By Casey
Riotgrrrl DC
avadhuta@juno.com
While the nation chuckles over misogynistic fat slut jokes concerning Monica Lewinsky, there is something far more important that *should* be holding our attention:
Bill Clinton is an accused rapist.
I recently posted on a girl/queer focused record label's message board about Juanita Broadrick and how I believed her. The immediate response, "who is Juanita Broaddrick?" What? I couldn't believe that such a radical, politically active group of people had never heard of Juanita Broaddrick. Finally, I received a response stating how convenient it is that all these women are now coming forward now, and it reeked of right-wing conspiracy.
*pause while my mouth drops open*
I guess it shouldn't have shocked my the way it did. Check out the Feminist Majority Foundation daily news http://www.feminist.org/news/ newsbyte/newsnow.html. Run a search in their news archives, and you will find not one mention of Juanita Broaddrick.
Feminism taught me that self-love and survival is believing a woman who says she is in pain, believing a woman who says she has been abused, believing a women who says she has been raped. Feminism is what taught me about giving women the benefit of the doubt. Feminism taught me to recognize the fact that JUANITA BROADDRICK COULD BE ANY OF US.
Where is mainstream feminism now? Where the hell is NOW? Patricia Ireland, where are you? Where is the sisterhood and support? Where are your "I Believe Juanita" buttons? I find little in the way of support for Juanita, other than a lukewarm press release http://www.now.org/press/02-99/02-25- 99.html in which they state, in regard to conservatives, "if they care about women's rights, then stop wasting time on unprovable charges and start working to improve the lives of women. That is what NOW has done and will continue to do." Since when is exposing rape a waste of time? Ever since the rapist is one of the family, it would seem.
I think I'm beginning to understand. You are gaining something from your support of Clinton. You are gaining from his "concern" of women's issues. You are profiting. YOUR PROFIT RIDES ON THE BACK OF ANOTHER WOMAN'S OPPRESSION. I hope those wage increases taste sweet. I hope you recognize the taste of betrayal.
NOW and other mainstream feminist organizations do not represent me. I will not give my support to any so-called feminist group that will let personal political gain stand in the way of supporting their sisters. If they can't see that this the result of an internalized patriarchal system of values, then I have nothing in common with them.
I believe Juanita.
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This article copyright © 1999 by Casey and may not be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of its author. All rights reserved.
