OK, so maybe I’m a little different and I don’t; but I guess being outspoken against the coontastic behavior of people with whom I share a melanin affliction, makes me a prime candidate to support such a move. However, not to shit on anyone’s dreams, but this petition is as stupid as the day the NAACP assembled folks in Detroit several years ago to host a mock funeral for the word “nigger,” in protest of lyrics in Hip Hop. A symbolic gesture at best, but as far as impact or the ability to promote and produce change? Welp, the lyrics haven’t changed, and they’re on television.

I, like many of you, watched in complete horror as a cable network debuted yet another reality drama based on black life as it purportedly unfolds in the ATL. I will refrain from mentioning the name of this show because if you saw it then you already know what I’m referring to and if you didn’t then I do not wish to entice or encourage you to seek it out. In fact, the more that I reflect on my feelings about what I witnessed Monday evening, the more I realize that my disgust lies not just with that particular show alone, but with the way that the city which was once a symbol of black progress is now being portrayed in the media as a whole.

Series after series I have watched with great chagrin as popular reality TV franchises select the jewel of the south to lift the veil of mystique behind the city’s affluent and create what ultimately amounts to a ratings bonanza for the networks and a cash windfall for the producers.

Time after time, executive producers from L.A. and New York, where I currently reside- bring their camera crews and A/V techs into our city to create what inevitably amounts to the Jerry Springer equivalent of the franchise’s northern counterparts. A series that historically featured the diamond encrusted lives of wealthy spouses debuted an Atlanta version of the series where the wealth was elusive and spouses were no longer a requirement. More recently, a show about popular entertainers and the women who love them premiered an Atlanta-based installment where the term popular was subjective and women suggested that other women should be put “on the track,” a prostitution reference that is particularly damaging for a city that is already noted for being one of the largest hubs for child sex trafficking in the world. To put it mildly I was offended. To state I plainly, I was aghast.

How is it that a city which was once the crowning jewel in the story of black America has allowed itself to be positioned as the melting pot of black affliction? The Atlanta that I knew and grew up in was one of great pride and self-respect. Our achievements were known across the globe, as people from far and wide would often respond, “Wow, I hear that black people are really doing their thing down there,” when I would tell them I’m from Atlanta. Today that assertion is often met with “Yoooo….I hear Atlanta’s got them bangin’ strip clubs.” …Really?!?

Um, who do you think told us about those bangin’ strip clubs, Kelly? I dunno, but my guess is that it wasn’t some rapper from Des Moine, Iowa. Which is actually kinda funny when you think about the fact that it’s white folks who are largely buying Hip Hop music, and even watching the show.

With 3.6 million people having watched he premiere, surely they aren’t all black.

Yeah, but now somebody has the gall to start a petition on change.org of all places? I’m not a comedian, but the fact that they’re using a website known to advance significant change — you know, like getting George Zimmerman arrested, and countless other issues related to social justice? — to get this particular show off the air, should be the punchline of the year in Negronia. Shit, whatever happened to hitting the pavement or using the internet to get people registered to vote? Nah, that’s not as important as the social activism associated with hating the foolishness on VH1.

Check out the petition:

After we made a ruckus about Basketball Wives, sponsors began to pull ads. Well, it’s that time again, folks!

While we should respect the perceptions and experiences of the men and women featured on “reality” television shows, networks are airing stories that could be very helpful for people to hear, but they’re telling these stories in EXTREMELY dangerous ways.

We all know premium digital crack rock is ‘slanged’ in digital hoods other than VH1. We also know the problem is not just TV–it’s a big, mean, social monster that we’ve gotta shoot down one non-violent bullet at a time. Nevertheless, somebody’s gotta be the face of this lovely movement. And since VH1 has chosen to give us yet another beautifully-blinged jewel of commercial exploitation (Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta), they might as well be the face of change. By the way, shout out to all African Americans who received Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta as their Juneteenth gift! You won and lost at the same time!

As we work toward national- and local-level change, let’s tell VH1 and their sponsors (again) why people from a broad range of backgrounds will NOT stand for the exploitation of the lived experiences of people who may not even know they’re being exploited. This isn’t a “Black or White” thing, this is a HUMAN thing…and we should all understand.

P.S. That “turn of the TV/your kids’ TV if you don’t want to watch” argument doesn’t work here, VH1. A good number of the kids who are most at risk don’t have the luxury of living with parents who can just “turn off the TV”. Why? Because their parents are out working multiple jobs (thanks to this lovely thing called poverty); one or both parents are on drugs, dead, or in jail; or they’re raised by ill grandparents, relatives who aren’t that interested in their future, or foster parents who abuse them and only foster to collect a check.

So now y’all wanna boycott Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta after enabling all the fuckery VH1, Bravo, and Oxygen has provided? Nah, why boycott now? Shit, why not wait until they choose to portray black women as the throwback “Aunt Jemima with a head scarf” character, who’s happy to be slaving in the homes of rich white folks? You know, sorta like The Help but the reality TV version of it? Yeah, let’s wait for that one before we start this talk about boycotts. After all, didn’t we do this shit to ourselves? Yep, Rick James was right: “They never shoulda gave you niggas money!” But then again, that’s how exploitation works. Hell, who better than black folks — or more specifically black women — to once again take pleasure in our exploitation? After all, there’s no way a dope fiend can exist without someone close to enable him or her, or someone to push their poison on them, right?

Man please, start a petition to get Negroes jobs and I’ll be down.

The post How About Registering Voters Instead of a “Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta” Boycott Petition? appeared first on THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY.

Now let’s say after the wife accuses said husband about his possible infidelity, mister accused cheating husband gets pissed because of the accusation and leaves the room only to return with a gun, stand and put a bullet in the chamber, and fires at his wife while two of her children are standing with her. Given that scenario, would you say that said husband deserves to be in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon? Yeah I know, this all sounds like a scene from a movie or an episode of “(I Almost) Got Away With It,” on your cable. However, this is exactly what occurred in real life on August 10th, 2010 and the shooter was not the husband, but instead, Marissa Alexander who is currently serving a 20 year sentence for firing what she continues to claim as a warning shot at her husband Rico Gray after he accused her of cheating with her ex-husband, Lincoln Alexander.

We’ve all heard Marissa’s account, but here’s what Gray had to say in speaking to Jacksonvile.com. In an article by Charles Broward, Gray contends that contrary to belief it was Marissa’s violent nature that lead to the shooting, and not the image of him cast as an abusive wife beater. Speaking at the State Attorney’s office in Jacksonville, Gray explained his account of how the event which landed his wife in prison unfolded. Since there are always three sides to a story, let’s hear his:

He said it was Alexander, 31, who first began punching him after he confronted her about some text messages she had sent to her ex-husband.

Gray said he put his hands up in defense “buying time” for his two sons to gather their belongings so he could take them and leave. But when he made the remark that their newborn baby must be fathered by her ex-husband, he said she immediately stopped.

“She said, ‘I got something for your — —,’ and walked away,” Gray said. “I knew exactly what she was going to do.”

Gray said she went to the garage, to her truck, to get her gun and then returned back inside the home. He said the garage door that she claimed was inoperable worked for him earlier that morning and later that day with no trouble.

“When she came back inside, the first thing I saw was her putting one [a bullet] in the chamber,” he said.

Gray said by the time his kids had come to his side to leave, she had the gun pointed at him.

“As soon as I took my eyes off Marissa, that’s when I heard the gunshot,” Gray said.

He said he never looked back, grabbing the children and running out of the house and down the street.

[...] Gray said he lied during an initial deposition when he said he had been the aggressor because the couple had settled their differences and gotten back together. He said he didn’t want to see his wife go to prison.

It was after Alexander assaulted him again less than five months later that he decided to no longer support her. She pleaded no contest to domestic battery in that incident and was sentenced to time served. (source)

Now given Gray’s account, can you honestly say that there’d be all this uproar and calls for action like the national day of protest on behalf of Marissa on June 24th, if she was a man? No seriously, I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this. Of course I understand it’s hard to imagine a woman being abusive towards her husband or even aggressive in that regard. Yes, and given that Marissa’s story as told by herself and her supporters has made Gray out to be Ike Turner on steroids and bath salts, It’s hard for most to see her as the aggressor in this instance; heck, women never lie.

Listen to Rico Gray Sr.’s 911 recording:

The post Forget Race: Would Marissa Alexander be in Prison if She was a Man who Acted in Fear? appeared first on THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY.

I mean, why not the extreme stuff like catching a heart attack or a stroke while knee deep in some off-limits coochie? Or worse — said owner of the cooch themselves catching a heart attack or dying while doing the horizontal mambo. Trust me, as crazy as it sounds, that type of stuff happens more often than you think. As a matter of fact, I have a good friend who’s father died while having sex with his side piece. Not that dying is a better option, but having to live through the embarrassment of explaining how you tripped and fell into some pussy to your friends and family, might be a bit too much, that you wished you had actually died. But hey, don’t tell that to the wife of William Martinez:

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -A jury awarded a widow a multimillion dollar verdict in a medical malpractice case involving a man who suffered a fatal heart attack during a sex act with two other people.

William Martinez, a police officer, went to a physician at the Cardiovascular Group in Lawrenceville after experiencing heart problems.

Lawyers said that the doctor should have recognized that Martinez’s symptoms were serious and should have sent him to the hospital for treatment.

“There was enough for him to make the call and to know that he should have sent this man directly to the hospital to get a stress test that clearly would have identified and diagnosed his blocked heart arteries,” said attorney Rod Edmond.

A few days after the doctor’s visit, Martinez went to a motel near Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to see a woman – not his wife – and another man for a sexual rendezvous.

Martinez died after having sex numerous times. The female returned from the bathroom and found him collapsed on the floor.

A Gwinnett County jury found the doctor negligent and awarded his widow a $3 million settlement. (source)

A lawyer representing the doctor said that Martinez was told to make an appointment the next day, but Martinez delayed.

Yeah, dying butt-naked in a hotel room after fucking off on your wife, has to suck. So what’s the moral of the story you ask? Other than visiting your doctor regularly, never leave home with dirty underwear; and, never get butt-naked anywhere your wife isn’t present unless it’s at the hospital or doctor’s office. No really, why take that gamble when there’s all this free internet porn?

The post Widow Wins $3M in Lawsuit After Cheating Husband Dies in Threesome appeared first on THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY.

Not that I’m sympathetic to people who shoot and kill unarmed black youth. But on the contrary, I figured the lead story in the media this week would be what Kelly Virella reported over at Dominion Of New York. She introduced us to what I think to be a significant study, which concludes that in the state of Florida, contrary to popular opinion, black folks have fared better within the state’s judicial system since the 2005 implementation of the now infamous “stand your ground” or “shoot to kill” law. One would think a such a story as covered by Kelly, would have made major headlines; but, I suppose such a revelation or finding isn’t as polarizing as the typical race-related story or incident the mainstream media craves. That is, with the exception of the good folks from the Tampa Bay Times, of course:

A Tampa Bay Times analysis of nearly 200 cases — the first to examine the role of race in “stand your ground” — found that people who killed a black person walked free 73 percent of the time, while those who killed a white person went free 59 percent of the time.

[...] The Times analysis found no obvious bias in how black defendants have been treated:

• Whites who invoked the law were charged at the same rate as blacks.

• Whites who went to trial were convicted at the same rate as blacks.

• In mixed-race cases involving fatalities, the outcomes were similar. Four of the five blacks who killed a white went free; five of the six whites who killed a black went free.

• Overall, black defendants went free 66 percent of the time in fatal cases compared to 61 percent for white defendants — a difference explained, in part, by the fact blacks were more likely to kill another black.

“Let’s be clear,” said Alfreda Coward, a black Fort Lauderdale lawyer whose clients are mostly black men. “This law was not designed for the protection of young black males, but it’s benefiting them in certain cases.”

The Times analysis does not prove that race caused the disparity between cases with black and white victims. Other factors may be at play.

The analysis, for example, found that black victims were more likely to be carrying a weapon when they were killed. They also were more likely than whites to be committing a crime, such as burglary, at the time.

Experts note that most cases have unique combinations of facts and circumstances that determine whether a person goes free or goes to prison. They caution against drawing conclusions on statistics alone.

Now, we have the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights launching an investigation into whether there’s a racial bias applied to the law which grants defendants the ability to use deadly force, without having the duty to retreat from a confrontation. According to the commission, there may be signs of bias:

Data compiled by the Wall Street Journal shows a near-doubling of justifiable homicides from 2005-2011 in states where SYG [Stand Your Ground] has passed. Moreover, their data shows that while white killers of black victims comprises only 3.1% of all homicides, such cross-racial killing constitute 15.6% of justifiable homicides.

A separate FBI study found that, “34% of cases involving a white shooter killing a black person were deemed as a justifiable homicide. Meanwhile, in similar situations, when the shooter was black and the victim was white, the homicide was ruled justifiable only 3.3% of the time.”

While I welcome the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ investigation and pending release of their finding about one year from now, we must be careful in our rush to judgement. It’s easy to look at those numbers above and arrive at the conclusion, that the laws application has be wrought with racial bias. But there are a couple things to consider when you spout the notion that when white folks kill black folks, under stand your ground, they’re somehow egregiously justified.

One would be, just as the Florida study points out above, at least in their state, black victims were more likely (than white victims) to be acting in the commission of a crime, or to be in possession of a weapon; and, let’s not forget that black folk are more likely to be killed by a black defendant in a “stand your ground” case. That last point is something to marinate on if somewhere in your head you develop the notion that white folks are killing black folks and getting away with it.

I mean, I don’t think a white person who kills a black person who attempts to rob, car-jack, or simply kick his ass for being white isn’t justified in bussin’ a cap in a brotha’s ass. Hell, I’m black and I don’t care if you’re black, white, or purple: If you run up on me with the intent to do me harm — which almost always happens in the commission of a crime — I reserve the right to use deadly force to defend and protect myself from serious injury or death. And, I’m kinda glad that the law would look past my race, and instead focus on the circumstances leading to my defense of self.

Sure, Trayvon Martin’s parents are mourning the loss of their son, and as such, they feel compelled to do something to ensure that he did not die in vain. I can understand and empathize with them working to repeal Florida’s stand your ground law; however, at the end of the day, Trayvon was not killed by Florida’s stand your ground law. As a matter of fact, without the law on the books, I’m of the belief that that though unfortunate, he would still be dead. Not because he was committing a crime or being in the wrong place at the wrong time; but simply because George Zimmerman had a gun at the time of their confrontation. And unlike Marissa Alexander, Zimmerman didn’t fire a warning shot as an act of self-defense. Fortunately for Marissa, her actions could have, but didn’t lead to the death of another individual, given the presence of two children when she  pulled the trigger.

So who’s Marissa Alexander?

Look, there’s no argument from me on the history of racial bias when it comes to black folk and the judicial system. However, when it comes to justice, what matters more in my opinion, are the facts and circumstances surrounding the actions of a defendant, rather than the color of their skin, or if they’re male or female. At the end of the day, Marissa Alexander isn’t in jail for being black, any more than O.J. Simpson is. But, don’t tell that to Rep. Corine Brown (D-Fla) and the host of Alexander supporters who say otherwise; sadly, for them, facts do not matter.

The post So you say “Stand Your Ground” is Inherently Racist because Marissa Alexander is in Prison? appeared first on THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY.

CORSET is the go-to magazine for all things sexuality. We embrace human curiosity. We honor sensuality. We celebrate sex. And we want you to join our movement.

So with that, I packed up my proverbial bags and headed on over to sign my professional life away. I have been working with a photographer for the past several month on creating what I hope to become a lesson in observation of erotic nudes of Black women.

We shot some images, I wrote an article and actually used spell check and read that bitch for errors twice and BAM!!

[imagebrowser id=4]I have been looking at porn since the age of nine and fighting the stupid ass conservative opinions of the Blacks I was unfortunate enough to have been raised around since I could form words (true story!).

We’ve never been on the same page, as I, a sexually enthusiastic and curious sort wouldn’t be made to feel ashamed of something that bought me and other people so much pleasure. They were talking, but I wasn’t paying that shit NO attention no matter how bad they felt at the fact that I wouldn’t feel bad about myself.

Physical interactions are like gifts to me, just think of me as a woman that naturally liked to give ‘feel goods’ to whomever I choose.

Overall, the response to my work has been very positive. I’m receiving emails and Facebook messages from my conservative Christian friends who wish they had the balls to do it. Much of the feed back has been that its about time for black women to enjoy self motivated boldness.

Trills Smith, my photographer always delivers images that are both tasteful and intriguing. I can explain any variation of sexual irony in society or sub-culture details and he gets it whether he’s personally invested in my topic or not.

What’s even more interesting is that we’ve got a decade of age span between us and we’re both growing as students of life through our work as photographer and subject.

His insight, comments, and questions are teaching me about myself, subjectively. And I’m sure he’s leaning a thing or two from the crazy shit that I’ve been throwing at him these last few months. We deliver sex and sensuality but if you only knew what goes on behind the scenes.

But they do say laughter is sexy….so…

Of course it would take a wandering Facebook voyeur who doesn’t know me very well to have the nerve to inquire about the well being of my daughter or any ‘children’ of mine (Ha!) who may see this in the future.

I’m concerned about their concern over my display of sensual thumb sucking and how it may affect the morality and future good social graces of my decedents.

So, how does my daughter feel about her mother’s blatant sexual display……?

She’s proud of me because I am ‘a kick ass sex positive Mom’ and my picture is ‘cool’.

She did blush momentarily. I did too, how audacious, right!?

Obtaining the cover of an international magazine is indeed, cool, but having a daughter who understands why I do what I do is even cooler. Having an adult daughter who is sexually freer and more knowledgeable than I was allowed to be is absolutely priceless.

Grab your copy of the upcoming Corset Magazine: The Oral Issue before it goes on sale July 1 and get a second past or future issue for FREE. Find out what I have to say about Oral sex, bask in the glory of several full color visual photo spreads and thigh clenching articles that will make you re-think the meaning of having a filthy mouth.

The post Kids and Sex: How My Daughter Feels About My Sex Work appeared first on THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY.

One of the women in the group smashed a glass in CeCe’s face, cutting and injuring her. As a matter of fact, the glass sliced all the way through her cheek, lacerating a salivary gland. A fight ensued. One of the attackers, a 47-year-old male, died. CeCe was arrested and charged, and self-defense was not considered. By some counts, CeCe was denied proper medical care and was kept in solitary confinement for a month. The woman who initiated the incident and smashed the glass in CeCe’s face was charged nearly a year later; as far as I am aware there is no acknowledgment of a hate crime, despite the guy who was killed having a prior criminal history and swastika tattoo on his chest.

Also, the woman was charged after CeCe pled guilty to manslaughter.

CeCe was sentenced on June 4, 2012 to 41 months in prison. Whether or not she was given due process and justice, she is to spend 3 years and five months in prison. Some of you may be thinking, ‘she plead guilty, now she has to face the consequences.’ What might be the problem with this line of thinking?

CeCe McDonald is a male-to-female transgender woman, and while she identifies as a woman, she will be housed in a facility with male inmates.

The obvious issue popping into the minds of most people invested in CeCe’s case and hopeful for her wellbeing is the issue of physical and sexual violence by the other inmates in the facility. It is a concern an has been reported to the Transgender Law Center from previous inmates that this is a very real fear and concern for both male-to-female transgender inmates and also female-to-male transgender inmates. Rape and sexual violence in prisons are heavy concerns, especially for trans* inmates. There may be coerced sex by another inmate or inmates, or also prison staff. Coercion is rape. There may be gang rapes and violence. And there another main form of sexual violation on trans* inmates according to reports to TLC is unnecessary strip searches and forced nudity:

a frequent substitute for, or precursor to, sexual violence or coercion is the use of strip searches or forced nudity by deputies, guards, officers, or medical personnel. Because of the severe reduction in privacy that occurs in jails and prisons, transgender people have very little control over who sees their bodies. Bodies that often times do not conform to the identity they know to be true or at least society’s expectations about that identity. Therefore, strip searches and public nudity can be especially humiliating to transgender prisoners.

Transgender men in particular report being subjected to unnecessary strip searches. Two men who have been held in San Francisco County jail have told me about frequent strip searches conducted by deputies and medical personnel for no reason other than to seemingly satisfy curiosity. These searches were not related to visits or interactions in which these guys could have been passed contraband. Instead, they seemed to come randomly from many quarters and occasionally involve two or more people doing the search.

Back in Sacramento County Jail, one of the two women described above and two of her fellow transgender prisoners related stories of being forced to walk topless through a gauntlet of male cells in order to get new clothes each week. Along the way, the women were subjected to taunts and catcalls. The very act of walking the line made them objects of both harassment and ridicule.

There are also a whole host of other concerns that include:

- Lack of competent medical care

- Access to programs, jobs, and recreational activities

- Ability to dress properly

- Respecting one’s gender identity and referring to them by the proper name and/or pronoun

- Segregation from the rest of the prison population. This is a huge deal because it has already happened in CeCe’s case. She was kept in solitary confinement for nearly a month by most accounts. Prison staff may determine to place trans* inmates in confinement as a way to, possibly, keep them safe or keep the incidences from occurring. This makes less likely and nearly impossible for the inmate to receive jobs or proper treatment programs.

Also, according to TLC:

The stated purpose of administrative segregation is that people being confined within it are a proven danger to themselves, staff, or other inmates. By using this classification for transgender prisoners, the message is being sent that a person’s gender identity itself is threatening to the institution and that person must be locked away in a prison within the prison.

The Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex (TGI) Justice Project has a prison survival guide for trans* and intersex inmates. According to the survival guide, written by transgender women, “prison politics outweigh prison policy.” Sadly, this comes after the explanation that if you are any race other than Black and housed with the general population, you will be removed or leave the yard because the gang violence geared toward you, as the transgender inmate, will be so harsh.

And sadly, I don’t think that this post adequately describes the horror that trans* inmates have faced, nor the injustice that CeCe and others are facing and will continue to face. According to an article that includes a survey of trans* people of color by Advocate.com:

38% of African-American respondents experienced police harassment, 15% reported being physically assaulted by the police, and 7% reported being sexually assaulted by the police; 38% of African American MTF (male-to-female) respondents reported being sexually assaulted by either another inmate or a staff member in jail/prison; 41% of African-American respondents reported being imprisoned because of their race and gender identity alone; a whopping 47% reported having been in jail or prison for any reason.

According to this article, transgender people are 10-15 times more likely to be incarcerated at some point in their life, and have to face the horrifying circumstances outlined above. Additionally, prior to their incarceration, they often feel unable to rely on the police for protection because the police are often perpetrators of crimes against them. Over 50% of trans* people, notwithstanding incarceration, have been victim to some sort of violence; self-report surveys vary but a significant number of these attacks are sexual violence. 43% of trans* rape victims (both FTM and MTF) who participated in self-report surveys believed their perpetrators homophobia to be the motivation for the assault while 35% suggested transphobia to be the motivation.

[imagebrowser id=3]I applaud President Obama for concluding recently that PREA will apply to all Federal confinement facilities. President Obama has included language that acknowledges the concerns that I have for CeCe and all LGBTQQI people that may be incarcerated at some point. I do have wonders for the general public though; and the main one would be exactly how effective the Prison Rape Elimination Act would be henceforth. A few of the guidelines that detention centers must follow in order to be in compliance with the new guidelines under PREA is that they must:

• Staff should be trained on effective and professional communication with our communities.

• Housing assignments should take into consideration individual vulnerabilities but do not, in most circumstances, place [LGTBQQI] in inferior wings or pods.

• An analysis is required of whether an abuser was motivated by bias against [LGBTQQI], if abuse does occur.

• Transgender detainees cannot be searched solely to determine their genitalia, and determinations must be made on a case-by-case basis about whether [LGBTQQI] should be held in a men’s or women’s facility and cannot be based solely on genital status.

President Obama and company have included many great provisions for trans* inmates, including that they must be given the opportunity to shower separately from other inmates. And while one would hope that these provisions would provide some safety for transgender men and women prisoners, I wonder how effectively it is enforced and how much protection they are really being provided. CeCe will still be housed in a prison of men.

Also, if prison staff are part of the problem, how effective will PREA be? And if trans* people are afraid (with very good reason) to come forward and make staff aware of their rights and request their protections, what can be done? And if, by the counts of transwomen who wrote a prison survival guide for transwomen, prison politics outweigh prison policies, what good is PREA exactly?

What will happen to the CeCes of our community?

The post CeCe McDonald: Self-Defense and Still Defending appeared first on THE INTERSECTION | MADNESS & REALITY.

American women are offered 12 weeks of unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, which exempts companies with fewer than 50 paid employees, but in 2011, only 11 percent of private sector workers and 17 percent of public workers reported that they had access to paid maternity leave through their employer. And for first-time mothers, only about half can take paid leave when they give birth.

At the same time that working women in the U.S. lack a benefit widely available across the globe, almost 50 percent of families had two working parents in 2010, and 26 percent of households were headed by single parents. Without guaranteed paid maternity leave, many of these working women face significant financial hardship by having to choose between their paycheck and their families.

Women are forced to put their careers and financial future at risk simply because they want to have children. During their pregnancy, they face being fired unfairly or not being able to properly care for themselves. They should not have to worry about making ends meet without paid maternity leave on top of that.

[...] Morris and Leeneeka Bell, who says she was fired by the Emergency Communications Center after her pregnancy left her on bed rest, announced their plans to file a lawsuit after the EEOC finding. Their attorney, Lisa Millican, says this is a clear-cut case of discrimination.

OK, so about that “being fired unfairly,” thingy:

(Reuters) – More than three decades after Congress passed a law trying to protect pregnant women in the workplace, discrimination is still widespread and needs to be combated with publicity and clearer guidelines, according to testimony Wednesday at a federal hearing.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s legal counsel, Peggy Mastroianni, said the agency had resolved 52,000 pregnancy cases since 2001, with $150.5 million paid out in damages.

Discrimination against pregnant women includes firing, forced leave without pay, being denied a place to pump breast milk and being barred from some work, witnesses told the five-member EEOC panel at a hearing on the issue.

Decades after the passage of the 1978 Pregnancy Discrimination Act, discrimination ranges from the shop floor to the executive suite, with sexual stereotyping a major factor. It is found in every state, but is more likely to hit women in low-income jobs, they said.

[...]The Pregnancy Discrimination Act forbids discrimination by employers based on pregnancy, including hiring, firing, pay, job assignments and promotions. Under the law, pregnancy is considered a temporarily disabling condition.

Yep, and you thought the so-called “war on women,” was just about birth control?

Two former Fulton County 911 operator trainees plan to sue the Georgia county, claiming they were fired for being pregnant.

One of the women secretly recorded a conversation she said she had with the director of the Emergency Communications Center, during which she asked for her job back after being fired.

Que'ana Morris & Leeneeka Bell said they are going to sue Fulton Co. after they say they were terminated for being pregnant.

In the recording obtained by ABC News, a person identified as department director Angela Barrett repeatedly refers to Que’ana Morris’ “situation” as the reason for her firing.

[...] Morris says in the two months before she was fired, she missed 16 days of work on doctor’s orders over complications with her pregnancy. She says she had permission to miss those days for medical reasons, and that it only became a problem after she was already fired.

I don’t know, but this seems like all types of wrong to me. What’s next, people getting fired for being a certain race? I know, I know, I know: something like that will never happen here in this country; but, this firing pregnant women thing is just ridiculous. But hey, maybe it’s a Georgia thing. According to another recent story, it’s okay for a cop to kick a pregnant women in the stomach.

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The Rev. Thomas Williams, a moral theologian and prominent American author, lecturer and television personality, said in a statement he was “deeply sorry for this grave transgression” against his vows of celibacy.

Williams, the author of such books as 2008’s “Knowing Right From Wrong: A Christian Guide to Conscience,” was the superior of the Legion’s general directorate in Rome in the late 1990s and early 2000s. More recently, he taught theology, promoted his books and lectured widely.

I don’t know why its so complicated for these men! If they simply described the pregnancy using ownership words like ‘I fathered a child’ then we could stop pretending like we don’t know what the hell their saying.

I’m not surprised by this and I think its safe to say the public stopped being shocked and awed years ago but for a few very gullible people that prefer to deny this pattern or those with an interest in keeping their secrets in tact.

The Legion has been beset by scandal following revelations that its late founder, the Rev. Marciel Maciel, fathered three children with two women and sexually abused his seminarians. Maciel died in 2008, and in 2009 the Legion admitted to his crimes.

The Maciel scandal has been particularly sensational given that the Mexican-born priest was held up by Pope John Paul II as a model for the faithful, with his priests admired for their orthodoxy and ability to bring in money and attract new seminarians.

Just last week, the Legion admitted that seven of its priests were under investigation by the Vatican for allegedly sexually abusing minors — suggesting that the same culture of secrecy and silence that Maciel used to cover his crimes enabled other priests to abuse children.

THE LEGION OF CHRIST *blank stare* are the latest culprit in this week’s headlines. As usual, there is no direct admission of guilt by the hypocritical upper echelon gaggle of man sandals and the organization as a whole shows evidence that it is willing to cover up discrepancies for the sake of revenue and power.  How typical.

Honestly, if this is the type of behavior religious followers prescribe to then I say its high time to disassemble these bastards sect by sect for the betterment of civilized society. If a group of guys want to live together in harmony then they should support gay marriage rights. If a group of men want to live in the hills and have wild outlandish sex with their apprentices then they should present themselves as such, because I know of plenty of people that are into that sort of thing, they’re called ‘subs’ in the kink circle.

And while others would spin their wheels discussing nuances of faith and salvation, I would rather get to the heart of the matter, which seems to be that religious organizations do women and children more harm than good for the sake of money and power.

Secret sex, lies, bastard children, unwed mothers, questions of financial support, abuse of power, and money.

Women, babies, church resources, questions of financial obligations, and YOU ARE THE FATHER..exactly the reason why the Vatican restricted marriage among members, who is going to take care of all these dam babies!?

The church is very rich, and its resources should be protected, like any other tool of exploitation. This isn’t rocket science.

Either way, all the drama sounds like the makings of a Good Book to me, though I’m eager to find out how this ends, I worry about what the masses will do once their ‘moral’ yardstick is taken away. What would Jesus Do…? My guess is…he’d run screaming away from these ‘religious leaders’ but I”m an atheist so what do I know?

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The language on the ballot that NC citizens voted either ‘FOR’ or ‘AGAINST’ on May 8th, or earlier, stated:

Constitutional amendment to provide that marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State.

It is important to note that prior to May 8, 2012, thirty states have included “same-sex marriage” bans in their constitutions. Legal scholars note that there are three types of language that these marriage bans maintain, and the rarest (and most broad) are language types such that Ohio used. North Carolina has now adopted such similar language, even though the consequences were proven in Ohio and the people of Ohio worked hard (and are still working) toward better legislation.

I am of the opinion that the amendment was framed this way before and during the vote in order to appeal to the emotions of the religious voters of the South. In fact, the people who thought it was about marriage and gays came out and expressed how much bigotry and privilege they maintained, quietly or not. However, the idea of marriage is less the focus in the language of the newly passed amendment, and the phrase the only domestic legal union is. Why? Because the courts have to interpret exactly what that means. Additionally, the newly passed “marriage amendment” is nearly identical to a tragedy that passed in Ohio, that opened the floodgates to consequences for more than just persons of the same sex/gender seeking marriage. In fact, in both Ohio and North Carolina, same sex marriage is already outlawed without the amendments.

Beyond further marginalizing the LGBTQ community, the marriage amendment has the potential to affect domestic violence victims. In Ohio, defense attorneys argued that unwed heterosexual couples did not meet the criteria for a “union”, however the court may decide to define it, and as such does not qualify for certain charges. Defense attorneys were also successful in overturning domestic violence convictions on this basis, and the courts were unclear on whether or not certain protections could be afforded to victims in the form of restraining orders. Also, the courts ruled inconsistently on these matters across the state, and so victims in different regions were not afforded the same protections. Eventually, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the constitutional ban did not affect domestic violence laws; however, it took three years for the circumstances to reach the court and for a decision to be made. During those three years, damage was done.

Even more unfortunate is the language in North Carolina’s newly passed amendment is more vague, and potentially more dangerous, than that belonging to Ohio. While there are some extremely progressive parts of North Carolina, there are also very small, rural communities that may have different understandings of the phrase “legal domestic union” and, much like Ohio, provide unequal protection of the law. This matters. THIS MATTERS. This matters because people in rural communities may not have access to many of the resources in the larger cities, and it Amendment One is an issue of classism in addition to anti-gay, religious bigotry.

Along those same lines, Amendment One has a great potential affect legislation where children of unwed parents are concerned. Custody and visitation laws may be affected with parties who have never had a “legal domestic union” as the courts see fit to interpret. Additionally, insurance benefits provided by either parent therein have the potential to be affected. This is incredibly important because, as of 2010, 72% of Black mothers were unwed. Does this mean that in every instance, the father is absent? Absolutely not. In one way or another, either through the courts or voluntarily, I would suggest that it has been my experience that many fathers are around in some form. I do not have a statistic and I will not speculate on a statistic; I am saying this to say that the passing of this amendment and a courts subsequent decision could limit this involvement, ergo harming children and Black families. Amendment One is harmful because, in addition to the anti-gay, religious bigotry and classism, it has the potential to be racially discriminatory and harmful. It harms single-parent families which, by extension, harms the Black community greatly.

Also, it should be noted that in few counties in North Carolina, unwed heterosexual couples are allowed domestic civil unions; this provides that partners can be on one another’s insurance benefits in addition to other benefits. These include assisting with medical decisions, adoptions, will and trusts, and other financial decisions. However, since marriage between one man and one woman is now the only domestic legal union, many people will be at a disadvantage.

We do not know what will happen. I think that is important to say; however, we do know the things that have the potential to happen. Also, the fact that marriage between one man and one woman is the only form of marriage acceptable in the state of North Carolina (and the other states who have amendments) is illustrative of the fact that the governments are using emotional push-buttons in order to further underlying agendas. Moreover, Constitutional Amendments aren’t like trying on new shoes and deciding that we do not like the fit. It takes time, energy, and resources to ‘undo’ this; there is no easy fix. Once this gets out of hand and negatively affects the citizens of North Carolina, the legislature cannot simply pass a statute to remedy it; a new amendment has to be passed and this will be extremely difficult.

Again, as someone from North Carolina who has been on the ground working for just about a year against the passing of this very scary amendment, I’m torn between sadness, disgust, and rage. While not entirely surprised that the amendment passed, I did think that it would be closer; only seven of North Carolina’s 100 counties voted successfully against it. A few weeks before the election, I got a 21-year-old brother registered to vote because he specifically wanted to vote against the amendment. The day of actual vote, I got into many arguments with many religious Black people who felt as though voting for Amendment One was a testament to their religious convictions. Though I attempted to explain, I was devastated at how unchanged their minds were; and they were mostly in their twenties!

I challenged all of my Facebook friends to give me a reason to vote FOR Amendment One that had nothing to do with religion and I got no responses. However, I went to high school with a guy who is apparently becoming a minister, and very much disagreed with my stance on the amendment. He, as a minister, has a child out of wedlock and maybe might just be a Black Republican (I’m not quite sure of the latter). And so, to appeal to his religious nature, I introduced him to Loving v. Virginia, where a married Black woman and white man were sentenced to a year in prison (suspended for 25 years of probation) for their interracial marriage in 1959 because the court found that:

Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.

Our government and constitutions should not be used as a sword, and it should not be used to prevent people from equal protection, rights, or benefits under the law. Our constitution is meant to give freedoms and not take them away. While in a way they’ve already begun, they are definitely coming for women and people of color next. Keep your religious opinions away from my constitution.

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Take the case of 44-year-old mother of five, Patricia Krentcil for example. Patricia, struggling as most white mothers have been recently, was arrested. Unlike the all too common “theft of education” charge levied against white mothers attempting to “do the right thing,” by enrolling their already disadvantaged children in better schools outside of their resident school districts. Instead, Patricia was wrongfully arrested for child endangerment; the absurdity of this is undeniable.

Patricia Krentcil of Nutley, N.J. (credit: CBS 2)

Of course not everyone reading this will agree with the idea that putting her red-headed 6-year-old into a tanning bed, is a form of endangerment — a claim that Patricia vehemently denies in the following interview with CBS 2′s Derricke Dennis – but I understand.

For some in her position, either that or able to relate to the plight of the white woman across America. Taking one good look at Patricia, one is able to see that like any good white mother in these times, she did what she had to do. That said, in all seriousness, this sounds like yet another case of “the man,” trying to keep yet another white person down. Yep, and to add insult to injury, they had her interviewed by a black man happy to toss around convenient tongue-in-cheek puns during his news presentation. Yep, real slick with that one was the liberal biased media.  Like everything, I’m sure you’d agree that this is Obama’s fault; after all, how else are white folks supposed to get ahead?

Perhaps if President Obama actually cared about white women, or more specifically white people, like the Republican presumptive nominee Mitt Romney does. Perhaps women like Patricia and the host of other God-fearing but marginalized people of un-color, would not be forced to do place their children into tanning booths in an attempt to secure a future for themselves, in Amuur’cuh.

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