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]

Growing up just outside Toronto, my mom taugh me a few things.

If you're going to give them anything, give them nutritious food.
It is not condescending to give them dog food (for their dogs). There is no reason why a pet should suffer for the stupidity of its human.

I think I have given money once to a homeless person. I believed him to be category A. He swore on his gramma's grave it was for laundry. He told me exactly what coins the washer and dryer took, and then when i gave him the necessary coinage for one load of wash, he attempted to give me the change he had collected earlier in the day. I'm pretty sure he's not still homeless.

As zenten pointed out last night "It's really easy to get off the street and onto welfare or disability, as long as you haven't committed fraud."

I had to correct him. They repealed the fraud clause in 2004.