In Honor of Olive

In my post-"Little Miss Sunshine" fantasy world, girls would not be evaluated for "prettiest eyes" or "most photogenic" -- the way girls as young as 18 months were judged last weekend at the Little Miss Wyoming Pageant -- but by "most imaginative dance moves," "funniest jokes told," "soccer prowess," "community leadership," "kindest to her friends," and other actual meaningful indicators of good character.

Thought experiment: If every year we asked boys to parade on stage, baring shoulders and knees, trying to out-smile, out-"personality," and out-rouge-application one another, there would be a national uproar. Because, you know, boys are supposed to be out there doing things like winning hockey tournaments, learning chemistry, riding BMX bikes, and learning that their value in the world has to do with their minds and actions.

Little Miss Wyomings deserve a pageant that allows them to show of their real human worth, not their dimples.

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Women's Conference on Sustainability THIS WEEKEND!

I wish I was going to be in town for this event. The Equipoise Fund and The Nature Conservancy, the first-ever Women's Conference on Sustainability is happening right here in Jackson starting Friday night, May 2. The conference features keynote addresses by Melinda Karmaer, founding director of Women's Earth Alliance, and Wyoming First Lady Nancy Freudenthal.

I was particularly impressed by what Jen Simon of the Nature Conservancy Greater Yellowstone program said about the need for this kind of conference:

"Women seem to be talking about conservation and sustainability in a very different way than men. It seems to be tied to everyday decisions they make: where to eat, what to buy, how to spend their money, how to raise their children.

"In particular, I looked at women like Wangari Maathai of the Green Belt Movement and Melinda Kramer and noticed their projects don’t just address the environment; they address all facets of people in the community.

"These projects include economic empowerment and social justice as a necessary component of a sustainable future. And that's a particularly inspiring idea: that you could use conservation to remedy a whole host of systemic issues.

"The other unique factor is the increasing ability of women to make financial decisions. And because women approach conservation differently than men, such decisions will become an increasingly important driver in whether and how sustainable products are distributed and developed in the coming years."

For more info and to register, go to The Nature Conservancy page here.

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Jon Stewart takes on Abstinence-Only Sex Ed

Thanks to Feministing for posting this clip from Comedy Central.

BTW, have you seen this hymen graphic from the abstinence-only camp?
















And here's the prettier version with a tag line fit for real women and girls: "May all who enter here be invited, respectful, and pleasure-giving!"

No Comment

"The most dangerous place in America today is in a mother's womb!"

- Elaine Kuhr, Right to Life of Teton County, April 25, JH Daily

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Native American Woman Honored

I'm glad to share some good news, good news born out of tragedy, that is. The first-ever Native American woman to die in combat on foreign soil, Lori Piestewa, has been honored by renaming a mountain in Arizona after her. Fittingly, the peak once called "Squaw Peak" is now Piestewa Peak, a big step forward in undoing racism and celebrating courageous women.

Feministing has a great post about this.

Some of you may be familiar with Lori's name. She's the soldier that media/govt. victim Pvt. Jessica Lynch credited with being the true hero of the day when Lynch's unit came under attack.

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Fair Pay Action Alert

This just in from the ACLU:

Don't Let Employers Get Away With Pay Discrimination

Last May, the Supreme Court ruled in Ledbetter v. Goodyear that employees who have suffered years of pay discrimination cannot have their day in court if they don’t discover the discrimination within 180 days of their employer’s initial discriminatory pay decision.

The Ledbetter decision not only reversed years of employment law, it also ignored the realities of a workplace. Often employees don’t know what their co-workers are paid. Further, expecting that they learn that information within the first 180 days of a pay decision is unreasonable. Unless Congress intervenes, companies will be able to discriminate for years and unjustly profit from paying women, minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities, as long as it keeps the discrimination secret for a few months.

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation to correct this problem, and to ensure employers do not profit from years of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, and disability, simply because their employees were unaware of the discrimination for 180 days. The bill clarified this wage discrimination is not a one-time occurrence, but rather, that each discriminatory paycheck an employer issues represents an ongoing violation of the law.

A similar bill, the Fair Pay Restoration Act (S.1843), is now before the U.S. Senate. The time has come for the Senate to correct this wrong and let American workers keep their hard-earned dollars.

Click here to take action.

Right to Life Ad - Jackson Hole Daily 4/14/08

Mommy, what's a safe abortion?

A safe abortion is the kind you have when abortion is legal.

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different kind of leadership

An article posted on the Girl Scout site offers an interesting perspective about feminine leadership styles. Check it out at http://www.girlscouts.org/news/news_releases/2008/different_kind_of_leadership.asp

The one hand trying to wash itself is a pitiful spectacle, but when one hand washes the other, power is increased, and it becomes a force to be reckoned with.
- Maya Angelou

2008 Penis, Ahem, I Mean, Pulitzer Prizes Announced

Last night I watched Margaret Cho's "Revolution" for the first time. (A must-see along with "I'm the One that I Want"). She does a piece about confronting a fellow driver in L.A. whose car boasts a bumper sticker proclaiming, "This car was made with tools not chopsticks." Margaret pulls up alongside the other car and just screams at the driver. "Aaaaaaaah!" The scream goes on and on, until, Margaret says, the other driver was forced to take a left turn against the light just to get away from her.

"I don't want to rise above," says Margaret. "I want to sink down to their level."

This is by way of introduction to how I'm feeling this morning reading the list of winners for this year's Pulitzer Prizes in Letters, Drama, and Music. Being of the literary ilk, I look forward to such announcements. But, AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH, there are 0, zero, zilch, no, none, zippo female artists, writers, poets in the winning roster. NONE. In fact, only one woman even made it into the finalist list, Ellen Bryant Voight in poetry (Go Ellen!)

Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

You'd think my namesake, Mary Wollstonecraft and her daughter Mary Shelley, had never picked up pens OVER 200 YEARS AGO!

This sort of heinous and obvious sexism in a supposedly post-feminist world does not inspire me to rise above. It makes me want to sink down to their level and found women-only Pulitzer, National Book Award, New York Times Notable Books of the Year, Nobel Prize, etc., and give out awards until we've honored so many women that we have at long last given MORE awards to women than men. I'm sure this will take us until the year 2500. Or perhaps 3000. Then and only then will we consider giving men any awards, and then, only if they write about topics of interest to and/or involving women.
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God wanted this?

You've probably heard the news about the 401 Fundamental LDS children taken into protective custody by the State of Texas. The children were removed from a compound run by the family of Warren Jeffs, the "prophet" leader of the sect currently serving two consecutive prison terms of five years to life for his conviction on two counts of being an accomplice to rape. The State had received reports of abuse from former members and children inside the compound, including that a 15 year old child bride had given birth.

A brief commercial interruption: Haven't read Under the Banner of Heaven yet? Read it.

The sect is claiming the State has violated their right to freedom of religion by taking the children. What is free about forcing 15 year old girls to marry and have sex with men more than twice their age? This "religion" isn't about freedom - it's about power. More specifically, it's about men having power over women under the guise of religion. "God told me to." How very convenient that their "God" has told them to take as many wives as possible and to procreate ad nausea and to beat and molest children and threaten anyone who speaks out or complains with eternal damnation. Sounds like a pedophiliac's/sadomasochist's wet dream until you slap the religion label on it and now it's an oppressed minority just trying to "lead a righteous life". What child exposed to such hellfire and damnation rhetoric and abuse since birth could freely choose anything?

Here's hoping these children get access to some high quality medical and psychological care. They have been brainwashed and traumatized for years.

However, this brings me to my problem with religion. As a reviewer of Krakauer's book notes more eloquently than I could: "What makes one person's claim of revelation from God valid, and another's nonsense?" Exactly. Obviously most people dismiss Warren Jeff's revelation as total BS. But is that only because it is so outside the mainstream?

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Talking about Women in Wyoming

I had a mixed reaction to this recent Cody Enterprise article about the gender-based wage gap in Wyoming. The article features comments from Equality Initiatives (EI) director Sarah Mikesell Growney of Cody.

I whole-heartedly support the mission of Equality Initiatives: "What's good for Wyoming's women is good for Wyoming's communities." And I'm thrilled that the organization is putting gender inequality into the news. However, EI's mainstream approach may neglect issues of importance to some of Wyoming's women.

For instance, Mikesell Growney says, "Equality Initiatives is thankful for the oil and gas industry," because they pay women high wages. I'm not sure aligning the organization with a problematic industry is the appropriate approach. While the oil and gas industry is a backbone of Wyoming's economy, women still have a right to challenge the industry to improve its environmental stewardship. EI could acknowledge the energy sector for its good pay for women without needing to be "thankful," which to my ears sounds like "ingratiated," a stance that may not sit well with all women.

I think the issue may be one of language and talking points. When Mikesell Growney says, “When a woman suffers, the child suffers, and when the child suffers, the community suffers," I'm not following the logic. Not all women have children. Childless women who suffer should still be supported. Although children's poverty is an indicator of a community's health, adult suffering is a worthy indicator also.

My hope is that EI will work to refine its messaging as it furthers its work in our communities. Using langauge that strives to be inclusive of all women and all women's perspectives is a tall order, for sure, yet a vital one.

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Call your senators

From Feminist Newswire:

Senate Bill Targets Deceptive Advertising by Pregnancy Crisis Centers

Senator Robert Menendez introduced a bill in the Senate yesterday that would regulate the misleading advertising practices of Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs). Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women’s Services Act would require the Federal Trade Commission to create and enforce rules to prohibit CPCs' deceptive advertising practices, such as advertising under the term "abortion services." The act expressly defines abortion services to mean "providing surgical and non-surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy, or providing referrals for such procedures."

House Representative Carolyn Maloney introduced the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act in the House last summer.

Rep. Maloney said, "Although I may disagree with their views, many crisis pregnancy centers are forthright and respectful and they have a right to exist. Unfortunately, some take a more underhanded approach to lure in women seeking abortions by using tactics that should be illegal. Many women who face unwanted pregnancies find themselves in a very difficult, very personal situation. They shouldn't have to face the added stress of deciphering whether or not the clinic they choose offers legitimate medical services."
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Fabulous LBT Women Leaders!

The National Gay & Lesbian Task Force celebrated Women's History Month in March by putting together an ever-growing list of lesbian, bisexual and transgender women who are leading the way to full equality in the queer liberation movement.

It's such an inspiring list! Check it out here.

(The photo is of Katherine Acey, Executive Director of Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.)
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According to a recent study, about 1 in 50 US infants are victims of child abuse or neglect in a year.

Maybe "pro-life" organizations could put some of their funds to use, as they say, defending those that can't defend themselves? I wonder how many of those "parents" didn't plan to have a baby. Maybe some better sex education and better access to contraception could have helped them out?

Thea Astley

"The more you try to be interested in other people, the more you find out about yourself."
-Thea Astley

Thea Astley (1925-2004) was an Australian novelist and short story writer. She was a prolific writer who was published for over 40 years from 1958. At the time of he death, she had won more Miles Franklin Awards, Australia's major literary award, than any other writer. As well as being a writer, she taught at all levels of education - primary, secondary, and tertiary. Her first novel, published in 1958, was Girl with a Monkey. Her last, published in 1999, was Drylands. She published 15 novels.

Choose one person to show particular interest in today.

Right to Life Ad - Jackson Hole News & Guide 4/2/08

Today's ad informs us that "Abortion Hurts Women". On the list of things that hurt women, abortion is probably on page 10, right after lack of access to adequate sunglasses.

In all fairness, some women do regret having an abortion. Most don't. The fact that some women regret choosing abortion is not a reason to outlaw them. Some women have faced medical complications, including death, but any medical procedure can have consequences. Again, not a reason to outlaw abortion.

Poverty hurts women. Domestic violence hurts women. Rape hurts women. The wage gap hurts women. How about we address those issues before trying to legislate away free will and control of our own bodies?

Feministing news

If you don't already know about Feministing.com, it's my favorite source for feminist news, cultural/political analysis, and humor. There were two posts today about violence against women news stories that you may not hear about in the JH Daily.

First the good news:
* Wisconsin passes a progressive law to help women fleeing domestic violence.

Now the bad:
* Women in the military far more at risk for rape by fellow soldiers than dying in combat.

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Annie Sophie Swetchine

"We are rich only through what we give; and poor only through what we refuse and keep."

Sophie -Jeanne Soymonof Swetchine was a writer born in Moscow in 1782. She was remarkable for the beauty of her soul. Her intellect was lofty, quick, and penetrating. She read a great deal, and always with her pen in hand.

How can you be "rich" today?