The Intersection of Intersectionality

In 1976, The National Organization for Women sent out a newsletter addressing all of the progress they had been able to make in their first 10 years. The NOW president attributed the success of NOW’s involvement in the feminist movement to the 55,000 members in over 650 chapters.  She also expressed her excitement about what the future of NOW will be able to achieve through its autonomous chapters. The newsletter stated that autonomy gives chapters “the means of communication and a unified sense of purpose that makes them more determined and more effective without compromising their independence.”

While the concept of autonomous chapters is wonderful and I believe that feminism is worthless without intersectionality, I wonder if autonomy and intersectionality have contributed in some way to the stall of the movement.

After the ten year period from 1966 to 1976, NOW saw a decrease in the number of chapters from over 650 to just over 550. The world also saw an increase in popularity of women’s organizations with a variety of purposes. For example, the National Council of Negro Women, the National Council of Jewish Women, and Zonta International are all other well-known women’s organizations. While it is wonderful to have so many causes fighting for the advancement of women, they all do so in slightly different ways instead of having all women work as one.
I think it is important for all these organizations to remember they are fighting for the same cause and band together. Feminist should not only fight for the rights of their type of woman, but also for black women, Hispanic women, Jewish women, transgender women, and every other type of woman out there because every woman matters. Intersectionality needs to be used as a tool for empowerment rather than as another barrier to progress.

130 Years of Back and Forth

In 1976, NOW sent out a newsletter revealing their progress. The newsletter discussed how women could be barred from little league sports in 1966 and how thanks to the efforts of NOW this was no longer a possibility in 1976. This change was due to the creation of Title IX in 1972. Title IX was a great step forward but was and still is flawed. One major problem with Title IX is that its language dictates that schools must provide equivalent programs for males and females, not equal programs.

One clear case of this issue is that women have softball while men have baseball. There is nothing wrong with softball, but there is also no reason women should be denied the ability to play baseball. In fact, back in 1886 women did play baseball and men actually created softball in 1887. Over the years, softball became coed and then exclusively for women while baseball became exclusively for males.

Somehow over the years, it has become a common thought that woman are somehow incapable of playing baseball. Women for some reason cannot hit a smaller ball or run around a larger field, but there are no facts to support this claim. As I said earlier, there is nothing wrong with softball. However, if a woman wants to be able to play baseball it should be an option, even if she wants to play on a men’s team.

            I know that some people may think that biological difference make it impossible for women to be on the same playing field as men. However, there is a good chance that there is a woman out their just as talented and capable as a man. The best player should be allowed to play, no matter their sex, because after all how will we ever now for sure if women are as capable if they are not given the chance? 

            It is time for women to gain true equality in all aspects of life once and for all. Title IX was a great step but more needs to be done. We need more women like the two female high schoolers playing football in Beavercreek and Hillary Clinton and Jill Stein who are running for President. They are standing up for themselves and their fellow woman by proving that a woman is just as good as a man.  It is also time for the world to take notice of these efforts and give everyone the same opportunity regardless of their sex or any other identity, in order for our society to create true equality.

Culture of Sexual Assault, Victim Blaming, and Inequality.

Another problem that has plagued our society is that of sexual assault and harassment. This issue has gained an enormous amount of media attention due to a leaked recording of Donald Trump in which he bragged about committing assault. This tape became the evidence several women needed in order to open up about their assault at his hands.

Rather than be outraged that a man, who may become our president, admitted to sexual assault, many media outlets and individuals are claiming that his accusers are making false claims. This concept of victim blaming is far from new and in fact is part of the reason women are so reluctant to come forward after being attacked.

In 1976, Jackie Flannery sued Chief McNally for discrimination and harassment. After doing so, she expressed that she thought policemen were ordered to write letters against her when she was trying to become a lieutenant. She had 6 pages of grievances but all that was initially done was to order chief McNally to stop after he made comments about her over the police radio.  In a recent interview Trump said that if his daughter, Ivanka, was sexually harassed he would hope she would find a new company to work for. The consequences for sexual harassment seem to all fall on victim rather than holding the person responsible responsible.

Jackie suspected this mistreatment would occur after coming forward but did so anyway because she knew it was still the right thing. She also commented that she only did so because she knew that rape counselors were available. The local women of NOW also supported her by gathering as many members as were available to go to her hearing.

Jackie was fortunate to have this support network but she shouldn’t have been in the position to need it in the first place. And 40 years later we should have made some progress. However, that cannot happen when prominent figures like Trump say that it is okay for him to grope women without their promotion because he is a star. Even when he received backlash for his comments, he proved the problem once again by saying that it was ‘locker room talk’ and therefore not a problem.

“I like Trump because Trump is not a politician. He talks like a guy. And ladies out there, this is what guys talk about when you’re not around, so if you’re offended by it, grow up. Okay, and by the way, this is what you guys talk about over white wine when you have your brunches. So take it easy with the phony outrage. This is the way the world works. It’s not a big thing.”-Scott Baio

Society needs to realize that the problem begins with this language and the boys will be boys culture our society has created. Society only makes the problem worse when they make excuses because in reality the only person at vault is the one who decided to commit the act. It is time to follow the example of NOW and stand with the victims instead of making excuses for the perpetrators.

The NOW of Now

A hot topic in both 1966 and 2016 has been that of abortion and women’s reproductive rights. The time period between 1966 ad 1976 saw great change with women finally obtaining the right to have control over their own bodies. One might think that that would be the end of the issue. But it was not.

This year’s election has brought the issues of Planned Parenthood, reproductive rights, and mainly abortion back into the light. In a town hall earlier this year, Donald Trump said that if he becomes President he would consider some form of punishment for women who terminate an unwanted pregnancy. Trump’s running mate Mike Pence tried to pass a law in his home state that would force women to have funerals for not only aborted fetuses but also miscarried fetuses. While this law was blocked by a federal judge, the views and efforts of these men, who have a very real chance to become two of the most powerful people in our country, parallel the issues in our society as a whole.

In an effort to stop this regression in women’s rights, a group of women from Pence’s home state of Indiana created a campaign in which they emailed and called into his office to update Pence on their menstrual cycles due to his ‘concern for their bodies and reproductive systems’. This reminded me of the NOW movements of the past. While the women in Indiana used newer forms of technology, their commitment to raise awareness and have their voices be heard was reminiscent of former feminist movements.

I think feminist today need to follow the example of the NOW of the past and the Indiana women of the now. Change will only occur when women, and their male allies, force politicians and more importantly the public to listen to them, because people must first listen to be able to understand. Once society understands that there is a problem, and that they are contributing to it, they can realize that they have the ability to decide to contribute to the solution instead of the problem.