April 2009 – Feministe

Presenting ¡PRESENTE!

Nezua of The Unapologetic Mexican is involved in the launch of a new site and organization called Presente, which aims to unite Latin@s and Hispanics politically. Here’s what Nez says:

OVER AND OVER we hear about The Hispanic Vote™ and The Latino/a Vote® and it is a real thing we are talking about in all of this. Our people—nuestra gente—have long been a force in this land, be it under the golden sun harvesting the corn that has for thousands of years fed our antepasados (ancestors) or away from the sun and working hard in US places of business or doing so much to build strong familias together, as las mujeres—the women—among us are known for historically. We are a beautiful and long enduring people, and responsible for so much creation here that sustains us today: Art, Literature, Food, Clothing, Song.

And yet, our voices have yet to be utilized and enjoined in a way that can efficiently organize around the issues that affect our communities. Don’t mistake what I say: the Latina/o (or “Hispanic”) community is famous for its ability to organize on the local level, and we are proud of this. And that is why it is time to continue to tie this ability and history together and bring it to an even higher level.

It’s true that while so much joins us, we do come from many different backgrounds and hold varying views on the issues that affect us. We will not always agree, nor should we. What we can agree on, though, is that we should have a way to centralize and engage the politics that affect us on so many levels.

I am involved in launching a site, Presente.Org, that is determined to achieve this very goal. Please stop over and check it out. If what I have written above interests you, please sign up.

It sounds like a really incredible project. Head over there and learn more.

Thursday LOST Blogging: The Variable

Spoilers below!

All I can say to last night’s episode the Variable is a big fat wow. After a few episodes that I thought were a bit mediocre — and yeah, I know, others have disagreed — last night kicked some major ass. Inner-group conflict, gun fights, mind-bending quandaries, flashback reveals and more!

Rape Means Rape

Mikki Halpin goes after the use of the term “rape” to mean “anything bad that happened to me” — like performing poorly on an exam or being on the losing team. She’s absolutely right:

“People use the word ‘rape’ to hype an experience, such as Jon Stewart’s political critique of Jim Cramer’s financial predictions,” says Anderson. “The hype may grab attention, but it belittles rape.” This demoralizes victims, whose traumatic experience is now ranked along with a poor performance review or a hefty cell phone bill.

New Hampshire! [is not as great as I thought. See update below.]

Live free or die, baby.

Notably, conservatives were right: This is the kind of havoc that breaks loose when you put the ladies in charge:

First, the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to raise the state’s gasoline tax by 15 cents over three years. Then the House approved a bill allowing the use of medical marijuana, by a vote of 234-138. Next, it voted to repeal the state’s capital punishment statute. The House wrapped up March with a vote to legalize same-sex marriage, and the Senate followed suit yesterday.
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Not to put too fine a point on it, the state’s new Republican Party chairman, former governor John H. Sununu, called his state’s legislative output “a San Francisco agenda.”

Now, before anyone gets too excited thinking that New Hampshire is morphing into Vermont, let’s remember that the four bills still need final approval, and that Governor John Lynch, a moderate Democrat, has said he opposes all of them.

Still, there’s something in the air in New Hampshire. Until recently it was the only state in the country that did not provide free public kindergarten – and defiantly so. Now the state offers grants and other incentives to its local school districts to provide kindergarten classes, and only a tiny handful are still resisting. There’s even a mandatory seat-belt law under serious consideration, in a state where the God-given right to bash one’s own skull in has been long revered.

What could be causing this unprecedented turn in Granite State politics? Here’s one idea: women.

Since January, the New Hampshire Senate has been making history as the first majority female legislative body in the country: Thirteen of its 24 members are women. Overall, the New Hampshire Legislature is 37.7 percent female, just a fraction behind Vermont (37.8 percent) and Colorado (38 percent). But New Hampshire also has women in leadership: a woman House speaker, a woman Senate president, and a woman majority whip. The congressional delegation is 50 percent female, including one of only 17 women in the US Senate. It’s as if there was a bloodless coup of the state’s political establishment in November, and women were the avatars of change.

EDIT: Wow, nevermind, NH is not as progressive as I thought:

The New Hampshire Senate today unanimously rejected a bill that would have extended anti-discrimination laws to transgendered people.

House Bill 415 would have protected those with sexual identity issues in areas of housing and employment, much the way the state’s laws protects others from discrimination on the basis of color, race, religion or sexual orientation.

Those who fought the bill said it would open women’s bathrooms, changing rooms and locker rooms to sexual predators who could raise a defense in court that they were sexually confused

Bullshit.

Thanks, Holly, for bringing this to everyone’s attention.

Inside a “Crisis Pregnancy Center”

We’ve covered Crisis Pregnancy Centers quite a bit here on Feministe, and regular readers are probably aware of their deceptive, manipulative and sometimes dangerous practices. Tina Dupuy’s investigation into Los Angeles County CPCs reveals that these centers haven’t changed their ways, despite increasing exposure.

Avenues is a California primary clinic, fully licensed and accredited by the state. So exactly what kind of medical facility lures women with the promise of free pregnancy tests and leaves them fearing eternal damnation?
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A 2006 article in The New York Times says there are anywhere from 2,300 to 3,500 of these religious-themed clinics, often referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers,” nationwide, compared with around 1,800 abortion providers. Planned Parenthood has 15 clinics in the LA area. LifeCall.org, a pro-life resource Web site, mentions 25 or more centers in the same area.

Typically, as is the case with Avenues, the religious intentions of these clinics-in-name-only aren’t publicly displayed on their sign or even on their disclosure forms. They intentionally camouflage themselves to look like medical facilities, following the advice of Robert Pearson, who — after Hawaii decriminalized abortion in 1967 — started the first crisis pregnancy center in Honolulu to combat it. The Pearson Foundation Manual, “How to Start and Operate Your Own Pro-Life Outreach Crisis Pregnancy Center,” published in 1984, is still used today as a blueprint. Pearson writes, “Obviously, we’re fighting Satan. A killer, who in this case is the girl who wants to kill her baby, has no right to information that will help her kill her baby.”

Global Day of Action for Troy Davis

Yesterday, I got an email from Amnesty International calling for strong and visible action in support of Troy Davis‘ plea to not be executed without a fair trial. I’m just going to go ahead and repost the whole thing below:

The 30-day stay issued by the 11^th Circuit Court of Appeals expires on May 15th.

So now is the time for us to organize to save the life of Troy Anthony Davis. We’re asking everybody to come out strong on May 19th – a day marked in human rights calendars across the world as the Global Day of Action for Troy Davis.

Whether you’re holding a “Text TROY to 90999” sign on a busy street or organizing your local Amnesty chapter to hold a public demonstration or vigil, we need everybody to contribute their time on May 19th to make sure that the state of Georgia does not kill a man who may well be innocent. Register your Global Day of Action for Troy Davis activity or event now.

We know that time is short for organizing public events, but an execution date could be set as early as late May, so it is essential that action be taken soon. It’s also really important that we get an accurate count of how many events and activities are taking place on May 19th, so we can share this information with officials in Georgia. Our emails and phone calls have gone a long way in buying Troy some much-needed time, but now we’ve got to take our action to the streets.

We appreciate the tens of thousands of you who have stood in Troy’s corner while heart-stopping scenes have unfolded. On three separate occasions, Troy has been scheduled for execution. And on three separate occasions, his life was saved within a short period of time, even minutes, of his scheduled execution date.

Each time, those last minute stays came after people like you turned out by the thousands to rally in his defense. It was no coincidence. Troy’s sister and long-time Amnesty activist, Martina Correia, has acknowledged Amnesty’s powerful role in saving her brother’s life each of those times.

Now here we are again with the clock winding down. While we can see little opportunity for legal recourse or second chances, we know that your advocacy has a strong record of making amazing things happen.

When we first introduced you to Troy Davis in early 2007, few people outside of Georgia knew about the injustice taking place. In the past two years, countless people have come to see Troy’s case as a prime example of why the death penalty must be abolished – the risk of executing someone for a crime they did not commit is just too high.

We are serious when we say that we need everyone to support Troy Davis on May 19th by organizing their own event or awareness-raising activity.

After all, if you had 30 days left to fight for your life, wouldn’t you want to know that you had thousands standing in your corner?

A PDF file available on Amnesty’s website provides some ideas for events and actions:

Here are some ideas for solidarity events. Remember, you don’t have to do anything fancy or elaborate. Just do something visible! And take lots of pictures and video! (And if you haven’t already, please go to http://www.amnestyusa.org/page.do?id=1011672 to register your event.)

Organize an information table with literature on the death penalty. Hand out Troy Davis fact sheets. Let everyone know about the text action.

Hold a candlelight vigil. Hand out Troy Davis fact sheets. Bring a bullhorn and encourage people to speak out! Let everyone know about the text action.

Organize a letter-writing event. Let everyone know about the text action.

Organize a teach-in or panel discussion on the death penalty. Hand out Troy Davis fact sheets. Let everyone know about the text action.

Organize a public demonstration calling for clemency for Troy Davis. Such an event could include speakers), banners, candles, or even music. Hand out Troy Davis fact sheets. Let everyone know about the text action.

I hope that everyone will do what they can and spread the word.

Miss California deserved the “assholes” tag

I put up this post taking Miss California to task for her anti-gay views, and a few commenters objected to the fact that I tagged the post “assholes” (others wondered what made Miss CA so different from Barack Obama). Here’s your answer:

The reigning Miss California has gone to Washington to help launch a campaign opposing same-sex marriage.

Carrie Prejean told NBC’s “Today” show Thursday that she’ll be working with the National Organization for Marriage to “protect traditional marriages.”

The 21-year-old says that marriage is “something that is very dear to my heart” and she’s in Washington to help save it.

Sorry guys, but Prejean doesn’t just have the “personal belief” that marriage is between a man and a woman; she wants to legislate that belief for all of us. And that makes her an asshole.

CLEAN Carwash!

We’re still at it!

Image description: Protesters in orange T-shirts reading "PJA" picket outside of a carwash.

This Sunday, May 3rd, the CLEAN Carwash Campaign and Progressive Jewish Alliance will be picketing the Vermont Hand Wash at 1666 N. Vermont Avenue from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Although no carwash in Los Angeles can be described as “good,” the owners of the Vermont Hand Wash in Los Feliz are among the worst in the industry. By protesting the Vermont Hand Wash, we hope to send a message to other carwashes throughout the city. For more information, visit cleancarwashla.org.

Please repost or link to this message on your blog, or forward this to any Los Angeles residents you might know.

Also, please leave a comment if you or someone you know plans to attend. Thanks!

Here’s Your Damn Cookie

So, you know those guys who think that they’re sooooo great for not beating their wives and for thinking women should be equal and all, and therefore feminists owe them some kind if immediate and sincere recognition? And how we’re always asking them if they want a cookie for their trouble?

Well, someone actually decided to make up some cookies that we can hand out to the fellas on such an occasion. Check out the explanation at 52 Acts, and see the flickr set here. So long as it’s done with credit, she says you’re allowed to hand out the cookies as needed. They include “not a racist,” “not a rapist,” “doesn’t hit women,” and perhaps my favorite “meets minimum standards of decent human.”

I somehow get the feeling that it won’t be long before I get to link to one of these in the comments.

via Hoyden About Town

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