Femolution: Women on the Rise

Women are on the rise for a Femolution – a feminist revolution. Whether you are not all that familiar with this “f-word”, consider yourself a feminist, notice women’s daily struggles within systemic oppression, or are looking for new entertainment and talented women, stay tuned weekly for the High Plains Reader’s new column: Femolution.
Local women and their allies will contribute their thoughts on women’s issues, expressing what is important to women globally and in our area.

Movement building is difficult. There are intersecting oppressions that pit us against each other instead of uniting us, such as racial equity and LGBLTQH rights. There are topics that some consider moral that are hard to even talk about, such as reproductive justice and marriage. We may not always agree with each other, but dialogue and progress are essential.

Our column kicks off the week after the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision to legalize abortion. Although this is a celebratory day for women’s reproductive justice, the North Dakota Women in Need of Abortion Access Fund must also utilize this day to raise money to lend a helping hand to women who cannot afford their abortions. The ND WIN Fund began in part due to North Dakota’s policies banning insurance companies from covering abortion.

The ND WIN Fund experienced a new difficulty this year while planning their event Choice Desserts… the difficulty to photocopy. No, there wasn’t a lack of competent machines that can replicate images or a major power outage. They were refused services by two area businesses. 

Sarah Haeder, President of the ND WIN Fund, was refused service by a local copy business because an employee was pro-life. Haeder conveyed a message that she, too, was pro-life and distinguished that employee as anti-choice.

The second copy business that denied Haeder service states in their manual that photocopy services will be denied to recovering pedophile organizations and abortion-related material. The creator of this manual equates a legal and safe medical procedure to a violent, illegal, sexual violation. “I could understand if you were asking for a donation or to support our cause, but I was in there asking for a service they provide to the public. That is what is disturbing,” said Haeder.

By her third stop, Haeder was frustrated and close to tears.  At this business, she was regarded as a customer and told that she now knows where her first stop should be for her needs. An employee validated her frustration after Haeder explained her previous experiences by stating, “We don’t judge and we are here to provide service to the public.”

ND WIN Fund’s Choice Desserts fundraiser was so well attended that there were people standing to hear the program. “There are businesses who do not support a woman’s choice, so at Choice Desserts we recognize businesses and local artists that support Choice Desserts,” explained Haeder. Let’s support businesses that support us.

Businesses denying services as they see fit to individuals, using their own moral criteria, is discriminatory. How does this happen? We cannot let businesses choose their patrons. We must hold them accountable.

We have economic power. For example, in the 1970s, the gay community in San Francisco organized a successful boycott against Coors Beer, because of the company’s anti-gay hiring procedures. Coors was pulled out of over 100 bars and the boycott caused a loss of profits that forced Coors to change.

In light of the recent events, next week we will examine the disaster in Haiti. Misti Killer, NDSU graduate in Emergency Management with a focus on women, will show how natural disasters affect women. We are familiar with flooding in our community. Are women in our area affected different then men? What can we do help Haitian and Fargo-Moorhead women?

We women and our allies are working towards a Femolution. We are reaping radical revolution to create feminist solutions to end oppressive pollution. Do you, the reader, have input? Of course you do! Have you been thinking about something in particular lately, and/or want to write about it? Contact me.

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