“Calling words” become action. There is an attack happening on women. That was obvious as soon as the Republican nominee first opened his mouth. The problem is, that the words that this nomine uses to call others towards hatred have begun to have it affect from the ground up. Many of us knew this would happen. While it’s happened before, those of us who are lesbian have become accustomed to a certain freedom and action and receiving legal rights. My friends and I like the freedom.
Now it is time for us to call words of action out to our women warriors to write calling words. Now is the time call forth others to gather together and fight harder against this insidious repression of women and women’s ideas. While the obvious oppression is against all women, especially women of leadership and power, the more problematic on my mind is how it affects our lesbian community, our queer community, and all women who love women. Last week, the lesbian community learned of the loss of the editor of afterellencom to a company that took over the website and relieved her of her duties. This is a tragic loss to our community in my opinion. It was one of the few safe places I could go online when I first came out. This does not mean it has to be the end however. 
It is good to discover that the original owner of afterellen has been able to move to autostraddle. This corporate takeover is still a sign of things to come if we do not stand up now. I encourage all my fellow writers and bloggers to support our community by writing your own blog about sites still available to our lesbian community. While I am more familiar with after Ellen and auto straddle, I recently discovered two new blogs written by a younger generation. It is a time for us to continues to support the older revolutionary sites, but also to embrace the new. Perhaps it is the time to handle hand over the baton. Only time will tell. For now those of us who have battled for rights for the gay and lesbian community must continue to hold strong. We can also encourage this younger generation to continue the fight so that one day it will no longer be a fight. So that one day we will no longer have to consider a fight for the right to love who we love. Love is love is love is love is love. Nothing more true can be said and we must continue to share that message.
In this day of shootings and riots we forget the power of the word. Yet it must be remembered that it was the words of Hitler that called people to atrocities. It was the words of the fascist the lead whole countries into battle against the in innocent. It is the words of the Republican nominee that is calling forth more hatred more racism and more oppression. We can call forth the words needed to support strong warrior women who will stand up against oppression hatred and racism. As I started this particular writing, my thought is to address the lesbian community because that is the one whose rights (or lack of rights) I know most personally. We have fought a long and hard throughout my life for the right to marry. We only had that right for around a year and a half and already it is threatened.
It is the nature of any battle, that the oppressor while losing will find a way to route what they consider the enemy. I call forth any of you who are being targeted to write words to call forth any meek who will stand up. They may be meek by nature, but they also may have the heart of a warrior. I am from a family of warriors, yet I am by nature a peacemaker. My warrior family would not have put up with the things that I have put up with. I am not sure how they would’ve handled it other than voting, but they didn’t have to worry because they were white and middle-class. That means they did not have to fight, their rights were assumed and taken for granted. While I am a white woman and still middle-class, I have also lived in poverty and felt the effects of oppression. I have lived in communities where oppression rules.
I have seen firsthand the damage that words of hatred, racism, and xenophobia have on entire communities of people. While most of the meek find it hard to stand alone, we must let them know that they are not alone. They have us and that we will all stand up together against this regime that is quickly taking over our rights as women. Please understand that this is not to call those who continue to be meek any negative name. We need the meek, they are our peacemakers. Because of my own nature, I do understand however that there are those of us who are meek by default. Yet, we have a warrior spirit to stand beside the Warriors in the battle. Perhaps those of us who are from warrior families can support the wounded, take over when they are tired, write blogs and articles books about what we have been through. Words matter.
Words do have power. Words have incited wars. What is more important as I write this, is to let you know that words have also called forth beauty and worlds. Most of my readers understand that I have been a pastor. The power of words that comes to me first is that Christian and Hebrew Scriptures that start out saying that God called forth the world. God did not wave hands or a wand. God did not ask someone else to do it. God called forth. God spoke and it happened. I call you forth to make something happen in the name of women.
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