Category: feminism

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Women’s History Month: Forward

For the start of Women’s History Month, here’s a photo of two images of women in the Wisconsin state capital of Madison. The gold one, which sits atop the building’s cupola, is actually named “Wisconsin” but she’s often referred to as “Miss Forward” — which is the name of the statue that stands at ground level on the capital grounds.

Named Miss Forward for the state’s motto, she is a 7-foot tall allegorical representation of devotion and progress that, from Ms Miner’s experience, could also symbolize patience and persistence.

Jean Pond Miner is her sculptor, and “Forward” is the state motto (which people have been writing backwards on signs protesting the recent power grab by Governor Walker, or using in signs in other ways).

 

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Don’t Be Distracted: Women’s Lives Are at Stake

Egypt is fascinating and amazing and cool, and it’s easy to enjoy the good news of democracy in progress.

That said, ours is being battered here in the US.

The “forcible rape” language has not yet been removed, for instance.

And health care for poor women (Title X) is on the chopping block as an “austerity measure.” Because we all know keeping poor women from contraception, HIV tests and abortion will make for a better world. Cost effective? Not at all. Better to prevent HIV and various STIs than to have to treat them later.

Write your politicians, write Chris Smith, and tell them to cut it out.
Then, join Planned Parenthood or NARAL or some other organization that will be fighting harder than usual for women’s lives and women’s health for the next few years.

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Forcible or Not

This past week, Republicans wanted to redefine rape to mean only “forcible rape.” To understand how ridiculously insensitive – and ignorant – that is, read Jeanette Freidman’s account of her own rape 37 years ago and why she didn’t have any bruises in the aftermath. They failed, at least, largely due to ongoing pressure such as the #DearJohn campaign that happened on Twitter & focused on getting Boehner’s attention.

I don’t think we would even have to discuss something so heinous if we didn’t already live in a rape culture — where most forms of rape are already ignored or even openly encouraged:


Rape culture is rape being used as a weapon, a tool of war and genocide and oppression. Rape culture is rape being used as a corrective to “cure” queer women. Rape culture is a militarized culture and “the natural product of all wars, everywhere, at all times, in all forms.”

Rape culture is 1 in 33 men being sexually assaulted in their lifetimes. Rape culture is encouraging men to use the language of rape to establish dominance over one another (“I’ll make you my bitch”). Rape culture is making rape a ubiquitous part of male-exclusive bonding. Rape culture is ignoring the cavernous need for men’s prison reform in part because the threat of being raped in prison is considered an acceptable deterrent to committing crime, and the threat only works if actual men are actually being raped.

I wish we didn’t.

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Two Tune Tuesday: Pink

A student mentioned her in my feminist theory class – as an example of a cool feminist woman in the media – so here she is, first hit & most recent. I’ve always loved that she flaunts her lack of dainty, and how can you not someone who came up with “too school for cool”? Count me in: wrong in all the right ways, indeed.