Sacred Sexuality

He did it! Someone finally did it! Just moments ago during the final presidential debate Obama mentioned the Violence Against Women Act (See post below) when qualifying Joe Biden as his choice for running mate. Not only that. He also said something really amazing: While  speaking to the difficulty of ever reconciling the two opposing views on abortion, he acknowledged that it IS possible to find some middle ground. For instance, both sides agree that no one is ever FOR abortion itself, and that reducing unintended pregnancies is key. Then he said it. The amazing thing. He said that if we could get people to realize that sexuality is sacred we could help reduce unintended pregnancies. Talk about changing the culture of this country- as John McCain had just said we need to do- in the opposite direction, of course. A country who was built on puritanical values and mores definitely could use some overhauling when it comes to sexuality- and it isn't in the traditional sex for procreation direction either. The implication of sexuality as sacred reminds more of the eastern tantric approach, and sounds a lot more appealing than abstinence, that's for sure. (We don't have to look further than Palin's own daughter to see THAT doesn't work.) Wow. Imagine a leader who is candid and responsible about sexuality? The implications here- especially for women- are huge. Not to mention the wonderful modeling of a healthy married couple the Obamas provide, as described in the recent article by relationship gurus, Gay and Kathlyn Hendricks. Read here to smile. This is getting better all the time. : )

Where are the women?

Maybe this is kind of heavy for a first entry, but it's heavy on my mind, mostly because I can't believe it isn't being talked about- at all- from what I've seen. Recently, I've been doing a lot of research about leadership, particularly women in leadership. I'm sure you can imagine why. And in searching for what's going on with women these days- in media, in politics, in education, in spirituality-here in the USA and abroad, I came across a disturbing site dedicated to stopping the stoning to death of women. Yes, in addition to gender mutilation, stoning to death and even live burials continue to be practiced in certain cultures under the protective veil of religious authority. While this makes me sick at heart, I am pleasantly surprised to learn about the International Violence Against Women Act waiting approval in the United States Senate. What absolutely floors me is that it was co-developed by none other than Democratic vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden! Why then, oh why, I ask myself, is no one- not even he- talking about it?! At a time when the Obama camp is trying to win over Hillary supporters and McCain chooses a woman as his running mate, why is no one talking about important issues specific to women? Not even Biden who is obviously engaged in this reform against violence toward women, and could easily have used it to reach out to us, makes mention of it. To me it is clear that A. We are not well-enough informed on these issues, B. The policy makers themselves do not understand the significance of these issues- not even in their potential for securing votes, and C. Perhaps saddest of all, is that the majority of women ourselves do not understand the real impact of living in a world in which more than half of the population is not equally represented in important decision-making. This situation affirms for me what seems obvious: That until there are more women in leadership positions, there will be few who advocate for them, perhaps out of sheer ignorance. You can support the passage of the International Violence Against Women Act here.