College Feminists Connect!

'The War on Men' is a Naive, Entitled Piece of Lies

Fox News' opinion piece 'The War on Men' was an emotional read for me. I laughed, I cried, I banged my head against my desk. Primarily, I wanted to reach through the computer screen and hand the author a reality check. The only factor that could worsen the horrifying insults and falsehoods that made up the entirety of the article is the shameful hypocrisy of the author: Yes, the author is a woman. 

I could probably rant for a novel's length on my reaction to this 'opinion' piece, so instead let's keep it down to an organized rebuttle:

"The battle of the sexes is alive and well."

While I can't say for sure what 'battle of the sexes' the author is referring to (perhaps the 80s board game?), the inequality of the sexes (male, female, and --as the author refrains from addressing-- intersex) is very much a part of society. Women's incomes are still on average 81% of men's, men still hold the majority of positions of power, and intersex individuals are hardly recognized by society at all. Thankfully, we have made some progressions towards equality, thanks to the feminist movement. As this will come up again several times, here's a definition for those of you who may be confused:

fem·i·nism  [fem-uh-niz-uhm] noun

1. the doctrine advocating economic, political, social and all other equal rights for all genders.

2. (sometimes initial capital letter) an organized movement for the attainment of such rights.

So, "somehow women not succumbing to outdated and antiquated gender roles equates to a female-led war against men?" Last time I checked the war was against inequality and injustice...but let's see where she takes this.

Gender Neutral Bathrooms: An Easy Solution?

To many feminists, myself included (until recently), switching over to gender-neutral bathrooms seems like a no-brainer. Mary Ann Case, a law professor at the University of Chicago, called restrooms a “fault line,” saying, “very few spaces in our society remain divided by sex. There’s marriage and there’s toilets, and very little else". However, is it possible that gender-neutral bathrooms might present as many issues as sex-specific? 

First, allow me to highlight the issues with sex-specific bathrooms. 

    1. Male & female bathrooms force people who don't fit into societal gender norms to choose one of two bathrooms, both of which may be inaccurate at describing their identity. Forcing people to choose a bathroom when they may identify as androgynous or gender-fluid often causes them discomfort or frustration.

    2. People who appear to be a different gender than their anatomy can receive various levels of harassment, intimidation, and violence in sex-specific bathrooms-often no matter which they choose, and in some places can even be arrested for 'disorderly conduct' if the bathroom they choose doesn't match their driver's license.

    3. Sex-specific bathrooms also cause issues for families with children (such as mothers bringing sons, or fathers bringing daughters, to a restroom), and people with disabilities who need the assistance of an attendant of a different gender.

So, it would seem that switching over to gender-neutral bathrooms would solve a lot of problems, but what problems might this cause? Here are some issues with gender-neutral bathrooms:

Happy Veteran's Day for Women?: The Epidemic of Military Rape & Sexual Assault

• In 2011, the Pentagon ruled in civilian court that rape and sexual assault are occupational hazards for women in the military.
• One in three of active-duty women serving in the U.S. military have reported being the victim of sexual assault while serving, which is double the rate for civilians. 
• An estimated only 13.5% of rapes and sexual assaults in the military are reported, and only 8% of these are brought to trial.

Why does such a small percentage of these crimes receive justice? Why does such a small percentage get reported? Why do so many sexual assaults occur in the first place? Why is the military so dangerous for women, not because of outside hostiles, but because of their fellow servicemen?

2012 Election: Many Steps Towards Equal Representation

The 2012 election saw many 'firsts' for our nation's government. It is important to be aware of these firsts as a reminder that our society has come a long way inworking towards equality and representation in our governing bodies, as well as a reminder that we still have a long ways to go.  

Ideally, our government (at all levels) should represent all persons, so everyone has the opportunity for their values and opinions to be heard. This is, of course, easier said than done. It is also a difficult thing to measure. Certainly, just because someone is of the same gender, sexuality, race or ethnicity, or religion does not mean that they represent everyone from those groups; there is often more diversity of opinion within groups than between them. However, it is an indicator that attitudes are becoming more egalitarian when we see persons elected to office from demographics that have never been elected to a position before. Not because their identity is causing them to be a better representative, but because their identity is not inhibiting them from being elected.

You may be familiar with some of the firsts of this election, but in case you've missed a few, here they are:

Well Done, Sister Suffragette!

It's Election Day! You know what that means, get out there and vote!

No matter who you are, there is a lot of history in how you came to get your right to vote today. Somebody at some point in time stood up for your rights, said "enough is enough" and fought for your opportunity to have a say in the governing of your country. Whether it was the men fighting in the revolutionary war to form a democracy (instead of a monarchy), the many people who stood up (or sat down) in protest during the civil rights movement to insure that men of all races could vote, or the women suffragettes marching for the right for women to vote---a lot of hard work and determination went into your ability to be involved on this day.

One of my favorite movies as a child was Mary Poppins, and one of my earliest introductions to feminism. I didn't know at the time, but I know recognize that it was the strong female role models that I loved this film for. Granted, as with most films, it is certainly not perfect in its representation of women, but it does illustrate an important time in history, that is often forgotten: the Women's Suffrage movement.

                        

"Cast off the shackles of yesterday!
Shoulder to shoulder into the fray!
Our daughters' daughters will adore us
And they'll sign in grateful chorus
"Well done, Sister Suffragette!"

As women, let us not forget the women who fought long and hard to give us the right to vote today. 

And no matter who you are, many people fought to give you your right to vote today.

Make sure you use it!

~Meghan

Kids Belong In Homes, Not Alleys

November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month.

Approximately 1.6 million children are homeless each year. Along with the hardship of losing one's home, family, friendship, and routine, many homeless youth are also the victim of trauma. Homeless youth are exposed to countless dangers while living on the street, with an increased likelihood of substance abuse, early parenthood, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and a vulnerability to being trafficked. 

In 2010 in Minnesota, there were 15,898 homeless children. Although Minnesota ranks 2nd best among the states for its homeless youth population, this is still 15,898 too many. Here are some statistics on homeless youth in Minnesota via Youth Moving Forward:

• 47% of the total homeless population in Minnesota are age 21 and younger
• 52% of homeless youth are female (national statistic)
• 66% of homeless youth are Black, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic or of mixed race compared to 18% of all MN youth
• 49% report a significant mental health problem
• 51% had been physically or sexually abused

These number are all very sad, but the one that really stood out to me is "89% of homeless youth 17 & younger are enrolled in school". This means that teachers and other staff have the opportunity to recognize these children are homeless, and are not doing anything about it. I strongly feel that we need better programs implemented in schools to recognize homelessness as well as abuse. I think teachers are a resource for insuring children are safe and healthy that is not being used.

On Twitter Trend: #SorryFeminists

Some of you who are more avid Tweeters than I may already be aware of a new trend (literally, it's trending on Twitter) called #SorryFeminists.

I don't know about you, but I find this trend VERY confusing. There appear to be three conditions in which it is used:

1. Someone is tweeting about something unfortunate (to do with women) and (appears to be) pointing out that feminism failed in this instance, or isn't addressing this issue, or may be genuinely sorry that feminism is not present in this instance. (Or something else I'm missing. It's really not clear...)

2. Someone is making a statement either about a thought or action of their's which they feel is not feminist, and is essentially saying; "I'm aware that my actions are sexist or hypocritical, or even misogynist, and I don't care."