J.K. Rowling @jk_rowling · May 12 Replying to @Best4Liberty and @jonathanchait Does this apply to any other demographic, Landon? Do I get ...
I could not disagree more strongly with specific individual Black women who are angry about this tweet but silent on other related issues.
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When the conversation turned to Black women being concerned about males in our spaces we were quickly met with the expectation that we of all people would be in favor of mixed-sex spaces because....."Black women are thought to be like men"
What?!
What does that have to do with our concerns for our safety as females? As it is, Black women are less likely to come forward because we are less likely to be believed and less likely to have our cases investigated like other women's cases. In fact, most women's cases do not get deserved care and attention.
Black women do not need the added complication of males in our spaces when we are already at a disadvantage with:
- limited dedicated resources
- limited dedicated & knowledgeable support
- limited cultural understanding from experts
- and limited give a damn about us.
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🌹Years before JK Rowling's tweet there have been almost daily tweets calling Black women "men". Including angry tweets directed at comedian Jess Hilarious. To be fair, I have rarely agreed with her perspective on anything, but that isn't saying much because she doesn't need me to. She's successful and has a lot of fans. I do however support her right to speak and share her opinions.
I happened to agree with her when she spoke on females owning or having the right to gatekeep menstruation. Absolutely.
We don't even so much as speak on men's private parts. Contrast that with all the forced actions, legislation, policies, and outside opinions pushed on female parts. I'm of the age when it is time to talk to males about prostate exams. Those talks don't last long. Men shut those down immediately!
Yet women and girls MUST not only have the conversations in the presence of males but also be told what we will do with our parts and when.
I'm angry about:
The harassment of prominent FGM advocates who were told they were insensitive and hateful for bringing up their trauma because it hurt the feelings of others.
I SAID: Women who were held down and cut without anesthesia as little girls, were admonished for discussing their pain because it "hurt male feelings".
Another great woman who works to educate girls in Africa about menstruation has endured the same harassment and name-calling.
When made aware of the harassment and cruelty that continues to be heaped upon these women, some women dismiss these concerns to tell women's rights activists that "WE" are the ones being "insensitive" and "hateful".
They know what they are doing. They are intentionally turning a blind eye to the same misogyny that continues to be noted by international reporting agencies worldwide since the start of the internet. They know that we are not making this up. They have made an informed choice not to care.
Misbehave and step out of line and there will be no compassion or advocacy for you. People who insult and name-call women for failing to fall in line with males tend to judge women most harshly. They do not have the emotional range to care about non-compliant and non-submissive women and girls.
Never mind the fact that online and in-person misogyny harassment, and violence are on record everywhere. If you have the IQ to use the internet, you have the IQ to know that misogyny is a rampant, violent, unchecked issue that people can't even pretend to care about until it strikes them.
Even more these same folks antagonize and recruit others to engage in harassment against women and girls who dare to speak up about violence and harassment from all males, especially gender non-conforming males.
Women and girls are unprotected and uncared for.
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I must note that most of the supporters of these women have been white women of all backgrounds from around the world. These women show up consistently to support these women online through both word and deed when males sling racial slurs in groups, one after the other all BECAUSE these women are Black women who actively educate women and girls about female bodies offline.
Black Maternal Health
🎴Black women are dying in childbirth throughout the globe, including in the West. As someone who had a horrific pregnancy experience and birth, I spoke up.
1. We were told not to discuss pregnancy, and unilaterally decided on female health terminology changes, (because "hurt feelings" and "hate")
2. How to discuss it so as not to hurt others.
3. To accept males in our conversations
4. We are "hateful" if we do not.
Final answer: "No." What happens inside of this body is between me & the medical personnel that I have a rapport with.
Black Women and Male Comparisons
💢One prominent Black feminist posted a tweet reminding the platform about Michelle Obama being called a man. That tweet got thousands of likes that night. It was a huge low and disappointment.
To date, no one has explained what is supposed to happen because stupid people share a one-brain-celled opinion. Stupid people once thought, and still think that Black people have tails. What am I supposed to do with this information?
Some people on this planet are bottom-shoe stupid and quite comfortable in that state. What do you want from me?
Not to mention, people have a lot of thoughts about everyone.....including the people bringing me this gutter information. When I don't repeat the mantras of what stupid people have to say about you. I'm showing you basic human decency, respect, and dignity that you refuse to give me. Because it isn't that other people have not had gross, stupid, and terrible things to say about the folks speaking nasty to us. I just choose not to repeat it back to you.
This issue still just gets silenced, within and outside of the community. In general, when women minoritized women are harmed, the overall message seems to be that people should forgive and accept so that more people will not be in jail.
Never mind our resulting disabilities, trauma, addictions, pain etc...
Anyway, discussions around males in prisons are only among a few women despite numerous attempts to engage others.
Despite sharing this terrible story of a mixed-race, lesbian-led couple who was murdered:
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This entire family was taken from us by a mass shooter.In California, Will a Male Mass Shooter Serve His Life Sentence in a Male or Women's Prison? (updated)
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🎾Silence comes again when it is time to discuss what will happen when Black female athletes are pushed out of scholarship opportunities by males or personal beliefs.
Personal beliefs do not begin and end with religion. In high school, I was the captain of the Marching Band Flag Team. Try-outs were long, hot, and hard.
One of the girls who made the squad did not march with us because her father objected to the mini skirts that were part of our uniform. As a teen, I thought that was silly. "Why your daddy so strict?" That's what we asked her.
Upon reflection on all that freezing and upskirting we endured, he was absolutely right. I came home from the Christmas parade to one of my older elders telling me: "Yeah, the cameraman went all up your skirt."
She stayed home and watched it on television because it was so cold that day.
Her daddy was right. Her daddy was right. Her daddy was right.
Marching band was the best! Reactions to our skirts were not.
Just as our peer's dad didn't want his daughter high-stepping in a mini skirt, not all parents will want their children changing clothing in the presence of males. We can debate this until the end of time, but parents have a right to impart their values and beliefs, especially on boundaries and safety, to their children.
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❓ Long before the perhaps outdated pop culture references from JKR, there have been many opportunities to speak boldly on behalf of Black women in this debate. To weigh in.
To facilitate genuine and authentic health and safety for everyone in the community.
To do more than nod along in agreement to Black women being silenced, pushed aside, insulted, erased, and demeaned.
There's a relatively small number of us who have been trying to have a reasonable, logical, equitable dialogue that takes into account the fragility and newness of women's rights and women's safety....and but for a few, we have been met with prek level "name-calling" and accusations of "hate".
Unreasonableness.
Baseless accusations.
Adult tantrums.
Threats.
And, we have not even gotten to the kids yet.
When anger, passion, and rage-even when justified- is a stand-in for reason, expertise, knowledge, compassion, and empathy...conversation and dialogue become impossible.
Listen, I'm tired of Black people being conveniently centered in social justice issues but I'm also, tired of Black women's life, death, and health concerns being largely ignored by members of our own community too.
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