For Queen and country

Monarchy New Zealand have come up with a delightful suggestion for celebrating the birth of our likely future monarch, the great-grandchild of our current Queen; lighting up notable landmarks either blue or pink depending on the gender of the baby.

It appears that yes this is for real, and not, as a friend suggested, a post that has accidentally been published at Stuff instead of The Civilian.

Quite apart from the issue about why we would want to particularly do this, at all, is the very tired, very old-fashioned and very sexist insistence on colour-coding based on gender.   It's been getting steadily worse in recent decades,and this Is Not Helping.

The old-fashionedness of this rubbish is relatively new.     And what about thinking beyond two genders?  I sincerely hope that all the local authorities approached to take part in Monarchy New Zealand's bizarre idea have a good chuckle then offer a firm no.

A Royal Spectacle

I adore the spectacle of weddings.  There's just something about seeing the fruition of all that planning and intricate work that gets me most times.  Few events are more complicated or more brilliantly realised than a royal wedding.

We have but one television in our house, and so in a spirit of compromise we are currently avoiding the royal wedding coverage in the lead-up, with the understanding we will switch stations come 10pm for the ceremony itself. 

Although I like weddings I don't really hold a candle for monarchy, British or otherwise.  How can anyone really justify an approach to human beings that is all about birth determining worth?

So all these media comments about the "progress" the British monarchy has made with this wedding leaves me a bit cold.  Kate Middleton is still referred to, over and over again, as a "commoner".  I thought she was a person, silly me.  Then there's all this faff about whether or not she's a virgin.  NOT OUR BUSINESS.  And finally, the suggestion I heard from one TV3 commentator that as a future queen Kate may have been required to undergo a fertility test.  No one even mentions whether or not William goes to the altar with cherry intact, or has active swimmers.  (Not that I want them to.  Screwed up my face in dismay just typing that.)

One slight plus which warmed my cold dead egalitarian heart when someone pointed it out on twitter;  Elton John can not only go to an event packed to the brim with the powerful of Britain and beyond, he can also take his partner with nary a glance askance.  That is progress, although it's got naught to do with the monarchy imho.

Maybe next time there's a Big Deal royal wedding we'll see a female guest in trousers. 

There's lots of awesome tweeting and live blogging all about the show, so I'll leave it there and go get my wedding fix. Also:  fascinators!!



Looking for a picture for this post I thought I'd just have to go with some regal looking cupcakes, but no there was quite an array of royal wedding cupcakes on offer.  I find cakes iced with pictures of real people a bit creepy myself, but each to their own.