Dirty Sexy Boy

Soo, the show is getting okay reviews, but one highlight is Seth Gabel as Jeremy Darling.


It took me forever to figure out who he is until Wikipedia came to the rescue: he was Adrian, Eva Moore's adopted son during the Second Season of Nip/Tuck (new season start in just a a few weeks!). Below is a picture of what he looked like on that show.


Seth's character on Nip/Tuck was delightfully wicked. Apart from being a sociopath, drug dealer, and emotionally abusive, he tried on several occasions to seduce Matt McNamara (who was sleeping with the woman Adrian though was his mother). Oh, and Adrian was also sleeping with the woman he thought was his mother (but Eva was a transsexual, and not actually a blood relative of Adrian's. Apart from the sometimes unnecessary (though no less enjoyable) ass shots (Seth has a couple!), can there be any question why I love this show?

Anyway, I'm over Zac now (we broke up since neither of us are really out yet). Seth is on my list instead. I'll be watching him on Wednesday nights on ABC (Project Runway will have to be Tivo-ed).

PS, I am writing this post in class, so I can post no shirtless pictures. Sorry :(

The Leviticus Strawman

Many are quite fond of the following clip:



I am not. I see it as a strawman argument that if anything only weakens the position of homosexuals who still consider themselves Christians (like me).

Humorous yes. Persuasive, no. The big problem is that the whole argument relies on the Old Testament.

Even the Fundies recognize that the Old Covenant was broken, and Jesus created a new one. That's why Paul goes to such great lengths to show that Gentiles may be Christians and that many of the old laws are just not important (in particular I am thinking of a time when Paul argued that it's okay for Christians to eat meat that had been sacrificed). The big problem for homosexuality in the eyes of the Fundies is that while Paul argued that many of the old laws about works were unimportant, he still lumped homosexuality as one of those things that is still bad.

That's why any defense of Christian homosexuality must be functional as opposed to formalist, i.e. consider the themes of Christ's message, such as love and the way that religious legalism ruins faith. The problem is that for the Fundies, that just doesn't cut it. In The Conservative Soul, Andrew Sullivan argues that one appeal of fundamentalism is that it is that it is easy to apply: the Bible says that this is bad, so it always is, and we don't have to think any more about it. That means that functional arguments aren't enough. It might be if the New Testament were silent on the issue, but it is not. Case closed: this satisfies prong one of Chevron. (I can't believe I just made an administrative law joke)

The best that homosexuals can do with the Fundies right now is a "love the sinner, hate the sin" + "let he who is without sin cast the first stone" kind of relationship.

Brothers & Sisters

I really like the show Brothers & Sisters on ABC, largely because Kitty Walker, Calista Flockhart's character, is a Republican as well as being intelligent and lucid (unlike Boston Legal's Denny Crane, but that show is good enough I can forgive them).

The show is a drama so Kitty is not played for laughs, nor is she a bigoted reactionary a la Archie Bunker. The show has at times used her character to touch on certain issues, for instance the War in Iraq and the Federal Marriage Amendment, but not in a "we have to teach this unenlightened philistine about these issues" way. The show sometimes explores the sometimes rocky relationship Kitty has with her family, and especially her mother, who is an unabashed liberal. Although politics is not the primary source of tension that occasionally arises between them, it often serves as a detonator. Nonetheless, Kitty's positions are usually well reasoned, even if they are delivered in soundbites (for this she can be forgiven, as her occupation on the show was conservative talk show host, and now she is the public relations manager for a Republican senator).

Another big reason I like the show is because, in the broadest sense, it is about acceptance of the ones we love. The show began with the family having to deal with the death of William Walker, who it was then revealed was not exactly the man they thought he was. He had taken $15 Million from his company's pension fund, and he carried on a long term extra-marital affair. Nora, the mother, is well-meaning but very meddlesome. Justin, the youngest son, has a substance abuse problem stemming from his time in Afghanistan. Tommy was not made president of his father's company after the death of William, and recently learned he is sterile. Kevin who is gay has trouble maintaining a stable relationship, which he desperately wants. Sarah is trying to keep the business afloat and deal with her own family, which includes a diabetic daughter and a rebellious stepson. No matter how their problems interact and whatever tensions arise, each of them must learn that no one, especially our family, is perfect, but we can still love them. I like that.