Welp, this was the week that we remembered the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the US Capitol. As you might imagine, women who were there at the time felt a special kind of vulnerability, and demonstrated our special kind of strength.
From The 19th: “We almost lost our democracy”: How 38 women in Congress want you to remember January 6, 2021: Last year, The 19th asked all women members of Congress about the January 6 attack; 23 responded. One year later, they again asked all 144 women members of Congress about the attack; after at least three attempts each, 38 responded, all Democrats. Below are three of the comments (emphases mine). Please click the link for more, they’re all insightful.
Rep. Jennifer Wexton of Virginia: It was definitely a loss of innocence for us as a country. … I just felt kind of numb at the end of the day, and it was obviously a very long day. And I felt kind of like I did on September 11. Except I felt even worse, in a way, because the people attacking us were us. Right? They’re Americans.
-snip-
Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez of New Mexico: As women, we experienced the feeling of vulnerability and powerlessness in a different way because so many of us have encountered assault, abuse and rape. So we need to layer that on. As women, we are often attacked, and I think that is something you keep in mind. So what do you do? You say: “What do I have in my control to strengthen my ability to withstand any of that?”
-snip-
Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri: I’m still hopeful, because there are people who aren’t allowing this to just go away. They aren’t allowing the insurrection to just be rewritten. There are people all over this country who are not only fighting this on the federal level, but they’re fighting it in their state and local governments, fighting it on school boards. I’m hopeful because I still have this desire in my heart to fight this to the end, and there’s nobody that I fear that would make me turn back and go the other way.
We keep fighting.
In Other News
Healthcare
Tennessee: Knoxville Planned Parenthood fire was arson, investigators say. This was covered here by Aysha Qamar, but I made a comment there that I think bears repeating: IMHO, this and all Planned Parenthood clinics should have a billboard just outside with a big list of the services that they provide in addition to abortion. It certainly won’t discourage every potential arsonist, but some have a genuine if warped idea that they are “killing babies”. They might be reluctant to get rid of one of the few sources of free-to-affordable health care for women, babies and children, including prenatal care. In the case of the Knoxville Clinic, it is the only PP in Eastern Tennessee. Also, such a sign will let women know that they can enter the PP building for these services. If they are the poorest of the poor, they may not have access to technology to find these services online.
From undark.org & TexasTribune How the Texas Abortion Law Affects Transgender People
Hate and violence
The number of visits to hate-filled “incel” forums, where users discuss raping women, has increased more than fivefold in nine months, data shows.
Since March, UK web traffic to three of the largest incel — meaning involuntary celibate — websites has grown from 114,420 monthly visits to 638,505 in November,'
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/…
From TheConversation What the Epstein/Maxwell sex trafficking case and trial revealed about female sex offenders [a bit of a mistitle, as the article discusses research on female sex offenders in general, not just Maxwell; however, the case did bring awareness to the public that female sex offenders exist]:
Arrest and conviction rates may underrepresent the actual number of female sex offenders because those who have been assaulted by a woman are less likely to report the abuse. It is believed this results from social norms that define sexual assault as being perpetrated by men, and rape myths that say boys should always want sex or could not be overpowered by a woman.
Female offenders are also less likely than men to be arrested and convicted. And, if they are convicted, they typically receive shorter sentences than male offenders.
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In testimony and interviews, Epstein’s victims report that the presence of Maxwell before and during the assaults made them feel that they were safe. The victims questioned their feelings that what was happening was actually rape or sexual assault. They report ignoring red flags because they felt that if Maxwell acted as if the situation were normal, they must be wrong in feeling violated.
More details at the link, especially how common this is and the forms such exploitation can take.
International
From Reuters & Ha'aretz January 3 Jordanian Women Added to the Kingdom's Constitution After Parliament Brawl ....[or WERE they?]
Jordanian deputies traded punches during a debate last week on constitutional amendments that are meant to protect women's rights, but as one lawmaker admitted, offer little beyond 'linguistic equality'.
Jordanian lawmakers approved on Sunday a largely symbolic amendment to the kingdom's constitution on women's rights, less than a week after the parliament's debate on the vote turned into a massive brawl.
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Lawmakers also voted to include new language on “empowering young people and women” that stipulates the state guarantee women “play an active role in building society in a way that … protects them from all forms of violence and discrimination.”
A third amendment approved by the lower house is meant to protect the rights of people with disabilities.
China moves to overhaul protections for women's rights, sort of:
The contradictions were clear in a recent article in the Global Times, a Communist Party-owned tabloid, about Chinese feminist advocacy. While the article hailed the proposed legal revisions as a “landmark move,” it also denounced “spooky ‘feminism’” and derided the “so-called MeToo movement” as yet another Western cudgel against China.
Feminist activists have warned against giving the revisions too much weight.
New political cry in South Korea: "Out with man haters":
South Korea is reckoning with a new type of political correctness enforced by angry young men who bristle at any forces they see as undermining opportunity - and feminists, in their mind, are enemy No. 1. Inequality is one of the most delicate issues in South Korea, a nation with deepening economic uncertainty, fed by runaway housing prices, a lack of jobs and a widening income gap.
Of course men still have all the advantages, but nevertheless feel discriminated against. Eye roll.
France: From The Guardian, January 3, 2022: https://www.theguardian.com/...
Feminist campaigners in France call for tougher government action to combat violence against women and girls after three women were allegedly killed by their current or former partner on the first day of 2022.
A 28-year-old military recruit was stabbed to death, and a 21-year-old man, also a soldier, was arrested. Investigators were looking into a possible femicide.
The body of a 56-year-old woman with a knife in her chest found after neighbours reported a violent dispute. The victim’s husband was questioned by police and was due to appear before a judge.
A 45-year-old woman's strangled body found in the boot of a car - police were interviewing the woman’s ex-husband, and their 24-year-old son, in whose vehicle the body was allegedly discovered.
Also:
France vows action on on femicide after 3 more women killed:
The French government on Tuesday promised to step up the fight against femicide after three women were found dead in different parts of the country on New Year's Day, in suspected domestic violence attacks.
The incidents, which took place within a span of 24 hours, have sparked an outcry by feminist campaigners who accuse President Emmanuel Macron's government of having failed to protect women.
"There were more than 100 femicides in 2021 and already since the start of the year three new murders committed in scandalous conditions," Prime Minister Jean Castex told parliament on Tuesday.
See also: France declared the most dangerous country for women!
Intersectional
From High Country News: Indigenous feminism flows through the fight for water rights on the Rio Grande:
“It was a fight to protect water, but also protect culture, respect treaties,” Bernal said. “It taught me a lot about how any sort of planning initiative is going to include some sort of justice component if you’re dealing with Indigenous peoples.”
Later that year, Bernal helped found the Pueblo Action Alliance, which she directs. The organization, which prioritizes youth involvement, aims to advocate for the pueblos’ water rights and explain their complex history. Bernal is determined, she said, to “ensure that not just tribal nations but communities also have participation in decision-making processes.”
Bernal is not alone — far from it. She is part of an intergenerational group of Pueblo women working, advocating and organizing on behalf of the 19 pueblo nations and their right to be policy leaders when it comes to the future of the Rio Grande. Bernal and her contemporaries fight on several fronts at once: Convincing state and local governments to recognize their legal water rights; getting those rights quantified by the courts; and navigating the reality that pueblo nations have to depend on federal officials to actually enforce the existing water-quality regulations. The state has put the pueblos in a tenuous position regarding water rights, particularly given the two-decade-long drought, and these community leaders are done waiting for the state and federal governments to act.
Much more at the link!
Good News
From Alaska Highway News: #MomLife: Looking to 2022: A Feminist Look Forward:
My article this week was inspired by a recent article my feminist father forwarded to me from Canada’s National Observer that suggested that the new climate revolution will be led by women. This got me thinking about all the other fabulous female leaders around the world that we’ve seen arise in the last couple years, from political leaders navigating us through the pandemic to social activist fighting for a better world.
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Cheers to the Women Clearing the Path
Despite the social, economic, and political obstacles, women all over the world are making important and powerful differences in the world. Perhaps it’s because for us the status has never been quite quo, but more women are taking up the torch and address global issues like the pandemic, climate change, and systemic racism. Jane Goodall said that “the greatest danger to our future is apathy” and here are a few women who are doing anything but that as we enter 2022.
A Nod to Our Canadian Pandemic Leaders
Though I know that they are not popular among a select few in our town (and I’m sure a vocal few will have some choice words), but I have to tip my hat to Dr. Bonnie Henry and Dr. Theresa Tam. Not only have they essentially put their careers on hold to take on currently one of the most stressful jobs in Canada making impossible decisions, but they have braved the role of human punching bag by the angry internet who often have little understanding of the realities the COVID-19 pandemic has produced. You have my upmost respect and I’m proud to have you both at the helm.
More notable women at the link!
US names two women to senior diplomatic posts for Afghanistan:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed Rina Amiri as a special envoy for Afghan women, girls and human rights on Wednesday.
Amiri has spent two decades advising governments, the UN and think-tanks on issues related to Afghanistan. Under former US President Barack Obama, she served as a senior adviser to the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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Blinken also named Stephenie Foster, a Department of State veteran, as a new senior adviser for women and girls to US operations to evacuate and resettle Afghans at risk of retaliation from the Taliban after it took over the country.
At least, I hope this is good news, and the women will be able to champion Afghan women and stay safe at the same time.
Women who will appear on quarters in 2022:
Among the diverse group of women being honored are a celebrated poet and civil rights activist, the first woman in space, the first Chinese American movie star, the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and the first woman to serve as superintendent of the Santa Fe public schools.
The women being honored were selected following an expansive selection process. Last year, the National Women's History Museum website launched a portal allowing people to submit names of women they would like to see honored. More than 11,000 names were submitted in four months.
Kentucky!: Artists receive activism grants from women's foundation:
The Kentucky Foundation for Women has awarded 42 Art Meets Activism Grants totaling $225,183 to feminist artists and social change organizations from across the state.
These artists and organizations received grants to advance social change through feminist-led, arts-based activities in communities throughout Kentucky.
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The Kentucky Foundation for Women is a private foundation formed in 1985 by Louisville writer Sallie Bingham. Its mission is to promote positive social change by supporting varied feminist expression in the arts.
That “flyover country” isn’t so monolithic, as it turns out! A large sampling of the funded KY artists and organisations is detailed at the above link. Check it out, they are interesting projects, maybe you’ll be inspired!
Take Action
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As always, TWITWOW is a group effort. Many thanks to mettle fatigue, Angmar, and officebss for links and discussion this week!