Sarah Palin is NOT a feminist.

Meet Bay Buchanan:



Bay seems to think that Sarah Palin is a feminist in "its truest form." Now, I could sit here and go over all the reasons why Sarah Palin is NOT a feminist, but instead I have a question:

What does feminism mean to you?

Part of feminism, to me at least, is about all people having the opportunity, knowledge, and the resources to make non-pressured choices. It's fine that Sarah chose to, and had the privilege to be able to, raise a family and maintain a political career. The fact that she uses that career to take away other women's ability to make their own reproductive choices is NOT feminist.

What do you think? Is Sarah Palin a feminist?

~WE NEED A FUCKING REVOLUTION~

cross-posted nyaf.blogspot.com

Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind August 28th, 1963

Little is known about Bayard Rustin, an African-American civil rights activist who was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement. A master strategist and tireless activist, Bayard Rustin is best remembered as the organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, one of the largest nonviolent protests ever held in the United States. He brought Gandhi’s protest techniques to the American Civil Rights Movement, and helped mold Martin Luther King, Jr. into an international symbol of peace and nonviolence. Despite these achievements, Rustin was silenced, threatened, arrested, beaten, imprisoned and fired from important leadership positions, largely because he was an openly gay.

My initial response after hearing Bayard’s story was anger because here was this awesome African-American who orchestrated one of the most historical marches in America’s history and he was never given just recognition all because of his sexual orientation and decision not to disassociate himself away from his sexual orientation just he additionally fight for the civil rights of African-American. I believe that for that time Bayard was the face of INTERSECTIONALITY. As a gay African-American civil rights activist he was also influential in earlier Gay Rights Movements.

I loved the fact that despite it cost him being a mainstream leader he still maintained ties to both marginalized populations, while advocating for changes in policies that created harsh environments for both groups. This is because Bayard understood the concept of oppressions being linked and facilitated by the same patriarchal and hegemonic powers. He understood that through the many distinctions of the Gay Rights Movements and the Civil Rights Movements, there were just as many similarities. Therefore, instead of focusing on how different we were and trying to compare whose struggles was greater, he believed that we should all work together to challenge the institutionalized powers that repress our civil liberties. I appreciate Bayard for his revolutionary thinking during this time and wish more people did not have to go on scavenger hunts in history books to find out more information about him.

“CHANGE IS ONLY COME WHEN SYSTEMS ARE CHALLENGED BY THOSE WHO LACK POWER AND UNITE AND FIGHT TO BRING JUSTICE FOR ALL!!!”

Manic Music Monday!

Today, in the WC, I was listening to the “Mika” station of Pandora. Mika is an artist I’ve blogged about previously, but I adore him and I love how Pandora finds music similar to Mika’s style. A couple songs into the set, Pandora played a cover of “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” sung by Jason Mraz. Written by Freddie Mercury, the song was one of Queen’s singles in the 70’s.



I’ve always enjoyed the catchyness of the song. It’s one of Queen’s songs that gets in my head the most. However, upon thinking about the times that the song was written in it was rather amazing that a song about Queer love was so popular. The country was not nearly as accepting of the Queer community, yet Freddie Mercury’s talent and skill proved universal for audiences.

I also think its very fitting that Jason Mraz is covering the song. Jason has come out saying that he’s not heterosexual, and once was in a relationship with his male friend. However, his sexuality is not the issue that it seems to be for other people, and I think this is also due to his talent and drive as a musician. It’s so great to see that an individual’s identity isn’t the deciding factor on their life. After all, people are made up of so much, and sexual preferance is only
one aspect of their identity. After isn't the saying “the
whole is greater than the sum of its parts”?

Think about it.
Corey

Henry Rollins: Not Your Average Feminist.

This past Monday I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with the man, the myth, the legend: Henry Rollins. We spoke about, among other things, his foray into gay-rights activism. At first glance the muscle-bound, tattoo covered, and grumpy looking middle-aged man, doesn’t seem to be a likely candidate for a women’s center employee, but he has made it clear that homophobia needs to go.

First, a little background for those who aren’t in the know:. Henry Rollins is a new American renaissance man. At the age of 49 he has already tread the waters of music, literature, film, television and activism; he has done it all with just a high school diploma. Rollins started his career fronting the hardcore punk band Black Flag from 1981 until 1986. Following the band's breakup, Rollins started his own record label and publishing company 2.13.61 in order to release his spoken word albums, while simultaneously touring the world with a new band.
Since then, Rollins has embarked on projects covering a variety of media. He has hosted numerous radio shows, such as Harmony In My Head on Indie 103, and television shows, running the gamete of late-night talk show, The Henry Rollins Show, to low-brow comedy on MTV’s Jackass. All the while Rollins has made time to campaign for human rights in the United States as well as abroad.

Now, I will be the first to admit as a huge, long time fan: I sincerely believe that Henry Rollins can do no wrong but, how can you argue with a man who has written editorials for Vanity Fair (Yes, VANITY FAIR, the upper crust magazine adorning grocery stores nationwide) trashing Ann Coulter, Oliver North, and our favorite vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. He has been hitting hard on domestic and foreign issues for the past ten years and shows no signs of slowing down.

His impressive resume shouldn’t fool anyone though, he is still as tough as he looks, and after talking for fifteen minutes or so about his recently celebrated birthday, his three and a half month trip through both Africa and Europe, and his upcoming media projects he made that clear as day. As we got onto the discussion of homosexuality Rollins let us know exactly what pisses him off about our religious right’s issue with our homosexual brothers and sisters.

Henry dove head first into the topic ripping into the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell advocate, Oliver North, and his controversial liking of homosexuality to pedophilia “…The problem with people like Oliver North is they are always arguing that legalizing homosexuality will lead to bestiality or pedophilia, and I just think that that’s ridiculous. How can you believe that the next logical step from man-ass is horse-ass?”

In addition to giving North a verbal beating he went on to challenge the religious conservatives of the United States, daring them “to make an argument against homosexuality that isn’t based off their moral high-horse” and telling the four of us crowded in the radio station, with sincerity and integrity that homosexuality is as natural as heterosexuality.
So, if this guy, who you wouldn’t dare challenge to a fight; who hasn’t gotten a formal education; who’s resume includes ice cream scooper at Haagen-Dazs and living in a van can see opponents of marriage equality and gay rights are full of it, why cant the Ivy-Leaguers in Washington?




*Biographical information pulled from Wikipedia and checked for accuracy.
*Title of this blog is a nod to fellow blogger and women's center employee

Media Portrayal Betrayal

Media plays a massive role in the way people observe themselves and others around them. It can be destructive to those whose reality is based in the media, and based on what they perceive and how they interpret messages hidden between the lines. The majority of advertisement for products is transmitted through the media. On television, and billboards everything is promoted, with women normally being the ideal image of products. They are often seen in a sexual, passive outlook. Media’s portrayal of women is generally limiting: women are expected to have the perfect body, skin, and hair with specified emphasis on being sexy. In the world of advertisement sex sells, and woman’s sexuality is often the focus.

This message of woman’s sexuality in the media subliminally teaches girls that they are valued in life by their bodies. Media deliberately portrays that to be recognized (or even admired) in life you have to have sex appeal. Body dissatisfaction is common for teenage girls and is associated with dieting and unhealthy weight-control behaviors. The glorification and pursuit of “thinness” are seen as the main drivers of body dissatisfaction, with the media primarily setting thin body ideals. Men are victims of this media mental brutality as well because it forces men to accept as true that they have to be strong and buff to be considered “manly” as well as only be interested in this notion of an “ideal woman”.

When girls begin to view fashion models and celebrities as icons, it is called media internalization. This internalization refers to the significance to which an individual dedicates to societal ideals of size and appearance. Looking at magazines and commercials of women can be very depressing and lead to low self esteem forcing insecurities in women. A study was done to analyze how much time is spent looking at TV and the average person spends a minimum of three years in their life watching television commercials. 3 minutes alone looking at models in fashion magazines caused 70% of women under the age of 30 to feel depressed, guilty, and shameful of their own body.

Media portrayal is a betrayal and can lead to unhappy, unhealthy women depriving themselves to be the “ideal” image of a woman, but the problem is this image is unrealistic and impossible to fulfill. The ideal image of a woman is the woman we see in the mirror, the workplace, the library, in class, etc. The ideal look of a woman is me, you, our mothers, our sisters, and women across the nation. There is no limit on the way a woman should look nor should she be judged on her sexuality, but on the quality of her character, intuitions, and self-expression.

_ Ash Mash_

The Real Deal!

Hallelujah! Real World has finally done something right. No longer is the “queer character” simply there to get sloppy and hook up with the same sex to spark TV ratings. I don’t know if anyone else saw Wednesday night’s Real World episode, but it was truly one of the best episodes ever.

The episode mostly centered on Mike, the self-identified bi-sexual of the group. For quite some time, this 22 year old has been struggling with his identity and unsure of how to communicate it to those around him. However, on this episode Mike found the words, after working with HRC, to say “You know what! This is who I am! I don’t need to be one thing or another! I just need to be me!” and came out to his family while they visited him in D.C. Snaps to him! (No really. I and my TV partners literally snapped our fingers when we saw this)

Finally there is a positive queer role model on TV today. Mike must have really inspired a lot of questioning and queer individuals last night to speak out and not worry so much about labels. As a “mostly-out” self-identified queer individual myself, he sure inspired me to speak out and share a little more with those I haven’t told the whole truth to.

But this episode wasn’t all snaps and smiles. Mike’s roommates really frustrated me with their biphobia. Throughout the episode they kept trying to equate his bi behavior as nothing more than clinging desperately to the closet door. Once again, those who identify themselves as bisexual find their lifestyle to be viewed as invalid and merely on the fence of being either straight or gay. Mike, however, spoke up declaring he doesn’t have to be in one “box” or another. Kudos Mike!

-Shane

MTV Shows

Woman Owes $555,000 in Student Loans

Dr. Michelle Bisutti, a 2003 medical school graduate is struggling to pay-off her half a million dollar student loan. When she graduated, she had approximately $250,000 in loans, but because of the compounding interest, penalty fees, and she admits, her failure to “read the fine print”, Bisutti’s debt has doubled in 7 years.

See the full story here: http://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/108846/the-555000-student-loan-burden?mod=edu-continuing_education

Stories like this make me nervous to graduate. I mean, if a doctor is in so much debt with her kind of salary, how is a nurse like me going to pay-off college and afford a mortgage, car payment, insurance, etc? I’m already in enough debt and those post graduate interests rates are not going to make things any better. And in today’s society, it’s not like you can choose NOT to go to college. I’m not saying that you can’t be successful if you don’t go to college…but the world doesn’t make it very easy for you.

It’s also stories like this that make me realize just how much I pay to come to college and get an education. Tuition, room and board, book fees, random “college” fees (by the way, what are those?!) Needless to say, when I get a notification in the mail that says I have to pay ANOTHER $300 up front for housing, when I’ve already scrounged up the money to pay the original $200, it get me a little...well, frustrated, to put it nicely.

And, what about the pay inequity in our society? As a woman, I'm already making less than my male co-workers right out of college and the gap widens later on in my career. Take this quote from the AAUW (http://www.aauw.org/advocacy/issue_advocacy//actionpages/payequity.cfm):

"Just one year after college graduation, women earn only 80 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Ten years after graduation, women fall further behind, earning only 69 percent of what men earn. Even after controlling for hours, occupation, parenthood, and other factors known to affect earnings, the research indicates that one-quarter of the pay gap remains unexplained and is likely due to sex discrimination. Over time, the unexplained portion of the pay gap grows."

Bottom-line, read up on your loan information and make sure you know exactly when you have to start paying, how much you need to be paying, and any penalties or fees that could be tacked onto your loans. Oh, and we should probably do something about this pay inequity, huh?

Westboro baptists take on Gaga

For those of you are not familiar with the Westboro Baptists, they are the "Christian"-hate group (kind of oxymoronic?) consisting mostly of one family, the Phelps. They are unpopular with most people regardless of any religious affiliation. This is probably due to the fact that they protest the funerals of soldiers who have died in Iraq because they are guilty of "defending a country that is accepting of fags." They are also the people behind the website godhatesfags.com. Find out more about these lunatics here.

Apparently, they also REALLLLLLY hate Lady Gaga.

So...not that anyone really takes the Westboro Baptists all that seriously, but this kind of crap really can't be helpful in the "take us seriously" department...




Awful...

~WE NEED A FUCKING REVOLUTION~

Cross-posted at nyaf.blogspot.com

Easy Ways to Go Green

Inspired by an essay I wrote awhile back about sustainability, I decided to continue on an environmental train of thought for a bit. Thus, I bring you this short & sweet list of simple ways to be more sustainable. Let's see how many of these we can incorporate in the next week!

1. Pee in the shower. I'm not even kidding. Toilet flushing makes up nearly 27 percent of indoor water use in a home, on average peeing in the shower once a day saves around 1157 gallons of water a year!

2. Purchase and use re-usable shopping bags (or just save the disposable ones and bring them back with you) whenever you go purchase something. If you buy something small, forgo the bag and toss it in your pocket or purse.

3. If you get a period, consider using a menstrual cup in lieu of tampons and pads. Not only are they more environmentally friendly (think of all of the plastic/paper/etc. that you throw out each month), they're also more friendly to your body. There's no risk of toxic shock syndrome when you use a menstrual cup, because they don't contain the chemicals that tampons do (they're dyed white etc.) Also, think of the money you will save when you're not buying pads/tampons every month!

4. Start a scrap paper bin and throw all of those annoying class handouts, fliers, or whatever pieces of paper you're given but never use into it - then, when you need to jot something down really quickly, you'll know what to use! (And recycle when you're done, of course.)

5. Make it a point to start unplugging your electronics when you're done with them, especially at night when you're headed to bed! Needlessly wasting electricity is not cool. Not to mention - don't forget to turn off lights, heaters, and so on when you leave a room. Personally, this is one I need to work on!

6. Wash clothes in cold water whenever you can since up to 85 percent of the energy used to wash clothes goes to heating the water, also line dry when you can. Both of these things save money and energy.

7. Go vegetarian (even if it's just for a meal or two a week.) Meat takes much more energy to produce than vegetables, fruits, and grain do. Try and make at least one meal a week meatless. Also, buy local when you can! Not only is it awesome to support local farms (if you're lucky enough to have them) but buying local cuts the carbon-footprint of your food down a great deal! (BONUS: Consider getting involved with, or donating to, an organization like Food Justice. It's not fair that many people in this world cannot afford to eat a healthfully balanced diet. Organizations like Food Justice focus on connecting local farms to areas of NYC that have diminished access to affordable, healthy food! A quick search for food justice programs in your area can provide you with ways to help out.)

8. Get a Brita and a metal/plastic water bottle. Not only will you save money now that you're not constantly buying water bottles, you'll also cut down on your carbon footprint in a major way!

9. Give your transportation some thought: walk more often or invest in an awesome bike, and try to arrange carpools with friends whenever possible! Along these lines, 1STEP does something awesome every so often; they go up to the reservation near campus with backpacks that are fairly empty, the club spends the day hiking and having fun but they also toss the litter that they come across on the trail into their bags as they go. If you like to hike, or visit your local park, etc. this is a good plan to keep in mind!

Manic Music (and dance) Monday

I came upon this video of overly sexualized yet fierce 7 year olds a while ago, but it just resurfaced on a blog I follow, and I thought it would inspire some good conversation.



I have a lot of mixed feelings about this video. First off, the costumes are completely unacceptable. These are 7 year olds dressed in less than nothing and shaking their hips as if they were full grown women. Not only is it uncomfortable for me, and I’m sure most outside individuals watching this video.

But even worse than their actions, are the values that their choreographer, costume designer, and judges are instilling upon them. It is showing them, and other girls like them, that their dancing technique and hard work is not enough to put them ahead in life. Instead, they need to conform (by cutting their hair the same as their friends), wear less clothes, and be “sexy” for people to like them.

The weird part about the video is that I can also appreciate how fierce these little girls are. I mean, they have great technique and really know how their bodies move. For 7 year olds, they are fantastic dancers. It’s odd to be uncomfortable as well as impressed while watching the same video. I think that the choreography, however inappropriate, was very effective in showing off the talent of the girls. Maybe a more sensible wardrobe would have made the performance less controversial. However, I do think that the choreographer should have thought about the age of the contestants, in addition to the vision of their movement they had.

Do you think this is appropriate? If not, should they have changed the costumes, the choreography, or both?

Think about it.
Corey

Within Reach?

Recently, the legitimacy of the DADT (Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell) program has come to the forefront of political debate. Last week, during President Obama’s State of the Union address, he announced that this year he is planning to "repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are." Can we really trust this to be true? Can we really expect this entire program to be dismantled so quickly?

I’m not so sure. Like discharged soldier Anthony Woods, whose military career was ended at the hands of DADT, I believe we need to go about repealing this carefully. While I believe DADT to be an evil, discriminatory thing, and the sooner it is removed the better, I believe radical change is never in the benefit of anyone. Especially with what has had such a strong opposition in the past.

The HRC (Human Rights Campaign) have made tremendous advancements towards the rights of the queer community and because of this the overall acceptance of the queer community has increased drastically in recent years. Attest to this is shown in the legalization of equal marriage in D.C. But have we come far enough that our nation’s defenders can openly be themselves while in uniform? I sure hope so.

And while the day is still not here, and while it won’t be tomorrow, I can say without being naïve or idealistic that the day will come when we can freely love those we choose to love with the full protection of the law. With the recent support of General Colin Powell to repeal DADT, I feel comfortable that change is in motion. However, it’s the time limit Obama has set for himself that still leaves me with much skepticism.

-Shane

Valentine's Day: Silly Women and Their Emotions

This commercial is currently on the air right now because Valentine's Day is fast approaching!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96HpWxmnFNA

After I saw this commercial for the first time, I just laughed. I love the man's uncomfortable glance at the camera when his partner starts crying (what appears to be tears of sadness). Don't his eyes seem to say, "I can't figure out this woman's emotion. How is she crying AND happy. She must be crazy, right guys?."

Keep an eye out for more fun Valentine's Day commercials, I'm sure there are going to be some real winners!

TRANSPHOBIA ALERT!

I hate to admit that I check Perez Hilton, but occasionally it happens. Most of what he says is vile and unnecessary, but he does keep up with a lot of queer issues. He recently posted a blog about "Another Pregnant Man!" His post was pretty standard, but the comments were disturbing. Follow this link to read the full post and comment section, but here are a few gems:


Honestly, ignorance very rarely surprises me anymore, but every once in a while I get slapped in the face with just how awful and misinformed people can be. When it comes to racist commenting on sites like youtube, it is basically a given that people wouldn't repeat in real life what they say during anonymous posting. However, I hear transphobic comments made all of the time, including in supposed queer-affirmative spaces. The commenter who was for gay rights but not the rights of trans people especially angered me. I just don't understand why we don't get it yet. Oppressed peoples will continue to be as such until all minorities are free from oppression. Instead of focusing on the differences between us, we should be focusing on the universal experiences of being treated as anything less than what we all are...HUMAN.

~WE NEED A FUCKING REVOLUTION~

Cross-posted nyaf.blogspot.com

Eating Disorder Awareness

As a psychology student, I understand why psychologists feel that labels and standards are important; however, as a woman who knows many people who struggle with disordered eating (including myself) I hate the way the psychology community treats eating disorders.

For instance, one woman in the comments of an article I read* has gone through several diagnoses, from anorexic to exercise bulimic to 'Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified' (EDNOS), depending on which doctor was treating her at the time; because she felt as if the psychiatric community could not help her figure out conclusively what was wrong with her this woman ended up alienated from therapy and, thus, forced to heal largely on her own. This is not good.

Eating Disorder diagnosis and standards are useful tools; they help psychologists to have a universal understanding of what a patient is going through, for one, and they also help people to figure out what they are suffering from and how to begin treatment. However, the strict category model currently used by the DSMIV is also incredibly problematic.

I have friends and relatives who have struggled with disordered eating. For that matter, I’ve struggled with a disordered relationship to food off and on for my whole life. If there’s one thing I know, its this: no two people with an eating disorder look or act the same. Eating disorders, at least in my opinion, are a lot less about behaviors and a lot more about mental processes. What do I mean by that? It’s simple.

Manic Music Mondays: Grammy Edition

I’m going to say something I never thought I would: I think that Kanye West guy was on to something. I am one of the many music enthusiasts who is baffled by the fact that Taylor Swift won the Grammy for “Album of the Year” over Beyonce AND Lady Gaga. I mean don’t get me wrong TSwift, I completely respect that fact that you’ve written all of the music to an album while still in your teen years. It’s really cool and something that I know I could never do. But the fact that her generic tween album won over Beyonce’s two disc extravaganza of fierceness, and Lady Gaga’s look-at-me-change-the-face-of-pop-music favorite is unfathomable.

As if the albums themselves didn’t speak enough to put Taylor in third place in my mind, watching each of their live performances spoke volumes to which ladies were superior. Lady Gaga opened the show with a standout performance including a duet with Sir Elton John that made me die a little from happiness. Beyonce followed this by belting her head off and covering Alanis Morissette in a way nobody saw coming. Then soon-to-be-Grammy-winner Taylor Swift came on stage to sing with Stevie Nicks. Now I’ve seen Taylor perform live a few times this year and I have to say… Taylor Swift has never met a note that she liked. Taylor’s vocals reminded me of a rabid cat in a junkyard. Furthermore, watching Stevie Nicks try to harmonize with her was an unexpected comedy show in the middle of the Grammys.

One of the possible other reasons for Taylor Swift winning is her image and the demographics she is a member of. Taylor is a white, heterosexual, young, beautiful, “pure” girl. This is rather different from her main competitors Beyonce, a strong black woman, and Lady Gaga, an overtly sexual, non heterosexual, “weird” woman. Perhaps the Grammy voters and our society as whole values the pure and chaste aspect of Taylor undoubtedly due to her age. Furthermore, after the altercation with Kanye at the VMA many non-fans jumped on the “poor Taylor” train (myself included) which may also have affected the votes.


As far as I’m concerned the Grammy voters picked Taylor simply due to her age (and apparent chastity). And if that was a deciding factor, why didn’t Avril Lavigne get a Grammy for her teeny bopper hit “Sk8er Boi” which I feel closely resembles Taylor Swift’s “You Belong To Me”. When Taylor went up to accept the biggest award of the night, I was praying for a Kanye West-esque event to occur that would dethrown T Swift from such an honor. Do you think that Taylor’s win was valid, or was it really her age that won her the award, and not the album itself?

Think about it.
Corey