WE CAN SEE YOU

• She opened a strip cub and named it knee cheese
• they opened her to examine her hymen and broke it in the process, it ruined her in their world
• she had vision
• at age 8 she walked to the court house alone to ask for a divorce from her adult husband
• she is 11 years old and reads at the level of a college graduate
• One day she'll grow up and marry a happy man
• she wont be happy
• she is 52 and loves feeling hot then cold then hot- better than she loved roller coasters and climbing trees as a child even
• Her sister stayed at riverbend with their children while she went into the Quarters to work the Mardi Gras tourists
• She recalls being chained with other women, forced to dance, forced to do other things she wiped from her memory as easily as it came up. She recalls teaching them to move in silky silence, chains n all- to their escape
• She remembers running away, in the desert, she collapsed finally and drowned in a sand storm
• She remembers slipping off the ship into the cold water that would kill her
• Her memories are past lives of her patron saints that live in no book written by any man
• She secretly learned to read. Secretly she taught the other girls and the slaves to read. She read the word revolutionary and it made her laugh
• Her near death experience was beautiful for her, it was hard on her loved ones
• She asked, "what do you re-member? what do you re-member?" every morning in the mirror
• She was more brilliant in every way, than any of those that surrounded her.  She seduced power and lost (her head).  Or so it seemed, until her daughter was born a queen.
• That queen would not be branded by a man
• She could not pray to their oppressive god, she knew god was her eternal omnipresent mother.
• she learned to make lists. it was in the 7 steps of the very successful
• did you see how her child cried and cried as she painted, jealous of the medium that could pull her focus so
• after working in the office of Panavision for 6 years, they finally let her pull focus (AC)
• she was allowed to work with her passion and fell in love with the man who made it possible for her to do so
• all day she listens to boys who say they are too creative to type, to answer phones and make appointments. At night she paints, dances, makes films and falls in a heap laughing about the boys who say they are too creative.  they just don't know survival.
• She knows, you gotta have a visceral knowledge of survival, to truly thrive in all worlds
• She refused to pay taxes for killing when they were not using taxes to alleviate suffering
• she watched men overthrow kings, watched revolution after revolution replace one oppressor with another- all the while whispering life into the girls,
  
•  whispering,   "e v o l u t  i o n"

Yes, You Are

feminism n (1895) 1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes 2 :feminist n or adj — feministic adj organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests —

Above, the dictionary definition of feminism — the entire dictionary definition of feminism. It is quite straightforward and concise. If you believe in, support, look fondly on, hope for, and/or work towards equality of the sexes, you are a feminist.

Yes. You are. You are a feminist. If you believe in, support, look fondly on, hope for, and/or work towards equality of the sexes, you are a feminist. Period. It's more complicated than that — of course it is. And yet…it's exactly that simple. It has nothing to do with your sexual preference or your sense of humor or your fashion sense or your charitable donations, or what pronouns you use in official correspondence, or whether you think Andrea Dworkin is full of crap, or how often you read Bust or Ms. — or, actually, whether you've got a vagina. In the end, it's not about that. It is about political, economic, and social equality of the sexes, and it is about claiming that definition on its own terms, instead of qualifying it because you don't want anyone to think that you don't shave your pits. It is about saying that you are a feminist and just letting the statement sit there, instead of feeling a compulsion to modify it immediately with "but not, you know, that kind of feminist" because you don't want to come off all Angry Girl. It is about understanding that liking Oprah and Chanel doesn't make you a "bad" feminist — that only "liking" the wage gap makes you a "bad" feminist, because "bad" does not enter into the definition of feminism. It is about knowing that, if folks can't grab a dictionary and see for themselves that the entry for "feminism" doesn't say anything about hating men or chick flicks or any of that crap, it's their problem.

It is about knowing that a woman is the equal of a man in art, at work, and under the law, whether you say it out loud or not — but for God's sake start saying it out loud already. You are a feminist.

I am a feminist too. Look it up.

September 30, 2003

Her in-laws were questioned by the police and have been released on bail.

The Hindu woman shocked residents of the normally conservative city of Rajkot in Gujarat state, by her half-naked parade through the street.

Women's groups say her case highlights the plight of women who continue to face abuse at the hands of males.

'Extreme steps'

There are reports that the 22-year-old tried to set herself on fire a few days ago demanding the police take immediate action against her husband and in-laws, who she alleged had been physically torturing her for a dowry.

In an interview to a local TV channel, Pooja Chauhan justified her action saying she did it to embarrass her husband and in-laws.

Although paying and accepting a dowry has been illegal in India for more than 40 years, it still goes on.

Official estimates show that every year almost 7,000 women are killed by their spouses and in-laws because of inadequate dowry payments.

Ranjana Kumari - who runs a refuge for victims of dowry and domestic abuse - says the law enforcement authorities need to be more active in tackling the problem.

"It's a shame that women are driven to take such extreme steps. The law enforcing agencies must be more active," she told the BBC News website.

A police inspector in Rajkot, SS Jhala, told the BBC that "swift action" had been taken against Ms Chauhan's family, who had been arrested and were now on bail.

Police have denied reports that they charged her for indecent behavior.

( read the full article )

Reasons I consider myself a feminist

Adapted from a post in sassy_red_head  
and feminist 

1. I can choose what I do with my life (school, career, marriage, children etc) and want those choices for all females.

2. As a feminist who appreciates all sexes and all gender choices  I live in support of  gender equality.  Many of the extreme standards that women are held to have  opposite extremes that men are held to.  Ideally, all have the right  to choose who they want to be, without having to try and fit into these extremes. An individuals purpose is defined individually rather than by genitalia or sexual orientation. I want people growing up in the future to be even less restricted by gender stereotypes than I was.

3. Personally, I love being a woman/ embrace my womanhood.

4. Whether I am the only female in a situation or not, I want my intelligence, talent and skill level to be appreciated at face value.

5. I know that insisting explicitly or complicitly that females are not equal to males is gender chauvinism. I continue to study the origins of chauvinism and develop compassion and awareness by being vocal about it. Being vocal about these issues is a right I can thank past feminists for.

6. I  rise above sexist stereotypes and change them.

7. I am putting an end to the myth that my gender is an obstacle towards any accomplishment.

8. I want an end to violence against women. I would at  least create awareness about the issue of  gender specific crimes. Crimes against females specifically are hate crimes.

9. Regardless of what I survived/survive, I can live without people questioning what I did/wore or where i went that   "brought it upon" myself. I would like questions insinuating the survivor is to blame to end in every area of the world.

10. I  want female heroes acknowledged by the mainstream. I am a female hero in process.

11. Humanitarian and ecological issues are important aspects of my feminism.

12. I am proud carry the same title that those who fought for my right to work, vote, receive higher education, and have power over my own body and lifestyle carried.

 How about you?  Do you think anything should be added to or removed from this list?