sundries

[rm]

First, Annie Le. I've spent a lot of time in New Haven in general and at Yale in particular. From fairly early on it seemed fairly clear that this was not one of those random New Haven crimes, and yet, even as recently as yesterday, articles about Le are telling us that she was street smart and "aware of crime in a college town" and "knew how to protect herself."

1. I hate reporting that explains to us why a woman is or is not to blame for her rape and/or murder. A WOMAN IS NOT TO BLAME FOR HER RAPE AND OR MURDER.

2. Annie Le was not the victim of random crime by a stranger. Walking with a group or any of the shit they tell women to do (because our risk is our fault, fuck you very much), would not have protected Annie Le. She was a researcher, doing her research, and she was most likely killed by one of her peers. When the facts come out, will anyone be surprised if she was killed by a male colleague who was angry that her impending marriage made her unavailable to him?

Second, Caster Semenya is now under close supervision lest she commit suicide. Fuck you world and fuck you Internets. In this whole debacle Semenya has been subject to, in no particular order: racism, misogyny, other people's tall-poppy hostility, the medicalization of gender and identity, society's acceptance of public ownership of private female bodies, and about twenty other things I'm too angry to list right now. Most importantly, she's been subjected to other people's cruelty, and all for really, one simple fucking reason: because she's really goddamn good at something, better, in fact, than most of us will ever be at anything. If you have ever cut someone down for talent or success, take a second and check yourself. Around here, I'm going to assume you all are not assholes on the gender front, but just in case, let me say it again: either gender, any gender, gender status, gendered pronouns: don't ever use them as an insult -- not for yourself, not for anyone else. It's hard; our society teaches us to do this; I struggle with it. But seriously, we can all work on that.

Third, Patrick Swayze died. He was talented as fuck, and gracious, fierce and ordinary in the face of illness. Instead of having an '80s kitsch celebration, learn from that.

Fourth, Crystal Lee Sutton died, and if you don't know who that is, you should follow the link.

Fifth, are we actually asking whether or not the Obama witch-doctor image is racist? CAN WE SOMEHOW NOT TELL? Yes, folks, it's fucking racist!

Now, moving along... I've just found out I have to go to Europe for three days in November. OMG WITH THE TRAVEL ALL THE TIME.

Patty and I are having dinner with some of her colleagues tonight. Yay.

More as it comes.

Comments

[stephl.livejournal.com]

Caster Semenya is now under close supervision lest she commit suicide.

I'm so rage-y over this whole debacle. Starting with the bullshit gendered misogynist assumption that a woman couldn't possibly be that good at something, so she MUST be a man trying to pull a fast one. Then the utterly ridiculous "makover" that magazine gave her, because if she *says* she's a woman, then she needs to know how to perform her gender "properly" -- because there's only one acceptable way to be a woman.

And the way her life has become public property, including the reporting of her test results before even she knew them. To some degree, all well-promoted athletes end up being seen as public commodities, but it's so much worse for women, who are already viewed as public property.

And, finally, the fact that she's intersex is no one's goddamn business but her own. (And if I hear/read "she-he" one more time, I'm going to absolutely lose it.)

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Just be glad you haven't run across "it," as I have. My own fault, of course, for being stupid enough to click the reader comments on absolutely any online newspaper story about anything much less this.

[stephl.livejournal.com]

Jesus. I have read/heard "it" used in other places to refer to trans* and/or intersex people. But I've deliberately avoided the comments sections of articles about Caster Semenya because I'm already too ragey from the situation itself. Reading hateful comments would push my blood pressure into stroke range, I fear.

[such_heights]

I don't know why I'm in the least surprised, but - oh my god.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

Between that and the people being totally dismissive of her own self-identification as female ("That's a GUY in that photo, hurrhurrhurrhurr!"), the human race is fired.

[weirdodragoncat.livejournal.com]

Oh good lord....are you serious????

Ugggghhhh!!!


It's shit like this that makes me embarrassed to be associated with the rest of humanity.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

I'm serious. :-/ It's all a big hilarious joke, apparently, unless of course you're the person contemplating suicide because there's literally no place on planet Earth to hide anymore.

[weirdodragoncat.livejournal.com]

Gods...that poor woman. I can't even imagine how her family must be feeling about all this either. It can't be good.

[gwyd.livejournal.com]

The last woman this happened to was devastated as weel, her life utterly ruined. She was a woman from India a few years ago, but her name is escaping me.

I hate how intersex people are treated. I hate the imposition of outdated gender norms on people seen by society as ambiguous in some way. A woman can be so many things. So can a man. If Ms Semyena says she is a woman that's good enough for me. I don't feel the need, let alone that I have the right to demand she put paint all over herself to prove it. Presentation is a personal choice (no make up, make up, a burka are all personal choices I don't and shouldn't get to make for other people). Nor do I need to know about the status of her organs. her body and her medical history are and should be her personal business.