Weekly Rants&Raves- July 12

Hello!  I hope you all enjoyed your Fourth of July weekend eating hotdogs and watching fireworks and  sporting red, white, and blue, and celebrating this totally awesome non-patriarchal, non-White Supremacist, non-heteronormative society we live in… Yah stick a firework in that!  But now that the holiday is over, it’s time to shift focus back on the world and all the crazy, unbelievable, “is this real life” things that have been happening.

In not-new news this week, no one wants anyone to ever be able to have an abortion.

Well that’s the jist I’ve gotten from all the madness in Texas, Ohio, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.  Rehashing the details seems futile, but basically each state has introduced harmful laws and bills that would severely restrict women’s access, close down clinics, ban doctors, and increase cost and inconvenience.

Here’s a quick summary:

Welcome to the greatest nation on earth…

I can’t wrap my head around these men who work so tirelessly to devalue women and strip their essential human rights.  I have always spouted the “no ovaries, no opinion” gospel: as someone who will never have to deal with the fear of becoming pregnant, will never face associated health risks, will not be faulted by society if they choose not to care for their child, and ultimately, will never have to carry a child to term, it seems overwhelming unfair.  As some wise woman once said, “don’t tell me what to do.”  If you don’t want to have an abortion, great, don’t have one.  But don’t you daretry to tell me what to do.  Don’t complicate further an already challenging decision.

That being said, I am so incredibly impressed by the groups of women and men storming statehouses across the U.S. and lobbying for fundamental rights.  It is truly inspiring.  Now if only we could revolutionize the world so that young girls feel empowered to run for office and reclaim their rights… Sigh.

But check out this video of a woman testifying in Texas, it’s badass:

Another things this week that made me swing from the rafters yelling WTF (lol I was sitting on my couch eating but mentally, spiritually, I was participating in said swinging) is the revelation that Calif. prison’s were sterilizing female inmates?!  Seriously?  Either they want us to be so pregnant babies fly out of our ears or they want to remove all ability to procreate?  Can someone explain this to me?  And you would think this took place in 1500 when people were still living in caves or something, but NO!  Between 2006 and 2010 ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY female inmates were sterilized WITHOUT state approval.  And, many of the women said they were COERCED into receiving the surgery.  Can I please be cryogenically frozen until Beyonce is president?

Big kudos to the Center for Investigative Reporting for their work in exposing this.  I’m not sure what the solution to this is, or how anyone could properly compensate these women who have lost so much.  Maybe they should switch places with the systems of power in place that allowed for the sterilization and see how THEY like being in jail… I joke… sort of.

Do you ever get catcalled?  Not the positive kind where your cat gives you a ring to see how your day is going, but the sometimes scary/awkward/confusing “hey sexy where’d you get those crocs” sort of catcalling?  Well I just found out about this awesome organization called “Hollaback!” which is an organization that works to combat and end street harassment!  If you are so inclined, NYU is having an event called Hollaback! on July 25th which will be a forum for discussing street harassment, feminism’s future, etc.  (and it’s followed by a cocktail hour!)  Check out the facebook page here.  NYC’s not that far away!

Now for unpopular opinion time… have you been hearing about how conservative host of The View Elisabeth Hasselbeck left the show this week.  I have to admit something: I have seen the View, in fact, I kinda like it.  It has that “sick-day home from school supposed to be doing homework but I’m watching mind numbing TV” sort of feel to it.  And it has a very special place in my heart.  As does Ms. Hasselbeck.  But I can see that I loved her not for her feminist politics but for the fights she ignited.  She’s a pretty backwards thinker.  But, it should be said that Hasselbeck, despite her politics, is a human being, and so we shouldn’t get too excited criticizing her.  So I’m going to take it as an overall positive thing that she has left the show to leave for her rightful home, Fox “News.”  Let’s hope The View doesn’t replace her with another crazy conservative, although I do hear Rush Limbaugh is interested… Kidding.

Just realized I wrote about Hollaback and Hasselbeck…. hahaha.

Enjoy your week!  Go see The Heat!  It passes the Bechdel test, which has never happened in the history of the world (for the most part…)

Yours for equality,

Lucia

Mass. NOW Rants&Raves Week of June 28th

Patriarchy getting you down?  Me too, always.  But this week is like a little island of joy in an ocean of sexism.  In my blog post last week I was complaining about how there was no positive equality news- NOT a concern I have this week.  There is so much awesomeness going down I want to bask in it forever and ever...Whew where was I?  Oh yes, exciting things.  Here we go...

As I'm sure you all know, on Wednesday the SCOTUS deemed the Defense of Marriage Act, or Doma, unconstitutional.  What's that? You thought Doma was some sort of European cake? (...Ok so you probably didn't think that but it sounds like it could be one right?)  Anyways it WAS (yay for past tense) this horrible law that treated same-sex marriages differently than opposite-sex marriages.  The demise of DOMA marks a turning point in how the U.S. government treats the relationships of married same-sex couples for federal programs that are linked to being married.

On Wednesday the SCOTUS (not to be confused with FLOTUS or POTUS) dismissed an appeal over same-sex marriage on "jurisdictional grounds" and yadayada legal mumbo jumbo.  Basically, same-sex couples can resume getting married in California!  This is fantastic.  Although same-sex marriage is not legal across the U.S. yet, these are great giant wonderful steps towards positive change.  Why you would want to live in a state that bans certain civil liberties is beyond me, but I'm trying to work on my prejudiced-state prejudice (see what I just did there?)  And this means more weddings!  More veils and tuxes and flowers and champagne and cake and h'ors deurves and cake and can you tell I'm really hungry?  Invite me to your weddings please!  Will macarena for food.

Does this mean that we can just call it same-sex marriage now?

I learned a valuable lesson this week, there is more room in my heart for people who aren't Elizabeth Warren or Hillary Clinton.  I've made room for the amazing State Senator Wendy Davis!  For 13 hours on Tuesday, Texas State Rep. Wendy Davis filibustered legislation that would close almost all of Texas' abortion clinics.  Lots of amazing people like you swarmed the state senate and lent support.  More than 400 protesters halted the proceedings 15 minutes before the roll call could be completed with what they called "a people's filibuster" which meant making a lot of noise so that the proceedings couldn't finish in time (gosh I wish that worked for exams).  The whole event basically restored my faith in humanity.  Ain't no thang.  Although Gov. Rick Perry has called a special session next week to revisit the bill, I'm going to take some time to appreciate how awesome and hopeful this makes me.

In other great news, former Congressperson Ed Markey won the special election in Mass on Tuesday, beating Gabriel Gomez.  Even though we were all pretty sure this would happen, it's still fantastic news.  Gomez was scarily vague about women's issues which he so delightfully (not) referred to as "life issues."  If you want to ignore half the population that's fine bud, but get ready to lose an election.  Oh wait, he did!  Anyways, Markey seems fabbity fab and will do an excellent job representin' MA!

Now to my rants.

The SCOTUS certainly earned some points for their DOMA and Prop 8 decisions this week, but they lost major points for their complete silliness in regards to the Voting Rights Act.  On Tuesday they struck down a key part of the VRA, the law that determines which states must get federal permission before they change their voting laws.   The VRA was a huge success of the civil rights movement, and helped combat the historic disenfranchisement of African American voters.  This appears to be a big step backwards.  It's pretty sad that such a historic measure met it's end.  It's unclear what this ruling will lead to, but it's most likely not good.

In other potentially horrifying news, a 2007 MA law that bars protestors from demonstrating in close-proximity to abortion clinics may be overturned.  That would be crazy right?  People should be able to make challenging decisions without people yelling in their faces right?  Maybe.  The Supreme Court is going to hear the bill and reconsider its constitutionality.  Abortion opponents are bringing the case to the court and want the law thrown out.  So you can stand closer than 35-feet to yell at people?  Great.  Abortion opponents who regularly stand outside clinics in Boston, Worcester and Springfield claimed the law "unfairly keeps them from engaging patients in conversations at a closer distance."  Petition for you to not.  I'm sorry, read a book or something.

That's all for this week.  Who knows what next week will bring.  Clinton announcing her campaign?  Beyonce moving to Boston?  The renewal of the Oprah show?

If any of those things happen, you'll hear about them here.

Yours for equality,

Lucia