One more in the camp of equity

Jamaica has apparently joined the nations that have gotten the message of the need to make use of all the citizens of their nations, in all capacities, regardless of their genitalia:

BBC NEWS | Americas | Jamaica awaits first woman leader: "Jamaica is to swear in its first female Prime Minister, Portia Simpson Miller.

Leaders from around the world are gathering in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, for Thursday's inauguration.

Ms Simpson Miller, 60, takes over from the incumbent Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, who has been in power for the past 14 years.

She has said Jamaica should stop worrying about her gender and concentrate on the island's problems, particularly the high crime rate."

I really wish I lived at a time when I would not need to write about "the first woman" doing this or that (or for that matter the first Black, Latino, Asian, Gay, Lesbian, etc). I wish I lived in a time when people would have learned from History, the powerful destructive nature of hate and discrimination. I do not live in such a time, although I long for it. I do not believe in equality of men and women, because there are definitely things that make us different - genitalia, hormone functions and physical strength being the first that come to mind. I also believe, for example, that women are by far - and by biology - better equipped to care for children than men.

But that said, I strongly believe in men and women's equal worth, their equal intellectual abilities, and their equal inherent rights to live a good life. I wish I lived in a world where women can contribute to society to the best of their abilities, provide for themselves if need be, or if they choose to; a world where women could be paid fairly and equally for the out-of-home work they choose to perform, and rewarded for the in-home work they undertake; a world where they can prosper, and where all their decisions are not questionned simply because they are a woman. I am VERY far from being a feminist man - with no intentions of getting any closer, but that would be my ideal world, because it just feels more just.

Until we reach that world, I will root for every woman that fights the system to put themselves into positions of power traditionally held by men. So you go Ms. Simpson Miller!!!!

Tags: Jamaica|Carribean|News|World|Politics