Sunday Summary, Sep 22nd

What, is this new? Yes. Yes it is new.

Well! It’s been quite the week, and as such I thought it deserved a summary. In fact, it’s got me thinking that because my writing is spread between Wonkette, Notes, and Pervert Justice a Sunday Summary on the regular might be a good thing to use to wrap up the week, get back to stories that need small updates, and make sure that folks who missed something have a chance to catch up.

Rebecca Cheptegei.

Last Monday I came across the story of Rebecca Cheptegei. She was a talented runner from Uganda who competed in this years Olympic marathon, finishing 44th. We don’t often think of someone who finished 44th and what that means, but this is not just 44th in, say, the 100 yard dash, which 7 billion people can do. In the marathon few humans can even finish. Just finishing a marathon is huge. Finishing 44th in your local city’s annual marathon is a much bigger deal than that, and 44th in the world? Yet after she returned home, instead of celebration, she was killed by her partner. My activist days date to my work against domestic and sexual violence, and I still take this personally. More than disability rights, queer rights, trans rights, fighting racism, universal housing: this is my cause. So I wrote, and wrote passionately. The piece attracted a lot of attention and praise - with many new subscribers (thank you!). Now all I have to do is write as well every time to keep you coming back. I can’t promise that, but I will try.

WNBA Wrapup!

I have been a fan of gymnastics for decades because of my brother and basketball partly because of my parents and partly because of my sister. Both my brother and sister were college athletes. Talented. On scholarship. I remember what it was like for them, and I’ve seen how men’s gymnastics is often treated as secondary to women’s, while in the larger scheme women’s sports are treated as secondary to men’s. A few years ago I was arguing with someone who thought trans people were a threat to women’s sport. My point was that even if trans people threaten women’s sports — a point I don’t actually concede — they are not the primary barriers. Horrific rape scandals, sexist comparisons with men’s versions, lack of financial investment, and lack of media attention are all drags on the success of talented women, and far more so than anything trans people could do. During that conversation Ir realized that I can’t affect the first three of those, but I can do my small part to bring more attention to women’s sports. As a result I’ve been writing about women’s sports sporadically (that’s my word for the week) as part of my general effort to see justice done in the world. And this WNBA season needs a lot of attention to do it justice. Go read the Wonkette post, but the storylines were numerous, the players superb, league leadership learned a thing or two, and the big losers this year were a bunch of bigots who deserved to lose.

WNBA Followup!

(Yes, that’s right, your first story to get a follow up in the Sunday Summary!)

I can also announce that in addition to the 2 expansion franchises coming to the WNBA next year, Portland has been announced as a new franchise for 2026. I am over the moon about this, having attended games for the pre-WNBA Portland Power (a member of the ABL) and then the Portland Fire, mostly on season tickets that my mom bought to support women athletes but rarely used. I now have 19 months to figure out how to commute to games.

Patent trolls in Congress!

Patent trolls are trying to bring back bad laws, and the Electronic Frontier Foundation wants to kills these bills in committee. If you have something intelligible to say on patents or just as someone who buys things made with patented technology, you might want to visit the EFF website, read more, and decide if you want to send Congress a note.

CINNAMON!

Okay, I have to admit that I lied to you all. When Cinnamon the Capybara escaped from her zoo enclosure and went on the lam, I claimed to have found some alternate lyrics to a Dire Straits song chewed into tree bark by Cinnamon’s brother, Churro. In fact, I fabricated all of it. I made up these lyrics just for you so that you could have an extra smile in your week.

In case you were thinking about asking, I’m not sorry. The real lyrics Churro nibbled into the bark had terrible meter and were way too fond of alliteration.

Cinnamon follow up!

Cinnamon is back with her brother after having been found in a pond within the forest reserve that borders the zoo. She was … less than cooperative and a number of bipeds ended up muddy and wet, which only increases my amusement as long as I’m not one of the unlucky bipeds.

Mark Robinson, Aspiring Slave Owner

This is more a saga than a story, and it begins with the revelations of his many, many bad statements and opinions, (not least, “I’m a black NAZI!”) on Thursday night. While he denies that any of the statements are his, I told y’all that I’ve been learning a lot about the guy this year, and I believe all of it is perfectly consistent with what I know. This is one revolting dude.

As the man is the GOP nominee for North Carolina governor, Republicans were eager to have him drop out of the race. He had only hours after the story dropped to so so, and he didn’t, so now all of this baggage is going to drag down other republicans in races around NC, possibly including Trump in the presidential. I told you all just hours ago that his campaign is collapsing, with all 4 of the most important staffers running away as fast as their feet can carry them.

But my major story on this (the rest being ably covered by approximately 22/7ths of the internet) was one of media criticism, and how CNN’s original story treated Robinson’s love of trans porn as equivalent to love of trans people, and thus at odds with his politics. The whole story is over on Wonkette and worth your read, but stripped of the evidence and analysis, if you just want the pithy centre of the Tootsie Pop, it is this:

The trans actors in movies he watches aren’t people to Robinson, but an anti-queer means to achieve his selfish ends, and that sounds exactly like his politics.

Well! That’s your summary of an eventful week. I can’t promise that they’ll all be this notable, but I do always promise to bring my best, post all content for free, and to take your money should you be gracious and lucky enough to have some you would consider worthy of sending my way.

Crip Dyke also writes for the delightfully cussmouthed Wonkette!

EVERY SUNDAY SUMMARY IS AN OPEN THREAD!

Sound off as you like, and make sure to add corrections or story ideas if you have them.