Feminist Monday, July 23

Feminist poster from 1970

Sorry about last Friday. We've been having some issues with our internet connection. A service rep came by and replaced everything with new equipment, and now we're having a whole new set of problems. [eye roll] So much fun.

Oh! I've a reading this coming weekend at Malvern Books with several other wonderful local authors: Patrice Sarath, Christopher Brown, Marshall Ryan Maresca, Jessica Reisman, Robert Ashcroft, and Amanda Downum. The event starts at 2pm on Sunday the 29th. Please drop by, if you can!

A lot has been going on. Disney fired James Gunn for horrible, offensive comments he made in public (Twitter) in the past (2009-2012) about rape as well as gay and transgender individuals. My feelings on the matter are complex. And this article from NPR explains my position pretty well--basically, it's complicated. There are factors that affect the outcome, IMHO, like: how severe is the wrong done? Has the community/individual harmed forgiven the abuser? How dramatic is the change of behavior for the better? Does the abuser act like they remember their actions? Are they truly repentant? There's a lot going on. It's not simple. Most human problems aren't or they wouldn't be human problems.

Another issue that's sprung up is related to World Con. Once again, the programming is a hot mess. I'm not shocked. It seems there's an attitude among the programming team that new nominees (strangely, the new nominees from marginalized communities especially so) aren't considered well-known enough to be on panels. What the ever fuck? They're known enough to get nominations, but not enough to be on panels? What the hell do you think the convention is for? The awards ceremony is a big part of why the convention exists! For the record, my experience of my first Campbell nomination was not a totally positive one. I was also made to feel insignificant. (Although, not on the level of having my pronouns misused or being made to repeatedly ask for accommodations for my disabilities. Yes, that's happening too.)

The more fans adopt the attitude that somehow they are the arbiter of the community of which they are only a part, the more shitty things are going to continue to happen. Look, courtesy toward those from whom you are asking work at their own expense (and attending cons is work and it's expensive too) is not much to ask. Courtesy and kindness costs nothing, damn it. I really wish we could learn the lessons here and move on. But apparently that isn't going to happen until things get drastic. That sucks.

​And now today's video.

Literary/Entertainment: Filed under women helping women, may I present: She Gave Millions to Artists Without Credit. Until Now. Go. Her. And now have a link to an in depth discussion about the character Sergeant Bothari from Lois McMaster-Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga and disability in the series in general. Personally, I feel these discussions are useful even when the books discussed are older, clearly flawed, and were (at the time) considered a big advancement even though viewed through a more current lens they're even more flawed than we thought. This way, we're continually aware of the progress we've made and continue to make. 

General: Trump's Supreme Court Nominee Threatens Contraception Access, Too. Look, there's more to the abortion debate than "but the babies." It's about a woman's right to autonomy over her own body. Once you start down that path, birth control is called into question. A woman's right to privacy is under threat too, and her economic future as well and that of her child's. Next, Friday essay: who was Mary Magdalene? Debunking the myth of the penitent prostitute. And just when misogynists thought it was okay to say they wished women were like they used to be in the old days...American Women in the 1900s Called Street Harassers ‘Mashers’ and Stabbed Them With Hatpins. I'm all for bringing back hat pins. I own a few. They're nothing to sneeze at. Lastly, have an article about the Central Figure in the NRA-Russia Scandal Arrested for Acting as a Foreign Agent. I confess, I haven't read all of that last one, yet.