No More Pink Ribbons
**Edited to add a link to SGK corporate sponsors.**
For many years I have had a small list of "pet charities".; you know, groups and charities I send money to every year. Even if I can only send 5 or 10 bucks each, every one of them got a money order, a cheque or an online debit payment. I never made a big deal out of it-- I mean, who does, right? You send in your pennies, and I send in my pennies, and soon our pennies add up to dollars that can really help.
At least, that's the idea.
Monday, the 20th of January the Susan G Komen Foundation* announced they would no longer partner with Planned Parenthood in order to help provide breast cancer screenings to poor and uninsured women. They claim it's not about abortion, per se but because they did some rule clean up, and now, suddenly, can't possibly give money or grants to groups that are <gasp> under investigation!
Anyone with eyeballs knows the so-called investigations are vendettas against PP and the women that organisation helps. It's a bunch of assholes up in the House pretending to be all about helping the poor wimmenz, by keeping us sick, off birth control, in poverty, pregnant, and popping out kids we neither want, nor can afford. So, what's a little cancer with that side order of more kids than is healthy? I mean, shit...
Of course, SGK is claiming they're all about the women! They love us, and want to help us!
They're going to love a lot of poor and uninsured women, to death.
If, and I mean a big If this was about protecting women's health then the anti-women, anti-choice crowd wouldn't be dancing with glee and celebrating so hard. One look at their Facebook page was enough for me! (Just look at their wall, and make sure you tell it to show everyone.) They've been deleting posts that disagreed with their decision. Many women and men have called them out and our voices are being silenced on their page. However, the voices left, well, I was revolted, sickened and honestly surprised. In the ten minutes I looked at that page, close to one out of every three comments claimed depression and breast cancer were caused by abortions! Some how pregnancy and miscarriage don't cause that? Never mind, they're full of shit, and they know it.
I am sad, though. I've happily supported SGK for many years! They were the first charity beside the United Way and the local food bank, that I chose to support. I grew up with this one or that one that my family tossed money to on occasion, in addition to the local church. But to choose one on my very own; I was very proud.
Hating pink, loathing the colour, I still sucked it up and wore my ribbon, bought the bracelets, supported them whenever I could. I have a nice collection of little odds and ends with pink ribbons on them; my daughter even bought me a cell phone case with a sequined ribbon it is, years ago, from her school's Christmas bizarre. "I know you don't like pink, Mummy, but it's just like your ribbon on your coat!" she said, her face all shining bright when I unwrapped it. I smiled at her, so proud, and explained that the pink ribbon helped ladies who had cancer, so they could get doctors and get better.
Yeah, well, not any more.
No more will my money go to help SGK. The past few years I've seen that more and more money goes administrative duties, according to Charity Navigator, they were 4mlln dollars in debt last year. They brought in, $311,855,544 through donations and other sources (primary and other revenue). They forked out $316,267,770; $23.797 million were for fund raising expenses, alone.
No more pink ribbons in the house; no more For the Cure! written on my cheques going to support a runner in the 3 day. I can't support a company that is more interested in suing people for using the phrase "for the cure" and "programme costs" (which in a non-profit means whatever the fuck they want it to mean) than is actual research. SGK has become about supporting their brand, not helping women.
I refuse to support that.
Instead, I'll substitute Breast Cancer Action; one of their bi-lines is, We Will Not Be Bought. They refuse to accept money from companies that make or market products that contribute to cancers-- not something SGK can say, (remember the KFC bucket fiasco?! Bad diet can contribute to cancer, we know this!) I'll send the money that I usually sent to SGK at tax refund time to PP-Arizona, instead.
I want women to be healthy.
I want us to thrive.
I refuse to support companies, groups and charities who would roll over us, or sacrifice us on the altar of their ideology.
Women's health isn't about ideology! It's about us as people. Worthy people. Precious People.
So, SGK, you can take your "we wanna help you, but not all of you" and stick it so far up your collective asses that you can't shit for a month. You can take your new anti-women supporters, you're more than welcome to them! I hope you enjoy the crazy. SGK has lost their reputation with a lot of men and women; you can't buy that back, your charitable-rep. Once it's gone, it's gone!
I've also taken the day and written company after company-- supporters of SGK, asking them to reconsider their support of that charity. I told them I was a long time customer, that I loved their products, and I would not want to have to boycott them. But, I will, if I have to. I kept my list right here on my desk top, so I can remember them.
I won't forget the companies that blow off women.
I won't forget which ones stand with us, too.
Please, if you gave to SGK, consider donating to another organisation instead. Ask your company to do so, as well. Women aren't political tools and our health should never be held hostage.
Thank you.
*As I was writing this on Wednesday the 1st abut 4pm SGK's site was down. I don't know if it was mobbed by protest letters, or what the reasoning is. I copied and pasted the link from Google. Sorry if it's still broken!
**In the interest of full disclosure, my pet charities are (in addition to the food bank/soup kitchens. Most of us donate to them happily and with a thankful heart, but never really consider them our pet charities, do we? I wonder why that is.)
United Way
Planned Parenthood
American Cancer Society
Muscular Dystrophy Association
March of Dimes
***SGK list of corporate sponsors here, from their site. I am hoping that the shit storm is enough to make a lot of them pull out. Writing and calling first, I told the ones I am currently a customer of, that I'd be more than willing to boycott if it was necessary. even my beloved Pepperidge Farms and Microsoft.
For many years I have had a small list of "pet charities".; you know, groups and charities I send money to every year. Even if I can only send 5 or 10 bucks each, every one of them got a money order, a cheque or an online debit payment. I never made a big deal out of it-- I mean, who does, right? You send in your pennies, and I send in my pennies, and soon our pennies add up to dollars that can really help.
At least, that's the idea.
Monday, the 20th of January the Susan G Komen Foundation* announced they would no longer partner with Planned Parenthood in order to help provide breast cancer screenings to poor and uninsured women. They claim it's not about abortion, per se but because they did some rule clean up, and now, suddenly, can't possibly give money or grants to groups that are <gasp> under investigation!
Anyone with eyeballs knows the so-called investigations are vendettas against PP and the women that organisation helps. It's a bunch of assholes up in the House pretending to be all about helping the poor wimmenz, by keeping us sick, off birth control, in poverty, pregnant, and popping out kids we neither want, nor can afford. So, what's a little cancer with that side order of more kids than is healthy? I mean, shit...
Of course, SGK is claiming they're all about the women! They love us, and want to help us!
They're going to love a lot of poor and uninsured women, to death.
If, and I mean a big If this was about protecting women's health then the anti-women, anti-choice crowd wouldn't be dancing with glee and celebrating so hard. One look at their Facebook page was enough for me! (Just look at their wall, and make sure you tell it to show everyone.) They've been deleting posts that disagreed with their decision. Many women and men have called them out and our voices are being silenced on their page. However, the voices left, well, I was revolted, sickened and honestly surprised. In the ten minutes I looked at that page, close to one out of every three comments claimed depression and breast cancer were caused by abortions! Some how pregnancy and miscarriage don't cause that? Never mind, they're full of shit, and they know it.
I am sad, though. I've happily supported SGK for many years! They were the first charity beside the United Way and the local food bank, that I chose to support. I grew up with this one or that one that my family tossed money to on occasion, in addition to the local church. But to choose one on my very own; I was very proud.
Hating pink, loathing the colour, I still sucked it up and wore my ribbon, bought the bracelets, supported them whenever I could. I have a nice collection of little odds and ends with pink ribbons on them; my daughter even bought me a cell phone case with a sequined ribbon it is, years ago, from her school's Christmas bizarre. "I know you don't like pink, Mummy, but it's just like your ribbon on your coat!" she said, her face all shining bright when I unwrapped it. I smiled at her, so proud, and explained that the pink ribbon helped ladies who had cancer, so they could get doctors and get better.
Yeah, well, not any more.
No more will my money go to help SGK. The past few years I've seen that more and more money goes administrative duties, according to Charity Navigator, they were 4mlln dollars in debt last year. They brought in, $311,855,544 through donations and other sources (primary and other revenue). They forked out $316,267,770; $23.797 million were for fund raising expenses, alone.
No more pink ribbons in the house; no more For the Cure! written on my cheques going to support a runner in the 3 day. I can't support a company that is more interested in suing people for using the phrase "for the cure" and "programme costs" (which in a non-profit means whatever the fuck they want it to mean) than is actual research. SGK has become about supporting their brand, not helping women.
I refuse to support that.
Instead, I'll substitute Breast Cancer Action; one of their bi-lines is, We Will Not Be Bought. They refuse to accept money from companies that make or market products that contribute to cancers-- not something SGK can say, (remember the KFC bucket fiasco?! Bad diet can contribute to cancer, we know this!) I'll send the money that I usually sent to SGK at tax refund time to PP-Arizona, instead.
I want women to be healthy.
I want us to thrive.
I refuse to support companies, groups and charities who would roll over us, or sacrifice us on the altar of their ideology.
Women's health isn't about ideology! It's about us as people. Worthy people. Precious People.
So, SGK, you can take your "we wanna help you, but not all of you" and stick it so far up your collective asses that you can't shit for a month. You can take your new anti-women supporters, you're more than welcome to them! I hope you enjoy the crazy. SGK has lost their reputation with a lot of men and women; you can't buy that back, your charitable-rep. Once it's gone, it's gone!
I've also taken the day and written company after company-- supporters of SGK, asking them to reconsider their support of that charity. I told them I was a long time customer, that I loved their products, and I would not want to have to boycott them. But, I will, if I have to. I kept my list right here on my desk top, so I can remember them.
I won't forget the companies that blow off women.
I won't forget which ones stand with us, too.
Please, if you gave to SGK, consider donating to another organisation instead. Ask your company to do so, as well. Women aren't political tools and our health should never be held hostage.
Thank you.
*As I was writing this on Wednesday the 1st abut 4pm SGK's site was down. I don't know if it was mobbed by protest letters, or what the reasoning is. I copied and pasted the link from Google. Sorry if it's still broken!
**In the interest of full disclosure, my pet charities are (in addition to the food bank/soup kitchens. Most of us donate to them happily and with a thankful heart, but never really consider them our pet charities, do we? I wonder why that is.)
United Way
Planned Parenthood
American Cancer Society
Muscular Dystrophy Association
March of Dimes
***SGK list of corporate sponsors here, from their site. I am hoping that the shit storm is enough to make a lot of them pull out. Writing and calling first, I told the ones I am currently a customer of, that I'd be more than willing to boycott if it was necessary. even my beloved Pepperidge Farms and Microsoft.
Can you post some of the companies? I want to start boycotting. I already have Energizer on my no-buy list.
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