Because I have a daughter: a beautiful, strong, talented, funny daughter who makes me so proud with her determination to always stand up for what she believes in, even when it means taking the unpopular line (or disagreeing with her mother). Not only does she stand up for things, but she educates herself to the issues so that her decisions are ethical and informed.
Because I have sons. Strong individuals, each in their own way, who are growing into young men I will always be proud of and who need to see me standing up for what I believe in so that they continue to know it’s okay for them to do so, too.
Because I am a woman who has many times heard the term ‘rampant feminist’ and other derisive terms directed towards women who stand up for stuff – and who has often thought ‘thank goodness I’m not one of them’. And because I’ve gradually come to realise that I’d been conned into thinking that fighting for women’s rights has somehow gone too far.
Because I’m the mother of those six children who finished breastfeeding them more than ten years ago – and still hear that women should cover up or find somewhere more appropriate.
Because I cheered the day our Prime Minister was voted in (that’s right, she was endorsed by her fellow Labor government members of parliament), glad that finally a woman could take the top job in our country. And because I just couldn’t have imagined the misogynistic rubbish that she would endure as PM.
Because restaurants publish menus (which they do or don’t use) attacking her very femininity, because radio announcers question the sexuality of her life partner, and because her cleavage is somehow a hot topic – or even a topic at all.
Because other women – and men, too – still tell me that her rise to power was somehow different than many man male politicians (apparently the Prime Minister invented back room manoeuvrings because she’s a woman – no man had ever done similar).
And because today a female radio announcer, in complete defiance of logic, suggested we boycott a woman author’s books because she was apparently a victim of domestic violence and must set an example to us all. *
I must stand up and say it: I AM AN ANGRY WOMAN.
Enough Australia!
(PS: As children’s book author I’ve often been scared of talking about such issues on this blog. And yet, in a lightbulb moment I realised this morning that it is also because I’m a children’s book author that I MUST say something. I write for those children because I want to make their world a better place. How can it be better if I don’t stand up for what I see is wrong?)
* Update: Because I blogged in anger I confess to having made an error here and so have edited this line . The broadcaster made the comments on a blog, here.