They’re baaaaaaack

It’s that time again, that time being the Weblog Awards time, and as one who can’t credibly say she didn’t roll up her sleeves and get all muddy in it — really, it took me weeks to wash all the mud out of my clothes — much as I am of two (or three, or more) minds on the whole business, I must take a moment and stump for a few chums who are currently in the mud pit:

Up for Best LGBT blog is Mombian, written single-handedly and prolifically — remember, people, she does have a child, here, and she’s still breaking news and doing original research and analysis and now a video broadcast — by the inimitable Dana Rudolph. If I have told her once, I’ve told her a thousand times, I think there should be a Lesbian Tax, levvied on all of us when we come out, and a bunch of the proceeds should go to keeping her and her brood in lattés, or whatever they drink in Massechusetts. Mombian is the default page on my laptop, and when I first found it, several months into fresh parenthood, I was soooooo, sooooo grateful. Now I simply rely on her.

And over here, in the Best Parenting Blog ring, we have my man Looky, Daddy! I can’t say enough about this fine chap. First off, he had the grace and generosity to wait for me at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC whilst I snaked my way to him, waaaaaay too late, on a cross-town bus (later the Know-It-All-Brother-In-Law reminded me of the Jimi Hendrix song, “Cross Town Traffic,” which featured a reference to this phenomenon as an example of intransigence and obstruction). Second off, his plug for me toward the end of last year’s Weblog Awards is bunched with one of the wittiest arguments against gay marriage that you’ll ever read. I am honored. Third off, he keeps a LesbianFamily.org “Friend of the Family” button in his sidebar, which itself alone is reason for every lesbian in the country to boost his blog into Best Parenting Blog of 2007 status. Especially when there isn’t a lesbian blog in there to elbow him out of the way for. Finally off, he is an unparalleled humorist with a heart that is barely concealed under the irony. Must support.

And in this ring, duking it out for the Best of the Rest, we have Mr. Konagod, who was a fellow-left-wing homo blogger up for Best New Blog last year. Now he’s up for Best of the Rest, a berth owned this past year by fellow lesbian parent blogger and LesbianFamily.org founder Liza. And while I’m not entertained by the volume of his references to blogging whilst inebriated, or f-ed up, or what have you (oops! yes, I am that old, and/or that stodgy — now it can be told!), he was such a gent during the mud-wrestling match last year, and I very much appreciate the left-wing + homosexual + living in Texas thing. I’ll bet if there were more left-wing homosexuals in that state some years back, our current president may not have made the jump from trust fund brat to failed business man to ball club owner to inept governor to even inepter global menace. Though the number of left-wing homosexuals in my state hasn’t kept us from populating the White House with republican presidents, so I’m sure I should keep my yap shut.

And now, a final note or two regarding the various minds I have regarding these awards. This blog netting the votes to be named Best New Blog last year felt like a valuable group accomplishment, enough so’s I still stuck the darned braggy button on the sidebar this past year. Yet still I grouse. I know: my ambivalence is bizarre. It’s either a case of my biting the hand that fed me, or of my spitting out the tasty snack that I fought through a long line to get some of. I mean, tons of people helped push this blog to the front of that line (here, look). And the spittle of homophobia that got me all bitter about the process most likely was the chief inspiration for the get-out-the-vote enthusiasm, so I’m certainly glad that, yet again, we all got a repeat of the lesson that Hate Does Not Win Out In The End. Also, I got a bump in readership (after the bump in my arse from the right wing vs. lesbian wing jostling). And the readership didn’t disappear, either, following that month; its rapid diminishment would have been proper testament to this blogular depot having been nothing more than a pre-holiday circus sideshow, and I’m glad to be able to provide more than that. My initial intention was to try to improve the online visibility of lesbian parenthood, figuring that our visibility online would open avenues of communication amongst our fellows and allies, and potentially open hearts and minds among our critics. I very much appreciate the opportunity to have advanced some of that work, which does indeed feel like a central calling of mine these days.

It was only after the Weblog Awards voting competition last year that I researched about them, and realized that this is but one of several blog awards. And while the Weblog Awards net the largest participant pool, it’s essentially due to the week-long voting binge their structure encourages (in an attempt to support readers’ loyalty, over their sheer numbers, say the organizers). One nominee (the very fine Bilerico Project) likened the Weblog Awards to the Academy Awards of the blogosphere, but my research tells me: nope. No distinguished group of judges, who won that position due to their widely respected work in the field, selecting finalists based on some set of collectively vetted, transparent criteria about excellence of craft, etc. No, uh uh. But People’s Choice, yeah, definitely. People’s Choice, hosted by Fox. No, really. Look into it. Have a looksee at the “media” content that Wizbang, the Weblog Awards host generates.

But after you’re done looking into it, go back and vote for Dana and Brian and Kona day in and day out for the next week, just for the fun of it. I know I will.