Living behind the birka
Here in Croatia, we wear a birka, it is an invisible one but no more oppressive than the one that is tangible – this birka is a shroud that covers the fact that we are in love – two women – with each other – we do not touch in public, I do not call her ljubavi within earshot of others, and we act as if we are friends traveling together – because here homophobia is going strong – if you are gay you still have to decide whether your job and career advancement is worth marching for your rights in the gay parade – if you are a lesbian, you have to be aware that being yourself means putting yourself in danger of verbal or physical abuse – at home in New York, in New Orleans, we walk the street hand in hand, newly in love – here we wear our invisible birka and bide our time before we are back to the land of freedom – hard to believe I am saying that aloud when there is still a debate raging about a gay kiss on a prime time television program or that gays are flocking to California to be married because they do not have legal rights in their own states or that dont ask dont tell is still the norm in our military – but progress comes in degrees and right now in most of America we are not wearing birkas because some brave souls who came before us took a risk and marched and spoke out and wrote and educated so others could uncover their heads.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:13 am
1. I believe you meant ‘no less oppresive’ 2. birkas in all but a couple of countries are a voluntary form of religious expression that many women embrace and defend as freeing and liberating. should they be forced to make themselves sex objects if that’s not there wish?
July 13th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
young women line up to have their clitoris removed in some countries – in other countries, women raise their sons to go to shule and say “thank you god for not making me a woman” – wonders never cease. I would say that wearing a birka is a sign of patriarchal oppression – but that’s one woman’s opinion and not meant to be a general statement.