Hate Crimes Against Women
The murder of doctor Tiller may have been immediately directed at a man, but it was in fact a hate crime against women. This doctor saved the life of innumerable women and we can't know how many women will now be denied life saving abortions because he is no longer here to perform them. Make no mistake, this happened because the perpetrator considered women to be less than human and thus not allowed bodily integrity.
On a similar note, I have never read, nor heard, of someone being prosecuted for committing a hate crime against a woman qua woman. That is, there are prosecutions against people who commit hate crimes against women, but only because of some other group to which they belong. If a Woman of Color woman is the target of a hate crime it is prosecuted as if the crime was solely because she of color, not a woman of color. If a lesbian is the target of a hate crime it is prosecuted as if the crime was solely because of her sexual orientation. Perhaps I'm wrong and there are a number of prosecutions of hate crimes based on gender, but I imagine that given how much media I consume, and specifically how much feminist media I consume, I would have heard about at least one prosecution of a hate crime directed against a woman or women.
It is far past time that this issue be addressed. We as a society have recognized so many different types of hate crimes, why can we not recognize the huge number of hate crimes against women? Those women are of every class and race and sexual preference, but so often they are attacked because they are not only of those other groups but also because they are women. Women are and have been under attack and it is time that we do something about it.
On a similar note, I have never read, nor heard, of someone being prosecuted for committing a hate crime against a woman qua woman. That is, there are prosecutions against people who commit hate crimes against women, but only because of some other group to which they belong. If a Woman of Color woman is the target of a hate crime it is prosecuted as if the crime was solely because she of color, not a woman of color. If a lesbian is the target of a hate crime it is prosecuted as if the crime was solely because of her sexual orientation. Perhaps I'm wrong and there are a number of prosecutions of hate crimes based on gender, but I imagine that given how much media I consume, and specifically how much feminist media I consume, I would have heard about at least one prosecution of a hate crime directed against a woman or women.
It is far past time that this issue be addressed. We as a society have recognized so many different types of hate crimes, why can we not recognize the huge number of hate crimes against women? Those women are of every class and race and sexual preference, but so often they are attacked because they are not only of those other groups but also because they are women. Women are and have been under attack and it is time that we do something about it.