Anyways, today I come to you, my wonderful (or nonexistent) readers with some thoughts on, you guessed it, politics. But this is politics of a different sort. It’s more a query into why the people who run this country are the ones who run this country, and why we discount everyone else. But before I get into that, I want to briefly talk about someone.

Her name is Kyrsten Sinema (website here), a democrat just sworn in to the House of Representatives from Alabama. Not only is she the first openly bisexual member of Congress, she is also the only member of Congress to describe her religious affiliation as “none.” She was raised in the Mormon faith, and was once homeless. She graduated from college early and became a social worker. She later received a law degree and a doctorate. She was sworn in, not on a holy book, but on the constitution. And I wonder, why can’t more of our politicians be sworn in on the document they are tasked with upholding? She has the kind of experience I really want from a leader.

Which leads me to my main point. I’ve always been fascinated with this quote from Zoe Leonard. And was recently reminded of it when reading this article (quote is in the final paragraph). It says:

On the contrary, I want people in charge who have period stains on their briefs and a love of guilty pleasure television. Someone who knows what it’s like to be an outcast, or the worst at math, or has spent a lifetime facing oppressions that have raised them up into an outstandingly experienced human being.

And I think about our current political system. Our cries of wanting “experience” and “qualification” from our political leaders. Often, these involve law school or success in business or both (and occasionally a parent who has been in the business helps a bit too). We criticize every flaw. We want to know grades and IQ levels. We want every bit of their history ever to be squeaky clean and perfect. We protest the existence of “career politicians” while at the same time making a career in politics necessary to achieve higher offices.

What if we started looking for different qualities in our politicians? Politicians who have lived the lives of the “common man”. Politicians who have had to live off food stamps and have lived in their cars. Politicians who have had to live the tough lives and make the tough choices. A different kind of experience.

I’m not saying all politicians who have near squeaky clean records and MBAs and JDs should be discounted. They, like everyone, have something to bring to the table. But we need more diversity at the table. We need people who have struggled and who have fought and who have some giant skeletons in their closet. We need politicians who know what it’s like to be in the closet. We need politicians from all socioeconomic backgrounds, all races, all religions. We need people in our highest offices, not highly groomed and manufactured robots.

Prop 8

1. On June 16, 2008 California, after a ruling by it’s Supreme Court, began offering marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
2. Prop 8 was a ballot initiative proposed after this happened.
3. Prop 8 added to the California constitution that marriage was only between a man and woman, thereby overruling the court.
4. Prop 8 passed, and California stopped issuing same-sex marriage licenses on November 5, 2008.
5. On February 7, 2012 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the gay marriage ban in California was against the US Constitution.
6. On July 31, 2012 supporters of Prop 8 appeal to the Supreme Court.
7. On December 7, 2012 the Supreme Court agrees to hear arguments on Prop 8.

DOMA

1. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on September 21, 1996.
2. The law states that (1) states do not have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states and, (2) same-sex marriages will be in no way recognized at the federal level.
3. On February 23, 2011 the Obama Administration announced that it would no longer defend DOMA in the courts, as they viewed it unconstitutional.
4. On April 18, 2011 the House, led by John Boehner, decided they would defend DOMA, eventually spending $1.5 million in tax payer money to do so.
5. Many cases in a variety of Circuits have ruled DOMA unconstitutional.
6. On December 7, 2012 the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments on DOMA.

So, what does this mean? Now, keep in mind I am no legal scholar, but this is how I interpret it. Basically, if the court finds DOMA unconstitutional, it would mean that (1) states, even states where same-sex marriage is illegal, would have to recognize same-sex marriages that happened in other states and (2) that the federal government would have to recognize same-sex marriages. A ruling of unconstitutional on DOMA would not mean same-sex marriage became possible in all 50 states. A ruling of unconstitutional of Prop 8, on the other hand, would do just that. If California having a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage is unconstitutional at the federal level, that would mean any states law would be the same.

I believe that, should the Court rule DOMA unconstitutional, it would not necessarily rule Prop 8 as unconstitutional. They could view that ruling as against states rights. This would continue the need for state by state ballot initiatives, court rulings, and legislative action to legalize marriage in all 50 states. But, should they rule Prop 8 unconstitutional, I do not see how they could rule DOMA constitutional. A ruling of unconstitutional on Prop 8 could be narrowly applied to just California, or it could apply nationwide. So, if the second happens, marriage equality could be a fact everywhere in the US (eventually). *disclaimer* I can be wrong. I am not a lawyer or a law specialist or anything like that.

Now, my feelings on this. I do not buy into the argument that states have the right to decide whether to allow same-sex marriage or not. To allow one group of people to marry (heterosexual marriage) but to not allow another group (same-sex marriage) is nothing but discrimination. It is unequal treatment. Marriage is not a state’s rights issue. It is an equality issue. Just as allowing interracial marriage is not a state by state decision, allowing same-sex marriage should not be a state by state decision. I will not agree with the court’s decisions unless they find both unconstitutional.

That being said, I am a pessimist. Should the court decide that this time around, they will be on the wrong side of history on both or either case, I would not be surprised. I would be saddened sure, and I’m sure it could kill the spirits of many activists and LGBT* people. But it shouldn’t. The Court is incredibly divided. A 5-4 or 4-5 decision is likely in either case. And, just as Plessy v. Ferguson was not the final say on the “separate but (actually totally and completely un-)equal” thing, an anti-equality ruling this time around doesn’t mean that’s the final say.

Now, a word to my friends, I’m sorry if I start focusing on this a lot. I’m sorry if you begin to find my intensive reading on anything to do with the Supreme Court and marriage to be…excessive. I’m sorry if my need to read everything about the history of the 9 justices…and their advisors gets a little annoying. But knowing and understanding and following what happens here is important to me. Whether you realize it or not, it is my life here. Sure, being gay is only a part of who I am but it is an important part. I know it’s difficult to understand, but  we currently live in a country where, should I find a job with the federal government, my marriage to my future spouse would not be recognized. I would receive no spousal benefits. We currently live in a country where my rights, my equality to you, changes based on what state I’m in. You’ve never been in my shoes. Please don’t try and tell me what should and should not become a large part of my life.

And now I would like to say that I believe in democracy. I truly do. I believe that when elections are free and fair, when everyone who is eligible to vote is allowed to, then democracy can be successful. If elections can be held where every vote is counted (and is counted for who the voter wants it to be counted for) and every vote is equal, where there are no votes thrown away because of stupid technicalities. An election where registration is not something that involves intense amounts of confusion, and where voting itself is not an all day affair requiring documentation that some people just do not. If all these things can happen, if a truly free and fair election can happy, then I believe America truly wins. Regardless of party preference or who a person voted for, if a person is elected in a truly democratic way, then I don’t believe there is really a loss.

That being said, in my personal opinion, I believe the country will be better off because of who won last night. But I do not believe we as a country won. The winner was Barack Obama and the loser was Mitt Romney, and the American people were there to have some type of feeling on those facts. Those who supported Obama, of course, felt victorious. And those who did not were probably disappointed. But I do not believe either of those two groups won.

Because the problem is, our elections are not free and fair. Our election system, the election system of the wealthiest country in the world, is terrible. It is inefficient, it causes problems, and it makes the most basic of civic duties something not all can accomplish. We have voter ID laws, we have outrageous attempts at voter suppression, we make understanding how to register difficult. We (except for a few select states) do not allow people to register the day they vote, in some cases, they must register a month before hand. We throw away ballots that were “signed improperly” and we make the instructions of how to fill out a ballot very unclear. Sometimes, we even make our ballots 23 pages long. We force people to wait in line for hours practically equivalent to the average workday. We have voting machines that a regulated less than Las Vegas slot machines (and given the money in politics, you’d think they’d want these machines to be accurate and cheating-proof too).

I am happy with what happened last night. I believe the victories last night will be good for America. But I do not believe the American people saw any victory. Because the American people are still trapped in an electoral system that is flawed beyond belief.

1. Just for your own knowledge, if you want me to consider you a friend/straight ally, here’s a tip: Don’t act like you know more about my situation than I do. Because you don’t. You don’t know my family, you don’t know my past and you most certainly don’t know how difficult certain things can be. You do not get to talk over me. You do not get to dismiss my fears and concerns with me “being difficult” or “thinking too much.” As a friend and ally, your job is simple. You shut up and you listen and if I ask for your opinion, you give it. If I explain why what you just said/did was wrong and/or offensive, you accept that and move on. End of story.
2. *trigger warning – rape* When will white, republican men shut the fuck up about rape? I mean, it’s getting pretty fucking ridiculous. We’ve got Todd “legitimate rape” Akin, we’ve got VP candidate Paul Ryan (who sponsored a personhood bill in congress using the words “forcible rape”), Richard Mourdock who said “Even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape, that is something God intended to happen,” and then we’ve got Roger Rivard. Just as a warning, his quote’s a doozy. He said “Some girls rape easy.” To give more context he was saying that some girls may agree to sex at one point but then claim the sex was rape once they become pregnant. And so, ladies and gentleman, I present to you these real class act guys. They’re not the only ones, not by a long shot. And they are the ones representing you in our government. Want to know what’s wrong with America? Why our culture is so focused on victim blaming and shaming? Look no further than the men mentioned here.
3. This Website Just…go.
4. Ellen, I love you, I really do. Because as I’m sure everyone knows, us females have really been struggling with our pens in recent years.
5. Another “straight ally” related post. This story makes me sick.  Because this man spent a year pretending to be. All, of course, in the guise of wanting to understand us better. He was a homophobic christian who saw the light and as opposed to, oh I don’t know, ASKING A GAY PERSON A FUCKING QUESTION OR TWO, he decided he would spend a year pretending to be gay. He came out (but told his aunt and two friends his plan. You know, for support and stuff.) One of his friends pretended to be his boyfriend because, as another article put it: “I needed protection to keep me balanced and teach me the nuances of gay culture and how they flirt, and to give me an excuse when guys hit on me,” said Kurek. For credibility, Kurek learned to hold hands and embrace.” He needed protection. That wording alone is enough to send me into a rage. What bothers me more is, if you read the second article, is that he needed his aunt to know the truth for support. To make sure his mother wasn’t “going off the deep end.” Isn’t it great that all gay people have someone like that…oh wait. We don’t. What bothers me most about Kurek is that he thinks this year taught him so much. But it didn’t. Because he knew that, should his family reject him completely, they weren’t really rejecting him. Just what he was pretending to be. If life ever became too difficult for him, he could tell everyone the truth. He didn’t experience what it was really like to be gay. To truly feel the fear of having yourself rejected by your loved ones, the anguish of the hate we are subject to, the pain of the words from hateful people and groups that seem to be designed to make us feel worthless. I leave this piece with a quote from Bruce Bawer, “Straight Americans need… an education of the heart and soul. They must understand – to begin with – how it can feel to spend years denying your own deepest truths, to sit silently through classes, meals, and church services while people you love toss off remarks that brutalize your soul.”
6. Last, I’d just like to talk a little about the election. More specifically, people voting for Mitt Romney. I don’t know many people voting for him, but I do know some people. A few, whom know nothing about my being a lesbian. But some people, people who are my friends, who know about me and what I’ve gone through, are voting for him too. And honestly…that confuses me. So much. Because they give reasons like “well, there’s other things more important right now,” or “I’m more worried about taxes and the economy. Sorry.” No. No, they are not sorry. Because what they just said to me is “Yeah, you having equal rights is important and all, but I’d rather have taxes that are lower. You’re important, but you’re not important enough.” People can use the “I’m more worried about the economy and I support his economic policy,” excuse all they want. But I will never see that excuse as legitimate. Because I will never see business regulation (or deregulation as the case with Romney would be) and lower taxes for the wealthy as more important issues than my rights. I will never see why Wall Street is more important than assuring that all Americans have a right to marry who they love. I will never see more defense spending as of greater need than protecting me from hate crimes, workplace discrimination, and discrimination of any kind. One day, I may want to get married and have kids and be out in my community and my workplace. And I will never see those things, those things that pretty much every straight American takes for granted and considers a “given”, as less important than anything. They affect my life every single day. I can understand disagreeing with someone on economic policy. I have no problem with people who prefer Romney’s economic policy (well, I think they’re very, very wrong. But I get it.). But I do have a problem with people who put businesses and taxes over the rights and safety of human beings. In a way, I think I have more problem with my friends who say they support me but then vote for Romney than I do with other Romney voters. At least when a person who doesn’t support my rights votes for Romney, I’m not surprised. Because they don’t believe I’m denied anything. They’re wrong and hateful, but they’re not telling me the economy is more important than my life.

My classes are going fairly well, I’d say. Except for Spanish. I find that class incredibly boring and honestly feel that I have not learned anything. But my other three classes (logic, elections in the political order, and intro to political thinking) are all equally interesting (some more than others) and stress inducing.

I’m still not out to my parents, but I’m working on it. It should either be this week or the week after parents weekend that I tell them. Or during parents weekend. Who knows?

But I think my most exciting news is that I GOT TO MEET ELIZABETH WARREN. Like, actually meet here and shake her hand. And then I told her I was from Smith and she got super excited and said she loved Smithies and hugged me and it was great. I also got to meet the mayor of Holyoke, who is the youngest out gay mayor in the country. This was all thanks to Smith Dems, because I went to do debate visibility and then to a watch party that of the Springfield debate.

So that’s all for now, a brief update, but an update none the less.

I first realized I was gay in the sixth grade. I saw a girl and I realized that what I felt when I saw that girl were the same things my friends described seeing when they saw guys. I realized this and became utterly and completely terrified. I didn’t know what it meant for me or for the rest of my life. I just knew that it made me different, and, at least in my community, that difference would be looked down upon.

I had attended the same Catholic school that I was attending at that time since kindergarten. I knew the Churches rules. I knew that what I was feeling was something that, according to the Church, was not okay. Something I had to fix. So, like the good little Catholic I was, I went to my priest for advice.

He was…disgusted. At first, he wasn’t quite sure what to say. After a lot of silence, he told me he could help me. That if I was willing to work hard enough and be faithful to my Lord, I could be helped.

I met with him twice a week for the next year/year and a half. We read the Bible a lot, we prayed a lot, and I heard a lot about how I was disgusting. About how if I kept having these feelings it meant I didn’t really want help. That I was an abomination. After that period of time trying to change myself and being unable to do so, I was completely and utterly lost. I didn’t love myself, I couldn’t. Not when I was failing so miserably at this one thing I wanted to accomplish.

After ending our meetings because my priest believed I was “lost to sin” I still went to Church and sat in the back and prayed. Prayed for it to change. Prayed to be different. And I didn’t receive communion because I believed I was unworthy. That it would be wrong for me to do so. I pretended to find boys cute because I hoped eventually I’d think what I was saying was true.

I eventually started high school. Still hating myself. Still believing I was horrible. And I stopped going to Church. If there was a God, I thought, he had totally abandoned me. He had not helped me to achieve the one thing I wanted so desperately. And he was still going to punish me for what I felt, for what he would not help me overcome.

By the end of that first year, I had stopped believing in a god, stopped believing that the Catholic Church was the right way. I was affectively an atheist. And although I was slowly starting to accept myself, I still hated myself deeply due to a horrible, internalized homophobia.

It was around that time that I met a boy. He was the best friend I ever could have had. He was caring and understanding and so easy to talk to. I loved him. I really think I did. I told him my story, I told him how confused I was and how I wasn’t sure what my feelings toward him or anyone else meant. And he wasn’t bothered. He said he’d support no matter what I came to learn about myself. And in that time, I was content on being with a boy. That period of time does still confuse me somewhat though.

Eventually, he died. My best friend. The one person whom I could tell anything to, was dead. Cancer. To me, further proof there could not possibly be a God. His death left me heartbroken and more confused than ever. Because again, I had no one I could talk to about all the feelings happening inside me.

It’s now the summer before my junior year. I am not out to my friends or family, but I am finally able to accept myself. I went to a camp where I met the first girl I would ever kiss. She was 3 years older, she seemed so sure of herself, of who she was, and I was in complete and total awe of her. I wouldn’t call her my first relationship, because we began when camp began and ended when camp ended. But she was the first person to help me realize who I was, and what I really felt. She patiently answered any questions I had, and well, she…explained other things too.

I went back home after this and met my first girlfriend. We lasted approximately 2 months, and the way it ended was pretty much me being freaked out by dating and becoming intimate with someone and in conclusion completely screwing her over. If I could say anything to her today, I would very much like to apologize.

Now, don’t start misunderstanding me, the time after that summer I was still pretty confused, still very afraid, and probably still experienced some of that internalized homophobia, put in place by my priest all those years ago.

Now it’s junior year. I’m still afraid and confused and whatever, and I’m pretty sure I’m starting to seriously like my best friend. As in, wanting to date her. It took a while, but April of that year I finally worked up the courage to ask her out. We lasted a little over a year. Although she was pretty unsure of herself too, she helped me to become more solidified in who I am and what I feel. I’m not quite sure that she realizes how much she helped me.

Now fast forward to this year. First year of college. Proud of who I am, of what I’ve done with my life so far, and most importantly, accepting myself 100%. I’m still not out to my parents, but I am out to my friends. I think, really, the most difficult part of my journey was the learning to accept myself, and it always will be. However impossible it may seem for me to come out to my parents at this time, I know that telling them cannot possibly be as hard as my journey towards loving and accepting myself.

This shall be done in a numbered list format.

1. Classes. I am taking Low Intermediate (intensive) Spanish. By intensive, they mean I meet five times a week and I get six credits, but in reality I don’t feel as if I’m getting that much work, nor am I learning all too much. It’s very conversation focused, which is nice for improving conversational skills, but not for my grammar. And my grammar requires much improvement. In addition to that I am taking Logic 100: Valid and Invalid Reasoning. I absolutely love it because my homework is generally me sitting down and solving a puzzle and the lectures are great and it’s basically just a class where I have to think a lot. And while I do love doing the homework problems, they give me unimaginable amounts of confusion and sadness sometimes because it is just a thinking overload. I think my TA shall begin to notice a pattern of the farther on in my homework she is grading, the less sense said homework will make. Ah well. The third of four classes I am taking is Introduction to Political Thinking. While I find the material to be sometimes dry to read at home (all the common political philosophers and such) I find the discussion and application of what they had said to be extremely interesting, so far. My final class is Elections in the Political Order. I get to write an entire report on the progress of one specific congressional election (which is really like a treat for me. I’m going to love this paper) and basically just have a class where what we are learning in the classroom is directly relevant in the world today. It’s really great.
2. Clubs. I am the house rep for the CDO, and the CDO has yet to get back to me on what I’m doing, so I’m not entirely sure what’s happening there. I went to the first Smith Dems meeting and it seems like that’s going to be great. I meant to go to the PSE meeting tonight, but alas, I completely forgot about it. Fortunately, I can probably still find some other club to join and have signed up for the mailing list for Active Minds, a group that promotes mental health awareness. That is something I’m very passionate about and will probably talk more about as the time goes on here on this blog.
3. Coming out. The letter is written, but it remains unsent. Telling my mom I joined the Smith Dems was bad enough. Let alone telling her I’m gay. I did mention that I would’ve liked to go campaign for marriage equality with them this weekend but couldn’t. And she didn’t seem to react at all to that, so I’m not sure whether to take it as good or bad.
4. Annoying homophobes from back home. This one girl will not stop sending me emails about how I’m going to hell. It’s really rather ridiculous. I just don’t understand. I really don’t.
5. Mitt Romney. I don’t think that needs explanation, but I’ll go into anyway. The fact that his campaign is now in shambles is not surprising. You don’t insult nearly half of potential voters like that. You just don’t. Has he forgotten about soldiers who have untaxed combat pay? Are they “lazy and dependent on the government?” And what about college students like me? I work my but off trying to do well in classes, and yes I have a federal loan. Sorry that I can’t conceivably work enough time to pay income taxes and do well in school and have a life. Also, opening airplane windows. That’s a brilliant idea. You should try it next time Mittens. See what happens. In all seriousness though, I hope someone has informed him of the dangers of open plane windows.

Well, that’s all for now. Hopefully I’ll have more to talk about soon.

The seven hour car ride that got me to this wonderful place was not as nice though. There were a lot of cows. A lot of fields. A lot more trees signifying I was really in the middle of nowhere. I also really hate using public rest stops. They are disgusting and all around unfortunate to enter. But after all of that, I finally arrived at Smith.

When I arrived yesterday, I got pretty much everything set up and in working order. The books, the food, the clothes, and most importantly, my bed. The mattress pad I bought makes this bed even more comfortable than my bed at home. It’s so nice. The wonderful people of my house had us all play this really fun taboo/charades game, and hilarious things happened.

So far, I think, my fears have not been realized. Though I do think some people wonder why I’m so quiet, and wonder why I liked having a bit of alone time in my room. I do hope they don’t think I was being anti social.

In addition to all this, I decided to take a shower earlier today. Being the clumsy person I am, I tripped. Only, I didn’t want to face plant in the shower, so I grabbed the nearest available support mechanism. This happened to be the nob to turn said shower on.I didn’t fall, and thought everything was fine. Until I turned the shower off. Or attempted to, I should say. The shower would not turn off. I tried, my roommate tried, a nice upperclassmen tried – and nothing. Finally we called maintenance. The shower is no longer stuck, thankfully, and I have a fun story.

As I’m sure most people know, Augusta National Golf Club recently let two women into its elite membership for the first time. These women were Condoleezza Rice and Darlene Moore. Truly, it was a historic occasion, because this is the club whose membership was, up until 1990, all-white. The fact that it took them so long to allow non-white, and then non-male, people in is sad in its own accord. I’m sure that doesn’t need to be addressed more fully here. However, the letter to the editor linked to above certainly needs some addressing.

Let’s start with this wonderful sentiment expressed in the letter:

In a similar fashion, one might hope that many of the private women’s colleges in the US will open their admission doors to the best and the brightest of those men who might want to pursue the same opportunities that allowed Madeleine Albright and Hillary Clinton to become secretaries of state as graduates of Wellesley College. After all, given that these colleges, (unlike the Augusta course) receive millions of dollars of federal funds, why should they be allowed to exclude one-half of the population from their campuses?

Let me begin by stating that there have been three female Secretaries of State. Madeline Albright (the first, graduate of Wellesley), Condoleezza Rice (the second, first female African-American, graduate of the University of Denver), and Hilary Clinton (the third, graduate of Wellesley). That’s it. Three. Now, let’s compare that number to the number of male Secretaries of State: 64. Does the writer of this letter honestly believe that the 64 males have missed an opportunity somewhere? These men are, in fact, men. Meaning, with the exception of Colin Powell (the first African-American Secretary of State), they have had the right to vote since this country was founded. They, again with Colin Powell as the exception, have never been denied admittance to a university because the university did not except “that type of person.” They have never had to deal with their voices being less likely to be heard in classrooms, boardrooms, or other such places. I guarantee you, these women have not been afforded any opportunities these men lack. Why has there yet to be a female president, I wonder?

In fact, in the US today, there are three traditionally all-male colleges (Hampden-Sydney College, Morehouse College, and Wabash College). In addition, there are many religious colleges that do not accept women. There are also Universities that have separate colleges within them. These are Yeshiva University (with Yeshiva College for men and The Stern College for women) and the University of Richmond (with Richmond College for men and Westhampton College for women). Last, I point out the existence of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Two separate colleges joined only in partnership, one for men, one for women.

Until 1969, Georgetown, Princeton, and Yale did not admit women. Columbia College, a part of Columbia University, did not admit women until 1983. The Citadel did not admit women until 1993, and Virginia Military Institute held out until 1996. What were you saying about great colleges that denied opportunities to half the population again?

Second, I point out that most women’s colleges I know of have partnerships with neighboring universities, allowing any students from these universities to take classes on campus. Some even have coeducational graduate programs.

And lastly I ask, again, what opportunities are being denied men? They have all the opportunities. The fact that this argument is still necessary today is proof enough of that. Women are still less likely to be called on in classrooms and less likely to be listened to in boardrooms. Women still do not make as much money as men. Tell me again where your opportunities are lacking.

Moving on:

At the national level, the growing numbers of women who are presidents of major universities and colleges that are coeducational raises the question once again: Why do we still need all women’s colleges in today’s society?

26.4 presidents of Colleges are women. That’s not a growing number. And what does that have to do with the existence of women’s colleges anyway? Women’s colleges have had male presidents before. There is such a lack of logic in that first part it’s almost sad.

And last, I am going to address the final question.

Why do we still need women’s colleges? WHY DO WE STILL NEED WOMEN’S COLLEGES?! Maybe I’m biased, but this guy needs a serious reality check. “Growing numbers” in no way represent equality. Nor do they negate the fact that women in a coeducational setting are less likely to be called on or have their voice recognized in classrooms. It does not change the fact that women still, on average, make less than men. It doesn’t make women being less likely to be listened to in business meetings any less of a problem. Women’s colleges are needed because it is 2012 and a golf club is letting women in for the first time. The point of a women’s college is so that women (and other gender minorities) can be in a situation where their voices are heard. Where they are respected. And to produce women who are strong, confident, and ready to take on the very unequal world we STILL live in today.

Sorry if this sounds very disconnected and rambling. My excitement for college has decreased my ability to sleep, thus rendering a lot of what I say nonsensical as of late. I intend for this to be an impassioned defense of women’s colleges, and I fear as if it comes of as an inarticulate piece of nothing.

To get unpleasant news out of the way first, I’m sure you recall my posting about an incident with outing and with people being stupid. After said incident, a person who used to be my friend frequently emailed me with hate messages or, were I to run into her on the street (because our houses are very near each other), verbally said the same hateful things. I was doing quite well ignoring it but finally decided it must stop. So, I am not even sure if this was possible or not, but I told her if she didn’t cut it out I would sue her or go down to the police station and press charges. I was saving every email, writing down every exchange (I wasn’t) and I could use it against her. Whether this could legally happen or not I’m not sure. I don’t really care, I wouldn’t actually do that. But it had the desired effect. I knew she wouldn’t know if it’s the truth or not, and that she’d be too absent-minded and lazy to look it up. So she stopped. Problem solved.

My hair is obnoxious. It is insanely thick and poofy and wavy/curly and needs to be tamed. It is terrible. The only way I can think to describe it is that it is like John Green’s hair when puff levels are high. But with curls/waves and ten times the thickness.

I apologize in advance for this. OH MY GOSH COLLEGE NOW STARTS IN LESS THAN A WEEK. THIS TIME NEXT WEEK I’LL BE DOING ORIENTATION TYPE THINGS AND I AM SO EXCITED.

Sorry about that. But my excitement is barely containable. I’ve bought almost everything I need, except a winter jacket. You’d think, living where I live, I’d have one of those. But the past two winters I have been an idiot and laughed in the face of cold and snow. And therefore have frozen my butt off practically every day from  early November to late March. I do not intend to do that again.

A while ago at my school they had us do some Myers-Briggs like test that would give us our profile and whatnot. It’s not the official one or anything because why would my school pay money for the official one when the unofficial one is much cheaper? (we are fairly…broke after all) So yeah, we took that and we got our results in the mail today, because along with being frugal and broke, my high school is also very, very slow. I was told I am an “INTJ.” Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, and Judging (more information here). Now, if you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page, also listed are famous real and fictional INTJs. Apparently, I share this distinction with the likes of Susan B. Anthony, Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, JFK, and Jane Austen. Pretty cool people. Also, some notable fiction characters like Mr. Darcy (if you don’t know this reference…there’s a problem.), Gandalf (Lord of the Rings), and Cassius (Julius Caesar. Shakespeare.). But, amongst all these prominent figures, real and fictional, which one did I find most interesting to apparently have the same type as? Professor Moriarty. I don’t know, I just found that interesting and slightly exciting.

So in conclusion, I’m not sure how frequent future posts will be, because I only want to post things that matter. Issues I was having were handled, my hair is taking on a life of its own, I leave in 6 days, and I apparently share a personality type with Professor Moriarty.