Pre-Election Day Thought Jogger – Republicans Against Women and Gays

Sometimes I don’t understand how you can fuck up the rule of no religion in politics.  It seems pretty clear cut to me.  When you’re running for office, sure, you might be a [Monotheistic Belief Structure of your Choice], but when you obtain the status, you put that part of you aside.  You are the representative of the people of your country, people who have all different beliefs.

In a nation where religion is practiced freely (or should be, at least), the only way to combat the issues of religion mingling with politics is to focus on the secular concerns of the people.  For me, I understand this to mean civil liberties and rights.  Typically I don’t really go on political rampages here on the blog since I try to keep to a practical level of information, but I think you know that I am all about women’s issues, gay issues, and really, human issues.

For the last several months, it has become dishearteningly evident that the modern day Republican Party just hates women and gays, and nobody can argue with me when I say it’s because of religion.  Well, no, that’s a little too politically correct.  Let’s just cut the bullshit – radical Christianity has obliterated the rights women and gays have in this country.  And it’s a constant reminder that nobody has been penalized for using Christianity as a tool to gain power over those they perceive to be weaker, second class citizens.

Rape is God’s Will, So Says Richard Mourdock. No Quote, You Say? Let Me Explain.

I have been dormant on the blog for a while (school, work, etc) but recently this came up in the news and it is imperative that I put my two cents in because this is fucking ridiculous.

 

People have used God as an excuse for a multitude of things.   On the top of this list right now is that if you were raped and got pregnant from it, God intended you to get raped and get pregnant from it.

 

Here is a quote and a video in case you can’t believe it:

“I struggled with it myself for a long time, but I came to realize life is that gift from God. And I think even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that it is something that God intended to happen.”

Since the release of such a statement, Richard Mourdock himself was upset by it, but not because he had a lapse of judgement and regret over something so appalling, but because, apparently, it was taken out of context?

Let me make this clear.  You cannot take something like that out of context.

You cannot have God “will” you to get pregnant from rape without saying He willed you to get raped.

“Don’t penalize the unborn child, it was meant to be there because of  God’s Will.”  With that logic, you are also saying the person who raped you should not be held accountable for his or her own actions because it was in God’s design that they would be a rapist.  They can’t help themselves because it’s God’s Will!  Of course.

Imagine the outcry if a rapist plead “not guilty” to a rape because it was God’s Will.  It would not fucking fly.

How long will it be til someone calls bullshit on this ancient belief that we submit ourselves to God’s Will and just deal with it?   Actually, the real issue here is, when will someone call bullshit on the fact that it is NOT God’s Will – but instead a cover up, a cop out, an excuse for the millions of people who commit crimes such as rape?

Their actions have nothing to do with God – they have EVERYTHING to do with themselves.

I am not a Christian, but it is generally observed that God loves all of us, and I struggle to comprehend how people like Richard Mourdock can even begin to justify saying that God would bring down upon you a most heinous violation simply because He wants to. This, ladies and gentleman, is using God as a justification for rape, is it not?

Again:  You can’t say God wanted you to get pregnant after being physically and mentally violated without saying God wanted you to be physically and mentally violated.  Rape has been, and will always be, a power tool used by humans to enforce power on another.  NOT a design by God’s Will to better you as a person or teach you a lesson, or to bestow a lovely gift of life, which I am assuming is what Mourdock believes is a holy reason for rape.

When shit like this happens, it really paints a gruesome picture of how these people look at women:  They are not people.  They aren’t people who have rights to when they want to have children, if they want to have children.  Women are essentially degraded to the point where they are just vessels for babies to be pumped into and pulled out of.  Rape, for these guys, is totally justifiable, because that’s what women are for.  Intercourse, consensual or not, to make babies.  And I’m pretty sure they stick that sentiment on God too.

It is a policy in Christianity to grant God the praise or the blame and accept it as an unchanging truth. This is a value that Christians should stop enforcing/glorifying and start taking responsibility.  People should be looking at history and pointing the finger at every man (and woman!) who has used God as an excuse to commit a horrendous crime.  And I’m pointing at Richard Mourdock, who is effectively excusing rapists from their crimes by way of God’s Will.

This has got to stop.

I’m a Female, Raised as a Female, And I’m Alright

ADORABLE

So, this is a rant – it might not make a lot of sense because it’s not really pre-written with points I want to address.  This is all just flowing.

There is, of late, a lot of talk on the popular feminist blog Bitch (a personal favorite of mine), about the genderpocalypse, or the end of standard gender rolls.  This, as a liberal artist, makes me giddy – parents raising their kids genderless?  Holy cow!  What better way to bring up your kid; there’s nothing wrong with liking dresses AND tonka trucks, my darling offspring.  You can like whatever you want!

For as much as feminists seem to encourage either-gender activity or dress (this would be the genderful parenting), I still see a lot of negativity associated with these things when applying them to their originally perceived gender.  For instance, the Color War (which, for the record, I think is a little ridiculous) about pink and blue and how color influences your kids on a societal level.

Dressing your female-assigned-at-birth child in dresses or anything pink might pressure them into behaving feminine.  However, if my male-assigned-at-birth is put into a dress, is that not just as unfair as an escapade?  It’d be one thing if it were like the old days, when every baby wore a white frock because it was the easiest outfit for a small developing human.  Or even if the child chooses to wear this hypothetical gender bomb that is a dress.

The ultimate sexist article of clothing. Unless it’s on a boy.

I feel, lately, that in the feminist universe, raising your kids as a girl or a boy is some dreadfully mortal sin – and I can understand a little bit of the feeling.  You want your kid to be comfortable with themselves no matter what gender they are.  Don’t let the fact that you’re a girl keep you from playing football.  Or, don’t be afraid to join that dance class because you’re a boy.  That’s the whole point of gender-neutral/genderful parenting.  Gender, essentially, doesn’t determine who you are as a happenin’ human being.

But… it also makes me feel dirty.

I was raised in a fairly conventional manner.  As a girl.  I was raised on hand-me-down clothes (a lot of them boy clothes though, if that matters).  I ran around outside and helped my dad in the garden and went fishing and my stuffed animals routinely went on adventures that involved near-death booby traps and poison darts.  I was not your typical girly girl.  I got my period.  And boobs.  Those were really the two “magically female” things that I encountered growing up as a girl.   And my parents didn’t give a hoot, I was a cool little kid and that’s all that counted!

Later on in my life when I started dabbling in a lot of “typically feminine” activities — like wearing dresses and makeup — I felt really weird and uncomfortable because I was never really into all that shit.  So whatever, back to jeans and a t-shirt for this little tomboy!

Maybe it’s a little nonsensical of me to feel this way, but I almost feel like the GNP idea set demonizes conventional parenting (because everybody’s idea of parenting is completely the same, of course).

I turned out pretty okay.  Or maybe that’s the gender-reinforced brainwashing making me ignore that I might possibly not be a girl at heart.  The only way I could know who I am at all is if I was raised in such a way that I got to explore all ranges of activity and dress and options of preference!  Oh wait, that’s my whole entire life so far.

And for the record, I love the color pink.

I hope to regroup and actually make this into a logical topic, but for now, enjoy the ramble.  And as always, don’t forget to spread the work, and like our new Facebook page!

Pegging Doesn’t Make Your Lover Gay: Sex Does Not Dictate Sexuality

A couple of nights ago, my husband and I had a few people to the house.  One of our guests is a very out and about gay man, who works in a drag house and is very open about his sexual endeavors.  This is great because we are also very open about our exploits and makes for very interesting conversation.

After a while our conversation drifted into a particular event that involved a straight man having anal sex (or receiving oral sex from a man), and our gay friend said something to the affect of, “He’s definitely gay, even though he said he’s straight.”

This prompted me to say something like, “The kind of sex you enjoy doesn’t dictate your sexuality, I don’t think.”  Everyone seemed to disagree with me, which prompted me to do some critical thinking.

I think it’s unfair to categorize certain forms of sex as strictly belonging to gay, lesbian, or straight preference, because sexual pleasure can come from all sorts of different outlets.  I like the occasional nine-tail whip in the bedroom, but that does not immediately make me a BDSM enthusiast.  Or, if I receive oral sex, that makes me a lesbian, even though tons of couples of every gender do it.  Pegging has become an popular sexual act in the bedroom, but according to this theory, straight couples are awakening the inner, secret gay in their husbands and boyfriends!

Girls can enjoy Pen15 memberships now, too!

There is still a huge problem in society where men are afraid to step into newer areas of potential pleasure because of the “stigma” that anal sex means that you’re gay, or will magically make you gay (because, you know, being gay is some big and dreadful thing).  And might I point out, a lady’s holes can be explored to any man’s desire, but I wonder how often the lady is allowed to explore her man/men to such an extent without a battle.  Sexual exploration is a mainstream idea now, but personally, I don’t know enough men who would be willing to let their girlfriends stick it in their behind.  So within my immediate knowledge of the people around me, straight men are less comfortable with stepping outside their perceived ideas of acceptable masculinity and sexual practice because of this bizarre idea that sex acts make or don’t make you straight/gay/bisexual.

Sex is sex is sex.  My friend Erica put it plainly and beautifully:  ” What specific acts get you off have nothing to do with who you want to perform those acts with/on.”  Being gay means that you are romantically/sexually attracted to the same gender, yes?  The kind of sex you have does not have any bearing on this.  If you enjoy getting eaten out like Chinese takeaway, that doesn’t make you a lesbian any more than giving head to your man makes him gay.  Because the kind of sex you like to have is irrelevant to the people you like to have that kind of sex with.

So here’s some food for thought.  Gay sex and straight sex are invalid applications, simply because if you are having sex with someone, regardless of where the peen is in relation to the other peen or vagina or asshole, is sex.  Gay sex, really, is happy sex – which means that all of you are guilty of having a TON OF GAY SEX OOOH MAANNN

 

And sorry about totally not writing about henna for hair like I said I would last time.  But this was a driving force that I had to get down as soon as possible.  Soon, though, we will explore henna.  Promise.