Obama is really earning my support...

Naturally, I would support Obama in the fall either way, but he really is an appealing candidate for a number of reasons. Here is an article that outlines his attitude towards absentee fathers, with a nod to domestic violence problems and poor parenting in general. I agree so completely with this stance, and am SO pleased that our nominee is urging us to take strides to improve some of these social problems. Social problems are huge in this country, and far too often overlooked.

Transgender...gaining acceptance?

This is an incredibly long article about transgender and other gender identity issues (it occurs to me that the clinical term is gender identity disorders, but disorder sounds so wrong), but it's definitely worth reading. The article highlights the fact that, at least in some circles, the notion of fluid gender identities are acceptable or gaining acceptance. The article is touching and gave me chills--this is an issue that we have been tragically slow to accept, and that has caused a lot of suffering from our ignorance. While I post this article because I see it as somewhat encouraging, the article points out that employment discrimination laws in this country persist in excluding gender identity as a protection in seeking and maintaining employment. We may be on the path to acceptance, but we've got a long way to go.