On Thanksgiving, I shared a list of five feminists I was thankful for. I said then, and will repeat now, that I am grateful to all feminists, those who came before me, those with me now, and those not born yet. Those who have spoken, written, argued, and campaigned for ways to make our lives richer and fairer than they'd be without them. Because there are so many more than the five I shared on Thanksgiving, I've put together a little list of five more out of the hundreds of feminists I'm thankful for. Coincidentally, all of these women are living, which I can't help but think would make one hell of a dinner party.
The daughter of a Republican Representative (Her father was William Miller, Barry Goldwater's running mate in 1965) and the sister of a wannabe Republican politician, Stephanie Miller is the host of The Stephanie Miller Show, a hilarious syndicated progressive radio show that we can hear online or at Chicago's Progressive Talk. After a few acting roles and TV jobs, I for one am glad that she's found the right career: Her radio show (with two male co-hosts) is the right combination of news, satire, and quirky pop culture stories, delightful and informative for the drive to work. It's no surprise that she has a degree in theater and has done standup (and, in fact, tours as the Sexy Liberal Comedy Tour, which will be returning to the Chicago Theater on March 3). Bonus: She loves animals.
Perhaps you've seen the 2005 documentary, The Education of Shelby Knox, chronicling the activism of a religious teenager who looked at the high pregnancy and STD rates around her in Lubbock, Texas, and began fighting for comprehensive sex education. Currently, Knox lives in New York City, is no longer a teenager, but still an activist for all that makes sense. She is a feminist organizer who fearlessly (or seemingly so) defends gay rights, reproductive rights, and rejects a cultural climate that blames victims of rape. Follow her on Twitter.
Pozner is a media analyst who founded Women In Media & News (WIMN), an advocacy group that works "to increase women's presence and power in the public debate." In 2010, she wrote Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV. She articulates, in numerous articles, her book & blog, on Twitter, and on television, the detrimental effects that the sexism and stereotypes rampant in the media, especially reality TV, have on women and girls.
Because of the prejudice against women comics in general, I think all of them deserve props for simply attempting stand-up comedy (even the ones I don't like). From Jerry Lewis's opinion that women are supposed to make babies and not make people laugh, to websites geared at men perpetuating the myth, to pseudoscientific articles that claim to explain the science behind why women aren't funny, being a female comic in itself is a pretty difficult obstacle to overcome. And Bamford kicks that stereotype in its uptight male ass.
Bamford is remarkably talented in creating voices and accents. Her routines are made up of vignettes (little stories and situations), which means they do not follow a standard setup/punchline formula. She's a risktaker, not just in her format but her critiques of religion and American sensibilities. With stories of romance, family issues, financial struggles, and her own hypocrisy, Bamford owns it all, showing her strength and independence along with imperfections and foibles. Whether she's rejecting a boyfriend trying to change her habits, explaining her thoughts on relationships and marriage (it would feel good, but so would being dipped in a vat of warm, rising bread dough) or describing how she reacted when her manager suggested she get botox, Bamford is friendly and warm but clear: she's not going to change to make other people happy at her own expense. Follow her on Twitter, too.
Rachel Maddow earned a bachelor’s degree in public policy from Stanford University and a doctorate in political science at Oxford University (as a Rhodes Scholar). After working for local networks and Air America Radio, she became the host of The Rachel Maddow Show in 2008 and is the best thing to happen to MSNBC. The way her show digs into issues few other places will touch, coupled with the way she interviews people (left and right) respectfully but still demanding answers to the tough questions makes Maddow my favorite journalist. I learn a lot from her and appreciate the guts she has to tell the stories and ask the questions few others do. She's on Twitter, of course, too.
Honorable mention: Meghan McCain
It's not often Republicans earn praise from feminists, especially in the past couple of decades in which the GOP has gone off its rocker, but McCain is different. As a writer, blogger, speaker, and political contributor to The Daily Beast and MSNBC, McCain is a refreshing voice of reason. Although she is the daughter of Senator John McCain, her views are not prescribed by the Republican Party the way her father's are. As part of a heavily military family, she is a supporter of a big defense budget, but many of her other views are socially liberal. Although supported by her father, McCain opposed Arizona's hideous SB1070 anti-immigrant act. She is an outspoken advocate of gay rights and gay adoption. She supported the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and posed for the NOH8 Campaign, a photo project protesting California's Prop 8.
While McCain is pro-life, she is one of few Republicans (it seems) who understands that the best way to prevent abortion is to prevent unintended pregnancies, therefore, she has spoken in favor of comprehensive sex education.
Instead of leaving the Republican Party as many conservatives have called on her to do, McCain is determined to stay in it, to be a role model and voice for reasonable, moderate, and pro-sex people who might otherwise be turned off by a party whose other spokeswomen include Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, both of whom she has stood up to when they've picked on her for her looks (she's pretty and blond) and weight (she's not a twig).
So, happy 2012, readers, and tell me: Who are you most grateful for? Who would your dream dinner guests be? Tell me in the comments.
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