Men, we need to talk

Time to dust of the old blog, because there’s some shady shit going down. The leaked SCOTUS draft was enough to bring me out of my pandemic-induced ennui, so let’s go. First, if you haven’t already done so, please look up your local abortion fund at the National Network of Abortion Funds. Organizations need money more than anything, because when Roe is overturned, 26 trigger states will immediately limit or eliminate access to abortion. Women of color, poor women, and young women/girls will need help either obtaining pills for medical abortions or will need transportation and lodging in states that […]

Libraries are Radical

Libraries are safe spaces. We welcome anyone and everyone, regardless of belief, political leaning, or economic status. So why are librarians expected to be politically neutral? I recall a conversation I had with a group of female colleagues in my library about the Art+Feminism Wikipedia event in March. Supposedly, one of the women had mentioned the event to our boss, who wondered if using the word “Women” instead of “Feminism” would feel more welcoming. I immediately recoiled from the thought.As the oldest woman in the room (although not by a lot) I felt a bit stodgy, but stood my ground. Our […]

TMI

Women’s bodies are mysterious and gross according to Western cultural taboos. You would think that in a female dominated profession such as librarianship, these topics would feel less threatening to discuss when necessary, but in the drive to act more like men in the workplace (a common mistake among well-meaning feminists) we’ve simply devised new devices to hide our biology: tampons, menstrual cups, breast pumps. I admit that I’m as guilty as anyone of trying to hide my biology most of the time, and I won’t argue against the freedom these devices give to women. Sometimes, it’s impossible to hide your […]

Why I Worked on A Day Without Women

Yesterday was International Women’s Day, and as a result of 45’s* election, women around the country have started to agitate for change. After the Women’s March in January, the creators wanted to demonstrate the value of women in work, thus declaring March 8, 2017 the first “Day Without Women.” The Women’s March website provides options for all women: Anyone, anywhere, can join by making March 8th A Day Without a Woman, in one or all of the following ways: Women take the day off, from paid and unpaid labor Avoid shopping for one day (with exceptions for small, women- and […]