Okay Ladies...

[2naSalit]

It's WAR and we must win it. This is an open declaration of the intent to make us second or third class citizens, if they don't rescind our citizenship to further weaken our standing.

Are we up for the boycott of those who wish to dominate our lives in every way?

First, no petting penises until further notice.

I don't have one in my life by choice but I plan to stop doing anything for anyone who has one and/or agrees with this decision or doesn't see the damage done by it. (If there is a woman in your life who agrees with this decision, treat her like she has a penis since her brain thinks like one.)

I hope that this ends any affection for R politicians from now on. This is serious and scary.



I hope my passport gets here soon, I might need it.

So, what do you think we should to do?

[Ilsa]

1. We need men in this fight too. They can't pretend this only

affects women. They need to send their machismo back to 1900 and get with the program for their relatives and friends.

[2naSalit]

6. True. They are the ones who cause pregnancy...

After all. They made this problem, they HAVE to help fix it.

Sorry, I'm not feeling very inclusive right now.

[Ilsa]

8. I don't either, but they also have voices.

But yeah, I'm pissed at most men for allowing this to get through. They know we don't have the same representative voice or agency as they have. I'm also PO'ed at those in the younger generation that took it for granted.

[2naSalit]

11. Those who are allies with voices...

Better speak a little louder, I can't hear them for all the screaming of those in pain.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. .

So, what do you think we should to do?

First, we can stop the "sex boycott" talk. It's not helpful.

Meanwhile, here are some useful things you can do:

http://bitly.ws/qJqm (goes to a google doc)

The most impactful thing you can do at the moment is to donate money. I know, I know. If that isn't an option or if you want to do more, organize other people to donate money. The coolest among you will become monthly donors–even of a smaller amount, because it provides a stable cash flow for organizations which are largely volunteer-run.

Here's where it can go (bonus points if you do them all):

* Give to local abortion funds in your state who help abortion seekers pay for procedures, made by the Abortion Link Fairy @helmsinki.
* Give to practical support organizations, who help abortion seekers with travel, childcare, and other logistical needs.
* Give to independent clinics, who are not affiliated with Planned Parenthood, but provide 6 in 10 abortions in the U.S., including all abortion care later in pregnancy.
* Our current fave: Give to a new clinic in MD being started by two badass ladies, an OBGYN and a midwife, who will provide safe and compassionate care throughout pregnancy. They will be one of the closer clinics to the Southeast, and be a critical destination as bans sweep across those states. They need $$$!
* Share This: a cool guide @alisonturkos made with more ideas, options and info
* Offer to Volunteer at a PSO, Fund, or your local clinic: Recently, someone I am close to volunteered to help a stranger from Texas traveling hundreds of miles away for care. They desperately needed someone local to check them in and out of a clinic. They were traveling alone and the clinic required a companion. It amounted to driving across town twice, not a big lift, but it meant that person could get the care they needed–it was potentially life-changing.

You'll note that none of our recommendations include giving to well-funded orgs like Planned Parenthood, starting your own thing when these networks exist, fighting with people on the internet, or marching. Our informed advice is to prioritize mutual aid through local organizations.

Links in the actual doc.

People are still getting abortions, and they need money to access those abortions. I'd also recommend using this time to practice talking about abortion in a way that includes more gender-inclusive language, learning about cultural sensitivity and anti-racist practices around abortion, and abandoning "Handmaid's Tale/coat hanger" rhetoric.

[2naSalit]

7. I beg to differ on...

The "stop the talk about..." part.

Strong language is what gets heard anymore. If more people think these actions will work for them, they should go for it.

I don't think we should restrain ourselves when expressing our discontent on this, we have not been aggressive enough in making it clear that this is unacceptable. Extraordinary measures are now necessary.

I have spent my entire 65+ years trying to fucking survive in a male dominated world that has dictated every gain I have been able to make. Because of male dominance, I will never come even close to living up to my potential in any position of life, not in this life. So, with this last straw, I am no longer going to restrain myself, period. Nor will I give an inch to anyone with misogynist tendencies ore attitudes for any purpose. From now on, I'll be drawing blood with my barbs. I have few years left and I will spend them fighting male dominance and its damage to half the species, and I'll fight dirty when circumstances call for it because that's all the opposition ever does.

Not playing nice anymore.

[Ilsa]

9. Are you talking about me?

Yeah, I hear ya. "We didn't expect you to score so high on mechanical aptitude. Let's put you in a Home Eco class."

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. It's not about being nice. It's about what reflects reality and what's useful.

Sex boycotts, for real? Some women like sex with men, why should they punish themselves? And what action comes from a sex boycott?

"Handmaid's Tale" rhetoric center middle-class white women's experience with reproductive oppression, when the reality is the oppression hits poor, Black, indigenous, POC, queer and other marginalized people hardest. The horror of Handmaid's Tale is not that people are oppressed, but that white cis women are oppressed like more marginalized people.

Coat hangers imply that illegal abortions are unsafe. The reality is now that illegal abortions can be very safe, through the use of abortion pills. It's a fine line, but scaring people who need abortions with coat-hanger talk isn't helpful.

Using outdated rhetoric isn't "fighting dirty." In the long run, it's unhelpful.

[Treefrog]

13. I don't get the sex boycott talk at all.

Surely no Democratic woman would be having sex with a Republican misogynist anyway?

[2naSalit]

14. Not quite what I was implying...

And I don't want to belabor our differences in POV, but I think you are reading it outside of my meaning.

Men need sex more than women, biological thing. That women might enjoy sex is part of their issue, we are not supposed to enjoy it too, not in the minds of misogynists. It's all about power for them, they have convoluted the concept of sexual pleasure and decided that only they are allowed to actually enjoy it, we on the other hand, just want it all the time and are simply receptacles and dispensers of children.

Since there is a needs based concern with them and concern over who can have a certain personal pleasure, only men can have that, according to them. To many, we're barely the same species. So withholding what they perceive as one of the greatest pleasures over their oppressive behavior seems like a fair weapon.

Sex has been turned into a weapon long ago but finds its way into current times and is used with reckless abandon, here and abroad. "Men must rule the world," according to them. How dare we weak women perceive anything different? "Give us what we demand whenever we demand it and maybe we'll help provide for you and my matured sperm and even maybe, possibly, be nice to you once in a while" ...a centuries old pile of shit that is enforced through violence, withholding of means and ostracism.

The only class NOT adversely affected are the affluenza class.

The symbolism of old is just as effective today because of its stark recall to past atrocities not to be so easily forgotten. Fighting dirty is not using outdated rhetoric, I agree, it is, however, useful in its shock value.

Fighting dirty is another beast in its own right, methodology will not be discussed in detail here.

We are taken for granted more often than not and it's time to change that narrative in a major way starting now by any and all means.


That's about as clear as I can be right now.

[Samrob]

3. Focus on State and Local elections in upcoming elections. Get rid of Rethugs! nt

[SheltieLover]

4. Absofuckingloutely!

[Ilsa]

5. If I was of childbearing age, I'd update my passport. I might purchase

a small stash of abortion drugs to keep handy for myself and friends.

[William769]

12. K&R.