Able Bodied Parents I'm Begging You To Teach Your Kids About Disabled People. Not Just Because They Could

Able bodied parents I'm begging you to teach your kids about disabled people. Not just because they could become disabled themselves one day but also because even if they don't, they have a very real chance of being rude to us if you don't teach them.

Yes, kids just say shit. They have no filter. That doesn't make it any less humiliating when your child sits near me on the bus and incessantly grills me on why I have a stick when I'm not old. Or laughs at us for things our disability causes. It doesn't take away the hurt when they bully a disabled classmate. For a large part these things could be avoided if you just taught your kids to respect us. It's really not that hard.

It’s the way Amber Heard received more hate for defending herself against a domestic abuser than her husband ever received for being a domestic abuser. 

It’s the way people blamed Jada Smith for a grown man getting up and making the choice to assault Chris Rock. 

It’s the way Julia Fox received more hate for not understanding a male rape victim’s nonsensical metaphor than any man has ever received for commiting rape. 

It’s the way Nicki Minaj is receiving more hate for bailing her rapist brother out of jail (and being married to a rapist) than her brother and husband ever received for being rapists.

All the time, women are held to such higher moral and social standards than men. It doesn’t matter if a man committed the most heinous atrocity; a man could abuse his wife, rape a child, assault someone, and the world will still find a way to point its finger and channel all its hate and anger onto the woman, to make her responsible and punish her for the crimes of men. 

men: *decided women weren’t allowed attend schools, study sciences, or have access to higher education* men: well if women are so smart then how come there aren’t many contributions from women in history huh

Storyville - Defying the Cutting Season

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) has been illegal in Tanzania since 1998. But every year thousands of families still plan to have their daughters cut, an ordeal that could cost them their lives. The ‘Cutting Season’ takes place during the December school holidays.

During this time hundreds of girls are saved from FGM by the police, the government and the work of the Safe House. It is run by Rhobi Samwelly, who was herself a victim of FGM, and now, not only does she valiantly run the safe house but she also works with the local police to rescue and protect girls at risk while arresting the parents and cutters.

But they have a tough and dangerous job and old customs die hard. Men believe that girls must be cut to reduce promiscuity and cut girls command twice the bride price in cows as uncut girls. Girls like Rosie, just 12 years old, have had to make the most difficult choices of their young lives - run away from home, not knowing if they will ever see their families again, or submit to female genital mutilation and child marriage.

These brave and courageous young girls are fighting against a tradition that goes back thousands of years. They are standing up for their human rights and fighting for change in their community.

The Safe House is the one safe place they can escape to.