Today is the Day of Silence,

a student-led national event that brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. Students from middle school to college take some form of a vow of silence in an effort to encourage schools and classmates to address the problem of anti-LGBT behavior. The event is designed to illustrate the silencing effect of this bullying and harassment on LGBT students and those perceived to be LGBT.

The DOS organizers explain:

As the Day of Silence approaches we’ve been getting lots of questions and comments along two similar but distinct threads on our various websites and in our email.

1) Do I need to be silent all day? Can I communicate at all? Can I blog/tweet/facebook?

2) Being silent doesn’t help and only perpetuates the problem. We should be speaking out.

The answer to both of these is similar: being silent has been and continues to be a very powerful way to create positive dialogue around the problem of anti-LGBT bullying for many students across the country. However, each person who participates in the Day of Silence has a different way of participating.

For some, the best way to participate is by being completely silent, including not participating in online communication. For others, the best way to participate is by spending the day speaking out about the issues of LGBT bullying. Some who participate get limited approval from their schools for their participation and so can only be silent during breaks between classes. There are many ways of participation ranging from complete silence to no silence.

The point is that the DOS is a day to bring attention to the problem of anti-LGBT bullying and each person who participates must determine how they can best use, or not use, their voice to do that. If you feel you will have the deepest positive impact by remaining completely silent and have the appropriate approvals to do so then go for it. If you feel that in your situation, you can have a deeper positive impact by speaking out then that should be your way of observing. No one can make that determination but you.

Your voice, whether silent or loud, WILL make a difference this Friday and the Day of Silence will speak volumes.

The DOS isn’t just for students, however. Adults can participate as well, by signing the pledge of solidarity; speaking out against anti-LGBTQ prejudice and bullying; observing a day of silence, whatever form that may take; Tweeting about the DOS; writing about the DOS on Facebook, your blog or similar; silencing your blog; and/or wearing red or rainbow-colored clothing.

In observance of the Day of Silence, easyVegan.info will remain silent for the rest of the day. Please take this opportunity to check out the Day of Silence blog and website, and educate yourself about LGBTQ issues.

The Get Active! section of this site also features links to a number of human rights organizations, including the following:

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) * Action Center * E-Mail Subscriptions * Lesbian & Gay Rights

Amnesty International * Action Center * E-Mail Subscriptions * OUTfront!

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) * Action Center

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) * Action Center * E-Mail Subscriptions

People for the American Way (PFAW) * Action Center * E-Mail Subscriptions

Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) * Action Center

Like many of you, I assume, I focus most of my energy and attention on animal advocacy issues because I believe that, generally speaking, non-human animals are the single most abused and exploited group of individuals on the planet. As such, I have the potential to make the greatest impact in this area.

Yet, it’s critical we realize that all social and environmental justice causes are equally important and in need of our support. While we may choose to concentrate on one area or issue, it’s absolutely imperative that we consciously refrain from adding to the suffering of and further marginalizing other groups in the process. This means – at the very least – making a concerted effort not to engage in sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ageism, ableism, sizeism, colonialism, xenophobia, etc., in the course of our animal advocacy efforts.

Just as it’s morally wrong to mistreat and exploit non-human animals based on arbitrary criteria like species membership, so too is it morally wrong to mistreat lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and transsexual persons due to such arbitrary criteria as sexual orientation and gender identity.

I hope you’ll join me in this day of silence and solidarity.

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Updated to add:

Immediately after posting this entry, I saw at Bitch Magazine this memorial for Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover, an 11-year-old boy from Springfield, Massachusetts, who took his own life on April 6. The suicide came after months of bullying at the hands of classmates; ‘girlie,’ ‘gay’ and ‘fag’ were just a few of the slurs hurled at Carl – who would have turned 12 today.

Please take a moment to leave an encouraging note for Carl’s family.

Words matter.

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Tagged: day of silence dos intersections parallel oppressions events dos lgbtq homophobia transphobia gender identity sexual orientation action alerts solidarity

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Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that Obama’s chosen the homobigoted, woman-hating pastor Rick Warren to give the Inaugural invocation. Setting aside the issue of whether an invocation, delivered at a government event, is even appropriate, it’s really shitty of Obama to choose Warren, friendship and shared ideologies aside.

As PFAW President Kathryn Kolbert noted,

Pastor Warren, while enjoying a reputation as a moderate based on his affable personality and his church’s engagement on issues like AIDS in Africa, has said that the real difference between James Dobson and himself is one of tone rather than substance. He has recently compared marriage by loving and committed same-sex couples to incest and pedophilia. He has repeated the Religious Right’s big lie that supporters of equality for gay Americans are out to silence pastors. He has called Christians who advance a social gospel Marxists. He is adamantly opposed to women having a legal right to choose an abortion.

I’m sure that Warren’s supporters will portray his selection as an appeal to unity by a president who is committed to reaching across traditional divides. Others may explain it as a response to Warren inviting then-Senator Obama to speak on AIDS and candidate Obama to appear at a forum, both at his church. But the sad truth is that this decision further elevates someone who has in recent weeks actively promoted legalized discrimination and denigrated the lives and relationships of millions of Americans.

The Obama camp’s “leaked talking points,” as reported in HuffPo, are, well, laughable:

At his press conference on Thursday, Barack Obama for the first time addressed the flurry of protest that has erupted over the choice of Rick Warren to give the inaugural invocation.

Stressing his own advocacy of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans, the president-elect raised a relevant anecdote from his biography as a defense.

“Advocacy of equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans”? What the fuck is he smoking? A supporter of “civil unions” – for reasons that basically amount to religion and “tradition” – Obama is a-ok with allowing individual states to decide whether GLBT couples should be granted the same civil rights that heterosexual folks enjoy. How’s that advocating “equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans,” again?

A reader at HuffPo said it best:

I was very enthusiastic to have Obama as my president for the most part but I always had reservations about his commitment to GBLT issues and this is more than disappointing. I wonder if people would be saying, “it’s not that big of a deal, give him some slack” if someone of the ilk of David Duke or a virulent Holocaust deny-er was invited to give the invocation, you know, in the spirit of unity and to be open and inclusive. Why is it ok for a spokesperson of the anti-gay movement to be included and not recognized as a step too far into so-called post partisanship ? Why is Warren’s AIDS work supposed to mollify angry GBLT voters? Is AIDS still only erroneously considered a gay thing in America, so if you are doing work for that you are, by default working for the gay community? Why can’t even progressives understand what a stinging slap in the face to the GBLT community it is to have a vocal, active, and powerful homophobe given a platform no matter how large or small that platform may be?

Somehow, I doubt it.

* Bah, it isn’t even “change.”

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Tagged: barack obama rick warren glbt homophobia homophobe misogyny misogynist abortion reproductive rights inauguration

Background here, here and here.

And also, Proposition 8: The Musical!

Via the entire internets.

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Tagged: rebellyon feminism amanda palmer prop 8 the musical jack black glbt video funny or die belly shots

My Animals & Women and Misogyny sets have proven especially popular. Usually, people – by which I mean fellow feminists and/or veg*ns – agree with the ways in which I’ve tagged, filed and otherwise categorized the photos.

Few people seem to concur with my assessment of these ads from Harley Davidson, however. Browsers of the interwebs do not like that I filed these in the Misogyny set.

So I ask you, dear readers – Harley Davidson’s Bikes for Women ads: Sexist/homophobic or empowerful?

My initial reaction when spotting this series at Ads of the World was laughter. The thought of some biker dood, stuck at home doing the cooking, cleaning and childcare, while his “old lady” was out cruising the town on her “hog,” struck my fancy. “Damn skippy!,” I giggled with glee.

And then I considered what Harley Davidson’s core demographic – biker doodz – might think of the ads. I realized that they, too, would get a good guffaw at the thought of one of their own stuck at home doing womanly chores…but probably not for the same reasons I do.

Being one of those hairy-legged feminists, naturally I read the ad through a feminist lens: Harley Davidson is celebrating independent, rebellious women, while hinting at their menfolk that they ought to do their fair share of the housework. Yay Harley!

When Mr. Biker Dood reads this ad, his interpretation is probably more along the lines of: Teehee, look at that [insert gay slur here]! He let his [insert misogynist slur here] take off and leave him with all the [insert misogynist slur here] work. I wonder if he buys the family tampons, too? Hell, I bet he and his feminazi wife bleed on the same cycle. What a [insert gay and/or misogynist slur here]!

Given that Mr. Biker Dood is what you might call Harley’s “base,” I’m inclined to think that Mr. Biker Dood’s reading of these ads speaks to the deeper meaning Harley was trying to convey through the scenarios they presented. Namely, that what’s “humorous” about the prospect of a man doing “woman’s work” isn’t that the woman finally got hers, and isn’t that swell, but that the thought of a man doing laundry, cooking dinner and caring for kids is just so outrageously abnormal that you can’t help but laugh. After all, these aren’t feminized homos we’re talking about – they’re big, burly, dirty, course manly-men. Reduced to women through the power of Harley hogs, and isn’t that funny?

Of course, I could be wrong. Feel free to tell me as much in the comments.

But at least do me the favor of trashing me over here. A girl deserves the chance to defend herself, no?

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Tagged: harley harley davidson women misogyny sexism homophobia housework glbt masculinity photos flickr

1. Volunteer to foster a soldier’s companion animal(s) while he or she is stationed overseas.

There exist very few programs to help members of the military care for their companion animals while they are stationed overseas. Unless soldiers can recruit a family member to house and care for their “pets” while they are away, soldiers are forced to relinquish their animals – to a “pound,” a shelter, or an adoption group.

Between 6 and 8 millions dogs and cats enter U.S. shelters every year. Of these, half are euthanized murdered.

By fostering a soldier’s companion animal(s), you can save an animal’s life, and also ensure a happy reunion between a soldier and her furry friend(s) when she returns from serving her country – i.e., you.

How it works: many of the programs I’ve seen match potential foster homes with soldiers in need, based on a number of factors, including location, type of animal, and caregiver preferences. These groups are generally nonprofits, and finances are limited; consequently, veterinary and food costs, as well as terms and conditions, are usually negotiated between the soldier and caregiver.

To get started, check out Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet and Operation Noble Foster.

If you live near a U.S. military base, you may also want to check with local veterinarians to see if they can help match you up with soldiers in need locally. Alternately, you can coordinate with your local veterinarians to start a grassroots foster program in your area – even if you yourself are not in a position to foster an animal.

2. Lift the ban – help repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

According to Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), 12,500 service members have been discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Visit SLDN today to find out how you can help repeal DODT, which is essentially discrimination written into federal law. In a word, unconstitutional.

Three places to start:

- Sign SLDN’s petition to Congress to pass the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal DODT.

- Write to your Congressional representatives and urge them to repeal DODT.

- Make an online contribution. “The Servicemembers Legal Defense Network provides free legal service for LGBT service members. SLDN is also leading the charge to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” and replace it with a non-discrimination policy.”

3. Contact President-elect Barack Obama, Vice President-elect Joe Biden, and your Senators and Representative; ask them to provide increased funding for the care of injured veterans.

According to a report by the RAND Corporation, Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery,

Nearly 20 percent of military service members who have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan — 300,000 in all — report symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder or major depression, yet only slightly more than half have sought treatment.

In addition, researchers found about 19 percent of returning service members report that they experienced a possible traumatic brain injury while deployed, with 7 percent reporting both a probable brain injury and current PTSD or major depression. [...]

Researchers concluded that a major national effort is needed to expand and improve the capacity of the mental health system to provide effective care to service members and veterans. The effort must include the military, veteran and civilian health care systems, and should focus on training more providers to use high-quality, evidence-based treatment methods and encouraging service members and veterans to seek needed care.

Since October 2001, about 1.6 million U.S. troops have deployed to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, with many exposed to prolonged periods of combat-related stress or traumatic events. Early evidence suggests that the psychological toll of the deployments may be disproportionately high compared with physical injuries.

Furthermore, PTSD impacts female servicemembers – who are at an increased risk of experiencing sexual assault while in the military – at a greater rate than their male counterparts:

About one out of seven female veterans of Afghanistan or Iraq who visit a Veterans Affairs center for medical care report being a victim of sexual assault or harassment during military duty, a study reports today.

More than half of these women have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A similar proportion of male veterans with sexual traumas have PTSD, but fewer than one out of 100 men who had recent deployments say they were harassed or sexually assaulted in the military, the report says.

Of course, physical injuries are prevalent as well; according to DOD statistics, 32,977 troops have thus far been injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Furthermore,

As of August 1, 2008, DOD reported 1,214 individuals who are amputees, of whom 877 have suffered major limb amputations. Of the 1,214 total amputees, 606 (49.9%) were wounded by improvised explosive devices. [...]

As of July 2008, DOD reported a total of 8,089 servicemembers suffering from traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs. Of those, 5,792 (71.6%) sustained their injuries due to a blast, 916 (11.3%) sustained their injuries due to a fall, 495 (6.1%) sustained their injuries due to a vehicular incident, 401 (5.0%) sustained their injuries due to fragments, 190 (2.3%) sustained their injuries due to a bullet, and 295 (or 3.6%) sustained their injuries due to other causes. Of the 5,852 cases of TBI in the Army, 5,150 (88.0%) were counted as mild, 350 (6.0%) were counted as moderate, and 349 (6.0%) were counted as “severe” (an additional 3 cases were not recorded).

Contact President-elect Obama and VP-elect Biden, as well as your incoming and/or returning Congressional reps, and urge them to provide increased funding and improved care and outreach for our veterans. Also, encourage them to focus on the the issue of rape and sexual assault in the military, which disproportionately affects our nation’s female servicemembers.

- Contact President Obama here, here and here.

- Contact VP Biden here.

- Find your Senators and Representative here.

4. In the meantime, make a donation to help care for injured veterans.

Some suggestions:

- The Fisher House: “Supporting America’s military in their time of need, we provide “a home away from home” that enables family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time — during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury.”

- Yellow Ribbon Fund: “The Yellow Ribbon Fund was created in early 2005 to assist our injured service members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center.”

- Wounded Warrior Project: “The mission of the Wounded Warrior Project is to honor and empower wounded warriors.”

- Disabled American Veterans: “With more than 1.4 million members, Disabled American Veterans is an organization of disabled veterans who are focused on building better lives for disabled veterans and their families. The organization accomplishes this goal by providing free assistance to veterans in obtaining benefits and services earned through their military service. It is fully funded through its membership dues and public contributions. It is not a government agency and receives no government funds.”

- The Blinded Veterans Association: “The Blinded Veterans Association (BVA) is an organization of blinded veterans helping blinded veterans. Through our service programs, regional groups, resources, and advocacy before the legislative and executive branches of government, we hope to make life better for blinded veterans. We also hope to be there with encouragement and support. There is no charge for any BVA service and membership is not a prerequisite to obtain help. All legally blinded veterans are also eligible for BVA’s assistance whether they become blind during or after active duty military service.”

Visit the DOD’s Military Homefront for additional “Community Support Links.”

Of course, be sure to consult Charity Navigator to evaluate and compare nonprofits before making a donation.

5. Health care professionals, volunteer your services to help injured veterans recover.

On Memorial Day, the AP reported on “donated mental health services” to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan:

Thousands of private counselors are offering free services to troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with mental health problems, jumping in to help because the military is short on therapists. [...]

There are only 1,431 mental health professionals among the nation’s 1.4 million active-duty military personnel, said Terry Jones, a Pentagon spokesman on health issues.

About 20,000 more full- and part-time professionals provide health care services for the Veterans Administration and the Pentagon. They include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers and substance abuse counselors. [...]

About 300,000 of those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are estimated to have anxiety or post-traumatic stress, a recent private study said. Add in spouses left home to manage families and households without their partner as well as children deprived of parents during long or repeated tours of duty, and the number with problems balloons to 1 million.

If you’d like to volunteer your services, contact Give An Hour, The Soldiers Project, or The Coming Home Project.

These programs accept monetary donations as well.

6. Hire an (injured) veteran.

If you are a small business owner, or are in the position to influence your company’s hiring decisions, please consider employing an injured veteran – or a veteran, period.

Start at Hire Vets First, a “comprehensive career website for hiring veterans of America’s military. Whether you’re a manager, human resources specialist, or veteran, you’ll find the resources you need for matching employment opportunities with veterans.”

Remember, injuries can be both physical and psychological.

7. Bring the troops home – with their furry friends.

While stationed overseas, troops may befriend and unofficially “adopt” local stray animals, including cats and dogs. When their tours are over and it’s time to return home, the military is unable and unwilling to assist in the transport of these animals back to the states. Whereas the importance of the human-animal bond is recognized by mental health professionals, and can even prove healing to those with mental and physical health issues, being forced to abandon a beloved companion – in the middle of a war zone, nonetheless – can prove traumatic for already-traumatized servicemembers.

Luckily, Operation Baghdad Pups is trying to fill the gaps in our governments’ misguided policy:

Operation Baghdad Pups assists in transporting to the United States dogs and cats adopted by soldiers serving overseas.

In many cases, the pets become not only camp mascots, but provide comfort and companionship while the soldiers are far from home, says SPCA spokeswoman Stephanie Scroggs.

Ms. Crisp (left) greets Kujo, a dog rescued by an American soldier in Iraq. A cat named Jasmine (above) is also among new arrivals at Dulles.

Technically, military regulations bar soldiers from caring for animals found while on active duty overseas. However, humanity sometimes trumps rules when a soggy and homeless animal needs care.

“We started the program earlier this year when we heard from a soldier who had tried everything to bring the unit mascot, Charlie, home with him,” she says. “The military will not bring animals to the States.”

Charlie, who was once malnourished and flea-ridden, now lives near Fort Bragg, N.C., with that solider, Sgt. Edward Watson of the Army’s 82nd Airborne. The border collie arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport on Valentine’s Day.

“Leaving him behind was not something I was looking forward to,” Sgt. Watson says from North Carolina as Charlie barks at a neighbor cutting the grass. “This program is definitely an awesome thing.” [...]

There is strict criteria: The animals must have a home to go to in the United States, and they need to have been adopted by soldiers who have taken care of them from a young age, Ms. Scroggs says.

“We do not hope to be animal control for the Middle East,” she says. “We are helping American soldiers by bringing home the animals they love.”

You can learn more and donate to Operation Baghdad Pups – a project of the SPCA – here.

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Tagged: action alert veterans day observances holidays animals animal rights animal welfare pet companion animal foster operation baghdad pups Guardian Angels for Soldier’s Pet Operation Noble Foster glbt DODT don’t ask, don’t tell Servicemembers Legal Defense Network sldn ptsd rape sexual assault mental health counseling therapy links donate volunteer

On the steps of your City Hall on November 15th at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST, our community WILL take to the streets and speak out against Proposition 8 and all of the other pro-equality losses that we have faced in our lifetimes, in our parents’ lifetimes, and for many generations before us. WE CAN’T DO THIS ALONE! WE NEED YOUR HELP! We need organizers in every major city to work with us and get out the protest! I know you’re all tired from all of the work you’ve done for this great election year, but I’m asking for one more push! Let the country hear our voices together. Let them see that we are a strong, adamant, and powerful community that deserves equal rights, and CAN’T BE DEFEATED!

Send this post to everyone! We have one week and must react to the pro-hate votes cast against us! Let’s help our LGBTQ friends, families, neighbors, and each other to IMPACT this country with a demand for our basic human rights! Join the cause, join the voice, and JOIN THE IMPACT!

You can look up your city and protest location here.

(Via Lindsay @ Female Impersonator.)

I also quite like this protest suggestion from Thomas, blogging at Feministe:

Today is a day of both triumphs and disasters. When we went to bed last night, We were not saved, if maybe a little more than We had been the day before. And this morning We are more broken than We were when We went to bed. But today as yesterday, We fail, and We fall short, and We do the wrong thing, and our country is broken. So I’m not celebrating. And that the ways We fail often benefit me personally isn’t a comfort — it’s a rebuke of my complicity. Every day I benefit from it I cheat people who’ve never wronged me; who I’ve never met.

I’m going downstairs now to the drugstore near my office, and I’m going to get some black electrical tape, and I’m going to wear it over my wedding band, and I’m going to tell people that what happened is wrong. I need to do whatever I can to fix this, so that when my kids are old enough to ask, I have a better answer than “No We Can’t.”

Alas, the Mr. and I don’t have wedding bands (we bought a minivan for traveling with the doggies instead), but perhaps we’ll don rings of black tape anyway. I invite y’all to do the same, whether you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, hetero, married or single.

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Tagged: prop 8 proposition 8 action alerts protest glbt marriage rights human rights constitution marriage 2008 election join the impact november 15

Now if only they’d tackle the word “bitch” in similar fashion. Double points for a PSA criticizing our collective tendency to judge powerful females by their physical appearance as opposed to, you know, their actual qualifications (think the Hillary Clinton/Sarah Palin SNL skit).

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Tagged: glbt the ad council gay wanda sykes

Spoiler alert: Danger ahead, oh the horra! Plot spoilers abound! If you haven’t yet read the book, consider yourself warned. In fact, back away from this blog asap, go borrow The Handmaid’s Tale from your local library, and come back when you’re done. We’ll still be on the internets, promise.

Race, Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation: Gilead is a Society of Isms

In addition to being a misogynistic society, Gilead is also a racist and homophobic society. Unlike misogyny, however, The Handmaid’s Tale is notable for what it does not say about race and homosexuality.

In her narration, Kate very rarely mentions race. When describing people, skin color is almost never explicitly referenced. Through subtle clues, we can discern that many of the main characters in The Handmaid’s Tale are white: Kate describes her brown hair, the Commander’s silver hair, Serena Joy’s blond hair, Nick’s angular French facial features, Ofglen’s pink, plump face, Janine’s pink nose. Nameless Guardians have peach-colored mustaches and pale faces. Gilead is overwhelmingly white – except for its laborers. Rita and Cora, Commander Fred’s Marthas, are women of color. We know this of Rita because Kate describes her “brown arm”, but can only assume this of Cora.

Kate describes Marthas as women whose previous work in the domestic sphere has instilled in them a compliant, subservient nature. Wiki defines Marthas as “infertile women whose compliant nature and domestic skills recommend them to a life of domestic servitude.” (I’m paraphrasing Kate’s description, as I was unable to locate the exact quote.) While there’s some speculation as to whether Marthas are African Americans – thus conjuring America’s history of slavery – it’s unclear whether all the Marthas share the same race and ethnicity, or if any women of color who are appropriately subservient and compliant are given the option of working as Marthas as opposed to dying in The Colonies. It is my impression that Rita and Cora are Latinas, based on Rita’s “brown arms” and their first names. Additionally, while I was unable to locate the demographics of domestic workers in the U.S., Diana Vellos claims that “Latinas today constitute the largest category of women entering the domestic labor force in the United States. Many of these women are undocumented workers.”

Whatever their heritage, it seems as though Marthas are the only people of color living in Gilead. Most likely, any other non-white Americans were killed or sent to The Colonies as manual laborers.

Even though they are the only WOC in Gilead – and must stick out in the sea of otherwise white faces – the Marthas remain remarkably invisible in Gileadean society. Take, for example, this comment from Kate:

Rita is in here, standing at the kitchen table…She’s in her usual Martha’s dress, which is dull green, like a surgeon’s gown of the time before. The dress is much like mine in shape, long and concealing but with a bib apron over it and without the white wings and the veil. She puts on he veil to go outside, but nobody much cares who sees the face of a Martha.

Unlike the oversexualized Handmaids, Marthas are viewed as asexual; fit for lives of domestic servitude and little else. Like ovens, blenders and other assorted household appliances, Marthas are part of the background, objects to serve a purpose. They share this quality of objectification and property status with the Handmaids, but because they are non-white and/or infertile, they are not considered as valuable pieces of property as the Handmaids.

We do not see any men of color in Gilead, perhaps because they have all been doomed to a life of backbreaking labor in The Colonies.

Homosexuality receives more attention in The Handmaid’s Tale, most likely because modern-day Christian fundamentalists spend a disproportionate amount of time wringing their hands over the specter of gay sex. Homosexuality is strictly forbidden in Gilead. This stands to reason, as all non-procreative sex is against the law, but there’s also a great deal of Biblically justified homophobia in Gileadean society. Homosexuality is a crime, and “gender traitors” may be executed or sent to The Colonies. (Although it’s unclear whether the prohibition is on homosexual sex or a homosexual orientation.)

Moira, Kate’s best friend during college and a recurring character during Gilead’s reign, is in fact a lesbian. She came to The Red Center after she was apprehended by the Gileadean government and charged with “gender treachery”. Her choice of punishment? Become a Handmaid, or work in The Colonies.

Moira is perhaps the single most likable character in The Handmaid’s Tale. While Kate is timid, fearful, a self-preservationist, Moira is the rebellious nonconformist, the likely hero of the story. Moira makes several escape attempts, even finding her way to the Underground Femaleroad before she’s captured and sent to work as a Jezebel. Kate, on the other hand, withdraws from Ofglen when she’s asked to spy on her Commander for the May Day rebels. There are several points in the story when Kate has the opportunity to help bring about Gilead’s destruction, if even in a minuscule way, yet she always loses her nerve. In the end, it is Kate who escapes, but only through the graces of others, while a drug-addled Moira remains at Jezebel’s, resigned to her fate.

It hardly seems fair, yet little in The Handmaid’s Tale is.

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The Handmaid’s Tale(s): Table of Contents

1. The Handmaid’s Tale, The Book (Margaret Atwood, 1985): Intro & Plot Summary

2. Misogyny & the Oppression of Women

3. Race, Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation: Gilead is a Society of Isms

4. The Patriarchy Hurts Men, Too (or, “But What About Teh Menz!!!1!?”)

5. A Theocracy is Harmful to Believers and Infidels Alike

6. Hypocrites, Egotists & Apologists: Who’s Sorry Now?

7. Dear Dystopian Deniers

8. The Handmaid’s Tale, The Film (Volker Schlöndorff, 1990)

9. The Handmaid’s Tale, The Dramatization (BBC Radio 4, 2000)

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Tagged: margaret atwood the handmaid’s tale books book review literature fiction dystopian scifi science fiction politics theocracy christian fundamentalist godbags feminism religion misogyny racism homophobia classism oppression patriarchy ibtp sex reproductive rights flickr photos

“I do.”

After 55 years together, lifelong progressive activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon proclaimed their commitment at 5:01 pm last night and became a legally married couple in the eyes of the state of California.

Del and Phyllis, and more than 20 other couples, fought a long battle challenging the constitutionality of California’s marriage law. And on May 15, they won, on the basic principle that all Californians are equal under the State Constitution, and none of them should be discriminated against.

Today we’re celebrating this milestone with these remarkable women, and with other couples like them. In many wedding ceremonies, friends and family pledge to support the couple in their new life together. I’m asking you to join as a witness to history by adding your name and comments to a guestbook in celebration of Del and Phyllis and the thousands of other gay and lesbian couples tying the knot in California. We’ll be presenting Phyllis and Del with a hardbound version of the book as a wedding gift.

Please add your name and wishes to the guestbook.

If the photos coming out of California since Monday don’t melt your heart…well, you don’t have one.

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Tagged: Del Martin Phyllis Lyon gay marriage california people for the american way pfaw action alerts glbt

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom brought something old to the wedding ceremony he officiated Monday afternoon—traditional marriage vows that elicited laughter from the guests who came to see Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon get hitched.

“The contract of marriage is most solemn. It is not to be entered into lightly, but thoughtfully and seriously,” Newsom told Martin, 87, and Lyon, 83, who have been together for 55 years.

The audience of friends, relatives and elected officials burst into good-natured chuckles.

After the pair exchanged rings and promised to keep each other in sickness and in health as long as they both shall live, the mayor reminded them that “Love’s compassion is the glory of life. Never take each other for granted,” another comment that seemed to strike an odd note under the circumstances.

Newsom got his last laugh from the appreciative crowd when he said he was pronouncing Martin and Lyon “spouses for life” under authority “vested in me as a deputy marriage commissioner,” not mayor.

Under California marriage laws, only judges, state officials and members of Congress are automatically entitled to solemnize marriages.

Just, blub.

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