Radical CUNTS

“that awkward moment when a ‘feminist’ is...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 16:01:46 -0400

“that awkward moment when a ‘feminist’ is transphobic’

"Like the fantasy of being thin, the desire to be pretty is backed by a multi-billion dollar industry..."

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:30:46 -0400

“Like the fantasy of being thin, the desire to be pretty is backed by a multi-billion dollar industry and untold numbers of daily encounters with people who’ve swallowed the social pressures whole and made them their own mission to prescribe. Girls who desire a piece of the pretty pie aren’t misguided, inherently frivolous or lacking in ambition. They want to do stuff; it’s just they’ve internalised the message that they must look good doing it for it to count for anything. And that is why the right to be ugly — the right to do and be without being gazed upon and always found wanting — is worth defending.”

- Spilt Milk - Panic Over Pretty

the right to do and be without being gazed upon and always found wanting is worth defending

the right to do and be without being gazed upon and always found wanting is worth defending

(via owlsandelephants)

reblogged because of relevance to my life forever

(via redefiningbodyimage)

ethiopienne: i like the idea of this. but WoC done BEEN...

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:30:20 -0400

ethiopienne:

i like the idea of this. but WoC done BEEN “backing up” white women for ages….so….

"[T]he real problem has been how feminist theory has confused the condition of one group of women..."

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:00:45 -0400

“[T]he real problem has been how feminist theory has confused the condition of one group of women with the condition of all.”

- Elizabeth V. Spelman, Inessential Woman: Problems of Inclusion in Feminist Thought 3 (1988).

(via mntcndtn)

"Sex is no more an immutable binary than is gender. There are intersex people who are born with..."

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 12:30:31 -0400

“

Sex is no more an immutable binary than is gender. There are intersex people who are born with non-binary genitalia, as I have already mentioned. There are people with hormonal anomalies. In fact, hormone levels vary wildly within the categories of cis male and cis female. Chromosomes, too, vary. If you thought “XX” and “XY” were the only two possible combinations, you have some serious googling to do. In addition to variations like XXY, XXYY, or X, sometimes cis people find out that they are genetically the “opposite” of what they though they were– that is, a ‘typical’ cis man can be XX, a ‘normal’ cis woman can be XY.

The fact is that the concept of binary sex is based on the fallacious idea that multiple sex characteristics are immutable and must always go together, when in fact many of them can be changed, many erased, and many appear independently in different combinations. “Female” in sex binary terms means having breasts, having a vagina, having a womb, not having a lot of body hair, having a high-pitched voice, having lots of estrogen, having a period, having XX chromosomes. “Male” means having a penis, not having breasts, producing sperm, having body hair, having a deep voice, having lots of testosterone, having XY chromosomes. Yet it is possible to isolate, alter, and remove many of these traits. Many of these traits do not always appear together, and before puberty and after menopause, many of them do not apply.

”

- Asher Bauer (via inherhipstheresrevolutions)

Everyone, read this. The male/female body dichotomy is a myth.

(via dearcissexism)

The Continuing Conversation About the Marginalization of Female Writers

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:30:09 -0400

The Continuing Conversation About the Marginalization of Female Writers

“I see so if I don’t have sex with you, I’m a...

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:05:06 -0400

“I see so if I don’t have sex with you, I’m a prude bitch, but if I use the pill I’m a slut, if I get pregnant I’m an idiot and if I choose abortion I’m Satan. Yay.”

fuckyeahfeminists:

And by yay we mean -_-

"Family planning initiatives in the Deep South in the 1950s encouraged women of color (predominantly..."

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:30:06 -0400

“

Family planning initiatives in the Deep South in the 1950s encouraged women of color (predominantly African American women) to use contraceptives and sterilizations to reduce the growth of our populations, while obstacles were simultaneously placed in the paths of white women seeking access to these same services. A Louisiana judge„ Leander Perez, was quoted as saying, “The best way to hate a nigger is to hate him before he is born.” This astonishingly frank outburst represented the sentiments of many racists during this period, although the more temperate ones disavowed gutter epithets.

For example, conservative politicians like Strom Thurmond supported family planning in the 1960s when it was used as a racialized form of population control, aimed at limiting Black voter strength in African American communities. When it was presented as a race-directed strategy to reduce their Black populations, North Carolina and South Carolina became the first states to include family planning in their state budgets in the 1950s. One center in Louisiana reported that in its first year of operation, 96% of its clients were Black. The proportion of white clients never rose about 15%. Generally speaking, family planning associated with women of color was most frequently supported; but support quickly evaporated when it was associated with white women.

Increased federal spending on contraception coincided with the urban unrest and rise in a militant Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. In 1969, President Nixon asked Congress to establish a five-year plan for providing family planning services to “all those who want them but cannot afford them.” However, the rational behind the proposed policy was to prevent population increases among Blacks—-this would make governance of the world in general, and inner cities in particular, difficult. Reflecting on concerns strikingly similar to those driving US population policies overseas, Nixon pointed to statistics that showed a “bulge” in the number of Black Americans between the ages of five and nine. This group of youngsters who would soon enter their teens—“an age group with problems that create social turbulence”—was 25% larger than ten years before. This scarcely disguised race- and class-based appeal for population control persuaded many Republicans to support family planning.

”

- Loretta Ross, White Supremacy and Reproductive Justice, in Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology

A lot of progressives like to go around talking about the radicalization of the right around abortion issues. While it’s true that anti-choice extremism has become more mainstreamed, the repeated efforts to prove this fact specifically by pointing to how Republicans like Nixon and Bush Sr. promoted birth control use without noting WHY and TO WHAT EXTENT they were pro-contraception is extraordinarily racist and a violent erasure of the sterilization and population control policies used against women of color, as well as poor women and women with disabilities. It’s also yet another sign of what is so very fucked about so much of the pro-choice movement. (via thecurvature)

“Weight does not dictate your health or your worth”...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:30:05 -0400

“Weight does not dictate your health or your worth” #RedefiningBodyImage

stophatingyourbody:

We all come in different shapes and sizes. Health looks different on every body.

BE BRAVE! JOIN THE BODY PEACE REVOLUTION!

turnthestaticup: CONSERVATIVES LICK MY HEEL!!!!!

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:00:05 -0400

turnthestaticup:

CONSERVATIVES LICK MY HEEL!!!!!

thegenderbook: Just colored the “gender planet” page, our...

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:30:05 -0400

thegenderbook:

Just colored the “gender planet” page, our extended metaphor to describe to folks how the words transgender and cisgender are typically used. I love this thought, and it was fun to come up with gender slash geography puns. Enjoy and please send any feedback our way!

-mel, the artist

Pinterest and Feminism

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:30:06 -0400

Pinterest and Feminism

"Some problems we share as women, some we do not. You [white women] fear your children will grow up..."

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 16:05:05 -0400

““Some problems we share as women, some we do not. You [white women] fear your children will grow up to join the patriarchy and testify against you; we fear our children will be dragged from a car and shot down in the street, and you will turn your backs on the reasons they are dying.””

- Audre Lorde, “Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference” (via wewantrevolutiongirlstylenow)

Always relevant.

Always. #TrayvonMartin

(via thatneedstogo)

stayrosey: molsillustration: I refuse to be silenced (c)...

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:30:06 -0400

stayrosey:

molsillustration:

I refuse to be silenced

(c) 2012

Needless to say I LOVE THIS!!! ❤

File this under the Radica CUNTS book...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:30:05 -0400

File this under the Radica CUNTS book club

ethiopienne:

whos-scruffy-looking:

ethiopienne:

lesbianoutlaw:

readafuckingbook:

This Bridge Called My Back - Writings by Radical Women of Color

I don’t care what gender studies or queer theory class you’ve taken, you need to read this book, but be warned, it is a rare find and might expensive. It contains several essays by womanists discussing their experience, racism, poverty, how racism pervaded the feminist movement in the early 1980s and most importantly the individual experiences of asian pacific, black, american indian and latina/chicana women. This words you find in this book and the truths that will make your soul sick are imperrative for understanding the history of racism, feminism, systematic oppression and white privilege. These are stories that have, even today, been swept under the rug and out of sight.

You need to read this fucking book.

I will.

I have been dying to find this book for a reasonable price.

digital copy HERE!!!

adailyriot: fuckyeahxicanapower: “The Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:05:05 -0400

The Ovas at Olvera Street in protest.

The Ovas end one of their bi-weekly meet

adailyriot:

fuckyeahxicanapower:

“The Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle Brigade Make a Space for Women on the Eastside

Two months ago, when 22-year-old Bree’Anna Guzman was murdered in Lincoln Heights, the all-women bike group Ovarian-Pscyos Bicycle Brigade scrapped their previously planned ride to ride instead through the neighborhood to protest the killing.

“Whose Streets,” one woman called out.

“Our Streets” the more than 30 women riding answered.

While many recent bike groups are either bicycling for recreation, bringing awareness to bicyclists on the road, or use the bicycle for social justice movement events, the Ovarian-Psycos Bicycle Brigade is a community inspired women’s movement that does all of the above and then some.

In Los Angeles, fewer than 1 in 5 people cycling were female, according to preliminary data from the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition’s most recent bicycle count. While this trend has been the constant in cities across the nation, the number of female bicycle groups in Los Angeles has grown from just a couple a few years ago, to at least four.

The currently all-Latina collective with roots from various parts of the Eastside pride themselves with their exclusivity to women, with sticker slogans like “Ovaries so big, we don’t need no fucking balls.” Their monthly all-women Luna Rides, which takes its name from the moons connection with a woman’s menstrual cycle, bring up to 30 women riders each ride. For their two-year anniversary in July, the Ovarian-Psycos are also planning the first female version of the monthly Critical Mass, which will be called Clitoral Mass.

For many of the women it’s their first time being involved in an all-female collective. The oldest members are 33 and the youngest is 20. Some are artists that ride bikes, and some are pure bicyclists. Yet the Ovarian-Psycos has become a type of sisterhood that, for many, they have never had before.

“Being around women, learning that we can interact in a way that was not hostile or competitive; it’s been a very new experience,” said Magally “Maga” Miranda.

Though the group has found stability recently, the group’s continued existence was never a sure bet. On the very first Luna Ride in July 2010, Xela, the de facto leader of the group at the time, hit a pothole on the road and fell face forward off her bike, hospitalizing her for two weeks. Andrea Ramirez, or “La Blackbird,” recalls that many bike riders didn’t come back after the first ride because they were scared.

Though one half left, and another came back for the second Luna Ride, Xela said, the group stagnated for the first year, never topping more than 20 riders.

“I was worried always that it’s going to die someday,” Xela said.

Yet, right before the Ovarians one-year anniversary, Xela started to recruit core members to better organize the group. After the one-year anniversary at Solidarty ink, and with a fairly consistent 12 core members, the group finally started to take off. Like before, each ride had a theme. Specific workshops involved speakers, and teachers on a range of social issues, and bicycle issues. Some workshops talked about women’s health, while other covered self-defense. Yet, the groups were getting bigger, and the core members were helping spread the word.

Many of the women say they feel they are not taken seriously in the biking community because their rides aren’t as long as traditional rides, there are usually many first-time riders, and the ride will stop and wait for one person. But, these limitations, Ova member Natalie Fraire said, can be a positive.

“We are encouraging a lot more riders and that’s more important,” said Fraire.

Riding as a women group has also made the riders more aware of the difficulties of riding in the city as a woman. Individually, or in small groups, Ova Elvira “Ashes” Arvizo has been catcalled by men on the street, and during one Luna Ride, the group noticed a male motorist was trailing the group. The women stopped and started to yell at the motorist, which caused him to flee.

Creating Sisterhood

As the group has grown, the women have needed to get closer. Many of their biweekly meetings resemble the chaos of a family dinner. At a recent meeting, Maryann “La Fingers” Aguirre would belch across the room, giving many of the girls a laugh, and Fraire ran to the oven to find she burned the artichoke dish brought. If the meeting ever got out of order, a clit checker (meeting organizer) would bellow out a warning to get the meeting back on track.

Each Ova have brought various skills in community organizing, photography, graphic design and bike mechanics which they also share with the rest of the group. Gloria “GLoTography” Vasquez takes most of the photos that are on the groups websites, but she has also taken the time to teach Ovas like Fraire how to use a camera. The group has also helped Vasquez to break her shyness and talk more with women on rides.

“Now run into women across streets and able to converse with them than just pass them by,” said Vasquez.

Each season there are rotating leaders of the group called a left and right ovary, and many of the women are expected to step up to take care of a portion of their work.

Many of the women have never ridden with an all female bike crew, and let alone worked with an all-women group. Yet, the same reason Xela started the group is the same reason the women joined: they couldn’t connect with the rides already in LA.

Andrea “La Blackbird” Ramirez said she could never get comfortable riding with the Midnight Ridazz because men always outnumbered women. Aside from men outnumbering women during Critical Mass, Arvizo said will leave riders behind, and that can deter a young woman-rider to join a ride.

The Ovas offer a space for women, Xela said. And the rides though recreational, can become extremely personal, with some events bringing women to tears. During a stop on their ride that was themed on domestic violence, many women came forward about their experiences.

The personal nature of the rides, and the already numerous LA bike rides is the reason Xela said, why it’s exclusive to women.

“It’s just a time for women. If they are trying to open up, won’t be comfortable opening up if there are men around,” said Aguirre.

Xela, whose been a part of women collectives that have never lasted, said she knew the Ovarian-Pscyos was a different type of all woman collective at the one-year anniversary. Jocelyn “Joss the boss” Hernandez brought a cake she made and designed to the group at the end of an interview at the Boyle Heights online radio station Centro de Comunicación Comunitaria. The cake had a symbol of a car with a slash over it.

“You do that for your sister, your best friend, and she did this for the Ovas. “That’s nice”

For more information on the Ovarians, send an email to ovarian.psycos@gmail.com or go to their website at ovarianpsycos.com.

Thought a lot of you would enjoy this article.

I hope they allow in non-cis women, just sayin

"In a one‐track quest to convince women not to choose abortion, anti‐choice advocates at crisis..."

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:30:06 -0400

“In a one‐track quest to convince women not to choose abortion, anti‐choice advocates at crisis pregnancy centers may even advise women to take measures that are dangerous to their health and safety. In 12th & Delaware (documentary) a young mother of two tells a CPC counselor that she is considering abortion because her boyfriend is abusive and she needs to do what is best for her children. The counselor protests, arguing “for all you know, the baby changes him.” Suggesting a woman remain in an abusive relationship reveals that, to this counselor, women’s health and safety are hardly even afterthoughts.”

- Described incidence of one woman’s visit to a Crisis Pregnancy Center (via crisispregnancycenter)

Fuck CPC’s.

(via prochoicegeneration)

Being pregnant makes it more difficult to leave an abusive relationship, especially if the victim is financially (and emotionally and physically) dependent on their abuser, as is common. Pregnancy in an abusive relationship often escalates the danger to the victim, and increases their risk of being murdered. A person who abuses their partner is likely to abuse their child, too.

So, yeah, fuck crisis pregnancy centers.

(via bebinn)

Radical CUNTS is co-sponsoring a screening of this film this saturday with NARAL and the College Dems

proudcolors: Proud Colors, Chicano Caucus, and Make the Road...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:31:05 -0400

proudcolors:

Proud Colors, Chicano Caucus, and Make the Road New York of Jackson Heights will be having an interactive workshop on queer immigration. We will be discussing immigration and LGBT movements and see how we can make a queer immigration movement that targets this usually ignored population, and we will learn why it is important that we don’t ignore the needs of queer immigrants in the United States.
http://www.facebook.com/events/177329039051215/
Snacks and refreshments will be provided.

This event is a precursor to our queer Latin@ art exhibition this Friday, “I am Undocu-Queer!” at Lerner 555. Found here: http://www.facebook.com/events/186058794834365/

Co-Sponsored by: Columbia Office of Multicultural Affairs, Live at Lerner, Columbia Queer Alliance, Everyone Allied Against Homophobia, Lucha, Student Organization of Latin@s

"When I submit, I do it from a place of strength. I decide whether my partner is worthy of such a..."

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:05:05 -0400

“When I submit, I do it from a place of strength. I decide whether my partner is worthy of such a powerful and intimate gift, and I do not give my submission to anyone who does not both understand and appreciate the depths of what I am giving up for them. I value myself highly, and so I submit to people who realize that doing so does not make me less. I accept I am an intelligent, competent, submissive feminist – who sometimes finds her power by choosing to let it go.”

- Feminist Sex Submissive? How I Reconcile My Politics With My Sex Life | Sex & Relationships | AlterNet (via a-blog-called-everything)

“When you let university administrators or other...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:30:06 -0400

“When you let university administrators or other employers, rather than women & their doctors dictate whose medical needs are legitimate and whose are not, a woman’s health takes a back seat to a bureaucracy focused on policing her body” - Sandra Fluke

iamateenagefeminist:

God, she’s so awesome.