Pa WOW's Nicole Turman @Harrisburg War on Women April 28 March Interview by Anne Enke

This week Anne of Carversville introduces friends to the three women behind April 28th’s Unite Against the War on Women march for Pennsylvania: Amy Gould Caraballo, Nicole Turman and Lynn Thomas Guidetti.

Anne, along with other Pa citizens, has joined forces with these three busy moms who have strong views about what’s happening to the women of Pennsylvania at the hands of Republican legislators.

For good reason, most AOC writing focuses on the women’s rights assault of the day in America. Just trying to track the legislation is a nightmare. What’s lost in calling out one vaginal probe and personhood bill after another is the personal side of feminism and women’s rights in America.

Furious over this nationwide assault on women’s bodies,  we want to humanize the pro-woman voices who support women’s rights. Limbaugh calls us ‘feminazis’. But who are we really? Are what are we doing to each other — woman to woman.

After you’ve finished reading Nicole Turman’s interview with Anne, meet previously published Amy Gould Caraballo, then check in at the Unite Against the War on Women national Facebook page and Unite Women’s new website. Follow on Twitter as @NatlWOW.

In Pennsylvania, link here for April 28th’s Unite Against the War on Women Harrisburg march.

Pa Press | If you are a member of the Pa press, Anne is happy to talk to you in her role as media liaison for the Pennsylvania march. Contact her here.

(Anne) Did you know each other before joining forces to organize the We Are Women March - Pennsylvania?

(Nicole) I know Amy. Amy knows Lynn. So, Amy has been the connection that resulted in the three of us together. I think that helps immensely as we get this moving forward – there is familiarity, and trust. We know the reasons we are here and we can get down to work.

Do you have a history of being a women’s rights activist? Was feminism a word in your vocabulary growing up? What is your background and relationship with women’s rights issues?

I participated in the March for Women’s Lives in March 1986. That was my first, I was 20 years old then, but feminism has been a part of who I have always been. I was raised by parents that always supported me – believed in my strengths. Who taught me to QUESTION, to think for myself, stand up for myself and what I believe in. Who told me to never believe someone who says, “you can’t” – not for any reason. They taught me to be strong in the face of adversity and how to do so with grace and with dignity.

I was the young child who stood up for others on the playground. Those high school years were awkward, as they are for many. I really found myself again when I went off to college. It was there that I became actively involved in women’s movement activities. Eleanor Smeal, then president of NOW presented a lecture on campus and it was standing room only. We were relatively close to DC and it was easy to get there and participate in marches, rallies and activities.

I’m constantly told that I can’t possibly be a feminist? I like sex and men. Could you define feminism for yourself?

What feminism is!! It is not about sexual orientation, it is not about abortion. Feminism, to me, is about self-determination. It is about respect and equality. It about the belief that equal access and equal protection mean just that –but, at the same time, understanding that those terms do not necessarily mean the same thing to – to men and women, to black and white, to disabled and non-disabled.

When we consider, for example, access to preventative healthcare, equality cannot be defined in the same way for men and women.  By nature of biology, we have to look at different issues – BOTH are preventative healthcare and BOTH must be considered.

Feminism means not having double-standards whereby it is acceptable for men to be sexual and interested in sex and that is admired, but women — well, women who are interested in sex and sexuality are sluts, promiscuous, prostitutes. It means that family planning and family leave should apply to BOTH parents.

Feminism means that I believe that WOMEN and women alone have dominion over their own bodies. It means recognizing that we are a diverse world, where what makes us all one is the conjoining of those differences and by recognizing, respecting, and working from that mindset means we live, interact and engage in a manner that affords ALL have access to those inalienable rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Do you have any opinions on why feminism has struggled to achieve legitimacy in America?

I am a woman who has faith, yet, I still believe that the struggle of feminism in America relates to religion in America. That is not to say that there are not feminist women of faith. What I mean is far-reaching fundamentalist underpinning where women are seen, through centuries of religious indoctrination, as less than the ‘male’ god.  Why do so many include the right of baptism for babies? To cleanse the infant’s soul from Eve’s original sin?  Seriously, my baby has to be cleansed of a ‘sin’ committed by a character in a book written by men to perpetuate their own authority over women? I think that the undertones of religion have had a tremendous impact on the subconscious of America and it has impeded feminism’s legitimacy in America.

Do you have children? Do you work with children or young women?

Both. I have a son. I do work with children.

Was there a specific trigger that brought you to the national Unite Against the War on Women campaign?

What led me to UniteWomen and the rally and activities scheduled for April 28^th? Well, enough is enough. The Pennsylvania legislature is trying to push through HB1077,  a transvaginal ultrasound bill. The US Congress tried to undo years of women’s preventative healthcare and access to contraception with the Blunt-Rubio amendment. State legislatures all over this country are trying to take women back to the dark ages. I don’t know what possessed our current governmental leaders to think that they could take women back more that 60 years – if they thought we wouldn’t be paying attention because we are focused on the economy, or what. But, I have had enough – the legislative measures that are being proposed both in the US Congress and in many, many individual states are too frightening to me to not become actively involved. I am determined to make a difference – to stop this war on women, in Pennsylvania and nationally.

Did you have grassroots organizing experience before leading this Pa effort? What gave you the confidence that you could pull off this march on April 28?

Yes, mostly related to disability advocacy.

Are people eager to get involved?

Lots are eager to express their enthusiasm for the cause, less so to actually pitch In and help, which is sometimes frustrating.

Do you believe that women’s rights are under assault in Pa more so than in previous years? Haven’t certain segments of American society always objected to women’s rights? Are the issues really worse in terms of women’s rights?

While I see this ‘cause’ – this expectation of women’s rights and women’s freedom as being a concern for many across political lines, I think that currently, one must consider the political element. In Pennsylvania, one party controls all threes arms of the government – the PA House, Senate and Governorship. The Republican Party has an agenda and it is not pro-woman and they are introducing and trying to push through legislation that is very damaging to women. What concerns me most is just how polarized we have become – not just in Pennsylvania, but nationally.  I recall watching an episode of the Rachel Maddow show where she shared graphs showing the trends, in terms of ideology of the presidency and Congress since the 1960s. While the Democrats seems to remain level – in terms of how far left they were in ideology, the Republicans have demonstrated a very hard spike to the right… this ideology and the current climate in Pennsylvania and in the US in general if frightening to me as a woman and as a mother.

If you look five years into the future for Pa women, what potential changes loom very large in your minds?

I am an optimist and would like to believe that these current assaults on women’s rights and the awakening in women that they have inspired will have an impact. So my vision is that women will unite, stand up and turn the tide of these current trends. I do not see the full range of the feminist agenda being implemented – I am talking in terms of progressive approaches to family leave workplace policies, workplace policies, etc. But, I am hopeful that we can stop this assault and begin a dialogue that can begin to make our culture and our lives better for everyone.

If you had one piece of advice for moderate and Independent Pa voters on the subject of women’s futures in the state what would it be? Is it the same for Republican and Democratic women? What do you say to men voters?

The time to take a stand is now. These threats to us as women are real – read, learn, educate yourselves about the issues and make informed decisions.

What can Pa women and men do to support Unite Against the War on Women?

Join us in Harrisburg on April 28^th. Come to our Facebook page and sign on to the cause. Spread the word and ask your friends and families to join us. This really does affect EVERYONE!

Motivating people to arrive in Harrisburg on Saturday, April 28 is no easy task. What’s your pep talk to get Pennsylvanians moving?

This is real, it is happening NOW in Harrisburg, if not you, who? Who will stand up and ensure that we do not move backward? Who will ensure that your rights, those of your wives, mothers, daughters, sisters nieces, neighbors are protected?

Meet Amy Gould Caraballo, Nicole Turman and Lynn Thomas Guidetti — and Anne — at April 28th’s Unite Against the War on Women Harrisburg march. On Monday, we introduce Lynn Thomas Guidetti.