Middlesex County NOW Newsletter

Middlesex County NOW

October, 2016

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Officers President – Skip Drumm Vice President – Mary Pranzatelli From the National office: Secretary – Alan Gross Treasurer – Stephany Kim National NOW Press Releases: Diversity Officer – Niral Patel State Board Rep – Mary Pranzatelli "NOW Supports the Strengthening Newsletter Editor – Skip Drumm Social Security Act of 2016" Statement Newsletter Asst Editor – Alan Gross by NOW President Terry O'Neill, Sept. 9, 2016: Millions of seniors are facing a retirement income crisis–and it’s often Local Chapter Information: women that are hit the hardest. The Strengthening Social Security Act of 2016 Our Next Meeting would offer a desperately-needed Our next chapter meeting will be Tuesday, expansion of benefits to those most in October 11th, at 7 pm at the home of Skip need. More and Alan. Dinner will be served, courtesy of our hosts. Let us know if you're planning NOW and Feminist Majority Call on to attend, so we can plan food. The 2016 Trump to Shut Down Trump Model schedule of meetings is posted on our web Management, Announce Launch of site, Middlesex.nownj.org. #WomenWant2Know Campaign Statement of Terry O’Neill, National NOW Meeting Night now TUESDAYS President; Eleanor Smeal, Feminist As just mentioned, the next chapter Majority President; and Sonia Ossorio, meeting is Tuesday, October 11. At our NOW-New York President, September 16, June chapter meeting, after having 2016. The National Organization for surveyed our membership in May, the Women (NOW) and Feminist Majority are chapter decided to change our meeting calling on Donald Trump to shut down night from second Mondays to second Trump Model Management until disturbing Tuesdays, starting with the October allegations about the agency’s treatment of meeting. girls and young women have been thoroughly investigated. More Meeting dates for 2017 The proposed meeting dates for 2017 are now posted on our web site, about half-way down the home page. These will be voted on at the October meeting. Middlesex County NOW

News and discussion from Also Recommended by WeNews: womensenews.org: Opioids and anti-anxiety medication are killing white American women (The Laws Too Little, Too Late to Save Ugandan Washington Post) Girl From Rape Despite her community’s belief to the contrary, “divorce does not Former models for Donald Trump’s agency cause rape, rapists cause rape,” writes say they violated immigration rules and Ugandan teen Moureen Kisakye. worked illegally (Mother Jones)

Teen Fashionista Focuses on Adaptive California Lawmakers Pass Mandatory Jail Designs When trying on her original Bill Inspired By Stanford Rape Case (The fashion designs became a hassle, Delaina Washington Post) Parrish turned her attention toward strategic designs that would make clothing US teens often forced to trade sex work for more accessible for girls with unique food, study finds (The Guardian ) bodies and abilities. This story is part of Teen Voices’ Girl Fuse series, featuring Indian girls attacked with acid days after stories by and about girls with disabilities. landmark death sentence verdict (Thomson Reuters Foundation) Race Relations Influence Some Teens’ Roommate Choices At first, Brooklyn teen Tennessee House votes to expel lawmaker Akeesha Williams was worried about following allegations of widespread sexual having white roommates from the suburbs harassment (The Associated Press) in college “because of our different cultural backgrounds” but so far her freshman year with roommates of different races has “been really cool.” From the Women’s Media Center: Some Conservative Girls Feel ‘Shut Down’ on Liberal College Campuses Heather Is the US Doing Enough to Push for a Reed’s dream job is to be a mother. That Female Leader of the UN? By Shazia Z. view puts her at odds with some peers on Rafi, September 12, 2016. As the United her liberal college campus. So does her Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opens opposition to abortion. this week, the world has a chance to truly accelerate the Women, Peace and Security ‘ My Passion, My Philanthropy’: Marcy agenda by urging the heads of government Syms Pushes for Equal Rights Amendment of countries on the UN Security Council to While this is her paramount philanthropic elect a woman as the ninth UN secretary- passion, Syms saw early on that gender general. President Obama, who will be was often forgotten in important areas of addressing the UNGA, is in a position to American society and has worked to take the lead. … The top three women – change that. polling far behind the men – are Irina Bokova of Bulgaria; Susana Malcorra, foreign minister of Argentina; and Helen Middlesex County NOW

Clark, former prime minister of New this blog in celebration of Powered By Girl, Zealand. Given the equivalence in an ~awesome~ new book by our good numbers, qualifications, and experience, friend Lyn Mikel Brown. Lyn was the the only explanation for this voting pattern guiding force for our introduction to is open discrimination by members of the intergenerational feminist activism at the UNSC. More>> age of thirteen. More>>

Anita Sarkeesian On Why She’s WMC Live #178: Diana Nyad, Mona Spotlighting “Ordinary Women” By Julie Hanna-Attisha. (Original Airdate Z, September 14, 2016. From her popular 9/11/2016) Season Premiere! Robin video series Tropes vs. Women in Video [Morgan] channels Buffy the V.S. to take on Games to her work regarding online Trump's underworld, from Kellyanne harassment, Feminist Frequency founder Conway to Julian Assange. Guests: Diana Anita Sarkeesian has unfailingly committed Nyad, record-setting long-distance to critiquing and analyzing sexism in swimmer (at 64); Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, popular culture. Now she’s continuing this whistleblower pediatrician of Flint, MI. To impressive legacy with a new series: listen >> Ordinary Women: Daring to Defy History – the first episode of which is now live. Fighting Words (from the Season More>> Premiere of “WMC Live with Robin Morgan”) If there are any Buffy the The Problem With Stanford’s New Vampire Slayer fans out there, you'll know Drinking Policy By Kami Baker, what I mean by this! There were times in September 12, 2016. Stanford University the witty series––usually at the end of a is home to a long list of notable alumni: season for a cliffhanger––when all the John F. Kennedy, Elon Musk, Chelsea forces of evil would mass and rise together Clinton, John Steinbeck, Rachel Maddow, from the hellhole (under the high school, and more. While these individuals are naturally) to threaten humanity. Then Buffy, change-makers worthy of celebration in our a handful of other humans, and the good history books, a new name will forever be vampires would have to fight a coalition of remembered in the school’s history for a far ghosts, ghouls, imps, werewolves, and less celebratory reason: Brock Turner. zombies. Of course Buffy would always win Turner isn’t a president, a journalist, or the battle--but the war was ongoing. It thought leader. He is a rapist. More>> brings to mind Donald Trump's staff – the massing of which validates in retrospect The Power Of Intergenerational Activism Hillary Rodham Clinton's statement By Izzy Labbe, September 9, 2016. We decades ago that there was a "vast, right are former SPARK Movement activists and wing conspiracy," with, among other aims, Hardy Girls Healthy Women Girls Advisory a goal of delegitimizing the Clintons-- Board members. In 2012 we served key because though Clinton was left of center, roles in SPARK’s Seventeen Magazine he had a magic populist touch and so was action that garnered over 86,000 petition dangerous to them; and she, well, they signatures and pushed the magazine to hated her flat out--intellectual, feminist, revise its policies on digitally altering the policy wonk, didn't know her place. She appearances of its models. We’re writing was laughed at for the paranoia of that Middlesex County NOW

conspiracy statement, which now the New people like to yell at me on the Internet York Times grudgingly acknowledges may because they assume I’m talking about have been spot on. In other words, like including cisgender men. But I don’t poltergeists, they're baaaaaaack. More>> ascribe to the “BUT WHAT ABOUT THE MENS?!” narrative. That’s not what I mean Transgender and In Prison: Violence, when I say “gender inclusive.” Harassment, and Denial of Medical Care Are the Norm By Susan Buttenwieser, In order to explain once and for all what I September 20, 2016. “Being a transgender mean by gender inclusivity, let’s start with woman is not easy, but being a some basic background. Hi, I’m Jack transgender woman incarcerated with the Qu’emi. I’m a nonbinary transgender Department of Corrections is a nightmare,” person. That means that when I was born I said Ashley Diamond, who recently settled was assigned a gender based on the with the Georgia Department of Corrections appearance of my genitalia, but as an adult after the Southern Poverty Law Center I’ve come to realize that assignment wasn’t sued on her behalf. Diamond was denied an accurate one. In fact, I’ve come to medically necessary treatment and was realize that I don’t identify with any gender. sexually assaulted by other prisoners while We often are told there are only two gender being held in male facilities. “I was options: man and woman. I don’t fit in mistreated and mishandled from day one either of those categories, so even though I when I got off the bus. More>> am trans, I’m not a trans man or a trans woman. On top of that, I don’t fit into any We Need to Stop Sexualizing and third gender categories (think genderqueer, Policing Women Who Have Curvy neutrois, bigender, gender-fluid, etc). This Bodies By Gabby Catalano, September means (you guessed it), I exist as a gender 21, 2016. Patrice Brown, a fourth-grade neutral person. I don’t use inherently teacher in Atlanta who is known for being gendered pronouns (they/them/theirs at the center of the hashtag #TeacherBae, please), titles, or words to describe myself, is being criticized in the media – not for her and ask that others refrain from gendering body of work, but rather her body at work. me as well. This is my truth. I’m trying to Specifically people are calling Brown’s keep it simple. Come with me down the wardrobe “unacceptable” and too “sexy.” rabbit hole. Now that we’ve established First off, though her clothes themselves who I am, let’s rewind a bit. More>> should be irrelevant to her job performance, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with Brown’s work attire. More>> From the Feminist News We Need to Make the Way We Talk Digest (feminist.org): About Abortion Access More Gender Inclusive By Jack Quemi, September 28, Another Light Sentence for a White Male 2016. I’m that annoying person on Twitter, Athlete Who Raped Two Classmates Facebook, and basically any outlet that will Another judge has handed down a light let me type out my ideas who keeps saying sentence to a young man charged with two we need to make the reproductive justice counts of rape and one count of indecent movement more gender inclusive. A lot of battery and assault after raping two of his Middlesex County NOW

high school classmates while they were Supreme Court Will Not Revive North asleep. Carolina Voter Restriction Laws September 1 the Supreme Court Small Victory in Fight Against North deadlocked over North Carolina’s request Carolina’s Bathroom Bill The last week of to revive parts of the state’s 2013 voting August federal judge Thomas Schroeder laws that were recently struck down by a blocked the University of North Carolina federal appeals court. from enforcing the state’s HB 2 law’s transgender bathroom restriction only in the New Jersey Governor Vetoes $15 cases of the three plaintiffs, two students at Minimum Wage The end of August New UNC and a North Carolina Central Jersey Governor Chris Christie vetoed a bill University law professor. that would have raised the state’s minimum wage from $8.38 to $15 dollars an hour by Celebrating the Legacy of Thurgood 2021. Marshall September 2nd marks the 49th anniversary of Thurgood Marshall’s 1967 Thousands Join Standing Rock Sioux confirmation as the first African American Tribe to Protest Oil Pipeline Thousands Supreme Court Justice. of protesters gathered at the Cannonball River on the edge of the Standing Rock North Carolina is Still Trying to Sioux Reservation in North Dakota to stop Suppress Voting In the wake of July’s construction of a $3.7 billion oil pipeline federal appeals court ruling overturning the that the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe says majority of North Carolina’s 2013 election will endanger its main water supply. laws, the state’s 100 local election boards, all comprised of one Democrat and two Lawmakers Push for Zika Funding Bill Republicans, have had to file their own that Protects Family Planning respective election rules with the state, and September 8, the Senate blocked the critics are calling them equally as House’s inadequate Zika response bill that egregious as the original laws. would cut funding for Planned Parenthood.

California Works to Close Rape Law A New Clinic in Oklahoma City Loophole The last week of August the A new women’s clinic opened on California Assembly unanimously passed a September 10 in Oklahoma City, a city that bill that would establish a mandatory for years has been the largest metropolitan minimum sentence of three years in prison area in the country without an abortion for anyone convicted of raping an provider. unconscious person. Kentucky Supreme Court Ruling Purvi Patel Released from Prison Today Creates Further Setback for Abortion Purvi Patel, the woman whose 20 year Access In August, the Kentucky Supreme feticide conviction for self-inducing an Court upheld a Kentucky Court of Appeals abortion was recently overturned by the ruling, creating further setbacks for women Indiana Court of Appeals, was released seeking an abortion in the state. from jail on September 2nd. Middlesex County NOW

Wisconsin Must Reimburse Legal Fees discriminatory anti-LGBTQ law, commonly of Groups Fighting Abortion referred to as HB 2. Restrictions The U.S. District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin ruled Middle School Girls Fight Sexist Dress Thursday that the state must pay out a $1.6 Code Policy A group of girls at Urbana million settlement to several plaintiffs, Middle School in Frederick County, including Planned Parenthood and the Maryland are protesting their school’s ACLU, as reimbursement for the legal fees sexist dress-code policy by wearing large they incurred fighting the state’s yellow shirts marked “I am more than just a unconstitutional admitting privilege law. distraction.”

Congress Passes Sexual Assault Victory for Louisiana Planned Survivors’ Bill of Rights On September 6 Parenthood The Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Congress unanimously passed the Sexual Appeals upheld the decision of a lower Assault Survivors’ Bill of Rights, which court on September 14, ruling that ensures that victims do not bear the Louisiana cannot deny Medicaid funding to financial cost of their own rape kits and that Planned Parenthood clinics for non- they will be appropriately informed of that abortion procedures. kit’s results and legal status. Army Approves Gender-Transition Victory for Water Protectors in North Surgery for Chelsea Manning September Dakota Pipeline Standoff On September 13, the United States Army approved 16 the Obama administration announced gender-transition surgery for Chelsea that it would temporarily block construction Manning, who is currently serving 35 years of the Dakota Access pipeline in one in a Kansas military prison for distributing specific area, handing a victory to classified information to WikiLeaks. environmental and Native American “water protectors” who just that day had received Apple’s Inclusive iOS 10 Emojis Release a federal court ruling denying their petition Blemished by Company’s Toxic Work for an injunction on the project. Environment Apple’s highly anticipated release of empowering female and LGBTQ Tanzania Expands on Their Anti-LGBTQI inclusive emojis has been scarred by the Agenda The week of September 12, the leaking of over 50 pages of emails that Tanzanian government and the Deputy for reveal the company’s misogynistic work Health, Community Development and environment. Gender issued a threat condemning all LGBTQI equity groups in the country. North Carolina Drops Lawsuit Over HB 2 Bathroom Bill The lawsuit that North Carolina filed in May requesting federal NCAA Rescinds North Carolina as Host court protection of the state’s HB 2 law for Championship Games in Wake of came to an end on September 16 when HB 2 The NCAA announced on September Governor Pat McCrory withdrew the state’s 15 that they will not be holding any lawsuit. champion-ship games in North Carolina this school year due to the state’s Middlesex County NOW

House Select Investigative Panel web site, www.now.org. To the right, below Recommends StemExpress Be Held in the banner picture, is section labeled Criminal Contempt of Congress “Email Sign-Up” and a box where you enter Republican members of the House Select your e-mail address. Then press the “Sign- Investigative Panel, which has been up” button. It’s as easy as that! The box spending taxpayer dollars investigating the below that says “Join NOW”. If you’re not bogus allegations made by the so-called already a member, click there and be sure Center for Medical Progress (CMP) against to sign up for our chapter, NJ0225, at no abortion providers, voted on September 22 extra cost. to recommend that StemExpress, a small biomedical company, be held in criminal Guest Contributors to our Newsletter contempt. are welcome! Send articles, poetry, and other items of North Carolina Will Restrict Body interest to the chapter at Camera Videos Beginning October 1 [email protected]. A North Carolina law that limits public access to footage from police body What issues would you like to see our cameras goes into effect on October 1st. chapter address? Please reply to [email protected]. House Hearing Reveals Contention Leading Up to Hyde Week of Action How to Contact your State and National September 23 the House Judiciary’s Legislators: Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Find your New Jersey Assembly and Justice held a hearing on the Hyde Senate representatives at Amendment and the Born Alive Infant www.njleg.state.nj.us. Protection Act. For the U.S. House and Senate, go to Feminist Jobs www.Congress.org, and enter your zip The Feminist Majority Foundation has a code to find your legislators and their jobs listing service which can be accessed contact information. from their web site or directly at jobs.feminist.org. Our friends in the Gay Activist Alliance of Morris County (GAAMC) publish a monthly newsletter with interesting articles, General Information opinions, and event announcements. You can read it here: http://issuu.com/gaamc. “ Like” Us on Facebook Our chapter has a Facebook page, which you can see here. If you have not already “liked” us, please do so!

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