That's the topic of this blog. No, not me, though, yes, Little Sister Resister is back.** The "She" is the Strong American Woman. She's doing it!
2017 is becoming the Year of the Woman (go ahead, Time Magazine, use that next month). It started with the Women's March all across the world in January. See my account of the Los Angeles Women's March -- my very first blog post -- here.
The momentum carried throughout the year, until the last couple months, when some remarkable things happen.
#MeToo happened. All across social media, women spoke up with the simple words "Me Too." We stood up to simply be counted among the women who have been sexually assaulted or harassed. We didn't have to tell our stories -- we shouldn't have to tell our stories. We just affirmed, "Me Too." It was sobering seeing all of our sisters acknowledging their experiences. We were able to step back and take stock of our experiences, which is really a shared experience, because I can't imagine any woman who has not experienced some sort of assault or harassment. We live it every single day.
I read a couple accounts that "small" assaults shouldn't count somehow. And to that I answer, Higgity Hog Wash. That's the point. Small assaults are bad. Small assaults and harassment keep us down, keep us controlled, keep us humiliated and vulnerable. They count. All of it counts. And I hope it woke up many of our male friends who are the good guys, that perhaps they have been #YouToo. The ones who, with a slap on the rear or a snarky comment, helped perpetuate a eons-long hostile environment that maybe -- just maybe -- is starting to change. #MeToo enabled women in a big way, and women became empowered to not only declare "Me too," but also to speak out about their experiences.
While it started with a little hashtag on social media, women began to stand up and speak up. Silence just wasn't an option anymore. I'm convinced that knowing that millions of other women were standing strong behind them, women found their voice and their power and started coming out of the shadows to publicly tell their stories of assault and harassment at the hands of powerful men. It started with Harvey Weinstein and cascaded down a very steep mountain, picking up James Toback, Louis CK, Kevin Spacey, Roy Moore, Al Franken, and many others. They are coming out into the sunlight every day. The New York Times has a running list, which is updated often. If a person is hurt, threatened, humiliated, or simply uncomfortable with your behavior, then it is a problem. And it's a problem that many women haven't felt empowered to speak up before now. Let's hope that this is the beginning of a fundamental change.
Of course, public accusations are not new. We had Bill Clinton, Clarence Thomas, Bill Cosby, Michael Jackson, SCROTUS McFartFace, and on and on. But it seems different now. More women, arm in arm, with strong voices. More people are believing them. And more consequences being meted out.
I believe the environment is changing as a direct backlash to the Groper-In-Chief. We're just not going to put up with it anymore. People are seeing through his incredible hypocrisy. What does he do? He denies, denies, denies accusations against him from at least a dozen women who he assaulted, even though he loudly admitted to Billy Bush his proclivity to assault women. He assails Democrat Al Franken, and he stays silent about Republican Roy Moore. What an asshole.
Disgusting. Ugly. Disturbing. Bizarre. More of the New Normal in BackwardsVille, USA.
But we're here. And we're talking. Women are not going away. Women are doing it!
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| http://theweek.com/cartoons/737360/political-cartoon-sexual-harassment-women-roy-moore |
An election happened. And women rocked it.
In this blog, I tend to write about many concerns, but I try to look for the positives in these troubling days. A couple times, I have noted that the election* of the tumor that currently occupies the Whitewash House has lit a spark under people to really make a change. In a March post about the positives coming from this fiasco, I wrote:
And indeed, a year after the election, women and others from traditionally marginalized groups stepped forward, and their communities embraced them.
Politics will have a new face. Or, at least some new faces. This age of resistance and activism is inspiring many to get informed and get involved, and some of the best of us are becoming inspired to enter the world of politics. Great minds are coming up! This article from The Atlantic talks about how scientists are starting to eye local and national seats and 314 Action, a group that is aiming to help them. The Right's disdain for science --somehow making it a Liberal Conspiracy-- has confounded and dismayed me. But this very disdain has inspired many to pursue office. This can only benefit our country. I'm hoping that more women and minorities will also be inspired to run for office. We need representation from all corners of our society.
In Virginia, the House of Delegates added many women among its ranks, up to 30 from 17, including Virginia's first-ever Asian-American woman, a Vietnam refugee; their first ever Hispanic woman; and the first openly transgender woman (who beat an self-avowed homophobe and 13-term incumbent!) ever elected to public office in VA.
Transgender candidates also won elections in California, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
Other states added threads to our wonderfully diverse American Fabric. New Jersey elected a diverse group into their state government, including the Sikh mayor of Hoboken; Charlotte, NC elected its first African-American female mayor; Seattle elected its first openly lesbian mayor; Manchester, NH elected its first ever female mayor; and Helena, Montana elected Montana's first African-American mayor, a refugee from Liberia.
Many strong women with strong voices have stepped into the spotlight in Washington this year. Our own California Junior Senator, Democrat Kamala Harris, has been giving 'em hell up on the Hill. Did you see her dogged questioning of Li'l Elf Sessions last June? He admitted publicly she made him "nervous." Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) have been vocal opponents of the Republican attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable HealthCare Act. And bulldog Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) continues to be a loud thorn in the side of the Republican majority. I am happy that these reasoned, intelligent women are there. All of these women would be excellent candidates for President in 2020.
Let's keep this momentum going! Support the diversity in our elections. Encourage strong women and people from other traditionally marginalized groups to run for office. Support women when they talk about the abuse that they have suffered. Believe them. Keep reading, talking, and acting for the greater good for our Country. And most of all, keep up the resistance!
**Little Sister Resister took a little hiatus to become Little Grandma Resister to a wonderful Little Baby Resister, to take a cruse vacation, to dance and dance and dance, and to work like a lint picker in a flannel factory. But now, she's back!
