a little red hen

Smart women & men avoid World AIDS Day?

Six years ago, posted, as I do every year,about this day.  So did these far more courageous people.

Seven AIDS activists, women and men, preempted John Boehner by appearing unannounced four days before the designated Day.  Without clothes, decorated with painted messages on their bodies.  (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

"Budget cuts are really rude. That's why we have to be so lewd," they chanted.  The men eluded police but four women were arrested.  This gave them the "opportunity" to give more details about funding cuts.

Since December 1, 2007, when my other blog, Knit a Condom Amulet began, I've wondered about its usefulness as a  message about HIV awareness.  But when I check my stats on how many times people click on it, seems still relevant.  Featuring for 2018  pink Condom Amulet as Bra by the spectacular knitter Lisa Daehlin.  [Happy Birthday, Lisa]

There's a darling little pink Breast Pouch...if you're into coordinated HIV awareness outfits.  Knit on, women.

 

 

A 85, continue to make bread, promote feminism, now weave instead of knitting.

Rebecca Traister, in historic feminist tradition traveled west...

Last night the nice women of Portland, Oregon, were encouraged to show anger by a feminist writer from New York.  How did it go?  Powell's Books authors' room was packed.   

Copies of Rebecca Traister's bright, shiny new book, Good and Mad, were in many hands.

My fragment of notes...so much got exposed in past weeks about what Republican party willing to do.  Call protestors names...27 years since 1992 and Anita Hill and they had no trouble "treating women like shit."  Our work now, "...no more tuning out.  Pick your form of engagement."

When we hear the pundits, "Oh the country is so polarized," that takes away the actual questions that need asking.  Traister emphasized importance of raising the fact that this country was built on minority rule.  "Full participation is our work--women, have shown that the powerless can exercise power--if we are angry enough."  As happened with men toppled from power by the MeToo movement.

Our problem maintaining a women's movement from one breakthrough to another?  "We all have men in lives, means disrupting dependency relationships...been surprised the rage has been maintained."  Using herself as a model--great phrase maker--she encourage us to use humor and laughter...Samantha Bee is good example.

So much more.  You, if you live in Portland, should have been there!  Had a couple of good conversations.  While we waited, woman in front of me encouraged listening to Traister interview on Chris Hayes' podcast.

Do it...almost as good as the room last night.   

 

 

Remembering the zine, Knit a Condom Amulet

Usually find something to read in New Yorker's "The Talk of the Town."  Griffin Dunne's first visit to the Museum of Sex stopped me with relevance to my current moment. 

Took me back to 2008 before we left NYC. Ron Bloom and I dressed up for the Museum's opening.  Seems there were many Condom Amulets scattered about.  Did I make those?  Someone else?  Took one of my favorite casual photos of Ron waiting in line.

That, however, was then.  Nine years later my thoughts turn to where am I going electronically speaking.  My friend Ruth Ann Barrett challenged me--in a very nice way--recently.  Talking about this began with my being alerted to the zine world again.  What morphed into my other blog, Knit a Condom Amulet,   It began life as a small paper zine.

HIV infection in women and men over 50 has not declined in the last decade.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, they account for 25% of those infected.  Amfar reports, "The proportion of AIDS diagnoses among women has more than tripled since the early days of the epidemic, from 7% in 1985 to 25% in 2014. Approximately one in four people living with HIV are women. Of the total estimated number of women living with diagnosed HIV in 2015, 61%were African American."  

Still work to do there in telling the story...maybe a new place online where I gather together my parts as a Conceptual Artist.  Takes in almost everything I've done since last 20th century--Feminism, of course, knitting worms, "This Dirt Museum: the ladies' room, the NO WAR peace action, bread making...



 

 
It's clear I have to get organized.  Tomorrow there's the Zine Symposium.  Kind of daunting. Have a new zine focused on old people vis a vis young people.  Have already been to couple of meetings, mostly young women, gracious, helpful.  Took my picture, put it on their Facebook page.  More later...

 

Old stockings

Steve asked in an email, "Still blogging or only Facebook?"  Excellent question, of course he would ask.

Short answer, I keep hoping the spirit will become actual.  Long one has to do with my expectations of this form when I began in March 2006, the height of enthusiasm for the blog form.  Happily joined with peers known as Elderbloggers.  Though I did not like the title.

What did I want from it?  To connect with other aging women wondering about life after work, women who lived in other cities.  Through incredible luck + synchronicity, spouse and I had been able to retire from a too-big house in Baltimore to a right-sized apartment in Manhattan.  The move jump-started life as a conceptual artist.   Began modestly with an essay, "Composting in Manhattan," written in a weekend writing class.  Moved along in various permutations to knitting 150 red wiggler worm interpretations and This Dirt Museum:  the Ladies' Room, an installation at Queens Botanical Garden--opened eleven days after 9/11/01.

As blogging receded in popularity among younger people, seemed to offer me less juice.  Moved again 2009--last one--Portland, Oregon.  Couple of years ago jumped into Facebook primarily to connect with local political scene.  Found Amy Meissner, fiber artist in Alaska.  Amy along with Steve in D.C. inspired today's post.

In The Final Boxes of Mystery Amy ended her crowdsourcing Inheritance Project.  Having discovered her on Facebook midway, I went back to the beginning.  Women's stockings led to the image here.  Why did I keep for too many, many years discarded hose--mine and my stepmother's?  First to use as stuffing for knitted animals for our first child, Rachel--the one who lives in Portland.  

But she was born in 1968.  Why so long dragged from place to place?  To make necklaces for my installation in another century?  Truly cannot remember except that I still have this one--think it was pantyhose--copper wire and tube, vintage bead.  Have I found  the where and the how for walking forward in these dark days?  

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