in this weeks reading “what’s in a name? on writing the history of feminism. from my understanding of this reading is that historians took it upon themselves to name everything women do in the name of feminism , its true that we been fighting for the longest to have equal rights because for as long as we can remember women been treated even worse than animals, we been beaten , abused, raped and killed for absolutely no other reason than because we women and its unfair to think that these called historians love to try to shame us with that word by saying that everything we do is feminism. but in the other hand because these women had come up with the word feminism a lot of change came with it, women were allowed to do things they never thought they could, they could open banks and go to school and have equal opportunities as men and that’s something we thought we’ll never see happen, any aggression against women is also illegal which is amazing because this was not a big deal almost a century ago. but now women are struggling even more because we are seen as do it all and some women are struggling financially and these are problems that are overlooked because if we fix one thing another collapses , in a way we still gonna be fighting this battle for.years to come because we are seen as beings who are here for the well of others but not for our own , we are here to make others progress but we cannot and when we do we our put hundreds of obstacles in our way.

This week, out of the few readings that were assigned to us, “It’s Time To End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women”, written by Tina Vasquez, stood out to me the most. What I loved most about it is the writer taking responsibility, as a cisgender woman who means well, in failing to help protect our fellow transwomen. Although I also consider myself supportive of the community, I feel that I have failed in supporting in more active ways. It is incredibly unsettling and disturbing to read about the violence and dangers that trans women endure daily. What was even more disheartening to learn were the high percentages of suicide within the community and the even higher percentages of those who have experienced harassment at work. 

When reading about sensitive topics like these, my heart automatically goes out to these women since I have seen how dangerous it can be for not only me but all of us out there. Other women, apparently disagree. In the article, Cathy Brennan, an attorney, radical feminist, and lesbian activist, believes that transgender women should be considered men. She even went as far as advocating against a policy introduced by the United Nations, that protects transgender people from discrimination. These “radical feminists” were then referred to as “trans-exclusionary radical feminists” or TERFs by trans women and trans activists. Shockingly, this small group of women has a huge influence on mainstream perceptions of innocent transwomen. If a small group of hateful women can make hateful statements and create a huge online presence promoting violence, then imagine what a bigger presence all of us, who support these women, can have!

Since reading this article, although I felt angry (as I tend to feel when reading about hate) at first, I decided to take the time and explore various organizations that support our fellow trans sisters that I thought I would share with you all as well!  

• https://www.twocc.us/    → Trans Women of Color Collective
• https://transequality.org/ → National Center for Trans Equality
• https://srlp.org/ → Legal Services
• https://www.thetrevorproject.org/ → Support Line
• https://spartapride.org/ → Advocacy/Support Center for Trans Veterans

As Vasquez stated, “My love, solidarity, and real-deal support as cisgender feminists is long overdue.

I think everyone is aware of women’s suffrage in society. Although it does not exist I am well aware of how far we have come. Women such as Ida B. Wells and Harriet Tubman are fearless and powerful activists. Harriet Tubman managed to escape slavery and free many slaves for 10 years. Bravery like that takes courage and I have no idea where she found this bravery. If the slave owners found out what she was doing, I’m pretty sure they would have hang her or even worst, torture her. Freeing enslaved individuals is a crime and the fact that she did it for a decade is incredible today the least. Ida B. Wells was an educator, journalist, and a leader for the civil rights movement. I can honestly say I am so inspired by her actions. She kind of reminds me of myself in some ways. Running to the front of a women’s suffrage march when colored people had to stay spin the back is something I would do. The march is about how much women of any race had been suffering for generations. Why can’t we show men  that women are smart and stronger together rather than separated. They should have marched as one. Over the years since 1700’s even father back women have slowly become more empowered. Even though they were denied rights/privileges to work,vote,become house owners, be part of the Supreme Court, run for president, etc these strong women never gave up.

I found the reading ” The Macho Paradox” fascinating because the author wrote this book to educate men and the readers on he is against violence against women. He also wanted to make sure that gender violence in general is proven in society. It is not okay to physically or mentally abuse a person no matter the gender.The author wants us with this reading to be able to make a change in our society, to be able to put a stop on that type of violence and to decrease the rates of women being violence against women. Over 40% in today’s society are sexually assaulted or have encountered sexual violence. Not all women in this world speak up about being sexually assaulted or being mentally or physically abused. In the reading the author also speaks on not just the bad of the violence and sexual violence, he also speaks about how there can be more people who be part of the solution of this tragic event that continues as we speak. One of the the quotes in the reading that brought it all together was when the author stated “If we are going to bring down dramatically the rates of violence against women . We will need a far-reaching cultural revolution. At its heart, this revolution must be about changing the sexist social norms in male culture” (8). He also speaks on pornography and prostitution and he it’s just as bad as being sexually assaulted, because you’re basically doing something you don’t really want to do and it’s traumatizing.