Posts Categorized: Uncategorized
The Gender Politics of the Looming CSU Strike
Faculty across twenty three California State University campuses voted on Wednesday, November 4, to authorize a strike if negotiations between their Union and the University system breaks down. This means over 20,000 members of the California Faculty Association concluded that if the Union and CSU cannot agree to the recommendations made by an independent fact-finding panel, faculty will go on strike in order to secure the 5% pay raise they’ve demanded. The CFA points to member’s comparatively low salary and the CSU’s increasing reliance on a two-tiered employment system as catalysts for the strike. In order to cut costs, the California Faculty Association argues, the CSU system has increasingly relied on the work of temporary, low-paid lecturers who often work alongside tenure track professors without the same assurance of job… Read more »
An Apology From a Former White Feminist
Generally speaking, if someone looks back at the things they said and did three years ago, they will at the very least cringe, if not want to go back and berate their former self, or potentially erase entire phases of their life. (Looking at you, blue-haired Caitlyn.) It’s understandable. We’re constantly changing and growing and, most importantly, learning. And you can learn a lot in three years. Three years ago, I was a White Feminist. To say that this makes me cringe is an enormous understatement. A White Feminist is not just any feminist who is white; white people can be feminists without being White Feminists. According to Everyday Feminism, White Feminism is “feminism that ignores intersectionality.” This is a problem because it narrows the focus of feminism to one… Read more »
Chivalry is Dead, but Courtesy Never Goes Out of Style
Now, before some one says something like “Oh, so now I can treat women like crap? Is that what you want?” No, Chad, please sit down that is not at all what I’m saying. What I AM saying is that I do not believe that it is necessary to be inherently nicer to me because I’m a girl. I’m saying that I should be just as nice to you. I’m asking for mutual respect and mutual courtesy. My point is, I think we should all treat each other with respect because it’s the right thing to do. I hold the door open for anyone who’s behind me, regardless of gender, because I’m a decent person and that’s what decent people do. I have even noticed guys being uncomfortable by me… Read more »
The Consequences of Poor Sex-Ed
Recently, I stumbled on a sample of the abstinence book we used in my freshman health class in high school. Beside the fact it has not changed a single bit of content since 2003, its content is completely inaccurate. It hasn’t even changed the legal definition of marriage. It also provides small glimpse into the heteronormative conditioning that our inconsistent sex-education standards brings out. Starting with issue of even receiving some type of education, only 22 states require some type of sex-education curricula. Of those, 12 cover sexual orientation, and 9 have “no promo homo” laws that require open discrimination against queer youth. There are many school districts that also discriminate without help from their government. This fosters a hostile school and community environment for a teen who is out,… Read more »
The Impact of the “Badass” Women’s National Soccer Team
I’ve always found the saying “you play like a girl” one of the most ignorant “insults” someone could use. It’s pointless and the idea women cannot be just as athletic as men is outdated and I can’t believe it’s something we haven’t moved past already. But this summer, a phenomenal group of women showed the world what playing like a girl really means, and in doing so they became world champions. On Tuesday President Obama honored the U.S. Women’s National Team in the White House for winning the World Cup this summer. There is so much we can learn about inclusivity and athleticism from the example this team sets. I think it’s best summed up when the president said they showed the world playing like a girl means playing like… Read more »
It’s Okay to be the Squeaky Wheel
When I was in high school, I asked my dad why we hadn’t played tennis together in a while, despite the fact that I had mentioned wanting to months earlier, but that he had gone to the park to play pass with my younger brother multiple times during those months. His response? “The squeaky wheel gets the most oil.” I had no idea what that meant, so he explained. My brother kept asking to go to the park and play, so he kept getting what he wanted. Meanwhile, I had only asked for what I wanted once. I just thought that once was enough and that we would eventually get around to playing. Honestly, that was unrealistic. I’m the oldest of four, and we all have our own needs and… Read more »
Comic Books Are No Longer ‘Boys Only’
Over the years, the major comic book publishing company, Marvel, has slowly been making progress towards a more inclusive universe. The company is beginning to make changes to their work by adapting to the ever-changing audiences and the world around them. Comic books are no longer only for the “boys club,” nor are they entirely white-washed, able-bodied, straight and cis-gendered. I’d like to say “gone are days of female representation that extends no further than arm candy, love interests or background” but I know that is only wishful thinking for the time being. However, the first part of this previously mentioned path towards progress that this company is taking, involves the current push for female protagonists. In 2014 Marvel announced that they were creating Thor Girl, a young alien-teen who… Read more »
I Have a Problem With the Confederate Flag, but not Because It’s Racist
Fewer than 7,000 people live in Lynchburg, Tennessee, if you count the residents of the entirety of Moore County. Most of them find employment at the Jack Daniel Distillery just off Main Street, which is where over a dozen old-timey shops sell whiskey-soaked fudge, moon pies and cowboy apparel. One such shop caught my eye the last time I was there: a store specializing in confederate flag merchandise. I have no way of verifying its existence now, as I could not find a listing on yelp or on the Lynchburg tourism website, but it existed at least a few years ago. I’d been there. Inside, you could purchase just about anything under the sun styled with the flag. Everything from mint tins to belt buckles to Fuzzy Dice and a… Read more »
Ohio Won’t Go Back
It just got real for the state of Ohio. In what is quickly becoming a depressing pattern, the Ohio Senate quickly passed legislation to block state funding for Planned Parenthood’s health and education programs, which means all of that funding will instead be given to other health centers who do not perform abortions, have information on available abortion clinic options or do any sort of family planning. Senate Bill 214 passed the Senate voted 23-10 to defund PP. SB 214 explicitly states that state and federal funds cannot be used for “non-theraputic abortions, defined as “an abortion that is performed or induced when the life of the mother would not be endangered if the fetus were carried to term or when the pregnancy of the mother was not the result… Read more »
Beyond Equal Pay
Earlier this week, California Governor Jerry Brown made two decisions about women in the workplace that, at first glance, seem contradictory at best and incomprehensible at worst. The Governor signed an equal pay for equal work bill which helps ensure that women who do substantially similar work as their male counterparts be paid comparable wages. But, amid the positive press, Brown quietly vetoed a bill that sought to revise workers compensation laws. The bill sought to close loopholes which categorized pregnancy and menopause as legitimate pre-existing conditions in determining employer’s liability. Put simply, the veto was a victory for insurance companies and employers, who can continue to legally reduce the amount of workers compensation Californians are entitled to by law, simply because they live in bodies that experience these natural… Read more »
