March 10, 1999
Intro: By Carolyn Gargaro
Rightgrrl Co-founder
Sometimes one's political leanings interfere with the dissemination of a
message. For instance, I am very upset about the hypocritical attitudes of
many mainstream feminist organizations regarding Juanita Broaddrick's
allegations against Bill Clinton, as well as the "so what?" attitude that
seems to prevail among many. However, when I express my concern regarding
Broaddrick's believable allegations, many people simply chalk up my
opinions as the invalid ramblings of a member of the "vast right-wing
conspiracy" who is simply out to "get" Clinton.
"You're just a disgruntled Republican who will do anything to bring
Clinton down" people say. They don't consider for a moment that Juanita's
Broaddrick's story contains many aspects that would lend to it's
credibility and point to the fact that we very well may have a rapist in
the White House. They also don't seem to listen when I say that I would
feel the very same way if Bill Clinton was a Republican, or that this is
not a "right-wing" issue. This is a human issue, something that people of
opposing political views can agree on and put aside their political
differences.
Putting aside differences. That is exactly what is happening here. A
Riotgrrrl and a Rightgrrl are coming together to voice our disdain for the
hypocritical attitudes shown in the Juanita Broaddrick case.
Rightgrrl and Riotgrrrl?
Rightgrrrl
Those reading this are probably already familiar with what a Rightgrrl is,
since one has to be on the Rightgrrl web site to be reading this. For
those not familiar with what a Rightgrrl is, I suggest reading the What
We Think section.
Riotgrrrl
Some people may already be familiar with the group Riotgrrrl. Riotgrrrl is
a group representing radical youth feminism which started in the early
1990's in Olympia and Washington D.C.. As one Riotgrrrl described to me,
"It is anti-corporate, very personal, and dynamic. It was started by a few
punk rock women who were tired of being excluded from the scene. They
decided to create their own bands, their own publications, their own
support network. Riotgrrrl is a safe space for women, an encouragement in
our activism and our creative projects."
Riotgrrrl is far from a "conservative" group, and most Riotgrrrls would
not agree with the views expressed on the Rightgrrl web site, to say the
least. In fact, Rightgrrl usually makes Riotgrrrls cringe. However, one
Riotgrrrl, Casey, (her article is below!) does agree with me on one issue - Juanita Broaddrick.
Casey and I are, let's just say, very different in many, many ways :-)
However, we respect each other's differences, and we both feel that this
issue is extremely important and far from a "political" issue or some
right-wing vendetta against Bill Clinton. I hope that Casey's openness on
her opinion on Juanita Broaddrick will help dispel the notion that this is
a "right-wing" issue.
A Rightgrrl and Riotgrrrl. We believe Juanita.
Please note: Just as I do not speak for all women who identify with
Rightgrrl, Casey does not speak for all Riotgrrls. Casey is a Riotgrrrl,
speaking for herself. In addition, her willingness to participate in this
aspect of the Rightgrrl web site does not mean that she endorses the other
views expressed on the Rightgrrl web site.
[ Casey: The Riotgrrrl Point of View ]
[ Carolyn: The Rightgrrl Point of View ]
ADDITIONAL LINKS
