By Jess McCabe | 20 June 2006, 22:08

Have I ever said how much I love Margaret Cho before? Well, I do, and blog entries like this are why:

Frontman Dan Lee says that his father lived across the street from my father in Korea, and he says he has been hearing about me for a long time, even before my success because my father was complaining about me to his father, prompting his father to use me as a cautionary tale. After I became rich and famous (ha!), Dan could then point to me as an example of a Korean who “made it.”

It’s good to remember that the US has produced some amazing creative types and leaps forward in gender politics, such as the first female leader of the Episcopal church. That helps when you’re having to swallow news like the Pentagon still lists homosexuality as a mental disorder.

Meanwhile, the Guardian has published the second interesting excerpt from The story of childhood: growing up in modern Britain, by Libby Brooks, this time about a suicidal 15 year old girl who lets thoughts that she is ugly consume her.

There was quite a long time after leaving her first school, and before starting at the second, when she did not have any friends at all. She started getting obsessed with her appearance, really distressed about it. “Then, once I did start at the new school, [the girls from her old gang] started spreading rumours about me and trying to turn everyone against me. A lot of people don’t like me,” she says, matter of factly. The last time they beat Laura up it went too far. “They knocked me out because someone kicked me in the head. They robbed me and I was quite badly sexually assaulted as well. For hours, I couldn’t remember a thing. My memory still isn’t clear. I just get little flashbacks.”

Now Laura wears her make-up like armour. It appears impermeable, as though it will protect her from all onslaughts. Laura still feels ugly enough to die, but the bullies have moved on to the next person. Sometimes, she will see them on the street and they look through her like she does not exist.