.

"Please, they begged," as we bashed them with baseball bats. "Why are you doing this?"

"There is a limit to gender non-conformity in this country!" I said.

"Have some sympathy," said another, but it sounded like, "Hab sum simpudy," since I'd just busted his teeth.

"You brought this on yourself because of the way you choose to dress and present yourself," I said, and I swung again.

Ker-ack!

Next time, Amerigo, join the party! 'kay?

And the queer blogs covered it then. The only new news is the lawsuit. Still, better late than never.

I saw you a couple times at KSG, but I was too shy to approach. It would have been easier to approach Bono.

"Paglia has got to be the least self-aware human being on the face of the earth. And can't she once, JUST ONCE, find something even remotely new to say?"

Years ago, Paglia felt fresh to me. I wonder if she fawns over Madonna because Madonna, unlike Paglia, pepetually reinvents herself, whereas, as you note, Paglia repeats, repeats, repeats. I skim her columns now, but enjoy the letters to the editor.

The Vichykook wrote: "The Sen From Minn must have thought he was in Barney Franks office or perhals the DNC Headquarters."

Okay. He's marginally literate. And his topical literacy is crazy akimbo. And his bigotry has launched a Bigot Pride Parade and he's flaunting his mottled, undersized cerebral cortex on the Internet, where children might see it.

I will fight no more forever with this marginally literate, topically illiterate, bigotry-flaunting boy.

If you're too old, then be a mercencary. If you're too feeble, then drive a truck for Halliburton across the desert. If you're too feeble to do anything other than tap a keyboard and pretend that it's WWIII, then give all you have to vets' organizations, including your keyboard.

But you won't, will you?

You're not just a coward. You're a coward's coward, a man who sends other folks off to fight...and I don't care if you once fought. If that's so, that's all the more reason to fight again, since you have the skills.

One thing that I've never understood about the Right is the media's unwillingness to ask why the Right, with all their crucifix-flaunting, didn't advocate turning the other cheek post-9-11? How can you be a Christian and attack or even counterattack? You can't. If you follow the Christ, you do more than forgive. You love your enemies. I think there are about 56 true Christians in the world. Everyone else is buying lottery tickets and dreaming of wealth or living in McMansions and rah-rah-ing war, evermore war, for ever and ever.

"all I care about is muslims are dying. That's a good thing."

Unless he's writing from Iraq and employed by Blackwater, he's a liar.

Susan Wood and MerelyMortalMale, on the other hand, are the best.

...in the past and I double that here.

Zoebrain is also a world-rocker.

And David Sugarman is very, very sweet.

...are nothing like women, in a vital way, that perspective doesn't matter, as there are tens millions of Americans who believe that men like John Aravosis, men who prefer to kiss and caress other men and who like to be deeply penetrated by other men, are deeply and disgustingly womanly. And I don't care how butchy or straight-acting you are: if you're a boy who kisses boys, then you're the antithesis of a man in countless communities.

And that's what connects John and his gay brothers to trans-folk: this monstrous perception.

A paid space.

And yes, you do write well and even better than your word-workery is your bravery. Alas, you might not be famous enough. And Mr. Aravosis is prickly enough and calcified enough to generate contentious copy and contentious copy garners attention and attention sells ad space. But, Ms. Runs, you're more than good enough. And funny enough too.

Your devoted fan,

The Capote Who Doesn't Golightly when it Comes to Equality

A conversation can never have enough mensches...and you're one. That was a manly apology. Womanly too. Ahh, it was adultly...and quite nice.

Her last two posts are further proof.

And Sugarman, your iron-o-meter is very, very broken. Quick like a bunny, go procure another.

And John Aravosis, maybe Ms. Runs can't teach you to be a man, but she sure could teach you to be a mensch.