I Make it Rain (Mostly on Abortion Access Non-Profits)

Thanks to Maya at Feministing, I now know that today is Giving Tuesday. Maya shared her reasons for giving to abortion access groups and inspired me to talk about why I give. So here goes…

I give because I can.

And I give to NARAL, Planned Parenthood, and the National Network of Abortion Funds because access to reproductive health care is a big fucking deal and too many women are losing that access because of systems of inequality in our lives.

If this is your first time reading the blog, I feel like I should give you the quick and dirty of my background.  I’m white, middle class, cisgendered, and educated – especially when it comes to issues of access to reproductive health care. In short, I get to carry a freakin’ Prada backpack of privilege around with me wherever I go.

A few months ago, me and my knapsack o’privilege made an appointment at the Planned Parenthood in downtown Boston for routine STI testing. In addition to being a vocal proponent of routine STI testing, I had just capped off a week of lecture on access to birth control and abortion in light of Supreme Court decisions and figured that I might as well practice what I preach.

On the Saturday in question, I bop over to the PP center, park my car, grab a coffee, and meander on down the street blithely oblivious to my surroundings. As I walk towards PP, I notice a bunch of people outside. I think to myself someone must be selling Girl Scout Cookies.

Seriously. This is my exact thought at this moment.

It wasn’t girl scout cookies. In fact, all of those people who I assumed were queuing up for cookies are pro-life protesters.

They have signs. They are yelling. Granted, they are not yelling at any particular person but they are still there.

I pause at the corner of the street and think about calling the police.

I pull out my phone to google “Massachusetts abortion clinic buffer zone”.

I frown at the protesters.

Two women in neon yellow vests are standing in front of the protesters. I walk towards them, they escort me in.

After I hand off my giant purse and jewelry to the security guard, I start to shake. I’m mad at myself for being hesitant. I’m mad at the protesters for breaking the 35 foot buffer zone law. I’m suddenly feeling very slut-shamed for even wanting to get tested. I start to worry whether anyone saw me walking into the center – do they think I need an abortion? I start to worry about my worrying about people thinking I’m having an abortion – what does that say about society’s view of abortion? About me and the way I let society influence my thoughts?

My artistic rendering of me and my thoughts.

I set off the metal detector with my giant watch.The security guard and I laugh.

The appointment itself is uneventful. I hand over my health insurance information which I’m lucky to be able to afford, speak with a doctor and nurse who look just like me, pocket all of the free condoms, and go on my way.

When I leave, the protesters are gone but all those feelings aren’t. I’m completely shaken by the experience and if I’m shaken, I can’t imagine what people who don’t have my shield of privilege must have felt like this morning.

How many women didn’t show up for their appointments because they were afraid the protesters would harm them? Or shame them? Or recognize them?

How many women left their appointments when asked for health insurance information because they didn’t have any? How many women didn’t bother to make an appointment because they knew they couldn’t afford the care?

How many women sat in the exam room unable to communicate with their doctor or nurse because they didn’t speak the same language? Or failed to share important information because of a cultural barrier?

I get it. Throwing money at a problem this vast, with so many intersecting issues, isn’t the whole answer, but it’s part of it.

So to help those who can work at coming up with answers, I donate.

To NARAL, so they can lobby Congress to support women’s right to choose.

To Planned Parenthood, so they can continue to provide a wide range of health services, including routine screenings for breast cancer and STI testing.

And to the National Network of Abortion Funds, so they can help fund abortions for women in need who cannot afford one.

Take the Pledge: Love Your Body Day

Happy Love Your Body Day! Today marks the 15th anniversary of the NOW Foundation’s yearly event promoting positive body images and boy, could we all use a day to celebrate this message.

Every day it seems like we are bombarded with tens hundreds thousands millions of messages that our bodies aren’t acceptable or that they need improvement. And it doesn’t help that those with seemingly “perfect” bodies are picked apart by the media for everyone to see.

You know what I’m talking about. Christina Agueliera is a fat chick now, right? And so is Lady Gaga? And Christina Hendricks is full-figured which is apparently a code word for fat? And it’s so great that Mindy Kaling can have a show and not be thin? And on, and on, and on, ad infinitum until I vom everywhere.

But you know it’s not enough to just be thin, right? Our bodies are the subject of so much media scrutiny that even the most minute details of our appearance are analyzed.

(Incidentally, whenever I’m in a dressing room I recreate this scene.)

What happens as a result of all of this intense media scrutiny of every area of our bodies? We’re raising a nation of girls and women trained to believe that their bodies aren’t good enough. 80% of women in the US are dissatisfied with their bodies. 51% of 9 and 10 year old girls report to feel better about themselves if they are on a diet. Approximately 7 million women and girls struggle with eating disorders.

Listen, I know that it’s going to take some major societal changes to stop all of this body hating but maybe today we take some baby steps. This is my 3-Step Love Your Body pledge, will you take it with me?

1.) Let’s stop blanketly hating our bodies. You know what I mean – stop saying “ugh, I hate my body” when you really mean “I am unhappy with the way my butt looks in this particular pair of pants.”

2.) Let’s stop idolizing unrealistic images of beauty. That cover photo of Kim Kardashian was airbrushed. Sure, the girl has a stunning figure but she also has lumps and bumps just like the rest of us. Unless someone is going to photoshop your life, it’s virtually impossible to attain that magazine cover standard of beauty.

3.) Let’s start appreciating what our bodies can do, instead of what they look like. Sure, it’s the tits when someone says “you look effin’ gorgeous” but looking gorgeous isn’t all that your body can do. Try to remember that there is so much more to you than just your appearance – you are strong, you have a brain, and you can use your body however you choose.

That’s it. Three simple steps towards appreciating your body and everything that it can do. I promise to keep this pledge, will you?

Related articles

• Love Your Body Day Celebrates 15 Years of Self-Acceptance (thedailyquirk.com)

Think Purple – October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

I’m sure you’ve heard that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and are in the midst of purchasing every pink product put out by the gazillions of companies hoping to reap the benefits of increased sales based on the teensy share of their profits that will go towards cancer research, but did you know that October is also LGBT History Month?

And National CyberSecurity Awareness Month? And Filipino American History Month? And National Bullying Prevention Month? And National Arts and Humanities Month? And National Down Syndrome Awareness Month? And National Healthy Lung Month?

Oh and also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month?

No? I know it’s hard to keep track of all the things we’re supposed to be aware of in any given month – I mean, I am barely aware of my own surroundings. (Seriously, I have had a poster hanging in my office advertising a luncheon with a prominent feminist academic since 2008 and only last week did I notice that this prominent academic also happens to be a friend’s sister.) But I will be the first to point out that it’s pretty shitty that all these other things get brushed under the rug by the power of pink.

Especially when some of these things are already regularly brushed under the rug. Like domestic violence.

See the thing is that we live in a culture where sex and violence have become horrifyingly and inextricably linked. I’m not talking about fuzzy handcuffs and 50 Shades fantasies; I’m talking women being equated to prey and this system of beliefs that exist that encourages male sexual aggression and supports violence against women. The message that’s being blasted that violence is seen as sexy and sexuality is seen as violent.

Think I’m being an alarmist? Did you see the most recent cover of French Vogue?

Sure, for some this harkens thoughts of Christian Grey and consensual kink, but the image by itself is irresponsible at best and downright dangerous at its worst. In an open letter to Conde Naste, anti-domestic violence groups write “This truly disturbing image of a woman being choked sends a dangerous message to anyone who sees this magazine – that choking is a sign of passion rather than violence.”

And images like this one, together with the constant connection between sex and violence, are doing a bang-up job of desensitizing society.

Take Mandy Stadtmiller ’s recent conversation with Naomi Wolf for xoJane about Wolf’s new book, Vagina. Wolf talks about how desensitized people have become to violence: “So, with rape jokes, if you’re in an environment where your vagina is being demeaned, humiliated, targeted, or at Yale, where the boys were chanting, “No means yes, and yes means anal,” or with comedians. These are strategic; they may not be conscious, but they’re strategic. Because it’s stressing out your autonomic nervous system all day long, in such a way that, over time, it dials down your well-being sexually, and it dials down your well-being in other ways; because if you want to target a woman’s brain, you target the vagina.”

Or the most recent “rape joke” fiasco, the flyer posted in a men’s dorm room bathroom at Miami University offering pointers on the “Top Ten Ways to Get Away with Rape” including roofies and breaking and entering.

So maybe it shouldn’t be shocking to me that we’ve all become so desensitized that we’re ok with linking violence to sex or that we continue to live in a culture where we perpetually blame the victim. Just last week, I was going over a case that established that consent can be withdrawn during sex and students hemmed and hawed over this finding. Did she really say no? Maybe she was just feeling guilty because he wasn’t her boyfriend?

Wait.

No. I don’t want to live in a world like this and neither should you. Because lurking behind rape culture, hiding in the victim blaming, and masquerading as something that doesn’t happen to normal people exists domestic violence.

Because every 9 seconds in the US, a woman is assaulted or beaten. Around the world, at least one in every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Because every day in the US, more than 3 women are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends. Because on average, 24 people PER MINUTE are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Let’s stop ignoring the problem.

For resources, please visit the following safe-spaces:

If you need immediate assistance, dial 911.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or http://www.thehotline.org/

Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network: 1-800-656-HOPE or http://www.rainn.org/

I said “Give me two pairs, I need two pairs”

Fellow Boston attorney and (full disclosure) one of my favorite people, just messaged me “please write a rant about heels.  and how they are destroying my life, my feet, my back, and my wallet.”

Well, you got it, Attorney V. Because as I received this message I am sitting in my empty office, heels cast aside under my desk, feet encased in fuzzy slippers, secretly thankful that everyone has taken today off and I can rest my feet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t get me wrong, I love love love heels. I am that girl who, despite being about 5’6, only buys “long” pants because I know I will never wear them with flats. I’m the girl who you are shocked to discover is actually shorter than you when she goes out in flip flops one night. And I’m the girl whose shoes you always want to try on.

But here’s the thing – high heels are not as comfortable as flip flops. (Or flats, I assume. I have legitimately never owned a pair of flats so I cannot testify to the veracity of this statement.) And they’re not exactly conducive to lawyering, especially trial lawyering. You can’t run in them – so no running between sessions on a busy morning in court. You can’t stealthily get anywhere – so no sneaking into the courtroom late. And they kind of hurt after standing all day – so… no standing all day.

And yet, we continue to wear them. Day after day, rolled ankle after rolled ankle, dozens of different shoe options for all those boring skirt suits. And we continue to judge – how many times have you secretly promised yourself you’ll never become one of those commuting ladies who wears sneakers to work and changes into shoes?

Why? What is the deal here?

Turns out high heels have been around forever. Like before Christ, forever. In 3500 BCE the first precursors of heels were discovered in Egyptian tombs and on murals. Then in 200 BCE. platform sandals with high wood or cork soles become pretty popular among Roman actors.

Lets jump way ahead to 1500 – Catherine de Medici is credited with the invention of high heels as a fashion statement when she wears two inch heels to make herself appear taller next to her husband Henry II. Heels disappear for a while here, mostly because during the French Revolution Napoleon bans them. Historians claim it was in an attempt to show equality since heels were associated with the rich, but wasn’t Napoleon really short?

In the 1860′s high heels make a comeback and are popular from that point on. Once mass-manufacturing is possible, high heel sales skyrocket. In the 1950′s Christian Dior and Roger Vivier invent the stiletto heel – which actually loses favor in the 60′s because of criticism by 2nd wave feminists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, prompted by the 70′s and platform boots for both sexes, stilettos start to regain prominence in the 80′s and 90′s. The feminism and high heel argument is discarded in favor of women’s claims that they wear high heels for themselves and not for men.

And now here we are. I’m currently internet stalking these shoes while simultaneously pondering whether my decision to wear heels has turned back into society’s decision. Because sometimes, even though my feet hurt, I put on heels because there’s this pressure that exists and sometimes, I feel like I can’t escape it.

What does that mean then?

Were second wave feminists were right about this too? Are stilettos are the Western equivalent of Chinese foot-binding? Do they represent a view of womanhood as decorative, constricted, controlled, hypersexualized and enslaved by fashion?

Or are post-feminists right? Are designer shoes a symbol of power and liberation for women? Do they continue to be a feminist hot-spot? (Check out this recent “feminist” high heel!)  Well, what do you think?

Bonus points if you can finish the sentence in the title of this blog.

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah, Spooky, Scary

Halloween is fast appoaching! There are so many things I love about Halloween:

• Watching Hocus Pocus
• Going to haunted places
• Judging people for eating candy corn
• Dogs in costumes

But there is one thing I HATE about Halloween… and that’s coming up with a costume for myself.

You see, I am friends with really creative people. For past Halloween celebrations, we’ve had some awesome topical and not-so topical, but still hilarious costumes including: Crazy Claire from LOST complete with cabbage patch baby, Theo Epstein, Cash Cab, and of course, Hannah Montana (my friend Hannah literally just put a Hello My Name Is… sticker on her jacket that said Montana).

Last year, I went as Pippy Longstocking and even though I loved my costume, it took me forever to come up with it. The glasses were not part of the costume…

And because I am lazy, I would really rather just buy a costume rather than to create one, but every year I run into the same dilemma. Stores only seem to sell “sexy” costumes for women.

Don’t believe me? Here’s a link to the Spirit Halloween store where I go EVERY SINGLE YEAR to try and buy a costume and fail miserably. Why? Because my options include: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader, Harlequin Clown, Sexy Chucky, Sultry SWAT Officer, and a Sexy Scary Clown.

(Seriously? What does “sexy scary clown” even mean? Clowns are terrifying. Not sexy.)

Inevitably, I get incredibly frustrated, begin loudly lamenting that I just want to dress up as something for Halloween, not necessarily a sexy something, and then swing wildly in the other direction trying to come up with a non-sexy and super feminist costume. Like a uterus. Or Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

So in the interest of not being a sexy houseplant for Halloween, I’ve come up with some alternatives to the sexy costume standards.

• Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Bynes – Roommate is a blonde, so this would work perfectly. We’ll both make cardboard cars to “ride” around in all night and get wasted.
• Ruth Bader Ginsberg – when I get drunk, I make people listen to my ridiculous SCOTUS analysis for civil rights issues anyway, why not wear a black robe and pretend I’m doing it to be funny?
• Suri Cruise – Black wig, impossibly perfect outfit, sour look on face. Will offer continuous judgment of others a la Suri’s Burn Book throughout the night.
• Jesus’s Wife – period clothing, papyrus referencing my existence, hourly jokes about how tough it is to deal with my father in law.
• Picnic Table – this was my favorite costume as a kid, so I might have to bring it back. This time, the food will be real. Nom nom nom.

This is all I’ve got for now and I’m actually kind of excited about all of these costumes. Now I just have to get started making one of them. Good thing I’ve got a month!

What are your suggestions? What are you going to be for Halloween? And I suppose since I brought it up, WHY ARE WOMEN REQUIRED TO BE SEXY THINGS FOR HALLOWEEN?!

I am Woman, Hear Me Roar.

I just can’t.

I have spent the last week+ staring, mouth agape at the internets, news outlets, and twitter trying to formulate a coherent response to the absolutely horrifying comments made by Todd Akin, Paul Ryan, Steve King and a whole bunch of other people on both party lines. And I just can’t.

But, Erin Gloria Ryan over at Jezebel has done a pretty phenomenal job putting my thoughts into words (I am sort of concerned she has burrowed into my brain), so instead of continuing to try to respond, I will quote her:

“What needs to happen before spouting ignorant, anti-woman crap in public is uniformly met with the same sort of derision we now reserve for politicians who appeal to ethnic stereotypes during drunken tirades? How much longer are we all going to have to stay angry, after our mothers spent their lives angry? And is it even working?

Eventually a person gets to the point where they can longer withstand the constant blitzkrieg of bullshit. So, Steve King, Todd Akin, and shouty Twitter conservatives: you win. Rape outrage limit reached. I have given this all of my fucks, and the fucks I have given are still not enough fucks. So many more fucks need to be given, and I have exhausted my fuck supply. The fucks are on backorder. Employees are working overtime to restock my fucks, but in the meantime, please accept this 10% off coupon while we wait for the fucks to arrive via FedEx. I’ll be over here, drinking wine from a Pac Man mug and watching cartoons.”

Just replace “Pac Man mug” with “Bob Marley mug” and “watching cartoons” with “watching That 70′s Show” and her response is exactly what I have been thinking.

While Erin and I spend some time refueling our fuck supply, I thought you should know that there are lots of really really really awesome people out there with unlimited awesomeness that they continue to share with society in spite of the glut of women-hating politicians and pundits running around spewing hate.

So if you need to take a break from being angry/sad/horrified, check out just a few of my favorite (feminist) organizations – these people inspire me to keep on keepin’ on, so I’m sure they’ll help combat your war on women fatigue:

Hollaback! (Wooo woo!)

“Hollaback is a movement to end street harassment powered by a network of local activists around the world.  We work together to better understand street harassment, to ignite public conversations, and to develop innovative strategies to ensure equal access to public spaces. By collecting women and LGBTQ folks’ stories and pictures in a safe and share-able way with our very own mobile phone applications, Hollaback! is creating a crowd-sourced initiative to end street harassment. Hollaback! breaks the silence that has perpetuated sexual violence internationally, asserts that any and all gender-based violence is unacceptable, and creates a world where we have an option—and, more importantly—a response.”

Girls, Inc.

Girls Inc. inspires all girls to be strong, smart, and boldSM through life-changing programs and experiences that help girls navigate gender, economic, and social barriers. Research-based curricula, delivered by trained, mentoring professionals in a positive all-girl environment equip girls to achieve academically; lead healthy and physically active lives; manage money; navigate media messages; and discover an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math. The network of local Girls Inc. nonprofit organizations serves 125,000 girls ages 6 – 18 annually across the United States and Canada.

RH Reality Check

RH Reality Check is an online community and publication serving individuals and organizations committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights. Protection is our watchword—we are contributing to the global effort to empower people with the information, services and leadership they need to safeguard their sexual and reproductive health and rights and to guard against false attacks and misinformation.

RH Reality Check exists as a resource for evidence-based information, provocative commentary, and interactive dialogue. We enjoyed the support of the UN Foundation and the editorial independence entrusted to us for six years, from 2006-2012. In January 2012 we branched off officially as our own independent 501 c3 (non-profit) organization, and that’s what we are today.

The Crunk Feminist Collective

The Crunk Feminist Collective (CFC) will create a space of support and camaraderie for hip hop generation feminists of color, queer and straight, in the academy and without, by building a rhetorical community, in which we can discuss our ideas, express our crunk feminist selves,  fellowship with one another, debate and challenge one another, and support each other, as we struggle together to articulate our feminist goals, ideas, visions, and dreams in ways that are both personally and professionally beneficial.

The FBomb

The FBomb.org is a blog/community created by and for teenage girls who care about their rights as women and want to be heard. The main purpose of the fbomb is to create a community and dialogue amongst teenage girls, and therefore any and all submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. There is no limit for the number of submissions per person and multiple submissions and submissions sent over time are encouraged.

There are so many super rad organizations out there supporting girls and women so it was kinda hard to just pick a few of my favorites, but I think you get the point.

Yes, there is a war on women, but look at our army. We rock.

What are some of your favorite organizations, blogs, collectives by and for women? I’m always on the lookout – please share!

And ok… I do have one thing to say about the whole media mess:

My middle name is Xcellent.

Hooray! Obama paid for my birth control yesterday!

Ok. I know he didn’t really. But I also know that the birth control mandate isn’t an attack on America, like “December 7th, that’s Pearl Harbor Day. [or] September 11th, the day the terrorists attacked” like Representative Mike Kelly, a republican from PA seems to think.

While Representative Kelly’s remarks have drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle, the birth control mandate and the Affordable Care Act remain contentious and hotly debated.

But no matter where you stand, the ACA pushes for equality. In fact, the ACA and the birth control mandate take giant leaps to stop having a case of vagina from being a pre-existing condition. Under the health care law, discrimination against women is illegal in the insurance market. Insurers can’t charge women more than men just because they’re women.

Not only that but a whole bunch of services that are essential in helping women to stay healthy are now being covered without co-pays.  This is in addition to other important services for both men AND women that are being covered without copays, like cholesterol screenings and flu shots.

And that’s still a reason for celebration.

Related articles

• Republican Congressman Compares Expanded Birth Control Access To September 11th, Pearl Harbor (thinkprogress.org)

сильные женщины: руки вверх! (Did it again, did it again…)

здравствуйте! как дела?

I’m great, in case you were wondering. And not just because I get to make a reference to my favorite Russian boy-band, Hands Up.  I’m pretty happy because the lovely ladies of Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist punk band have finally gotten their day in court.

Pussy Riot – in full costume

In February, members of the band staged a protest at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, an Orthodox cathedral in Moscow, protesting Vladimir Putin as a presidential candidate. The video below intermixes footage of the protest with the band’s public prayer “The Virgin, Putin Banish”.

Lyrics to the song are fearless:

“Black robe, golden shoulder straps- all of the parishioners crawl to bow. The ghost of liberty is in heaven while the gay pride is sent to Siberia in shackles. The head of the KGB, their main saint, brings protestors to prison under an escort.  So that their main saint will not be offended, women must give birth and love. Virgin Mary, mother of God, become a feminist. Virgin Mary, mother of God, banish Putin.”

And precisely because of that fearlessness, members of Pussy Riot have been imprisoned since February. Three women were arrested and charged with hooliganism committed for the motives of political, ideological, racial, national, or religious hatred or enmity or for the motives of hatred or enmity towards any social group under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. (Part 2, Article 213).

As a crime, hooliganism was introduced into the criminal code in Soviet Russia and has since been modified, most recently to break down hooliganism into two separate crimes: 1.) hooliganism aggravated by the use of weapons, 2.) hooliganism aggravated by a special motive.

It is in this second crime that the government has a wide discretion to arrest and prosecute. There are two factors that must be taken into consideration: gross violation of public order and a clear disprespect towards the society. These factors are left undefined, but legal scholars have suggested several options, none of which have been formally accepted into Russian law.

In this case, the three members of Pussy Riot are being prosecuted under the second prong – “special motive” because the  protest occurred in Moscow’s main Orthodox cathedral, and that “special motive” is against the Russian Orthodox Church. It is worth noting that the Orthodox Church has publicly supported Putin as a political candidate.

It is here, in the tricky tangle of Church and State, that the members of Pussy Riot find themselves – imprisoned for months, awaiting trial for protesting, under laws that many Russians are protesting.

You see, these women are facing up to 7 years in jail under the crime of hooliganism. The Church, whose very tenets include forgiveness and compassion, has been the driving force in the arrest and prosecution of Pussy Riot. And the members of Pussy Riot, whose protest movement occurred in Moscow’s main cathedral, are arguing that the protest was against Putin, not the Church. And Putin? Well he’s declined to give a comment on the case, but Prime Minister Medvedev has indicated that if this protest had happened elsewhere, members of Pussy Riot would face harsher punishment.

Russian citizens are divided are in their feelings towards the trial. In her testimony on Tuesday, a witness, Lyobov Sokologorskaya, described the satanic nature of Pussy Riot’s protest and testified that the protest has had lasting effects: “I experienced bitterness and pain and feel it to this day, It all looked like devilish skipping. They raised their legs and everything that was below their waists was visible. And that on the ambo, in front of the heavenly gates”.

Others reject this argument and are concerned with the response of the courts, indicating that Putin’s presidency will strengthen the relationship between Church and State and weaken the ability of citizens to speak out. In his Op-Ed piece in the Moscow Times, Georgy Bovy writes: “In many respects, the state’s crackdown on Pussy Riot is meant  to send a strong signal to the nationalists in Russia. This  strategy is driven by a belief among Putin’s ruling elite that  the Soviet Union collapsed because leaders were unable to cope with  a rising nationalist mood in the country. Accordingly, ethnic  and religious conflict is considered the worst threat facing Russia  today. This explains why Putin reacted with such speed and decisiveness  to the nationalist riots in Manezh Square two years ago. In his  view, nationalist and religious radicalism are interconnected, and he  will use harsh measures to nip them in the bud.”

It certainly is a tangled situation, but the message being given to Russian citizens is clear: protesting the government and/or the Church will not be tolerated, especially if you are a woman.

What are your thoughts on the Pussy Riot trial? The protest? The length of the potential sentence? Has Russian gone too far in preventing freedom of speech?

And how does this compare to the freedom to protest in the United States? Think about the SCOTUS decision granting the Westboro Baptist Church the right to protest military funerals – has the US gone too far in ensuring freedom of speech?

Gender Verification at the 2012 Olympics: New IOC Regulations for Female Athletes

With the Olympic games fast approaching, there’s been a lot of chatter about the games, the teams, and even the most sought-after swag by the Olympians themselves.

Did you know that Cuban gear is the most sought-after? Apparently, it is because the Cuban athletes are often surrounded by guards and don’t get to mingle as much with the other Olympians so there is less of an opportunity to trade swag. Also, I guess their gear is pretty cool and retro-looking. I heard this from an anonymous Olympian on NPR this morning, if you’re interested.

Another topic that seems to be trending in the Olympic discourse is gender testing.  This year, the International Olympic Committee issued regulations for gender verification for men and women competing in the games. And this year, the so-called gender verification regulations are fairly different from in prior games.

In the past, sex examination efforts instated by the Olympic Committee have been humiliating and crude. Initial attempts included a sort of naked parade of female athletes before a bunch of doctors and direct gynecological exams. In the 1968 Olympic games in Grenoble, the standard for gender verification became a buccal smear for sex chromosomes and this lasted until the 1990′s.

Using a chromosomal inquiry prevented female athletes who did not possess XX chromosomes from competing in the Olympic games. This testing method would bar female athletes whose internal and external morphologic sex appeared female, but whose chromosomes contained an ambiguity. Many women who disqualified under this chromosomal testing had variations of androgen resistance, like Maria Patino the Spanish hurdler who was disqualified for her androgen resistance.

Testing solely for the presence of XX or XY chromatin proved to be an unreliable test for gender because, as is generally accepted, gender is determined by a multitude of factors. Like Maria Patino, an athlete could have the internal and external sex organs of a female, the secondary sexual characteristics of a female (breasts) but have a hormonal condition that would cause disqualification under the test.

Throughout the 1970′s, 80′s and 90′s, concerns over chromosomal testing to determine gender were voiced repeatedly.  In response to these concerns, the International Olympic Committee instituted a more in-depth inquiry, utilizing DNA-based methods to detect Y chromosomal material. This method was used from the 1992 games through 1999, when the International Olympic Committee’s Executive Board decided to discontinue the practice.

Then, in 2009 the International Association of Athletics Federations requested that South African runner, Caster Semenya undergo a gender test after her win. The IAAF stated that the motivation for the test was to determine whether Semenya had a “rare medical condition giving her an unfair competitive advantage.” The results of the test were not released to the public and Semenya reached an agreement with the IAAF to keep her medal from the Beijing games and her prize money.

Perhaps due in part to the great controversy drawn in connection with Caster Semenya, the International Olympic Committee has issued regulations to “identify circumstances in which a particular athlete will not be eligible (by reason of hormonal characteristics) to participate in the 2012 OG Competitions in the female category.

The regulations call for an expert panel made up of an endocrinologist, a gynecologist, and a genetic expert to review cases of suspected female hyperandrogenism to determine whether the condition exists and whether it provides the athlete with an unfair competitive advantage.  If the panel determines that the athlete has an unfair advantage as a result of “male-level” testosterone from female hyperandrogenism, the athlete will not be able to compete as a female, but may compete as a male provided she qualifies in the athletic category.

These regulations differ from previous gender verification tests in several ways:

• Not all females are required to undergo testing
• Only certain persons/entities can file a formal request for testing for female athletes
• The regulations make clear that the test does not determine sex or gender.

This is an interesting way for the IOC and the IAAF to get around “gender verification” and it kinda, sorta feels like the regulations were crafted with an eye to American constitutional law. To me, it feels like the crafters of these regulations knew they were creating rules that discriminated against women, so in order to address an unfair competitive advantage, they drafted the rules pretty narrowly.

What do you think? Should the IOC have gender verification for all athletes? Should the IOC have testing for female hyperandrogenism? What is the broader message here about male and female athletes? About male and female bodies?

(Oh, and OMGOMGOMG how excited are you for the Olympics?!)

 

Does how we play decide who we’ll be?

What was your favorite toy when you were a kid?

This was mine:

Yup, that’s exactly what it looks like - a wooden iron and ironing board made for a child. And I loved it. I would spend hours ironing my father’s handkerchiefs, singing songs about being some sort of Cinderella or washerwoman, and imagining that I was a character in a fairytale.

Today, my real-life adult ironing board and iron is shoved into the closet with my washer/dryer and in the last year I have been more apt to throw my clothes into the dryer to get wrinkles out than to iron.

But, that’s not to say that the gendered rearing of children doesn’t have an effect on how we do gender as we age.  In fact, how we play as kids is an important contributor to how we develop cognitively. We know that gendered toys have long-term consequences for our later cognitive and social development and because of these consequences, the media and the family (as institutions) reinforce gendered play consistently.

Girls play with toys designed to foster nurturing and motherly role-play, while boys play with toys designed to foster activity and manipulative play. Gender stereotyped toys reinforce gender roles through these stereotyped activities and roleplay.

So does that mean that all girls have to grow up to be princesses or mothers or shop-til-you-droppers? (I’m reaching into my murky memory for childhood toys and games and I keep thinking of Mall Madness, forgive me.) Or that all boys have to grow up to soldiers or train engineers or ninjas?

Clearly not. But that doesn’t mean the marketing for gendered toys isn’t out there.  Check out this little girls awesome rant about gendered marketing.

The thing is, though, that even though me and this little girl know that all this marketing gender roles stuff is bs, it’s still out there. And it’s kind of tough for us not to give in. I mean, Riley’s giving this rant while carrying a baby doll and I’m writing this blog while wearing high heels and a push up bra (I also have clothing on, don’t be alarmed). Clearly both of us have given in to gender roles a little bit.

Is that from how we play as children?

For me, the answer is yes. Every time I put on a pair of heels, I remember back to those tiny Barbie high heels. Every time I put on a pair of flats, I think of poor Skipper and her flat feet.

Can we ever move away from gendered play? Or will Cinderella continue to eat our daughters?

What do you think? Are gendered toys necessary for child-rearing? Do you use gendered toys with your kids? Why or why not?