It was the summer after 9/11, and though I had spent a whole school year with other kids–and teachers–I grew up with, race was never really mentioned. Sure, I remember hearing “terrorist,” but back then, the word didn’t mean anything to me. The summer school after that year changed everything.

“My uncle lives in New York and said he saw a bunch of Muslims dancing on their cars when the planes hit.”

That bit of bigotry changed my life forever. Despite the (obvious) falsehood of her words, the message behind it rang true. Muslims–and through that, all Middle Easterns–became the enemy. In that group, my father. My father, who moved to the US to go to school and avoid the army. My father, who taught me about politics at a young age. Suddenly, I was hearing things–awful, horrible things–aimed at people like my father. And because I didn’t look Iranian–because I took after my mom–I got to hear all of what they had to say.

“They don’t belong here. This is our country.”
“All those sand ni**ers should just be sent back to where they belong and bombed.”
“All those terrorists should be rounded up.” 

I remember being confused. Being angry. These people didn’t even know my father! Where did they get off saying anything about him? But it didn’t matter. My dad’s “race” became all that mattered to them.

But then time passed, and I thought, Hey, maybe no one cares about race anymore. After all, it’s just skin color, right? 

Wrong.

The Trayvon Martin case shows that racial issues are still alive and kicking. Because, as much as I hate to say it, that’s really all this can be. George Zimmerman racially profiled Trayvon Martin. He saw a black teenager in a hoodie and thought, “That’s a threat.” Had it been a white teenager, I doubt the same thing would have happened, so Geraldo and O’Reily can shove their, “It’s the Hoodie” argument. It’s the same reason that people hated (and still hate) my dad. It doesn’t matter who he is, or what he does. All that matters is that he’s Iranian. All that mattered was that Trayvon was black.  Because he fit a racial stereotype, Zimmerman decided Trayvon was a threat.

And this isn’t an isolated incident. Racism is alive and kicking. Have you heard about the recent controversy regarding fan reaction to The Hunger Games casting Amandla Stenberg as Rue? (There are spoilers with that link, be warned!) What about the case of the Iraqi woman who was brutally beaten and died of complications, and whose killers left a note, saying “Go back to your own country, you terrorist”? People try to sweep racism under the rug. They try to say that it doesn’t happen, not really. But that’s not true. Racism is alive, and it needs to be acknowledged and fought.

Being a victim of racism, I can tell you–It. Sucks. So next time you hear someone saying something–a joke, a derogatory term, whatever–tell them no. Tell them they’re wrong. Tell them why. And think about it.

Because thinking about it will make you realize, racism is stupid.

Because Race. Isn’t. Real.

First of all, contraception is not used solely as a means of birth control. Contraception–specifically birth control pills–are used for hormonal imbalances, menstrual regulation, endometriosis, etc. Personally, I take birth  control as a means of hormone regulation. My body is unbalanced. Without Birth Control, I have irregular menses, migraines, emotional fluxes leading to depression and suicidal tendencies, and horrible cramping. When I take Birth Control, I function. Am I saying that all women take Birth Control for these reasons? No, I’m not. Which leads me to my next point.

Point two–What ever goes on in, near, or in relation my vagina, is no one’s business. It is my body, my sexuality, and my choice. If I want to do something sexual–or if I want to not have sex–I don’t see how or why that’s fodder for Limbaugh’s misinformed tirades. Not to mention that being a sexual being does not make me a slut or a prostitute.

Point three–Men have sexual health services covered by insurance, and I don’t see any crazy controversy surrounding it. Especially since only one of those services is preventative health. Apparently, making sure men get erections is more important that protecting women from an array of different health conditions.

Lastly–I cannot even articulate the rage I felt at Limbaugh’s comment about how women who have government provided health care should be filmed. I mean, really? What the hell is that? Honestly, I think this shows more about Limbaugh’s own proclivities–and his blatant sexism–than anything else. Did he say men who have any type of erectile dysfunction pill/device/whatever should be filmed having sex for the taxpayers’ benefit? No.

Rush Limbaugh does not care about the actual issue at hand. All he cares about is demonizing and slut-shaming women. Sadly, not everyone sees this. Some of his viewers believe that he is right, because either they refuse  to see or do not know the facts. And that–an uneducated (at least in this regard) viewership is what is truly terrified me.

And, let me tell you, I am not alone.

The creation of this exhibit started as a book titled Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl Wudunn. While I have not read the book–though I did purchase it while at the Skirball–I did recently go to the exhibit.

There is so much that I could say about this exhibit and yet so few words can accurately describe how incredible Women Hold Up Half the Sky really is. The exhibit is moving, educational, and brilliantly pieced together.

This exhibit is filled with all types of tools and media resources to engage all types of individuals. There are videos of the lives of women in other countries, audio recordings, paintings, and so much more. It grabs your attention and shows real facts about life for real women around the world.

One of the most powerful things about this exhibit it its open honesty. The facts are laid out  in a forward and powerful way about women who don’t have access to medical care or an education. These women make incredible strides with the resources that they have in conditions that, to many of us, are unfathomable.

I don’t believe that this exhibit is something that can accurately be read about because each person who goes will experience it in their own way. So I must highly recommend that everyone takes the time to go see this exhibit. It is definitely not to be missed.

Check out the Skirball’s website at http://www.skirball.org/ to find more information about this great exhibit going on until May 20th!

But in the interest of managing fear I’ll give you Interwebbers out there the same advice my dad gave me growing up–knowing about something makes it less scary. Mind, I still disagree with this sometimes, but overall, it seems my dad knew what he was talking about. Does knowing about how worrisome the Republican nominees are make them less terrifying potential presidents? Hell no. But knowing ahead of time who we’re dealing with as a people–and politicians–allows for us to prepare, either for or against their looming campaigns. So, Interwebbers, I write to you all to tell you a little about the forerunner in the Republican presidential candidate hopeful, and what he could do for (or against–mostly against) you.

As I write this, I’m looking at the polls for the GOP (Grand Old Party, aka the Republican Party) Ballot Support polls. Despite the negative connotation Santorum’s name holds from the Dan Savage neologism contest, Rick Santorum is leading in the polls. Right now, he’s the leading candidate for Republican nominee; right now, he’s most likely to challenge President Obama in November.  Who knows, though, how long this’ll last. After all, almost a week ago, Mitt Romney held the position of GOP golden boy.

But as Santorum’s becoming a bigger name in the race to Repubican nominee, it’s only right to learn where he stands on some of the big social issues.

Abortion: Like every other GOP nominee, Santorum opposes abortion. Big surprise there. According to Santorum, the right to choose is a matter of choosing to keep the baby or to put it into foster system–because to Santorum, there’s no choice regarding carrying the baby to term; it has to be done. It doesn’t matter if the pregnancy is a result of rape, incest, or if the woman’s health is in danger. However, if it’s the woman’s life is in danger–life, not health–then he’s ok with abortion. To be fair though, Santorum doesn’t seem to know the truth about abortion statistics. Or, you know, just statistics.
Education: To Santorum, “education is the responsibility of the consumer, the parent.” Leaving aside the sad rhetoric that hints that education is something that should be bought, Santorum believes that No Child Left Behind was a good start to education reform, but that “it should have been initiated at the local level where the consumers, taxpayers, and children are.” Ignoring the fact that almost everyone in the education field agrees that NCLB’s standardized testing–as it is used today–is more harmful than helpful, Santorum believes that adding more bureaucratic nonsense to an already failing program will somehow help.
Gay Rights: Santorum doesn’t believe in gay marriage. No big surprise coming from a Republican front runner–Romney has expressed his opposition to it, and though Gingrich avoids to confirm his stance on it, he seems to be against it–but Satorum goes that extra mile in discrimination and bigotry. According to Santorum in an appearance in Fulton, Missouri, the gay community doesn’t deserve the “privilege” of marriage. Marriage is for making babies. Because everyone knows that all straight couples have babies. (Because straight couples aren’t infertile or have decided not to have kids. Apparently.) But if you think I’m misreading his words, feel free to go check out his speech for yourself.

Hopefully, your head hasn’t exploded from outrage, especially since this is ignoring the Eleven Quotes From Rick Santorum That Are Worrisome To Women. If nothing else, just remember to keep your eyes on the race–because even if you plan on voting to re-elect President Obama, you should know who’s out there.

-Sierra

So what does the lack of discussion surrounding sex have to do with abortion? Other than the obvious?

Abortion is rarely seriously discussed because sex is rarely seriously discussed and because abortion is, and has been for years, controversial. But why is abortion so controversial?

Because when human lives enter any equation lines get blurred.

People on both sides of the abortion debate tend to agree that women who are victims of rape or other violent crimes should have the option of abortion because the act of sex itself was nonconsensual.

Even more people agree that when a mother’s life is at risk an abortion is an acceptable option especially if the fetus is not developed enough to survive without her.

But what about consensual but unprotected sex?

Or consensual sex where protection failed?

Here are the blurred lines.

As a woman who was born nearly two decades after the decision of Roe vs. Wade, I can’t describe the horrors of the back alley abortions before 1973. I don’t know what it was like to deal with the appalling conditions for abortions at the time. I don’t know what it is like to be forced to carry a baby to term with no say in the matter.

I can’t remember the first time that I heard the term “reproductive rights.” But I can remember the first time that I realized how much I take those rights for granted.

As a teenager, I didn’t realize the kind of challenges women have gone through for what they believe in, for rights that today seem like such a given. Even today those same women who fought so many years ago are ready to defend the Roe vs. Wade decision if they need to.

I can admit that I don’t have personal experience with abortion or with making such an important decision as whether or not to have a child. But that does not mean that the decision of Roe vs. Wade doesn’t affect me.

The principle of the National Council for Jewish Women that has always stood out to me the most is Principle 3 that reads:

“Human rights and dignity are fundamental and must be guaranteed to all individuals.”

To me, the power of abortion doesn’t lie in the act but rather in the choice. Simply because a woman has the choice does not mean that she will choose to have an abortion. But she deserves to have the choice; she deserves that right and the dignity to know that she can choose for herself.

Abortion isn’t about murder. It isn’t about sex or controversy. To me, it’s about choice. It’s about the power to choose.

In her book, Full Frontal Feminism: A Young Woman’s Guide to Why Feminism Matters, Valenti starts off the book with a chapter entitled “You’re a Hardcore Feminist: I Swear.” Valenti’s book is written for young women in a way that doesn’t sugar-coat the bad side of the world. The chapter starts off examining the trends in name-calling, how everything insulting is feminized, and in her own words, Valenti doesn’t “hold back.” She lists words like slut, bitch, and pussy. But the question is, do you see which terms are aimed at men? Any of them. “The worst thing you can call a girl is a girl. The worst thing you can call a guy is a girl. Being a woman is the ultimate insult. Now tell me that’s not royally fucked up.”

Valenti’s words, while harsh, ring a true note in any woman (or man!) who has been on the receiving end of a verbal assault. Why is being a woman such an insult? For some of you reading this out there in computerland, you have probably thought about this a couple of times. Valenti takes those thoughts, those ideas, and examines them. She breaks them down and goes into depth about what being a feminist is (and is not) and going into the everyday aspects of life for feminists.

Now, as much as I enjoyed Valenti’s novel, I’m not going to ruin it for you in crappy internet-summation. Instead, I’ll tell you this: if you’re looking for an opinion on feminism from a feminist, I’d pick up Full Frontal Feminism. I read it in high school and cannot overstate just how much I enjoyed it and how much it changed me. Though that sounds like some cheesy line, I type it with all sincerity. The book is thoughtful, smart, and witty. How can it be anything but with chapter titles like: “If These Uterine Walls Could Talk,” “My Big Fat Unnecessary Wedding and Other Dating Diseases,” and “Sex and the City Voters, My Ass.”

The book is a fun, an easy read, and a great source of information for feminists looking to learn more about the F word. So, internet people out there, if you have a chance, go out and get the book–either from a book store or the library–and read up. Even if you know most of the stuff that Valenti’s talking about in the book, her way with words will keep you amused and excited as you read along.

Happy Reading!
–Sierra

This blog is meant to address all of the issues that NOW deals with and more! We will post updates on the issues that affect women nationwide but also on events that are specific to our Southern California area that feminists might be interested. We hope to provide interesting, intriguing, and occasionally entertaining news along with chances to show support for these causes.

We on the SGVW board and on the blog team are passionate about these issues and we hope that all our readers are as well. We encourage creative ideas and stimulating discussion but we do hope that everyone will offer only constructive criticism. Disparaging comments will be removed from the posts.

Check back for our first posts soon!