Playing With Dolls

A beautiful, petite, brunette young woman runs down the hall of an office building. She is chasing after a tall, African American young man who throws garbage cans behind him to stop the woman from catching up to him. They are both disheveled as they run outside. The woman jumps on top of him, pinning him down, and it is clear he cannot get out of her grasp. And she does all of this in a skirt that does not cover her butt, tights and six inch heels. Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse episode “Echoes” from season two could at first seem to serve as an example of the show’s sexist themes, but it could actually serve as an example of the shows feminist message of women’s strength when examined more deeply. While some may argue Dollhouse condoned sexually exploiting women, evidence from the show itself proves it was written by Whedon to advance his feminist agenda.

Dollhouse shows a world where the concept of consensual slavery has been embraced. The underground Dollhouse corporation ( the show specifically focuses on the Los Angeles branch) rents out people who are under contracts, or dolls, to rich clients. Adelle DeWitt, director of the Los Angeles branch, is shown as the one who recruits potential dolls. Most of the dolls, also referred to as actives, appear to have been recruited willingly into the program, as shown in flashbacks to their recruitment. People are recruited into the Dollhouse for different reasons. The main character Echo, whose real identity is Caroline, agrees to be a doll in exchange for not going to jail for bombing a building being used to experiment on animals. As a doll, their personalities and memories are temporarily erased, they are given code names and they are imprinted through a brain scan with new personality’s which clients request for temporary assignments. Their assignments range from being midwives, bodyguards, dates and lovers. During their time at the Dollhouse, they have no free will and they only do what their new personality was designed to do. After five years of being a doll, of which they will remember nothing, they will be released, be given back their original memories and be given substantial sums of money. Most of the employees of the Dollhouse see no moral ambiguity of this consensual slavery, although it becomes clear the dolls did not know the full details of what they would be used for when they signed their contracts.

Dollhouse examines the difference of sexualization of men and women in our society. There are major differences in males and females sexual assignments. Male dolls are occasionally shown being sent for sexual assignments, but they are more commonly seen in clothing, like military uniforms, that lets the audience know they are used for a physical task. Victor is the one male doll specifically shown going on a sexual assignment. It is revealed the client using him is actually Adelle DeWitt. While Adelle does use Victor as “Roger” for sexual needs, she also uses him because she is in need of basic companionship. “Roger” is not someone for Adelle to control but someone to love and comfort her. Whedon is reiterating how our society treats men not as sexual objects, but more as sources of strength who can serve as emotional support.

In Dollhouse, female dolls are usually used for sex because men only see women as sexual objects. Although female dolls are chosen for more than sex occasionally, male’s obsession with sex is often what drives men to use dolls. In the chapter "Love and Sex in Dollhouse” of her book Power and Control in the Television Worlds of Joss Whedon, Dr. Sherry Ginn, PhD in General-Experimental Psychology from the University of South Carolina, claims the show supports the idea males are more obsessed with sex in our society. She argues “given the majority of the active’s clients are male, it seems that evolutionary psychology’s predictions that men want to have sex with as many women as possible is supported by their actions with these people.” The male clients only ask what the dolls will do sexually without much concern for what the doll wants as a person. Even Adelle appears, by her body language when talking with the male clients, to be disgusted by how the men talk about the dolls. If she, the person running the program, is questioning the character of the clients, the audience is made to feel they should feel an even stronger concern. As a feminist, Whedon is telling the audience men are not respecting women if they just see them as sexual objects.

In Dollhouse, male clients choose their female dolls to have personalities they can have power over. A male professor hires Echo to be imprinted to be an unintelligent student because he can not get any of his actual students to have a sex with him. Whedon writes this man’s character in a way that shows he gets pleasure from being smarter than the student, like when he laughs at her inability to understand old English. Whedon is arguing men are not looking for someone to talk to or have a relationship with because women are just for sex. Whedon’s message of sexualizing woman is an essential part of feminism. In her book Feminism is for Everybody, Bell Hooks claims feminism is about ending sexism, oppression and sexual exploitation. She argues a definition like this “makes it clear the problem is sexism. And that clarity helps us remember that all of us, female and male, have been socialized from birth on to accept sexist thought and action.” Our society accepts sexism, so men think it is acceptable to treat women like they are just for sex. Whedon writes these male characters to show the audience the negative way men see women that, as a feminist, he is not going to accept or glorify.

Female dolls are highly sexualized by their clothing in Dollhouse because that is what the male clients want their dolls to look like. Echo is often dressed in what can barely be called a skirt, yet she is still able to defend herself when put in dangerous situations. Whedon is taking a stereotypical idea of women and arguing as a feminist that even if our culture sexualizes women and dresses them in such a way that makes their bodies the main focus, this does not actually diminish who they are. Echo is still a person with thoughts somewhere deep inside of her, and male’s obsessions about her body do not make those thoughts go away. Whedon is presenting the idea that as much as men can oppress women, they can never fully take away women’s power. Whedon claims Dollhouse is “the story of strength told from the point of view the weakest a person can be.” Echo, and the rest of the female dolls, is in the most vulnerable state a person could possibly be in. Yet, Echo fights through it because strength is always within her, no matter how oppressed she is. The Dollhouse tries to sexualize Echo to an extreme to take her strength and independence, but this is not an ideal that is condoned by Whedon.

Dollhouse shows a world where women’s sexual consent is not always needed. As the moral compass of the show, Ballard, Echo’s handler on assignments and former FBI agent, strongly voices his disapproval of the Dollhouse. When Adelle tries to reason with him the dolls have chosen their present situations, he tells her no one can chose to give up their rights. In the chapter “Companions, Dolls and Whores” of the book The Philosophy of Joss Whedon, Dr. Tait Szabo, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at The University of Wisconsin–Washington County, argues Whedon is making strong arguments against the dolls treatments. Szabo argues Whedon is telling the audience “Even if, in some case, Caroline voluntarily became an active, her subsequent choices as Echo are not voluntary. Any sexual activity she engages in is non consensual.” Whedon is arguing that if they do not have a choice in their sexual activities, this is exploiting women. It does not matter what justifications Adelle can come up with, or justifications our society comes up with. If female dolls have no choice to say no, they are being exploited. Whedon is saying while our society tries to justify exploitation of women, it is not acceptable to treat women in such a way.

Dollhouse demonstrates a clearly patriarchal society. Although the head of the Los Angeles branch is a woman, no other female administrators are shown. Male administrators come to Adelle’s office to question the way she is running her Dollhouse. But Adelle being surrounded by men does not make her powerless; after all it is under her leadership that the Dollhouse corporation is overthrown. The men that surround her are never able to really tell her what to do. Even when the Dollhouse demotes her to a regular employee, she outsmarts the men to get her job back. Dr. Misty K. Hook argues in the chapter "Dealing With the F-Word” from the book The Psychology of Joss Whedon: An Unauthorized Exploration of Buffy, Angel, and Firefly, by “creating such powerful women characters who make no apology for their strength, Joss is signifying his acceptance and support of such women.” Whedon writing strong female characters is essential to a feminist piece of writing. Feminism acts to change socially constructed ideas of gender roles and Whedon is challenging the stereotype women cannot have power over men. Whedon is reminding the audience women can have any role in the world they want, no matter the limitations society attempts to put on them.

In Dollhouse, Whedon uses themes that at first seem to be sexist in order to challenge stereotypical ideas of women. The Dollhouse treats women like they are not real people, but they fight through it. Whedon argues equality is so vital “we need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who is confronted with it.”  Whedon is arguing how important it is for our society to start seeing men and women as equals. Women are not toys to be played with. Women are strong, powerful, independent women who should be treated in a way which reflects this.

Tearful Goodbyes

The loss of Stuart Scott is a big one for anyone who is a fan of sports. I have never known a world without him on my tv, recounting the newest developments in sports news. After he died a few weeks ago, I began to learn more about Stuart and how he made sports news what it is today. I simply had no idea what kind of impact he had on it. Through the touching tributes his friends have done for him, I have learned that it is because of him the sports news that I grew up loving wouldn’t have been the same without him. I learned how he stood up to racism without violence or anger but intelligence and cunningness. It wouldn’t have been so funny or full of individuals personalities. Because of Stuart Scott, the people that came after him were able to make sports news what they wanted and how they wanted to to speak to the public.

It is still just a little unbelievable I will never turn on my tv and see him again, spouting out one of his trademark catchphrases. But I know that even though he’s gone, he isnt because he’s impact on the sports world will be there forever. Everything that happens from now on will be partially because of him and his style. If anyone is wondering how an atheist like me copes will death, this is one of the ways. I’m not really scared of dying because even though I don’t believe there is an afterlife, I do believe that if you leave an impact on the world, you are never truly gone.

Tonight Danny Green is wearing special shoes to honor Stuart Scott. I hope these tributes never end and we never forget of the way he changed basketball.

Okay, so what does any of this have to do with anything this blog is supposed to be about, you might be thinking. While I can’t say there is anything good about Stuart Scott’s passing, there is one thing I saw in the tributes that was both surprising and inspiring.

In the many tributes that were made for him, there were interviews of his friends, many of them male. And those men were crying at the loss of their beloved friend. Rich Eisen, a long time friend and coworker of Scott’s, gave a touching speech on air when he learned of his friend’s death. With tears streaming down his face, he told the audience of the brave man he knew and what an inspiring life he had while he was here.

I think there is something to be said about how as a society and culture, these men felt no shame in crying on tv. There was no need or desire by ESPN to make these men seem “tough” or “strong”. They were allowed to be on tv and cry.

I think of the impact this has on all the people watching the tributes. I think of the people who are watching these tributes who were being shown our culture and society are accepting of this behavior from men.

More Than a Girlfriend

At the end of the day on Saturday at Comic Con last year, I was on cloud nine. I was feeling like a badass in my Peggy Carter army green jacket, skirt, black pumps and some killer 40’s makeup and hair. I had gotten countless compliments on my cosplay and was asked to take dozens of pictures with others who were cosplaying as Marvel characters. The really cherry on top of the day was when I got to ask a question at the Agent Carter panel (I thought I might pass out when Hayley Atwell talked to me) and got compliments on my cosplay from the cast and crew. This was one of the panels I was most excited about for that Comic Con. Captain America is my favorite superhero and the character of Peggy Carter had completely captivated me in the new movie. This show was so exciting because it would be having a woman as the main character. Getting to hear all the news about the show and seeing the sneak peaks? A pretty awesome day in my book.

I was waiting in line to buy my ticket for the trolley back when the man in front of me turned around and took in my cosplay. “Oh, you’re Captain America’s girlfriend, right?”

I was honestly a little stunned. I knew he didn’t mean it badly or was trying to be offensive, he was just making conversation. Without skipping a beat but I responded with “she’s a lot more than that, but in a way, yes.”

The man furrowed his brow in an expression I can't quite describe, laughed and put up his hands in a fake defensive pose.

His girlfriend, really? That’s what that man got when he watched Peggy try to assert herself in a world that clearly did not believe she deserved to be there? A woman who I instantly saw as strong, intelligent, brave, beautiful, honest and giving? I wasn’t angry at the man but disappointed that’s how he saw her.

So when I heard the rumors going around an Agent Carter show might be coming, I instantly told myself not to get my hopes up. I knew the show getting greenlit was a long shot, since even though there have been many successful shows with women as the lead, networks still act like it’s a risk. And even though Marvel has been pretty supportive of women lately, the aftermath of Electra bombing is still following us to this day (yes, this is part of  why we have not gotten a Black Widow movie). I was honestly shocked when I heard the news in Estonia the show was actually happening. I loved this character so much and I was so excited for more people to get to know her.

And guys, this show is not disappointing any of my expectations. I watched the first two episodes tonight and I was hooked the entire time. First off, it looks beautiful. There’s the fact clearly filmed to look like a comic book. This gives the show a very different look that others on the air. Then there’s the fact it is set in 1946 and everyone was expected to be dressed like a movie star. I love the style of the time, I really do, but to have to do victory curls everyday? I think I’ll leave that to Peggy.

Then there is the issue that faced many women at the end of the war that is being touched on in the show. When the war ended and the men came back, women who had so completely held positions and helped win the war were pushed aside. Peggy, once in charge of special projects like the creation of Captain America, is now treated like a secretary when she isn’t being sexually harassed. This show is just another reminder how grateful I should be of women who have come before me in the police department. Because of brave women like Peggy who stood up for themselves and others, I have the opportunity to achieve my dream if I work hard enough. I’m so grateful to have the protections of my rights that women like Peggy did not have when they were just trying to work. Of course, life is not perfect for working women right now, but we are making progress thanks to the women before us.

I’m also so excited to see more from this show because I really love how Marvel has developed Peggy’s personality. I love the review saying she’s not just a bombshell or she’s no damsel in distress. I think she proved those things when she won a fight with a man by hitting him in the head with a stapler. She’s allowed to be physically strong without anyone questioning it. Yes, the men around her work think she should just be as secretary, but when she actually shows her physical strength around the villains she is fighting, no one seems surprised she can handle herself. So far no man has uttered something like “but you’re a woman!”. Jarvis, Howard Stark’s butler that is now working with Peggy, has never questioned Peggy’s physical strength or if she could handle herself. He has expressed concern she is trying to do everything on her own and she needs to learn to ask for help. He tells her men and women need to learn they can not carry the world on their shoulders. It’s an important thing for Peggy to be reminded of because she feels so isolated in her job now and thinks no one believes in her abilities.

I also love Peggy has been allowed to be vulnerable. She’s strong but not a robot. The show is set right after the supposed death of Captain America. Peggy is still mourning for the man she loved and never really got to tell that she loved him. I am much happier to see Peggy cry over a picture of Steve before he became Captain America than her act like he never happened. One of the worst things we could tell women is that if you are strong, you can not cry or have love for someone else. Loving and missing Steve doesn’t take away from her strength and she knows it.

A scene I really liked from the pilot was when Peggy was in a meeting with only male agents and they began to make comments about her having sexual relationships with many men, including Howard Stark and Steve Rodgers. Only one male agent, Daniel, defends her and tells the male agents they shouldn’t talk to her that way. When the other agents leave, Peggy tells Daniel not to defend her again because she can do it herself. I think this is a predicament a lot of women and men have faced. Do you not have other people defend you and try to show you can defend yourself, or do you let others help defend you at the risk of looking weak? Peggy wants to be strong, but I think she knows she needs Daniel on her side too.

I’ve touched on this concept in other posts, but this show is so important not just because Peggy is a cool character, but because it validates strong women in our society. It’s telling the world we think the way Peggy is being oppressed is B.S. and her fighting this oppression is admirable. If not, why would people be watching?

I am just so grateful for this show being made. I see so much of myself in Peggy. All I want out of life is to help make the world a better place and not face a million roadblocks to do so in life. Peggy Carter may not have existed in real life, but women like her did. I am forever in their debt and will spend my entire life insuring their efforts are not in vain. Thank you Marvel, thank you for bringing Peggy to life and celebrating this strong, intelligent, brave, beautiful, honest and giving woman with us.

"I know my value. Anyone else's opinion doesn't really matter."-Peggy Carter

The Word "Badass"

If you aren’t sure where I got the title for this blog, it came from my intense love of Marvel’s Agents of Shield. I saw the series premiere at Comic Con two years ago and I was sold. I’m a Marvel fan (if you prefer DC over Marvel, I don’t trust you) and it has been so fun to watch a show and characters that feel like they belong to my generation. If you don’t watch the show, I hope you don’t get too lost. Basically the show follows Agents of Shield, the agents who work with the Avengers and related things, such as advanced technology the government could use.

I could go on for days about how much I love this show but I’m guessing you don’t want to read that rant. Women in the show is one of the most fascinating aspects of the show. Marvel has been knocking it out of the park lately when it comes to women being represented and this show is not disappointing. The show started off with three women (out of six main characters) in the cast and now a Bobbi (aka Mockingbird) has been added. And seriously, she’s a badass. If you don’t watch the show, just look up Mockingbird suit. She has one of the most amazing costumes in the Marvel universe and I’m not saying I need it, but I do. And it’s not just the number of women in the show but the quality that is so amazing.

The women can certainly take care of themselves. The women are not left out of intense fight scenes in the show and they can certainly kick some ass. I think the most satisfying fight moment for me was when Agent May got to nail gun Agent Ward in the foot after he betrayed Shield. Mockingbird (aka Agent Morse) has certainly put that amazing suit to use. One of my favorite episodes was when Lady Sif from Thor worked with the team for a bit and the entire team, including the men, were in awe of how strong she is and were impressed with her skills as a fighter. When she comes to meet the team, Agent Coulson tells Agent May “she’s a warrior. I saw her fight in New Mexico with Thor. Climbed a giant metal killing machine, speared it with her double bladed sword. It was pretty badass.”

The men in the show don’t just recognize the strength of the women but love it. Not to mention one of the founders of Shield, Agent Peggy Carter, is getting her own show and has been featured in flashbacks on Agents of Shield. They way everyone talks about her, both the male and female agents, show she is someone they all respect. When I think of the young boys watching this show, it’s really cool to think that they are growing up with a show that tells them women are to be respected. And then there are the young girls watching the show who are being shown it’s okay to be self sufficient and you don’t have to pretend to be weak around men.

The women are not devoid of emotions in the show despite their strength, and I think this is the best thing about how Marvel portrays women. Marvel has shown women can be strong and in love at the same time, with other characters such as Agent Carter (a huge post about her is coming soon, but I want to wait for the Agent Carter show to start before I write it). The worst thing we can tell the world is that by being a strong woman, you don’t have emotions. We’re strong, not robots. In the show, Agent Ward is the love interest of Skye and Agent May. When he betrays Shield, this impacts these two women especially because of the emotional attachments they had with him. They didn’t just forget about him once he was revealed to be a traitor. They were mad and embarrassed for trusting him, but they did not let these emotions get in the way of taking him down.

They are certainly smart as well. It’s not like the men are making all the plans and the women are dutifully following behind. Women are a central part of the team and making plans to save the world. It is even revealed that the team that the show follows was not actually created by the male Agent Coulson as he thought but secretly by Agent May without him realizing it. The women are part of the process and the men listen to them. They’re not just equals but respected by the men in the team as well. Agent Ward and Fitz have a look of awe in their eyes as they tell Skye the legendary story of how Agent May (aka the Calvary) once defeated a team of men all on her own. She is something of a legend to them.

Out of all the female characters, I would have to say Agent May is my favorite. I don’t know what other words sum her up better than badass and cool. The actress who plays her, Ming-Na Wen, has commented “A lot of my Twitter fans love using the word ‘badass’, which I love. I don’t think I’ve played many characters where that is the constant description.” I think a lot of people like Agent May so much because as much of as a complex character she is in the show, she’s still pretty relatable. She reminds me a lot of myself in a lot of ways.She has trouble socializing and making friends. She has friends (there was a little easter egg in the show that showed Black Widow is her friend) but she’s an agent that has traveled so much in her life it has probably become hard for her to grow attached to the people around her. She is fiercely loyal to the ones she does let herself grow attached to and she’s willing to do whatever she needs to do to save Sheild. Plus, her fight scenes are awesome. It’s pretty cool to see a petite women on tv kicking ass and people loving it. TV impacts our culture because it essentially tells our culture what we approve of and want in our culture. With all these women kicking ass, it’s telling the world we want strong women in our society.

Being Seen

My inspiration for writing these post always seems to happen when I have a lot of studying to do and right now I don’t think I could cram one more New Testament fact in my head.

I wasn’t planning on watching Brooklyn Nine Nine. I didn’t think I could buy Andy Samberg, the goofy guy I watched on SNL growing up, as a detective. I decided to give it a try when I saw Stephanie Beatriz, an actress I saw perform in Ashland’s Shakespeare festival twice, was in it. (So yes Mom, you were right about this show.) I liked it immediately for obvious reasons, like the good writing and sense of humor it has in its storylines. As someone who wants to be a cop and has spent a lot of time with cops, cop shows can be a little painful to watch sometimes. Bad stances and not clearing corners usually leads me to rolling my eyes. But this show is not trying to be a serious cop show, so I can let the little stuff go. And actually, their stances aren't that bad.

But what I really have grown to love about the show is the diversity. It’s a diverse cast that the media is slowly but surely starting to recognize. There are two female Hispanic detectives (Rosa and Amy are the two characters I’ll be focusing most this post), one African American Sergeant, and an African American captain who is gay. Is diversity on tv my top priority in life? Probably not, I think they’re are a lot more important things that face minorities, but what I’ll touch on this post and others is the little impacts having diversity have on our culture. Before I get to that whole spiel, I’ll introduce Amy and Rosa.

At first I really just liked these two characters because I can see myself becoming a perfect mix of them both when I become a cop. Rosa is on the antisocial side and can be snarky, and Amy is an authority pleaser (to a fault sometimes). Both are smart and effective detectives. It’s really nice to hear that neither of these characters where written to be Hispanic. They were blank slates in a way and when the actresses were cast, their characters were adapted a little to fit the actresses ethnicities.

I also identify with these characters because of how being Hispanic is part of their identity. It’s a part of their identity, but it doesn’t completely define them. It’s only one small part of what makes up them as a person. There are small references that make up this Hispanic identity, such as referencing Rosa’s catholic school upbringing, but being Hispanic is certainly not brought up every episode.

I don’t mind having Hispanic characters on tv, such as Gloria on Modern Family, that have an identity that is made up much larger of being Hispanic because this is certainly how some Hispanic women in everyday life identify. The problem is when we only have characters like that on tv because it puts this idea out in society that in order to be really Hispanic, it has to be a huge part of your identity.

I’m at a point in my life where I’m trying to figure out for myself how much being Hispanic is part of my identity. To be honest, right now I’m unsure. There are times I feel completely distant from Hispanic culture (a lot of this comes from the fact I can’t speak Spanish) but I do recognize it’s at least part of my identity. I can’t deny it when the one thing I can cook well is breakfast tacos I learned from my dad.

I feel like these two women perfectly depict how I identity as a Hispanic. I’m someone who looks a little Hispanic, has some Hispanic aspects of culture that make up my identity, but not someone who is completely identifying as Hispanic. That isn’t something I will feel badly about and it doesn’t make me a bad Mexican or person. I don’t have to prove my Mexican identity to anyone. It’s my identity and no one can tell me it is wrong. Although my identity is something I’m still struggling with, ultimately I think I see myself as an American who has some other cultures that make up my identity.

A Place on the Bench

Before their 2014 win, the last time the Spurs won was when I was thirteen. I remember that win a little bit, but not in much detail and not in a way I will remember this one.

I was in Estonia when they won, forcing me to watch the victory over Skype. On my way back home, I stopped in New York for a few days to stay with a friend. Still very excited about the victory, we visited the NBA store in New York City. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but there were no locker room edition championship tee shirts for women. There were, however, kid's sizes, and there's nothing quite like being told that children belong to a more significant demographic than yourself. You know, the one with actual money to spend.

As much as I love this game and the NBA, I have recognized my entire life the role women just don’t seem to play in the game.

I have loved basketball for as long as I can remember. I love the sound of the crowd cheering and the basketball shoes squeaking. I have to admit, it’s pretty easy to love a team that has been in a golden age practically since I was born. While some players have come and gone, the big three and our head coach have been the same for what seems like forever. I don’t remember a time where these guys I have grown to love didn’t exist.

It isn’t just basketball to me. Basketball is much more than that to my life and family's. There is nothing I love more than sitting on the couch with my family and cheering on the Spurs, or getting to treat my dad to a game in Sacramento. I don’t remember when I learned to do it, but I can talk basketball. If you want a twenty minute lecture on why the Memorial Day miracle is one of the greatest moments in basketball history or why Coach Pop is the greatest coach to ever grace this earth, just give me a call.

And yet, for all this love I have in my heart for this game, I have recognized my entire life the significance of the lack of any female coaches. I’ve known there are women on this earth who love this game just as much as I do, with more knowledge than I could ever have, who simply have never been given a chance to coach an NBA team. It certainly has not been the biggest thing on my mind during my life, but it has been on my mind.

Why couldn't women be on that bench? Why couldn’t women who see this game with more insight than I could ever imagine not coach? Why couldn't women who had dedicated their lives to the WNBA not get a chance to coach for the NBA if that’s where they wanted to continue their careers?

And then with a decision that seemed to be made so effortlessly, the Spurs changed everything. On August 5, 2014, Becky Hammon was hired as the first full time, salaried assistant coach. And yes, that salaried part matters. There have been a few women who have been assistant coaches, but not officially. They were categorized as volunteers, partially because they were not being paid or did not travel with the teams. While some say these factors don’t matter, they were essentially doing the same thing as an assistant coach, it meant their roles could be debated.

There will be no debate with Becky Hammon. She is an assistant coach, just like all the other men sitting on all those other benches. Her role in history is not grey but black and white.

The best part of Hammon being hired? She was not hired because she was a woman. If anyone tells you this, they are flat out delusional. I don’t know a team out there that would be willing to pay an entire salary for an assistant coach just for a publicity stunt, especially not a small franchise like the Spurs.

No, Hammon was hired because of how smart she is and how she fits with the Spurs culture. She was picked because of her incredible career in the WNBA.  She’s a six time All Star and was voted one of the top 15 WNBA players of all time. This job was not given to her so she could be a token female coach but because she earned it.

Spurs culture is a big deal. As many people have put it, the Spurs do not have knuckleheads. While they certainly take the time to celebrate big wins, Spurs players are often described as being on the more serious side. They get on the court, do their jobs and help their teammates do their jobs too. Being a Spur is not just wearing a jersey but being a certain kind of player.

Hammon was hired because she fits in this culture. As Coach Pop puts it, he likes her humor. She likes to learn and Pop sees potential in her to become a head coach.

To hear a man I deeply respect say he thinks a woman could be a coach, that’s pretty significant to me. The fact that he sees her as a coach first and foremost, not just as a woman, that’s a pretty significant too.

So tonight when the Spurs tipped off the season, I was keeping an eye out for Hammon. I couldn’t see her for a minute but then she was there, right behind Coach Pop. I’m not sure if I can really describe what I felt when I saw her there, hair slicked back into a ponytail and talking to another coach. Relief? Gratitude? Pride? I don’t know what I was feeling, I’m just glad she was there.

Finally women like me are being represented in a sport I love and can not imagine life without. Finally a woman will be on that bench, sharing her insights and knowledge to make an NBA team stronger. Maybe one day I'll be watching Hammon leading the Spurs to a championship and I'll be able to tell my kids I remembered when she was just an assistant coach. I couldn’t be more happy this moment in history has occurred and I couldn’t be more proud it was my beloved Spurs that made it happen.

Relationships and Once Upon a Time

The subject of LGBT characters on ABC’s hit show “Once Upon A Time” at times has been both a tense and joyous topic. The fandom community of the show hasn’t always agreed on how the show should approach this topic, but the fact it is a topic at all says a lot about where our culture is in terms of acceptance towards the LGBT community. As someone who comes from Hispanic background, I understand what it’s like to watch TV and not see many representations of your community. While there are many people working to make TV more diverse, the discussion of LGBT characters on OUAT is an important discussion to have for many reasons.

            First, if you’re not already a fan, I’ll give you a brief summary to put this in context. OUAT follows many classic fairy tale characters from the Enchanted Forest who have been cursed to live in our modern world by the Evil Queen, Regina Mills. They are frozen in time and have no memories of their former lives. Before the curse, Prince Charming and Snow White sent their newborn daughter, Emma Swan, through a magical wardrobe into our world where she has grown up not knowing anything about where she is from or who her family is, believing she was abandoned. When she turns twenty eight, the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago, Henry, appears at her door to tell her she needs to come to his hometown of Storybrooke to save her long lost family.She goes with him, and the show continues from there”}

            Since the show started, murmurs from the fandom community have suggested Emma and Regina have sexual chemistry. The people who believe the two should be in a romantic relationship are part of the SwanQueen community. There are a number of reasons I don’t agree with this pairing, and don’t feel it would make sense considering what is already revealed about the characters. First off, I find it a little icky because of their family tree. Regina is Snow White’s Stepmother, and Emma is Snow White’s daughter, so Emma is kind of Regina’s granddaughter. That alone makes the pairing odd to me. Also, neither of these characters have ever even been alluded to being gay or bisexual. so for those characters, a lesbian relationship may be a bit of a stretch or just would not fit with what we have been shown about these character so far. In the end I would not really mind the two being put together, but the writers of the show have made it clear that is not what they have planned for the show, so I respect their decision.

            However, there are some, a vocal minority I think I can say, in the SwanQueen community who have taken this decision as a sign of homophobic beliefs of the writers. They argue if violence or straight sexual relationships can be shown on the show, so should gay or bisexual characters. And I agree there should be diverse characters. But just because a storyline is not going where you would like does not mean you are allowed to suggest a show is homophobic. This is especially wrong to me because so many cast and crew members are very open supporters of the LGBT community, and these accusations are too extreme for what seems to be merely a creative decision by the writers.

            Besides the fact I believe Regina and Emma should not be together because of what I’ve already discussed, I have a huge problem with a major argument many members of the SwanQueen community has put forth. I’ve heard and read from many of them that Regina and Emma should be together because they have clear and strong chemistry with each other. The chemistry part I agree with. The two actresses play off each other very well and their scenes are always very intense. The two characters do not get along and have a tense relationship. They are portraying two women who are trying to do the best for their son, there is no way those scenes wouldn’t be intense. In the second season finale, Regina wants to sacrifice herself in order to save the rest of the town. She wants to use her magic to prevent another curse coming over the town, but by using that amount of magic she will die. Emma insist that while she herself doesn’t have powerful enough magic to stop the curse, they can work together and uses her magic with Regina to both stop the curse and allow Regina to live. It was a beautiful scene that showed the two characters needed each other whether they wanted to or not. But the belief that just because two women have a bond or strong chemistry together means they need to jump into bed together is a problem for me. It would be a problem if we were talking about the same situation with a man and a woman.

            I believe people can have connections with others and not feel any sexual desire towards each other. There are people in my life, both men and women, who I am very drawn to and felt an instant bond with when I first met them. These are people I can talk to about anything and who I feel just understand me on a deep level naturally. There are human connections that we all have and need. I just don’t understand the argument Emma and Regina need to be having sex in order to be in each other’s lives. To me, it’s an insulting premise for both straight and gay people. There was a really sweet scene between Regina and Emma a few episodes ago. It was also a Frozen illusion, so of course I loved that. In the scene, Regina has locked herself in her office after she goes through a very emotional and stressful event (I would go further in detail but it’s a long story and I’ll just add it involves her boyfriend having to break up with her). She’s devastated but Emma speaks through her through the door, telling her that she won’t give up on Regina and she will make sure Regina gets a happy ending. I thought this was perfect scene to show that even though Emma and Regina may not always get along, they do want each other to do happy at this point. I think this kind of message is a great one to be sending to women. Look, you might not always be best friends with someone, but if you can help make their life better somehow, you should try. Being there for someone else, having empathy for someone else, is such an important part of life.

            More recently, there has been backlash for Emma kissing Captain Hook. Emma and her new love interest, Hook, shared a kiss on the season premiere. It was not their first kiss. Again, I don’t want to be writing episode summaries here, but I’ll give a little background to fill you in and understand this incident. Emma and Hook have been flirting and trying to figure out if they want to be in a relationship for a while now, but due to the unstable nature of their lives, being together has not been really feasible. In the season premiere, however, Hook tells Emma their lives will always be unstable so they shouldn’t let life get in the way of their chance to be together. Emma agrees she wants to be with Hook but then just is not the time. They have this kind of talk throughout the entire episode. Nothing frantic, nothing angry, just two adults figuring out their adult relationship. Towards the end of the episode, when Hook yet again tells Emma their lives will always be chaotic. Emma gives Hook a small peck and says “be patient”. To me, this was nothing more than Emma saying with a kiss “I’m here and I want to be together, just give me a little while.” However, a vocal minority in the SwanQueen fandom have taken this kiss to somehow be anti-feminist because, according to some, this is somehow the writers having Emma use her feminine sexuality to shut up Hook? I’m honestly just baffled. At this point, it feels to me that certain members are contorting parts of the show to fit something they already believe. It almost makes me laugh because this is something I’ve always been warned against as a historian. It’s very easy to misuse or manipulate evidence to fit your theory. Throwing around a phrase like anti-feminist because Emma shared a kiss with a man? I think some people in this fandom need to take a step back, take a deep breath and really think if they believe what they are saying is true.

            The writers have told the Swan Queen community from the beginning that while Regina and Emma will never be in a romantic relationship, there would be characters from the LGBT community. Sure enough this promise came true this season with the character of Mulan. When Emma and Snow accidently get sent to the Enchanted Forest, they meet Mulan and Aurora, Sleeping Beauty, who are looking for a way to save Prince Philip. As the four make their way through the Enchanted Forest, there is some indication that Mulan has feelings for Phillip. The two had spent a long time together before when they were trying to find Aurora to wake her up from her cure. Mulan having feelings for Prince Philip was never really explicitly said, so I understand if other fans say she had no such feelings or if the writers wanted you to think she had feelings for Philip but it was Aurora all along. As time goes on, it becomes clear Mulan does have romantic feelings for Aurora. Once Philip and Aurora are reunited, Mulan debates whether she should admit her feelings to Aurora or go to live with Robin Hood and his band of merry men. She builds to courage to tell Aurora, but not before Aurora tells her she is pregnant with Philip’s baby. It is then Mulan makes the decision to leave and go with Robin Hood. It is clear Mulan is very happy for her friend. To me, Mulan leaves because of how much she cares for Aurora. She wants her to be happy, which she clearly is with her husband, but living near her friend and not being able to tell her the truth is too difficult for her.

            The scene where Mulan leaves was both beautiful and painful to watch. It was someone sacrificing their own wants so someone they loved could be happy. I’ve seen straight couples on TV have to make this same painful decision, but never a gay character, and it was nice to see diversity in the show. Having Mulan be gay was important to me, besides the need for diversity in TV, for a few reasons. First, OUAT is show that is targeted towards families, as it’s on a family channel (ABC) and is on in the early evening. The fact this kind of character is no longer not considered family appropriate by a major network is progress in my mind. The other nice thing about Mulan being gay was not what I heard about the choice, but what I didn’t hear. I didn’t hear any group protesting the show or channel, like when JCPenney chose Ellen Degeneres as their spokesperson and the company was boycotted. In fact, most articles I read about Mulan’s sexuality were praising the show for having a gay character or sympathizing with Mulan’s difficult choice. The world has a long way to go when it comes to diversity on tv TV and acceptance of the LGBT community, but the small step of having a gay character on OUAT shows the progress that is slowly coming.

            In no way am I saying it’s wrong for someone to write a fanfic with Emma and Regina together or it’s wrong just to wish they could be together. But flat out harassment from this vocal minority is wrong and is not feminist, as many of them claim to be. As a feminist, I’m never going to tell women it’s wrong to have platonic but deep relationships with women. In a society where we are constantly told as women our only interaction with other women is competition, I think this is a negative message to be sending out. Why can’t these women just have a relationship? What is wrong with that? I like having a show that shows women being in each other’s lives in such a complex, passionate relationship and cannot wait to see what more the writers have to offer us!