Allow Gay Boy Scouts!

I actually took this image from a conservative blog freaking about gay scouts.  I think it's fabulous, don't you?

The national executive board of the Boy Scouts of America is considering a change to their policy banning gay scout leaders and members.  Write to them now and let them know you want them to allow gays in scouts.  I've included my own letter below, feel free to copy and paste if you wish.

The Threat of Lesbian

We had a discussion in one of my classes today about "Lesbian Baiting", a practice that bullies women by suggestion something about them makes them viewed as a lesbian.  Such as:

"A flannel shirt?  Really?  What are you a dyke?"

"You're going to Texas Woman's University?  Isn't that school, like, crawling with lesbians?"

"You're taking a Women's Studies class?  What, do you hate men?"

"You're on the softball team, so you must be a lesbian, right?"

First Comes Love...

So I mentioned in my last post of 2012 that Chris is preparing to "pop the question" this year.  Naturally, I'm excited, nervous, and just a teeny bit freaked out.  From the moment he and my sister asked what kind of rings I liked and all I could think was, "No diamonds and nothing too flashy", I've been overwhelmed by many aspects of what goes into a wedding, and downright infuriated by some of the prices and practices that go on with vendors.  I was never one to daydream about my future wedding growing up.  Truth be told, I only had vague notions of what I'd want for my wedding once Chris and I had been together for a while. 

Ain't I A Woman?

Ms. Sojourner Truth

We read the classic speech "Ain't I A Woman?" by Sojourner Truth in my women's studies class today.  It's not the first time I've read it, and I suspect it won't be the last, but it gives me goosebumps every time I do.  If you haven't read or heard it, I put a link in the title for you.  I don't have the same background as Ms. Truth, but I've also had my experiences as a woman devalued because of the genetic hand I was dealt. 

My experience as a transsexual woman makes me see some things very differently from my cissexual sisters.  My experience as a bisexual woman makes me see some things very differently from my heterosexual and homosexual sisters.  And time and time again, I've seen the media, academia, society and classmates devalue the experience of transsexual women.

Sadie's Dream for the World

This essay from a transgender 5th grader has been traveling around the trans spheres online and I just had to share it with you.  It captures so simply why we fight for equality.  In case you can't read it, I've transcribed it below:

A Matter of Make-Up

It seems other feminist bloggers are buzzing right now about make-up.  Whether women should or should not wear it, if make-up is a tool of patriarchy, whether criticizing make-up is femmephobic, if it has something to do with putting color on faces, it's up for discussion.  This got my friend, The Dirty Nerdy and I talking about our personal experiences with make-up.  It was such a surprisingly deep subject that I thought I'd muse about it a bit from a trans woman's perspective.

Feminism and Me

Today is my first day back in school, and I'm pretty excited to get back to work.  Any break longer than two weeks or so tends to make me lazy and a little crazy.  Call me an over-acheiver, but I love to learn.  I've already completed my first homework assignment: an introduction about myself and my views on feminsm for my Gender Studies class.  Enjoy!

Tranny

First post of 2013!

Sorry I haven't updated in a while.  Things have been crazy at work.  Like, office politics from hell, complete with lawyers and shit.  I haven't been caught in the crossfire yet, so keep your fingers crossed.

As you know, I've become friends with Shayrah, Daniel (a.k.a. The Barking Atheist), and David from Dogma Debate.  I was on a couple of their shows last year and Shayrah and I are planning a future episode this year about being sex-positive in a sex-shaming society.  Once I have some more details I'll fill you in.

We got on the topic of the whole Laci Green "Tranny" fiasco and I was completely blown away by the behavior of my community. Even after admitting her mistake, apologizing, and removing the offensive video, people sent pictures of her apartment with death threats.  Death threats!  Come on, folks, this is not helping our cause.  When someone apologizes you accept their apology and move on.  So let's talk about "tranny".  There is a lot of confusion, anger, and resentment about this word and I'm surprised I haven't addressed it already.