Andrew Sean Greer: I don’t think I’m a gay activist. I used to be. I used to be, like, Act Up back in the day, you know, lying down on the sidewalk and getting chalk drawn around me, but I think I got a little more general about it when the Bush administration came in. I saw that there were much bigger rights
being trampled than just mine particularly. There were general civil rights and that was what I really focused on.
Question: Who are you supporting for president?
Andrew Sean Greer: Barack Obama. You know, I was an Edwards guy at first because he talked about poverty, which I think is really the only issue to be talking about, but once he dropped out I was definitely Obama. I saw all my friends so inspired by him and I sort of saw there was a feeling like there could be a move forward after feeling for so long that if we could just stop it, the Bush administration, that would be enough. If we could just stop it, I would be fine. But suddenly the idea that someone who actually said things that I thought, like his speech on race was exactly how I feel. There could be a politician who would say that out loud, I never dreamed I could support that because I don’t have a fantasy about politicians. I kind of think well, they’ll get close enough. You know, they won’t ever really do exactly what I want, but on this I always thought I lived in a bubble, but most of America seems to believe it too and that’s so optimistic and I have to follow the optimism.
His writing is universal, and so are his politics.
LinkedIn meets Tinder in this mindful networking app
Swipe right to make the connections that could change your career.
Swipe right. Match. Meet over coffee or set up a call.
No, we aren't talking about Tinder. Introducing Shapr, a free app that helps people with synergistic professional goals and skill sets easily meet and collaborate.
4 reasons Martin Luther King, Jr. fought for universal basic income
In his final years, Martin Luther King, Jr. become increasingly focused on the problem of poverty in America.
- Despite being widely known for his leadership role in the American civil rights movement, Martin Luther King, Jr. also played a central role in organizing the Poor People's Campaign of 1968.
- The campaign was one of the first to demand a guaranteed income for all poor families in America.
- Today, the idea of a universal basic income is increasingly popular, and King's arguments in support of the policy still make a good case some 50 years later.
Dead – yes, dead – tardigrade found beneath Antarctica
A completely unexpected discovery beneath the ice.
- Scientists find remains of a tardigrade and crustaceans in a deep, frozen Antarctic lake.
- The creatures' origin is unknown, and further study is ongoing.
- Biology speaks up about Antarctica's history.
Why I wear my life on my skin
For Damien Echols, tattoos are part of his existential armor.
- In prison Damien Echols was known by his number SK931, not his name, and had his hair sheared off. Stripped of his identity, the only thing he had left was his skin.
- This is why he began tattooing things that are meaningful to him — to carry a "suit of armor" made up the images of the people and objects that have significance to him, from his friends to talismans.
- Echols believes that all places are imbued with divinity: "If you interact with New York City as if there's an intelligence behind... then it will behave towards you the same way."
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