I have to say it

[waterspyder]

I seek support, not permission.

If I wanted to electively amputate parts of my body, I would fight for the right and privilege to do so. I would ask people I knew to support me in my decision. I would ask other people who wanted the same right to support me. If someone disapproved, they are not that important to me. I don’t need their permission, or the permission of the people supporting me in my fight. If I want to electively amputate my baby toe, then that’s not your decision, I don’t need your permission. If I want to amputate my uterus, also my decision, I don’t need permission.

This is why I get so uptight when people hold rallies and say that particular groups cannot attend. These people can be the non-disabled/non-colour/non-woman/non-three-toed-intersex-sloths-below-the-age-of-three; usually what it means is “not someone I identify with directly”. Men cannot support Take Back the Night because they aren’t women.
Men and transwoman cannot support Pro-choice rallies because they aren’t women with uteruses.
White people can’t support people of colour in their endeavours.
Why not? Because activists say that these groups do not need the permission of these other groups to protest.

But by saying you do not need permission from these groups, doesn’t that mean you need permission from someone.

I don’t need permission.

I don’t need permission to have chosen not to bleed. I don’t need permission to have an abortion. I don’t need permission to go pee. I don’t need permission.

Support is always welcome if you respect my decision, you know, the one I made without your permission.

Comments

[waterspyder.livejournal.com]

Third breasts have been banned by the council on good science fiction writing.

I guess I phrased that part poorly. I love a great debate, as long as people are listening to each other when they do it.

I meant more that if someone is disapproving of a cause, then they are not important to that endeavour. I mean, if I decided to rescue all homeless people from a pyre and you were like "Don't do that", I'd likely still go ahead, but I certainly wouldn't expect you to join in and help me. Also, if someone doesn't have anything to contribute to a discussion other than "You can't" or "That's fucked up", then it's not going to hold much weight with me.

There's just been a lot of nonsense happening on the academic side of my life that irks me.

So you think we should burn the homeless... well, I guess the booze content would help... *ducks*

[firedolljamie.livejournal.com]

After having one break into my home at 4 am and walk right into my bedroom accusing me of not belonging there and purporting that I should leave while he steals our liquor - I kind of lost a little of my compassion for them. When I found out that he also broke into the home of a single mother and broke a bunch of stuff, I no longer doubted if there was malice in their hearts.

When the cops 'told me' after identifying the dude that he was going to go away for a long time and I see him back on the street corner a few blocks from my house the next spring, I lost a little faith that the institution(s) of society can take care of the problem.

When I see them rooting through my garbages and recycling every morning while I'm dragging my ass to work to support my lifestyle, I lost any belief that they want to live a better life and have began to use the services society provides as a crutch.

I'm not - actually - going to go out and start a pyre of them....But if I did and you tried to stop me, just remember that I can breathe fire and you would be trying to stop me in my cause and I'd be obligated to try and prevent such things.