Derby Girls and Godless Universes

February 12, 2013 Aoife O'Riordanatheism, Gaelick, Religion and Spirituality, roller derby, spirituality ireland1 Comment

A couple of things I’ve been writing elsewhere this week:

The Fresh Meat Frontier

I don’t know about you, but I was intrigued. As if it were tailor-made to tempt a beanbag-bound nerdlady like myself to pop Captain Picard on pause, put down the caramel coated rice cakes and leave the house to try out this unfamiliar thing called ‘physical exercise’.

A bunch of emails and several months of skating around the park and the roller disco later, me and my sparkly-laced quads ventured into the first session of what’s slightly-terrifyingly called Fresh Meat training with the Dublin Roller Girls. To say I was intimidated walking in the door is an understatement.

And for something completely different:

Atheism and Me: Living in a Godless Universe

We all live in the same universe.

That’s it. We all live in the same world. And this is not a world where when we die, the atheists poof out of existence and the theists hang out in their respective afterlives/reincarnations/whathaveyou. If that were the case then I assure you I’d be founding the Order Of The Excellent Afterlife myself. This isn’t a world where believing hard enough makes gods exist for you but not for me. Conversely, if there is a god or gods out there, then no amount of my disbelief will make them not exist.

Hope you enjoy! And while you’re there, do go check out some of the things my fellow Gaelickers and Spirituality Irelanders are talking about. Over at Gaelick this week there’s tons of conversations going on about equal marriage, as well as an interesting perspective on the right to offend. At Spirituality Ireland, there has, of course, been a bit of a palaver over the Pope‘s resignation. Danny also talks touchingly about what being a New Age Godparent means to him, and Rania updates us on the new Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.

And before I go, have a super-cute video from way back when Sh*t XYZ Say was a thing. NSFW for n0rty words:

Happy reading!

Godless goals, godless progress (freethoughtblogs.com)
‘Not believing in God makes life more precious’: meet the atheist ‘churchgoers’ (guardian.co.uk)
The Fellowship of the Rink: From Referee to Derby Skater (bangordailynews.com)
You Gotta Roll With It (girlbehindthescissors.wordpress.com)
Atheists find togetherness and ritual in London’s new godless church (rawstory.com)
Roller Derby is not just a game, it’s a community (thegazette.com)
Growth in roller derby (wrtrgrl77.wordpress.com)

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Feminsm est mort! | gaelick

December 12, 2012 Aoife O'Riordanasylum seekers, asylum seekers and refugees project, BeLonG To, butts, Carla Bruni, feminism, Gaelick, janet mock, RefugeeLeave a comment

Check out my latest post over at Gaelick- this one on Carla Bruni’s baffling assertion that we no longer need feminism:

Y’know what’s strange? Carla Bruni seems to think that, well, feminism is outdated and unnecessary. Despite having been pilloried for years-old sexy pictures when she moved on to a more ‘respectable’ career path. Despite having been branded with sexualised, misogynistic insults when she defended a woman sentences to death for adultery. Despite working with women and children affected by HIV/AIDS. Despite all of that, Bruni ain’t a feminist. And she doesn’t see why any of us are either.

What?

Read the rest at Feminsm est mort! | gaelick.

And as you’re there, why not check out some of the other things Gaelickers have been writing about this week?

Butt it’s sexy:

Dudes, there is an elephant in the room, and I think it’s time we talked about it. Not enough people are talking about this elephant, and by elephant I of course mean your butt. Nobody is talking about your butt. The Saddest Story.

Anal sex is one of the hardest things to talk about, because most of society thinks butts are kind of gross. Wrong! I bet most of you guys have very lovely bottoms, bottoms you want to share with equally lovely tops, but how to broach this incredibly awkward subject?? It’s a tough one.

Being a Gay Teacher:

Monday morning. I have mixed feelings. I’m looking forward to work and I’m slightly dreading it. I can’t wait to see the children again, the smile on their faces when they come into the classroom, I have a cool art lesson planned, and I got new toys over the weekend that I know they’re going to love. I get to school, the morning goes well. We all have fun. I have one of those great moments where you can see progress in a particular child and you know your hard work is paying off. Our nursery rhyme this week is Incy Wincy Spider, they all laugh and clap at my impression of Incy Wincy falling down in the rain, I’m here ’till Friday kids!

Bell goes. It’s lunchtime. Staffroom is calling. Now for your typical Monday morning conversation. I have a few scenarios where I employ different techniques to avoid anyone finding out I’m gay.

BeLonG To Blueprint for Protecting LGBT Asylum Seekers and Refugees:

Speaking about their experiences, a young gay refugee from Southern Africa said: “This is the truth: I don’t think I’d be here right now if it wasn’t for BeLonG To. I really wanted to kill myself, I just really wanted to die and get away from this. But then after talking to people from this service, encouraging me and constantly telling me that everything would be ok, and still giving me room to express myself all the time… They have helped me a lot, I have grown, and I have learned how to accept myself.”

Álainn or Appallin’: Janet Mock:

Former people.com editor Janet Mock never intended to be an icon but that is exactly what she is. Coming out as a transgender woman in May 2011 Mock did an interview with Marie Claire entitled I Was Born a Boy. The open and frank account of her life was, and still is, deeply moving and lead her on the path to become an amazing advocate for our community.

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Janet was educated in the University of Hawaii as well as doing graduate work with the school of journalism, NYU. She is both a writer and an activist, working out of Harvey Milk High School NY as part of the Hetrick-Martin Institute where she is involved in the education of LGBT youth, specifically creating transgender-specific programs.

And loads and loads more!

Oh Carla Bruni, so feminism’s over, is it? | Barbara Ellen (guardian.co.uk)
Why are women scared to call themselves feminists? (salon.com)
[quote] In short, Carla has exposed herself as being what I would term a bespoke feminist. (slendermeans.wordpress.com)
Janet Mock on the Freedom of Telling Her Own Story (colorlines.com)
On the growing visibility of black LGBT women (thegrio.com)
Being gay at school remains difficult for teachers (guardian.co.uk)

Elsewhere this week: Julie Bindel and the Trans Health Forum

October 6, 2012 Aoife O'RiordanBi, biphobia, bisexual, feminist ire, Gaelick, health in Ireland, Ireland, Julie Bindel, lgbt, Queer, TENI, trand, transLeave a comment

Over at Gaelick, I wrote a response to Julie Bindel’s latest biphobia:

I’m not sure how bi women’s liberation is in pretending to be lesbians. I’m not sure how we’re supposed to be ‘liberated’ by sublimating many of our desires, re-closeting ourselves and denying ourselves love if it happens to come in her idea of the ‘wrong’ package. Of course, in Bindel’s world being a lesbian or bisexual doesn’t seem to be about love. It’s about patriarchy and politics and tyranny.

TENI held a Trans Health Forum in Dublin this week. I livetweeted (check out my twitter in the sidebar!) and blogged about this over at Feminist Ire:

Trans people don’t just show up from nowhere. We all live in local communities, go to schools and colleges, live in neighbourhoods, go to jobs. Trans kids growing up should know that there are other trans people out there, and so should the cis kids growing up with them. They need to know that they’re not the only one out there. The media have a huge role to play here in providing positive and varied non-stereotyped portrayals of trans people. Trans people are part of our society, and it’s time our society started acting like it.

Also, I’ve been playing around with the look of this place. What do you think?

Enjoy!

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