I am a feminist because. . .

On the first day of my first women's studies course my professor confronted the class with a question, "How many of you consider yourself a feminist?" I did not give it a second thought and raised my hand immediately. I figured that since this was a women's studies course the majority of people sitting around me would too claim their feminist title.

I could not have been more wrong. In a class of nearly 45, I was one of only seven or eight people who fully raised their hands. There were a couple maybes but the majority of the class seemed to be afraid of being associated as a feminist. When questioned on why they were so afraid of the F-word, they responded with the same old feminist stereotypes, "I'm not angry," "I don't hate men," and "I'm not a woman/lesbian."

Hearing these people combat the word only made me think about why I was a feminist (and proud of it I may add.) Although that was one of the first times I had claimed the name, I had always been a feminist. From a young age I often questioned why I was treated differently then the boys I knew and I wondered why I had to take responsibilities for my actions when boys were protected by simply stating, "Boys will be Boys."

After taking more women's studies courses and educating myself on feminist issues, I fully embraced my feminism. After leaving FMLA meetings or WS classes, I feel a deep sense of empowerment. I am inspired to take action and introduce more people to the idea that we should all be equal no matter what race, gender, sexual orientation, weight etc. We are all humans and we deserve an equal chance. For me, feminism is far beyond what my classmates thought. We are not about hating men or being unjustly angry (and I'm sure you know this) So here I am, once again Claiming the Name for Ms. Magazine, for myself and for all the people around me that I hope will soon be proud to Claim the Name.

I am a Feminist because. . .

I don't want my younger (female) cousins to have to defend their decisions

because of their sex.

I am a Feminist because. . .

I believe that women can be strong, independent and powerful

I am a Feminist because. . .

There are still women who do not have a voice

I am a Feminist because. . .

Being a female of mexican decent means I will make 59cents to every male's dollar

I am a Feminist because. . .

Thinking of all the Feminist who came before me inspires me to strive harder and remain active.

I am a Feminist because. . .

As a woman I should have rights over my body

I am a Feminist because. . .

Feminism is Awesome

Again, share your stories with us by submitting your video to msreclaimthename@gmail.com (read the guidelines here)

You can watch more videos at Ms.Magazine's YouTube page

Cross posted with permission from Ms. Magazine blog.

Excited New FMF Intern and Blogger!

Hello fellow feminists! My name is Stephanie McClure and I’ll be working with the Feminist Majority Foundation as a Choices Campus Intern for the summer. I’m so excited to be blogging about feminist issues, activism ideas, and of course, engaging in awesome conversations with all of you this summer! Listed below are a few things about me:

• I just graduated from Oregon State University (OSU) with my B.A. in English.
• FMLA’s are awesome, and I was the President of the OSU Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance last year. Our FMLA did lots of Choices Campus Campaigning, as well as put on many events specific for our campus such as: Love Your Body Day; Inequality Bake Sale; Take Back the Night; OSU Feminist Film Festival; Smashing the Scales: Eating Disorder Awareness Project; Rise Up Speak Out: A Celebration of the Voice of Resistance Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (an open mic night).
• I worked at the OSU Women’s Center last year as well, and think that all universities need to have safe empowering permanent places on their campuses such as Women's Centers.
• The Vagina Monologues is a production that I deeply believe in and think is super important to bring to all communities, and this year I was one of the performers at OSU!
• Domestic violence and sexual assault are two issues that have affected many of my loved ones, so I’m extremely passionate about working towards ending all forms of violence against women and girls.
• I’m also an ecofeminist, and believe that there is an inherent connection between the way that women and nature are controlled and impacted by systems of oppression. (Grrrr...BP!)
  

The Feminist Majority Foundation is doing so many amazing things right now, and I’m so grateful to be here in LA with such an awesome team of feminists working together to help create a safe, equal world for all! Keep up with us on our blog, facebook page, and through twitter!

Cheers to the FMLA at Cal State Los Angeles

A quick shout out to our FMLA at Cal State Los Angeles. Last night at the school's Student Leader Awards, the FMLA received the award for "Outstanding Contribution to Social Justice" as well as the "Best New Organization of the Year." Not bad at all, feminists!

The group has been involved in raising awareness in the campus and community about issues of inequality and injustice. In February, they put together an event called SAVE (Standing Against Violence Everywhere), where they had an amazing turnout. They had speakers on various topics including Rape in the Congo, Women in Juarez, Human Trafficking, Honor Killings in the Middle East, and Domestic Violence in the United States. There were also performances and an open mic where people shared their personal stories.

They have also done a fantastic job fundraising for the group by holding an "Equality Bakesale"every quarter. They sell baked goods to women for $0.80 and to men for $1.00 to bring awareness to the wage gap between genders.

And a special HURRAH to Alexis Gardner, a former FMF intern, who received the award for "Best Student Leader."

Congrats FMLA!! You are amazing!

Do you have your own awards you'd like to share with us? Let us know by email your accomplishments to campusteam@feminist.org!

FEMMY for Ms. Congeniality: Kutztown FMLA

For their consistent commitment to serving the Kutztown community and women across Pennsylvania, the FEMMY for "Ms. Congeniality" goes to Kutztown University's Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance.

Before 2008, I didn't know Kutztown, PA existed. Then when I joined FMF 2 years ago as a national campus organizer, our president Ellie was quick to sing the praises of the Kutztown University FMLA.

KU is a medium sized public university about an hour from Philly and Harrisburg. Ellie likes to emphasize Kutztown's roots as a teachers college - an empowering place for feminists to learn and change the world.

The FMLA, led by junior Caitlin Smith, is unabashedly political and does great work advocating for women on campus and in the community year after year. Caitlin, Jesse, and all of the FMLAers are the next generation of leaders for the feminist movement, and I know they will be lifelong activists from whom we can expect big things.

Their list of accomplishments is too long to list - the abridged version includes...

• Bringing iconic feminist Gloria Steinem to campus
• Successfully petitioning the campus president to reinstate sexual orientation in the campus nondiscrimination policy
• Contacting their senators to advocate for health care insurance reform
• Sending a delegation of 8 students to FMF's National Young Feminist Leadership Conference
  
• Pay equity bake sales
• Earth Day festivities
• Take Back the Night & Clothesline Project
• Vagina Monologues
  
• Love Your Body Day bra sizing, tshirts and posters
  
• and much more!

It's been my privilege to work with the FMLA, and I can't wait to see the things they'll accomplish next.

This article was featured in our May 2010 monthly Choices eZine. Sign up for our alerts to stay up-to-date with the latest feminist news and to receive the monthly eZine.

Feminist Spotlight: Keats Conley, College of Idaho FMLA

Keats Conley is a junior at the College of Idaho, majoring in environmental studies with a minor in creative writing. She is the founder and president of the College of Idaho Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, treasurer of Writers’ Co, member of the Trail yearbook staff, co-coordinator of the tri-annual Red Cross student blood drives, co-editor of the online literary magazine C of I Online, and an active writer for the Coyote. She is also involved in environmental sustainability efforts and an organizer of the Intermountain Youth for Responsible Energy Conference.

Eventually, Keats hopes to work as an environmental lawyer for non-profits and looks forward to many years of continued activism as an ecofeminist. She was gracious enough to take the time to answer some questions for our second installment of the Feminist Spotlight.

How did you become the feminist you are today?

To be honest, I came a little late to the feminist cause. I began as an immense advocate for animal rights; I became a vegetarian at age 10 and have since become a vegan. My interest in furthering gay rights, energy sustainability, and environmental protections all preceded my interest in feminism. I would like to think that I have been a feminist my whole life—I was fortunate enough to be exposed to many freethinking role models, both male and female, from childhood on—and, unknowingly, this led me to share many of the feminist values. It was only this year, though, that I have really brought my “inner feminist” out into the open.

What was it like starting the FMLA at College of Idaho?

Remarkably easy! I decided I wanted to found the club. I contacted Jacqueline Sun at the national FMF headquarters, she responded almost immediately with information on how to proceed. I spoke with the College’s Director of Student Involvement and received a club petition, promptly collected the necessary signatures of support, and finalized our charter with FMF. It was a fast-paced, exhilarating experience of low-level grassroots activism.

What made you want to start a feminist group at your college?

College of Idaho has a thriving student newspaper called The Coyote. In the first three issues of fall 2009, I was taken aback by a certain author’s “advice” columns, which, among other things, repeatedly condemned the freshmen women for behaving like “sluts,” but supported men “experimenting” with many partners. While I am not a freshman, I met many talented, strong freshman women through my work as a writing tutor in the Academic Support Center, and the article was offensive to me both for its inaccuracy and its blatant double-standards.

I wrote an editorial, and after its publication, I received a massive amount of support and appreciation—both from female and male students of all ages, as well as faculty and alumni. At that point, I realized that perhaps our campus needed an official, organized force to fight for the furthering of equality. We have a “Man Club”—where was its counterpart for women? Unlike many fellow liberal arts colleges, we have no women’s studies or gender studies programs. There was a definite void to be filled.

The club voted on the issues we wanted to address, and we were unanimous in our outrage over fake clinics. Upon further research, we learned that the Pregnancy Resource Center of Ontario, only 20 miles away from our campus, offers very misleading information on the health and “spiritual” risks of abortion and the options available to women who find themselves in crisis. Our members are eager to educate the College of Idaho campus and the wider community about such centers, as well as to engage in dialogue with the CPC to try and improve the factual accuracy of its website.

On a smaller scale, this week we are working on our “Faces of Feminism” collage to help our student body learn what diverse causes the feminist movement encompasses.

What changes would you like to see on your campus in the next year?

First and foremost, I hope that over the next year FMLA can grow into an influential, unified organization that helps all C of I students recognize and speak out against prejudice. While we have witnessed a great deal of progress in the push for equality, I think there is a constant need for continued awareness-raising about the injustices that still occur in our communities on a daily basis. I hope that FMLA’s presence on campus continues to grow, and that next year’s freshman women will not be publicly degraded in the ways they were this year.

This article was featured in our February 2010 monthly Choices eZine. Sign up for our alerts to stay up-to-date with the latest feminist news and to receive the monthly eZine.

Guest post: 10 ways to celebrate Roe v. Wade!

Guest post by Jesse Michener, treasurer of Kutztown University's Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance!

Friday was the 37th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that re-legalized abortion in the United States. This is a day we feminist activists are supposed to be celebrating, but when looking at all of the barriers to obtaining safe, legal abortion, it’s difficult to celebrate.

There are more barriers to a woman’s right to choose today then there have been for decades. Many states have parental consent laws and mandatory delays. Add to that the lack of abortion providers and the harassment they face, and one can see how truly a woman’s right to choose is in jeopardy. That’s why on this anniversary, I think it’s important to remember a quote by Mother Jones, a labor activist, who once said, “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”

Before Roe, women died because they were unable to find safe abortion providers, and 37 years later we are still fighting to keep abortion safe and legal. That’s why we as pro-choice activists need to redouble our efforts to protect a woman’s right to choose, so that hopefully we can work to break down many of the barriers to choice that now exist. For this anniversary, I thought of ten things we all can do to support the pro-choice movement.

1. Online Activism: Everyone has a Facebook or a Myspace or a Twitter account. Use yours to support choice. Post pro-choice articles, make your status a pro-choice message, join pro-choice groups and become a fan of pro-choice organizations.

2. Join a group: There are many great pro-choice organizations out there from FMLAs on campus to local NOW chapters. Become involved in these organizations and work with others to make a difference.

3. Donate: Give what you can to organizations that support abortion rights. Organizations like the Feminist Majority, Planned Parenthood and the National Abortion Federation do amazing things. Giving just a little to these organizations can make a big difference.

4. Expose Fake Clinics and other anti-choice organizations: Many people are unaware that Crisis Pregnancy Centers do not refer for or perform abortions. It’s important to educate people on campus and in the community about this, so that people are aware and can make educated choices on where to go for reproductive health care.

5. Come Out: Come out as being pro-choice, discuss the issue with your friends and family, put a pro-choice bumper sticker on your car, wear a pro-choice shirt or button and be proud that you support a woman’s right to choose.

6. Volunteer: Many abortion providers need volunteers and there are many different ways one can. Clinic escorting is just one way to volunteer; this is where people walk patients and their support people through anti-choice protesters into the clinic. To find out how to help, call your local abortion provider and ask how you can help out.

7. VOTE: Becoming politically involved is one of the most important things we can do. Why not join a campaign, sign a petition or run for office. Being politically involved will ensure that future generations will still have the right to choose.

8. Educate Others: Organize an event on campus or do a presentation for a class on a woman’s right to choose. This is a great way to help others become more aware of important issues and to help more people get involved.

9. Advocate for others: Not everyone feels comfortable standing up for their own rights so it’s important for those of us who feel comfortable to speak up. Find out where your campus health center refers students who face an unintended pregnancy. If they don’t give students all of their options, speak up and fight for change.

10. Support All Choices: Last but not least, we need to remember that being pro-choice isn’t just about abortion, it’s about supporting self-determination. Over the last several decades the social safety net in our country has been eroded and it has become harder and harder for women who choose to become parents and adoption is a complicated process. We as feminist need to support women who choose to become parents and women who choose adoption as well.

Photo credit: KU FMLA

Thanks for weighing in, Jesse! If you would like to showcase your feminist group's activism around Roe v. Wade and abortion rights, send your 350 word post to campusteam (at) feminist (dot) org :D

A step forward in education and liberation!

Hello my fellow feminists,

For many of the California State University students on the quarter system, it is back to the books and the start of recruiting for various organizations. The Cal State Los Angeles FMLA chapter has been out there working hard spreading the word about feminism and getting students involved with feminist issues. My colleagues have been out in their classes talking with instructors and students, gaining support from the educational community at CSULA.

Here is a link to our flyer and calendar of events for the winter quarter.

We were able to see the benefits of our recruitment efforts with a large turnout for our first meeting and workshop. All of our members were excited to see the new faces and hear the exchange of ideas from our fellow students/activists. We did have some new officer positions that became available and I was able to take the position of recruitment officer. We also had an awesome workshop on human trafficking done by our colleague Paula Potter. She brought some good points about the human trafficking industry and the corruption that surrounds the issue in the political aspect.

For more information on human trafficking click here.

So from the turn out that we had at our first meeting, the responses and dialogue that followed the presentation, we felt that our first meeting went very well. I look forward to doing more with our organization and the events that we have planned for the up coming weeks. I'll keep you posted on the activism going on at the CSULA campus. Stay involved and keep up the fight for equality!

Frank Perez

Choices Campus Leadership Program Intern

photos complements of myself and Flickr via Chris Delk

First day on the job

Hello my fellow activists,

My name is Frank Perez and it's my first day interning here at the Los Angeles FMF office. I have to say that I am pretty excited about everything that I have experienced so far.

Thanks to FMF for allowing me this opportunity to work side by side with them in reaching equality for all people globally. I look forward to doing all that I can for the organization and being the best intern I can be!

I am currently a student at Cal State Los Angeles, hopefully graduating in 2011. I work directly with the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance on my campus. We have so many great events coming up on the campus. Our big event this quarter is S.A.V.E. (Stand Against Violence Everywhere).

This event is to raise awareness about domestic violence and invite students to gain knowledge on violence that is happening all over the world. We will have guest presentations from different professionals on violence from different countries and here in the U.S. We will also have feminist artist, both musical and poetic, to entertain. Also, we will have some other peer presenters that will give personal experiences about what they have gone through.

If you're interested in knowing more about upcoming events, feel free to email us at FMLACUSLA@GMAIL.COM. Check us out on Facebook and we'll keep you up to date on events and news surrounding our campus. Take care and peace.

photo via flickr by cathredfern

Guest post: Smashing the gender wage gap!

Susan Logsdon, president of the Widener University FMLA in Pennsylvania, posts about the FMLA's work to raise awareness about pay equity. Happy Thanksgiving!

It is often hard for young women, especially college students, to think of ways in which feminist activism could help them. However, our FMLA has found that drawing attention to unequal pay between men and women is an effective way to inform people how relevant the feminist struggle for equal rights is to modern society.

In October, we held a pay-equity bake sale, inspired by the Feminist Majority Foundation, and we emphasized the fact that women still earn only 76 cents to every dollar that a man makes. No matter how educated a woman is or how many qualifications or skills she may have, she will still earn much less than her male counterpart simply because of the fact of her gender.

It is even harder for women in traditionally male-dominated fields such as science and engineering, as they face other discriminations and hardships due to their gender. Even fields such as nursing have unequal pay distributions; one study has shown that male nurses may earn in excess of 3,000 dollars more a year than female nurses. Both of these fields of study are highly represented and respected at our college, and the fact that these young women pursuing rigorous fields of study will still eventually earn much less than their male counterparts after graduation is deeply disturbing.

The ideas behind the bake sale also extended to another population of our college and many other colleges as well: older students who are either returning to college after an absence or who are getting their first chance at college in order to advance their careers. Many women in these situations are working while pursuing their degrees and may also have families to support as well.

They are attending college to make their job opportunities brighter or improve their current statuses in order to make things more promising for themselves. Yet, the unequal wage system does not honor such commitments; women who have had extra burdens such as a late start to education or families to support will still earn much less than their male counterparts.

Our bake sale emphasized all of these points, and we found that many people who stopped by our table were extremely receptive to the idea. They recognized the disparity between the wages of men and women and how this is unjustified. What was most encouraging was the fact that equal amounts of both genders supported the idea and recognized the faulty system that supports unequal pay as something inherently unfair; there were not any protests at the idea that one gender had to pay more than the other gender, and all seemed to realize the gravity of our message.

We felt confident that, through promoting a cause that is very real and pertinent to women of all different generations and backgrounds, we had given our college community a greater sense of what feminism is: simply the idea that women are as equal as men, not something that is meant to divide the genders.

Want to know more? Contact Susan at smlogsdon (at) mail dot widener dot edu. You too can cross post with FMF! Email campusteam@feminist.org to get on board!

Starting an FMLA

Starting a feminist group on your campus can be easier than you think! Check out Alexis Gardner's account of starting a new group at her school, Cal State Los Angeles:

"So we just started up the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance up again at Cal State LA! We had an awesome turn out for it being only the first meeting, about 10 new faces on top of our established 6 officers! Everyone seems really excited and eager to get involved! Who knew starting a feminist club on campus could be so easy?!

We have recruitment tabling scheduled, planning an equality bake sale, looking into doing community service at a women's and children's shelter, and we are collaborating with the Gender & Sexuality Resource Center on campus to do various events such as the clothesline project and the Womyn of Color Conference!

This experience to learn and grow with fellow feminists is going to be awesome! I couldn't think of anything better than bonding and making life long connections with fellow sisters for the cause! Any suggestions for future meeting topics and activities?"

You too can be a leader of a group on your campus. Let the campus organizers be a resource to you. We can even make a visit to your campus to help you launch a group. Contact us at campusteam@feminist.org!

Contacting Campus Newpapers about CPCs

We are sending this press release to campus newspapers across the country in hopes of exposing CPCs near you! If you want to ensure that your campus newspaper covers this story, be sure to get this press release to your campus newspaper editor.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
Contact: Allie McDonald
September 21, 2009
310.556.2500
amcdonald@feminist.org

“Crisis Pregnancy Centers” Target College Women

Deceptive ads and misinformation about abortion and birth control
endanger women’s health

“Crisis Pregnancy Center” (CPC) ads, “Pregnant? Scared? Need Help?
Call 1-800-XXX-XXXX!” are a common sight around college campuses and young women across the country who are in search of information about their pregnancy options are ending up in these fake clinics.

Posing as comprehensive women’s health clinics, CPCs use misinformation, fear and shame tactics to coerce and intimidate women out of considering abortion as an option. Many CPCs go further – discouraging the use of contraception, even claiming that “condoms are a ‘con’ job.”

The Feminist Majority Foundation, in conjunction with Stuart Productions, has released two investigative videos featuring college women’s first-hand accounts of experiences in CPCs.

The videos highlight CPC misinformation and fear tactics. A CPC volunteer in Oklahoma proclaims, “Your risk for breast cancer will go up one hundred percent”, while a volunteer in Louisville, Kentucky, tells a young woman, “No one tells you that you’re going to want to kill yourself after you do an abortion.”

CPCs intentionally locate near college campuses. They advertise their free pregnancy tests and options counseling under “abortion” and “family planning” services on campus bulletin boards and bus stops, in student newspapers, and on Facebook. According to a 2008 survey, 48% of responding campus health centers include CPCs on their referral lists for students facing unintended pregnancies.

The Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics mobilizes college students to take action and expose the deceptive practices and misinformation of CPCs. Jacqueline Sun, National Campus Organizer for the Feminist Majority Foundation, explains that “CPCs’ ads aimed at college students appear to be working. CPCs’ tactics delay women from obtaining real medical care and that is a true danger to women’s health.”

Note to editors: For more information on the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics visit: http://feministcampus.org/act/cpc/default.asp. FMF campus organizers are available for interviews.

The investigative videos, “Our Reality: A Look at Crisis Pregnancy Centers” and “Crisis Pregnancy Centers: A Special Report” are available at: http://feministcampus.org/act/cpc/default.asp

Feminists Gone...ACTIVIST!

Congrats to Slippery Rock University's Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA) for standing up for equality on campus - and making a HUGE difference!

When the FMLA heard that Girls Gone Wild (GGW) was planning to "film" at a local tavern, the group led the charge on campus to make the bar think twice before opening their doors last Saturday. According to The Online Rocket, Slippery Rock's campus paper, the FMLA raised questions at a campus meeting about the fact that women who are filmed on GGW are often drunk when they sign the waiver; something FMLA members consider "comparable to sexual assault or harassment."

While some students at Slippery Rock saw no problem with GGW coming so close to campus, the FMLA activists raised enough concern in the community for the tavern to cancel the event!

Three cheers to the Slippery Rock FMLA for standing up for women's rights, and equality for all!

Let's Talk About Sex!

I recently met an incredible feminist, Megan Andelloux, on campus at Brandeis University when she did a workshop on sexual pleasure and awareness as part of our annual Vagina Week, leading up to the Vagina Monologues.

As an FMLA member, this was a great feminist event - 1 - Megan is insanely empowering! 2 - we were able to pull in a lot of student's that wouldn't necessarily come to a FMLA meeting/event because her workshops are about improving one's sexual awareness and skills .

Campus clubs were able to collaborate on bringing Megan to campus because she is both health and pleasure focused and fantastically entertaining.

Megan is about to launch an exciting new project, The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health, with a *Grand Opening* this month in Rhode Island. To give you a chance to get to know her better and an opportunity to come to the Grand Opening where there will be lots of food, fun, give-aways and famous sex-positive feminist activists, here is an exerpt of my interview with Megan:
E: So Megan, what do you do?
M: I work as a sexuality educator in many different formats. The majority of my time is spent providing workshops at colleges and universities on topics relating to sexual pleasure and health (the focus being more on the pleasure and intertwining health in). [...] I work within the medical community, teaching medical students and providers how to be sex positive doctor's, educating them on common concerns/questions and topics the public holds (but that they aren't taught in med school) and finally, how to provide safe, non-threatening, empowering pelvic exams. And I do that with the use of my body (vagina, brain and mouth). [...and] I work within the media as a public policy analyst regarding sexual rights challenges to our freedoms.

E: What does being a feminist mean to you?

M: A feminist is something I would most identify myself as. My passion, my life work's, all of my reading materials and a day to day way of life for me. To me, being a feminist is all about giving people options. The option to do this or that, go into one field vs. another, to become a sex worker, to be monogamous to one person only, choose one type of birth control over another, etc. Being a feminist means challenging others and yourself. When you feel uncomfortable, ask yourself why? When someone says something you don't agree with or don't understand, ask them why? It's only through the option of challenging others, which is a right we have fought for and won, that we grow and change the world for the better. We can't just accpet what we have, we have to want to build upon it.

That's what being a feminist and a sex educator is to me. Options. Challenging. When people go to my workshops, yes I want them to have fun and learn, but I also want them to ask questions with the information I provide! I want to push people! Because really, those questions are going to spark a change in the future. New research, new standards of roles one can possess, totally new concepts can occur when you don't accept what is laid before you.

E: How did you get involved in the world of sexuality?
M: There are three answers I give to this question. The fun and easy answer is I had a knack for memorizing sex facts, don't ask me why. I had a knack for memorizing sexual issues and it was a social issue, a perfect fit for me. At first I wanted to be a sex therapist, but I quickly found out that I wanted to help people BEFORE they ended up with sexual issues, so I went into education.

Secondly, being a Sexuality Educator was a way for me to rebel against the way a girl was supposed to behave. My parents subscribed to strict gender role behaviors and "good girls don't talk about sex". When I decided this was going to be my career path, I choose to tell my parents in a restaurant so they couldn't freak out on me. The first thing that was said was Oh! Megan! Girls can't do that! Typical. but that's also why I choose to name my company Oh Megan! because my mother was always saying that to me for talking about sexually related topics. Oh Megan! That's inappropriate. :)

Thirdly, I think I became involved in the world of sexuality because after I was raped, no one would talk to me about it. I didn't have a space where I could fully disclose because people were uncomfortable and didn't know how to handle the conversation. It seemed strange to me, and I was angry that our culture talks so much about sex, but we don't provide answers when people have questions and concerns. I think becoming a sex educator was a way for me to work out some of my issues, get answers to my questions and to provide a space so others wouldn't feel alone or ashamed for what they were thinking or had experienced.

E: The Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health sounds incredible. Can you talk about the relationship between the sex-positive world and the medical world?
M: My work's mission is to join these two world together so I had to create The Center!

Too often the medical world turns it's back on the pleasure-focused side of sex and the pleasure-focused world is totally bored by the medical world. But they need each other to survive! The Center will be a respectable entity for medical providers to work with and is already developing ties with Boston University, Brown University, Mass General Hospital and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical Schools.

Working with professionals in the medical field, and most importantly, with medical students, we can create change within the medical school curriculum. Some medical students are starting to chime in that they want more sexuality information. (The majority of med students have 12 hours of sex education composed of birth control, pregnancy, STD's and sometimes, pregnancy terminations.) I am working closely with Boston University Medical School and the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School to develop sexuality curriculum with fundamental structural changes.

Outside of the medical world, it's important to remember that most people want to understand their body; what's taking place within them. Traditionally, that information has been withheld from the public, but the feminist and pro-sex communities have some of the best documentations and discussions on sex and sexual health data.

The Center's focus will be education and advocacy work. The CSPH will be the perfect blend of health, pleasure and advocacy. There will be written & visual resources, medical journals pertaining to sexual issues available, toys (with education on what we would/wouldn't recommend), kink-friendly resources, sexual health and rights speakers, medical and pro-sex positive resources available for loan right from the start, and in the spring, offer a certification series for sex education classes with C.E. credits.

E: Are there any opportunities to get involved with the center either as an individual or as a campus organization?
M: Yes! The best way to get involved would be to attend the grand opening on Sept 26th in Pawtucket, RI. The grand opening will be a fund raising event and feature some of the best and brightest individuals in the field! Sex educators, sex therapists, sex worker advocates, authors, and sexual right advocates will be speaking and you can schmooze with them after they speak. (Scheduled speakers include Carol Queen, Bill Taverner, Betty Dodson, Gina Ogden, oh yeah, and me!) Tables with community and national resources will be throughout the location so people can learn more about resources they might not have known about.

You can also attend classes and workshops which will start in the fall and in the spring, apply to be an intern! As a campus organization, if you can't come to us, we can come to you and talk about sexual advocacy issues, starting a nonprofit, getting into the field, etc.

E: How can I get you to come to my campus?!
M: Contact Seraphin and Lisa at Phinli Bookings (PhinLi Bookings, LLC), a new LGBTQ and sex positive booking agency placing artists, performers, authors, theorists, lecturers, sex educators, activists, comedians, musicians, dancers, film makers and more on the college and university circuit. The email address is seraphin@phinli.com

Get involved with the feminist group on campus!

September is here and that means the weather is getting cooler (quite the contrary in Los Angeles), the summer is gently fading, and people are going back to school!

Would you like to take action for women's rights on your college campus? Interested in feminist issues? What to do something to stop violence against women and sexual assault, ensure women have safe and legal access to abortions and birth control, fight for marriage equality, stop negative images of women in the media, narrow the salary gap between the sexes, or expose fake clinics? We hope so.

We at the FMF urge you to get involved with your feminist group on campus if you aren't involved already!

With 7 fabulous national campus organizers, we can put you in contact with the group on your campus, or help you start a new group!

To get involved please contact us! campusteam@feminist.org

Countering Antis on Campus

If you organize around choice, you've probably encountered resistance from anti-choice activists. FMF receives quite a few calls and e-mails from antis, but generally it doesn't bother us. Our receptionist Danielle is always polite and adroit at handling angry callers, and she really deserves a medal for her patience.

We recently heard from the Kutztown University FMLA after they received anti-choice e-mails criticizing their work and the KU Women's Center's materials on choice. The e-mail author said she would work to "shut down" the Women's Center, so the FMLA decided to notify campus offices and the administration to ensure the university would be fully prepared to respond to any further threats.

Jesse, the Kutztown FMLA president, e-mailed me to let me know how they handled the situation. I thought they did a great job, and encouraged him to share their experience on our blog. I really liked one strategy he mentioned where they held maroon and gold KU umbrellas in front of the antis to create a buffer between the protesters and students.

If your group has encountered similar opposition and developed successful strategies for addressing anti-choice opposition, comment below or e-mail campusteam@feminist.org. We always emphasize a nonviolent, non-confrontational response, and the KU FMLA's experience is a great example.

If you or your group ever receive threats of violence, report it to local and campus police immediately. If they do not respond appropriately, contact FMF's National Center for Women and Policing. Margie Moore, the center's director, is a great resource, and you can reach her at 703-522-2214.

Responding to the Anti-Choice Movement

Guest post by Jesse Michener, Kutztown University

Over the past few years, FMLA at Kutztown University has confronted a vocal anti-choice minority on our campus, in our community and in our nation. Three years ago we had a group of anti-choice and homophobic protesters show up on our campus. We did not have time to plan a coordinated response, and we did not respond effectively.

Students gathered to counter protest. Everyone was angry, and the protesters got the response they were looking for. If there is one thing I learned from the time I have spent volunteering at abortion providers, it is that the antis, for the most part, are looking for a reaction; they are trying to upset people. So as time progressed and we realized that our campus was being targeted by anti-choice and anti-LGBTQ protesters, we decided to find a way of effectively responding.

Diversity groups came together from across campus and formed the Silent Witness Safety Response Team. We received training on how to create a buffer between students and protesters in a non-confrontational way. This allowed students to be able to walk freely back and forth across campus and not feel as though they were being attacked (to learn more about Silent Witness, visit http://www.silentwitnesspa.org).

We had organizations on campus offer safe places for students to go while the protesters were on campus in order to talk about their emotions, and we had other groups hand out pins that said “Hate is Not a KU Value.” The antis ended up bringing KU students together and helped social justice groups on our campus learn to work together.

But that wasn’t the only time that we have been confronted with anti-choice protesters. During our Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics, a national movement sponsored by the Feminist Majority Foundation, we had anti-choice community members show up at our meetings.

We had our tables defaced; we learned that when that happens, we have to report the incident to Student Government. We received e-mails from antis; we learned to turn them over to our Women’s Center, Chief of Public Safety and Police Services, and other university officials. During our Roe v. Wade celebrations, we had anti-choice protesters show up at our event; we learned to meet with our Public Safety officials before events to ensure everyone’s safety.

Throughout our experience, we have found that the best action we can take when reacting to the antis is to avoid confrontation. Instead, we focus on supporting the people that they are attacking and the pro-choice work we do. We have used the anti-choice attacks to build stronger relationships with social justice organizations on our campus and build strong bonds with other students.

It's Business Time: End of Semester Reports

It's that time again! At the end of every semester, FMF campus organizers call all their groups for a conversation known formally as the "End of Semester" report. If you are the leader of an FMLA or FMF affiliate, you should probably expect a call or email from your organizer soon...

There is some confusion out there about the purpose of these little interviews. Some students worry that we're calling to check up on them, or find out if they have been "bad feminists" (I definitely felt that way back when I was the leader of an FMLA at my college).  However, I now realize that this is a misinterpretation of the purpose of end of the semester reporting and the campus program as a whole.

When you campus organizer calls you, she is reaching out to help you in any way that she can. We want to hear about both the good AND the bad so that we can help your group grow and also improve the campus program. Love the Afghan Women's Health Campaign? Let us know! Have an idea of how to improve the Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics? Tell us and your idea can be shared with feminist activists around the country. Wish FMF devoted more resources to another women's issue? Let us know about that, too.

The Choices Feminist Campus program should be as grassroots as possible--YOU are the national feminist movement. So let us know what you're doing, how you're doing, and what you need. Be on the lookout for those emails and phone calls, and contact us with any questions!

Mission Impossible: Completed!

Typically, when we think of the conservative Deep South, we think of untapped fertile ground for a feminist movement, despite its long history of activism and grassroots organizing. However, through our travel, Emily and I have found that the feminist forces are alive and well! We've trailed the not-so-liberal terrains of Alabama and Georgia to meet with some extraordinary activists, community members, and vibrant students who are committed to going against the grain to see that social justice is achieved everywhere.

Coincidentally, as we visited the home states of Martin Luther King Jr. during the anniversary of his death, we were reminded of the significance of recommitting ourselves to building the "beloved community". That was our main objective as we sat down with University of Georgia's Women's Studies Student Organization, Georgia State University's Progressive Student Alliance, Spelman College Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance (FMLA), Emory University's Feminist in Action, Agnes Scott's Affinity, University of Montevallo FMLA,University of Alabama's women's studies graduate students and faculty, and Stillman College's administration! WHOA! That was a long list, but truly evident of just a preview of the feminist support down bottom.
These student groups have been planning a wide range of initiatives from reviving their campus group to challenging complacency around sexual and gender identity and race to peace and anti-war organizing, and so much more!
We had a grand ol' time and would love to return to visit with other southern schools, so if your a feminist student group, faculty or community member that's interested in connecting with our national feminist network, please contact us at campusteam@feminist.org.

Keep the feminist fire burning, and as always...the struggle continues!

Saddlin' Up & Riding Through the South--Feminist Stlye!

Emily & I are so thrilled to have the distinct pleasure of traveling through the states of Alabama & Georgia and visiting with a pretty awesome Southern feminist community.

First stop: Savannah, GA!

We've discovered that not only is Savannah known to us for its beautiful coastal shoreline, great seafood, and budding art scene, but it is also fertile ground for community organizing and feminist networking. Armstrong Atlantic State University's FMLA hosted a wonderful roundtable discussion which involved area women's organizations and student groups from the neighboring universities to discuss the prevalence of women's grassroots organizing in the Savannah area.

The event titled, "Making it Happen: Women, Grassroots and Change" included representatives from Savannah's Rape Crisis Center, Savannah Working Against Human Trafficking, Planned Parenthood, First City Network, A Working Woman in Need (AWWIN), Safe Shelter, and Zonta Club International of Savannah. Students were definitely in the place to be representing Armstrong's FMLA, GSA, and Gender & Women's Studies Students, as well as Savannah State University's Sociology Club.

The discussion covered a variety of topics from violence against women, violence in the LGBTQ community, poverty in the local community, women's political participation in local and state government, student activism, sensitivity training of law enforcement, and human and sex trafficking in the state of Georgia.

We're so glad to have been a part of this conversation. It was a big hit and we hope to see more of these dialogues in the future between community organizations and feminist student groups.

North Carolina here we come!

With Virginia in the books, it's onward to North Carolina as we continue to promote civic engagement through our Get Out HER Vote campaign and our upcoming Second Annual Women of Color conference at Bennett College -- right here in Greensboro, NC!

But first we must send a huge thank-you to George Mason University, Hollins University, Virginia Tech, University of Virgina, College of William and Mary, and Old Dominion University for welcoming us in to your campus, classrooms and groups during our trip. Being back on campus (or "grounds" for those of you at UVA), interacting with students, faculty and administration, brought us back to our time as activists on our campuses. Simply put, it is where we love to be and we couldn't have been happier to share our first travel experience with all of you.

Thanks for the memories!