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eumeliaA Butch
It's starts like a joke you'd tell in a Dyke bar, except it happened in my dad's Pharmacy.
I work twice a week at Daddy's shop, it's good money and he very much appreciates the help so it's good for everyone involved.
This week, a lecturer and prominent figure (at least, I gather, these things are never 100%) in the Tel-Aviv Lesbiancommunity swamp. I recognised her and smiled and said hello. I don't think she recognised me, but there was a definite nod of recognition which is always nice.
After she bought whatever it was she bought, I turned excitedly to my dad and said:
"Daddy, that [her name]!"
He stared at me blankly, "what?" he asked.
"That woman, who just bought..."
"That was a woman?!" he asked, quite surprised.
"Well, duh, yeah, what did you think?!"
"I thought she was a man with a funny voice"
Oy.
"Well, just goes to show how naive I am", he concluded with a smile.
Yeah.
It didn't help that he asked another customer in the shop if he thought she was a woman and theasshole guy said, "It's a woman whose the Man in the relationship".
And I promptly corrected him that "No, she's not a man in any relationship, she's a woman. Full stop(1)".
People, get your heads out of the paradigm! Please! At least my dad was willing to listen as I explained the concept of Butch, Femme and how I am actually neither.
Anyway, I saw her at J-Lem Pride yesterday, but I'll have stuff to say about that in a mo'.
A Clueless Teen
OMG.
Seriously.
OMG.
What has become of Israel sex-ed program.
Dude.
The other day a kid, no older that 16 or 17 walked into the pharmacy and asked to by the Morning After Pill (which is sold over the counter, no need for a script and it's known as Postinor) and I in my mind I was going; Buy some condoms.
He then asked if there was "someone" he could talk to, basically wanting the Pharmacist.
My Dad is a gruff sort of guy, so when he asks someone "What's the problem?" there seems to be an implication of "And why are you bothering me with it".
Anyway.
The kid asks, "Can she take this Pill twice in a row?"
Alarm bells are blaring in my head and my dad looked at him blankly, then we looked at each other and then we both looked at this kid.
As Eddie Izzard would say... "Quoi?!"
I just said, "What?"
"Is it safe for her to take this Pill one day after the other?" he said.
My dad was looking at the pamphlet that comes with all the warnings and disclaimers while I asked him, point blank, "You and this girl had unprotected sex yesterday and she took this Pill and then you had unprotected sex, again, today, and she needs to take the Pill... again?"
His answer; a slightly embarrassed "Yes".
I resisted the urge to smack this kid upside the head and I had to physically refrain from rolling my eyes and in my head I was saying: "OMG! Two Morons Boinking!"
My dad and I came to the conclusion that there isn't any real problem for this girl to take this Pill twice, other than the regular side effects that can come from taking this kind of hormone laden pill.
He paid for the Pill and I said "You want to by some condoms(?)" my inflection implied that this wasn't actually a question.
He again smiled slightly embarrassed and said, "Yeah, good idea"
No shit, Sherlock, I pointed behind him to the shelf with the condoms and lube and he bought a six pack of rubbers.
He then left. I burst into giggles.
I swear, if he had shown an ounce of hesitation with buying the condoms, I would have given him the lecture he never got about safe sex and would have added in all the gross details of herpes, drippy dick and how it's not just about getting a girl pregnant!
OMG. What has gone wrong with the sex-ed in this country!? Why isn't this information freely available in pamphlets!?
Lastly, why are two stupid people fucking!? But that's just a pet-peeve.
J-Lem Pride
It was, in fact, quite uneventful, thanks to the heat (probably).
On the way to the park in which we assembled I saw some Religious Nuts with signs that said things like: "Abomination" and "Go Straight, for Family's Sake", but they weren't allowed to come into the park.
And that was pretty much it.
Well, other than the fact that at the entrance to the park the police and security guards (not the same thing) set up two lines for us to pass through.
It was gendered.
Women to the right. Men to the left.
I cannot even begin to imagine what the Genderqueer folk felt they could go, or what the Trans*people, in various stages of transition, felt about this.
For myself, it sucked.
I mean, everyone here is used to bag checks and having wands waved over you.
Friends. I was fucking groped. My boobs were cupped, as was my arse.
Whatever the security people were briefed with, it was WRONG!
Fags, Dykes, Trans*peeps and other Queers, do not, in fact, feel comfortable about being frisked in a manner that demeans them.
Anyway.
After that ordeal, I met up with [Southern!Girl] which was great. Scoped out and found the Commies and Anarchists and zoomed in on the Trans-Bi-Anti-Occupation contingent that I hung out with at Tel-Aviv Pride.
The march itself was uneventful; there was one older man on the side-lines holding a sign that said "Gays Spread Aids", he was quiet and didn't actually do anything, but... yeah... it's painful.
Part of the anti-Occupation group, which had drums (always awesome) also had anti-Militarism Clowns! A bunch of clowns in tattered IDF uniforms and clown make-up ran up and down the march pretty much cheering everyone up.
Along the way there were a group of soldiers taking photographs and basically being entertained. The anti-Military Clown had a field day with that and practically every photographer on the premises was there just soaking in the spectacle.
It was pretty hilarious.
I wore the pink "While you were staring at my Boobs, my Girlfriend stole your wallet", which got a hell of a lot of attention.
Attention I freakin' loved.
I was photographed all over the place.
Maybe I'll find some on-line.
The first one to photograph me and [Southern!Girl] for the shirt was the same woman who came into the Pharmacy that week. I'm still not sure if she recognised me... but meh.
The last person to photograph me was this little obnoxious guy who came up to me and asked permission to take a pic.
I said sure.
And he quite obviously zoomed on my chest on nothing else.
I said: "Um, no no, if you're taking a picture, make it a picture of me"
He nodded absently and I said: "Seriously! Do not take a picture of nothing but my boobs!"
And he promptly turned his camera-phone vertical.
Jesus.
Way to lose the fucking point.
Everyone else loved it.
After the actual march we sat around the other park we walked to and heard the speeches and performances.
J-Lem Pride, while still being far more political than Tel-Aviv Pride, still falls into the exclusion traps, the organisers taking over and not actually allowing people from the community to speak much. Some of the Bi-activists tried to get on the stage and were promptly removed.
The Trans person who spoke remarked that this was the first year a Trans person who isn't a member of the mainstream organisations got to speak on stage.
*sigh*
We've still got a long way to go.
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nurint met up with us after, which was great fun, as she actually lives in J-Lem and took us to a great restaurant and showed us around the City Centre.
She then carted us to our respective places, which was so great of her.
Thank you my friend!
All in all.
Pretty good week, despite not spending enough time with [Southern!Girl].
But that we can rectify.
Notes
(1)This lecturer has often spoken about Butch identity and the fact that she's never felt as anything other than a Butch Lesbian Woman... so I felt confident is saying that to thatasshole guy.
It's starts like a joke you'd tell in a Dyke bar, except it happened in my dad's Pharmacy.
I work twice a week at Daddy's shop, it's good money and he very much appreciates the help so it's good for everyone involved.
This week, a lecturer and prominent figure (at least, I gather, these things are never 100%) in the Tel-Aviv Lesbian
After she bought whatever it was she bought, I turned excitedly to my dad and said:
"Daddy, that [her name]!"
He stared at me blankly, "what?" he asked.
"That woman, who just bought..."
"That was a woman?!" he asked, quite surprised.
"Well, duh, yeah, what did you think?!"
"I thought she was a man with a funny voice"
Oy.
"Well, just goes to show how naive I am", he concluded with a smile.
Yeah.
It didn't help that he asked another customer in the shop if he thought she was a woman and the
And I promptly corrected him that "No, she's not a man in any relationship, she's a woman. Full stop(1)".
People, get your heads out of the paradigm! Please! At least my dad was willing to listen as I explained the concept of Butch, Femme and how I am actually neither.
Anyway, I saw her at J-Lem Pride yesterday, but I'll have stuff to say about that in a mo'.
A Clueless Teen
OMG.
Seriously.
OMG.
What has become of Israel sex-ed program.
Dude.
The other day a kid, no older that 16 or 17 walked into the pharmacy and asked to by the Morning After Pill (which is sold over the counter, no need for a script and it's known as Postinor) and I in my mind I was going; Buy some condoms.
He then asked if there was "someone" he could talk to, basically wanting the Pharmacist.
My Dad is a gruff sort of guy, so when he asks someone "What's the problem?" there seems to be an implication of "And why are you bothering me with it".
Anyway.
The kid asks, "Can she take this Pill twice in a row?"
Alarm bells are blaring in my head and my dad looked at him blankly, then we looked at each other and then we both looked at this kid.
As Eddie Izzard would say... "Quoi?!"
I just said, "What?"
"Is it safe for her to take this Pill one day after the other?" he said.
My dad was looking at the pamphlet that comes with all the warnings and disclaimers while I asked him, point blank, "You and this girl had unprotected sex yesterday and she took this Pill and then you had unprotected sex, again, today, and she needs to take the Pill... again?"
His answer; a slightly embarrassed "Yes".
I resisted the urge to smack this kid upside the head and I had to physically refrain from rolling my eyes and in my head I was saying: "OMG! Two Morons Boinking!"
My dad and I came to the conclusion that there isn't any real problem for this girl to take this Pill twice, other than the regular side effects that can come from taking this kind of hormone laden pill.
He paid for the Pill and I said "You want to by some condoms(?)" my inflection implied that this wasn't actually a question.
He again smiled slightly embarrassed and said, "Yeah, good idea"
No shit, Sherlock, I pointed behind him to the shelf with the condoms and lube and he bought a six pack of rubbers.
He then left. I burst into giggles.
I swear, if he had shown an ounce of hesitation with buying the condoms, I would have given him the lecture he never got about safe sex and would have added in all the gross details of herpes, drippy dick and how it's not just about getting a girl pregnant!
OMG. What has gone wrong with the sex-ed in this country!? Why isn't this information freely available in pamphlets!?
Lastly, why are two stupid people fucking!? But that's just a pet-peeve.
J-Lem Pride
It was, in fact, quite uneventful, thanks to the heat (probably).
On the way to the park in which we assembled I saw some Religious Nuts with signs that said things like: "Abomination" and "Go Straight, for Family's Sake", but they weren't allowed to come into the park.
And that was pretty much it.
Well, other than the fact that at the entrance to the park the police and security guards (not the same thing) set up two lines for us to pass through.
It was gendered.
Women to the right. Men to the left.
I cannot even begin to imagine what the Genderqueer folk felt they could go, or what the Trans*people, in various stages of transition, felt about this.
For myself, it sucked.
I mean, everyone here is used to bag checks and having wands waved over you.
Friends. I was fucking groped. My boobs were cupped, as was my arse.
Whatever the security people were briefed with, it was WRONG!
Fags, Dykes, Trans*peeps and other Queers, do not, in fact, feel comfortable about being frisked in a manner that demeans them.
Anyway.
After that ordeal, I met up with [Southern!Girl] which was great. Scoped out and found the Commies and Anarchists and zoomed in on the Trans-Bi-Anti-Occupation contingent that I hung out with at Tel-Aviv Pride.
The march itself was uneventful; there was one older man on the side-lines holding a sign that said "Gays Spread Aids", he was quiet and didn't actually do anything, but... yeah... it's painful.
Part of the anti-Occupation group, which had drums (always awesome) also had anti-Militarism Clowns! A bunch of clowns in tattered IDF uniforms and clown make-up ran up and down the march pretty much cheering everyone up.
Along the way there were a group of soldiers taking photographs and basically being entertained. The anti-Military Clown had a field day with that and practically every photographer on the premises was there just soaking in the spectacle.
It was pretty hilarious.
I wore the pink "While you were staring at my Boobs, my Girlfriend stole your wallet", which got a hell of a lot of attention.
Attention I freakin' loved.
I was photographed all over the place.
Maybe I'll find some on-line.
The first one to photograph me and [Southern!Girl] for the shirt was the same woman who came into the Pharmacy that week. I'm still not sure if she recognised me... but meh.
The last person to photograph me was this little obnoxious guy who came up to me and asked permission to take a pic.
I said sure.
And he quite obviously zoomed on my chest on nothing else.
I said: "Um, no no, if you're taking a picture, make it a picture of me"
He nodded absently and I said: "Seriously! Do not take a picture of nothing but my boobs!"
And he promptly turned his camera-phone vertical.
Jesus.
Way to lose the fucking point.
Everyone else loved it.
After the actual march we sat around the other park we walked to and heard the speeches and performances.
J-Lem Pride, while still being far more political than Tel-Aviv Pride, still falls into the exclusion traps, the organisers taking over and not actually allowing people from the community to speak much. Some of the Bi-activists tried to get on the stage and were promptly removed.
The Trans person who spoke remarked that this was the first year a Trans person who isn't a member of the mainstream organisations got to speak on stage.
*sigh*
We've still got a long way to go.
nurint met up with us after, which was great fun, as she actually lives in J-Lem and took us to a great restaurant and showed us around the City Centre.She then carted us to our respective places, which was so great of her.
Thank you my friend!
All in all.
Pretty good week, despite not spending enough time with [Southern!Girl].
But that we can rectify.
Notes
(1)This lecturer has often spoken about Butch identity and the fact that she's never felt as anything other than a Butch Lesbian Woman... so I felt confident is saying that to that
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no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 09:21 pm (UTC)Jeez... Welcome to the "Groped By Security" club. We have loofahs and soaking tubs to get that hands-y feeling off you. Airport security did it to me every time I flew with my friend (her last name is Israeli and mine is German—so grope the "Nazi" to scare her friend). Personally, I don't think the hand against my crotch or aaallll over and around (yes, that's a bra strap and yes, that is my nipple please stop touching it) my breasts was necessary. At all.
*sighs*
You certainly did put up with a lot of shit.
"Go Straight for Family's Sake..." *hangs head in shame of people who take the time out of their day to do that nonsense.*
Does everyone seem to forget that "love one another" thing? Huh?
I cannot stand religious people right now. The people I know who are Christian seem to ignore the fact that there are some things written in the Bible that are absolutely WTF/"we do that all the time and there's a 'rule' in here against it." My mom seems to understand this far better than my father (and she works for a Baptist church). He "tolerates homosexual people." He's never put it into those words, but during one afternoon where I got tired of him calling Harvey Milk (Sean Penn version—it was a commercial for the Oscar nominations) a "faggot" (in that "tone," you know?) and how "fags shouldn't be allowed to marry" I just blew up at him. And after about a ten minute argument, I had to leave the room. The house. I think I ended up at a Starbucks or something... I'm not sure—but I ended up smoking almost an entire pack of cigarettes in frustration.
I don't really remember the words, but I do recall him saying: "I know a bunch of gay people—I worked with them in Crete!"
That is not the same. That's like being a racist but saying: "I know a ton of black guys!"
He tries to sound like he accepts the GLBT community, but I know the difference in tone with voices. You could say I have "exceptional aural sensitivity."
This is quite the bone of contention with my dad and me. And I'm too afraid to talk to him about these issues because we always end up arguing—we're both bull-headed and I'm tired of just nodding at his comments while I'm going "YOU'RE FUCKING WROOOONG!" in my head. Also, I am a colossal wuss when it comes to arguing with my dad. Mainly because he's bigger than me and can raise his voice to that "I hate you right now, but because you're my daughter I have to love you" tone. Which makes me feel about two inches tall and I end up crying. Which makes him even more mad.
Sometimes, I feel like running off to another country or something. But I'm broke, a freelance graphic artist, and I need to renew my passport. If I had money I'd move all the way back to the West Coast...
Plane trip...
...
Gah...now I've got that sense memory of Hands-y Airport Lady all over me. I'm off to the tub. In Azerbaijan.
no subject
Date: 2009-06-26 09:44 pm (UTC)My mom doesn't talk about the gay stuff with me much and my dad tries to be jokey - "did you meed all the other queers at the parade?"
"Pride march dad"
...
Anyway.
He was appalled when I told him about the religious people holding signs and the one who held a sign that "gays spread aids" - what fucking asses.
Security groped anyone and a friend told me that they really lingered on the Transpeople and those that weren't gender conforming.
Fuck and the organisers thank these people for keeping us "safe" - Jesus.