10 Reasons for Feminists To Be Grateful This Thanksgiving

I spend a lot of time on this blog pointing out the totally outrageous attempts of the anti-choice movement to take away women’s constitutionally guaranteed right to make their own medical decisions in private. As part of that, I admit that I often deliberately try to rile y’all up, because sometimes you’ve gotta get mad to make change.

But today, in honor of Thanksgiving, I want to do something different. I want to point out things for which we can be thankful. Even as our rights are under constant assault, even as we sit down to yet another awkward family dinner with people who may not support our causes, even as we wait to see whether Obama will cave on birth control coverage, this year we do have a few things to celebrate.

1. Religiously affiliated organizations may or may not have to cover birth control in their insurance plans, but everyone else sure will–free of copay.

2. The Catholic Church is no longer able to block reproductive health services for victims of human trafficking.

3. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is toast.

4. The Defense of Marriage Act may soon be as well.

5. Mississippi voters made the right choice on personhood.

6. The FBI is beginning to recognize that Rape Is Rape.

7. HBO made a movie about Gloria Steinem.

8. Anita Hill may have been lamented, lambasted and lampooned by the right, but 20 years later she’s still a hero to us.

9. We only have to endure one more Twilight movie.

10. Ms. magazine has spent almost 40 years reporting and rabble-rousing. And yes, we’re still fabulous.

So join me this Thanksgiving in raising a glass to feminists around the world! For what else can we give thanks?

Photo by flickr user maxxtraffic under Creative Commons 2.0

About

Holly L. Derr is the Head of Graduate Directing at the University of Memphis and a feminist media critic who uses the analytical tools of theater to reflect upon broader issues of culture, race and gender. Follow her @hld6oddblend.