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86 Years (And Many More)

Today is the 86th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution – in other words, today marks the 86th year since women got the right to vote.

The right of citizens in the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

It’s an amazing thing to think about, isn’t it? The idea that this country used to keep a full half (more than half, actually) from voting? To allow them no say whatsoever in the laws that shaped our lives?
I’ve often thought that women who live in this country who don’t vote should have to trade places with women who would love to – and who can’t. In too many countries, that is still the case, but we take it for granted here.
My thanks to all the women who sacrificed so much to earn us this right, and to all the women who vote, who work in politics, and who raise daughters who vote. Some of those women are being celebrated at NYU today, if you can make it.

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Endymion: Bored

Big endymion
He looks bored a lot, but he’s the most playful of all three cats. And he sure is a killer, even if he doesn’t look it. In fact the boys (I’m never sure which one) have caught two mice in the time they’ve lived here; in one case I heard a growl from Endymion and having never heard that kind of mean sound out of him before, went to find out what was up. As it turned out, he had a mouse in his mouth that his brother wanted to know about. (The other time we came home from a short trip and there was a dead one, placed with respect, about a foot away from my chair.)
But funnier still is when Endymion decides to play with a bug. He watches, he growls, he follows every squiggle or drunken flying jag. Once he grounds the flying thing, or corners the crawling thing, he plays a game of hide and seek, putting his massive paw down on it, then picking it up to check on it and let the bug run away. The problem is the massiveness of the massive paw: unfortunately these games don’t last very long, because even the most hearty, exoskeleton’d types tend to die after two “hide the critter” attempts. The odd thing is that Endymion himself always look disappointed, as if he rung the bell of his best friend only to be told by the kid’s mom that Jr. unfortunately has chicken pox and can’t come out and play.

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Between A Rock & A Hard Place

What with all the discussion going on about the MWMF policy, I’m finding myself once again heavy-hearted, confused, and feeling terribly unresolved.
I’ve met so many MTFs who would fit right in at MWMF. Others who could give a rat’s ass about not being allowed to attend something like that. But I’ve also met a ton who are clueless, demanding, completely lacking a feminist consciousness, & reeking of male privilege.
That said, as a heterosexual feminist, I’ve also been treated by lesbian separatists as a traitor just for liking men (which, as I’ve pointed out more than once, has got to be at least as innate as being born lesbian), and would feel it necessary to hide who I am if I were ever on “the Land.”
Saying ‘a pox on both your houses’ just doesn’t feel satisfying today, either, but this interstice I’m living in feels very, very small indeed today.

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More Things You Can Do: #s 26-34

I’ve missed a few weeks of posting more things you can do to further trans rights and protections, according to the NCTE:
#26: Locate Support Services
#27: Collaborate with another group on a community project or social event.
#28: Work to Pass a Nondiscrimination Policy at Your Workplace
#29: Connect with PFLAG!
#31: Plan to Come out on National Coming Out Day on October 11
#32: Register New Voters!
#33: Fund Scholarships!
#34: Programs for Youth