As always, if you have long commentary please leave it at the source article; let me know if you’d like me to link to your post or comment.
First: I’m hustling for money for my kids’ fall/winter coats. You can look top right ——> if you’d like to help. You can also volunteer to receive the coats when my kids grow out (post here in the comments). I’ll post tutorials as I create them, to help any future stitchers.
This song – makes me cry. Every time.
SQUAT! Birth Journal. Awesome shit. They accept submissions. DO it. DO IT.
I reviewed a sewing pattern/class. I can recommend the pattern and especially the class for anyone who’d like the finished garment (the romper and pant combo… okay that’s just cozy as hell!).
I’ve been asked to flesh out my Twitter’d, “Ten Things That Make #Parenting Easier” list. Here are #1, #2, and #3. I’ll keep updating this post to include all ten. $4 debuts later today.
We are making a keyhole garden (or a variation of one). I don’t know what to do or plant in the bed once it’s done, given how late we are in the year. Maybe some PNw’er friends of mine can help! (Donate one – they’re awesome)
Grays Harbor Down – my absolute favorite local news source.
Black Girl In Maine writes a great post about divisive, “us vs. them” language.
STRAW FEMINISTS IN THE CLOSET – I cried real tears at how perfect this was.
LLL makes a big gaffe on leadership issues. I hope they reconsider. Like PhD in Parenting sums up, I too have always held them in good faith… But.
Two years ago today: tetanus meadow.
I’ve been following Trevor’s story a little bit, since I found out about it. I don’t understand his particular choice in regard to his surgeries, etc. but that’s just an aside and not part of the real issue. The fact of the matter is that LLL is wrong. Although Trevor identifies as a gay male, he’s still biologically female and they’re refusing to let him be a leader based on his appearance, not on his gender. He gave birth. He clearly has a uterus. The right thing to do is to allow him to be a co-leader with a woman, and to let other people know up front about his situation, so that people who might be uncomfortable getting nursing info from someone who has the appearance of a male and who thinks of himself as male can choose to go to a different group. My only counter argument to Trevor’s stance is that it’s difficult to understand why someone who didn’t want to have breasts anymore (he had elective surgery to have them removed) would want to be part of an organization whose emphasis is on helping women use their breasts as nature intended. I’m sure that for some people this is part of the brouhaha. The stupid thing is, LLL might attract more people (including more trans parents) to their membership if they did allow Trevor to be a leader.
@Jen
I don’t know if we can say Trevor is “biologically female”, unless he identifies as such. It’s none of our business and definitely that language is loaded and many trans* people and advocates might take umbrage.
The whole, “Why join LLL when it’s obviously such-and-such an organization”, that’s deeply personal too. LLL does so much good and perhaps Trevor was super-inspired by his experiences there and is trying to be the change he wants to see in the world. I support that! I know many organizations have benefitted from so-called minorities (racial, sexual orientation, ability) challenging the status quo.
I think the “brouhaha” is bigotry and ignorance, period. Ignorance is the moment before one ever thought of such a scenario. Bigotry is after reading over a few good pieces, still maintaining we have a right to police Trevor’s actions. As for LLL’s actions, I really liked how PhD in Parenting summed it up. Perhaps LLL isn’t the organization I thought it was.
If you have a longer comment do leave one at Amber’s blog or PhD in parenting. I think there are excellent discussions there.
I forgot to add that I particularly liked the part in the PhD in parenting article where they talked about using the term ‘mothering’ when a more appropriate word would be ‘parenting’. I had a colleague in grad school whose wife had a full-time job with lots of pressure, so she worked late often. My colleague didn’t have nearly as full a schedule, so he did the majority of the day-to-day caregiving for their daughter, as well as housework/cooking/laundry. No one calls that ‘fathering’ but no one would have called it mothering, either. It was just parenting.