ASK Musings

We made it through 2016. I think it is reasonable to say that 2016 ended on a serious down note for the country. It was also a time when we lost so many artists that worked directly against convention. I know some people have said 2016 wasn’t any worse than any other year, and for them personally that might be the case. For me, I’m happy it is over. Now I’m looking at 2017 with intentionality, because we have a lot of work to do.

Fight Back

• “No matter how much we’d like to hide in our homes for the next four years, we know that we cannot do that. We must fight for equality and justice. But the question is: how? What action can we take in the aftermath of such a heartbreaking defeat? As we start this new year, here are some resolutions for resistance.” Here are seven ways you can keep fighting for justice in 2017 (by Ijeoma Oluo, via @Guardian)
• “Evil settles into everyday life when people are unable or unwilling to recognize it. It makes its home among us when we are keen to minimize it or describe it as something else. This is not a process that began a week or month or year ago. It did not begin with drone assassinations, or with the war on Iraq. Evil has always been here. But now it has taken on a totalitarian tone.” A Time for Refusal (by Teju Cole, h/t @summerbrennan)
• “Calling rape a “controversial sexual encounter”? Calling a hate crime a “racially charged incident”? Calling an outright lie a “mistake”? Calling White Supremacists the “Alt-Right”? Call it out, each and every time, ask your friends and community to do the same, and keep your readership with publications who are not willing to coddle hatred in order to project a false sense of “objectivity.”” Your Guide To Overthrowing Media In 2017 (by Ijeoma Oluo, via ESTBLSHMNT)

Women in Science and Technology

• “Rubin dealt with a lot of shit as a female astronomer. A science teacher initially told her to stay away from the field, she recalled in an interview. After calling her thesis “sloppy,” one of her Cornell advisers said that since she was pregnant, he could present her work for her at the American Astronomical Society meeting—under his name. “I can go,” she said. Since she was the first female astronomer to use the telescope at the Palomar Observatory near San Diego, there were no women’s bathrooms, so she picked a bathroom and taped a paper cutout of a woman to it. When she applied to Princeton University for graduate school, she was told, “Princeton does not accept women,” according to the Washington Post.” The Woman Who Convinced Us That Dark Matter Existed Was Never Awarded a Nobel Prize (by Ryan F. Mandelbaum, on Gizmodo)

Racism

• “Because we don’t teach real history during the K-12 years when history class is mandatory, by college, many Americans are left with the idea that racism is over because slavery and Jim Crow are over. That’s why there are many Americans with the flawed perception that the U.S. is post-racial, and that electing a Black president is proof we’re beyond our history.” We Need To Talk About Racism In Education (by Mikki Kendall, via @ESTBLSHMNT)
• “Trump’s victory was applauded by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, who tweeted that he’s optimistic the people Trump is surrounding himself means “Americans are on the way to taking back our government.”” Bill O’Reilly embraces white nationalism (by Aaron Rupar, via @ThinkProgress)

Trans Rights

• “Whether or not dad approves often signals how everyone else should feel about a child’s transition, specifically about the “loss” of a “son.” The roots for this are deeply steeped in misogyny, and established before the child is even born. Both times that my own ex-wife was pregnant, when I was still male-presenting, everyone would always ask if I wanted boys. Even when I replied that my child’s sex truly did not matter to me, I still got pushback: “yeah, but you REALLY want boys, right?” The expectation was that I would love any of my kids, but as a presumed man, I would REALLY love boys more. Interestingly, upon coming out as trans, more than one person has remarked “So THAT’S why you really wanted girls.”” The Media’s Unfair Focus On Trans Kids’ Moms Is Pure Misogyny (by Katelyn Burns, via @ESTBLSHMNT)

Reproductive Rights

• “Women know what is at stake. That is why they have been rushing to see their doctors and to fill prescriptions before Mr. Trump takes office in January. Paradoxically, cutting women’s health care services is contrary to Republican goals. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan’s health plan states, “Prevention requires efforts and investments today that are expected to provide long-term cost savings and other benefits.” That is exactly what covering contraception does: provide women significant benefits to their health and socioeconomic status, while in many cases saving money for the health care system over all.” How Donald Trump’s Health Secretary Pick Endangers Women (by Allison K. Hoffman and Jill R. Horowitz, via @NYTOpinion)