On this day 77 years ago, one of the most influential feminist icons was born. Angela Davis has been a leader in the women's movement, social justice, and politics. She was one of the first feminists I learned about in my women's studies course in 2008, and I fell in love with her passion. 

If you want to learn more, I highly recommend the following books:

• Angela Davis: An Autobiography
• Women, Race, and Class
• Women, Culture, and Politics
• Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement. 

Below are some quotes that I absolutely love:

This morning, I read a pretty repulsive editorial in the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It was written by Joseph Epstein, and published last Friday. 
Epstein started the article with: "Madame First Lady-Mrs. Biden-Jill-Kiddo."

• "Madame"
• "First Lady"
• "Mrs. Biden"
• "Jill"
• "Kiddo"

Where the fuck do I start here? Epstein has demeaned Dr. Jill Biden 5 times in his opening sentence. He patronized her as a woman, and put her in second class to President-Elect Joe Biden. Epstein's archaic values cannot comprehend that a woman can possibly be her own person, without being connected to a man. He became even more disrespectful when he calls her by her first name, like they are "buddies" or something. Following that is another favorite of mine: "kiddo." Listen, I'm 38. My grandfather occasionally calls me "kiddo," and I fucking hate it. It pretty much reduces me to nothing but a child. I can imagine it is just as insulting to Dr. Jill Biden when she sees the word "kiddo" in this asshat's editorial. 

Epstein goes on to offer a bit of advice: "Any chance you might drop the 'Dr' before your name? Dr. Jill Biden sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic." 
He went onto slam her degree and her dissertation. He said that a "wise man," probably his God Trump, once said that "no one should call HIMself Dr unless HE has delivered a child."

After that paragraph, he talked about how he has an HONORARY doctorate and was sometimes called "Dr Epstein" when he was a University teacher, and when he worked at the American Scholar. He then talked about how the Ph.D has become bastardized, and it seemed like anyone could get one for anything. Epstein, you received an honorary doctorate, one you did NOT work for. Jill Biden worked fervently for her degree. She earned her title. 
Just because she doesn't have a medical degree, it does NOT discredit her MD status. She teaches the next generation to be upstanding citizens, unlike Epstein, who can only watch as a WOMAN becomes more successful at life than he will ever be. 

Degrees are earned. I earned my Undergrad degree. I earned my certifications. I worked damn hard for all of it. Epstein didn't earn his honorary degree with hard work. More than likely, he gave a sizeable donation in order to earn his "doctorate." 

Jill Biden is a Doctor of Education. She may not have delivered a baby, but she teaches these babies when they are older. Doctors heal physical and mental ailments. Teachers instill a purpose in students' lives.

Mr. Epstein is a desperate Trump supporter, who is on the last leg of his life. He has nothing going on. He is a lonely and bitter old man. To demean a woman who hasn't done anything to you is just callous. Dr. Jill Biden may be the wife of our incoming President, but she is a strong woman who has her own life. She has her own identity. 
This is why we need feminism. Society does not want women to have an identity separate from a man. We are expected to do everything a man says we are supposed to do. When a male president is sworn in, the wives pause their careers and do the typical First Lady work. I love the fact that Dr. Jill Biden is challenging that stereotype.
​The Trumps and Epsteins of the world need to sit down and shut up. 

On Tuesday, the country of Scotland became the first country to make period products free to anyone that needs them. The country is hoping that offering these products will help end "period poverty." 

Scotland's first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, proudly voted for this "groundbreaking legislation" that is an "important policy for women and girls."

In 2018, Scotland made history by providing free sanitary products to all schools, universities, and colleges via a government program. England and Wales enacted similar programs at schools in 2019. 

Scotland's legislation will also have a variety of period products available, and products can be delivered to a person if need be.

This law is so incredibly helpful to females. There are so many girls and women who have no means of support during their periods. Having these products will help improve the quality of life of females in Scotland. 
I have seen horror stories in other countries, where women have to stay home from jobs because they have no sanitary products. Girls end up missing a lot of school because they do not have sanitary products.

I hope this type of legislation is approved in more countries. Thank you, Scotland, for taking care of females! 

#Scotland #sanitaryproducts #tampons #maxipads #periods #menstration #womensrights #womenshealth

​The sexualization of art pieces continues. 
Artist Maggi Hambling has found herself the victim of online criticism after she created a statue for feminist icon Mary Wollstonecraft. The statue was unveiled on November 10th in London, and was immediately met with widespread criticism. 

Novelist Jojo Moyes said that it would have been better to "commemorate Mary Wollstonecraft with her clothes on." Many agreed with this sentiment. 

Hambling responded to the criticism, saying that people have "missed the point" of the statue. 
Hambling defended her work to the Evening Standard, saying: "You can’t be naked enough can you? The point is that she has to be naked because clothes define people. We all know that clothes are limiting and she is everywoman. As far as I know, she’s more or less the shape we’d all like to be."

She added that the statue isn't of Wollstonecraft. The statue is of "everywoman."
"She’s everywoman and clothes would have restricted her. Statues in historic costume look like they belong to history because of their clothes. It’s crucial that she is ‘now’. The whole sculpture is called ‘for Mary Wollstonecraft’ and that’s crucially important. It’s not an idea ‘of’ Mary Wollstonecraft naked… the sculpture is for now."

I feel that!

For those that do not know who Mary Wollstonecraft is, she is known as the "mother of feminism." She was a pioneer of human rights. Wollstonecraft published a book called "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" in 1792. It was the earliest published work that called for gender equality. 
The book inspired women suffragists 100 years later.

I love the meaning behind Hambling's statue, and it is so relevant today.
Clothes on this "Mary Wollstonecraft" statue would have confined her, especially if she were to be clothed in true 1700s attire. It would have kept her back in her time. She shouldn't be kept back there. She is relevant today, as we are still fighting for gender equality in this world. 

The statue represents pushing boundaries by being your true naked self. She is everywoman. We shouldn't be held back in a patriarchal society. We should be kicking down barriers! Mary Wollstonecraft was centuries ahead of her time when she wrote her book about gender equality. Such a thing was unheard of back then, and it's still a struggle today. We shouldn't be held back like women were in the 1700s. We need to make bold statements, push barriers, and be strong figures in this world. 

Maggi Hambling, I salute your symbolism! The statue is beautiful, strong, feminine, and bold. She is the shape I'd like to be!

An added thought:
Why does everyone continue to clutch their pearls at a nude female body? You don't see naked male statues getting the same criticism. Double standard much?

The female body is not shameful. It's a work of art. It's an expression of freedom and power. This is why we need feminism: because both men and women are afraid of strong femininity. The fear is just another part of the patriarchal curriculum. 

#MaryWollstonecraft #feminist #feminism #art #statue #MaggiHambling

​Today is election day, and people are waiting in line to elect local and national leaders. Trump and Biden have been pleading their cases to voters for months, and today is the culmination of all that effort. 

Trump has shown himself to be a misogynistic, racist, homophobic, and xenophobic individual. He claims that women love him (and vice versa), yet he jokes about grabbing them by the pussy (sexual assault/rape jokes are NOT FUNNY). He also said he would date his own daughter Ivanka if they weren't father/daughter (do you really want an incestuous president? I sure as hell don't! That's nasty AF!), and he says the most disparaging things to women who question his motives. He doesn't condemn any violence against women, as we have seen with Governor Whitmer of Michigan. His followers orchestrated the attempted kidnapping, and all Trump did was mock her. He has disparaged Kamala Harris' name by purposely saying it wrong. He says that she isn't fit to be a President. He has insulted AOC billions of times, and he has made racist remarks about Elizabeth Warren's Native American ancestry. 
If you really think about it, he slings the most mud at strong, free thinking women!

If Trump is re-elected, the next 4 years could be the darkest 4 years of our country. In 2016, Trump had A LOT on his table that he wanted to accomplish. He couldn't do anything because the Supreme Court wasn't Republican majority. With Ruth Bader Ginsburg's sudden passing, Trump wasted no time nominating the most ultra-conservative right-winger he could find: Amy Coney Barrett. Now she sits at the highest seat of the Supreme Court, and Republicans are the majority. Trump is free to put forth anything that he wants, and this country will be flushed into the shitter. He proved this yesterday when he signed an executive order for all schools to teach "Patriotic Education." In other words, you will learn Christian white history only. Trump wants to put God and the Bible in our public schools. There are THOUSANDS of religions in this country and throughout the world. I shouldn't be surprised by any of this. Just this morning, a couple of his supporters DEFILED a Jewish Cemetery by spray-painting Trump's name on gravestones. In 2016, he wanted to make abortion illegal nationwide, and punish women who get them. 

​Just this year, Trump told a bunch of "suburban women" that he would put their husbands back to work. In Trump's mind, women don't work. Women are barefoot, pregnant, in the kitchen, cleaning the house, and being raped nightly by their caveman husbands/slave owners. 

Years ago, I read "The Women's Room," by the late, great Marilyn French. She was a radical feminist who did so much good for the second wave of feminism. In "The Women's Room," there is a quote that has stayed with me since I saw it: "Whatever they may be in public life, whatever their relationships with men, in their relationships with women, all men are rapists, and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, and their codes."
Donald Trump leads men with his rapey code of ethics. He puts the fear of God in women in order for them to submit to his will. He wants to indoctrinate our children with racist, homophobic, xenophobic, and patriarchal curriculums (Hitler did the same thing in Germany). 

Folks, we cannot let Trump win this election. Get out there and vote. Women cannot be sent to the dark ages, and our kids deserve a well-rounded education where they can be free-thinkers. We cannot be defiled by Trump and his inhumane agenda for four more years. Vote him out! Our lives, liberties, and freedoms depend on it. 

Tomorrow is Election Day, and the outcome matters more than it ever has, especially if you are a woman. 
We have two very strong contenders in Biden and Trump. 
Trump wants to take the rights of women away, and overturn Roe v Wade. It has been a wet dream of his to take away women's rights since 2016. During his campaigning in 2016, he told MSNBC's Chris Matthews that he feels abortion should be banned, and women who get an abortion should be punished. 

Fast forward 4 years, and, while Trump has not banned abortion, he has his ducks in a row to make it happen if he is re-elected. He appointed a deeply religious conservative in Amy Coney Barrett. She is outspokenly pro-life. Our rights will be in their hands, and if he gets re-elected, we can say goodbye to safe access to abortions. 
​
We will time travel back to the mid-20th century, where women would travel to Mexico to get unsafe abortions. Women were also poisoning themselves and using wire hangers in order to terminate their pregnancies. The majority of women who did these were victims of rape and incest encounters. 

This is going to happen again, and Trump wants to punish these women. Women who have been the victim of a rape or incest encounter have been through unimaginable trauma. Punishing them for this is absolutely inhumane. 
We need to keep abortion legal, and we need to get each of these women counseling. Conservatives think that women "go into Planned Parenthood, get an abortion, go home, have sex, get pregnant, and get more abortions." That's not how it works. Abortion is a very difficult decision. Women know what it entails. 

The one thing that isn't talked about, when it comes to abortion, is when men want the women to get an abortion. My ex wanted me to abort my son. He demanded it. He became dangerously psychotic when I said no to the abortion. Did I consider abortion? Yes. Why? I had just had major back surgery 5 months before getting pregnant (the pregnancy was unplanned). As soon as I considered it, I started rubbing my belly. I knew my baby was in there, and I was bonding with it. I personally could not go through with an abortion and I'm so glad I didn't.
If I didn't have that bond, I probably would have had the abortion. 

Even though I chose to keep my baby, I did go through those emotions when considering abortion. I had no one to talk to about it. 

The whole point is, women should not have this option taken away. If you don't like abortions, don't get one. The government, especially male politicians SHOULD NOT tell us women how we should handle our own bodies. Trump taking away the option of abortion, is basically him flaunting his patriarchal privilege. Women should NOT be treated like second class citizens, and we should NOT be treated like children. If it weren't for us, those conservative half-wits wouldn't have life. Women brought them into the world. Women raised them. Men owe US a great deal of gratitude. The least that male politicians can do is give us equal rights. 

Remember all this as you go to the polls tomorrow. 
Men, what if you vote for Trump tomorrow, he wins, and your daughter is savagely raped during his second term? Abortion is illegal, and the pregnancy is giving her complications. Either the pregnancy is terminated (and she lives), or she keeps the baby and she dies in a week...along with the baby? This scenario has happened in the past, and it CAN happen again. 
Please vote to protect the women in your life. Vote for equality. Vote for women's rights and control over their own body. Vote for choice.

#prochoice #abortion #election2020 #womensrights #feminism #PlannedParenthood

Lindsay Graham, the court jester in the shitshow that is the Republican party, said THE FUNNIEST thing over the weekend. The Republican Senator from South Carolina said that women need to be MORE LIKE handmaiden Amy Coney Barrett (HA!), and that if you are pro-life, if you embrace your (HIS) religion, and if you follow his version of a traditional family structure, you belong in America. 

Basically, if you are pro-choice, if you believe in women's equality, and if you are a free thinker, you aren't welcome in his America.
This is the same dude that said "black people are free to go and live in any part of South Carolina....as long as they are NOT liberal."

If that is HIS America, count me out. I am a pro-choice radical feminist who believes that Black Lives Matter, and I am an avid supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community. The America I want to see is one where everyone is UNITED. 
We can't let Lindsay Graham, Trump, or any of the other halfwits dictate how we live our lives. We need to fight hard and be our authentic selves. If you are a woman or man of color, embrace who you are! If you are not Christian, embrace your spirituality and live healthy. 

I need to make another point here, because it's boiling up inside of me. 
Lindsay Graham keeps flappin his boomer gums about who belongs and doesn't belong in America. The truth is, NONE OF US belong in America. When Christopher Columbus and his white-breed douche-canoes "discovered" this country, it was subsequently stolen from the true citizens of America: the Native Americans. Native Americans were enslaved, raped, beaten, and killed. Honestly, it sort of sounds like what Trump and his flying monkeys are doing this year. 

Lindsay Graham, your kind isn't welcome in MY America...
Go take your pill, boomer. 

In a now-deleted tweet, Girls Scouts praised the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett, saying: "Congratulations Amy Coney Barrett on becoming the 5th woman appointed to the Supreme Court since its inception in 1789." They shared an image of Barrett and the 4 female justices that came before her: Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. 

​The Girl Scouts Twitter page was quickly slammed with messages and tweets of disgust. 

​Within hours of receiving backlash, Girl Scouts issued a statement on their Twitter profile.

​The statement was met with more criticism:

Girl Scouts are no stranger to political controversy. Back in 2017, they organized plans to participate in the Inauguration of President Donald Trump. 
They may say that they have no political ties. However, they certainly are showing some serious pro-conservative vibes, especially with their praise for Amy Coney Barrett. 

I had been a huge fan of Girl Scout cookies for most of my life (I think all of us are fans of the cookies). After seeing their tweet of support, and their bullshit apology, I am BOYCOTTING Girl Scouts and telling everyone I know to boycott them. They don't care about the futures of the girls in their program. With Amy Coney Barrett as SCOTUS, women's rights will be diminished. This is what Girl Scouts of America is instilling in these little girls. They aren't teaching them to change the world. They are teaching them to be handmaidens. 

At the point, I won't even accept an apology. BOYCOTT all things Girl Scouts! 

Oh, and if anyone knows any recipes for their thin mints, tagalongs, peanut butter cookies, and caramel cookies, let me know in the comments below. Unlike the Girl Scouts of America, I know my cookies won't be made with hypocrisy and patriarchy.