Fit the Binary if you wanna play?

August 25, 2009 at 9:45 pm (activism, sexism)
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The challenges to South African track star Caster Semenya’s sex are raising some interesting and unfortunate questions.  On a social level, it is raising questions of how world sports are managed – that such a challenge is even possible.  On a biological level, it’s reminding us that there are many, many intersex people on the planet, folks between sexes because of the bodies God made for them. 

Read this BBC article to get a sense of the conversation.

Of course, intentionally hyping oneself up on drugs to improve your athletic performance (whatever the drugs are) is sad and against the rules of fair play.  But this challenge of Semenya’s SEX are of a different sort.  As the article details, there can be many natural variations of sex – across a whole spectrum, some might say.  Which then leads to the question of how much it would matter at all if Semenya or any athlete were not biologically ‘equipped’ like the average or idealized member of her gender? 

Is the underlying assumption that intersex persons are entirely excluded from professional athletics?  If her body revealed her as a female, by and large, both biologically and socially, then why ought she not compete in the women’s field? 

It seems that there is a fear of acknowledging that a person’s intersexual identity might actually be an asset to her!  Those pushing for disqualifying her because of her ‘ambiguous’ sex seem determined to deny the obvious: that intersexuality may distance a person from the center of the arbitrary gender binaries of a society, but may also make a woman a better athlete. 

I suppose that if the media, sporting commissions, and fans admitted that, then they’d have to let go of their prejudice that intersex identity is a “sexual development disorder.”  Cling on to that gender binary!  Cling hard!

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Women Working for International Peace

March 6, 2009 at 9:26 pm (Burma, Worldliness, activism, ecology, love, peace, politics)
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“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

- Jesus

In honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, and in remembrance this month of the long, proud history of women across the globe, I offer a spotlight on a few women I especially admire for their work for peace.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

In 1990, Suu Kyi and her party, the National League for Democracy, were elected to lead Burma (now known officially as Myanmar). Yet nineteen years later she has never been allowed to claim her seat, and has spent more of that time under house arrest than free. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her tireless efforts to represent her people’s wishes for democracy and peace, Suu Kyi has been the public face of the movement against the Burmese military dictatorship for over two decades, with no signs of stopping until her country sees the peace it so dearly longs for. For more information about Suu Kyi, visit www.dassk.org. For information about the struggle for democracy in Burma, please see www.burmaissues.org.

Rachel Corrie

Killed March 16, 2003, by Israeli tanks demolishing yet another home in Palestine, Washington-native Corrie was a young woman willing to risk everything for others, without resorting to violence. She could have easily stayed home and lived a normal 23-year-old’s life, but instead she reached out to understand and help a people half a world away. Her death has turned a spotlight on the injustices perpetrated on behalf of the Israeli government, and has witnessed to the power of solidarity that spans religious or ethnic identities. For more information about Corrie, see www.rachelcorrie.org.

Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan

Violence between the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and British soldiers had recently claimed the lives of three children when Williams and Corrigan entered the public square to lead peaceful marches that demanded an end to the killing. Protestants and Catholics alike marched and organized into “The Community of Peace People,” doing the slow, difficult work of living an alternative to violence. In 1976 they were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their work. Read about these two peacemakers at http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1976/index.html.

Wangari Maathai

Another Nobel Peace Prize winner (in 2004), Maathai has worked for decades to unite eastern Africa under one sustainable roof. Her pan-African Green Belt Network has drawn the connections between economic development, national security, and ecology. Facilitating tree-planting as a way to sustain the land and its human inhabitants, she has shown the world that in the twenty-first century, peace activism must work hand in hand with environmental organizing. Read about her work and wisdom online at www.greenbeltmovement.org.

Jeannette Rankin

The United States’ first female Congress member would make any pacifist proud. Known for clever quips, her actions spoke as loudly as her words. Out of her opposition to all war, she cast one of few votes against US entry into World War I and was the lone voice of dissent against US military involvement in World War II. The Montanan declared, “the first time the first woman had a chance to say no against war she should say it.” Rankin was also a strong supporter of veterans’ rights, introducing the GI Bill to Congress. She also stated that (logically enough) “You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake” and that “Men and women are like right and left hands; it doesn’t make sense not to use both.” Learn more about her at the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center, online at www.jrpc.org.

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I know that there are many, many more women out there making peace possible in this world (Thank God, because none of us could do it alone!). Who inspires you? Who’s not on this list but very well could be? Share stories of your own peace heroines on the comments section below!

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The not-forgotten at Lone Fir Cemetery

December 4, 2008 at 9:58 pm (Chicago, Christians, May Day, Oak Park, Portland, activism, atheism, death, massacre)
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I’ve always liked cemeteries.  Admittedly, they may not be ecologically-sustainable enough for the coming centuries of growing population and shrinking landmasses, but the cemeteries we do have provide a snapshot of history that we do well to bear in mind.  As largely-green open spaces, they can provide the spiritual nourishment of a city park, except with the watchful eyes of the past looking over our shoulders. 

Cemeteries reveal the cultures that made them.  They reveal what those cultures value, what histories they want to write, what they want to remember.  The Forest Home Cemetery near where I grew up was the resting spot for the remains of Chicago’s undesireds in the late 19th century, including Druids, Roma, the Haymarket massacre victims, and even Emma Goldman – people who today are more esteemed than the relative nobodies who made it into the “good” cemeteries downtown.

And so it comes as little surprise that similar historical reconsiderations are happening in Portland, surrounding the Lone Fir Cemetery that sits half a block away from a house I lived in and is where our cat got lost for one fretful night. 

Street Roots exposes the conversation in swing about the ways burial plots have been treated – namely, the way the burial sites of persons suffering mental illness were paved over and the way today’s mental health advocates are campaigning for a memorial for those buried there.  Lone Fir was the final resting place for the bodies of both Chinese workers and inhabitants of the local “Insane Hospital,” both of which were buried separately from the higher status individuals of pioneer families. 

What is the concept behind distinct burial areas, dependent on social status?  Is the concern that people’s souls will mingle if their corpses are too close together – and that’s a bad thing?  Or are the bereaved worried that they will have to mourn their beloved next to persons unlike themselves, people “like them?”   

Or does the city simply not want to remember everyone equally?  We write our histories not only in books, but in the very spaces we create as cities and neighborhoods and congregations.  May we strengthen ourselves for the tough work of community-building, in body, in spirit, and in memory.

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Adventists for Sane Government: VOTE NO on 8

September 23, 2008 at 9:37 pm (activism, politics, religion)
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Are you a Seventh-day Adventist?  Then cruise on over to the brand-new website of Adventists Against Proposition 8 and help Californians of faith defeat this infringement on the separation of church and state.

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Two Movies To Go See, Soon

March 28, 2008 at 4:43 am (Immigration, Movies, activism, peace, war)
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These movies are not tickets to escapism. If you don’t want more proof that some people’s (too many people’s) lives are way too hard, don’t watch them. But you should watch them, and you should bring friends. And tissues.

LA MISMA LUNA (Under the Same Moon)

A mother and son through a week of their respective journeys to be reunited across borders, despite all who stand in their way (be they La Migra, exploitative employers, police, or even folks trying to help). Bonus: this film has one of the best nine-year-old actors I have ever seen.

STOP-LOSS

A soldier and his fellows as they return from Iraq to civilian life, only to find that the President has “stop-lossed” them, sending them back to Iraq, regardless of whatever they have to say about the matter.

These two movies deal with different communities facing different battles, and yet their core features, which make them great movies, are shared:

1. They’re both really good movies.

2. They have strong female characters.

3. They show that the government is not always our friend.

4. They pull you in one way and then another, ripping your heart along with you, so much that you never know just how things will turn out.

5. Some of the saddest characters are the ones I would least expect.

6. They give glimpses of worlds rarely portrayed with such richness in movies: the nuts and bolts of the US economy in the former, the mortar fire on the ground in the Iraq war in the latter.

7. They both present the real life decisions we have to make (or we don’t have to make – in which case, we should be wondering why we don’t).

8. You should really see them both. But maybe not on consecutive nights – I speak from experience on that.

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Signs of/for Peace?

March 25, 2008 at 7:24 pm (activism, peace)
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On the anniversary of the war, the BBC runs the history of the US and UK peace sign, which started as a symbol for nuclear disarmament:

Peace Sign origins

And back in Chicago, my family and fellow congregants take to the streets with their own peace signs:

Chicago Peace Protest

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Five years too many.

March 20, 2008 at 5:47 am (activism, peace, war)
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Yet again, we mourn this hellish incarnation of war. This war is on Iraq, and it is showing yet again why all war is humanity’s great sin.

Here are some pictures: one sign from today’s rally at San Francisco’s Civic Center (put to good use); the other sign from the two-way protest at Berkeley City Council a few weeks ago (the one where the Lafayette Flag Brigade deigned to enter Berkeley city limits in order to sing patriotic songs (poorly) and make it known to anyone who would listen that they didn’t like the Berkeley City Council’s decision to support the Code Pink protests at the Berkeley Marine recruiting station; in response, ‘Code Pinklets’ (as the Flag Brigadiers called them) and folks from the World Can’t Wait campaigns staged a counter-protest; I’ll let you guess which protest this sign is from).

picture-3.png       Sick of War?

The pictures below are from the memorial vigil at Grace Cathedral. As an acolyte passed among the crowd dispersing incense, clergy from various faiths (among them Christian, Buddhist, and Jewish) read off the names of victims of this war on Iraq. We crowded around them, standing among pairs of shoes placed on the cathedral steps.

Grace Cathedral Steps Memorial

The effect of the shoes was profound. I appreciated the somber tone of the vigil, even while my soul is fed by the liturgy of street protests just as much. The memorial vigil allowed me a few moments to pause and try to really remember the loss, as Jesus urged us to do as his disciples.

Grace Cathedral Steps Memorial

I imagined the people who, but for being murdered by this war, might have stood there on the steps filling those shoes. There would have been hundreds of them, thousands, hundreds of thousands – the actual number don’t really matter when mourning. Too many. I wondered if they would stand in those shoes staring out from the steps, as the shoes were pointing, facing the world with accusing eyes, or if they might turn around and listen to the prayers being spoken from the top of the cathedral steps.

With the lessons from my Swedenborgian friend still fresh on my mind, I understood for the first time the concept of angels, at least as she describes them: the disembodied presence of those humans who have died but are still among us. And even though fear (and its companion, hatred) was the source of their deaths, these angels only love, and ask us to remember.

Grace Cathedral Steps Memorial

I also knew that a pair of shoes was not nearly enough to remember the complexity of even one single person lost in this war. Standing next to my partner and amongst many of my dear friends, I felt just how much effort it would take to properly remember anyone so dear to me as them.

Shoes were not made to memorialize murders; they are not strong enough to bear the burden. But they are an important start.

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Vote Obama!

December 25, 2007 at 1:59 am (Obama, activism)
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Old School Obama

Dear Iowa Relatives;

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Little did you know it, but I have been thinking about you especially this time of year! So as not to prolong the suspense, and to admit the shamelessness of this letter as soon as possible, I will get down to business: I think you (and many people like you) should vote for Barack Obama.

Do I dare to tell my family what to do? Well, not exactly. I do venture to add my views to the many clamoring for your attention. My boyfriend and I have been active in the Obama campaign in our area, tabling at the local farmer’s market, throwing Obama parties, and canvassing door-to-door. I got to thinking that before talking to more Californians, I should spend an hour or two contacting my own relatives with those coveted primary votes back in Iowa.

To risk crossing beyond the typical intellectual-orientation of our family’s discussions, I want to say that for me, supporting Obama is not just about the “issues.” I figure you can see his policy statements for yourself online at www.barackobama.com. On the major political issues of our day, Obama pretty much matches up for me as well as anyone. I also don’t like Obama just because he’s from Illinois, either.

I am supporting Obama because I really think he will be the best president out of all the candidates running. He’s not just the best collection of political slogans; he is the best all-around person to lead our country. When I imagine our country under his presidency, I feel proud (perhaps even patriotic?) in a way that I have never had the chance to feel. Obama will bring a careful, eloquent dignity to the office, which is what our country sorely needs both domestically and internationally.

After watching one of the debates a few months ago, I finally realized what made Obama stand out for me. All the other candidates sounded as if they were trying to convince the viewers that they were the most qualified for the job of being president of the United States of America (with varying degrees of success). But Obama sounded as if he was articulating a new vision for what the president of the United States of America should be.

Honestly, I would not despair if Clinton won the nomination, but I would be greatly disappointed at the opportunities for progress that would be lost. Right now, the only person who I can see preventing a Clinton win, on either the right or the left, is Obama. If you love Hillary, I say vote for her. But if you are opposed to her election, or just think we Democrats could find someone more progressive, the best candidate is Obama.

One of the major reasons I’m supporting Obama is that he is the most ‘electable’ Democratic candidate. My greatest concern with the possibility of a Clinton nomination is that her chances of beating the Republican nominee are much slimmer than Obama’s. My boyfriend and I have been tracking the polls at www.realclearpolitics.com, and in match-ups between Democratic and Republican front-runners, it’s alarmingly evident that there are only two ways a Republican could reach the White House: 1) election fraud, which we should come to expect by now; 2) Clinton being the Democratic nominee.

There is a lot of (admittedly extreme) fear of a Clinton administration, baggage which Obama does not carry. Just last night I talked with a Republican Iowa woman about living through the thick of primary season. She didn’t like much about any of the Republican candidates. But then she started shaking her head, saying, “Oh, we don’t want Hillary… no, we don’t want Hillary,” over and over. I broke her from this strange mantra by suggesting that Obama offered the best alternative and she agreed, pledging to support whoever would make sure it wasn’t Clinton in office. For some reason, Obama’s articulate, hopeful message is attractive to Republicans as well as Democrats, even while his policies place him further ‘left’ of Clinton. And the fact that Obama offers appeal that can cross religious and political bounds will serve him well not only in the 2008 election, but while he runs the country as president.

Your votes are crucial because the Iowa caucuses will be the decisive election for the nation. If Obama wins in Iowa, I think he can carry the national nomination. If Clinton or Edwards win in Iowa, I foresee Clinton winning nationally.

So, there you have it. That’s my political evangelization pitch. Being a bit of a politics nerd, I would be happy to hear from you about your experience of this exciting primary election season in Iowa, even if you end up supporting another candidate. In addition to my ulterior motives, I do sincerely wish you a happy and healthy holiday season, with all of my heart.

With blessings for peace, joy, love, and hope!

P.S. Obama On Some Issues of Import for Me:
• From his experience working as a community organizer in Chicago, I believe Obama has the best grasp on the demands facing those living in poverty.
• From his consistent record of opposition to the war in Iraq, I believe Obama would consider the moral implications of waging war, as well as the political ones.
• From his speeches, he seems to understand the nuances that go into choosing how to face an unwanted pregnancy and that the choice goes deeper than bumper sticker simplicity.
• From his willingness to engage with people of faith across the political spectrum, I believe he actually understands and practices the same Christian religion I am committing my life to.
• From his creativity in leading a campaign that does not rely primarily on large corporate donations, I see him breaking a new mold in campaign financing.

I do believe that any of the Democrats would be much, much better than any of the Republicans on these important issues, as well as others such as health care and protecting the Earth’s environment. But I am still holding out to work for the very best in all these issues, within a presidential package that is grounded in the grassroots and reaching for the sky….

Obama on Power

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Fat is fine, and why are you having a fit?

November 11, 2007 at 10:34 pm (Fat, Feminisms, activism)
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So, it doesn’t increase the risk of dying from most illnesses to be 15-30 pounds ‘overweight,’ or to have a Body-Mass Index (BMI) of up to 30, according to a study published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. Being highly obese can still lead to some problems, the study finds, but it doesn’t make much difference at all to be just a bit heavier than the ‘ideal’ people have decided on.

Except that it might keep you alive. You see, another finding in the same study was that people who are about 15 pounds ‘overweight’ actually are more likely to survive some illnesses.

The AP article on this study in the Oakland Tribune expressed absolute shock and dumbfoundedness about this finding. How in the world could it be healthier to be even one pound fatter than a stick figure? Being skinny is supposed to be an ultimate, unmediated good! Does this mean we have to stop harassing fatter people as if they are committing an ongoing, mortal sin?

But it’s hard to be surprised at the ‘news’ that being a little bit fat helps you get through periods of sickness. Duh. Don’t we all know that? Haven’t we all seen friends or family members get sick and visibly drop weight? Well, then, how could it not be better for someone in that situation to have a little buffer weight, instead of being nearly-bone-thin and then losing even more weight because of illness?

The article cites as one remaining supposed danger of being slightly ‘overweight’ (we have to retain some reason to feel smug about being thinner than other people, now, don’t we, mainstream media?): that being overweight could lead, down that slippery slope, to being obese. Yet, the article fails to note the equally obvious observation that being underweight can lead just as easily to anorexia or bulimia or other forms of starvation.

It never seems to cross the minds of these folks who are so concerned about other people’s eating habits that eating too little and being too thin is a problem worth their concern. Even when research smacks them in the face, these journalists and scientists and businesspeople and others cannot even fathom that their moral hierarchy of size, which deems overweight people second-class citizens, might be wrong.

What would they do without their prejudices? Perhaps do real science?

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Blogging to Free Burma

October 1, 2007 at 11:51 pm (Burma, activism)
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Free Burma! – International Bloggers’ Day for Burma on the 4th of October

International bloggers are preparing an action to support the peaceful revolution in Burma. We want to set a sign for freedom and show our sympathy for these people who are fighting their cruel regime without weapons. These Bloggers are planning to refrain from posting to their blogs on October 4 and just put up one Banner then, underlined with the words „Free Burma!“.

www.free-burma.org

Every little bit helps…

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