HIV/AIDS & Young Women: What You Can Do to Fight For Young Women's Lives on World AIDS Day

On December 1st, the world will remember almost 60 million people have been infected with HIV and 25 million people have died of HIV-related causes since the beginning of the epidemic. Today, in many parts of the world, including the U.S., women have become the face of the disease. Women make up an increasing proportion of adults (ages 15–49) living with HIV/AIDS.

Young adults, ages 15–24 account for approximately half of new adult HIV infections and 28% of the global total of adults living with HIV/AIDS. Most young people living with AIDS are girls (62%), including 76% of HIV-positive young people in sub-Saharan Africa. In some countries, infection rates are up to six times higher among young women than young men.

These statistics are shocking, but real.

Sadly, the U.S. has been a strong proponent of abstinence-only funding for HIV/AIDS prevention programs around the world. These programs have been proven ineffective and continues the spread of the disease.

Based on recent studies, much of US aid for global AIDS relief administered under the Bush Administration was given to conservative, faith-based organizations (FBOs) that strongly promoted abstinence as a prevention method and demonized condom use. This type of "proselytization" of what is deemed as appropriate sexual behavior reverses the efforts to fight AIDS and continue its spread. Though a lot has changed in favor of comprehensive HIV/AIDS relief for young women under the Obama Administration, the fear of the continued trend of supporting conservative, anti-choice FBOs is very real. As a matter of fact, many FBOs that have partnered with the U.S. up to 2008 have provided AIDS relief in many developing countries with a special focus on abstinence-only in youth prevention programs. This (as well as lack of access to condoms) is directly tied to the continued rise of HIV transmission among young people.

Young feminists across the country are needed now more than ever! We can make a difference! We can collectively change the way our government makes foreign policy and who it gives our funds to. On this World AIDS Day, advocate for women's sexual and reproductive rights and sustainable AIDS relief on your campus by:

• Contacting members of Congress, the Obama Administration, and the United Nations' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon via letter-writing campaigns, call-ins, fax-ins, or emails and demand that the U.S. end its support of abstinence-only funding for HIV/AIDS prevention.

• Pressing our government to meet the MDGs' 2015 deadline by increasing international sexual and reproductive health care funding to $3 billion which would provide universal access!

• Not just waiting on World AIDS Day, but get an early start in this "lame-duck" session to petition members of Congress to ratify the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and pass the International Violence Against Women Act. These policies can curb the epidemic significantly by ending violence against women. Contact the Campus Team at campusteam@feminist.org if you'd like to screen FMF's short documentary "CEDAW: The Secret Treaty". Remember, we only need 67 votes in the Senate!

• Writing op-ed's and campus newspaper articles about the dangers of supporting abstinence-only funding for global HIV/AIDS prevention and the need to support comprehensive sex ed in schools.

• Coordinating with student health services and nearby bars and restaurants to distribute free male and female condoms with HIV/AIDS facts.

• Creating a mural/collage display of various photos, letters, drawings, etc. representing the many "faces of HIV/AIDS" and their many walks of life. This disease affects everyone and we should continue to dispel the myths of who HIV/AIDS affects.

• Sponsoring a benefit theater production or music concert where the proceeds go to a local HIV/AIDS organization or campus HIV/AIDS program.

• Collaborating with your university's public health, nursing, medical, international affairs, and public policy schools/programs and student health services to host a discussion or seminar on the gendered-based effects of HIV/AIDS globally.

• Collaborating with international student organizations and environmental campus groups to create a poster and flyer campaign that shows how poverty and the results of climate change, like depleting water sources, impact young women living with HIV/AIDS.

There's so much we all can do to take action in the fight against AIDS. Remember, you can make a difference in saving the lives of young women and girls around the world. Fight for women and girls on World AIDS Day!

Few action ideas courtesy of Minnesota's Department of Health "How to Plan World AIDS Day Activities 2010: Universities/Colleges Tips".

This post is part of the November 2010 ezine. To subscribe to the monthly ezine, click here.

Cross-post: Feminism…the other “F” word?

I asked one of our newest FMLA leaders, Sara Alcid, to share a post on feminism at a women's college that was featured on Bryn Mawr College's blog series celebrating BMC's 125th anniversary. Sara also writes about feminism and gender on her blog Genderead.

Originally posted September 20, 2010

Welcome to Sara’s Scholarly Musings! Sara Alcid is a Bryn Mawr senior majoring in Political Science and minoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies. She’ll be posting her reflections on the themes and events of the College’s 125th Anniversary and providing a current student’s perspective on Bold Vision. For Women. For the World.

Although I am biased, I think students at the Seven Sisters colleges carry their heads high and possess an intellectual and social confidence that I am yet to discover elsewhere. Quite frankly, we are empowered women and the face of the modern feminism. I embrace this role wholeheartedly and endlessly appreciate the way my world view has evolved since enrolling at Bryn Mawr.

While there are certainly drawbacks to being a feminist in a male-glorified world, I would feel that I were cheapening my growth as a Bryn Mawr woman if I masked my empowerment in order to perform a “patriarchal bargain.” Feminist scholar, Deniz Kandiyoti, coined the phrase “patriarchal bargain” to describe instances of men and women’s acquiescence with traditional gender roles in order to avoid the societal punishment that often comes with deviating from these roles.

Despite the fact that the atmosphere at Bryn Mawr is geared toward feminism, the term carries just as much stigma as anywhere else. Although I am certain that the vast majority of students stand for the goals and beliefs of feminism, many are hesitant to deem themselves feminists.

I have some ideas as to why this is the case, but I want to hear from current students and alumnae. Do you think some students come to resent feminism because they feel bombarded by its messages at Bryn Mawr; do “that’s hetero-normative” or “that’s gender-normative” sound a bit too familiar? Do you think there is a fear of being negatively judged for being a feminist by prospective romantic partners? Or does it come down to career prospects—a reluctance to add feminist extracurricular activities to one’s resume or gender studies courses to one’s transcript? Or perhaps you have had an experience with feminism at Bryn Mawr that parallels mine, in that you embrace it and are proud of it.

Bryn Mawr’s new Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance chapter, or Fem-Co. as it was recently renamed, will be setting up a photo booth outside of the campus center this week during lunch hours where students, faculty, and staff can have their picture taken with a “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” sign. Fem-Co. is hoping to begin to break down the stigma and stereotypes surrounding feminism on campus with this photo campaign. Hope to see you there!

-Sara Alcid, President of Fem-Co.

Join Us For A Very Special International Women's Day Webinar!

Did you know that 1 woman dies every minute of everyday due to complications with pregnancy and childbirth? Did you know that 99% of maternal deaths take place in the developing world? Did you know that maternal mortality is the leading cause of death for girls between the ages of 15-19 in poorer countries?

Reading these statistics places a hugely different perspective on the issue of maternal mortality and morbidity around the world. When we hear these numbers, we generally imagine rural women from central Africa or from south Asia. Rarely do we picture that these women are also young teens forced into adulthood faster than they can recite lyrics from a famous poem or learn parts of the human anatomy.

These young women find themselves trapped in the shadows of a, often times, broken society struggling to survive in the midst of a suffering economy, lack basic living necessities, a healthcare system in disarray, limited to no access to an education, and a continuation of traditional and cultural practices that greatly impact the health and well-being of mostly women and girls.

In previous posts from this year's January and February eZine issues, Val and I discussed the urgency for the U.S. to do its part in the reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity in the developing world, and holding itself and other donor countries accountable for fulfilling the promises made at the Cairo Conference of 1994 and the U.N.'s Millennium Development Goal #5 (MDGs).

That is why in commemorating March 8, International Women's Day, the FMF team is calling for young feminists across the country to join in on a very special FREE webinar to learn about this crisis affecting half the world's population and how YOU can help save the lives of millions of young women and girls across the globe.

At 7:00pm EST, you will have the opportunity to listen and dialogue with Feminist Majority Foundation President, Eleanor Smeal, our Global Programs Coordinator, Anushay Hossain, and me, your friendly National Campus Organizer. Please don't miss out on a wonderful discussion!

We have limited reserved spaces and we encourage you to RSVP as soon as possible! Don't miss out on this wonderful opportunity!

For more information, go to our website at www.feministcampus.org or contact your campus organizer at 1-866-444-3652 or campusteam@feminist.org.

Also, if you think you would benefit greatly from conversations like this one, then you'll want to take part in our upcoming National Young Feminist Leadership Conference on March 20 -21, hosted by the University of the District of Columbia in Washington D.C. Come and network with hundreds of young feminists across the country and notable speakers that range from heads of progressive women's organizations to members of Congress.

Get informed, get energized, GET ACTIVE!!!

Happy Women's History Month and International Women's Day!!!

This article was featured in our March 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.

Birth Control Access in Review

As an undergrad attending a women's college, having birth control and other forms of contraception readily available was far more than a novelty. It was considered a normal part of our women's health and wellness program. After receiving a wellness check up, the option of selecting generic contraceptives at a very reduced cost or for free was as second nature as selecting dessert to complete a full course meal. But once the Student Health Center made its announcement that it would no longer carry birth control, it left a lot of students frazzled and uncertain of how to continue using birth control in their daily lives.

The reality of a women's college--consisting of 2300 fertile young women, most of whom are likely to be sexually active--no longer offering any form of birth control is somewhat of an oxymoron. I began to question where would the first year students, who are required to live on campus with no personal transportation, go to get birth control? Would they be able to afford it? Many college-aged women depend on their Student Health Center to offer birth control because of its affordability and accessibility.

Our FMLA went to the Director of the Student Health Center and our Vice President of Student Affairs to get some clear answers. What they shared helped us to understand this issue in a bigger context beyond just our campus community. It was affecting most colleges and universities in the nation and public clinics serving low-income communities.

They explained that the unreasonably sudden hike in cost of birth control was more than the college's entire family planning budget. So unfortunately, they had to make drastic cuts. How did this happen, you might ask? Why did the cost increase?

Well, according to the facts given in FMF's Access to Birth Control Campaign, for almost 20 years, Medicaid pricing rules allowed pharmaceutical companies to provide college health centers and over 400 clinics serving low income women with birth control at a substantial discount. As a result, many students and low-income women nationwide had access to affordable birth control through these clinics and college health centers. In 2005, the rules changed, going into effect on January 1, 2007. The result: birth control prices skyrocketed on campus - some saw prices increase by up to 5 times their original prices! In some cases, prices went from $10 a month to over $50 a month. FMF's campus program worked with students all over the country to mobilize and demand a fix in legislation.

By being plugged into FMF's Birth Control Access Campaign, we immediately went to work by petitioning the student body. We received an overwhelming support from both students and administration. And the work of hundreds of young women across the country paid off, because in 2009, Congress reversed the 2005 act and passed regulations to permit discounted prices on campuses and affected clinics servicing low-income women once again. YES! A huge victory for us all, right? Well, unfortunately there's still one more hurdle to jump.

Still many student health centers have not adjusted their prices and there are still not enough federal dollars going to family planning programs. Want to get involved? Here's what you can do:

1. Go to your Student Health Center and make sure birth control and emergency contraception is offered and its given a discounted price.
2. If you can't access birth control on campus, start a petition, write op-eds in your student newspaper, present resolutions to student government and administration.
3. Encourage the Health Center to be on your side.
4. Get plugged into FMF's Birth Control Access Campaign action kit and disseminate information on campus.

Unfortunately, the ongoing battle to secure and protect reproductive health and rights for women continues on. But let this be one more battle won for young women in college and other women across the nation!

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.

You + Me= Us (Calculus) ... Sally Ride urges girls to work 2ge+her on math and science

When I was in the midst of my student teaching residency, some of the student teachers and myself noticed something had changed with some middle school students. Over a period of about two weeks, some of the girls had become less likely to participate and it was taking longer for a lesson to "click" with them. What had happened? I went to my teaching advisor to see if there was any education tools to fix my teaching style.

She laughed. "Well, it's rounding the end of April and they're 7th graders."

She then proceeded to explain that it's pretty common knowledge among teachers that around this time girls will subliminally shy away from appearing too "bright" in the "harder," more structured subjects like science, math and foreign languages to impress those boys they're just starting to notice. This is where the feminist in me did everything in her power not to let out an ear-piercing shriek.

Luckily, not everyone has accepted this fact. We have people like Sally Ride ( THE FIRST WOMAN IN SPACE ) out there to counteract this phenomenon.

As Val shared earlier, Sally has recently been included in US News' list of "America's Best Leaders 2009." Her organization Sally Ride Science promotes a love of math and science starting from 5th grade (before the curse) until 9th. While it is co-ed, Ride stresses that one of the reasons she founded the organization back in 2001 was to defeat the dreaded science/math mental block often found in girls.

In an interview about her US News recognition, she said:

"I discovered that there were still significant societal stereotypes and peer-group pressure that start to affect girls in upper elementary school through middle school in such a way that they start to drift away from math and science. So I realized that there was a lot that could be gained by targeting that particular age."

Sally Ride has used her organization as a way to ensure the next generation of great mathematicians and scientists will include both men and women and has been seeing strong results proving that a Y chromosome isn't necessary to master the subjects.

Along with Sally, this list includes great feminists like VDAY Campaign's Eve Ensler and Tony award-winning Twyla Tharp. So, unlike the rumors in the hallway, being smart is pretty cool!

ps. to anyone wondering, the title of this blog is named after a pop-culture reference from my younger years. yes, i've shamelessly plugged MTVs 2001 original movie 2ge+her (the mockumentary made to get some laughs at boy bands like *nsync, backstreet boys, 5ive, soulDecision, etc...) Don't worry, I'm now seriously reconsidering the music choices of my youth while reviewing the music video and assure you that I've better developped my music taste since then (well, maybe...)

photo credits: db*photography on flickr.com

NCBW Recognizes Record-Breaking Teen Pilot

Most kids dream big when imagining their futures. A pre-school student once adorably told me that when she grew up, she wanted to be either "a princess or a dinosaur."

On Sunday Saturday 27th, the National Congress of Black Women honored Kimberly Anyadike, who took the phrase "when I grow up" to the next level.

Putting most high schoolers to shame, this young woman has shattered records by being the youngest female african-american to fly cross-country from Compton , CA, to Newport News, VA, at the age of 15.

It is through programs like those found at Tomorrow's Aeronautical Museum that make Anyadike's victory possible. Here, disadvantaged youth can exchange hours of work for "museum dollars"/flight lessons and start seeing their potential (pardon the pun) take flight.

Both Kimberly and her older sister Kelly have passed the pilot program with flying colors and continue to push each other to further greatness through healthy sibling rivalry.

As NCBW President Dr. E. Faye Williams, Esq so nicely put it, each field has its"Venus and Serena" and these ladies are it!

photo credit: bre_pettis from Flickr.com

Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project

I just read a great article on the DCist about the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project (YWDEP).

YWDEP is an awesome program that lets young women in DC schools express themselves through drumming and other forms of art. According to the YWDEP site, the project is a "summer-long program of weekly workshops led by local female artists in team building, African hand drumming, poetry, song writing, rhythms, theater/movement, performance technique and staging."

All I can say is that I'm really glad a project like this exists. Drumming is a field of self-expression that is far too often limited to men and it's great to see it opening up to young women. Also, I'm always for anything that lets people express themselves.

Here's a short documentary on YWDEP:

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/meigooni/

ImMEDIAte Justice! Film screening FOR young women, BY young women

ImMEDIAte Justice, a program for young women to explore reproductive justice issues through documentary-style filmmaking, presents two original reproductive justice films created for and by young women. All are welcome to attend!

FILM 1:
Espie is 17 but she still hasn't had her Quinceañera. Family members disapprove of her relationship with long-time girlfriend, Jess and believe she doesn't deserve this coming-of-age rite. Meanwhile, Espie's good friend Luna anxiously awaits the homecoming of her older sister, as her family reconciles fears about her sister's life and opportunities as a queer woman. Youth get behind the lens to share Espie's much anticipated sweet 15 at 17 and Luna's family reunion in this striking & fresh look at love, family, and growing up queer and female in Boyle Heights.

FILM 2:
Where did you get your sex education? One simple question sends our filmmakers down a rabbit hole of unanswered questions and gaps in young people's knowledge about sex, as youth filmmakers explore the significance of having vital sexual health knowledge withheld.

Saturday, August 29th 2-4pm
USC School of Cinematic Arts Building, Room 110
(On the USC campus. Enter at Hoover Ave and Jefferson Blvd. Turn Right on West 34th Street.
The Cinematic Arts Building will be on your left hand side.)

Hope you can make it! There will be food, interactive activities and prizes!

The New (and improved) Disney Movies

How may of us love being whisked away to the magical world of Disney? Whether we are merrily skipping around Disneyland or simply watching Beauty & The Beast, none of us can deny the happiness that Disney can instill.

However, I’ve noticed that many of their popular films depict women as the “damsel in distress.” Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty show young women who need the help of a man in order to achieve their dreams. Interestingly, all of these movies are older than some of the more feminist movies Disney has released recently. Yes, feminist movies!

In Pocahontas, we are shown a Native American woman who shows the beauty of nature to John Smith. She is not depicted as a helpless girl who needs a man; rather she is an individual who chooses to be with John Smith. I think this is a very positive movie for young girls to see, but it is not my favorite.

There are critiques of Pocahontas, and most are regarding the portrayal of Native Americans. There is a song "savages" that is played during the film, which speaks for itself. Along with this, the tribe to which Pocahontas belongs to captures John Smith and is shown to be brutal and unforgiving. Clearly, there is some room to improve.

My favorite feminist Disney movie is none other than Mulan.

Mulan has to be the best movie in that it speaks to what we, as feminists, want to see in a children's film. In Mulan, a young Chinese woman is faced with a difficult situation; at the time the movie is set, women were not allowed to join the Chinese military. However, she feels it is her responsibility to protect her family and fight for her country. Thus, she disguises herself as a man and proves to be stronger than her male counterparts. Eventually she is able to defeat the enemy Huns and show all of China that a woman can also be a warrior.

Doesn't this send a better message than Snow White? I think it is crucial that young women are watching movies that inspire them rather than motivate them to find their "Prince Charming."

Although Pocahontas and Mulan are great movies that show women as real women, it is only a small feat for Disney. I think they need to continue making movies such as these, and never revert back to the days of Cinderella or Snow White. Female characters that display confidence and a willingness to lead will help to positively effect the younger generation and ensure a happily ever after.

SAVE THE DATE! National Young Women's Leadership Conference

Calling all young feminist leaders!!

We've selected a date for the 3rd annual National Young Women's Leadership Conference this Spring! Mark your calendars now to join us for an incredible opportunity to come together and meet other feminist student activists, national leaders, and to discuss feminist issues and activism as they pertain to YOUR life!

The conference will take place on March 21 and 22 in Washington, DC. Further details will be coming your way soon - check back here regularly for the latest scoop!