Abortion is a woman’s right! The pregnant person might stop working while pregnant or after, might stop studying, will not sleep at night, and has to take care of a tiny human for many years 24/7! That’s a huge responsibility in a country with no parental leave and no free aftercare after school. Why is this so hard to understand? Why is a healthcare right taken away from a woman because she might not want a child? It is a question of personal freedom and what we pay taxes for. We also know that women will perceive the surgery if they want to. They will travel, risk lives or go to dangerous places to do it. Roe v. Wade should be canceled. Women should decide not apolition a man who has no access to the perusal reasons of a particular person. We should be careful who we vote for because that is connected to abortion problems. I am very proud of Alexandra Ocasio for speaking confidently for all the women and pushing others to be knowledgeable and act strongly. She also stands for climate change and many social and political adjustments to support those in need, maybe because she is from the Bronx. A woman was killed and died in my country(Poland) because of the abortion ban. People went on the streets. The anti-abortion right is strongly in my country and is supported by the politicians and the church, and that institution cut reproductive rights. People go to black market doctors often. There is a prison sentence for that. Miscarriage is taken to the criminal investigation.

Judith Bernstein, born in 1942, is an American feminist artist whose large charcoal drawings of phallic-looking screws in the 1970s represented women’s anger and oppression. Her “penis-screw” signature became a metaphor not only for women’s degradation but also a wide array of social injustices, and opposition to the Vietnam War as well. Later, Bernstein’s work continued in attention-getting fluorescents, with reproductive organs representing social justice. The humor in her work magnifies, without diminishing, the high cost of social injustice

Rosemary Mayer (1943–2014) was an American visual artist and writer  involved in the feminist art movement, and a co-founder of the A.I.R. Gallery, which also displayed her work in a solo exhibition in 1973. Mayer studied classics at St. Joseph’s College and the University of Iowa and fine art at the School of Visual Arts and the Brooklyn Museum Art School. She was fluent in Latin and Greek, and translated a diary of an Italian artist Pontormo. She has mostly been recognized for her large fabric sculptures and work on paper, drawings, outdoor installations and books. Her most well-known draper sculptures  are interpreted as an imitation of painting and medieval art. She named them after famous women, both historical and mythological women. She lived her entire life in New York, where she taught art for 20 years at LaGuardia Community College.

• In what ways do you experience privilege?

I experienced privilege when I looked for a job at age 24 in New York. I didn’t speak English or had no experience, and I would walk from restaurant to restaurant, asking if I could be a hostess or a waitress. I was hired even though there were American college graduate students and a woman of color next to me. I was shocked. One of my friends with a black associated name told me my name sounds white, so my resume might be picked up before someone else’s. I felt horrible, but it was a privilege I didn’t know was attached to me. I also recognized how privileged I was in The United States because of my European education and how much my parents invested in me. To be raised by both parents is a huge privilege!I was very privileged as an emigrant, even though I had to struggle to fit in and adjust to my new life. 

• In what ways do you experience oppression?

I felt oppressed being harassed by older men trying to be too friendly with me, I knew an opportunity would put me on a plate like a piece of meat. My mother taught me to speak up in situations like that, so I did. Men would approach me often in many ways, and I never felt comfortable and I would be scared. So I was insulting and unpleasant to them. I felt oppressed at home because I was raised with three brothers, and they were the solid structure of the family in the conversations. If they had good grades, they would be praised for intelligence and awarded. If I would get good grades, I will be a girl who studies well, as every girl should. My housework was never appreciated, and my efforts were undeniable in a household because this is what women do in Polish society. I was also treated very unfairly by my ex-husband, who wanted me to be a housewife, and I was not allowed to have male friends. He would decide if we go for a trip or if we go out that weekend or not. I had to say yes to many rules he had, and I disagreed. So I left one day …

What surprised you in the readings and film?

The documentary and inspiring movie “Period. End of Sentence.” shows how difficult it is to be a woman, get an education, and be understood. The lack of knowledge about menstruation, the myths, and the shaming makes life for millions unbelievably unfair and much harder. Usually, in countries where getting basic necessities is a struggle, to begin with. The movie gets close to ordinary people to show how naturally uneducated they are. We see patriarchal structures where men control a woman’s life entirely, and there is very little space for them to escape oppression. I know that lacking sanitary pads stops women from going to school daily. And getting an education in many countries builds unfairness and limits opportunity but always ( always!) seeing this makes you realize again how hard life is for some of us. It makes you mad because they could have had more help if the men around them were more helpful. The fact that a small basic change makes so much progress it’s even more disturbing. It is a contrast to the ignorance of society. 

• What connections could you find across the readings and film?

I feel a connection with being shamed from having a period, and my culture (Poland) is hiding the fact that women have menstruation. Parents don’t talk about this with children; at school, there is very little information explaining how you could feel and why. As a kid, I got all my knowledge from friends and silly magazines for young women.

Because of the menstrual silence, women suffer from fibroids and endometriosis and don’t talk about it because the pain associated with monthly periods should be kept to themselves. Now we talk more about women’s bodies in many aspects, not only as a treat for men! In my opinion, we should also talk about STDs because I see how dating apps get so normal, and many of my friends have sex all the time, but I am not sure if they always protect themself. STDs like menstruation aren’t pretty, so people won’t talk about it and don’t think they can save lives by discussing protection and safe, responsible sex. 

I see how transgender people are such an easy target for hate in every corner. They are so brave to fight for who they are! I remember reading that in jails they don’t get to continue the hormonal therapy! Also medicine can change if they would be transported to another state. That can be very harmful for menthol and physical changes. 

 Non White people often complain about the different health care they receive. My friend is overweight, and she always says that doctors blame any of her problems on her body type. Type that is very natural in her family, and everyone is tall and strong. They don’t bother to do any extra tests- she learned to ask many questions and be very persistent. 

Racism is still a widespread antagonism. I know that because I met many people who assumed I was “a little bit racist” (!!!) and would share opinions and feelings about black Americans. Once, I yelled on the train, hearing a Polish-speaking person saying racist comments about my husband! I screamed in Polish and English, telling her how primitive she was. I would do it again!

• How does the format in which the stories are shared impact your understanding of medical oppression and/or other aspects of gender we have discussed this semester?

IDENTITY is being who or what a person or thing is.

I feel people try to take away the identity of others. That is immoral and violent. Lack of medical treatment, when you pay taxes and work very hard, is shaming you straight in your face. It’s brutal discrimination! Aren’t medical professionals taking the Hippocratic Oath? To swear they will help others! I could talk for hours about how unnatural from the scientific and biological point of view is, not to talk about menstruation, how women feel, how to help them, teach them, and change the system so they can live better. But men always underline how they must have sex and watch porn because it’s natural, and since states that it is good to do it! 

Not understanding female orgasm, lack of medical care based on race or socioeconomic status, lack of medical advice, and care for mental health. That is all manipulation and pushing a person without choices to be something they are not!  

Kat Gawin 

Prof. Hollis Glaser

GWS 100-1300

Garza and Williams show a complex understanding of how politics are implemented in life. The power that controls. 

Intellectual examples and everyday situations are equally important for understanding Identity Politics. I feel that the movement – Identity Politics – is a part of something that has existed for a long time, but now we put a name to it. We will turn it around for an advantage to help people, not to take away from underrepresented individuals. 

Politics can narrow or take away people’s possibilities. Since power can make decisions about the life of an individual and a group, to be free and happy, people need to state their expectations, tell their stories and represent their lives. Women’s rights and gay rights must have social fairness and be protected. In “The Power of Identity Politics” by Garza, the ignorant white girl in the bar states that the political corrections went too far, and she doesn’t understand that identity is an integral part of politics. She only sees her perspective. She is privileged and pleads no guilt to the history white men made by controlling everything around them. It must be frustrating and infuriating for a black person to hear comments about history that is fake and unfair -like it’s normal. We read, “…identity politics is the radical notion that your experience and history shape your worldview and that those experiences will vary according to the power of a group or individuals in the economy, society or democracy.”