Feminism means that you do not sell out your sisters.
We do not step on the rights of one woman to promote the rights of another. We don't sell out women of color, lesbians, bisexuals, trans* people, younger women, older women, disabled women, mothers, women who choose not to have children, low-income women, or any other woman because that does not advance this cause. We do not compromise any of our values on choice, violence, constitutional equality, racial equality, sexual orientation, or economic equity, because to make exceptions for one is to compromise them all.
And we do not ever act to the detriment of our sisterhood, our movement, or our organization due to factions or personal gain.
6.22.2009
6.03.2009
On Demand. Without Apology.
Crossposted at MS NOW
Mississippi only has one abortion clinic and, like most things in the state that might positively affect the rights of women, it's not exactly well funded. The Jackson Women's Health Organization opened its doors on February 8, 1995 and has had the same funky coral pink interior design scheme ever since. Our new clinic director and long time feminist activist, Nancy Kohsin-Kintigh, decided it needed a face lift, so a small crew of volunteers signed up to help.
When I showed up Sunday morning, I expected to get right back to work, painting the surgical hallway where I'd left off the night before. Instead, I found Nancy terribly upset, having just heard about the sudden murder of her very good friend and coworker Dr. George Tiller. He was shot, point blank, in his church. Nancy said he'd just come back from a week at Disneyworld with his family.
There was no time to be sad. The volunteers divided into two groups. Nancy, MS NOW president Jenni Smith, and others quickly set the ball rolling on a press conference with local media while myself and some fantastic volunteers and members from Starkville NOW got back to painting, knowing the clinic had to be open for business the next morning. Meanwhile, we all waited for the national media to pick up the story.
Before the press conference, Nancy gathered all of us in the waiting room to tell us about her friend. Dr. Tiller ran one of the three clinics that performed late term abortions in the country. Patients came from, quite literally, all over the world. He primarily helped women whose lives were in danger, women whose pregnancies had developed extreme physical or genetic complications, and very young rape/incest victims (whose pregnancies are often not detected until later). He had been shot twice, his clinic had been burned and bombed, and anti-choice extremists had done everything they could to make his life difficult.
Dr. Tiller was often asked why he didn't just give up. He said he would be working as long as women needed him. Nancy called him a "total feminist." She said once, when the anti's had surrounded his clinic, he had his staff hang a huge banner across the building: "Women need abortions. I'm going to do them. -Dr. Tiller"
That is what a feminist looks like. That is why we are a pro-choice movement and will continue to fight for the control of our bodies that is legally ours - abortion: on demand, without apology.
Thirty or so paint streaked volunteers gathered behind Nancy, Jenni, Shawna (reproductive freedom coordinator of the ACLU of MS) and Todd as they told the news cameras what had happened. They told about how it is also unsafe for our doctor here and how we're having to ask for federal marshals. Again.
We got the painting done that night. The walls are a nice tan with rust colored trim and carefully placed accent walls. That weird coral wallpaper is all gone. The waiting room has been pleasantly rearranged and the purple plant Kellum put on the receptionist desk ties it all together quite well. As Mississippi women walk with the guards, past the harassment at the gates, and through the metal detector at the front door, hopefully they'll find it a bit more comfortable. Women need abortions, and we're going to make sure they can access them.
Mississippi only has one abortion clinic and, like most things in the state that might positively affect the rights of women, it's not exactly well funded. The Jackson Women's Health Organization opened its doors on February 8, 1995 and has had the same funky coral pink interior design scheme ever since. Our new clinic director and long time feminist activist, Nancy Kohsin-Kintigh, decided it needed a face lift, so a small crew of volunteers signed up to help.
When I showed up Sunday morning, I expected to get right back to work, painting the surgical hallway where I'd left off the night before. Instead, I found Nancy terribly upset, having just heard about the sudden murder of her very good friend and coworker Dr. George Tiller. He was shot, point blank, in his church. Nancy said he'd just come back from a week at Disneyworld with his family.
There was no time to be sad. The volunteers divided into two groups. Nancy, MS NOW president Jenni Smith, and others quickly set the ball rolling on a press conference with local media while myself and some fantastic volunteers and members from Starkville NOW got back to painting, knowing the clinic had to be open for business the next morning. Meanwhile, we all waited for the national media to pick up the story.
Before the press conference, Nancy gathered all of us in the waiting room to tell us about her friend. Dr. Tiller ran one of the three clinics that performed late term abortions in the country. Patients came from, quite literally, all over the world. He primarily helped women whose lives were in danger, women whose pregnancies had developed extreme physical or genetic complications, and very young rape/incest victims (whose pregnancies are often not detected until later). He had been shot twice, his clinic had been burned and bombed, and anti-choice extremists had done everything they could to make his life difficult.
Dr. Tiller was often asked why he didn't just give up. He said he would be working as long as women needed him. Nancy called him a "total feminist." She said once, when the anti's had surrounded his clinic, he had his staff hang a huge banner across the building: "Women need abortions. I'm going to do them. -Dr. Tiller"
That is what a feminist looks like. That is why we are a pro-choice movement and will continue to fight for the control of our bodies that is legally ours - abortion: on demand, without apology.
Thirty or so paint streaked volunteers gathered behind Nancy, Jenni, Shawna (reproductive freedom coordinator of the ACLU of MS) and Todd as they told the news cameras what had happened. They told about how it is also unsafe for our doctor here and how we're having to ask for federal marshals. Again.
We got the painting done that night. The walls are a nice tan with rust colored trim and carefully placed accent walls. That weird coral wallpaper is all gone. The waiting room has been pleasantly rearranged and the purple plant Kellum put on the receptionist desk ties it all together quite well. As Mississippi women walk with the guards, past the harassment at the gates, and through the metal detector at the front door, hopefully they'll find it a bit more comfortable. Women need abortions, and we're going to make sure they can access them.
4.02.2009
Mostly unnoticed
Are you tired of the monotony of what American mainstream media considers entertainment these days? Stories about people who have entirely too much money and what they spent it on or the recent trend of OMGLOTSOFBABIES? If plastic surgery escapades and songs with a total of five words set to a faulty synth and a bongo no longer hold your attention, let me direct you to a new, much more entertaining set of individuals: the Mississippi legislature.
It's the ultimate reality show - you chose the cast, you chose who comes back eachepisode session, and it all takes place in a mansion downtown. Really, it's a shame that their antics go mostly unnoticed by the general population because I have no doubt that there has been more creativity expressed in this legislative session than on Billboard's Top 40 for the last five years.
For example, HB 1079 was labeled as "AN ACT TO... REVISE THE DEFINITION OF SEX OFFENSE IN THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION LAW; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES." Now, the immediate line of thought is "Sex offender? Hey I think sex offenses are bad!" And it would be correct, sex offenses are bad. Sadly, MS law doesn't really care too much about sex offenses (more on that later). The point of this bill is to demonize people living with HIV:
How creative!! Intentional transmission is not nearly the leading cause of infection in the state. In many cases, people transmit them because they don't know they're sick to begin with. All this bill really does is encourage people not to get tested and open up lots of legal loopholes to make life even harder for people living with HIV. In one of the most suspenseful episodes of the season it PASSED THE MS HOUSE, only to be shot down very luckily at the last minute in committee. One of the most climatic moments of the season, it looked like the cast was willing to actually teach people how to not get STI's to begin with, but a twist ending shot that bill down.
The epitome of legislative artwork, though, is Mississippi's consistent attacks on women's access to healthcare. Were it not for the pro-choice activists and a few allied committee heads, the legislature would've gotten away with all of it's ridiculous demands including: requiring an unnecessary certification for abortion providers, body-jacking post-abortion pieces of human tissue from underage pregnant women for use as evidence whether they surrender such tissue or not, totally disregarding confidentiality laws if there's an abortion involved, and, my favorite, defining embryos as children and making them adoptable in the state while 1,700 pre-fab children wait to be adopted from foster care
In addition to being far more interesting than anything American Idol's ever done (I just offended a lot of people) it has a key factor that no other reality show to date has come up with: the winners don't just get record deals, they become law.
It's the ultimate reality show - you chose the cast, you chose who comes back each
For example, HB 1079 was labeled as "AN ACT TO... REVISE THE DEFINITION OF SEX OFFENSE IN THE SEX OFFENDER REGISTRATION LAW; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES." Now, the immediate line of thought is "Sex offender? Hey I think sex offenses are bad!" And it would be correct, sex offenses are bad. Sadly, MS law doesn't really care too much about sex offenses (more on that later). The point of this bill is to demonize people living with HIV:
Section 41-23-2 relating to a knowing and willful violation of a lawful order of a health officer by persons afflicted with a life-threatening communicable disease of causative agent thereof when such order deals with Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and/or any other sexually transmitted disease;
How creative!! Intentional transmission is not nearly the leading cause of infection in the state. In many cases, people transmit them because they don't know they're sick to begin with. All this bill really does is encourage people not to get tested and open up lots of legal loopholes to make life even harder for people living with HIV. In one of the most suspenseful episodes of the season it PASSED THE MS HOUSE, only to be shot down very luckily at the last minute in committee. One of the most climatic moments of the season, it looked like the cast was willing to actually teach people how to not get STI's to begin with, but a twist ending shot that bill down.
The epitome of legislative artwork, though, is Mississippi's consistent attacks on women's access to healthcare. Were it not for the pro-choice activists and a few allied committee heads, the legislature would've gotten away with all of it's ridiculous demands including: requiring an unnecessary certification for abortion providers, body-jacking post-abortion pieces of human tissue from underage pregnant women for use as evidence whether they surrender such tissue or not, totally disregarding confidentiality laws if there's an abortion involved, and, my favorite, defining embryos as children and making them adoptable in the state while 1,700 pre-fab children wait to be adopted from foster care
In addition to being far more interesting than anything American Idol's ever done (I just offended a lot of people) it has a key factor that no other reality show to date has come up with: the winners don't just get record deals, they become law.
12.11.2008
Well played
I give you an excellent example of taking the anti-marriage crew to task.
Now, Huckabee would very much like LGBT people to remember that not everyone who is against same-sex marriage is a homophobe, so please do not call him ugly names. And's he's quite right. After all, I don't believe in government-sponsored marriage and I'm not a homophobe! Maybe he thinks, like I do, that everyone (LGBT, straight or otherwise) should be granted perfectly equal civil unions and marriage should be left to churches, that way we pull the religious influence out of people's civil rights. Something tells me (and it might be that he called marriage 'the basic unit of society' or something like that) that he doesn't agree. I still wouldn't call him a homophobe though, if only because I don't find the word inclusive enough.
As an aside, Jon used my very most favorite-est counter arguement: 'when did you choose to be straight?' (in conjunction with a very effective thought about religion and personal freedom.) When Huckabee later mentioned that we can't have gay parents because we are here to 'train our replacements' I wish Jon would've come back with something along the lines of 'Yeah, because straight people never have gay kids.'
11.13.2008
GET OUT THERE AND CHANGE SOMETHING
Prop 8 put a damper on November 4th for many of us. If you can get to Jackson or Hattiesburg this Saturday, PLEASE come join us in a nationwide protest. The legislation of hate is absolutely unacceptable.
Come show your support (aka you are cordially invited):
WHAT: Prop 8 Protest - Jackson
WHERE: MS State Capitol Building
WHEN: Saturday, November 15, 2008. 12:30pm - 1:30pm
WHAT: Prop 8 Protest - Hattiesburg
WHERE: Hardy st/USM main entrance
WHEN: Saturday, November 15, 2008. 12:30pm - 2:30pm
So get together your sign ideas and get excited. Mine's going to say "real family values include all families." Can't wait to see you there.
Also, if you're on facebook, please join the event:
Hattiesburg
Jackson
Come show your support (aka you are cordially invited):
WHAT: Prop 8 Protest - Jackson
WHERE: MS State Capitol Building
WHEN: Saturday, November 15, 2008. 12:30pm - 1:30pm
WHAT: Prop 8 Protest - Hattiesburg
WHERE: Hardy st/USM main entrance
WHEN: Saturday, November 15, 2008. 12:30pm - 2:30pm
So get together your sign ideas and get excited. Mine's going to say "real family values include all families." Can't wait to see you there.
Also, if you're on facebook, please join the event:
Hattiesburg
Jackson
10.22.2008
Schools should be safe.
The mission of the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition is to ensure that all students have a safe learning environment by protecting students'constitutional rights, ending discrimination, and fostering acceptance through public education.
It's a very simple concept. Students have the right to be safe in their schools. Those of us who have been in Mississippi schools are well aware that they are not.
That's why we started the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition. It's a group of individuals and organizations committed to making schools safer for LGBT kids. We know that kids are being bullied for their sexual orientation, discriminated against because of their gender identity and harassed just for being allies. Hell, you could spend a day in very few schools here without hearing someone called a fag.
Get involved. MSSC is just getting off the ground, but we've got a great start. We need people of all orientations and ages with an interest in student safety. You can get more information here or join the mailing list here. (If you check the box at the top of the form, they'll send you nifty MSSC stickers.)
We're in a position to have a very positive impact for students. It's far past time for someone to speak up.
10.14.2008
Ouch
I'm sitting in my Sociology class and today is sexuality day. Now, I've dealt with class discussions of LGBT issues before, but always in my Gender Studies class. In that class, it's very clear that you can believe what you want to, but you better be nice about it. In sociology, because we deal with these issues so rarely, those ground rules aren't set.
While talking about "them," Dr. SocTeacher asked everyone why we thought that gay people would think that being gay is biological. This girl a few rows back answered, quite venomously, "Because they think they were born that way."
When we addressed this issue in Gender Studies, the class couldn't really come to a consensus. I know that my sexual orientation is not a choice. I'm not sure it's biological and I hope I'm right, lest the patriarchy try to gene therapy LGBT kids out of existence. Was I "born this way"? Hell if I know. I know it was already decided long before I was conscious of the politics of sexuality. Which is to say, I knew I liked girls before I knew that it was "wrong" and before I even knew what it meant to "like" someone. I cannot remember any time in my existence in which I wasn't conscious of it.
That said, I know people who don't feel this way. I know a handful of people who never thought about the gaybies until they fell for someone. I know some people who are attracted to both sexes but actively choose to only pursue attraction to one or the other. (I think that's related to how we treat middle teamers in our community, but I'll get to that in another post.)
Where the homo-ness comes from, though, doesn't matter. What matters is how society treats us. The only reason we look for a source of LGBT-ness is to justify the discrimination.
(Shit, now he's talking about prostitution and the whole class has the giggles. Because rape is funny, remember? After all "prostitutes are a sexual outlet!" Grr.)
While talking about "them," Dr. SocTeacher asked everyone why we thought that gay people would think that being gay is biological. This girl a few rows back answered, quite venomously, "Because they think they were born that way."
When we addressed this issue in Gender Studies, the class couldn't really come to a consensus. I know that my sexual orientation is not a choice. I'm not sure it's biological and I hope I'm right, lest the patriarchy try to gene therapy LGBT kids out of existence. Was I "born this way"? Hell if I know. I know it was already decided long before I was conscious of the politics of sexuality. Which is to say, I knew I liked girls before I knew that it was "wrong" and before I even knew what it meant to "like" someone. I cannot remember any time in my existence in which I wasn't conscious of it.
That said, I know people who don't feel this way. I know a handful of people who never thought about the gaybies until they fell for someone. I know some people who are attracted to both sexes but actively choose to only pursue attraction to one or the other. (I think that's related to how we treat middle teamers in our community, but I'll get to that in another post.)
Where the homo-ness comes from, though, doesn't matter. What matters is how society treats us. The only reason we look for a source of LGBT-ness is to justify the discrimination.
(Shit, now he's talking about prostitution and the whole class has the giggles. Because rape is funny, remember? After all "prostitutes are a sexual outlet!" Grr.)
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