Shameless Plug for Finals Week!

So finals week has the potential to be a stressful time for a lot of students...papers, presentations, exams, all due, all at the same time. In order to be successful though, you need to give your brain a little rest from all that thinking every once and a while. And HEY, while you're taking that break, why not come to the Women's Center (C-220) and dance and eat and win some gift bags full of fun?

Here's the info:

When? May 2nd to May 6th during our office hours
Where? The Women's Center (C-220)
Why? Cuz finals week can be stressful!
What? Play the Wii game "MJ: The Experience", enjoy some light refreshments, color, enter to win FREE condoms and other great prizes through the week.

Sounds like fun, right? So come hang out with us next week and challenge the staff to some MJ dancing...and FYI, some of us are pretty damn good!

Although, if you can move like this kid, then we might have a problem...



See ya then!

California's New History Bill

A proposed new bill in California would require the inclusion of LGBT history in the social studies curriculum. As a history major, I think that this is a good step forward in making the study of history in elementary and secondary education more inclusive and reflective of reality rather than being a celebratory whitewashed version of the truth. However, not everyone is in favor of this bill.



What those in opposition are stating as reasons that this bill is negative is just ridiculous. The question of whether or not it is appropriate to teach this history to younger children is downright silly; we don't question whether it is appropriate to teach children about men like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or women like Rosa Parks, because there is no reason that it should be an issue. The sooner children learn that members of the queer community are significant in history and completely normal, the sooner we will reach a more tolerant and equal society.

The issue that Mr. Carlson raises in the video about focusing on historical figures' sex lives is also totally missing the point. Including someone who is gay in history books will not focus on what that person did sexually, but about the contributions to history that he or she made. Bayard Rustin, for instance, was arguably one of if not the most important figures in the African American fight for civil rights during the twentieth century who is commonly neglected when the topic is brought up. Somehow I think that impact he had is what the schools will focus on, not what he enjoyed in the bedroom.

Lastly, in stating that this whole bill is propaganda that does everyone a disservice by not teaching the whole truth Mr. Carlson is bringing up a much larger issue in that most U.S. history is taught as a celebratory vision of a much more controversial past. If he thinks that is such a major problem, he should be focusing on changing that, not attacking a bill that is the equivalent of getting one's foot in the door. Yes, there are undoubtedly gay history figures that did negative things, but that can't be brought up until queer history is accepted as a whole as part of the standard social studies curriculum. Given that much of the U.S. is still homophobic, it stands to reason that by focusing on negative contributions of the queer community little would be done to counteract those feelings of bigotry. Thus, by introducing this bill California has taken a bold and great step forward in what will hopefully become standard fare for social studies classes nationwide.

I can only hope that this bill would encourage serious education about the significance of queer men and women in history rather than what happens to so many marginalized groups, getting a day or two's weak focus that hardly ties it together with the larger history being taught. However, in spite of that I still applaud the makers of this bill for the contributions they are making to a more equitable social studies curriculum.

Katy Perry's E.T.

I like Katy Perry, just as much as the next person, but sometimes, I have issues with her lyrics. I know that her lyrics are not as offensive as other songs, but I just wanted to raise a few points.

I was talking with my co-worker/roommate Michelle the other day about the newer song "E.T." We were trying to figure out our sentiments about the song. Yes, it's catchy. Yes, it's a pretty cool music video. But we finally realized what was not sitting well with us. In the chorus, she sings "wanna be a victim, ready for abduction." Later on, Kanye sings:

"I'ma disrobe you, then I'ma probe you

See, I abducted you, So I tell ya what to do"

I have a problem with her using the word "victim." Personally, I don't think you should ever want to be a victim of anything. I think Kanye's part makes it worse because it shows dominance and control. I can't help but notice parallels between this and sexual assault. Notice how it's not a "we are going to do this." It's more like "I am going to do this to you."

Just something to think about...

Women's Bodies in Art vs. Women in Today's Media

Being that I am a Marketing major and also an advocate for positive and healthy body image, I have always had this conflict in my head about where I fit into the equation. I know that the way women are portrayed in popular media today (in TV commercials, print ads, billboards, etc.) is very skewed and misrepresentative of our society as a whole and in a way I feel guilty working in any realm of marketing. However, I also know that I cannot single-handedly change the way women are depicted in the media. And it's not just Americans who are being bombarded by these unrealistic ideals of beauty. For a while, I thought that beauty standards around the world were much better than they are here. Take European countries for instance. I studied in Barcelona, Spain for a semester and there was a much more diverse sense of fashion there. Women seemed to care much less about how they looked (or how others perceived them) and they expressed a much more unique style. However, the same images that are plastered on our billboards and in our magazines here in the US are very much present over there. I found a wonderful video that was put together by Elena Rossini, a documentary film maker and super awesome feminist. This video deconstructs the images of women that are shown around the world in commercials, ads and billboards and shows several famous works of art in which women are the primary focus. It is amazing to see the difference between the images of women seen by the masses a few hundred years ago and how far we've come in terms of what is shown now. What do you think?

Ideal Women from Elena Rossini on Vimeo.

House Republicans and DOMA

After President Obama declared that the Department of Justice should cease enforcing the Defense of Marriage Act, it was obvious that there would be simultaneous celebration and revulsion from those who support and oppose equal marriage, respectively. Now it is becoming clear exactly what those who are in favor of keeping the Defense of Marriage Act alive are willing to do to continue the oppression of the queer community. Republican representatives in the House are using up to $500,000 in taxpayer dollars to pay a law firm to fight this legal battle.

This is an absolutely abhorrent move made by these members of Congress. $500,000 is understandably a small amount in comparison to other government expenditures, but this is a significant chunk of money that should not be used to uphold a discriminatory law without. That amount of money could be used to fund scholarships for underprivileged students or any other number of ways to improve this country, but instead it is being used to fight against progress and equality. This is blatant anathema to the constant Republican promise to cut government spending - wastefully using taxpayer money when it is wholly unnecessary to do so. These are the same men and women who fought to cut funding to Planned Parenthood on the grounds that it did not deserve government money due to the services it provides.

This whole web of hypocrisy goes to show that many in government today are more interested in keeping partisan lines well-drawn and enforced as opposed to doing what was best for the country. Cutting a necessary organization to save money just because one disapproves of some of its services is wrong, and so too is spending money that will be used to uphold discrimination that has no place in government in the first place.

I'm a Princess Boy MOM !

Five-year-old Dyson Kilodavis' preference of pink and princess dresses inspired his mom to write a book on tolerance. His family has supported his decision and his preference o f dresses and have learned to listen to their child and help him pursue his happiness. His mother and father were trying to force gender role norms on their child and it took for Dyson's older brother to tell his parents "Just let him be happy."

His mom wrote a book called My Princess Boy, inspired by her son and to open people's eyes to acceptance and understanding that children do what makes them happy. By forcing them to break these habits,we are pushing them into boxes they do not wish to be placed. We force them into these ideal images of what their role tells them to be and that is not the case. This experience has opened her eyes to listen to her children and she believe she has a responsibility to nurture her child's happiness. It makes Dyson happy to know that his family is supporting him and wants nothing but happiness for him.

Need a Unique Mother's Day Gift?

In honor of Mothers Day the Rockland Coalition for Choice and NOW, are taking out their annual advertisement proclaiming their support of: "Motherhood, Freely Chosen, Joyfully Anticipated, Deeply Rewarding." The advertisement, which will appear in The Journal News on the Thursday before Mother's Day, will feature the aforementioned phrase along with a list of Pro-Choice supporters.

If you would like your name (or your mother's name!) to appear in the advertisement, just fill out the form below and send it to Rockland NOW, Box 275 New City, NY 10956 by May 1st.

This is a great opportunity to honor some of the awesome pro-choice moms out there for Mothers Day!

(Thanks to Lee Sennish, one of the Women's Center founders, who is a part of this project, for bringing it to our attention!)

And the Bigotry Award goes to...

Maggie Gallagher, board chairman for the National Organization for Marriage, was awarded the "First Annual Anita Bryant Award for Unbridled and Unparalleled Bigotry". Two for you Maggie Gallagher! You go Maggie Gallagher!

7-Year-Old Gets Plastic Surgery...That's Right 7.

If the title still isn't clear..yes, 7 year old girl gets plastic surgery. Ear surgery to be exact (her ears "stuck out" according to her mother). This is beyond comprehension to me. Currently, I am graduating (in May!!) with my Bachelor's in Nursing and I am so excited to be starting my career. But a small part of me really wants to take up a career as a motivational speaker for young girls because the more I have learned about body image and eating disorders throughout my 4 years in college, the more I realize these issues stem from insecurities and social constructs of beauty, that women learn and recognize as early as 5, 6, 7 years old.

And by the time we are 11? Well, you can forget about it because at this point...you are already doing damage control for girls and their self-esteem. Bottom line: A 7 year old should NEVER have to be concerned about how a body part looks. They should be exploring what their body can do for them, how it helps them run fast, climb monkey bars, paint a picture, go to dance class, play soccer. They should be curious about how their bodies are growing and ultimately, they should be made to feel proud of who they are. And parents are a critical part of this development.

I have no doubt in my mind that the mother of this girl only had the best of intentions for her daughter. As a parent, I can only imagine the difficulty she must face to know that her child is being ridiculed by other adults and children on the playground. But wait, the girl herself told reporters that she was not bullied by her peers because of how her ears looked. So, it seems to me that this mother is trying to sooth her own insecurities about her daughter's ears, instead of sticking up for her daughter (who is absolutely beautiful by the way) and telling those other adults to back the fuck off. No, instead, this mother has decided that there was something wrong with how her daughter looked, to wage a war on her daughter's body, and in the process, has now projected an idea onto her daughter that she is not perfect, that there is something wrong with her. Isn't that a little sick?

As mothers, as daughters, as sisters, as friends...as WOMEN, we must stop putting each other down. We have to STOP making each other feel anything less than perfect, anything less than beautiful. This means, STOP the talk about "what is she wearing", "look at her hair", "she's so fat", "she's so insert offensive comment here". We have no right to judge someone else, because in the end, it is your comment and your attitude that makes that woman go home and throw up. Keep that mental image in your head and picture it before you decide to make an insensitive comment next time.

We have no idea the intense hurt and damage we cause to other women, to our sisters. If a mother cannot stand up for her own daughter, can not assure her own flesh and blood that she is in fact beautiful, what hope is there for this society we live in? How are young girls suppose to grow up and feel confident and beautiful when their own mothers are telling them the opposite?

So I urge you to take this to heart, and tell the women in your life today how beautiful they are, and how happy you are to have them in your life. Tell the young girl in your life how wonderful she is, just for being her.

Tip-toeing Towards Being an Accountable Ally

“I’m going to expect any ally to speak out against racism and any other injustice…If you can’t challenge racism in your own safe spaces, you’re not an accountable ally…We need to stand up for justice all the time. We’re privileged to speak for the women whose voices may never be heard.”

- Loretta Ross, Founder of SisterSong
@ the CLPP Closing Plenary

The last workshop I went to at the CLPP Conference, a Strategic Action Session on Racism & Being an Accountable Ally lead by Lorie Seruntine, was honestly transformational.

In order to even have a prayer of being an effective anti-racist activist & ally to people of color focused initiatives that want allies I have a ton of work to do. The biggest thing I took away from this weekend is quite simple: I don't know much of anything at all when it comes to issues of ethnicity and race. Its obvious through the clunky way I write about it, the way I nervously and carefully select my words, the way I often stay silent for lack of the right words.

I don't have much more concrete information now than I started with at the beginning of the weekend... but what little I have has released me from this self-imposed silence.

In the Strategic Action Session I learned the history of the word Caucasian [click to read Zaneta's post on this issue, from awhile back.] All this time I have been referring to myself, off and on, as "caucasian" because in my mind it was the politically correct word to use in this dialogue. I never took the time to figure out where this word came from or what it really meant and, as a result, I messed up and inadvertently supported a racist system through my ignorance. Recognizing this ignorance is the first step to moving past it.

I have messed up, a lot, in the past. I will continue to mess up in the future, no matter how hard I try, its inevitable. When I first came to feminism I said a ton of stupid things about gender issues, reproductive justice, and so on... I still do mess up from time to time, but as I read and read and read and write (or listen and listen and listen and talk) more I mess up less and less because I learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others. Its scary to be at the beginning of that process again, which is why it has taken me so long to start holding myself accountable as an ally to anti-racism work. Staying in the comforting realm of (white) body image and (white) gender issues would be so much easier and would feel so much more comfortable... but it would also mean that I was alienating tons of people and helping to contribute to a system of oppression.

In the same workshop I also learned just a tiny bit about how white supremacy was put into place in the United States:

In 1676 came Bacon's Rebellion by white frontiersmen and servants, alongside black slaves. The rebellion shook Virginia's planter elite. Many other rebellions followed from South Carolina to New York. The main fear of elite whites everywhere was a class fear. Their solution: divide and control.

On one hand, the slave codes were enacted that legalized chattel slavery and severely restricted the rights of free Africans. The codes equated the terms "Negro" and slave. At the same time rules were set for servants, their bonds were loosened, they were granted certain privileges such as the right to acquire land, join militias, and receive bounties for the slaves they caught.

With these privileges they were legally declared white on the basis of skin color and continental origin that made them superior to blacks and Indians, thus whiteness was born as a racist notion to prevent lower class whites from joining people of color, especially blacks, against their common class enemies. [Source]

Seeing whiteness as a construct invented to create this discomfort, this divide between me and the people of color in my community, is the key that has finally, finally unfrozen me.

"The P Spot"

I'm proud to say I have finally been able to attend a CLPP Conference at Hampshire College! While taking in the campus' breath-taking beauty and the overwhelming sense of community acceptance by neighboring towns, I also learned a great deal of information.

In the past I have facilitated sex toy workshops so I was really interested to hear someone else give this presentation and to learn even more. The selling point of the workshop to me, however, was learning about the "P Spot". I had always known this term just in other words, such as "the G spot but for guys". The facilitator gave out great information on how to make each spot "feel good", (we discussed the "C Spot" and "G Spot" too) as well as which toys work best with each spot.

The facilitator also recommended a great sex toy store in Northampton, MA called Oh My. After the workshop some friends and I explored the downtown area of Northampton and found the shop as well as a great pizzeria.

While I generally stray away from conferences, this conference was a really great experience and I recommend it to anyone interested in reproductive rights and social justice issues.

Judge Sentences "Racist" Woman to Never-ending Jury Duty

I saw this on the news the other night and have mixed feelings.



The way the media portrayed it, the woman was trying to make herself seem racist so she could get out of jury duty. Maybe that's true, or maybe the woman actually believes the things she was saying. Either way, not ok. Call me naive, but I thought we were living in the 21st Century...

Also, I'm not well versed in judicial matters, but when it comes to an instance like this, I'm not sure the judge can punish the juror by making her serve jury duty until he is "ready to dismiss her." I could understand holding her in contempt, but it seems like he's abusing his power.

The Male Birth Control Shot

Researchers in China have potentially developed a new form of birth control geared towards men: a shot of testosterone that has been shown to be safe, effective, and has no harmful short-term consequences. As Dr. Yi-Qun Gu of the National Research Institute for Family Planning in China points out, "For couples who can not, or prefer not to use only female-oriented contraception, options have been limited to vasectomy, condom and withdrawal."

He raises a good point in that male contraceptives have never had as high as a 99% success rate (I.E. condoms, the withdrawal method) without hindering the ability to conceive children, as in the case of vasectomies. However, this new option seems to be a promising lead in the often-ignored field of male birth control. For many years now, going on birth control has been seen as solely a woman's issue and there has been little to no mainstream pushes for male hormone treatment as a means of birth control. This is almost certainly caused in part by the traditional notions of masculinity, wherein a man who cannot produce viable sperm is seen as somehow being less of a man for it. It is heartening to know that research is still being conducted to provide more contraceptive options for men, as this will increase the ability of more couples to obtain access to long-term birth control. In cases where hormonal birth control or an IUD is not a viable option for a female, for example, this new shot will prevent her and her partner from being limited to condoms or shaky methods like withdrawal.

As great as this research is, one must not forget that there are precautions that would have to be taken. In addition to long-term effects not yet being known, this treatment would do absolutely nothing to stop the spread of STIs - condoms would still be the best option for those who are sexually active to prevent transmission and infection. Overall, though, this breakthrough is a great leap forward in reproductive health and one must hope that this type of research continues, because it will benefit everyone to have more contraceptive options available.

"Grey's Anatomy" Win!

I’ve been a fan of “Grey’s Anatomy” since High School. I know some people may think its lame, but it’s my favorite. One of the reasons I love “Grey’s” the way I do is because of their awesome representation of a queer couple with Arizona Robbins and Callie Torres. Their relationship is just like the other ones represented in the show: they have friends, disagreements, compromises, and above all happiness and companionship. So often, Queer characters in the media only have plot lines about their homosexuality; however, “Grey’s” succeeds in making it just one of many aspects that make the characters dynamic.

That being said, the moments and episodes where they focus on issues relating to the coming out process, discrimination, and insecurity regarding sexuality are done with tact and have the ability to really educate viewers who might be uneducated on Queer issues. Most recently, “Grey’s” succeeded in creating a nontraditional family within the show: Callie and Arizona are expecting a child thanks to an accidental sperm donation by Callie’s best friend Mark. Rather than picking two parents, the three have agreed to raise the baby together. I’m thrilled that out of all of the characters to have a child, it was the queer couple- especially since it is a new family mode. So bravo “Grey’s”! This is one feminist that appreciates the great stuff you put into your show.

Here is a video of Arizona talking to Callie’s father after his less than receptive reaction to their relationship.

Click here to view!

Social Justice Coalition Events!

In case you haven't heard... the Social Justice Coalition currently has a really exciting initiative going on. Just stop by Roadrunner Central at any time in April to get your passport and list of Social Justice Coalition endorsed events, like the Feminists United Clothing Swap and the Phi Delta Upsilon and Zeta Beta Tau Dance Marathon! At each event there will be people giving out stickers for your passport - each sticker counts as one chance to win a $300 Visa Gift Card or one of several $50 gift cards that will also be given away. Just return your passport to the Women's Center at the end of April to participate!

Shades of Grey

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Gail Dines at Ramapo College!

If you missed Gail Dines' Keynote Speech for Women's Center Herstory, check it out here!





What do you think? I plan on posting a reaction piece within the next few days but, in the meantime, let us know how you feel in the comments!