More feminist then I think?

Or is the world still more sexist (or other -ist) then I want to believe. Where are the people who are creating systems that continue to make certain groups into second class? Are they oblivious or are they like the Disney illustrators who sneak the word sex into the dust of the Lion King?

My fiancé received a speeding ticket last weekend. As I've not gotten a ticket in quite some time I was interested to see this quickly printed document no bigger then a receipt. Among the identifying information name, address, etc was the expected Sex: but unexpected was the answer rather than M, the ticket read Sex: 1

Now assuming the officer recognized my fiancé as male and/or took that information off his driver's license then 1 apparently represents male. Which would lead me to believe 2 is female. But is there a 3? I'd like to be Sex: 52 if you don't mind. This is a case in which my typically supportive of women's rights fiancé thinks I become ridiculous - but I don't. Why is male 1? Is 1 and 2 really easier or more cost efficient in this completely electronic system then M and F? California (and other) sports systems may be going to a no winner sports system for kids to bolster self esteem, but in the real world someone gets the Gold -someone is number 1 and 2nd place is the first loser. It is bad enough that the words themselves female/woman are derived from male/man, but to continue by applying numbers us?

I am not shocked when I hear that Mississippi is canceling prom so 2 girls won't go together and one of them wear pants. Cause God forbid a woman wears pants in 2010! I'm just sad. Sad when people don't understand how little things like Sex:1 do matter because they represent a larger ill that continues to penetrate our society.

Women Build

Here is a "daily diary" entry I was asked to write for National Women Build Week.

Fact. Women Build. Just yesterday I was one of two people working on a Habitat for Humanity house in a West Dallas neighborhood, both of us women. Several of the neighborhood men stopped long enough to ask us if we knew what we were doin' up there on that roof. Yes, we're not up here fixin' our nails or baking cupcakes but doing actual work. We're the house leaders, yes we are women who know how to build a house. We're not alone either. Women Build.
Today I had the opportunity to work on a home as part of National Women Build Week. It was a paint day which is an unfortunate representation of the work women do for Habitat. Painting is often deemed "women's work." But, this is not so often the case in my experiences with Habitat. If it wasn't for women, who account for half our Construction Supervisor staff and 70% of the Assistant Construction staff at Dallas Area Habitat, our homes wouldn't get built. I have personally worked on several homes that will end up in the hands of single mother's and it is one of my greatest joys to empower these women in the actual building of their homes. I don't hand them brooms or nail magnets, but hammers and saws. Women Build. Women build and own their own homes. Women teach and lead others in all aspects of building homes. Women carry 80 pound stacks of shingles up ladders and install 4x8 pieces of OSB on a 6 pitch roof. So, the next time you're out on a construction site and a bunch of women come around, don't count them out, but step up to the plate.
There isn't a National Women Build Week because its the only 7 days a year that women are in the construction world. For many of us it is just another week. Women Build. This week only highlights the enormous contribution women have to the home building industry, especially in the non-profit sector. Women Build. Why not have a woman build your next home?

Sexism alive and kickin'

I try not to jump on the feminist soap box, ever, but it seems hard to avoid these days. I build houses for Habitat for Humanity (a truly wonderful organization). It is not uncommon to find a lot of women on the construction site and still a fair number of men taking tools out of their hands or making totally unacceptable comments. I don't understand how people don't realize that referring to sweeping the site as 'women's work' is not acceptable. I'm at an AmeriCorps Habitat for Humanity leadership conference this week. This topic came up today in a session regarding leading volunteers. Obviously, the problem of volunteers not listening or respecting women on the work site is not an isolated event. I was furious to witness the question dismissed with jokes and indirect answers today. I won't rehearse the idiocy of the 90 minute session here. I just want to implore anyone, glbtq young or old, to stand up for yourself. Stand up for what is right. Don't just ignore these acts when you see or hear them. If someone isn't going to stand up for themselves, step in. Don't dismiss your worth for the sake of avoiding an awkward moment. Stop making jokes and face the small comments head on before they expand into bigger problems like Cali's prop 8 (p.s. vote NO).
Okay, thanks for the indulgence, I now pass the box to someone else.

more potty talk

I began pondering the port-a-potty a few months ago. I was at a Cowboy fast draw event that had two port-a-potties. One was pink, one the traditional blue. Upon closer examination each unit had the respective gendered restroom sign of cultural understanding. The pink woman's room also had a small mirror on the inside of the door, a feature apparently not included on the men's. Is it really necessary to have a separate men's and women's port-a-potty??
My port-a-potty-ponderings have returned in the last couple weeks as I've become a regular of such establishments. This is the restroom of the construction site (all blue w/ no gender specific signs). My curiosity is that the toilet seat has a spring. Not just the lid but the seat. It is in essence the reverse of the "don't leave the seat up" argument. There is no way to leave the seat down. Thus, there really is no squatting if one intends to use the seat b/c the rear must be used to keep the seat down. I have yet to decide the usefulness of this spring feature (on all the potties I've thus far used on sites). Each unit also has a 'urinal'. It does make me wonder why all those folks who keep ragging on others to put the seat down, don't just install the reverse. Install a spring that forces the seat back down. I don't know if one can pee standing up while holding the seat back as one is able to hold it down with the rear end...

My friends are artists

KIND WOMEN FOR WOMANKIND:

AN ART AUCTION TO BENEFIT WOMEN OF VIOLENCE.
MAY 8, 2008 7 - 9PM HORS DOEUVRES, ENTERTAINMENT, ART!!!

Look for Art by Reena Burton and Abby King Kaiser, but feel free to support anybody! You can bid online too.

Remembering MLK

I have been asked to design the sacred space for a candlelight vigil marking the 40th anniversary of the assassination of MLK (actual anniversary is April 4). In my research, I discovered that Martin Luther King, Jr. was actually born Michael Luther King, Jr. Questioning this on many levels: if you change your name don't you cease to be a Jr., why have I never heard this before...I did some more research. It turns out, at the age of six Michael Luther King Jr.'s father the minister and senior Michael Luther King changed both their names to reflect the German protestant. http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9365086
In reflecting on this tid-bit and a friend who will officiate a wedding this weekend and most likely pronounce the couple Mr. and Mrs. (name of the groom here), I begin to think about names and their significance. I am also in the midst of designing the worship for the ROTC Mission Trip this summer in which the theme is discovering your identity and we're using the phrase, get your name.
So, what is in a name? Do you know what your name means? Do you know why you have it? Does it reflect the way you live or do you live in reflection of the meaning of your name? Would Michael Luther King Jr. have lived any differently than the Martin Luther King Jr. that we know and honor tomorrow at our vigil?

still a man's world/church?

Every once in a while I get a hankering to look for jobs (I do graduate in two months, so may be that should be more of a priority than a hankering, hmm). Last night, on one of these whims, spawned by research for my synthesis regarding worship design, I stumbled back upon www.churchjobs.net. I would love to design/direct worship, but I do not have the ability to direct a band or choir. I was pleased to actually find two postings in which this was a possibility after weeding through the dozens of Worship Leader postings. First, let me say it is time that the churches and job posting sites separate worship arts minister and music minister. These can be but do not need to be one and the same. Someone who is extremely musically talented does not necessarily have an overall competency in the arts and their full inclusion in the worship experience. I would dare to say the the majority of really talented worship musicians are not at all multi-disciplined in the arts, because their proficiency in one area must consume so much time.
Anyhow, my real gripe with my search was the large number of postings looking for a "man of God" or describing the ideal candidate by saying, "he will..." And if the posting is not quite clear I can hop over to the website where the entire staff team is male or at worst only the administrative assistants are female. I forget on Holy Hill that the world still has so far to go.

Gender Segregation

I sat in Starbucks (I know, why not the local coffee house? Well, Mom keeps sending me gift cards and I have no money, so if I am to consume caffeine on the weekend, then this is my option. And I'm honestly grateful for the gift cards.) So I sat in Starbucks for four hours today doing homework. I was surprising productive as there were no dishes to clean, internet to check, other books to read, people down the hall to talk to, etc. So, why am I writing about this seemingly plain day in capitalist mecca? I was seated at a table near the bathrooms. Two single unit restrooms, one marked women, the other men. I was intrigued to see how many people, regardless of age, were happy to use the 'other' gender's bathroom if theirs was occupied. Some immediately chose this option, others waited and either upon boredom or dire need (I didn't ask) went for the other door. I was pleased to see so much of my community willing to disregard basically pointless signage. I have to assume both stalls were the same (the women's was free when I needed to go and I settled to follow the arbitrary directions) because whoever went in, exited, apparently having taken care of their needs. So, I wonder why are the stalls even gender segregated? Is this just a hold over from the way its always been done? Is it a Berkeley anomaly for people to so freely use either bathroom?