Being a lady is "diversity"

Over at an NBC run website called GotCast, there's a comedy contest called Stand Up for Diversity, and your own AbqFeminist blogger, me, has entered as a lady comic. A gay lady comic, to be exact, but you wouldn't know it from my profile.

Anyhoo, if any readers here feel like voting for me, I'm currently ranked 5th with 16 votes, and only 3 votes behind the contestant in 4th place.

Click here to see my site, I'm Cerak85 over there. I have a video and my headshot up.

You do have to 'sign up' for a profile, but once that's done voting is easy and can happen once a day.

Thanks in advance.

SK

Restrictive Laws on a Right to Abortion

It's scary how states are trying to restrict a woman's right to have an abortion. Watch this segment of "The Rachel Maddow Show" to learn more about this issue.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#36839218

Don't let Roe v Wade disappear.

KP

A sister blog!

Local Albuq blogger Danielle Bauer - of New Mexico Independent fame -- has started a great new blog called "Queer: Oh, Dear!" and she kicks it off with a great post about fake mustaches (you'll have to read it, to get it) and you can check it out here.

SK

What the Hell?!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_nebraska_abortion_laws

KP

If Movies/Television Were Reality!!!!

I'm sure there are a lot of examples of male characters who "know what it is like to be a woman". I encourage that all who read this add their own favorites.

Here are a few examples:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, the muscle man himself, played a pregnant man in "Junior" (it would have been hilarious to watch the baby's head crown out of his body!)

Charles Tucker III (Trip), played by Connor Trinneer, from "Enterprise" was pregnant for a short period of time with an alien baby (this is why you don't touch aliens until you know what will happen!)

I don't think there is any other actor "who knows what it's like to be a woman" more than Scott Bakula. While he starred in "Quantum Leap", his character leaped into the body of:

A secretary who is sexually harassed by her best friend's "married fiance" ("What Price

Gloria?")

A divorced mother who has to save her kidnapped son ("Another Mother")

A beauty contestant ("Miss Deep South")

A teenager who's mother has died and her father kicked her out when she became pregnant ("8 1/2 Months" - This one is my favorite since he has a craving and goes into labor at the end)

A teenager who is date-raped and is threatened by her rapist ("Raped")

A teenager in a singing trio ("A Song for the Soul")

A wife and mother who is caught between her backwards thinking husband and her Women's Lib thinking daughter ("Liberation")

Dr. Ruth (Yes THAT Dr. Ruth in , "Dr. Ruth")

A female inmate ("Revenge of the Evil Leaper")

KP

Spreading The Word!!!!!

..... on message boards!

.....at the fire station!.....at the bubble lounge!

....at the cafe!
....at blackbird buvette!

-KW/JZ

You've Got to Check This Out!

I watched this awesome movie I was a kid and I laugh EVERY time I watch it. This movie is "9 to 5". It stars Lily Tomlin as the woman in the office who has the most experience and is passed over for a man who has a family to support (because a single woman doesn't have kids to support, right?!), Jane Fonda as the mousey housewife who is recently divorced and trying her hand at her first job, and Dolly Parton as the married sexy secretary who is constantly sexually harassed by the boss. For those of you who have not watched it, it's a movie about women trying to get respect at the workplace. I don't want to go into too much detail, but the three women get high one night to blow off steam and discuss how they would bumped off their sexist boss. All three scenarios are hilarious (Jane Fonda's is my favorite and my sister's favorite is Lily Tomlin's-she's a Disney fan). The next day, they all somewhat live out their fantasies, get rid of the boss for a few weeks, make changes in the work place, and by the end of the movie, justice is served! While the hair, fashion, and technology is outdated, they do not detract from the enjoyment and hilarity of this film. In fact, for some, it is very relatable. For all feminists, I highly recommend this film!

ZINE!

Spread the word with Zines!

KP

Food For Thought

And by the way, my belief is that if men were the ones getting pregnant, abortions would be easier to get than food poisoning in Moscow. – Dennis Miller

With humans it's abortion, but with chickens it's an omelet. - George Carlin

Seventy-seven percent of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant. – Planned Parenthood Advertisement

No woman wants an abortion as she wants an ice cream cone or a Porsche. She wants an abortion as an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg. – Frederica Mathewes-Green

George W. Bush will protect your unborn fetus, then send your grown child to die in war. – Rick Claro

I have met thousands and thousands of pro-choice men and women. I have never met anyone who is pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is not being pro-abortion. Being pro-choice is trusting the individual to make the right decision for herself and her family, and not entrusting that decision to anyone wearing the authority of government in any regard. – Hillary Rodham Clinton

The states are not free, under the guise of protecting maternal health or potential life, to intimidate women into continuing pregnancies. – Justice Harry A. Blackmun, Roe v. Wade, 22 January 1973

Where we are at today:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#36143617

KP

What Else Is New?

Isn't it awesome when a woman tries to defend herself against the 'man-hating feminist' stereotype by writing a piece on how women are actually hypocrites? According to Audrey Irvine, women are single, miserable and stupid because they fail to recognize the "nice guy", and all straight women go for the "bad boy" just to end up where they started.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/personal/03/25/rr.disappearing.nice.guys/index.html

Sa'more bullshit!

There has been a study titled "My Body or My Mind", published in the European Journal of Social Psychology. This study videotaped what women experience in their daily lives as far as being judged nonstop by their dress and carriage. Half the time, the camera was held by a woman and half the time by a man. The women then did a cognitive evaluation to determine that when the camera was held by a man they felt more pressured and made more mistakes.

The mere idea that a man checking out a women would lower her intelligence level seems like a pretty common incident in our society, and I have a hard time believing that it was really necessary to do a "study". This is gender privilege at it's core. Men produced this study, carried it out, and came up with conclusions. Men don't know what it's like be a woman and have cat calls haunting you if you're walking on the street, men don't know what it's like to constantly be a secondary citizen in a world made for males. It's like women's lives are so mysterious and novel that we are being commoditized and put into some sort of 'special' category.

It's like how one of my courses is titled "Psychology of Women". Sometimes people ask why there isn't a "Psychology of Men"or "why is the former necessary?", my response is typical. Every other Psych class I am taking is centered around a hetero-normative, white, middle class male viewpoint. By offering a class on women, with a book written by a woman, taught by a woman, and case studies that have to do with WOMEN, we are actually learning things from a different viewpoint. This is another way in which institutions are forced to accommodate women because we are learning from a male perspective in all other areas. Therefore, affirming the notion that we are indeed treated as a deviation of the norm (hetero-normative, white, middle class male) and not just as humans.

That's all.

http://www.alternet.org/story/146396/new_discoveries_suggest_that_sexual_objectification_is_more_damaging_to_women_than_you_might_think

Zine Drop Offs #2, #3, #4, #5

I feel like a Zine Easter Bunny.

I hope the wind doesn't take off with this one!

Aaah, refreshing feminism:

Sneaky Dissent!















SK

Boo-ya, Zine Drop off #1

Our zine is out and about. If a girl named Penny finds this and is "saved" by feminism, that would be double great. Super literal.

SK

Project Zine!

There's nothin' like making a zine!

What's a zine, you ask? Why, I think you'll find this video helpful in explaining them (and teaching you how to start one of your own)!

We here at ABQFeminsts have put together a wee lil' zine -- in addition to this blog, which i feel is like an ever-growing eZine.

Though forms of zines have been around since the Printing Press, the contemporary, non-digital DIY-version we think commonly about has some deep ties to the Riot Grrl movement of the 90s, (and the punk era of the late 70s and early 80s). The tie between zines and feminism, is explained in Melanie A. Ferris' article Resisting mainstream media: girls and the act of making zines. That link might not work, so let me do some summing up for you:

• Basically, Ferris examines "how young women in North America have resisted mainstream media through the act of making zines." (Ferris, 2001)

• She ends the article by explaining that zines are "important in the lives of young women because they act as a form of resistance to dominant messages about how a girl is supposed to define herself. Zines serve not only as a forum for self-expression, but also as a way of creating a community and promoting communication amongst young women." (Ferris 2001)
  

Woo, empowering! Hand me the scissor and glue stick!

One of my favorite steps in the zine creation process is distribution, so, expect to see some pictures in the coming days of where we dropped off our zine around town.

Have you found one of our zines? Tell us your story in the comments section.

SK

The Princess and The media Giant.

Sometime in 2009 Disney released the movie "The Princess and the Frog" which featured the first African American princess. I haven't personally seen the movie. I stopped watching Disney Princess movies long ago but I have heard that the movie is typical and features a woman who needs help from a man in order to improve her life. Although this is not anything new, Disney has once again fooled us. The Disney princess cast is something that everyone should be proud of. Many ethnicities are represented. Pocahantas is a Native American, Jasmine is Middle Eastern, Mulan is Asian, and now Tiana is African American. Overall an achievement from Disney, a company who in the past had a cartoon character of a crow that was a crude caricature of an African American and whose name was Jim Crow. We should be celebrating this diverse group of women and young girls should be shown this as a way to show them that if your skin is darker than someone elses that does not make you different.

Jim Crow.

However, if you don't have children and you don't spend your time in the Disney store or at Disney Land, you will miss an important fact. There are OFFICIAL Disney Princesses. For the most part, these "official" princesses are used for merchandising and marketing purposes. So who makes up these "official" Disney princesses? Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, Belle and interestingly enough, Jasmine. Don't believe me that there are "official" princesses. Go to google.com and type in "disney princesses" and do an image search. There may be a couple pictures that have all the princesses but for the most part, the pictures will consist of the princesses I named before.

So what does this mean and why does it matter? Putting the "white" princesses up on a pedestal while ignoring the other princesses of color further racist ideology that is still rampant in America today. Mulan and Pocahantas in particular are strong, brave women! Mulan went to war to save her family and Pocahantas built relationships with invaders of her home! Aurora slept the whole movie while everyone else did the work! These strong women are heroes and should be treated as such, not shoved in the background!

The official Disney Princesses with the addition of Alice

My other Why, oh WHY?!!!

It's bad enough that some people think that being a girl means that we should wear pink all the time. When I had my daughter, I warned people not to buy her pink clothes (which sadly she did receive some pink clothes, but thankfully it did not dominate her clothes). What pisses me off lately is when I see normal toys that are designed for BOTH boys and girls now being designed for "girls". Example? How about the stack of rings. Normally, it comes in the colors of the rainbow. For girls? It's in pink and purple, including the stand. Another example is a ball or box that comes with blocks of different shapes. Manufactures also make them in pink and purple. They've gone beyond that. Take the traditional "meant only for girls" toy - the tea party set. Those are also made in pink and purple!!!! I mean, what the f@&*!!!! Growing up, I liked colors like red and green. My favorite color for a long time now is black. Why is it that girls are limited to just two colors in play time?! Girls are just like boys: they want to play, they don't care what the toy is so long as they can play.

And it goes both ways! I was at a store a couple of years ago and a mother told her son that he could have a drink. So he picked a drink. He's mother took it away and she along with her four daughters (who were all older that the boy) made him cry. All the boy wanted was a drink, but all they could think about was that it came in a "girly cup". These attitudes about what it "means" to be a girl or a boy starts as soon as they are born and it pisses me off. Children are children. Love them for who they are, not what society deems to be acceptable!

KP

Why, oh WHY?

This morning on 100.3 The Peak, some lady seemed shocked at a couple who had just recently bought their thirteen year old daughter a training bra. She thinks that the parents should have bought the training bra years ago for their daughter. In fact this lady said that she was going to buy her own daughter a training bra when she turns 9 because training bras are meant to get girls ready for wearing regular bras. I found this to be ridiculous. They are meant for when girls' chests start to pop out a little, but have yet to develop into a cup size. This lady should know that girls' breasts develop at different ages, not at a "one age fits all" rate of development. I mean we don't simply give girls tampons and pads to "train" with; they are given when a girl has reached the point of her first period (which also comes at different ages). Diversity does not just come in culture, it also comes in puberty.

A little history.

If you're new to the blog -- or heck, new to the women's rights movement in general -- you're gonna need to get caught up on your history, sister.

Just ask for it! "Info, please"

Sometimes it's easy to forget that the fight for women's rights didn't just start with Suffrage. It's been a looooooong journey (and we've still got work to do).

What do you think has been the most important historical moment in regards to women's rights?

Why does stuff like this even exist?

Please read and comment about this.

20 Girls Being Jealous of Other Girls

The site that posted this is called Manofest, and it's tagline is "Masculinity Times Infinity."

Why does 'masculinity' have to be defined as the opposite of 'femininity?' Can't it exist as its own entity? Do we have to polarize gender, and then rip 'the other' apart, for the sake of definition?

If gender is a social construct, then maybe hurtful generalizations are the only way to keep norms reinforced and in existence.

More than half of these girls -- labeled as 'jealous' -- look like victims of inopportune timing. Just because of their positioning and eyeline on the sidelines of the picture, they are chalked up as envious of the picture's main focus: traditionally attractive girls. And by 'traditionally attractive,' I mean attractive to men or the 'feminine ideal' of what the 'masculine ideal' decides is worthy.

I sound angry . . . and maybe I am.

I'm not man-hating. I'm label-hating. "Man"-hating, if you will.

SK

"Taylor Swift is a Feminist's Nightmare"

Click here.

I couldn't say it better myself.

SK

Respect the ladies . . .

With April starting, and March 6 days gone, we say goodbye to Women's History Month and hello to Sexual Assault Awareness month.

It's like the calender itself is telling us first to honor and remember our ladies and then also reminds us to respect them and their bodies.

Now, granted, sexual assault isn't only a 'women problem,' but according to RAINN, the statstics read that 1 in 6 women vs. 1 in every 33 men will be sexually assaulted in their life. College-aged women are 4 times more likely to be attacked.

This isn't just a woman's issue, but it most certainly is an issue women face.

Respect the ladies, everyone. And ladies, respect yourselves.**

SK





**60% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. If you are a victim of sexual assault, TELL SOMEONE. Click here for more information from the RAINN website.

Unreal Expectations of Mothers Thanks to Celebrity Mothers

A few months after giving birth to my daughter, I read how Jessica Alba lost weight from her pregnancy in about six weeks. Sadly, I could not find that article for this post. However, I did come across another article about her weight loss. I know that for most actresses, they rely heavily on their looks and body image. But to lose 25 pounds or more in such a short time period is unhealthy not to mention unrealistic, baby or not. The other thing that bothers me is how women hear about this "miracle" and expect it to happen to them. Celebrities have money, time, and a support system (paid for or not) to help them with the baby. This allows them to be able to focus on losing weight in an unhealthy time period. I'm all for women wanting to be healthy for health sake, but I'm sick and tired of the one size only image that is seen in today's media.

KP

http://www.howcelebritiesloseweight.com/how-jessica-alba-lost-her-baby-weight/

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a depression that a woman suffers after giving birth. In an article from PreventDisease.com, doctors in the UK attempted to tailor-make health care for women in the first 28 days of motherhood with a follow up in 10 to 12 weeks. In a study in 2002, they found that women who received the extra care to have a 40% reduction in risk of depression. I know that some women need to be medicated for depression after having a baby, but in the United States we have a society that needs to have results at a snap of a finger. I never thought I would have PPD until after it happened to me. I was lucky in that I was never in any danger of suicide or harming my daughter, but PPD is real. I think that the medical community needs to talk to women about PPD, the effects it can have, and inform women of who they can talk to get help. A change in healthcare for mothers would be nice too. While its great to see the baby growing and reaching milestones at checkups, we need to have wellness checkups for mothers as well. Six weeks is not enough time to see if a mother is mentally fine in her new role as a mother. The major misconception is that PPD occurs very early after giving birth, but it can occur upto a year after giving birth. Another misconception is that if a woman has PPD, that she is suicidal and her baby is at risk. With such a scary description for PPD and how it is portrayed in the media (along with the misconception of PPD being postpartum psychosis), we honestly need to have support systems in place for new mother.

KP

http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/midwife_depression.shtml

Sex Education in High Schools

High schoolers in Albuquerque are taught about sex education in the realm of how it affects both boys and girls concerning STDs and how babies are conceived, the stages of the fetus, and that babies come out of the girl's vagina. Parents are worried that their kids are going to have sex and warn them of the same consequences. However, this is not enough. These same students need to be taught about the dangers of pregnancy to the girl and fetus (ectopic pregnancy, placental abruption, miscarriage), the dangers of labor (bleeding to death), and the dangers to the girl after labor to a year later (stroke, aneurism). They should be taught that if they chose to stay pregnant that they need to take prenatal vitamins and stay hydrated. We should also educate them on what postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis is, how to recognize, and how to receive help. On the other hand they should be taught about the dangers of abortion and the "morning after pill".

Abstinence is not realistic for some teenagers. Even Bristol Palin admitted this before she changed her opinion. Teaching them about why sex can be dangerous in terms of contracting a STD and getting a girl knocked up is great, but we should educate teenagers about the health concerns that could and do affect girls nationwide when they have sex, discover they are pregnant, and are faced with making decisions that could potentially change their life forever.

KP

Why So Few.

The articles below discuss why so few women are in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Very interesting, everyone should read these fully or at least skim them.

http://www.aauw.org/research/upload/whysofew.pdf

http://www.historiann.com/2010/03/23/women-in-science-why-so-few/

Discussion to come!

True Story!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35793316/ns/us_news-life/?GT1=43001

So, this article suggests that the majority of babies born this year will be ethnic minorities. Now we all know that it's because white women aren't having enough babies. [so abstinence is obviously working, right!?] And for the record, this is only a story because some White, heteronormative, middle class asshole is afraid that when White is a minority that the *colored people* are going to treat the new minority as shitty as the majority has treated them all this time.

There are some new numbers I would like to add as well:

-On average, Hispanic women have 3 kids and White women have 2

-The numbers are 2.99 for Hispanic, 1.87 for Whites, 2.13 for Blacks, and 2.04 for Asians, here in the United States.

So CLEARLY. This whole issue of White people about to become outnumbered is all feminism's fault, because we are all advocating to be baby-free.

SO WHITE WOMEN OF CHILD BEARING AGE! PROCREATE, ON THE DOUBLE! JUST TO BE ON THE SAFE SIDE!

unbelievable.

that's all.

National Day of Appreciation

March 10th is the National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers. This is a very important day to notice. Following the death of Dr. Tiller, anti-abortion protesters have become empowered. Although it is true that not all of these protesters will ever murder a doctor because of their beliefs, it is also true that they make the work of the doctors harder. Many doctors who perform abortions no longer feel safe practicing their work because of the violence and anger that surrounds them. The doctors that continue to soldier on and provide these services to women that need it are heroes. The right for women to choose what happens to their bodies cannot be taken away. Without these brave doctors, we could not have those rights. In many rural areas, women are not able to get safe abortions, not due to the law but rather due to the fact that there is no one to provide the service. Call your local Planned Parenthood and see if they have any volunteer positions open. Make your voice heard.


On another positive note, I was recently reading the latest issue of Ms. Magazine and there was an article about so called crisis pregnancy centers in the United States. These centers disguise themselves as medical buildings that will offer services to women that are struggling with a pregnancy. The problem is that the workers inside the clinics are not licensed medical staff and no medical procedures or help can be given. The women that enter the clinics for an abortion are "counseled" and talked out of getting the abortion. A new law has been passed in Maryland that any clinic that does not offer medical services must make that fact known and that signs must be posted outside the building. Refusal to do this will result in a fine for the clinic. A victory for the pro-choice camp. It is scary to think that you could walk into a clinic and be ambushed by people who are not willing to help you but would rather force their opinions on you

- CA

International Women's Day +more!

Well, today is international women's day, and the theme of this year is "Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity: Progress for All." Let's all recommit ourselves to another year of standing up for women and ourselves and what we believe in.

On another note, apparently James Cameron [director of Avatar] is a feminist. In his movies:Aliens, The Abyss, and Terminator 2, Cameron has casted females in more interesting roles than males.. which makes him a feminist. It's interesting because people start throwing out the "f-word" when they talk about J. Cameron, but a lot of people never stop to think about what it means to be a feminist. Being a feminist is not saying that women are better than men, it's saying that women and men should be equal, and that women should have equal opportunity and rights. There is a difference! I am not one to classify Cameron as a feminist or not, but, I think it's great that James Cameron likes to cast women in strong roles, it for sure goes against the Hollywood norm of the victimization of women.

I'd also like to bitch about "Dear Abby" and how this column is bad for everyone.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend "Adam" and I are high school seniors. We have been serious for only three months, but we've been dating for more than a year. He is sexually experienced, but I am not - I'm still the "Big V."
On prom night, I want Adam to be my "first," but because I have been disappointed in the past, I don't want to be left heartbroken. I love Adam with all my heart - he's all I want in a guy. But I feel torn about what to do. Should I go ahead and "seize the day"? Or should I make him wait? Please help!

- TEEN GIRL IN THE GAMBLING STATE

DEAR TEEN GIRL: Your boyfriend may be a wonderful person, but to lose your virginity simply to celebrate prom night is not a mature decision. Sex carries with it responsibilities - and can result in unplanned

"surprises," as the following letter shows. Read on...

The title ought to read: Dear Abby: Ever heard of contraception!? The rest of the letter tells a story of a girl who had sex, got pregnant, married her father, had the baby, dropped out and threw her life away [a very slippery slope]. There are a lot of reasons not to have sex, especially if you're being pressured into it, but there are these things called contraceptives! Not that anyone would know about these mystical things because they don't teach about them in school, but apparently if you use them properly, there's a good chance of being protected from pregnancy and STD's. Even if that doesn't work, and you do get pregnant, we [as women] still have control over our bodies which means that we could terminate the pregnancy as needed [hooray for choice and options!]. When did Dear Abby join the "abstinence is better than thou" lobby?

[Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.]

Identity-- student movements

Identity is one of the most abstract ideas in our world today. People have complex ideas and perceptions of who they are and what they believe. Race, gender, sexuality and beliefs are just a few things that shape our identities. Through forming these identities, we have many choices that we have a right to make.

A lot of people think that when we talk about choice politics, we are talking about abortion rights and reproductive rights[which is true], but it's also about GLBT rights. It's a common response that sexuality is fixed and standard, however, I will argue that people have a choice to first, be open about their sexuality, and second people have a choice to accept and give respect to the people who are exercising their right to free choice. People are coerced into thinking that they might not have these choices or rights but it's more so that a lot of people are afraid to use them.

Student movements surrounding GLBT rights/awareness have been happening for decades. The Creating Change Conference. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force started this conference in 1988 and it's purpose is to bridge the gap between GLBT issues and various other forms of discrimination including, but not limited to: disabilities, race, gender, religious beliefs and socioeconomic status(2). This is a really cool conference because a lot of times people think that these difference identities clash with one another and they feel as they can only be one. The workshops that this conferences produces is based on non judgement and openness to new ideas and perceptions. Everyone sees their identity from a different angle and it's important that people participate in these kinds of things because it creates awareness. It only takes one good impression to take away the stereotypes in a person's mind. As we are living in such an oppressive society, we all need to fight against it and free ourselves!

1. http://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/?article=2014
2. http://phoenix.swarthmore.edu/2010/02/11/news/student-conference-redefines-lgbt-movement

Apparently, women are responsible for men trying to hurt themselves.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1255338/Men-accident-prone-beautiful-women.html

"Research shows that just looking at an attractive female makes [men] more likely to indulge in 'physical risk-taking' which results in embarrassing failure or even injury."

According to this article, when a man sees a woman [only attractive ones though] he might hurt himself trying to impress her. Evolutionary Psychology suggests that males will try and find the most fertile mate and will go to personal loss if it might get her attention. I love how these things are always explained with heteronormative, biased, Freud-like views that everything can be traced back to a tiny little thing in "evolution". If we have evolved into more advanced beings than ever before, why do we have things like this:

http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-make-your-bed-date-rape-friendly/

That's right, a rape pillow. It's purpose is to make one's bed more "rape friendly". I find this to be an absurdity in itself because rape is not friendly at all! All the time women are coerced into rape and/or keeping quiet about it. It's such an outrage that some smart ass had to come up with this to encourage the Rape Culture and make it more normalized in our society, not to say for one minute that it isn't already.

This is only the tip of an unfathomable iceberg of misogyny, sexism and a depressing reality.

KW

March is Women's History Month.

This month marks the 30th anniversary of Women's History Month. The theme of this particular month is "Writing Women Back into History." Women have not always had a voice in the way that they are treated but we know have the power to make our voices heard. In a time where our bodies are not our own and our rights can be taken away in the name of freedom at any moment, it has become our responsibility to stand up and make our voices heard. We must do this in order to honor the women that came before us and empower the generations that will follow us. Many women's voices have been lost but their spirit lives and we must keep their fire burning.We are taught about George Washington and Thomas Jefferson but never about Alice Paul or Lucretia Mott. We discuss the Declaration of Independence but never the Declaration of Sentiments that was introduced in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848. We must raise our voices louder until they are heard and paid attention to. We can no longer allow women's voices to be buried and forgotten.


For more information on women's history month visit www.nwhp.org

- CA