CALL ME ROOSTER

"People now ask me if I'm passing the torch. I always explain that no, I'm keeping my torch, thank you very much. And I'm using it to light the torches of others. Because the truth is that the old image of one person with a torch is part of the problem, not the solution. We each need a torch if we are to see where we're going. And together, we create so much more light." — Gloria Steinem

Gloria, I am so sorry I never knew this before but, once I did it became very clear the world needs more Roosters like you.

Today I watched your interview on Famous Last Words  in awe of your flame, how like a star, I will continue to see your light, long after you have died.

Truth be told, in the 70s, I was terrified of Gloria Steinem growing up.

She seemed like a rebel more than an ally. She didn't smile a lot like other beautiful women I admired. Her eyes weren't doe-like and soft. They were covered by huge glasses that then covered her whole face. They weren't even fashionable.

Then there was the title of her magazine, 'Ms. Magazine'.

To me, the acronym Ms. meant a not-so-young, single, and alone cat lady living the repercussions of being a feminist. Which is precisely the opposite of the life I wanted to have for myself.

Living as a liberated, independent woman, like Mary Tyler Moore, was more my style. She was a role model I could relate to—a Gloria who smiled and wore contacts. Belonging to that version of womanhood felt safe.

The first time I ever saw the movie Alien,  I was shocked—least of all by the Alien. I expected Dallas (the ship's captain) and Ellen Ripley (a crew officer played by Sigourney Weaver) to fall in love, have sex, kill an alien predator, save their spaceship and our world.

Dallas dies smack in the middle of the movie—before they even had sex!

This was unimaginable. I kept thinking the next guy would end up being the hero, but one by one, they kept dying. Finally, I realized that Ripley was the only one who could save the day. And die trying.

The reason it was so shocking was that the movie was true to a future where women were equal to men. The A.I. computer that ran the ship Nostromo was called Mother. The mining crew of men and women didn't seem to carry ingrained prejudices or contempt for her as a leader, or captain in command, when she had to step up to the plate. Not even the robot.

Alien took place in a universe without sexism, the opposite of ours.

It's my favorite movie of all time.

I walked away with a new feminist role model I could relate to because she was the epitome of courage under fire in a female human form I had never seen. Not being saved but doing the saving. Because she lived in a world where she was an equal. Capable and able to lead or follow.

It wasn't until decades later that I understood Gloria, and her fight, when in 2021

I read the following headline: "Minnesota Supreme Court throws out rape conviction because intoxicated woman willingly consumed alcohol."

There's an old saying my Grandmother repeatedly told me growing up for my own protection. "Remember what they say:"

'Cuiden Sus Gallinas Que Mi Gallo Está Suelto'

Translation: "Guard your hens because my rooster is on the loose." Her meaning was crystal clear: males can run around freely without any repercussions, but females, on the other hand, can't because of males.

Therefore, beware.

As a child who grew up on an island with literal chickens running around, this seemed to make total sense at the time. After all, it was for my own protection. I knew why she said it.

However, I never thought about asking my Grandmother why "they" said it, who "they" were. Or what would happen when hens went away to college, where there would be lots of roosters running around free and no one to guard them. Weren't these the same dangerous Roosters I was supposed to marry?

I Goggled information about, and this is what I learned about Roosters and Hens.

Before 1772, an adult male chicken was called a cock.

The more good-looking the cock, the more popular. Roosters symbolize awareness, masculinity, bravery, honesty, prudence, pride, strength, positivity, enthusiasm, and sexuality. A good Rooster will protect your hens and alert you to any danger from predators.

Hens are among the most promiscuous members of the animal kingdom. Hens will at times eject sperm a rooster's sperm as a form of birth control. Hens are soft-hearted, lovingly tender towards their chicks, and have a high pain threshold.

In the Chicken Universe, Hens run free, control their reproduction, and Roosters fight and are willing to die to protect them against predators, all predators, including predatorily Roosters.

This is what I learned about feminism from Chickens:

"Looks like we made it after all," with a cute hat toss was, is, and never going to be enough. if Mary Tyler Moore had been the commanding officer of the Nostromo in this present, she would have been the first one dead.

Liberal independent women will never have equal rights until they are as equally safe as men. They will never be equal until they can get blackout drunk and cry Rooster.

Today I am officially a politically aware feminist who believes we have to do at least as well as chickens. And we deserve good Roosters.

Gloria you where capable and able to be a hen and a rooster.

This is my way of sharing what I know. May my torch light yours.

Gretchen.  Send this to someone you know. 

Author Note

It started with a bucket of paint. Color became my vehicle for self-actualization—not because I loved decorating, but because painting my own walls helped me feel at home. That changed how I felt about myself, my relationship with the world, and what I believed was possible. Color taught me changing a relationship (not people) by clearing the air, knowing together, and doing better can change the world.