Boston Wounded Vet Run VI

Yesterday I took part in an amazing event, the Boston Wounded Vet Run at Suffolk Downs. Five wounded veterans were honored and I was humbled to be there. For the first time, a woman was among the honorees. I was proud and grateful and there really aren't words to express my empathy for all these that four men and one woman have suffered for our sake.

I say this so you know I'm not trying to find something to be upset or offended by, I'm a 'live and let live' type for the most part. But I am a woman and something happened yesterday that bothered me at the time and was still running through my mind as I lay in bed last night. I'm not picking a nit or trying to cause a ruckus. But I saw something I didn't like, so I'm saying something.

The governor couldn't come to the event, so he sent his Chief Secretary, Carlo Basile, in his stead. Basile was introducing Marine Sgt. Kirstie Ennis, to quote her bio from the BWVR website (to give you an idea of what this brave young woman has gone through): 

On June 23, 2012, a CH-53E Super Stallion Ennis was aboard went down during a combat resupply run to Forward Operating Base Now Zad, Afghanistan. All eight people aboard survived, but the crash left Ennis with a shattered jaw, broken leg bones, burns, cervical and lumbar spine damage, traumatic brain injury and a hearing impairment. After a few years of trying to salvage her leg it unfortunately had to be amputated. After 38 reconstructive surgeries and years of speech and cognitive therapy, the 24-year-old is scheduled to appear on US Paralympic team.

After mangling her name, "Christy, Kirstie, Christy, no Kirstie, ha ha," he put his arm around her and commented, "she's pretty hot, right?" And he laughed, and she laughed and the crowd got a kick out of it. This person lost her leg, has suffered countless injuries and is miraculously still standing and still a whole person and she's just "hot." 

I smiled with the crowd for a second before I frowned as my mind went into overdrive (as it is wont to do) and I barely heard the rest of Basile's remarks. I kept thinking, "would he say that about the men sitting behind him? Would he put his arm around Sgt. Peter Damon or Marine Sgt Eric Rodriguez and say, "hey, he's hot, am I right, folks?". Would a woman in Basile's place ever say that about these men, these wounded warriors? "Ladies, he's a hot piece, know what I'm saying?" 

No. Because it's inappropriate. It strips this decorated veteran of her humanity and she becomes an object. I watched a women who suffered and nearly died for her country objectified in front of a crowd of thousands and the man who did it was applauded. He is a public official. She laughed too, how could she not? 

Sadly, I'm guessing she and her fellow female military are used to hearing inappropriate comments, sexual innuendo, slurs and insults. They have to be harder and tougher than their male comrades simply because of the fact that they are women and they, by their very nature and placement in the military, are fighting institutionalized sexism every day. 

Every day. 

Still. 

In 2016.

This sexism needs to stop. Moments like this are the reason that feminism as a concept is still necessary. Feminism is not the idea that women are better than men. It is the notion that women and men are EQUAL and as such should be treated the same. That's it. 

If you're offended by this post or scared by strong women or feminism in general, perhaps you need to take a closer look inside. If Sgt. Ennis was your daughter or your sister or your friend or your wife, I think you'd be offended if someone reduced her from the sum of her amazing life into "she's hot."