little sinkings in the earth

hurt hurt hurt in my little boat of feelings

"

Written in Kerala for the women of India who lead the way

This could have been anywhere
And was
Mexico City
Manila
Mumbai
Manhattan
Nighttime men
waiting
like wolves
Drooling
for prey
behind
that single dimly painted door
paying nothing
a couple of dollars
or euros
rupees
or pesos
to have her
Enter her
Eat her
Devour her
and throw away her bones.

This could have been anywhere
And was
A Buddhist nun on a bus
Trying to stay dry for the night
A woman leader speaking out against
The repressive government
A young woman traveling with her boyfriend
One lost her voice
The other her following
The last one her life

This could have been anywhere and was
Pink wooden crosses
A stack of stones
Red wilting carnations
Empty chairs in a square
Ribbons flying in a sultry wind
I ask Anna Nighat Kamla Monique Tanisha Emily
Why Why
Porque Eran Mujeres
Parce qu’elles étaient des femmes
Because they were women
Because they were women

This could have been anywhere
And was
Where she got fired for being too beautiful
Fined for drinking after she was raped
A serious offer to marry her rapist
Got told it was legitimate but not forcible
This could have been anywhere
They do such a thing
When the girls go for fire wood
Step into the lonely man’s car
Drink a little too much at the college party
Wake up with her uncle’s fingers inside
Run from the screaming machete and guns
Be taken at sunrise
Get a bullet in the brain for learning the alphabet
Be stoned for falling in love
Be burned for seeing the future

I am done
Cataloguing these horrors
Data Porn
2 million women raped and tortured
1 out of 3 women
a woman raped every minute
every second
one out of 2 
one out of 5
the same
one
one
one
I am done counting
And recounting

Its time to tell a new story
It needs to be our story
It needs to be outrageous and unexpected
It needs to lose control in the middle
It needs to be sexy and in our hips
And our feet
It needs to be angry and a little scary the way storms can be scary
It needs to not ask permission
Or get permits or set up offices
Or make salaries
It wont be recorded or bought or sold
Or counted
It needs to just happen
It is not a question of inventing
But remembering
Buried under the leaves of trauma and sorrow
Beneath the river of
semen and squalor
vaginas and labias
shredded and extracted
stolen
body mines
mined bodies
It is not about asking now
Or waiting
It is about rising

Raise you arm my sister my brother
Raise your one
Billion
Your one heart
Your one of us

I used to be afraid of love
It hurt too much
What never happened
What got ripped away
The rape
The wound
And love
I thought
was salt
But I was wrong
I was wrong

Step into the fire

Raise your arm
Raise your one
Billion
One
One
One
Rising.
Rising.
Rising.

Eve Ensler (via heroicallywelladjusted)

(via thiscouldbeoursong)

today: up unfortunately early. dress etc blah blah blah. email David for valentine’s day. head downtown. read and hang out. lunch with Friend T. head to St.John the Divine’s for ONE BILLION RISING. play it by ear! if I still feel good in the afternoon, stay and hang with Leeyuh. if I still feel good after that, head to Times Square protest. if I still feel good after that, head to Hammerstein Ballroom. 

reminder to self: no matter what you do today, you are part of the one billion rising. it is okay to exercise self-care and come home in the afternoon. it is okay to stay until early evening and take a train when you get overwhelmed. it is okay to stay all night and take a cab when you get home. all of these things…they are okay. whatever you choose. 

(via morgan-finds-recovery)

homagetobeauty:

“Break the Chain” Lyrics
Lyrics by Tena Clark
Music by Tena Clark/Tim Heintz


Intro-
I raise my arms to the sky
On my knees I pray
I’m not afraid anymore
I will walk through that door
Walk, dance, rise
Walk, dance, rise

I can see a world where we all live
Safe and free from all oppression
No more rape or incest, or abuse
Women are not a possession

You’ve never owned me, don’t even know me I’m not invisible, I’m simply wonderful I feel my heart for the first time racing I feel alive, I feel so amazing

I dance cause I love
Dance cause I dream
Dance cause I’ve had enough
Dance to stop the screams
Dance to break the rules
Dance to stop the pain
Dance to turn it upside down
Its time to break the chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain
Dance, rise
Dance, rise

In the middle of this madness, we will stand I know there is a better world Take your sisters & your brothers by the hand Reach out to every woman & girl

This is my body, my body’s holy
No more excuses, no more abuses
We are mothers, we are teachers,
We are beautiful, beautiful creatures

I dance cause I love
Dance cause I dream
Dance cause I’ve had enough
Dance to stop the screams
Dance to break the rules
Dance to stop the pain
Dance to turn it upside down
It’s time to break the chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain

Dance Break Inst.

Dance, rise
Dance, rise

Sister won’t you help me, sister won’t you rise x4

Dance, rise
Dance, rise

Sister won’t you help me, sister won’t you rise x4

This is my body, my body’s holy
No more excuses, no more abuses
We are mothers, we are teachers,
We are beautiful, beautiful creatures

I dance cause I love
Dance cause I dream
Dance cause I’ve had enough
Dance to stop the screams
Dance to break the rules
Dance to stop the pain
Dance to turn it upside down
Its time to break the chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain, oh yeah
Break the Chain

(Repeat chorus)

(Source: onebillionrising.org)

thiscouldbeoursong:

RISE.

So I got my stamp in the mail.

queersublimeoutcast:

lionpolitics:

lovingmyselfishard:

affectingly:

ribcagerebel:

MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING: rape, instructions to rape

lieutenant-sarcasm:

My friend who goes to Miami University in Ohio sent me this picture of a flier that was taped up in a men’s bathroom there.  I don’t need to explain why this is horrifying, do I?  She’s asked that we signal boost the shit out of it and get the word out about the degree to which rape culture pervades the campus.  Please help her out with that if you can.  

…yeah, that’s my university. I think I’m going to be sick.

Are you shitting me?

??!?!????!!?!!!
I don’t think I have words.

Disgusting.

I want a stamp

and I want it to say

“this dollar was used by a rape survivor”

and I want to stamp it on every bill that goes through my hands

in order to spread awareness

hmm

where do I get this stamp?

p.s. maybe some kind of resource hotline could be on it too?

writingsforwinter:

words to use by writingsforwinter

anotherfeminist:

paperdemons:

anotherfeminist:

Just saw Pitch Perfect and I actually liked it. The film is about a group of female singers who become friends. You think what’s not to like, right? But then this really bugged me. Ester Dean plays Cynthia, the only lesbian in the group, and she is this stereotype of lesbian who is always trying to take advantage of her friends. That’s not funny. This scene was not funny either. Cynthia was always checking Stacie (Alexis Knapp) in very inappropriate ways, she even felt up her boobs once. It’s not cool to represent lesbians this way, ok? It’s not funny. Queer women can have female friends, too, and respect them. Queer women are not always horny and will take advantage of your vulnerable situations just to touch you or abuse you.

So, Pitch Perfect, ugh. The rest of the film is awesome, so funny, has female leads who are funny and get along. Why the fuck did you have to do this shit?

And may I also add that her blowing the rape whistle is supposed to be the “comedic relief”?

First of all, piggybacking on what OP said, it makes lesbians look like aggressors who are always trying to feel up their female friends despite unwillingness. Apparently to the point where someone believed her to be attempting to commit a serious crime.

And second, the rape whistle being a comedic relief thing makes it look like rape isn’t serious. This scene was obviously meant to be silly—and as not-silly and unfunny as it was, the point was also to make the rape thing seem silly. Like, “Oh, haha! The lesbian is groping her! So like, rape and stuff! She’s blowing the whistle while making a funny face. LOL.” No. The so-called horny lesbian trope and rape are not punch lines. Stop.

(Source: riverchele, via gtfothinspo)