Comments on: I Was Neville Longbottom

By: Richard Rush

Richard Rush — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:05:41 +0000

I agree with you, Rob, but I’ve been thinking about this for awhile . . .

Here we have Maggie, a self-appointed authority on societal health with respect to marriage, campaigning for laws banning same-sex marriage because, in her view, the future health of society depends on it. While there is no credible evidence to support that view, there is a mountain of credible evidence to support the view that obesity is a condition that almost always results in the development of associated serious health problems. And those problems impact not only immediate families, but all of society.

The USA (after Mexico) leads the world in high rates of obesity. And we are all literally paying for it in higher health care costs, and in seeing loved ones develop more health problems. Statistics also show that parents are increasingly teaching their children to be obese.

But Maggie prefers to blame real and imagined social problems on gay-marriage, which harms no one, while ignoring how she is a role-model for promoting obesity, which harms everyone. For this and lots of other reasons, she has no credibility.

By: Olive Yurdich

Olive Yurdich — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:44:02 +0000

“Maggie seems like she could really use some friends who care for her”

Poor Adolph was just lonely and misunderstood too.

By: TM

TM — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 04:00:37 +0000

Rob, thank for you this. You’re a good guy.

I am ASTOUNDED at the thoughtlessness of some people’s comments regarding our “enemies’” weight, appearance, surnames, thinning hair, bone structure, etc.

I’ve seen appalling comments of this nature on Joe.My.God, Towleroad, Pam’s House Blend, Box Turtle Bulletin, and other LGBT blogs. I really wish the owners of those blogs would intervene to set a tone whereby ridicule of appearance, surnames, and other things people largely don’t choose is considered unacceptable.

It’s both unempathic and political poison. Maggie Gallagher can refer prospective donors to NOM to dozens of gay blog comments referring to her weight and not completely unfairly portray “us” as nasty, juvenile, ill-mannered, looksist, shallow, and/or bullies. This does NOT help us make a case that we deserve equality.

Also, I really appreciate sailormouth’s comment from above: “Maggie seems like she could really use some friends who care for her (as all we nerds did as teenagers, and some of us were lucky to find), and when she ditches her myopic bigotry, I hope our memory doesn’t last so long as to leave a wanting soul out in the cold.” (Beautiful sentiment, and beautiful writing.) Maggie and, say, Peter LaBarbera presently wish us harm, no question. But they are acting out at our expense of a function of personal pain that must be extreme. They are definitely “wanting souls.” If or when they stop hurting people, they should be embraced.

By: Johan

Johan — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 02:59:55 +0000

Science fiction is chucked full of fellings of alienation and fascination with the strange but perfectly normal. I just have an inkling that the genre ressonates with some many young queers for this reason. Or is that just me?

Definitely not just you. I think about half the guys I’ve dated have found or confessed a liking for it. Then again, that might just be my taste in men. =)~

By: Bob Barnes

Bob Barnes — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:48:27 +0000

GUILTY! If the Photoshopped pict of Maggie you are referring to is mine? Maggie had just released a statement to the people of Argentina and I couldn’t help but think Evita. And to the credit of the people of Argentina, I’m sure they were thinking, “Maggie who?” My “Photoshop in under 5 minutes” first round didn’t give me the impact I was looking for, so I took the low road and dropped in a few props.

By: Regan DuCasse

Regan DuCasse — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:38:31 +0000

See what all those children’s stories say about swans?
That’s why they are children’s stories. To teach about sensitivity and empathy.
One never knows and should assume that do so, makes beauties of us all.

By: sailormouth

sailormouth — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:38:18 +0000

I was pepperoni pizza face with a slur and a habit for literature and history, and now that the zits and speech impediment and poor social skills that they resulted in are gone and I’m hotter [and by the time I get to your advanced age, Rob, I'll be actually hot you stud ] pillorying a woman because of she’s heavy or ugly are among the most abhorrent things I can think of (makeup, hair, and style are totally fair game though for women; and clothing, hair and to some limited extent build are fair for men, in my not so humble opinion). All that said, when we can beat them on the merits of their arguments, let’s do that and leave all the rest for people to figure out on their own.

Maggie seems like she could really use some friends who care for her (as all we nerds did as teenagers, and some of us were lucky to find), and when she ditches her myopic bigotry, I hope our memory doesn’t last so long as to leave a wanting soul out in the cold.

By: Tre

Tre — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:37:44 +0000

Oy – the above was not supposed to be anonymous – I must have cleared my cookies.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 23:36:59 +0000

Better to be a “Neville Longbottom” than say a “Basil Shorttop”…
I’ll take a long bottom over a short top any day. God Bless.

By: Russ Manley

Russ Manley — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:37:31 +0000

Amen to all you said, Rob. I was a misfit too and endured lots of abuse and ridicule. I hate a bully.

The thing about Neville is that he has an unrecognized nobility and goodness that others don’t see or appreciate until much later. Maybe that’s true for us too.

Love what you’re doing here, keep up the good work.