When Serena proposed the idea of focusing on gratitude this month by honoring pro-choice advocates, I immediately knew who I’d choose: the people that make sure that women who need abortions have the money to do so.
Working in either local funds or the funding arms of major organizations is not an easy job. The need is overwhelming, and there’s never enough money to go around. The hours can be long – in the case of a lot of local funds, the work is literally 24/7 – and the stories can rip your heart out.
But this is such essential work, particularly in our current economic climate. Helping a woman raise $200 or $100 or even $50 doesn’t just mean that she can get an abortion. It means that no matter her situation, she can access the same services as any other woman. It means, as a case manager for the D.C. Abortion Fund told me years ago, that a woman’s rights shouldn’t depend on her wallet. [Read more...]
I was stoked to hear the news this weekend that Houston elected an openly gay woman as their mayor. Saturday’s election of Annise Parker marks a historic moment for the gay and lesbian community, particularly in such a conservative state like Texas. Increased representation of gay and lesbian identity within the political sphere obviously carries with it a tremendous amount of benefits. Nevertheless, I found it pretty darn interesting that one of the largest cities in the country, with a not-so-excellent voting record on the legal rights of gay and lesbian couples, voted to elect a lesbian woman as the mayor of Houston. Don’t get me wrong; I’d like to think that her sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity played no role in the minds of Houston voters, but I think we all know better. 
Yes, I said it. A national priority. For far too long we have had to sit back, waiting around for the president to get the courage to act righteously, while his administration works to acquiesce the LGBT community with tokenist attempts to include a “gay” agenda. Since 1993, when Clinton’s good intention manifested itself into a destructive policy known as ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ roughly 13,500 U.S. citizens serving in the armed forces have been discharged. Professional, courageous, committed, intelligent, service members with merit and passion are being turned away because of who they choose to love and who they choose to sleep with. Nearly $363 million dollars have been waisted within the span of 16 years, to enforce a policy that tells people they are less then human if they are gay, lesbian, trans, or bisexual. 
I just finished reading Gloria Feldt’s The War on Choice and discussing it with my feminist study group. This is an absolute must read for pro-choice activists. For those who don’t know, 
The pro-choice movement took a devastating blow this morning with news that George Tiller, a passionate advocate for abortion rights and reproductive health care, was murdered. Feminists all over the country are identifying this as an act of terrorism, and in my honest opinion, rightfully so. It is a politically motivated act of violence against both an individual and in a broader sense, the pro-choice movement.
