Work it, ladies

Although I'm often in agreement with the sentiment expressed by the Pub Quiz team last night that named themselves "Marriage is Gay," I can't help but make the awww sweet face at these:



Speaking of the Gay Question, of which I haven't been really writing, the Washington City Paper has a good, if tangential point. Bush flaps his lips about how gay marriage and yadda yadda will weaken society yadda yadda, which we all of course now is bullshit, but what about the opposite argument? Gays are demonstrably good for society.

Look at what the gay nesting instinct has done for DC alone! Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, and other once untouchable neighborhoods that had long been abandoned to the gangs and the drugs are now total hotspots attracting gads of high-end retailing and astronomical rents. Why? Because the gay community moved in with their Trading Spaces genes and their unparalleled purchasing power, and retailers, restaurants, and timid gentrifiers followed. What this means for long-term residents who are being priced out of their homes is one thing, but if the city can follow through with promises to keep affordable housing in these neighborhoods, everyone will be glad that the criminal elements that roamed free have had to find new rocks to hide under.

Now, really, that is neither here nor there on the issues swirling around marriage, but credit where credit's due. If I were running a Sim City town and needed to transform a depressed, undesirable, unsafe neighborhood into a high-end Mecca, there's no question about what I'd do. Send in the gays!