We are living through dark times. There are a lot of moments where I feel like we are going backwards, and that all the struggle is for nothing. That being said, I felt such a sense of solidarity, joy and optimism seeing women come together to make their voices heard over the weekend. It was such a beautiful thing to see the many women’s marches around the world totally eclipse the inauguration – this weekend, love undoubtedly trumped hate.
With six months to go until my wedding, I have a bit of wedding fever! And I have been giving a lot of thought to something that concerns me – how to evade some of the unsavoury traditions and customs associated with weddings. As I’m sure many people know, weddings historically operated in the context of women being passed – as property – from their fathers to their new husbands, and a lot of weddings customs reflect this – walking down the aisle, promising to obey, etc.
Now, it is often assumed that feminists and weddings don’t really go together. I consider myself a fairly stalwart feminist, but I am also incredibly excited to join together with my fiancé in marriage and share our lives together (as we already do). Nevertheless, the patriarchal traditions and continuing exclusion of the LGBTIQ community from marriage in Australia mean that there are definitely aspects of this institution that are problematic for those who consider themselves feminists and, well, decent people. Continue reading
I can do that! 