Why Do We Need International Womens Day?

Because a large portion of the population can't seem to accept that having a vagina (say it out loud, it's not a scary word) doesn't somehow make you less/less worthy of rights and dignity than someone with a penis.

[be they born-with or acquired-later]
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Originally posted by nick_kaufmann at Why Do We Need International Women's Day?

Here's a photo of what happened to a female protestor in Egypt who dared to stand up for equal rights for women just last December.



And here's a picture of Gulnaz, a woman who was raped in Afghanistan. When she reported it, she was subsequently sentenced to twelve years in prison for "sex outside of marriage." Her one recourse to get out of prison? To marry her rapist.



And this is Mukhtar Mai, who was gang-raped on the orders of a council of tribal elders from her village of Meerwala, Pakistan, because her brother was seen in public with a girl from a rival tribe.



This is Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who accused her fellow U.S. Marine Corporal Cesar Laurean of raping and impregnating her. While a stubborn, disbelieving military dragged its feet in investigating, Lauterbach disappeared. Shortly afterward, the burned remains of her and her unborn child were found in a fire pit in Laurean's backyard.



There are thousands of women just like these all over the world with their own stories to tell. So the next time someone asks you why we need International Women's Day because sexism, misogyny, and institutionalized violence against women are things of the past, feel free to send them over here to see for themselves just how mistaken they are.

Spring Sprang

It hit 70 today.
70.

Okay, I'm okay with it. No, really. I'm okay with it enough that, after putting in a morning of work, I took the bike out for the first ride of the season.

Which was followed by the first flat tire of the season.

Oh well. The new pump worked, the guy at the new little bike shop around the corner is nice (and has a very silly little dog), and 7 miles left me very tired (I could do 30 miles in August without dying, for reference). Meh. But this too will return...

So yeah, 70. If it hits 80 before April, I'm Gonna Have Word With Someone.

Meanwhile, I am closing in on the end of all the current freelance work (with more to hit next week, whee), and while Madame Editrix M has not yet delivered unto me my revision letter, Madame Agent Jenn has given her words upon Operation Oy, and so I have my marching papers for the weekend...

In addition to doing a final final pass on Portals #1, to fix all the things I realized this week were still broken. Yeah. But the 3/15 delivery date is still golden, damn it.

And, in reward for my Virptue in getting on the bike, dinner tonight is a tagine-spice-crusted fillet of bream, with a spinach-red pepper chopped salad and a glass of sauvignon blanc. There may, in fact, be TWO glasses. Oh, the indulgence...