Paid Sick Leave Impacts Women, Women of Color, LGBTQ Families & Domestic Violence Survivors — And Why We Must Pass It Now When I worked at Harvard, I had phenomenal benefits, including paid sick leave. Outstanding. Stupendous. But when I stopped and thought about it, I realized it was the only job I ever held that did offer paid sick time. Having worked in retail and for small banks, sure I could take time off if I needed, although trust and believe, it was massively frowned upon and discouraged. But I wouldn’t get paid for it. Years ago, when my abusive ex cracked my ribs after punching me, I still had to go to work. Now there’s not much that you can do for cracked ribs other than let them heal in their own time. It would have been nice to have taken time off to rest and heal. But I didn’t have that luxury. I had to go into work injured. At one of my first jobs, I had another ex who stalked and threatened me at my job. If I had paid leave, I could have taken time off to file a restraining order. Since I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck most of my life, I couldn’t afford to take time off and forgo my paycheck. It’s time we must pass legislation ensuring paid sick leave. View Post shared via WordPress.com
Pop-upView Separately

Paid Sick Leave Impacts Women, Women of Color, LGBTQ Families & Domestic Violence Survivors — And Why We Must Pass It Now

When I worked at Harvard, I had phenomenal benefits, including paid sick leave. Outstanding. Stupendous. But when I stopped and thought about it, I realized it was the only job I ever held that did offer paid sick time. Having worked in retail and for small banks, sure I could take time off if I needed, although trust and believe, it was massively frowned upon and discouraged. But I wouldn’t get paid for it.

Years ago, when my abusive ex cracked my ribs after punching me, I still had to go to work. Now there’s not much that you can do for cracked ribs other than let them heal in their own time. It would have been nice to have taken time off to rest and heal. But I didn’t have that luxury. I had to go into work injured.

At one of my first jobs, I had another ex who stalked and threatened me at my job. If I had paid leave, I could have taken time off to file a restraining order.

Since I’ve lived paycheck to paycheck most of my life, I couldn’t afford to take time off and forgo my paycheck.

It’s time we must pass legislation ensuring paid sick leave.

View Post

shared via WordPress.com

So here is the deal, my chickadees: you’re not pure, I’m not pure. None of us are outside of kyriarchy, none.

All that fucked up shit that’s been flung at you? That’s inside of you too, just waiting to come out, just waiting for you to reach out to grab it when you feel righteously angry enough. Because our culture teaches us to hate each other, and it gives us fucked-up tools to do so so effectively.

And sometimes, as with those radfems who are transphobic, you don’t even realise that you ARE using the same tools. Because you feel so, so right, so so justified.

And you are not alone; the history of human evil is not really of evil, but horrific and dehumanising things done in the name of good.

And we have this idea of complete innocence, ontological identity innocence, which is why we play this Oppression Olympics game so hard, jostling for the right *to* be righteously angry, to gain the only bit of power we can in a world which often robs of self-determination and the ability to thrive.

Almost every one has the power to hurt someone, in some fashion, whether it be by words, violence or pulling what societal levers you *can* access. There’s always someone to kick across, or down.

And so few of us are really willing to look in the mirror and say, yes I have that potential–let alone yes, I have done that or am doing that. True culpability is a hard thing, because it demands responsibility to one another. Even – especially! – those strange people who you don’t like or understand very much, who feel like they threaten your world, just by existing.

So yes. It’s liberating for marginalised people who’ve had to suppress their anger (cis and trans women alike), being righteous and angry. It is. Sometimes you have to scream out your anger, because if you can’t change a situation at least you can get your voice out.

But if you think that is *all* that I have had to say, here and elsewhere, then you are not really listening, anyway.

I hope that one day you will, though.

My friend, Emily Manuel, wrote an amazing poem about being a trans woman in the world, which she published at Tiger Beatdown. It discusses violence against her, emotional and physical distress/abuse against her, and how painful it is when people one would expect to be inclusive - namely, feminists - turn away or, worse, are actively transphobic.

The comments on the poem range from amazing to disgusting radfem transphobia.

The quote above is Emmy’s response to the transphobic hate in the comments.

If you want to fight for full reproductive rights, if you are truly interested in REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE and BODILY AUTONOMY, you cannot be transphobic. You cannot actively exclude trans* people from the movement. You cannot deny their lived experiences, question their authenticity, or see them as less than.

As another of my Tiger Beatdown friends, Flavia Dzodan, has written: My feminism will be intersectional or it will be bullshit.

What Emmy writes in this quote is SO important. It’s not about perfection or always doing the right thing (there is no way that you will always do the right thing - ever). We are ALL mired in the shit of kyriachy, patriarchy, heteronormativity, cis-normativity, racism, sexism, etc. It’s about trying to fight against our inclinations. It’s about what you do when you realize that you have fucked up, that you have participated in the kyriarchy you are trying to take down.

As the comments on Emmy’s poem show and as Emmy makes clear in this comment:

BEING INCLUSIVE, THAT is what is TRULY RADICAL.

(via keepyourbsoutofmyuterus)

So much for "respecting" homosexuals

mylifeasafeminista:

tinfoilandtea:

GREGORY: Can a gay couple who adopt children, in your mind, be considered a “family”? BACHMANN: When it comes to marriage, and family, my opinion is that marriage is between a man and a woman. And I think that’s been my view —GREGORY: So a gay couple with kids would not be considered a “family” to you? BACHMANN: You know, all of these kind of questions really aren’t about what people are concerned about right now.

Well actually Michele Bachmann, I am concerned about these kinds of questions right now.   Maybe you’re not concerned about these issues because you are comfortably enjoying your own heterosexual privilege, but there are plenty of people that do not share this with you. I, for one, am really worried that the future president of the United States will be a hateful human being that does not respect me or recognize my rights as a human being.  I’d be willing to argue that hundreds and thousands of other people agree with me.

Source: tinfoilandtea

Guest Post: Straight Girl on Girl: How Fetishizing Woman on Woman for Men Objectifies Women & Trivializes Lesbians

Written by Seren Pendleton-Knoll. Originally published at Bright Light Thinking. Re-printed with permission.

A few days ago, NBC’s show “Community” posted a picture on their Facebook fanpage of their two female leads being featured in GQ. An incredibly sexy photo, it features the girls engaging in S&M like activity while clad in lingerie. Within hours of it being posted it received thousands of “likes”, and over 800 comments. Most of these comments were from men using some of the most demeaning and sexualized language I have seen on Facebook.

What originally affronted me was not the picture itself, as I take no issue with women being sexy, but rather that the show they are on, a relatively PG show, was posting it on a public page. Fortunately, “Community” took down the photo after a few comments from individuals (including myself) on the inappropriate manner of the posting.*

However, as soon as I read the accompanying article in GQ to the photograph, my mild disapproval skyrocketed to monumental disgust. The title and tagline of the “article” for your collective gasp:

“Alison Brie and Gillian Jacobs Did This Lesbian Scene for Us And all we had to do was ask nicely. The hilarious and hilariously gorgeous girls of “Community” are such good sports, aren’t they?”

Are you kidding me?!?!

Continue reading ->

Pride (In the Name of Love): Gay Marriage Legalized in New York State

Empire State Building Celebrates PrideToo often, I have something to complain about: sexism, the ongoing assault on reproductive rights, having to wait until next year for the return of Mad Men. So I’m elated that I have some good news to celebrate. As June celebrates Pride Month, it’s fitting that on Friday, New York State became the 6th (and largest) state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage…woo hoo!! New York joins Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Iowa, Massachusetts (my home state!!), New Hampshire and Vermont. 6 states down, 44 to go…

One of the surprising aspects of the New York vote consisted of the 4 Republicans who sided with the Democrats in support of the Marriage Equality bill, despite a Republican-controlled Senate. New York State Senator Roy McDonald (NY-R), told reporters:

“You get to the point where you evolve in your life where everything isn’t black and white, good and bad, and you try to do the right thing. You might not like that. You might be very cynical about that. Well, fuck it, I don’t care what you think. I’m trying to do the right thing. I’m tired of Republican-Democrat politics. They can take the job and shove it. I come from a blue-collar background. I’m trying to do the right thing, and that’s where I’m going with this.”

Hell yeah! Why can’t more politicians be as kickass as this guy?!

But Nancy Goldstein at The Nation is suspicious of NY Republicans’ motives, including Governor Andrew Cuomo who introduced the legislation. She perceptively argues:

“Warmest regards and best wishes to all of the same-sex couples that have been waiting until New York state legalizes same-sex marriage to tie the knot here…But that’s where my congratulations end. Because I have limited patience for narratives about political courage or “conversions” or bipartisanship when it comes to most long-time opponents flipping, especially when polls clearly indicated they had nothing to lose. New York’s politicians have been playing political football with same-sex marriage since the ’90s. The fact that just enough of them finally calculated that it’s to their political advantage to kick us over the goal post is no reason to start lauding the human spirit.”

But it’s not only state legislators dragging their feet. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) prohibits granting thousands of federal marriage benefits such as hospital visitation and inheritance to legally married gay couples.  While Obama has declared it unconstitutional, it still remains in effect.  Chloe Angyal at Feministing reported that Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (love her more and more!) partnered with Democracy for America to advocate for DOMA’s repeal.  You can do your part by signing the petition here.

As I’ve said before, gender shouldn’t dictate love or marriage. With 53% of the American population supporting gay marriage, it’s about time legislators got their heads out of their asses and got onboard.  I don’t understand why some people don’t support two people who love each other and want to commit to one another. Marriage equality is just one of the many rights denied to the LGBTQ population. We’re a nation that preaches the merits of civil liberties. But if we truly value democracy, then it’s time we celebrate individuality and respect everyone’s rights. So, c’mon other states…what are you waiting for??

gofagyrself: audre lorde project’s trans day of action 2011 today! if in nyc, come! The 7th Annual NYC Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice Points of Unity Initiated by TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Center for Community Organizing.   June 24, 2011 We call on our Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community and on all of our allies from many movements to join us for the 7th Annual Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice.  We as TGNC People of Color (POC) recognize the importance of working together alongside other movements to change the world we want to see.  We live in a time when oppressed peoples including people of color, immigrants, youth and elders, people with disabilities, women and TGNC people, and poor people are underserved, face higher levels of discrimination, heightened surveillance and experience increased violence at the hands of the state.  We must unite and work together towards dismantling the transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia and xenophobia that permeates our movements for social justice. Let’s come together to let the world know that TGNC rights will not be undermined and together we will not be silenced!   These are the points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this important march: • We demand an end to profiling, harassment and brutality at the hands of the police. Like many other oppressed communities such as POC, immigrants, people with disabilities and poor people, TGNC people are targeted, profiled and brutalized by the police.  This violence does not occur in isolation, and is aggravated by racism, classism, ableism, xenophobia, misogyny, ageism and homophobia.  We call for an end to the current NYPD Quality of Life Initiative and efforts to “clean up” Christopher St. with increased policing.  We support legislation that would stop police and prosecutors from using possession of condoms as evidence of ‘criminal activity’.  • We demand access to respectful and safe housing.  Many TGNC people face severe discrimination from landlords and housing administrators displacing us from our homes due to gender identity or expression.  A disproportionate number of TGNC people have been or are currently homeless. However, many homeless TGNC people also face discrimination and violence when trying to access shelters and other assisted living programs.  NYC law and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) state that people will be placed in shelters according to that person’s gender identity and that discrimination based on gender identity will not be tolerated.  We support Queers for Economic Justice in their demand that all DHS shelters provide adequate Trans sensitivity trainings for all personnel and enforce clear non-discrimination policies that respect the dignity and safety of all homeless people.  • We demand access to community spaces without fear of harassment, profiling, or censorship.  We oppose the NYC LGBT Center’s moratorium, on groups using the Center as a meeting space to organize around ‘the issue of the Israeli/Palestinian divide’ and we support Queers for an Open LGBT Center in their demands for open board meetings and restoration of Siegebusters’ and other pro-palestinian groups right to meet at the Center.  We oppose the ongoing profit driven development of our neighborhoods.  We support FIERCE’s campaign to counter the displacement and criminalization of LGBTQ youth of color at the Christopher Street Pier in the West Village. • We demand the full legalization of all immigrants. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous-identified Two-Spirit people and the sovereignty of the First Nations, on whose land we now see the US attempt to enforce arbitrary boarders.  TGNC people deserve the right to access competent and respectful immigration services.  We demand that the consulates of all countries respect and honor our identities and issue passports and other documentation that accurately reflects who we are.  We oppose the Secure Communities program, the guest worker program, the Real ID Act, enforcement provisions to build more walls and give greater powers to the Department of Homeland Security, increased barriers for asylum seekers, and other anti-immigrant policies.  We support Governor Cuomo’s decision to suspend the Secure Communities program in NY State and we urge all other states to do the same.  • We are in solidarity with all prisoners, especially the many TGNC people behind the walls who are often invisible even within prisoner’s rights movements.  We call attention to the under-reported accounts of severe violence and rape that our community faces at the hands of correction officers and other prisoners, in psychiatric facilities, and group homes. We demand an end to the torture and high level of discrimination TGNC prisoners face.  We demand that all TGNC prisoners receive competent and respectful healthcare.  We oppose the continued growth of the prison industrial complex that continues to target our communities, yet we recognize that TGNC people need access to services and facilities that lessen our vulnerability to violence within the present jails and prisons.  We call attention to the criminal injustice system that increasingly puts POC, immigrants, people with disabilities, TGNC people and poor people behind bars - further criminalizing our communities and our lives.  • We oppose the US “War on Terrorism” as an excuse to legitimize the expansion of the U.S. as an imperial super power and to justify a national security strategy that is really meant to militarize our boarders and heighten surveillance and control over people living in the U.S., separating our communities by fostering feelings of hate, xenophobia, and violence.  We demand the immediate removal of all U.S. troops from all countries under occupation and demand an end of use of U.S. dollars to cultivate and sponsor wars against people in the U.S. and abroad. • We demand health care. TGNC people deserve the right to access health care, receive hormones and necessary surgery.  We demand that health care providers and insurance providers acknowledge this right and provide this service without bias and discrimination. • We demand safety while utilizing public transportation.  TGNCpeople utilize the MTA (NYC’s public transportation system) daily.  TGNC people should be addressed by their preferred pronoun, should not be targeted by transphobic employees of the MTA or harassed by other customers.  We call on the MTA to insure the safety not only of TGNC people but of women, children and all riders. • We demand that all people receiving public assistance including TGNC people, be treated with respect and dignity.  We are in solidarity with all people living on public assistance. We celebrate that the Human Resources Administration (HRA), the NYC welfare agency, finally passed the procedure for serving Trans and Gender Non Conforming clients and approved a community developed training curriculum.  However we call for full implementation of the procedure including culturally competent trainings for all employees.  • We demand that TGNC people have equal access to employment and education opportunities.  We are outraged by the high numbers of TGNC people who are unemployed.  Many TGNC people continue to face blatant discrimination and harassment from employers due to systemic transphobia.  Few TGNC people have access to opportunities for learning in a safe school environment. TGNC people demand that all employers and educational institutions implement non-discrimination policies that respect the rights of all workers and students and that they comply with the NYC Human Rights Law that prohibits discrimination against gender identity and expression. • We demand justice for the many TGNC people who have been beaten, assaulted, raped, and murdered yet these incidents continue to be silenced or misclassified.  The police and the media continue to criminalize us even when we try to defend ourselves.  Hate crime laws will not solve the problem but will give increased power to the state to put more people in jail.  Instead we call for a unified effort for all of us to look deeper into the root causes of why these incidents happen.  As a society that seeks social justice we seek to find ways of holding people accountable and coming to a joint understanding of how we can make our communities safer for all of us. We commemorate the memory of the many brave souls we have lost, who struggled and lived their lives fearlessly day in and day out, being true to who they were. They keep the fire of struggle burning within all of us. On June 24, 2011, TGNC People of Color and allies will take on the streets of New York City once again and demand justice to let the world know that the Stonewall rebellion is not over and we will continue fighting for social and economic justice, raising our voices until we are heard.  We call on all activists from communities of color, the LGBT movement, immigrant rights movement, the anti-war movement, the reproductive justice movement, disability justice movements, youth and student groups, trade unions and worker organizations, religious communities and HIV/AIDS and social service agencies, both local and organizations around the country to endorse this call to action and to build contingents to march in solidarity together on June 24, 2011. 
View Separately

gofagyrself:

audre lorde project’s trans day of action 2011 today! if in nyc, come!

The 7th Annual NYC Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice

Points of Unity

Initiated by TransJustice of the Audre Lorde Project, a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Two-Spirit, Trans and Gender Non-Conforming People of Color Center for Community Organizing.  

June 24, 2011

We call on our Trans and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) community and on all of our allies from many movements to join us for the 7th Annual Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice.  We as TGNC People of Color (POC) recognize the importance of working together alongside other movements to change the world we want to see.  We live in a time when oppressed peoples including people of color, immigrants, youth and elders, people with disabilities, women and TGNC people, and poor people are underserved, face higher levels of discrimination, heightened surveillance and experience increased violence at the hands of the state.  We must unite and work together towards dismantling the transphobia, racism, classism, sexism, ageism, ableism, homophobia and xenophobia that permeates our movements for social justice. Let’s come together to let the world know that TGNC rights will not be undermined and together we will not be silenced!   These are the points of unity, which hold together the purpose of this important march:

• We demand an end to profiling, harassment and brutality at the hands of the police. Like many other oppressed communities such as POC, immigrants, people with disabilities and poor people, TGNC people are targeted, profiled and brutalized by the police.  This violence does not occur in isolation, and is aggravated by racism, classism, ableism, xenophobia, misogyny, ageism and homophobia.  We call for an end to the current NYPD Quality of Life Initiative and efforts to “clean up” Christopher St. with increased policing.  We support legislation that would stop police and prosecutors from using possession of condoms as evidence of ‘criminal activity’. 

• We demand access to respectful and safe housing.  Many TGNC people face severe discrimination from landlords and housing administrators displacing us from our homes due to gender identity or expression.  A disproportionate number of TGNC people have been or are currently homeless. However, many homeless TGNC people also face discrimination and violence when trying to access shelters and other assisted living programs.  NYC law and the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) state that people will be placed in shelters according to that person’s gender identity and that discrimination based on gender identity will not be tolerated.  We support Queers for Economic Justice in their demand that all DHS shelters provide adequate Trans sensitivity trainings for all personnel and enforce clear non-discrimination policies that respect the dignity and safety of all homeless people. 

• We demand access to community spaces without fear of harassment, profiling, or censorship.  We oppose the NYC LGBT Center’s moratorium, on groups using the Center as a meeting space to organize around ‘the issue of the Israeli/Palestinian divide’ and we support Queers for an Open LGBT Center in their demands for open board meetings and restoration of Siegebusters’ and other pro-palestinian groups right to meet at the Center.  We oppose the ongoing profit driven development of our neighborhoods.  We support FIERCE’s campaign to counter the displacement and criminalization of LGBTQ youth of color at the Christopher Street Pier in the West Village.

• We demand the full legalization of all immigrants. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous-identified Two-Spirit people and the sovereignty of the First Nations, on whose land we now see the US attempt to enforce arbitrary boarders.  TGNC people deserve the right to access competent and respectful immigration services.  We demand that the consulates of all countries respect and honor our identities and issue passports and other documentation that accurately reflects who we are.  We oppose the Secure Communities program, the guest worker program, the Real ID Act, enforcement provisions to build more walls and give greater powers to the Department of Homeland Security, increased barriers for asylum seekers, and other anti-immigrant policies.  We support Governor Cuomo’s decision to suspend the Secure Communities program in NY State and we urge all other states to do the same. 

• We are in solidarity with all prisoners, especially the many TGNC people behind the walls who are often invisible even within prisoner’s rights movements.  We call attention to the under-reported accounts of severe violence and rape that our community faces at the hands of correction officers and other prisoners, in psychiatric facilities, and group homes. We demand an end to the torture and high level of discrimination TGNC prisoners face.  We demand that all TGNC prisoners receive competent and respectful healthcare.  We oppose the continued growth of the prison industrial complex that continues to target our communities, yet we recognize that TGNC people need access to services and facilities that lessen our vulnerability to violence within the present jails and prisons.  We call attention to the criminal injustice system that increasingly puts POC, immigrants, people with disabilities, TGNC people and poor people behind bars - further criminalizing our communities and our lives. 

• We oppose the US “War on Terrorism” as an excuse to legitimize the expansion of the U.S. as an imperial super power and to justify a national security strategy that is really meant to militarize our boarders and heighten surveillance and control over people living in the U.S., separating our communities by fostering feelings of hate, xenophobia, and violence.  We demand the immediate removal of all U.S. troops from all countries under occupation and demand an end of use of U.S. dollars to cultivate and sponsor wars against people in the U.S. and abroad.

• We demand health care. TGNC people deserve the right to access health care, receive hormones and necessary surgery.  We demand that health care providers and insurance providers acknowledge this right and provide this service without bias and discrimination.

• We demand safety while utilizing public transportation.  TGNCpeople utilize the MTA (NYC’s public transportation system) daily.  TGNC people should be addressed by their preferred pronoun, should not be targeted by transphobic employees of the MTA or harassed by other customers.  We call on the MTA to insure the safety not only of TGNC people but of women, children and all riders.

• We demand that all people receiving public assistance including TGNC people, be treated with respect and dignity.  We are in solidarity with all people living on public assistance. We celebrate that the Human Resources Administration (HRA), the NYC welfare agency, finally passed the procedure for serving Trans and Gender Non Conforming clients and approved a community developed training curriculum.  However we call for full implementation of the procedure including culturally competent trainings for all employees. 

• We demand that TGNC people have equal access to employment and education opportunities.  We are outraged by the high numbers of TGNC people who are unemployed.  Many TGNC people continue to face blatant discrimination and harassment from employers due to systemic transphobia.  Few TGNC people have access to opportunities for learning in a safe school environment. TGNC people demand that all employers and educational institutions implement non-discrimination policies that respect the rights of all workers and students and that they comply with the NYC Human Rights Law that prohibits discrimination against gender identity and expression.

• We demand justice for the many TGNC people who have been beaten, assaulted, raped, and murdered yet these incidents continue to be silenced or misclassified.  The police and the media continue to criminalize us even when we try to defend ourselves.  Hate crime laws will not solve the problem but will give increased power to the state to put more people in jail.  Instead we call for a unified effort for all of us to look deeper into the root causes of why these incidents happen.  As a society that seeks social justice we seek to find ways of holding people accountable and coming to a joint understanding of how we can make our communities safer for all of us.

We commemorate the memory of the many brave souls we have lost, who struggled and lived their lives fearlessly day in and day out, being true to who they were. They keep the fire of struggle burning within all of us.

On June 24, 2011, TGNC People of Color and allies will take on the streets of New York City once again and demand justice to let the world know that the Stonewall rebellion is not over and we will continue fighting for social and economic justice, raising our voices until we are heard.  We call on all activists from communities of color, the LGBT movement, immigrant rights movement, the anti-war movement, the reproductive justice movement, disability justice movements, youth and student groups, trade unions and worker organizations, religious communities and HIV/AIDS and social service agencies, both local and organizations around the country to endorse this call to action and to build contingents to march in solidarity together on June 24, 2011. 

(via injectcreativity-deactivated201)

Source: gofagyrself

Top