Yell fall 2014

YELL!

GRU Women’s and Gender Studies Magazine

Fall 2014- volume 2, issue 2

Women’s and Gender Studies Program Georgia Regents University

contents 3 4 5 6 8

About & Letter from the Editor Campus News: WSSA Campus News: Lambda Alliance Campus Resources and Community Events Feminist Scholarship “Grasping Agency: Medea, Hedda, Jessie, and the Modern Woman”

by Jourdain Searles

11 12

Poetry: “Untitled” by Semone Sevion

14

Study Abroad: Toronto “Navigating Identity at World Pride”

Women’s and Gender Studies Symposium

by Mitchell Toomey, Kathryn DelGenio and Ronnie Hummel Students reflect on their experiences with Study Abroad

18

Violence Awareness Month “Rape Crisis Training” by Valerie Dorce A student’s experience with Rape Crisis training

20

Feminist Scholarship “Taking Action Project Part 1: Taking Action Issue:Reproductive Justice: Midwifery”

by Aspasia Luster

22 23 26

Call for Papers Meet our Contributors Credits

2

about YELL! • • • “A cheer of support: a rhythmic word or phrase chanted by a group of people to give support or encouragement.” This elementary four-letter word seems so inadequate when put alongside its synonymic counterparts. Bellow. Vociferate. Holler. Exclaim. They all sound so dignified, so regal. But Yell! is a word of a very different caliber. Yell! describes our mission in a way that its predecessors cannot.

To us, Yell! means to reclaim women’s voices, not only on the GRU campus but in the community. Yell! means to uplift and galvanize ourselves and everyone we interact with. Yell! is our rallying cry, and we fully intend to embody the vehemence with which it is described here. We are no longer satisfied waiting in the shadows. We will Yell! in solidarity, our mission and our goal.

We are a unified front, ready and willing to step into the line of fire for social justice. We will approach our obstacles with intrepidness and pugnacity, never being afraid to fail. Because what is failure but an opportunity to improve?

That is what Yell! means to us here in the GRU Women’s Studies Program. It is who we are, and it is what we do. Join us.

Megan Pugh

letter from the editor • • • In keeping with tradition, I have included Megan Pugh’s original “about Yell!” introduction.

Though I only met Megan a few times, she was always in contact with me, sending emails on behalf of the Women’s Studies program with perfect timing. They appeared at just the right intervals to peak my interest, remind me that the program is here, but never to the point of an annoyance. I still have emails she sent me three years ago in my inbox, her ability to yell is what initially interested me in declaring Women’s and Gender Studies as my minor. Megan set a great example and a high standard by starting this magazine. She has given us a place to rally together and make a statement. Now our magazine boasts submissions not only from WGST minors, but majors and minors from other undergraduate departments, as well as alumni. It is great to think that we are continuing to fulfill her vision. Keep Yelling!

Jenelle (Plotts) Lawhorne Editor-in-Chief

3

campus news • • • wssa

T

his semester WSSA’s Love Your Body Week was a beautiful success. The Love Your Body Day event took place on October 14, with the goal of disrupting traditional assumptions about beauty and body image. For the WSSA event, students were asked to be photographed holding a sign on which they wrote something they love about their body. Despite a very stormy day there was a great turn out. WSSA members handed out goody bags to students taking part in the event.

Regular WSSA meetings are set to resume every-other Monday at 5pm beginning January 26th . If you are interested in attending please contact Semone Sevion at ssevion@gru.edu, and for more information follow The GRU Women’s Studies Student Association on Facebook.

4

lambda alliance • • • campus news

L

ambda Alliance officers held a meeting over the winter break to discuss future meetings.

Meetings will now be held every other Wednesday at 2:30 pm. The first meeting will be held on January 21st. This semester, Lambda Alliance will be planning two big events, the LGBTQ Prom and a Movie night.

LGBTQ Prom: Lambda Alliance hosted the first LGBTQ Prom, *Under the Stars,* on campus last spring. Having been a huge success they have been looking forward to the next one ever since. The Prom will be a Safe Zone welcoming anyone in the community, regardless of sexual orientation.

Movie Event: Lambda will also host a spring movie showing with academic discussion afterwards.

During the fall they screened and discussed “Orchids: My Intersex Adventure.”

For more information event planning, meetings and location contact Lambda Alliance President Meggie Kotson.

5

resources • • • STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

GRU Equality — LGBTQ organization for Health Sciences students and staff

Lambda Alliance — LGBTQ organization for Summerville students and staff

Women’s Studies Student Association

CAMPUS RESOURCES Safe Zone– Faculty, Staff and Student Program designed to create a safe and inclusive environment for individuals of all sexual and gender orientations.

GRU Cares Whether a student, staff or faculty, if you or someone you know is in a distressing situation, support is available for you at GRU Cares. You will find helpful resources on a variety of issues including:  Emergency or crisis situations and safety concerns  Medical concerns  Multicultural, psychological and personal issues  Interpersonal conflict both in workplace and amongst students Are you worried about yourself or someone else? File a CARE Report here.

6

• • • resources CAMPUS RESOURCES CONTNUED GRU Counseling Center — Open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM—5:00 PM Summerville Campus Health Sciences Campus Central Utilities Building Annex Student Health Center in Pavilion II 2nd Floor 1465 Laney Walker Blvd.

To contact either counseling center or schedule an appointment, call (706) 737-1471.

GRU Office of Diversity and Inclusion 1120 15th Street AA-2028

Health Sciences Campus (706) 721-9265

Augusta, GA 30912

Click here to contact online

GRU Public Safety Health Sciences Campus, Annex II 524 15th Street Augusta, GA 30912

Non-emergency phone: (706) 721-2914 Monday—Friday, 8:00 AM—5:00 PM

VOLUNTEER VICTIM ADVOCATE TRAINING Training for Rape Crisis Victim Advocate Volunteers is held six times per year. The comprehensive training prepares volunteers to respond to crisis calls, emergency room advocacy, and court advocacy. The 25-hour training includes presentations from the district attorney's office, the Richmond and Columbia county sheriff's offices, and counselors from Georgia Regents University, and self-defense training.

Upcoming training will be held January 22, 2015 - January 26, 2015 For more information call 706-774-2746 or email volunteerrcsas@uh.org.

7

feminist scholarship • • • GRASPING AGENCY: MEDEA, HEDDA, JESSIE, AND THE MODERN WOMAN GRU Alumna Jourdain “Jodie” Searles is now pursuing her Master of the Arts in Journalism at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU . The following work is a piece we have adapted from Forms of Drama coursework.

Jenelle Lawhorne

complex female character. The plays Medea, Hedda Gabler, and ‘night Mother provide a complex portrayal of women as they respond to their circumstances and role in society in diverse and interesting ways. These three tragedies, though varying in time period and subject matter, all succeed in depiction women as complicated beings that are just as interesting to watch and compelling as men. That is why these plays continue to be revived and discussed; these works continue to shed light on the complexities and challenges of the modern woman, and thus remain infinitely relevant.

Of these three tragedies, Medea is by far the most radical, which is surprising considering the fact that it was written much earlier than the other two plays.

Medea is the story of a scorned demigoddess whose husband, Jason, leaves her for Glauce, daughter of Creon. The nurse to Medea’s children recounts the backstory1. Medea gets her revenge by bringing about the deaths of Glauce, Creon and, most famously, her own two young sons. Despite the ghastliness of this act, Medea triumphs in the end of the play, riding off to safety in a chariot. It is hard to say what Euripides intended with this ending. He was a man, and the play was written centuries before the feminist movement began. It could be assumed that Medea is a cautionary tale about what happens when women are let loose, out of their designated roles, to do as they will. It could also be argued that the play is a critique of the patriarchal male society that binds woman and leaves them without

I

t is a strange time to be a woman. Women have advanced so much in recent years due to feminism as well as the general progression of society towards modernity. Traditionally, we have been taught to support men and raise children, to smile and be pretty and dress modestly. We have been confined to specific roles in the home and in the workplace.

Perhaps not a conscious confinement, but a confinement all the same, facilitated by the patriarchal system our society is based on. This confinement has been echoed in drama, glorifying the kinds of women that were considered good and virtuous within our patriarchal society. Simultaneously, it has vilified any woman that has not adhere to traditional female virtues.

I have identified three basic archetypes of the “sympathetic female character.” These archetypes are, the supportive wife, the noble virgin and the selfless martyr.

Thankfully, these are not the only women audiences observed on stage. On rare occasions, female characters have dimension beyond their goodness and their service to men. Each time this has occurred, the world has been shocked by a different kind of woman: The

“The Medea Sarcophagus “ Photo by Frank M. Rafik / CC BY 1Medea

-NC-SA 2.0

8

(Lines 1-16)

• • • feminist scholarship any options.

In the scheme of things, it does not matter what it is that Euripides intended. What he created was a brave, complex and imposing female character whom sought to shape her own identity and decide for herself how she would end up. Medea reads as a woman who rebels at the very position of womanhood. She strikes back against her husband’s betrayal in the only way she knows how: By destroying his possibility for a legacy. A mother is supposed to provide her husband with children, nurture them into adulthood and continue the name and legacy of the patriarch. In the act of killing his children, Medea destroys Jason’s legacy. Essentially, Medea takes back what she has given to Jason. It is easy to call Medea simply ruthless for killing her children, but in this context she is not killing the children as her own. They are not “her” sons; they are the sons she bore for Jason, as an extension of himself and as living examples of his manhood. This is a decision she makes with a clear mind a lack of even the hint of hysteria.2 Even with that in mind, Medea’s actions seem harsh.

Still, one most consider the wider context of her relationship with Jason.

Medea is a woman that gave up everything for her husband. She betrayed her family and killed her own brother, all for him. She rejected her blood-related family for the promise of a new one with Jason. In doing so, Medea made the sacrifices that were necessary to get and keep her man. Though her execution could be considered barbaric, these actions are fully in line with what is expected of a woman when she gets married. As the nurse says at the beginning of the play “…she helped Jason in every way. This is indeed the greatest salvation of all—for the wife not to stand apart from the husband.3” Medea did everything she could possibly do for the sake of her husband. If we take Medea’s actions leading to her wedding with Jason metaphorically, it is obvious how it corresponds with real life. When a woman is married off, she does leave her former family in favor of her new one. She may not cut all ties, but there is an isolation involved with starting a new life with a husband. With that isolation comes a sense of dependency on the husband; to

provide for her and to be her family in the same way that blood relatives would. Considering, especially during this particular time, that women could not take on professions and cultivate their identity the way men could, it was inevitable that Medea’s identity would be wrapped up entirely in Jason and what she means to him. Considering all of these elements, Medea did everything right. She did what she thought she was supposed to do for love and for family. This makes Jason’s betrayal and her pain seem all the more unjust.

Instead of getting rewarded with marital bliss and happiness, Medea is punished for her devotion to Jason. She did what she was supposed to, and pays for it. He abandons her, leaving Medea with no options.

Worse still, he is not remorseful for what he has done.

During their first confrontation, Jason says to Medea “…in spite of your conduct, I’ll not desert my friends, but have come to make some provisions for you, So that you and the children may not be penniless or in

2Medea

4Medea

3Medea

“Medea despidiéndose de sus vástagos “ Photo by Arturo And The Machine / CC BY-ND 2.0

need of anything in exile.4” He speaks to Medea about it as if he is doing her a favor as if he was not the cause of all of her current problems. Jason’s reaction to Medea’s anger is not unlike the reaction of the audience that would be expecting for Medea to respond to this crisis as a “sympathetic female character” would. One could argue that the “devoted wife” archetype would

(Lines 1117-1231) (Lines 1-16)

9

(Lines 448-660)

feminist scholarship • • • take this situation in stride and flee to Athens with her head held high. Or, if we go by the martyr archetype, Medea could kill herself in anguish and die with a broken heart. But, if either of these endings occurred, this play would not be remembered the way it is today.

Medea strikes back against Jason and triumphs. It is this reversal that makes the play memorable. It is this reversal that also answers the question of why this play continues to be so popular. The vengeful and barbaric characteristics of Medea are most often found in male characters.

With the role of Medea, female actresses are able to display their range and show that women are just as capable of taking on these roles as men are. And in a way, Medea is more relevant now than it has ever been.

This fierce and unapologetic break from the traditional female roles and archetypes corresponds perfectly with the plight of the modern woman. The modern woman wants to create her own destiny. The modern woman wants to be defined by her own actions and not the men in her life. The modern woman can sympathize with the plight of a woman who gave all she could and was left with nothing in return. The role of wife and mother is often a thankless job, and this play is the perfect retaliation against the subjugation of women in patriarchal society. Medea could easily be seen as a woman taking back her identity. And in doing so, she becomes her own person.

These tragedies depicted in my research could be considered feminist and shed a light on the existential struggles of women in the past and present. Medea, along with ‘night Mother and Hedda Gabler, confront us as an audience with difficult questions about how society treats women. The varying levels of desperation in Medea, Jessie and Hedda’s situations resonate with us because they are so extreme and provocative. These are the plays that spark conversation and fuel analysis.

Because of that, I do not think our culture will ever be beyond tragedy. There is so much more injustice in the modern world that needs articulation and context. Plays help us to understand aspects of culture by translating it into fictional stories. Medea, ‘night Mother and Hedda Gabler all depict radical responses of women who feel trapped; trapped in their roles, trapped in their bodies and even trapped in their families. When we analyze these plays, we are able to acknowledge this trapped

feeling and identify with it, as human beings. Dramatic tragedies make it easier for us to process the tragedies that occur in real life.

Jourdain Searles

Bibliography Euripides. The Medea of Euripides. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996. Web.

10

student voices • • • poetry Untitled

by Semone Sevion I see you, looking at me.

I see all the stares, hear all the whispering.

You see, I’m under eighteen and black too, holding a little version of me by the hand.

You all are judging me, when you don’t even know me.

You don’t know what I have been through.

All the pain and all the fears.

A stranger touching me, The powerful strength of an unknown man forcing me.

A busted lip, black eyes, cuts and bruises I can’t explain.

You don’t know my story, yet you judge me.

Looking at me alone, you will never know.

Looking at my child, you will never guess.

Looking at me child, you will never guess.

“What to do?”

Cramps from 0 to 100.

I watched my belly grow.

I will smile again.

11

symposium• • •

12

2015 symposium • • • dr. drews This year marks GRU’s fourth biennial Women’s and Gender Studies Symposium. This year’s theme, Mobilizing through the Media: Social Justice and the Digital Frontier, seeks feminist discourse from students, faculty and community members on the ways digital media influences social justice and activism. The GRU Women’s and Gender Studies Symposium is committed to creating a welcoming space for presenters from diverse fields of experience. We are excited about the kind of dialogue that is possible when undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and community members are able to present alongside each other. This is an especially friendly environment for students who might be presenting for the first time.

McClelland-Nugent presented "Theory Meets Practice: Wonder Woman, Popular Culture, and the Feminist Critique."

Past symposia themes included 2013’s Our Bodies, Ourselves, Our Voices: Health and Human Rights in the Twenty-first Century with renowned feminist scholar Keynote speaker Dr. Susan Bordo, who presented “The Anne Boleyn 'Diet': What Young Women Today Can Learn from the Story of Henry VIII's Second Wife."

This year's symposium has received grant support from the Alliance for Full Acceptance, a granting foundation out of Charleston, South Carolina. Matching funds have been provided by the GRU Office of Diversity and Inclusion. Our keynote speaker Melissa McEwan is a feminist activist, LGBTQI advocate and founder of the progressive feminist blog, Shakesville.

The first symposium in 2009, Emerging Narratives, hosted Keynote Speaker Dr. Irene SalamiAgunloye, an accomplished playwright and Associate Professor of African Expressive Literature, Women and Cultural Studies. She lectures extensively on women’s and children’s issues at the University of Jos, Nigeria.

You can read more about our program and our previous symposia at http://www.gru.edu/colleges/ pamplin/wmst/symposium.php

Dr. Marie Drew, Dr. Seretha Williams, and Jenelle Lawhore

2011’s Finding Our (Grass)Roots: Activism, Theory, and the Future of Feminism with Keynote Speaker GRU’s own Associate Professor of History, Dr. Ruth

13

study abroad • • • toronto Navigating Identity at World Pride In last Fall’s issue we highlighted the Spring 2014 Study Abroad to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The 10 day affair took place during World Pride, a festival celebrating LGBT+ lives and accomplishments around the globe.

Courses offered included “Identity and Social Change,” with Drs. Melissa and Todd Powell-Williams, and “Human Sexuality,” with Dr. Richard Topolski. Along with the coursework, students were encouraged to participate in at least five educational and five recreational events during the festival.

Sociology majors Kathryn DelGenio and Ronnie Hummel, along with psychology major Mitchell Toomey had the good fortune to participate in this opportunity and have each provided a reflection on how the events they participated in impacted them.

Jenelle Lawhorne

have been known to critique aspects that make my subculture unique. At one point, I realized that such hypersexualization and consumerism made me somewhat of a cynic towards LGBT+ activism. Being at World Pride, however, changed my entire perspective towards activism and showed me its necessity, especially considering my identity as a gay man in the south.

While at World Pride, I attended queer art galleries, film showings, and many other avenues whose sole purpose was to display queer visibility within the art community.

Planned Parenthood Toronto even provided a workshop “by queer youth for queer youth.” The cool thing about this workshop though, was that volunteer LGBT+-identified young people, like myself, were hosting it. I remember afterwards having an in-depth conversation with the volunteers about the politics of getting this knowledge out to the community, which involved them sharing tips and their Facebook information to take back home with us. It was a truly surreal (forgive the cliché) experience, especially being from my politically conservative home state, to sit in a room with so many like-minded individuals who also share oppression based on their identities and discuss the importance of activism.

To say that being surrounded by so many individuals of fluid gender and sexual identities coming from all across the globe to celebrate the need for freedom from oppression was surreal for me would be an understatement. But, after having some of the most empathetic conversations of my life, it also made me realize how even my identity as an out gay man was in a sense privileged within this context. Bisexual and Trans -identified individuals often face difficulties finding safe spaces in which their identities can be safely recognized, even within the larger umbrella of the LGBT+ community. An important lesson I took from this trip was definitely to remember that even within the LGBT+ community, certain identities are more privileged than others, and this of course changes upon the context. This is something that attending World Pride has definitively instilled in me and something that I plan on implementing into my future activist endeavors.

Phot of Kathryn, Mitchell and Ronnie at World Pride

Navigating Identity at World Pride

S

olely due to my identity as an openly gay man, I am in a sense forced into the fight for equality.

Confronted with the reality that, whether I want to participate or not, activism within the LGBT+ community is absolutely imperative if we are to be recognized as human beings with the most basic civil rights under the law. This became an important factor in my decision to sign up for the World Pride Toronto study abroad trip.

My style of activism would probably be described as being more passive. I aim to be a Clinical Health Psychologist, providing therapy and conducting research to benefit marginalized populations, especially individuals within the LGBT+ community. As such, I am not particularly a fan of the hypersexualized aspects of pride, as they in some ways seem to reinforce unrealistic body-image standards, at least for myself. I

Mitchell Toomey

14

• • • toronto

Photo by Kathryn DelGenio

15

study abroad • • • toronto NAVIGATING IDENTITY AT WORLD PRIDE

N

avigating World Pride during the Toronto study abroad was a particularly challenging experience for me. Up until a few months prior to departure, I had become very familiar with my place in LGBT+ activism. I was a straight ally, and not of the variety who required a big, shiny “A” for ally in the acronym in order to feel validated in the community. I understood that my role was a supporting one, and that my best work would be work that uplifted, protected, and trained the spotlight on my LGBT+ peers. This familiarity was completely derailed when I began to question my sexuality, however. As I began to recognize my attraction to people around me for what it was, my identity as hetero suddenly became stifling and inaccurate. I could visualize myself in romantic relationships with people who were not – gasp— men! Eventually I became more and more aware that hetero did not serve as an effective identity for me anymore. Aside from all the confusion that comes with questioning your sexuality in a homophobic society, there were also, I felt, issues of fidelity involved in my identity crisis. I was in a committed, years-long relationship with a man at this point. What did it mean that I was questioning my identity? What did it mean that I could see the potential in other romantic relationships? Was I being a selfish by exploring my identity? Was I cheating on my partner? Should my identity even matter, if I planned on being in a relationship with a man for the foreseeable future?

What should I even identify as?? Bisexual? Pansexual?

Demiromantic? Queer? Were any of those identities inherently problematic?

World Pride helped me quell a huge amount of my anxiety surrounding my identity. Once I convinced myself that I wasn’t “intruding” on LGBT+ spaces, I was shown firsthand that identity and sexuality can be processes that take time for us to understand; that identity can unfold and unfurl as we grow, taking on new forms and manifesting in different ways. Some of the events I attended were art installations that, sometimes through photography, sometimes through audio biographies, attempted to capture and broadcast the fluid nature of sexuality and gender. Those were the installations I found the most comfort in. During one “by and for queer youth” workshop, there was a timeline project community members could participate

in. It entailed choosing a prompt from a stack of cards, decorating a swatch of fabric according to the prompt, and pinning it to a timeline which correlated with the age a participant was when they experienced whatever prompt they picked. Some prompts were “first queer crush,” “significant queer/non-cis friend,” “significant

queer haircut,” and so on. When reading about other people’s “firsts” in relation to their identity, their first queer crush, their first queer sexual encounter, their first queer date, I felt an indescribable amount of comfort and belonging. It became apparent to me that in a society where compulsory heterosexuality is present, almost everyone has a period of questioning their identity, a period of “firsts,” a feeling of being the new kid. After that epiphany, I was able to participate in my first Pride a bit more whole heartedly, and since Pride I have been able to learn more and more about myself as an individual and as a member of the LGBT+ community.

Kathryn DelGenio

16

study abroad • • • toronto NAVIGATING IDENTITY AT WORLD PRIDE

M

y place as a straight male in society is one that is not often challenged. I can say with certainty that I will not experience any problems from society for being who I am. This is something that I didn’t always know, and something that I am striving to become more and more aware of.

This past summer I was able to experience one something that not a lot of people get to do, travel to a huge city in Canada and be a part of one of the largest celebrations of LGBTQ+ communities in Toronto.

My experience in Toronto was something that I had been thinking about quite extensively before the trip, how my identity as a straight man fit into being at Pride. I was in a delicate situation where I wanted to be a part of the activities at Pride, but I knew very vividly that I had to remember my place: that I am not the person who this week is dedicated to. I am not a member of this community, no matter how much I think I’m an ally to them, saying that I am will not change the fact that I’m just not a part of the community. For that reason I had to make extra sure not to say anything out of turn, or to not speak over or speak for anyone. One of the most apparent times when the interaction of my identity and my need to be careful in my actions was during a for queer youth workshop that was hosted by members of the Toronto Planned Parenthood. I remember vividly how uncomfortable I felt going into their space, I just felt like I didn’t belong. At the same time I felt guilty for feeling this way, because at the end of the day it means nothing to me to feel uncomfortable because these people have to deal with an entire society who does not approve of them. By the end of the workshop I learned that it as long as I was respectful to those people who needed the workshop the most I had nothing to be afraid of, everyone was helpful and incredibly welcoming.

Walking the streets in Toronto during the week of Pride I truly got to experience some things that I wouldn’t be able to anywhere else, especially not in Augusta. There were mobs of people on the streets partying and having fun and celebrating everything that has to do with pride. Of course not everything was celebratory; there was a very solemn atmosphere at some points where speakers took the time to remind everyone to remember those people who had not made

it to Pride because of the stigmatization of the LGBTQ+ community. It’s an event that I recommend to any person that is privileged enough to experience it, whether first hand or through any other means as well.

Ronnie Hummel

17

violence awareness month• • • Rape Crisis Training

I

went through the volunteer training for Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services (RCSAS) from September 4th to September 8th, 2014. RCSAS provides help at no cost for survivors of sexual assault and their families regardless of how long ago the abuse occurred or whether it was reported. Their services include a 24-hour crisis hotline with staff or trained volunteers available seven days a week, advocacy and crisis intervention for survivors at the hospital, law enforcement, or court, and information and referral.

They also provide free therapy and support groups and promote the survivor’s right to know and choose possible courses of action. During this training, I gained a lot of knowledge and information; I had a complete overview of the role of an advocate. An advocate spreads awareness and helps someone in need. An advocate provides moral support to survivors and is a bridge between the survivors and the medical staff and Law Enforcement.

learn what to do in different situations where we are called to the emergency room for a patient. In fact, in case of an emergency call, an advocate has to go to the ER to meet with a survivor.

Once there, the advocate needs to stand by the survivor bringing all the information they might need. The volunteer needs to call the Law Enforcement to allow the victim to file a complaint. If the victim is a minor, DFACS needs to be contacted. While the patient goes through the evidence collection for investigation, the advocate can stand by their side to put them at ease. It is very hard for a patient who’s just been assaulted to have to face strangers in uniforms. The advocate is present to ease the process. The Advocate also provides information, such as documentation on RCSAS and about STD’s. If needed, the advocate can provide a hygiene bag and changed clothes to the patient. In order to become an efficient advocate, we were made aware of all the complete steps a patient would have to go through at the hospital from the time they walk in the ER, until the time they are discharged. During training, we also had the opportunity to take a tour in the ER. In the chief nurse’s office, Rape crisis has two drawers that contain materials, such as clean clothes, and paperwork. In fact, when a volunteer goes to the ER, he or she needs to fill in a paperwork which is used as a report. There is a specific folder in which the report has to be placed to allow a staff member to find it. During the training, we were made aware of the importance of confidentiality; we are not allowed to disclose any important information, such as names. On the last day, we received information about interpersonal dating violence, active listening/ risk assessment, and self-care. This training was very intense and informative. It lasted four days. But, at the end of it, each one of us were ready to become a volunteer advocate. Each one of us were ready to bring help and increase awareness.

Throughout the training, we heard from different guest speakers; some of them were the RCSAS staff members, some of them were in the Law enforcement, and the others were medical staff members. I watched a documentary called: “It was rape”. This documentary really made me understand that the term “rape” involved different aspects and definitions. I saw some case scenarios that I did not know whether or not they could be seen as rape, and this documentary just confirmed my ideas. We had different discussions about drug facilitated sexual assault, child sexual abuse, sex offenders, and sexually transmitted diseases. One of those days, we were able to play with case scenarios and

Valerie Dorce

18

safehomes • • • survivor’s walk

Photograph Courtesy of Sonja Andrews

19

feminist scholarship • • • Reproductive Justice: Midwifery Taking Action Project Part 1: Taking Action Issue Reproductive Justice: Midwifery

F

or thousands of years, childbirth and pregnancy was the exclusive domain of women. “Midwife attended a birth at home” was a global tradition among all indigenous peoples (Skenandore 65). A pregnant woman in labor was attended by a caring community of women with practices that “sustained the mother-infant pair” (Skenandore 65). Indigenous people believed that social support for mother and baby helped strengthen family bonds and ultimately, ties to the community. This global female-oriented subculture was destroyed in the nineteenth century by advances in science, the medical field, and religious bias. “Male control over the practice of medicine came about because … male doctors traditionally served the ruling classes, while women have been the physicians of the poor” (Lang 2).

The dominant Roman Catholic Church was also the benefactor of various European medical schools and “approved their teachings while condemning the independent w o m e n healers” (Lang 2).

“I am not afraid I was born to do this” The Church and Birth Quilt. Courtesy of Sarah Ulrich the legal system joined forces by instituting licensing laws and giving male physicians the legal authority “to determine who was a witch. These doctors accused, and thereby eliminated the female healers whom they perceived as their rivals” (Lang 2). Since women were not allowed to become doctors, and giving birth in a hospital was given higher social status and considered the proper and civilized way to give birth, male doctors took over the pregnancy and birthing realm and thousands of years of traditional midwifery teachings and knowledge “that had been transmitted orally through personal

contact” (Ginzberg 95)were lost. Male physicians took control of midwifery “from the hands of women; they changed it from a neighborly service into a commercial business” (Lang 2).

The male-dominant, patriarchal medical community was also distrustful of the midwife community because of the way midwifery was taught orally and through “on -the-job training” apprenticeship. Because the midwifery model did not follow a strict structure of rules, paperwork, theories, and experimentation, the medical community has spent almost two centuries “discredit[ing] these bodies of gynocentric knowledge as being erroneous, based in superstition, and connected with harm or evil” (Ginzberg 95).

According to Our Bodies, Ourselves, there are “two main paradigms in maternity care education and practice. The classic midwifery model is based on the assumption that most pregnancies, labors and births are normal, biological processes that result in healthy outcomes for mothers and babies. Midwifery care seeks to protect, support, and avoid interfering with the unique rhythm, character, and timing of each woman’s labor” (Boston Women’s Health Book Collective 363).

Conversely, “a strict medical model of care focuses on preventing, diagnosing, and treating the complications that can occur during pregnancy, labor, and birth.

Training in the medical model does not typically focus on developing skills to support the natural progression of an uncomplicated birth” (Boston 363).

Let’s compare the birthing processes between these two models… In the midwife model of care, a woman can choose to have a water birth, sit on birthing balls, squat on the floor or over a toilet, and walk around to use gravity for her benefit. She can eat whatever foods she wants and can be surrounded by a support team as numerous or as few of her choosing. A natural birth using chemical-free methods, such as herbs, massage, and breathing techniques are used to ease labor pains.

A pregnant woman’s partner is referred to her as her assistant and follows the laboring woman’s cues, demands, and requests (Carter 209). After the birth, mothers and babies are never separated, and midwives, doulas, and lactation consultants offer breastfeeding support and advice. Skin-to-skin contact is encouraged to facilitate the bonding process between mother and baby.

20

• • • taking action Reproductive Justice: Midwifery On the medical side of the debate, we find techniques and policies that are not so friendly to mothers and babies… Once a pregnant woman is brought to the labor room she is confined to a bed and hooked up to various machines. She is not allowed to sit, stand, or move around the room. She is forced to lay flat on her back with her feet in stirrups- a position that is convenient for the doctor but even more painful for the pregnant woman. Doctors’ and nurses’ orders must be strictly followed with no regard to the comfort of the person in pain and doing all the work- the pregnant woman! A woman laboring in a hospital is only allowed to “eat” lollipops or ice chips and her support team is limited to one or two people. If the labor does not follow a pre-conceived model, drugs are pushed to encourage a faster (and more painful) delivery. In the hospital, a pregnant woman’s partner is referred to as her birth coach- insinuating that the coach is the one in charge and giving directions (Carter 209). Once the baby is born, the baby is kept separate in the nursery for hours at a time and forced on a feeding schedule using baby bottles. New mothers that wish to spend time with their baby must request “rooming in” and “kangaroo care.” Breastfeeding support at hospitals can vary from non-existent to very little.

The medical establishment is a patriarchal system that enforces the stereotypical, passive, feminine gender role through intimidation and the pushing of drugs that keep the doctor in control. Hospital usage is encouraged through ridiculing of the midwifery system and any other “alternative” birth methods and child rearing practices. Conforming to this system (taking the path of least resistance) does not give women reproductive justice or autonomy over their bodies and further reinforces gender roles and gender stereotypes.

Works Cited The Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. Our Bodies, Our Selves. 40th anniversary ed. New York: Touchstone, 2011.

Carter, Shannon K. “Gender Performances During Labor and Birth in the Midwives Model of Care.” Gender Issues 26 (2009): 205-223.

ProQuest. 15 Jun 2014 http://ezproxy.gru.edu/login?url=http:// search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gru.edu/ docview/217434514?accountid=12365 Ginzberg, Ruth. “Uncovering Gynocentric Science.”

Hypatia 2.3 (Fall 1987): 89-105. EBSCOhost Academic Search Complete. 15 Jun 2014 http:/web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.gru.edu/ ehost/resultsadvanced?sid=666e83ec-ef4e-455f -b0404803b3d738ed% 40sessionmgr198&vid=4&hid=125&bquery=% 28JN+%22Hypatia%22%29+AND+% 28TI+%28uncovering+gynocentric+science% 29% 29&bdata=JmRiPWE5aCZ0eXBlPTEmc2l0ZT 1laG9zdC1saXZl Lang, Frances. “Witches, Midwives, Nurses.” Off Our Backs 3.3 (1972):27. ProQuest. 15 Jun 2014 http://ezproxy.gru.edu/login?url=http:// search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gru.edu/ docview/197131038?accountid=12365 Skenandore, Alice. “Midwives & Native Tradition.” Off Our Backs 36.4 (2006): 65-68. ProQuest. 15 Jun 2014 http://ezproxy.gru.edu/login?url=http:// search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gru.edu/ docview/197137968?accountid=12365

Aspasia Luster

Aspasia Luster’s research was completed as a part of the Intro to Women’s and Gender Studies course (WGST 1101). The second portion, “Taking Action Project Part 2: Community Resource Profile: CSRA Birthing Connections,” will be featured in our Spring 2015 publication.

21

2105 symposium • • • cfp

22

• • • meet our contributors Kathryn DelGenio Kathryn DelGenio is a sociology major in her Junior year at Georgia Regents University. Her daily life consists of attending school full time and waiting tables part time. During summer vacations she likes to travel, and has gone on two study abroad trips with GRU, one to Russia and one to Canada. Her long term goals include becoming a professor of sociology, and spending time organizing within her community.

Valerie Dorce Valerie Dorce senior at Georgia Regents University. She is an international student who was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland. She is majoring is Criminal Justice and my minoring in Psychology and also a new member of the National Society of Leadership and Success and a volunteer advocate at Rape Crisis and Sexual Assault Services. A goal of hers is to help raise awareness for GRU’s Violence awareness events, such as Take Back the Night, Stop Stalking Training, and SafeHomes Survivor Walk, helping not only to inform the public, but also to bring resources to those organizations that are engaged in fighting for survivors.

Ronald “Ronnie “ Hummel Ronnie Hummel is a senior sociology major at Georgia Regents University who graduates in the fall of 2014. His interests in the field of sociology include the study of marginalized groups and he eventually wants to teach at the University level. Aside from his academic career he delivers pizza at Marcos, and is also very involved music having been in various bands. He also enjoys traveling as well, having lived as a child in Europe with his family he was encouraged to travel before life started. With GRU he has gone on two study abroad trips, one to Russia and the other to Canada.

23

meet our contributors • • • Jenelle Lawhorne Jenelle is the Women’s and Gender Studies Student Assistant and Editor-in-Chief of Yell! and Vice President of Iota Iota Iota Honor Society. She will graduate Spring 2015 with a degree in Sociology and minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She hopes to continue her education and move with her husband, three children and all the family pets to pursue her PhD in Sociology.

Aspasia Luster Native Floridian Aspasia Luster has lived in the Augusta area for five years with her husband, son and four cats. She is a junior Anthropology major, Women’s and Gender Studies minor, juggling the conflicting responsibilities of a non-traditional student. Aspasia works at the downtown Augusta Library in the Children’s Department, and occasionally volunteers with SafeHomes of Augusta. Bringing awareness to domestic violence is one of her personal, social justice interests, along with animal rescue. She has nearly completed her core courses, and is excited to begin focusing on her major and minor course requirements. Once she has completed her undergraduate degree, she hopes to earn her Master’s degree in Library Science and become a “real” librarian.

Jourdain “Jodie” Searles Jourdain Searles is a first year graduate student studying Dramatic Writing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. When she graduates, she will have an MFA and pursue a career in television writing. She received her BA in Communications with a minor in Creative Writing at GRU in the fall of 2014.

Jourdain is a feminist and continues to have a strong interest in women's studies as well as sociology, and hopes to incorporate those interests in her writing.

24

• • • meet our contributors Semone Sevion Semone Sanclara Sevion is a junior at Georgia Regents University, a native of Augusta, Ga. One day Semone wants to be a PR agent for a children’s hospital.

She is a proud and loving auntie of three boys, a little sister and a daughter of two loving and supporting parents. Next spring she will receive her Bachelors in communication (PR) with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She is now the president of WSSA (Women’s Studies Student Association). She loves the organization and what they stand for by helping Safe Homes along with Rape Crisis. After graduation Semone wants to go to graduate school and earn her master’s degree.

Thomas “Mitchell” Toomey Mitchell is a senior psychology major graduating in December 2014. Over his years at Georgia Regents University, he has been involved in activities hosted by both the WSSA and Lambda Alliance. After attending World Pride Toronto on a psychology/sociology study abroad, he became inspired to get more directly involved with LGBTQ+ activism in the community by taking office as secretary for Lambda Alliance. In his spare time, he enjoys staying current on LGBTQ+ events by reading Huffington Post Gay Voices and engaging in good conversation. His professional goal is to become a Clinical Health Psychologist providing therapy and conducting research to benefit marginalized populations, which includes gender and sexual minorities.

Want to become a contributor?

Keep an eye out for our next call for submissions, coming Spring 2015!

We welcome submissions of art, creative writing, essays, and research, as well as suggestions for other types of content.

We also appreciate tips for any campus or community news or events!

25

credits Editor-in-Chief

Title: “The Medea Sarcophagus. ”

Jenelle (Plotts) Lawhorne

Page 9

Program Director Dr. Marie Drews Contributors Sonja Andrews Kathryn DelGenio Valerie Dorce Ronnie Hummel Aspasia Luster Jourdain Searles Semone Sevion Mitchell Toomey Shawna Underwood Seretha Williams, PhD

Credit: Photo Arturo And The Machine/CC BY-ND 2.0 Original image: https://flic.kr/p/9E2JpB Title: “Medea despidiéndose de sus vástagos ” Page 12 Credit: Poster by Shawna Underwood Page 14 Credit: Courtesy of Mitchell Toomey Title: “Photo of Us” Page 15, 16

Credit: Courtesy of Kathryn DelGenio Page 17 Credit: Mitchell Toomey Original image: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?

Special Thanks

fbid=1504945189719368&set=o.512029308926571&typ

Tyler Huggins

e=3&theater

Jourdain Searles

Page 19

Sara Ulrich

Credit: Sonja Andrews

Dr. Seretha Williams

Original image: https://www.facebook.com/

Art & Photography Credits Page 4

photo.phpfbid=10154762193175506&set=a.101547621 93060506.1073741848.881840505&type=3&theater

Credit: Photographs provided by Alejandro Smith Title: Title: “Domestic Violence Awareness Event” Page 20 WSSA Love Your Body Week Page 8

Credit: Quilt and Photograph by Sarah Ulrich

Credit: Frank M. Rafik /CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Original image: http://www.positivebirthstories.com/

Original image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/

Title: “I am not afraid I was born to do this”

abuaiman/12508079233

26