Dan Savage Saw It Coming

My newfound podcast love is Savage Love, with sex and relationship advice columnist Dan Savage dispensing his patented combination of insight, wisdom, and rants. Dan’s the man who started “It Gets Better” with his husband Terry, and who called for the contest which forever redefined the meaning of Santorum. (Warning: if you don’t know the redefinition of Santorum, do NOT click on this link if you get grossed out by grossness.)

I’ve been listening to episode after episode, going into Savage’s archive, which stretches back to 2008. That means that I’ve been hearing him preach during the 2008 elections, exhorting his listeners to vote for Barack Obama lest their genitals wither away. His magic seemed to work there. Unfortunately, it was less effective in convincing Californians to vote down the anti-marriage Proposition 8, which took marriage away from thousands of gay and lesbian couples.

In the aftermath, in an episode released on November 18, 2010, just after the election, Dan issued a warning.

SAVAGE: It’s not gay vs. straight on Prop 8 or gay rights. We have straight allies and straight people I think increasingly recognize that the assholes who are attempting to strip gays and lesbians of our civil rights in this country are also after you. That we’re really in one fight here against the people who want to repeal and overturn Roe v. Wade, who want to restrict abortion rights, who want to restrict access to birth control, who want to restrict good sex ed information, who want to put women barefoot and pregnant back in the kitchens and want to roll back all the gains on gender equality over the last hundred years in this country, too.

Given what’s happened since 2010, Savage was (unfortunately) right on the money. In a multitude of state houses, as well as the House of Representatives, we’ve had the ongoing Republican “War on Women,” the “Battle Against Reproductive Choice,” and the “Constant Consternation Over Birth Control.” These people want to control and monitor our bodies. If they cared about reducing abortions, they would donate to Planned Parenthood, as increased birth control reduces the number of abortions. As does increased gayness, but it appears that us straight people are just born that way, and can’t do much to change it.

Savage is constantly on the mark, and I love his mixture of monologue, voice mails, calls to those who have left voice ails, and interviews with sex positive sex experts. I wish I’d had this podcast when I was a teenager, as he gives terrific information along with healthy guidance. He’s a good man, Dan.

English: Sex advice columnist, journalist, and newspaper editor Dan Savage. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SEE ALSO
politiqueer: Savagery
You know it’s been a long time when it feels like no time at all: The Commitment
Heads Up Productions: ‘Savage Love’fest