No room for transphobic language in Advocate
I’m concerned with the conversation I’ve seen the last few weeks around Mount Holyoke’s student theatre group’s decision to present The Student Body, in place of Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. On a community level, I think we should be proud of Mount Holyoke’s students for thinking critically and wanting to take their creative expression of feminism to a deeper and richer standpoint that values all gender-based oppression. I think first and foremost we need to support the next generation to engage in critical dialogue. So when I saw the article titled “Vagina Dialogue” (Jan. 29-Feb. 4, 2015) I was disappointed that there was actually very little dialogue within our own community. Describing student sentiments and explanations as “strange” and “sour” doesn’t open up a meaningful discussion around art and feminism, it closes the door on an opportunity to engage as a community around why there is controversy. This is not a discussion about whether the Vagina Monologues has merit.
As a cis-gendered woman (meaning, my sex assigned at birth aligns with my gender identity) who identifies as a feminist within this community, I feel particularly upset at the notion of the devaluation of gender minorities in the name of protecting feminism. Let’s have a conversation about feminism that talks about giving voice to all folks who experience gender-based oppression, not as detracting from the oppression of cis women, but strengthening our fight against sexism.
Lastly, as a community newspaper, named the Advocate, I would implore you as a news organization to be a bit more thoughtful in language and consider the position of the identity of writers engaging in critique. Specifically, the “Vagina Dialogues” article says, “Your lack of representation in the arena of art, then, is mostly your responsibility, not someone else’s underachievement,” without taking into account where the identity of the writer’s situation is in the history of sexist oppression is problematic. Blaming marginalized identities for a lack of representation by someone in the majority of representation is not okay.
In a broader sense, publishing a paragraph about Mount Holyoke canceling the Vagina Monolgues, with transphobic language under your column “News Of The Weird: Vagina Exclusive” (Feb. 5-11, 2015) is inappropriate. Writing “men who ‘identify’ as women (regardless of genitalia)” is completely invalidating of transwomen being women, hugely cissexist, and inhumane. Transwomen are women, not men, and not despite their genitalia — their identity should never be in quotes. Anecdotally including transphobia in your article about finding singles (“All Single And Nowhere to Mingle” Feb. 5-11, 2015) is not okay. These instances encourage me to ask your paper to hold a higher standard of accountability and responsibility not to marginalize members of our community via gender-based oppression.
Less meat, dairy in diets to fight climate change
The U.S. Advisory Panel on Dietary Guidelines has finally mustered the courage to recommend that Americans eat less meat and dairy products.
And not just to lower our risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity, but also because it slows the rate of climate change, with its own devastating consequences.
The 572-page report released in February notes that half of all Americans have preventable diet-related chronic diseases and that two-thirds of adults and one-third of children are overweight. It concludes that a dietary pattern higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods is more health-promoting and associated with lesser environmental impact than the current U.S. diet.
The 1977 recommendation by the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs that Americans eat less meat was quashed by the meat industry, and subsequent dietary guideline panels have been very cautious. The 2010 dietary guidelines panel merely shoved meat and dairy off the official MyPlate icon, representing the U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
Though the experts have now told the truth, the health of our families is still up to us. Fortunately, local supermarkets offer a variety of meat and dairy-free options and the Internet has lots of advice on vegan recipes and transition tips.
