You Don’t Know Me!
Aiyi’nah “SimplyNay” Ford, Washington, DC August 2011
Ever met someone who infuses a room with an almost palpable energy? You know, where the tone changes and all of a sudden everything is important all at once? Aiyi’nah “SimplyNay” Ford is one of those people. Read the rest of this entry
Response: Will’s Comment on ‘Don’t Rape’
This goes out to all the men out there. Number one, as a feminist, a hetero-identified woman and an appreciator of beauty, I love me some men. I am very happy to have men around, especially allies and feminists-identified men who feel strongly that women’s rights are human rights. In other words, Welcome Men, one and all!
Before we get to number two, please re-read Will’s comment:
Why is it when the man asked “What can I do?”, he was told simply “Don’t rape”. It feels like the feminist community only sees men as this impulsive beings who only want to rape or do something violent and cruel. Clearly this gentlemen would never rape a woman, assumption since he’s at a feminist gathering, so why not give him something more. Tell him what he can truly do to help, an answer like the one giving is insulting to me as a man.
In other words, “Of course I wouldn’t rape! But I still want to help the community”, I guess it just makes me feel polarized from the movement when I hear things like that.
Now for number two. I completely understand and agree with the point that a response of ‘Don’t Rape’ to a query of inclusion, like ‘How can I help?’, is offensive. I believe this offense is grounded in a feeling of being overgeneralized and stereotyped. Read the rest of this entry
HERvotes & Your Voice: Grips Around My Neck Edition
There comes a time when you have to put your money were your mouth is. The 2012 US Presidential Election is it baby. Now is the time to address the discrepancy lurking between the values we hold true as a nation – self-determination, religious freedom, freedom of expression, the opportunity for our children to direct their own path and write their own life story, the friendly American vibe that encourages genuine human connection and an appreciation for diversity in our lives – and the creeping, often illogical, conservatism that promotes an ‘us v. them’ viewpoint, the rhetoric of ‘my lifestyle is the only acceptable option’, and a constricted set of freedoms that once defined our nation. Read the rest of this entry
Post-SlutWalk Debate: To be or not to be a slut?
17 August 2011
AAUW, Washington, DC
In January 2011 a Toronto police officer proclaimed that sexual violence would not exist if it weren’t for women dressing like sluts. The response has been worldwide in scope and community building for survivors of sexual violence. SlutWalks, a protest involving both men and women who dress as they please to emphasize the point that fashion choice is unrelated to and never justification for sexual violence, have crept up in most major cities throughout the world. Washington, DC was home to a SlutWalk on 13 August 2011. Naturally the event elicited both acclaim and criticism. Read the rest of this entry
Feminism In My Own Words
Last night I attended an intimate screening of Gloria: In Her Own Words, a new HBO documentary that focuses on the ups and downs and defining features of Gloria Steinem’s life, in the home of a new friend and mentor Karen Mulhauser. Just prior to, and then again following, the film the group of about 20 women discussed two questions; (1) What is the future of feminism? and (2) What is a feminist?
In reverse order and the simplest terms possible, a feminist is someone who believes in the equality of men and women. In more detail, a feminist can be a man, woman, boy or girl. A feminist is someone who sees life through a lens of grays rather than blacks and whites, noticing that roles and identity are dynamic characteristics NOT correlated with sex (our reproductive bits). A feminist is someone who believes anything that needs doing can be accomplished by men, women or, ideally, both. A feminist is someone who thinks women and men deserve full and equal social, political, economic, and religious rights. Read the rest of this entry
