Okay, it’s International Women’s Day and I have a lot to say so I’m going to go in the order of my thoughts. I knew that today was Women’s Day so being a woman was the topic on my mind. First thing I saw this morning was the interview between Harry, Meghan & Oprah and wow. Just wow. I hate to say that I’m not surprised by any of those horrific events happening but I’m extremely disgusted and disappointed. For any of you who are out of the loop on this topic… the run down is that Meghan and Harry left the monarchy for a plethora of reasons. The monarchy had silenced them, used racist behavior especially when it came to their son Archie (i.e., Not allowing him a title to the throne, not allowing him security, and having conversations of “concern” over how much melanin would show in his skin tone). Not only that, but when Meghan was suffering from depression and suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy, they would not allow her to seek treatment because it would tarnish the family name or start scandal. All in all, the monarchy did not respect Meghan & Harry’s family and is not willing to protect Meghan and Archie specifically. The next thing that was on my mind was how difficult it can be as a woman on a daily basis. Not all women have vaginas, but I do and gosh mine has been in pain lately. I wish we knew more about women’s health or were taught about it in school or had it more accessible. I’ve been going online and taking pictures of the irritation I’ve experienced as of late and it’s hard to figure out exactly what it could be since there’s so much different information on the internet and people are always saying that self-diagnosis online isn’t really a good idea but sometimes it’s the only option available to you. I went to the store today to pick up lubricant, petroleum jelly, and miconazole (vaginal antifungal medication) to see if I can help myself before having to go see a doctor. When I was walking in the store, I was reminded that women are taxed on these basic health products and other products like pads, tampons, etc. it’s called the Period Tax. The United States is one of the only first-world countries to still tax on essential women’s health products. The latest legislation on this topic was brought up in 2019 when House representative Grace Meng introduced the Menstrual Equity for All bill. However, it is still being discussed over 2 years later… what do they do in Washington again? Of course, there are some states who have already abolished the period tax, since that’s how our government works, but it is very few and we need this to be done on a national level. Now let’s go back a bit, before I got to Target today, I had to walk there and as a woman I was a little scared to walk there even though it is very close to my house. I’m always on edge when I have to go somewhere, I can’t have both headphones in, I keep my keys in my hand for protection, and have to worry if my purse is secure on my body. As I was walking to the store, I called multiple people to see if they would stay on the phone with me while I walked in case anything happened or just so men wouldn’t start a conversation with me. After calling a couple of different people with dead ends, my friend Gaby answered and stayed on the phone with me until I got there. But I shouldn’t have to do that. I shouldn’t have to think to myself, “Oh maybe I should put my purse on a different way so they can’t snatch it off of me, or I hope no one starts flirting with me or fetishizing my tattoos. I’m petite, people might think I’m small and weak. People always comment on my breasts…” And it’s not just cis women like myself who go through these things, for decades transwomen have been targeted, fetishized, hurt, and even killed for living their truth as women. It’s nice to go on Instagram and see all of these uplifting posts about being women (and romanticizing it in my opinion), but being a woman is hard too and there’s a lot more things that need to be done for us to be respected and treated equally in society. The last thing I want to mention, to end on a positive note, I just want to say that I appreciate all of the women who have been there for me throughout my life. It seems like I was surrounded by women and I sort of was. Growing up with a single mom, and then having lesbian mothers and being a part of the LGBTQIA community from such a young age. Finding comfort and solace in women my entire life. I just want to say I appreciate all of you who got me where I am today and those of you who continue to support me as your sister. I will continue to support all women in the fight for our rights, respect, and representation! I am a big advocate for representation of women of all shades, women of all body types, women with disabilities, and even people who may not identify as women (my enbys) but know what it’s like to have a vagina and be discriminated against. I love you all and I appreciate you. Xoxo Mad
The picture below is a picture I found a loved. It was created by an artist named Tyler Feder, follow her @tylerfeder for more beautiful illustrations!
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