I'm really surprised and curious about this. Though she claims she's explained herself, I feel like there is a lot of obfuscation here. What is her real reason? How is she going to "affect change from the outside?" Any guesses?

Every politician who decides they won't run for another term while in office is in the position of maintaining motivation without the muse of pleasing voters for the next go round. It seems disingenious for her to act like the honorable thing is to "pass the ball" so she's not a "lame duck" governor, rather than just, well, not being a lame duck governor. If she's all about what's good for the peeps of Alaska, why can't she finish her term honorably and then move on to other things?

I think there's something fishy going on here, and it's not just she and Todd out on the lake with a couple a reels.

And check out her daughter, Piper, playing with her flip flops. She's the same little firecracker who licked her brother's hair down during the Republican National Convention. I love that girl's irrepressible quirks.

Hey folks, we'll be taking the day off to enjoy the long weekend full of barbecues and debauchery. We'll resume regular posting on Monday. I'll leave you with one of my old school favorites...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Five things you can do right now to help Honduras fight for justice from RaceWire

New efforts in Montana to redefine their constitution to add fetal personhood. Sigh.

Interesting NY Times article about progressive US nuns facing scrutiny from the Vatican.

Carmen over at Racialicious launches the Racialicious Experience, a six week workshop series via weekly phone discussions. More details here!

File this one under good news.

Via Akimbo:

In a landmark Indian Supreme Court ruling today, Chief Justice Ajit Prakash Shah struck down Penal Code 377, overturning a colonial-era law criminalizing "carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal."

The victory is a historic step forward for human rights only days after people worldwide took to the streets for gay pride, particularly in a country where LGBTQII individuals face discrimination, stigma, and violence on a daily basis.

While the original petition against 377 cited its adverse impact on HIV/ AIDS prevention efforts, the Supreme Court ruling statement was far more progressive, citing the value of an inclusive society:

"The inclusiveness that Indian society traditionally displayed, literally in every aspect of life, is manifest in recognising a role in society for everyone... It cannot be forgotten that discrimination is antithesis of equality, and that it is the recognition of equality which will foster the dignity of every individual."

While reports indicate this will only impact New Delhi, it may open doors for the rest of the country as well.

More from community blogger bifemmefatale here.

This was originally posted at The New Gay, and sent in by our San Francisco reader Gina.

Lateisha Green was a vivacious, loving 22-year-old, African American transitioning transwoman living in Syracuse, NY. Unlike many young transpeople, Teish was accepted by her family. She was very close to her mom and siblings, including her 18-year-old gay brother, Mark.

On the evening of November 14, 2008, Teish and Mark received a call from a friend telling them about a house party not far from where they lived. After they arrived in their car, many (but not all) guests at the party started shouting homophobic/transphobic insults at them, mostly about their sexual orientation. Teish and Mark were stunned as they sat in the front seat of the car.

One of the people shouting insults, Dwight DeLee, a 20-year-old man they didn't know, is alleged to have approached the car with a .22 rifle and shot once at Teish and Mark. Mark, in the driver's seat, got a surface wound, but the bullet passed through to Teish and hit her in the chest. Mark was able to drive to the hospital as Teish was dying. They told each other they loved one another. Teish was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The trial of Dwight DeLee is coming up on July 13 in Syracuse. It will be tried with a hate crime attachment, although in a cruel twist, Teish will be referred to by her birth name, Moses Cannon, because the NY State hate crime statute only covers crimes against sexual orientation, not gender expression or identity. In a sense, Teish will have her transwoman identity stripped away from her. The generally conservative Syracuse media has repeatedly referred to Teish as a "man" and used her birth name and male pronouns even though, in her life, she identified as a transsexual woman and everyone referred to her as Teish and used female pronouns when referring to her.

Sadly, this case has received a minimal amount of media coverage both within the LGBT community and mainstream media. It is every bit as important a hate crime as those perpetrated against Matthew Shephard and Gwen Araujo but, sadly, most of the numerous murders against African-American transwomen (and there were many such murders in 2008) tend to be under-reported, often unsolved and under-prosecuted.

This outrage cannot continue and our community cannot allow Teish's murder to be swept under the rug. I've created a Facebook site to publicize the case, the trial and as a memorial to Teish's life. I welcome all of you to join it and to spread the word in the two weeks we have left before the trial begins. You can reach the site by clicking here or you can Google "Justice for Teish."

New York native Melissa Giges just released her national debut of Evident, where she sings with a soft yet almost haunting voice which conveniently matches the production of the music in the album, particularly the song, Evident. (Listen below.)

Utilizing off-key notes in the crux of a song - and making them work - come from of my favorite songs and artist, like Fiona Apple, Portishead, etc. She's no Fiona or Portis, but surely has great potential. She told us why and how feminism effects her life and music:

I grew up in a family where there weren't gender-defined roles: Mom and Dad were interchangeable as caretakers and wage earners. As a result, I simply expected to be treated with respect and equality even as I recognized that women often did not get the same treatment as men. I believe my album "Evident" reflects this mind-set, telling a story from an independent, strong woman's point of view and using music as an outlet to express--not silence--strong feelings.

You might say it was serendipity that the producer of my album (and owner of Engine Company Records, the record label I am signed to) is Blake Morgan, a man steeped in the feminist tradition. The son of feminist writer, Robin Morgan, Blake insisted on making sure the album is the one I wanted to make. He used his talent to help me strengthen my viewpoints to convey my story in a way that allows listeners to be challenged by the powerful female voice. The title track "Evident" does just that. It is a song I wrote about my frustrations with not being listened to or respected in a male-dominated musical environment. "Oh it's evident that this is happening to me. I hate to think it, but it's true. Oh it's evident that you're not listening to me. ... I won't rely and I won't cry. Even while I'm scrutinized. ... I won't let this get me under."

Ew! And why Jenny Lewis, why?

Talking about this book today. Transcript after the jump!

Danah Boyd gave a thoroughly thought-provoking presentation at the Personal Democracy Forum this week about how the politics of class play out online -- and thoroughly debunked the idea that the Internet is a Utopian paradise in which we are "all equal."

To get specific, Boyd looks at the divide between Facebook and MySpace users. She quotes Kat, a 14-year-old from Massachusetts:

"I'm not really into racism, but I think that MySpace now is more like ghetto or whatever, and Facebook is all... not all the people that have Facebook are mature, but its supposed to be like oh we're more mature."

That's right, a "ghetto." Boyd goes on to note that teenagers from wealthier backgrounds are more comfortable engaging in "adult" environments than teenagers from poorer backgrounds -- hence wealthier teens are probably more likely to favor the "mature" social networking site, Facebook. And here's the part where I am just going to quote from Boyd's analysis extensively, because she is so freakin' smart:

The fact [is] that MySpace is still quite popular among a certain segment of the population. Only a month ago, I was doing fieldwork in Atlanta where I found heavy usage of MySpace among certain groups of youth. They knew of Facebook but had no interest in leaving MySpace to join Facebook.

Herein lies the reality that makes all of this quite messy to deal with. It wasn't just anyone who left MySpace to go to Facebook. In fact, if we want to get to the crux of what unfolded, we might as well face an uncomfortable reality... What happened was modern day "white flight." Whites were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. The educated were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. Those from wealthier backgrounds were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. Those from the suburbs were more likely to leave or choose Facebook. Those who deserted MySpace did so by "choice" but their decision to do so was wrapped up in their connections to others, in their belief that a more peaceful, quiet, less-public space would be more idyllic.

This dynamic was furthered by the press, an institution that stems from privilege and tends to reflect the lives of a more privileged class of people. They narrated MySpace as the dangerous underbelly of the Internet while Facebook was the utopian savior. And here we get back to Kat's point: MySpace has become the "ghetto" of the digital landscape. The people there are more likely to be brown or black and to have a set of values that terrifies white society. And many of us have habitually crossed the street to avoid what is seen as the riff-raff.

The fact that digital migration is revealing the same social patterns as urban white flight should send warning signals to everyone out there. And if we think back to the language used by teens who use Facebook when talking about MySpace, we should be truly alarmed. Those who are from privileged backgrounds tend to be far more condescending towards those who are not than vice versa. Many of us in this room come from privileged worlds where we want to "help" those who are not well-off. Here is where a privilege-check is necessary. How often do our language and mannerisms reflect a problematic level of condescension? Perhaps we should look at our teens. They are certainly speaking in a manner that reveals distrust and condescension.

Exciting bit from my publisher's news this morning:

The Iranian-American journalist who was sentenced in April, 2009 to eight years in Iranian prison and freed on appeal in May following broad based international pressure, Roxana Saberi's account of her six years in Iran, her imprisonment, her trial, and her ultimate release, providing a look at Iranian society and culture, and the political tensions which have sparked debate across the globe, to Harper for publication in March, 2010.