Krista and I had the honor of attending in New York last year. Seal Press has two nominations this year, Whipping Girl, by Julia Serano, and Nobody Passes, by Mattila. Congratulations Julia and Mattilda!
Friday, January 11, 2008
we don't have the globes, but we have the lammies
This year's Lambda Nominees have been announced. The "Lammies" were established by the Lambda Literary Foundation to celebrate or explore LGBT themes in literature.
Krista and I had the honor of attending in New York last year. Seal Press has two nominations this year, Whipping Girl, by Julia Serano, and Nobody Passes, by Mattila. Congratulations Julia and Mattilda!
Krista and I had the honor of attending in New York last year. Seal Press has two nominations this year, Whipping Girl, by Julia Serano, and Nobody Passes, by Mattila. Congratulations Julia and Mattilda!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Gee, um, let's get her in there first, eh?
I read Frances Kissling's piece on Salon this morning Why I'm still not for Hillary Clinton, but I had to keep putting it down. I felt frustrated. Angry even. Frances, whoa. She asks herself if it's possible she's harder on women than on men? And it looks quite clear to me. Yes, she is. And she's not alone. Frances claims that Hillary has missed the opportunity in her campaign to talk about what it really means for women to be equal in this country.
Hmmm. Let's think about this for a second. There is no way a woman running for president can stand up and speak on this topic and be elected. It's naive to think so. Let's be realistic.
I hear and completely agree with the disappointment around Hillary's views on Iraq. I felt let down too. I didn't agree with her. But I don't know when I have agreed with every decision anyone's made? Not a politician, not even my best friend. I'm wagering she did represent the views of her constituency--her job as a Senator, let's keep that in mind--even if I didn't agree with those views. She did move more toward the center than I wanted her to, but I want her to get into that oval office. She can't do anything for us unless she moves in first.
Frances says, She [Hillary] has shown no interest in using her extensive international experience to push for more women in party leadership, state legislatures and even the Senate. A woman candidate who considered her gender a strength (as opposed to something she needed to overcome) would announce a series of measures specifically designed to ensure that women's needs and rights were at the forefront of her agenda.
From my perspective, feminist values ARE at the core of her decisions. Look where she is. Look what she's doing. It's not been done before. She wants the job of President of the United States. She brings tremendous experience to the table. She's not perfect. Why, women, do we insist on holding her to some absolutely impossible standard?
The country IS on the road to further transformation, Frances. But don't you think that having a woman in what is arguably the most powerful position in the world speaks volumes to people of any age, from every walk of life the world over? Doesn't it say, "The country IS transforming." Doesn't it say feminist values are at the core of OUR decisions, that as a country we are learning to respect women, to listen to them, to believe in their vision in a way we have never done before? Why tear Hillary down because she can't be all things to every woman? What male candidate have you felt was the perfect candidate who represented all your thoughts and dreams?
I want the six-year-old girl in Missouri to see that it's not lip service, this notion that you can be anything you want when you grow up. If Hillary can become president, she's not going to have to talk quite as much about what it means for women to be equal in this country. Actions speak much louder than words.
K.
Hmmm. Let's think about this for a second. There is no way a woman running for president can stand up and speak on this topic and be elected. It's naive to think so. Let's be realistic.
I hear and completely agree with the disappointment around Hillary's views on Iraq. I felt let down too. I didn't agree with her. But I don't know when I have agreed with every decision anyone's made? Not a politician, not even my best friend. I'm wagering she did represent the views of her constituency--her job as a Senator, let's keep that in mind--even if I didn't agree with those views. She did move more toward the center than I wanted her to, but I want her to get into that oval office. She can't do anything for us unless she moves in first.
Frances says, She [Hillary] has shown no interest in using her extensive international experience to push for more women in party leadership, state legislatures and even the Senate. A woman candidate who considered her gender a strength (as opposed to something she needed to overcome) would announce a series of measures specifically designed to ensure that women's needs and rights were at the forefront of her agenda.
From my perspective, feminist values ARE at the core of her decisions. Look where she is. Look what she's doing. It's not been done before. She wants the job of President of the United States. She brings tremendous experience to the table. She's not perfect. Why, women, do we insist on holding her to some absolutely impossible standard?
The country IS on the road to further transformation, Frances. But don't you think that having a woman in what is arguably the most powerful position in the world speaks volumes to people of any age, from every walk of life the world over? Doesn't it say, "The country IS transforming." Doesn't it say feminist values are at the core of OUR decisions, that as a country we are learning to respect women, to listen to them, to believe in their vision in a way we have never done before? Why tear Hillary down because she can't be all things to every woman? What male candidate have you felt was the perfect candidate who represented all your thoughts and dreams?
I want the six-year-old girl in Missouri to see that it's not lip service, this notion that you can be anything you want when you grow up. If Hillary can become president, she's not going to have to talk quite as much about what it means for women to be equal in this country. Actions speak much louder than words.
K.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Read Traister Now
That's all I have to say. Short and sweet. Go to Salon right now, and read Rebecca Traister's article The Witch Ain't Dead and Chris Matthews is a Ding-Dong.
Thank you Rebecca. Go Hillary!
K.
Thank you Rebecca. Go Hillary!
K.
abortion clinics are not terrible places
Abortion isn't a sexy topic. It only makes news when we're on the verge of losing our right to it. So I guarantee it'll be back in the news again in the not-too-distant future. Just because Iowa and New Hampshire are sucking the air out of everything doesn't mean we're not still stuck with the justices we have.
Over at RH Reality Check this week, Amanda Marcotte, author of our forthcoming It's a Jungle Out There (please read this brilliant book) draws attention to two of the most popular movies of 2007 and their depictions, or lack thereof, of abortion. In Knocked Up, the main character, Allison, doesn't even seriously consider abortion, even though any woman I know who got pregnant from a one night stand with a guy that immature totally would, and in Juno, the abortion clinic is painted as this horrible space, playing a role in the high schooler's decision to have the baby. This reminded me of an episode from last season's The L Word, in which Kit (who's in her fifties) decides she'll abort and visits a clinic that turns out to be one of those crazy places that shame you for even considering it. The nurses charge at her with photos of bloody fetuses yelling something about killing her baby. She gets the abortion in the end, but that's what you get of the clinic.
So it got me thinking, are there any movies or shows that show positive abortion clinic experiences? Where a woman sits down with a counselor who helps her make the best decision for her? If I were considering an abortion at this point in time, I wonder how I'd feel. The media is all over Jamie Lynn Spears, but mostly I've been hearing that it's a good thing she's keeping the baby. Am I the only person who thinks abortion might have been a good option here? I mean, obviously I'm an advocate for choice, so if her choice is to keep it then that's hers. But she's sixteen.
As a culture, we don't offer balanced accounts of what choice or abortion clinics or even abortion really look like. I feel like this is intentional, controlled by some larger moral force. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. It's just too one-sided to be otherwise.
And yes, Hillary won NH and assholes everywhere are trying to assert that women came out in droves because Hillary almost cried and now we love her. Get a grip. I couldn't even bear to post about it because my fingers started shaking. But I didn't cry.
---Brooke
Over at RH Reality Check this week, Amanda Marcotte, author of our forthcoming It's a Jungle Out There (please read this brilliant book) draws attention to two of the most popular movies of 2007 and their depictions, or lack thereof, of abortion. In Knocked Up, the main character, Allison, doesn't even seriously consider abortion, even though any woman I know who got pregnant from a one night stand with a guy that immature totally would, and in Juno, the abortion clinic is painted as this horrible space, playing a role in the high schooler's decision to have the baby. This reminded me of an episode from last season's The L Word, in which Kit (who's in her fifties) decides she'll abort and visits a clinic that turns out to be one of those crazy places that shame you for even considering it. The nurses charge at her with photos of bloody fetuses yelling something about killing her baby. She gets the abortion in the end, but that's what you get of the clinic.
So it got me thinking, are there any movies or shows that show positive abortion clinic experiences? Where a woman sits down with a counselor who helps her make the best decision for her? If I were considering an abortion at this point in time, I wonder how I'd feel. The media is all over Jamie Lynn Spears, but mostly I've been hearing that it's a good thing she's keeping the baby. Am I the only person who thinks abortion might have been a good option here? I mean, obviously I'm an advocate for choice, so if her choice is to keep it then that's hers. But she's sixteen.
As a culture, we don't offer balanced accounts of what choice or abortion clinics or even abortion really look like. I feel like this is intentional, controlled by some larger moral force. I'm not a conspiracy theorist. It's just too one-sided to be otherwise.
And yes, Hillary won NH and assholes everywhere are trying to assert that women came out in droves because Hillary almost cried and now we love her. Get a grip. I couldn't even bear to post about it because my fingers started shaking. But I didn't cry.
---Brooke
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