Sisterfunding - crowdfunding from women for women
Vernon Films a London based film and documentary production company run by women is working on a documentary that needs your help.

Chuck Norris vs Communism is a film about one of the only female film translators to work in the Eastern Bloc during the 1980s. Irina Nistor dubbed over 5,000 western blockbusters that entered Romania illegally during communism. Their rapid spread across the country helped kickstart a revolution that toppled the Communist regime and turned her voice into a symbol of freedom. Trailer: https://vimeo.com/40291559 

The filmmakers have launched a crowdfunding campaign (http://tiny.cc/5lv2uw)  to complete the edit for the project. They want to invite fellow feminists to help give a voice to this inspiring story about a strong woman's bravery which needs to be told.

Please visit the campaign page and help this incredible film get made. 

For more information go to: 

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/chuck-norris-vs-communism-the-documentary-feature-film

https://www.facebook.com/chucknorrisvscommunism

https://twitter.com/MaraVernonFilms

http://www.chucknorrisvscommunism.co.uk

Negotiating the new domestic landscape

Women today are faced with a new form of domestic negotiation which is much more subtle than the 'doing it for themselves' that Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin encapsulated in the 1980s.

Recognise any of these?
- He never puts out the rubbish?
- He just leaves his dirty mug in the sink
- He never puts a load of washing on, even when working from home.
- He seems to think the magic fairy changes the sheets.
- He says he earns more than me so I should do more in the house
- He says he takes care of 'the big things' like holidays, the garden or DIY
- He says 'I am just so good at it'
- My salary only just covers the childcare
- It seems so petty to get annoyed by the little things

- Can I leave a man over housework?
- It was all so equal before we had children

The bottom line here is that men are still treating their wives like servants. But they do not fully realise this. They came from a home where their mother did all the work and when they have children, they slip into leaving their wives to do the majority of the housework.

It happens when women are home on maternity leave - they start doing more housework in relation to the baby and the man stops. Then the woman goes back part-time and so the expectation remains that she will continue to do the bulk of the housework. Basically, he gets lazy and she lets him.

So here is how you renegotiate to even up the house work and childcare. Firstly men need to be reminded that we live in a different world now - they are embarrassed to realise that they are treating their wives in a totally 20th century type way:

Say these (in a calm, rational voice - if you shout, they stop listening):
- If you were a single dad, you would have to do everything
- It doesn't matter how much you earn, we still need to split housework 50/50
- If I was a nurse, would you still say that your job was more important than mine?
- I am not your servant, stop treating me like one
- It is petty for you to leave the yoghurt pot sitting on the side, after I have drawn your attention to it
- The childcare costs are split 50/50 between you and me
- You are just as responsible for arranging childcare as I am
- Let's make a list and agree who takes care of what
- Let's swap - I'll arrange holidays, you change sheets, wash dishes and put out rubbish for 6 months
- Sorry, there are no clean clothes this week, why not put a load on
- Once you get in the habit, it's easy.

Don't be afraid to say this in front of their friends - if they are embarrassed, all the better.

This is a battle ladies and you need to be strategic in how you fight it, but fight it you must. And don't coddle your sons. Prepare them for future wives who will want a more equal household as much as you do.

It is worth it - my husband is now habituated into doing his share of domestic chores and we are much happier for it.

On Transgender

Firstly, I totally respect people's right to choose their own identity. I am never going to tell someone that they do not have the right to be whomever they want to be.

However, I think it is a shame that men feel like they have to become women to be 'true' to themselves. Why can't they be a man and be themselves?

What is it specifically about womanhood that they are aspiring to? The monthly periods? The ability to carry a child? The ogling from the age of 12 onwards? The little sexual comments that you're supposed to just ignore? The subtle but insidious manipulation from media images on how women need to be beautiful, and from films on how women need to have a boyfriend to be complete?

The fundamental difference between transgender people and women, is that women have no choice. Transgender people might say they have no choice, but they do. They could choose to be a man who wears woman-like's clothes, get surgery to have woman-like breasts, take pills to have smooth skin etc.

They can be a man and do all these things, they don't need to call themselves a woman to do it.

The real problem is that our society does not allow men to wear the floaty skirt, to laugh in a fluttering way or manifest other characteristics which are deemed exclusively feminine. But this is not something that women can change. It is something that men need to challenge.

So, transgender people, rather than tell people that you are a woman, tell men that you are a different kind of man. Why are you renouncing your manhood so easily? Reclaim it for yourselves, define it for yourselves.

Make manhood more diverse and interesting. We would all benefit.