23 Oct Disability Rights (and Wrongs)
The Turkish earthquakes set me off, and sent me off also, into rage. Because rural women in Turkey live their entire lives under virtual house arrest. Hijab, "properly observed religious ways," requires among other things that women stay at home, unless accompanied by a male relative — so think about it: following the first small shock, the men rushed out of their homes for safety in the open air, but the women couldn't. When the real quakes hit, it was the women and children that they buried.The men had got away. News reports said that over 2000 people had died. Or was it 2000 women and children? And what in hell did they do if they were disabled? Oh my god what in the hell did they do,? Buried alive, they died. This drove me to borrow an excellent piece written by my colleague here at the Women's Media Center,...