Blog For Choice!

It's today. So here's my answer to the question: Why am I pro-choice? I'm pro-choice because I believe that every woman should have control over her own body. Every woman should be able to make informed, rational and supported choices about reproduction. And in case there was any confusion, that includes financial support in cases where abortion is decided against. No woman should feel that she does not have the resources to continue a pregnancy. No woman should feel that she cannot afford to terminate a pregnancy. No woman should be bullied into continuing a pregnancy.

I believe in women. I believe that we are to be trusted to make our own choices and decisions about whether life begins at conception and I respect the individual and her opinions. I do not accept the idea that abortion is murder, but I will try to respect the opinions of those who do. I wish the anti-choicers would afford me the same courtesy. Here's hoping!

Happy Monday!

Get your pens and pencils out, I'm pointing you at a wonderful resource for dealing with those everyday bigots... If you scroll down the menu on the left there are sections that explore power relations within families and social groups, showing why it isn't always easy (or even safe) to challenge your racist parent or sibling. Then it shows you how to do it. It's excellent.

And here's your video treat for this week: The amazing Tori Amos. Unforgettable, inimitable, wonderful. Have an astonishing and powerful week you women!

Synchronicity

I notice that this is my 100th post and I start to think about
what to blog, what to say to mark the occasion. It's not a huge number but it signifies something to me; something about confidence, having a voice, feeling real and big and unique.

I think about the number 100. I remember a time I spent every day listening very hard to a song called "100 years" by Five for Fighting. I remember that I listened to that song because I felt that it said something important about life and time, and that I had wanted to say these things to my nephew who had recently committed suicide. I think about how if I could have that child back, I would cocoon him. I would hold him tightly and make him feel fearless. I would save him.

I realise that I am wishing for something that is impossible. I accept that my love and my fierce grasp could absolutely not have saved him. I sit and listen and feel sad. I know that feeling sad is okay.

I Won!

I actually won something! That never happens to me. I won two tickets to see the Indigo Girls in Manchester in February. I am so excited that I almost can't breathe. I hope I live til Feb.! I have every Indigo Girls song ever in my collection; I totally love them. Are you envious?

Happy Monday!

Forget what you know about the police and homeland security for just a moment, and enjoy the fact that this woman made it all the way to the top of her chosen (and notoriously male-dominated) career..after having a baby at fifteen and dropping out of high school. I salute her.*

And while you're in DC, take a trip to this delightful museum and library. Apparently, it is America's first feminist library...

And then, just because I love this song, have some Melissa! Have a wonderful week, women!



*You understand that while I applaud her amazing achievement, I'm not actually raising my hand to my brow...

Abortion Watch 2007 Begins...

I'm always keeping at least one eye out for abortion jiggery pokery...Here's the latest from Oklahoma. It is a creative (and apparently not uncommon) bit of legislation that would allow Oklahoma to immediately prohibit abortion should the supreme court ever overturn Roe v Wade. Sort of misogyny-in-waiting if you like, ready to leap into action at a moment's notice. Recoil-effect woman-hating in 17 of the United States. We need to be alert.

Happy Monday!! yes, I know it's early...

but I am up to my bum cheeks in paperwork and have a five pm deadline...so I'm not touching the internets until said deadline has passed and I have turned in my work. So, because I'm kind and thoughtful and don't want you all to go without your dose of Monday wonderfulness I'm doing it now. While I eat my Sunday dinner... On the slimfast/WW front, I have a lovely story to share later this week, about how I took on the corporate giant and WON! Mwahahahahahaha. Well, I got an apology. I choose to see it as a victory of massive proportions. Have a great week, women!

The Incredible Vanishing Woman..and other tales of misogyny.

Aaaah, Weightwatchers. Haven't we all at some time dallied with the idea of joining? Some of us have gone so far as to part with money and not a little dignity and made it to an actual session. Well, I decided long ago that WW is a con. It is a tool of the patriarchy, designed to humiliate and control women by shrinking them and eventually convincing them to shrivel away to nothing at all. A bit like the "star" of the new advert for said company.

So, the new ad goes a little like this: Middle-aged,paunchy man pushes so-so baby on swing, says how happy his wife is now that she is not fat. Caption "The Husband". Ageing woman sits at dining table and says how happy her daughter is now that she is not fat. Caption "Mum". Beautician (!!) explains that waxing ex-fat woman's legs takes half the time now that woman is not fat. Can't remember caption, probably "beautician". Man and woman sit at table and man says how much better other woman looks now that she is not fat. Apologises to woman at table: "sorry love". Caption "neighbour". Viewer is then invited to tell own story by going to WW meeting, shelling out around seven quid and being shamed into eating less and feeling utterly inadequate as a human being. End of advert.

At no point does the woman in question even appear on screen! WW have done what the patriarchy has been attempting to do for centuries: they have rendered woman invisible. This once bloated, hideous crone has slimmed down so amazingly that she is no longer a physical entity! The only clues to her existence are the approving comments from her gormless husband, her mother, a beaufuckingtician and her objectifying and frankly, lecherous male neighbour,....there may even be a child passing comment in there somewhere...The whole advert is staggering under the weight of its own misogyny. It would be funny if it weren't so mind-warpingly, stomach-emptyingly vile. As yet, I do not know how I will make it through my anger and out to the other side without my brain bursting. I am going to write to WW, telling them of my horror at this appalling advert. I urge you all to do the same. And if you EVER feel tempted to join in and throw away your hard-earned money and self-esteem, remember that WW is a COMPANY. They EXIST to make money. From you. Fuckers.

I Found Library Thing!!

I know I said I would spend less and do more etc. but I can't help thinking that Library Thing's twenty five dollar lifetime membership, for which I can load up as many books as I have and am not limited to just 200, is an absolute bargain and a Necessity. If only for insurance purposes? Yes, I know that's feeble... but I'm joining. I've added a link at the bottom on the right, go and have a look and then join and pretend that you absolutely can't live without it...I am doing just that. I'm convinced. I am. Really.

Charlie, I will come along to the next meeting that you all have, I'm not so shy! Just tell me when and where...

More trans politics

I have been reading around trans lit and theory, as well as Radfem theory and responses to Transactivism. I stand by what I wrote in the previous post. I also find that there are some wonderfully well expressed answers to both Yaeli's comment and the second anon. comment on that post. So, because I can't yet do this amazing and complex topic justice, I shall point you all in the direction of a collection of folks who can:
Questioning Transgender is a website dedicated to exploring the politics of transgender. I particularly recommend the articles about identity politics and womyn-born-womyn spaces. Well, I would!

I also read an excellent essay at reSISTERance but wanted comment that Ian Harvie/Harvey identifies as FTX, that is Female born. Not MTF. I'm not sure that V was clear about that! If You read this V, and you did know, I'm sorry that I misunderstood!

So, Yaeli and anonymous, I hope you read around a little, because I find at the moment, that what I am saying about trans politics is being so much better expressed by others. I hope to learn how to do the same as I go along.

Oh alright, since none of you asked...

I have been swept along in the recent blogwars concerning MTF transgendered people. I haven't weighed in with my two penn'orth but I will now. Just here, on my own blog space I will dispense with caution and express the basics of what I feel about transgendered people and women-only space.

I support the rights of trans men and women. I use my pronouns correctly, according to the wishes of the person I am speaking to/about. Trans rights are important and should not be dismissed casually, regardless of one's understanding of gender/patriarchy/social conditioning etc. It's not as simple as arguing that gender is culturally and socially defined. However uncomfortable I am personally with the idea of MTF transgendering and the attendant RadFem theoretical problems surrounding gender and femininity/femaleness it points to, it's not yet the perfect world where gender only matters if we want it to...

Having said that, I absolutely can't feel comfortable accepting MTFs into women-only spaces. I cannot get behind the idea that excluding MTF trans people is bad for feminism. I can hope that MTFs understand and respect how women-born-women feel about this topic. I can ask for a peaceful discussion regarding the need for women-born-women spaces.

While I'm at it, I would like to clarify my stance on the Dead Men Don't Rape blog-wrangle... I support Bea's use of this dramatic and assertive title for her blog. I was stupefied by some people's response to it and did some really scientific research* of my own. I asked the men I love and trust (there are two of them) how they felt about the title and I was not surprised at the response that I got. They both were entirely unfazed by it. They were instantly able to see what the intention was and expressed interest in exploring the blog further. But these are sort of feminist men...they get it. I knew they would.

So that's my first post of 2007. I am sorry it wasn't a Happy Monday, but I really felt that I needed to be open about how I feel about these two issues.


* i.e. not at all scientific and a bit crappy really.

New Year, New Woman?

No, I'm not considering subscribing to that awful "women's interest" mag... rather, I am hoping to bring in my new year with some hope for a happier, healthier me. I'm talking mainly mental health really. I would like this to be the year that I finally accept who I am and how my mind works. I would like this to be the year where I get comfy with my mental health and/or lack thereof. I will never be one hundred per cent well and I know it, but this year I aim to embrace the occasional insanity and make it work for me!

Taking a leaf out of the Divine Ms Jared's book, I will be casting out all that shitty shit that has accumulated over the years in my small house. I will give away what I really don't need and I will try not buy anything that isn't essential. I have a habit of treating myself with little gifts of a book, or music when I feel down. Well, this year I am going to aim to treat myself nicely by doing other things. I am going to spend less on crap and more on charity. I'm going to learn to use my resources well. If I need new clothes I will buy second-hand or sweatshop-free online.

I am going to work on my feminist theory. Over this year I will become more familiar with RadFem blogs and books and thus be better able to express my love of Rad Feminism. I will Radicalize my speech and thoughts. I feel excited by my plans. I feel motivated. Join me?

Spotted Elephant's New and Better Prize!

Spotty, you get this prize just for being so Bumbliciously lovely and an all round great Rad Feminist. Enjoy!




Bonus prize for being nice to know:

Arrested!!!

They have someone! A man. It may or may not be the right man, but it seems like a good start.

Now, how long before the armchair psychologists and general misogynist media spewers start blaming his mother for his behaviour? Anyone want to place a bet? I reckon by nine PM my time (GMT) there will be something, somewhere that points the finger of blame at a woman. There's BOUND to be a humiliating experience with at least one woman in his past:

A bad time with a shrew of a girlfriend who mocked his (lack of) manhood... A particularly aggressive schoolmistress who shamed him in class...A drunken and unloved mother who took out her frustrations on her son...A woman friend who said no to his sexual advances...

Because, you know, it can't just be that he hates women. It couldn't be society in general that fosters hatred of and violence towards women. It must somehow be our own fault. We ask for it. We provoke and exacerbate it. How could he be expected to turn out any different?

I feel sorry for him already.


UPDATE: A second man has been arrested. A 48 year old man with no apparent connection to the first suspect. Fingers crossed that the police have got their men.

Happy Monday!!

I thought long and hard about this, whether it was appropriate to post a Happy Monday this week. I think it is.

I think that given the appalling news from Ipswich, it is important to remember that women can have enormous power.
We resist.
We fight back.
We stand in solidarity with our threatened sisters and we remember with love and dignity those who have been taken from us.
This makes me unreservedly happy.
I hope you feel it too.

Not Prostitutes

Not prostitutes. Not girls.* Not asking for it. Not deserving of it. Not dirty. Not addicts. Not weak. Not stupid. Not delicate. Not rough. Not disposable. Not unloved. Just women. Just human.






* On last night's Sky breaking news report, Ipswich MP Chris Mole and the Sky correspondent repeatedly referred to these murdered women as "girls". In these circumstances, this word is not appropriate, nor is it respectful.

Abortion in Ohio

Ohio has passed a bill preventing access to public funds for abortion. The poorest of Ohio's women will be affected by this decision. I quote from Feminist Daily News: "House Minority Leader Joyce Beatty (Democrat) decried the bill for cutting off funds to clinics that, in addition to providing abortions or abortion referrals, also provide treatment for sexually transmitted infections and other reproductive health care" Well, Duh.

It should be obvious even to hardened Radfems like me that if the government can restrict access to public funds for abortion for the women most likely to desperately need it, they don't really care overly-much about treating and preventing STIs within this same social group. It's all about the control and the humiliation of women, folks!

Quote continues: "Beatty also criticized the bill for not allowing exceptions for poor women seeking abortions for mental or physical health reasons. "If a woman's pregnancy is a threat to a woman’s mental health, she is out of luck....If a woman’s pregnancy is a threat to her physical health, and would even leave her disabled, that is too bad. This bill shows no mercy for women in any kind of desperate situation." Again, I have to ask, did you really expect anything different? Is there ever likely to be any room for negotiation within a bill that wants to deny medical care to financially and politically powerless women? The answer is a resounding No, and here's why: Exceptions for any reason leave potentially exploitable loopholes and the women-hating, anti-choicers who drafted this bill know that. Exceptions lead to opportunities, opportunities lead to choice and choice often leads to power. And for now, that power is the single thing that the anti-choicers most wish to deny the impoverished women of Ohio.

The anti-choicers have clear goals: to control and humiliate, to neglect and weaken. It's tactical warfare against women and we need to fight back hard.

Happy Monday!!

You can mock my Radfem joy but you can't stem it!

This is fabulous news, and about time too.


This kind of honest, delightful video clip just makes me excited to be pro-choice, pro-abortion, pro-woman:



That's your lot for today women, now let's do it to them before they do it to us...
(shameless Hill Street Blues reference.)

Salfordian to the End...

I love love love my city. I enjoy the life, the people and the landscape. Salford has an amazing history, a thriving and valiant community, and a burgeoning sense of cultural pride. We are absolutely amazing. I am so all-consumingly proud to be a Salfordian that I have long thought of changing my name to Pippa Salford. I won't, because that would be excessive. But I think about it...

Anway, this campaign garnered huge response from my fellow Salfordians, desperate to keep at least one maternity unit in our great city. Our city that has been growing and developing for over a thousand years. A city older and with more cultural resonance than her showy neighbour, Manchester. A city that provided a free public library and museum before anywhere else in Britain. A city with 216,000 residents. A great city. My city. And, because the "Hands Off Hope" campaign failed to influence the almighty Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts, a city soon to be without a maternity unit or neo-natal services.

I was born at Eccles and Patricroft Hospital in 1971, a year before that unit was closed and all of Salford's maternity care was moved to Hope. (There's a pattern here.) I gave birth at Hope hospital in 1988 when I was sixteen and scared. It was a safe and caring place and I got amazing support from the midwifery team.

Today, like many other Salford women I am heartbroken, but still ready to fight for what I believe in. Because that's what Salfordians do best.

I Should Think So....

This ought to have been a no-brainer, surely? But how great that logic eventually prevailed. To my mind, he should have been immediately incarcerated the moment he selected the laughable moniker "Atomic Dog".