this is all I honestly care about right now pic.twitter.com/5J0YauhezN
— lil snowball (@casualnosebleed) May 26, 2015
Every generation likes to look at their youth and talk about how much worse they are than we were “in the Good Ol’ Days.” How they “don’t care” about the world around them. Well, just one look around at our young people today, and you can find plenty of examples of teens who can see beyond cool clothes or the latest Jenner sibling Instagram post. Teens like Caitlyn Cannon.
When the time for yearbook quotes came around at her California high school, Oak Hills, Caitlyn didn’t slouch. Instead, she made it a point to come up with something that reflected exactly who she is, and how she identifies: as a proud lesbian feminist.
As reported by Buzzfeed:
The 17-year-old told BuzzFeed News she picked the quote because she is a feminist and wanted to reflect those values. “I knew that my quote had to be something that called attention to feminism and the issues that women face,” she said. The reaction to her quote has been mixed, she said, but she added that she’s been encouraged to see so many people who agree with her. “As a woman, I face a lot of the issues and inequalities that feminism tries to combat, but as [a] human, regardless of gender, equality is one of the most important rights that we humans should demand,” she said.
She’ll be attending Pace University in New York in the fall, and I’m sure they’ll be lucky to have her!
It’s really sad that there were mixed reactions to what I thought was a brilliant use of satire, skewering a stereotype in order to make a larger point: that one of the (many) reasons that gender-based wage inequality is so unjust is that… not every woman is eventually going to have a man to “take care of her.” There are working women who *gasp* date other women! There are working women who *gasp* are transgender and face pay discrimination on two levels. There are also working women who *gasp* might stay single! THE HORROR.
But seriously, these women should not be punished by being kept at a permanent financial disadvantage just because they dare to live a life not prescribed by the patriarchal mainstream. Oh, and cis, straight, coupled women also deserve to not be kept at a financial disadvantage, natch. Because FAIRNESS. (I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this. But I’m gonna.)
Anyway, to the Caitlyn Cannon’s of the world, I salute you. Hurry up and graduate high school, because we need you in the fight.
(Featured Image via Caitlyn Cannon’s Facebook page)
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