Research Notes #13
Nostalgia and action
Happy June!
Before we get started this week, I wanted to highlight a person in my life who has been instrumental in my ability to question the world around me. She has encouraged me, throughout my life, to be a critical thinker. Without her, I would most definitely not be a feminist. She is the reason I am interested in a wide variety of topics and why I continuously question my personal understandings around race, gender, sex, and other identity markers that exist for myself and others.
Her book recommendations are always stellar and lead me to think in new ways, which is why when she suggested I read Becoming Nicole: The Transformation of an American Family by Amy Ellis Nutt, it was a game-changer. This book opened my mind to the experiences of transgender folx and pushed me to more critically consider the rights of people in the LGBTQIA+ community, kickstarting my research for a future issue. She has been an open-minded ally throughout her life and always works hard to consider the lives of others in crafting her own understanding of the world.
If you haven’t guessed it yet - the person I speak of is my Mom, Renee Mameli Onesi. Thanks to you, Mom, I am a critical thinker and I look forward to many continued, tough but important, conversations to come!
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Six months
This issue marks the 6 month anniversary of this newsletter. Although the content on this site stretches back long before, the newsletter itself began, in earnest, on the first Monday of December 2020. Throughout the first 12 issues, I have covered a variety of topics such as understanding bias, unlearning and relearning our collective history, how to catch a conspiracy theory, and getting to the other side of the white supremacist patriarchy. My opinion has been centered in these narratives and although I don’t believe that is a bad thing, I want the content here to always be moving in an intersectional and enlightening direction. I will still be the feminist killjoy you all know and love, just with a little more positivity to help us fight the battles yet to be waged. Together, we can and will move our collective consciousness toward a more meaningful and bright future for all. In the meantime, here are a few articles for your reading pleasure, from the archives and elsewhere. The 6-month mark has me feeling a bit nostalgic. Enjoy!
Here, There, and Elsewhere
Youth protest through time
This past week, we started watching 1971: The Year that Music Changed Everything (YouTube) on apple tv, which shows the high levels of engagement during the Vietnam War and the pressure that protestors put on the Nixon administration, dovetailing the protest with the music of the time. Watching this series has reminded me of a piece I wrote, back in March 2018 titled The Teens Are Alright (hippiegrrl explains it/heia), in which I discussed the positive impact the current generation of teens is making on many social justice movements, not the least of which, the movement to end gun violence in the United States.
Visit and Take Action: March For Our Lives, Moms Demand Action
What’s wrong with Texas?
That heading could easily say, “what’s wrong with Alabama?” or “what’s wrong with Arkansas?”, but two weeks ago, the Governor of Texas became the next in a series of right-wing legislators to sign a law that restricts women’s rights (Texas Tribune). This time at the level of banning abortion at 6 weeks - before most women would even know they are pregnant. This is, obviously, the outcome of years of fighting to overturn Roe v. Wade from the conservative side of life in America, of which I have been writing about for years. Back in 2013, Indiana tried some shady shit with a bill to require invasive testing in order to get a prescription for RU486, which I wrote about here: What’s Wrong With Indiana? (heia)
In 2003, when I was a columnist for backwash.com, I wrote a piece titled roe vs. wade, 30 years later (heia backwash archive) in which I chronicled the ‘army of god’ and their visit to western new york during the James Kopp trial. The anti-choice movement has always been about control, rather than babies, and the January 2003 visit of this group to WNY really showed the true colours of the movement.
Visit and Take Action: NARAL Pro-Choice America, ACLU
Pride month
As everyone knows, June is pride month. My personal belief is that pride month is every month, but June is when it is actually designated as a time to celebrate the triumphs of the LGBTQIA+ community. Pride started as a protest for rights and, although it has been co-opted over the years by big business, it remains a time to remember those who gave their lives for the struggle. This month we watched the Pride Docuseries (YouTube) on Hulu (FX) which further updated our understandings around the origins of Pride and the ongoing struggle of LGBTQIA+ folx to be free and equal in American society. Back in 2018, I wrote a quick piece with some good links about pride here: Pride 2018 (heia)
Visit and Take Action: It Gets Better Project, The Trevor Project
And now for something completely different
If you know me well, this segway will make total sense. If not, it may seem strange. Either way - here goes. Back in the 90s, I was a weekend goth. I used to put on extra heavy black eyeliner and lipstick, a black dress, fishnets over blue tights, and a pair of doc martens to fit the role. The clubs of choice in Western New York and Southern Ontario, were Gord’s, the Continental, Sanctuary, and, in the early 2000s, Club Diablo. We also frequented Java Temple for a coffee fix (gen x reactions), before or after the clubs (kudos to Heidi for staying open super late back then!) and the Towne restaurant for greasy 4 am food to stave off a hangover (which never worked).
Later, when I lived in an apartment in downtown Buffalo, just a stone’s throw from the Town Ballroom, we would attend the Continental reunions. These were strange affairs where people would try to relive the 90s through the music and dress of the day, but the night would end much earlier as the majority of attendees were upwards of 35 and not really into the 4 am last call scene. Oh how I miss the 90s and you can really pick that up from this piece I wrote, back in 2013, after attending one of the reunions: The Scene That Was (heia)
I hope you enjoyed this walk down memory lane. It was enlightening to see how my old writing informs my current interests. I’m looking forward to sharing more positivity as we move forward through the end of 2021 and beyond. Together we can fight the forces that seek to keep us down and shine a light on the groups trying to harm all of us through hatred and malice. With information and action, we will move the needle toward justice for all and leave the haters behind. Happy Spring!
Thank you for reading the Research Notes Newsletter! Now it’s YOUR turn. Please share your thoughts along with any other questions or suggestions for future research, in the comments. I look forward to lively discourse.