44 Writings I Need For This Blog

I am in need of some articles and writings for this blog. I will add to this list as I see fit. The ones listed below are ideas for articles and writings and are some writings/articles I need for the blog. By writing the article (or articles), You will be emailed an invite to join this blog and will be able to post up your writing on the blog. Be sure to let others know that you wrote the article (or articles).

ARTICLES AND WRITINGS NEEDED:

1-History of riot grrrl: how, why, where, when, and who started it. (about the music and the movement)
2-History of feminism: how, why, where, when, and who started it.
3-The 3 waves of feminism.
4-The many different types of feminism such as: anarcha-feminism, individual feminism, radical feminism, and all the others.
5-Write about your favorite feminism/riot grrrl website or write a review of your favorite feminism/riot grrrl website. (can be blogs, websites, forums, etc.)
6-Write your own definition of what feminism means to you.
7-What does riot grrrl mean to you? (Write as much or as little as you want.) Describe riot grrrl in your own words.
8-Write about being a riot grrrl in another country. What’s the riot grrrl scene like where you live? Is there a chapter where you live? Any riot grrrl bands where you live? How did you get into riot grrrl? How long have you been into riot grrrl?
9-Write about how you got into riot grrrl. What, how, when, who, and where made you get into riot grrrl?
10-Write about being a riot boy: how, when, who, what, and where did you get into riot grrrl?
11-Write your own riot boy manifesto. (I already have a version on my website.)
12-Write about being a male feminist: how, when, who, what, and where did you get into riot grrrl?
13-Write some feminism questions that you would like answered or start a feminism FAQ (frequently asked questions) of your own and the answers to them.
14-Write some riot grrrl/boy questions that you would like answered or start a riot grrrl FAQ (frequently asked questions) of your own and the answers to them.
15-Write about women’s issues important to you.
16-Write about feminism and what it means to you.
17-Write how you got into feminism and why.
18-Make a list of reasons on why your a feminist. Try to think of 50 or more reasons, if you can. 10-20 reasons will do too.
19-Make a list of reasons on why your a riot grrrl. Try to think of 50 or more reasons, if you can. 10-20 reasons will do too.
20-Write some DIY tips or share yours. Share your own DIY stuff.
21-Write something about being an activist/ or about activism.
22-Write something about zines or your life as a zinester.
23-Write about your ladyfest or a ladyfest you attended.
24-Write about a riot grrrl chapter or your own riot grrrl chapter.
25-Write about being pro-choice, why your pro-choice, or what it means to you.
26-Write something about how riot grrrl and queercore music are connected.
27-Write something about how riot grrrl and grunge music are connected.
28-Write something about how riot grrrl and punk music are connected.
29-Write something about feminism in other countries. What’s feminism like in your country or other countries?
30-Write something about human rights in your country or another country.
31-Write something about equal rights.
32-Write about why is feminism important today.
33-Write your own definition of what a riot boy is to you. Give your own definition of riot boy.
34-Write your own Zine DIY guide.
35-Write how to start a riot grrrl chapter DIY guide.
36-Write your own list of ways to be an activist.
37-Write a review of a zine or your favorite zine.
38-Write about your experience with the Riot Grrrl Online website.
39-Write about the Riot Grrrl Online website or do a review of the website. If you write about the website, write how you found the website, how you got active in the website and why. I’m sure there are more things you can write about the website, as long as your a reader or fan of the website, your input is appreciated.
40-A review of your riot grrrl or feminist website.
41-Write a news story. Write about an issue or topic important to you or an issue/topic you think would be important to others that is happening in the news.
42-Write your own women’s issue story. If you are a survivor (of anything from rape to cancer, etc.), I’d like to hear your story and what you went through.
43-Write how to start a ladyfest.
44-Write how to start your own record label and/or band.

If your interested in writing one of these articles, Feel free to read the “contribute” page and reply to the “contribute” page or email me. If you comment on the “contribute” page or email me, Please specify which article (or articles) you want to write about by letting me know which number or numbers (# or #’s) your interested in writing. If you have your own ideas for writings or whatever, feel free to email me some of yours.

*This is also posted on the “Ideas” page.

The Herstory (History) Of Mother’s Day

I found this here: http://www.holidays.net/mother/story.htm.

The History (AKA Herstory) Of Mother’s Day

Celebrating motherhood is a historical tradition dating back almost as far as mothers themselves. A number of ancient cultures paid tribute to mothers as goddesses, including the ancient Greeks, who celebrated Rhea, the mother of all gods. The ancient Romans also honored their mother goddess, Cybele, in a notoriously rowdy springtime celebration and the Celtic Pagans marked the coming of spring with a fertility celebration linking their goddess Brigid together with the first milk of the ewes.

During the 17th century, those living on the British isles initiated a religious celebration of motherhood, called Mothering Sunday, which was held on the forth Sunday during the Lenten season. This holiday featured the reunification of mothers and their children, separated when working class families had to send off their young children to be employed as house servants. On Mothering Sunday, the child servants were allowed to return home for the day to visit with their parents. The holiday’s popularity faded in the 19th century, only to be reincarnated during World War II when U.S. servicemen reintroduced the sentimental (and commercial) aspects of the celebration American counterpart.

In the United States, Mother’s Day experienced a series of false starts before eventually transitioning into the “Hallmark” holiday that we celebrate today. In 1858, Anna Reeves Jarvis was the first woman to hold an official celebration of mothers, when in her home state of West Virginia, she instituted Mothers’ Work Day to raise awareness about local sanitation issues. During the Civil War, she expanded the scope of Mothers’ Work Day to include sanitary conditions on both sides of the battlefield.

Meanwhile Julia Ward Howe, author of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” attempted to institute a national celebration of mothers that honored women’s inclinations toward peace (rather than cleanliness). In 1872, she initiated and promoted a Mother’s Day for Peace, to be held on June 2, which was celebrated the following year by women in 18 cities across America. The holiday continued to be honored by Bostonian women for another decade, but eventually phased out after Howe stopped underwriting the cost of the celebrations.

Then in 1905, Anna Reeves Jarvis passed away and her daughter, Anna Jarvis, took up her mother’s torch. Anna swore on her mother’s gravesite that she would realize her lifelong dream of creating a national day to honor mothers. In 1907, Anna launched her campaign by handing out white carnations to congregants at her mother’s church in Grafton, West Virginia. In 1908, her mother’s church acquiesced to Anna’s request to hold a special Sunday service in honor of mothers - a tradition that spread the very next year to churches in 46 states. In 1909, Anna left her job and dedicated herself to a full-time letter-writing campaign, imploring politicians, clergymen and civic leaders to institute a national day for mothers.

In 1912, Jarvis’ efforts met with success: Her home state of West Virginia adopted an official Mother’s Day; two years later, the U.S. Congress passed a Joint Resolution, signed by President Wilson, establishing a national Mother’s Day emphasizing the role of women in their families - and not, like Julia Ward Howe’s campaign, in the public arena. Ever since, Mother’s Day has been celebrated by Americans on the second Sunday in May.

Perhaps the country’s greatest proponent of motherhood, Anna Jarvis ironically never had children of her own. Yet that didn’t stop her from making the celebration of Mother’s Day her lifelong mission. In fact, as the holiday took on a life of its own, Jarvis expressed frequent dismay over its growing commercialization. “I wanted it to be a day of sentiment, not profit,” she is quoted as saying.

My Comments: I have to say that like Anna Jarvis, I do not have any children either. I am not a mother. I agree with Jarvis that mother’s day is now commercialized and about profit, thanks to the media. I do celebrate mother’s day to an extent. I celebrate my mom for mothering me, but I do not go overboard about it. I think that everyone should have their own way of celebrating mother’s day.

Here are a few ways you can show appreciation of your mother: buy your mother a card, take your mother out to eat, buy your mother something, or tell your mother how much you love and appreciate her. Remember, Simple gestures go a long way and the message gets across.

The Story Behind The Riot Grrrl Online Website And How I Got Into Riot Grrrl

A Quick Riot Grrrl Online Website Update: I know I do not use this blog for updates on the Riot Grrrl Online website, but the website is finally working after months of not working properly and being offline. I didn’t think it would ever be back to normal. The Riot Grrrl Online website is back up and running…FINALLY! After a few months of being offline/not working properly, The website is finally running properly. Check it out, register, or login to the website, It’s back to normal now.

The article below was written by Greta (Grrrlriot) also known as me.

The Story Behind The Riot Grrrl Online Website And How I Got Into Riot Grrrl

I became interested in riot grrrl and feminism in 1997. It all started when I found out through the internet about feminism and riot grrrl. I also heard a little bit on MTV back then about the movement. (I used to watch MTV, but not anymore.) I also heard about it by doing some research on the band “Hole”. I had already started listening to hole and nirvana, since 1994, through MTV. I done some research on Nirvana as well. I started hearing about Bikini Kill and Kathleen Hanna. I also started hearing about Tobi Vail and her past relationship to Kurt Cobain. I began listening to bikini kill and I liked their sound. The first bikini kill song I heard was “Rebel Girl”. I started going to a bunch of riot grrrl/feminist sites. I wanted to find more riot grrrl bands to listen to. That’s when I found out about Bratmobile and other Kill Rock Stars records musical artists. Most of those riot grrrl/feminist websites are not around anymore, but some of them can be found with Archive.org.

In 2000, I realized a shortage of riot grrrl sites and most of the sites I enjoyed were gone. I guess a lot of people figured when the riot grrrl bands broke up that riot grrrl was gone. I guess some people thought that the riot grrrl movement died. I read and researched more about riot grrrl through Yahoo! Yahoo had a lot of “grrrl” websites in their directory and I researched riot grrrl through Yahoo as well. I don’t believe in labels, but I really believed in the riot grrrl movement. After the riot grrrl websites had died, I realized that I still believed in the philosophy of riot grrrl and feminism. In 2001, I decided I should make a riot grrrl website. I wanted to make a riot grrrl resource and information site, with a little bit about feminism. I wanted a website where I could add lots of pages and have an active website. I didn’t care if anyone liked my website or not, but it was something I wanted to do for myself and for fun. In a way, I wanted to connect other riot grrrls (and riot boys, feminists, and male feminists) to each other by making the website and that’s when I decided to start ‘Riot Grrrl Online’. I hoped that there were still people out there that felt the same way I did about riot grrrl.

The website was made in 2001 at angelfire. My online friend Shawnee (aka Deshawn) from Pennsylvania, USA made the purple layout and helped me out with the website. (I still keep in touch with him.) He knew how to make layouts, but I did not know how to make them. When the website was on angelfire, I had other pages, but I deleted a few of those pages. I had a “female icons” page, a “I made the website as a start to revive riot grrrl. The website can still be viewed on angelfire because I never deleted it from angelfire. The website is located here.

In 2004, I got hosted on girlsvomitcandy.com, by Jilly that lives in the United Kingdom. (UK) The girlsvomitcandy.com site died. (which I knew it was going to) Jilly told me she was getting rid of the domain, but that she’d email me when my site left from there. (which she never did) The website is on archive.org now and can be found here. The website started on angelfire, then moved to girlsvomitcandy.com, and is currently on hot-topic.org.

In 2005, I got hosted on hot-topic.org. I met Nam that lives in the United Kingdom. He seemed to know a lot about websites and computers. He started using siteman CMS for my website. He runs hot-topic.org. I met him through his now defunct Le Tigre forum on hot-topic.org. He noticed that I was in a dilemma from girlsvomitcandy.com and decided to host me. He also wanted to do something for me since I was active on his Le Tigre forum and helped spread the word about his Le Tigre forum. That’s how I wound up here on hot-topic.org, not to be mistaken for the clothing company, Hot Topic. hot-topic.org was named after the Le Tigre song “Hot Topic”. Nam helps me out with my website if it acts up, goes offline, has errors, or if I have an idea for the website. He answers my questions and gives me ideas. Nam is always there for me and for that I really appreciate him. I have him to thank for my website and for hosting me. He’s a great host. Nam is a great person and he is very much appreciated. I admire his kindness and helpfulness. Here is how the site looked when it first moved to hot-topic.org in December 2005. Here is how the site looked in July 2006. Here is how the site looked in October 2006 with the siteman version. As you can see, The main siteman website has been hacked. The siteman version of my website was hacked twice in 2007 and was an annoyance. That’s why I decided not to use siteman anymore. In December 2007, I started using Drupal instead of siteman. Drupal has lots more features than siteman. The Riot Grrrl Online Forum is now part of the website and part of the interactive features on the NEW Riot Grrrl Online website. It is part of the Drupal CMS (content management system).

I found out that alot of people were viewing my Riot Grrrl Online website and that they liked it. I realized that I had fans and people that linked to the website. I got lots of members on the siteman version and now I am still getting more members with Drupal. In 2005, I wanted to do more riot grrrl reviving. I wanted to meet more riot grrrls and people that felt the same way I did. So, I decided to make the Riot Grrrl Online Message Board in November 2005 on proboards as part of the ‘Riot Grrrl Online’ site. In 2007, I decided I wanted more features on the proboards message board. So, I made a new Riot Grrrl Online forum on freeforums.org. In April 2008, The freeforums Riot Grrrl Online forum was hacked, but it is working fine now. The freeforums forum isn’t as active as it was because the website is now using Drupal.

In Februrary 2008, I decided to create a Riot Grrrl Online social network on ning. The website was down at the time, so I decided to create a social network for people that still wanted to participate in the Riot Grrrl Online website and forums. In March 2008, I decided to create a Riot Grrrl Online blog on wordpress. The website was still down and I decided to create a blog specifically about feminism and riot grrrl. The blog doesn’t have updates about the website posted on it, but it does have articles, news, and other stuff on the blog.

Feminism Friday: Being a Fat Grrrl

This article was written by Karo from Riot Grrrl Europe.

Being A Fat Grrrl

So I’m fat. It started when my eating disorder, hyperorexia, and my clinical depression began to develop. I was four years old then. My father had hardly survived the nazis, my mother was an incest survivor. The three of us would have needed to undergo therapy when I still was a child. But nobody noticed I was ill. The adults labeled my depression as “lazy”.

I’m not able to put into words how I have been humilated all my life because of my fatness. And neither am I able to describe how much I have hated myself, and sometimes still do. When I was a teenager, I was so ashamed of myself I didn’t dare to leave the house for days. I didn’t even try to get cool clothes. What for? I was fat and ugly anyway. I wore my father’s shirts and my mother’s jeans. I never took those off, not even in the hottest summer and not even at a swimming pool. I was a good guitarist, but I would never have dared to join a band. Fat ugly me on a stage? Never! My girlfirends treated me like crap, and that was all I knew.

I started to become interested in men with the age of 11. I longed for a boyfriend, but at the same time I didn’t want one. I would have loved to touch men, but how could I? They would touch me too, and feel my fat. Impossible! With 16, I was in love for the first time. He didn’t love me back. Who would want a fat teenager with a clinical depression and the rage of a feminist? He wasn’t the only one who I fell in love with, and who rejected me. There came one after another, and I’ve never experienced a happy relationship.

When I moved into my own flat, I decided that I finally wanted to have a band and a boyfriend. To achieve that I had to be slim. So I starved myself to a normal weight, and abused drugs and alcohol to stay that way. I ignored the panic attacks that where the results of starving. Better slim and dead than fat and alive. It didn’t get me a boyfriend, but at least I had sex. It sucked. I didn’t love those alcoholics and drug addicts of the Metal scene. And I was an angry feminist who refused to be cute and submissive, so they didn’t love me either.

Today the starving, booze, drugs, abusive men and mean girlfriens are history. Thanks to Feminism, Riot Grrrl, 12 Steps, a lot of therapy and fluoxetine. I have no problem to enter a stage and scream my rage out. I’m not ashamed to go swimming any more. I love my body enough to work out. I care for my health, even if that means I have to see a gynaecologist or an urologist.

I still have body issues, like any other woman who lives in a patriachal system. I can’t go swimming, or wear shorts, before shaving. And since I’m quite hairy, shaving is rather time consuming. But if I don’t, I feel ashamed. You know - fat AND hairy….

I’m still afraid I could look square, even though I’m a freak in combat gear with piercings and a shaved head. I’m still paranoid my cunt may stink. But when I perfume my undies too much, I’m also afraid. What if anyone detected the origin of the perfume? What if they would think “She’s covering her undies in perfume cause her cunt stinks so bad”? And nobody must see the few white hairs on my head! I’ve made the experience that you are allowed ONE beauty flaw as a woman. You can be fat and considered good looking. But only if you are perfectly shaved, have a perfect tan, good make-up, shiny long hair, an interrsting hair-colour, and wear sexy dresses. And high heels. And long polished fingernails of course.

That’s why I style in a look that I call Grrrl Guerilla. To protest against this beauty terror. And when I stomp around in my steeltoe boots, I hope that I’ll manage to not give a shit about my appearence one day. Cause I’m so fucking beautiful the way I am.

Report: Abused Women See Danger In Family Court

This news story was taken from: Women’s eNews.

Report: Abused Women See Danger in Family Court
Run Date: 05/08/08
By Alison Bowen
WeNews correspondent

Family courts traumatize battered women and hand custody to their abusers 37 percent of the time, finds a report released today by the Voices of Women Organizing Project. Latest story in our “Dangerous Trends, Innovative Responses” series.

(WOMENSENEWS)–Susan Lob says it’s simple: Good mothers should keep their children.

But Lob, director of the New York-based Voices of Women Organizing Project, says that doesn’t always happen in the New York family court system when it’s women who have been abused by their children’s fathers.

Instead, in a report released today, Voices of Women says family courts retraumatize battered women by forcing them to confront men they fear and granting custody to abusers 37 percent of the time despite the women’s roles as primary caregivers.

“What struck us was the impossibility of women losing custody to the men who abused them,” said Lob. “That just seemed unbelievable.”

The group laid out four recommendations: fund an independent court watch project to enforce procedures; ensure that court decisions protect children and reflect their best interest; take abuse allegations seriously and hold abusers accountable; and ensure that court proceedings are fair and just.

“The courts’ own rules and regulations are often not followed,” Lob said. “Those kinds of things just seem so blatantly unfair and unreasonable.”

Authors issued specific suggestions for each of the four recommendations, including increasing accountability for judges by halving 10-year judicial appointments to five-year terms and seeing children in courtrooms at least once a year to ensure custody decisions are benefiting them.

“All of this is done for the best interest of children, and we feel like children are not being represented,” Lob said.

System Works Against Women
Lob said the court system turns their allegation of abuse against women making the accusation, who are sometimes painted as unreliable or unfit due to emotional problems.

The mothers they surveyed are not perfect parents, Lob said, but they were primary caregivers who were not accused of endangering their children. Courts, she said, should protect abused women who want to protect their children.

The report, “Justice Denied: How Family Courts in NYC Endanger Battered Women and Children,” says 7.5 percent of cases in family court focus exclusively on domestic violence. Most cases, 55 percent, involved child support; 26.5 percent involved custody or visitation; and 6.5 percent involved child protective proceedings. Up to half of cases in family court involve some aspect of domestic violence.

The report represents two years of interviews with around 75 domestic violence survivors, focus groups of battered women and teens in foster care, and meetings with court personnel.

In 2003, New York created 38 Integrated Domestic Violence Courts, which consolidate domestic violence cases of different types–criminal, family and matrimonial–under one judge. The idea was to provide a more comprehensive view of family problems. This system has since handled about 60,000 cases involving 12,000 families.

All the women interviewed for the report identified themselves as victims of abuse and were involved in family court cases in 2005 or 2006. Eighty percent said their abusers used the courts to follow through on a threat to gain sole custody of the children and prevent the children from being in contact with their mothers.

Nearly a quarter, 23 percent, of the women did not have attorneys, and 90 percent of those who did had court-appointed lawyers. (The authors did not report how many male counterparties had attorneys.)

Lack of Court Safety
About 30 percent of women said they felt unsafe in the courtroom, and 40 percent felt unsafe in waiting areas.

The mothers recalled long lines outside a Bronx courtroom, where women trying to evade abusers waited in the open, and judges revealing confidential addresses while reading from court papers.

Fifty-seven percent of the women did not know about Safe Horizon, a New York organization that provides supports for crime and abuse victims.

Sixty-seven percent of the women could not afford copies of court transcripts, leaving them unsure of how accurately the official records reflected the proceedings. About 15 percent said transcripts were not accurate.

Women were advised, sometimes by lawyers, not to mention domestic violence in one-quarter of cases, and not to challenge custody for fear of worsening the situation.

“To me, that’s the shocking thing,” Lob said. “We’re in a position where it’s actually sound advice for a woman not to raise these issues.”

Fifty-eight percent of women said that asking for child support triggered retaliation from their abusers.

When they appear in court, battered mothers, still fearful of their abusers and suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, often provide a weak portrait to courts of how they juggle stresses, the report concluded.

“It’s two different things that together make a woman look even worse,” Lob said of the emotional toll and mixed legal advice. “If she’s suffering from PTSD and she’s not been able to bring up the abuse, people wouldn’t understand why she’s acting the way she is.”

Human Rights Model
The project followed the lead of the New York-based Urban Justice Center’s Human Rights Project, which trained lay people to survey human rights violations. That group helped Voices of Women train its non-legal membership to interview survivors and developed questions based on their court experiences.

Voices of Women also consulted with John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Long Island University and Adelphi University and partnered with the Urban Justice Center’s Human Rights Project.

Ramona Ortega, past director of the Human Rights Project, said the report is a glimpse into a complicated court system that violates basic human rights.

“Each piece comes together in a way that really traumatizes women and-or takes away their rights,” Ortega said. “There’s sort of a number of elements that work in concert to put this woman in a situation where she has very few options.”

Voices of Women, with about 60 members, formed in 2000 as an initiative of the Battered Women’s Resource Center to change the family court system, which it considers repressive to battered women.

The report’s authors note that theirs is the latest in a string of studies documenting problems in family courts. Advocates characterize the problems as human rights violations. Projects in Massachusetts and Arizona point to similar custody struggles by battered women.

In January, at the Battered Mother’s Custody Conference in Albany, N.Y., an annual gathering of abuse survivors, women talking about similar concerns attended from all 50 states.

Stories are more common than statistics regarding what happens to children who end up in abusers’ custody. But some of the mothers who are involved in battered women’s groups such as Voices of Women have not seen their children in months or years and say they return from abusers’ custody as traumatized teens.

The report’s authors want to raise awareness among judges and court personnel, but they also want to boost the family court into greater public view.

“When people aren’t part of these systems or don’t have contact with these systems, they don’t realize how ineffective and inefficient they are,” Ortega said, adding that she thinks problems in family court would not be so pervasive if they received more publicity.

Unlike criminal court, family courtrooms are often a place for mediating family disputes. This difference, Lob said, leads to misperceptions that family courts are more casual with weaker consequences.

“What we’re saying is these courts can take your kids away,” Lob said. “To me, that’s just about as serious as what anybody can do to you in any other situation.”

Alison Bowen is a New York City-based reporter covering the presidential campaign for Women’s eNews. Her work also appears in the New York Daily News.

This series is supported by a special grant from Mary Kay Inc.

I Fight Like A Girl

The author of this is anonymous.

I Fight Like A Girl

I fight like a girl who refuses to be a victim.
I fight like a girl who is tired of being
IGNORED and HUMORED and BEATEN and RAPED.
I fight like a girl who’s sick
of not being taken seriously.
I fight like a girl who’s been pushed too far.
I fight like a girl who OFFERS and
DEMANDS RESPECT.
I fight like a girl who has a lifetime of
ANGER and STRENGTH and PRIDE
pent up in her girly body.
I fight like a girl who doesn’t believe in
FEAR and SUBMISSION.
I fight like a girl who knows that
THIS BODY and THIS MIND are mine.
I fight like a girl who knows that

YOU ONLY HAVE AS MUCH POWER
AS I GRANT YOU.

I fight like a girl who will never allow you
to take more than I offer.
I fight like a girl who FIGHTS BACK.

So next time you think you can distract
yourself
from your insecurities by victimizing a girl,
THINK AGAIN.
She may be ME and

I FIGHT LIKE A GIRL.

She Is My Best Friend

This riot boy article is from my Riot Grrrl Online website and it was written by: Shawnee Dangerrr! xo

She Is My Best Friend

he was never my first love, she was and her name was riot grrrl. she entered my life as a 15 year-old boy still lost in his emotions and still learning what it was to live. out of this desire to be “different” from the “different” kids at school grew the love of a “different” way of life among the “different”, a movement called riot grrrl. of course, at the time i was just beginning to experience and appericate this new found way of life, the media had already did their job of mislabeling and fucking up something so meaningful just a few years before. but, i knew if i still had felt what i felt at that time, so did others and i assumed correctly.
after feeding my new addiction daily, the internet, i would spend days on end reading about bands like bikini kill, building my vocabulary with new words such as feminism, and falling in love with such radical women like kathleen hanna. it wasn’t until i was 16 when i first got my hands on a real bikini kill cd, the cd version of the first two records. at first listen, it was very intense, nothing like anything i was listening to at the time. bikini kill’s sound was raw and jagged and their words blunt, very blunt. i began to take in the literature that i was reading online and the words in the cd booklet itself to heart.
at that time in my life i was experiencing, almost on a daily basis, domestic violence (physcially and emotionally), witnessing my mother being degraded in such a manner by someone who they had the god given right (literally) to do so because he was a “man”. battling and coming to terms with my sexuality. straight? bisexual? gay? gay and that face that stared back at me in the mirror. yes, enough to drive anyone crazy in this openly image crazed society called america. instead, i learned to accept myself for who i was, learned that i do have rights as a human being, and somehow keep on livin’.
almost five years have passed since my discovery of riot grrrl and what an impact to this very day that it has shaped me into this black, queer, survior of abuse, pro-choice, feminist, activist, d.i.y., artist, aka ME, that i am today.

Gay As Novelty

This riot boy article comes from my Riot Grrrl Online website and it was written by: Liam.

gay as novelty. i know what it means to me. gay as novelty. when a girl tells you she’s got gay friends and feels less intimidated. that’s just a part of the novel form of gay. when someone tells you they wouldn’t tell you something, but since your fucking queer…..it’s ok. the bullshit that surrounds me cuz i put my dick somewhere else than a vagina. i just don’t get it.
it’s great to be supporitive. but please don’t treat me like i’m special . maybe it’s the silence that keeps us so tight. but that tightness was never pre-defined. queer as radical ? radical what ? radical queer ? maybe since i don’t like the club and the men that sustain themselves on coke, so this makes me a radical ? i don’t think so.
digression.
maybe if queer wasn’t so novel. maybe then you could see the abuse that goes on behind the scenes. all these boys getting the shit beat out of them by their boy friends. rape. and let’s not even get into what straight people have done. homophobia kills. and how is it that these boys are supposed to start talking about this abuse ? i think it comes down to trust.
all i’m trying to say here is maybe if we looked past each others sexuality’s and saw the person inside….we would acheive more than just a few secrets here and there.
riot boy………………….because screaming is better than silence.

What Riot Grrrl Means To Me

The following was written by Greta/grrrlriot. (me) Do not copy without permission.

What Riot Grrrl Means To Me…What Does It Mean To You?

There are no right or wrong definitions of riot grrrl, in fact, everyone has their own definition of what a riot grrrl is. Here goes my definiton of what riot grrrl is and what it means to me.

Riot grrrl doesn’t ‘man-hate’.
Riot grrrl doesn’t discriminate against age, race, sex, or sexual preference.
Riot grrrl is a movement for girls that want to be equal to men and want equal rights for everyone.
Riot grrrl is being a nonconformist and not meeting society’s standards.
Riot grrrl is DIY. (doing it yourself)
Riot grrrl is about making zines, websites, blogs, and being active online.
Riot grrrl is all about not fitting into a mold.
Riot grrrl is all about rebelling against society.
Riot grrrl is about being yourself, being unique, being different, and loving yourself.
Riot grrrl is about your rights as a human being.
Riot grrrls want to be seen and heard.
Riot grrrls want to speak out against various issues in today’s society, including women’s issues.
Riot grrrls want to smash patriarchy.
Riot grrrls want to make a stand and want to make a difference.
Riot grrrls want to be globally aware of issues affecting the world.
Riot grrrls want freedom to be themselves without being judged.
Riot grrrls believe in grrrl love, respect, feminism, and equality.
Riot grrrls believe in women’s rights.
Riot grrrls believe in feminism and human rights.
Riot grrrls believe that women should have rights in ALL countries.
Riot grrrls are activists and want to change the world.

Grrrl love, respect, feminism, and equality are the main aspects of what a riot grrrl is to me. You can be male or female to believe in the movement. Males can be riot grrrls, but sometimes call themselves ‘riot boys’ or ‘riot guys’, even though gender doesn’t matter.
To be a riot grrrl, You don’t have to listen to riot grrrl bands, even though it helps to understand the riot grrrl movement better. You just have to believe in the riot grrrl philosophy.
Riot grrrl doesn’t discriminate. To be a riot grrrl, You have to believe in the riot grrrl manifesto.
I know there are people that say the movement isn’t around anymore, but I think it is coming back. I want a riot grrrl revival. There are people that still believe in riot grrrl today. There are ex-riot grrrls around as well that used to be into the movement, but they no longer consider themselves a riot grrrl anymore or they think the movement died.
Can you be a riot grrrl? Sure, You just have to believe in the philosophy and what its all about. You can even start up your own riot grrrl chapter in your area/town/country/state to get the word out about riot grrrl and to meet other riot grrrls.
DIY, meetings, zines, and music are a big part of the riot grrrl movement.

20 Reasons Why I Chose Riot Grrrl

The following was written by Greta/grrrlriot. (me) Do not steal without permission. The reasons are not in any certain order. If you want to add to my list or start a new list, Feel free to comment on this post. If you can think of 50-100 or more reasons to choose riot grrrl, feel free to make a list and email me your list. I will post it up in this blog.

Why Did I Choose Riot Grrrl? 20 Reasons I Chose Riot Grrrl:

Because I want equality.
Because I want freedom to be myself and not be judged.
Because I want to smash patriarchy.
Because I want a revolution.
Because I want bigots to be nonexistant.
Because I want racism and sexism to stop.
Because I want homophobia to end.
Because I want everyone to be globally aware of women’s issues all over the world.
Because I believe in feminism.
Because I believe girls can change the world.
Because I believe women are people too.
Because I believe in women’s rights.
Because I believe women’s issues should be addressed.
Because I believe in activism and getting involved.
Because I believe women in other countries should have rights.
Because I believe I have the power to be seen and heard.
Because I believe in the riot grrrl manifesto and philosophy of riot grrrl.
Because I believe in human rights.
Because I believe everyone should have equal rights.
Because I believe that we can change the world.

Feminism Friday: Inspiring Quotes

“I seem to be getting a lot of things pushed my way that are strong women. It’s like people see Hackers and they send me offers to play tough women with guns, the kind who wear no bra and a little tank top. I’d like to play strong women who are also very feminine.”–Angelina Jolie
“I always play women I would date.”–Angelina Jolie
“I like everything. Boyish girls, girlish boys, the heavy and the skinny. Which is a problem when I’m walking down the street.”–Angelina Jolie
“I need someone physically stronger than me… I am always on top. It’s really unfortunate. I am begging for the man that can put me on the bottom. Or the woman. Anybody that can take me down.”–Angelina Jolie

“People talk about my image like I come in two dimensions, like lipstick is a sign of my declining mind, like what I happen to be wearing the day that someone takes my picture is my new statement for all womankind.”–Ani DiFranco
“When I was like sixteen, I was a total chick I had big hair. I was seen as this attractive girl, and I would get all this attention. And then I just cut off my hair, and I quit playing that game.”–Ani DiFranco
“When I was four years old they tried to test my IQ, they showed me this picture of three oranges and a pear. They asked me which one is different and does not belong, they taught me different was wrong.”–Ani Difranco
“Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right”–Ani Difranco
“Why do our kids have to show us what gun control is all about?”–Ani Difranco
“If you’re not angry, then you’re just stupid, you don’t care. How else can you react when something’s so unfair?”–Ani DiFranco

“I am murdering me where I kneeled at your kiss.”–Anne Sexton
“The tongue, the Chineses say; is like a sharp knife: it kills without drawing blood.”–Anne Sexton
“Take the face of the man I love and squeeze my foot into it when all the while my heart is making a museum…”–Anne Sexton
“I am stuffing your mouth with your promises and watching you vomit them out upon my face.”–Anne Sexton
“Urine and tears pour out of me. I’m the one you broke.”–Anne Sexton
“His mouth and his anus are one.”–Anne Sexton
“The more I write, the more the silence seems to be eating away at me.”–Anne Sexton

“For years, I hated myself. I covered the mirrors in my house. I literally couldn’t have a mirror in my room. I still can’t sit in a restaurant or someplace where I can catch my reflection. I get so paranoid.”–Christina Ricci
“You have to excuse me because I AM a teenager, so I’m allowed to sound illiterate and make stupid comments like ‘I’m not into hard-core feminism.’”–Christina Ricci
“I don’t know who Peter Lorre is. Pathetic right? It shows you how completely gross and uncultured my generation is.”–Christina Ricci

“I’m an only child and I’m just a real loner kind of person… and yeah, kinda dark. But I’m happy. Not sad. I’m just shy and nervous.”–Clea DuVall
“My whole life is working out and shooting guns right now. I’m learning how to fight people with, like, sticks in my hands and disarm 6′5″ men.”–Clea DuVall
“Because I think they’re insecure. And I think they don’t know themselves that well. And whatever they don’t know about themselves, they’re scared of.” - on homophobia–Clea DuVall
“I think bisexuality is frowned upon for a lot of different reasons. But I don’t like any of those words. I don’t like any of those labels. I think they’re limiting.”–Clea DuVall

“I don’t want to have a penis, I want to be a girl and I want to wear dresses and have nice perfume and do things that girls do. So I’m not interested in looking like a boy or playing like a boy. That sounds like a really obvious, blatant thing to say, and I shouldn’t have to say that to anybody.” —Courtney Love
“I want every fucking girl in the world to pick up a guitar & start screaming!”—Courtney Love
“I rely on a lot of sexual metaphors-food as sex, music as sex, fucked-up weird insane sexual vistas that haunt me and make me feel as though I were going insane.”—Courtney Love
“If you treat a girl like a dog, she’s going to piss on you.”—Courtney Love
“If you write anything nasty about me, I’ll come around and blow up your toilet.”—Courtney Love
“I may lie a lot, but never in my lyrics.”—Courtney Love
“How can I rock in a Versace gown? Well easy-let me show you.—Courtney Love
“Dont be bitter and mean cos you don’t fit in, it’s a GIFT. Look at you. you’ve got your individuality, you don’t have the herd instinct, you can read Neitzsche and understand it. Only dumb people are happy.”—Courtney Love
“Unless there are pictures, I don’t admit to anything.”—Courtney Love

“If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”–Emily Dickinson
“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can ever warm me, I know that is poetry.”–Emily Dickinson
“Surgeons must be very careful. When they take the knife!, underneath their fine incisions, stirs the Culprit - Life!”–Emily Dickinson
“Anger as soon as fed is dead - ‘Tis starving makes it fat.”–Emily Dickinson
“Beauty is not caused. It is.”–Emily Dickinson
“After great pain, a formal feeling comes. The Nerves sit ceremonious, like tombs.”–Emily Dickinson
“A word is dead when it is said, some say. I say it just begins to live that day.”–Emily Dickinson
“A wounded deer leaps the highest.”–Emily Dickinson
“Because I could not stop for Death; He kindly stopped for me”–Emily Dickinson
“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”–Emily Dickinson
“I imagine, therefore I belong and am free.”–Emily Dickinson
“Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell.”–Emily Dickinson

“The history of progress is written in the blood of men and women who have dared to espouse an unpopular cause, as, for instance, the black man’s right to his body, or woman’s right to her soul.”–Emma Goldman
“The demand for equal rights in every vocation of life is just and fair; but, after all, the most vital right is the right to love and be loved.”–Emma Goldman
“Poor human nature, what horrible crimes have been committed in thy name!”–Emma Goldman
“The most unpardonable sin in society is independence of thought.”–Emma Goldman
“Every daring attempt to make a great change in existing conditions, every lofty vision of new possibilities for the human race, has been labeled Utopian.”–Emma Goldman
“Free love? as if love is anything but free. Man has bought brains, but all the millions in the world have failed to buy love.”–Emma Goldman
“The most violent element in society is ignorance.”–Emma Goldman
“If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.”—Emma Goldman

“I’m bi everything; sexual, coastal, political, controversial. I think if you find your comfortable sexual preference then that’s excellent. Everybody knows that I’m a huge fan of gay men and drag queens and would not be who I am today without their help, support and make-up tips. “–Jessicka Fodera
“I’m religiously celibate except in LA, NOLA, FLA, because there is certainly no God in any of those places. So unless you live in one of those places I’m really no good to you.”–Jessicka Fodera
“The first time I ever saw Lydia Lunch perform it was a religious experience. Not only is she intelligent and beautiful but she actually understands how “my” brain works. This almost rivals my first concert- Cindy Lauper when I was 12. She was so fascinating to me at the time. She made me want to dye my hair pink and start a band. (SO I naturally did)… All Cure records have had a great effect on me musically also. “–Jessicka Fodera
“There are plenty of female artists that I consider feminist, Le Tigre, Peaches, The Gossip, Sleater Kinney, PJ Harvey- the list is endless. I think there’s certain stigma attached to the word “feminist”. I feel a lot of people confuse feminist with MAN-HATER which is not the correct definition by any means. Webster’s defines it as such - 1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes 2 : organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests So until people see the difference between a feminist and a man-hater I think there will always be a certain assumption when a female artist considers herself one and says it in print. & Yes, I do consider myself a feminist and I am saying it in print.”–Jessicka Fodera “Everyone has personal insecurities I know I sure do and everyday it’s an uphill battle to do my best to practice what I preach. I’ve definitely been guilty of having cocaine confidence and then the next day hate what I see in the mirror. Ask yourself what is the source of my self hatred? If you think the source of the so-called flaws you see are based in prejudice then recognize that and don’t give it credit it doesn’t deserve. “–Jessicka Fodera
“I like Le Tigre a lot and listen to many riot acts ( Bikini Kill, Oiler, Huggy Bear, Slant6, Tribe 8, Cold Cold Hearts,Bratmobile, 7 Year Bitch, Babes- Although I think Babes are as riot as JOJ was) though I don’t consider myself a riot grrl I believe in a lot of the same things they do. “–Jessicka Fodera

“I was 19 when I started playing guitar and bass. I’ve been playing music though, (violin, clarinet, piano) ever since I can remember.”—Kathi Wilcox
“We’re all strong personality types, which anyone who knows us will testify as truth, it’s hard for any of us to sublimate our natural contrary anti-ness reactions, but ultimately I think that’s our real power. We’re not afraid to be bitchy , which is an important skill to have sometimes, to fight so you get your way. We have respect for each other so that we can disagree and it’s not a big deal.”—Kathi Wilcox
“I think it freaks people out. People always come up to me after a show and go, ‘why didn’t you turn around once?’ Why should I face the audience because everyone else on stage does?”—Kathi Wilcox
“There’s this whole thing about ‘here I am.’ But no, I’m just here on the stage.”—Kathi Wilcox
“Girl culture.”—Kathi Wilcox
“The whole girl thing, Tobi told me about when we were first starting the band. When girls are growing up, they hang out together. But at some point, 12 or 13 it depends, something happens. Boys come in and it all gets fucked up because of the boy-girl thing. Then girls can’t hang out with girls. “—Kathi Wilcox
“I don’t know how many friendships have gotten fucked up for me j