Tampon and Condoms ( 2 of 2 for today)
The photo’s of Penne and me which I posted yesterday were taken my Mary Caulfield. Mary is a good friend from St. James’s, Cambridge who visits her parents in North Redington Beach, FL about twice a year. Mary and I try to get together when she makes those visits.Yesterday’s photo’s were taken at a very pleasant picnic area at the north end of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge where Mary and I met for a sandwich lunch.--------------------------------------------------------------------
Homeless people endure many indignities.
One such is for women who are menstruating and have no money for sanitary products. We keep a supply of such items at Resurrection House. For some reason we hide them away in a drawer. Some women are very reluctant to ask a male volunteer to access them. As Chaplain I am a “safe person” to be asked if no female volunteers are nearby.
Strangely enough, we keep a basket laden with condoms in full view.
I think that we are giving a very mixed message - i.e. that men are expected to need condoms, but that women should be embarrassed by menstruation.
This leads me to say that the work of feminism is far from over, and is still vital.
My own feminist awareness needs more than a little tweaking.
For instance, as I was listening to a radio program today a person who called in spoke of a ‘bus driver. I immediately thought of a male driver.
Speaking of radio.
(1) Announcers on WGCU (one of my local public radio stations) invariably pronounce Florida as if it were spelt “Floorida” (as in “floor”). I think that it should be pronounced “Flow-reeda”, but then again what do I know!
(2) But I do know how to spell and pronounce “athlete”. So I gritted my teeth today, when on the self-same public radio station, a man kept pronouncing the word as if it were spelt “ath-a-lete”
Homeless people endure many indignities.
One such is for women who are menstruating and have no money for sanitary products. We keep a supply of such items at Resurrection House. For some reason we hide them away in a drawer. Some women are very reluctant to ask a male volunteer to access them. As Chaplain I am a “safe person” to be asked if no female volunteers are nearby.
Strangely enough, we keep a basket laden with condoms in full view.
I think that we are giving a very mixed message - i.e. that men are expected to need condoms, but that women should be embarrassed by menstruation.
This leads me to say that the work of feminism is far from over, and is still vital.
My own feminist awareness needs more than a little tweaking.
For instance, as I was listening to a radio program today a person who called in spoke of a ‘bus driver. I immediately thought of a male driver.
Speaking of radio.
(1) Announcers on WGCU (one of my local public radio stations) invariably pronounce Florida as if it were spelt “Floorida” (as in “floor”). I think that it should be pronounced “Flow-reeda”, but then again what do I know!
(2) But I do know how to spell and pronounce “athlete”. So I gritted my teeth today, when on the self-same public radio station, a man kept pronouncing the word as if it were spelt “ath-a-lete”
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