Late as always, but this time to a favorite soap-box of mine. To really get a broad picture of the horrific sociology for women at the time of Comstock, and detail about him and the politics of his Act, I see there are multiple cheap copies available online of Barbara Goldsmith's book "Other Powers."
Late as always, but this time to a favorite soap-box of mine. To really get a broad picture of the horrific sociology for women at the time of Comstock, and detail about him and the politics of his Act, I see there are multiple cheap copies available online of Barbara Goldsmith's book "Other Powers."
I guess marketing was helped by a veneer of it's subject being "table-tipping" Spiritualists, but it turns out that was all in the mix of women abolitionists overlapping women suffragists sold out by Frederick Douglass who decided "half a loaf," ie voting rights for African-descended with penises was to be settled for: persons without penises had to wait 50 years. Susan B. Anthony was prosecuted for voting illegally. (Guilty!) but was not allowed to testify at her own trial, but not for why you might think. No penisless person was legally "competent" to testify in any court, because, you know, females not fully rational humans; not really able to comprehend significance of raising right hand. Offspring of female belonged to husband from conception. If she dragged herself away in fear he was going to kill her, she literally didn't own the clothes on her back, never mind any claim to her children. If a female happened to do any paying work, her earnings belonged to husband or father ab initio. Nonetheless, there were female institutions providing health care, including abortion, and these were some of Comstock's particular targets. The male medical establishment supported his Act because it profited them. "Government Jackboots?" you say? Congress gave Comstock personal status as a special Postal Inspector to go armed and haul in to custody any female he deemed improper. We only have had the right to vote since 1920! Blink of proverbial eye, sisters!
Late as always, but this time to a favorite soap-box of mine. To really get a broad picture of the horrific sociology for women at the time of Comstock, and detail about him and the politics of his Act, I see there are multiple cheap copies available online of Barbara Goldsmith's book "Other Powers."
I guess marketing was helped by a veneer of it's subject being "table-tipping" Spiritualists, but it turns out that was all in the mix of women abolitionists overlapping women suffragists sold out by Frederick Douglass who decided "half a loaf," ie voting rights for African-descended with penises was to be settled for: persons without penises had to wait 50 years. Susan B. Anthony was prosecuted for voting illegally. (Guilty!) but was not allowed to testify at her own trial, but not for why you might think. No penisless person was legally "competent" to testify in any court, because, you know, females not fully rational humans; not really able to comprehend significance of raising right hand. Offspring of female belonged to husband from conception. If she dragged herself away in fear he was going to kill her, she literally didn't own the clothes on her back, never mind any claim to her children. If a female happened to do any paying work, her earnings belonged to husband or father ab initio. Nonetheless, there were female institutions providing health care, including abortion, and these were some of Comstock's particular targets. The male medical establishment supported his Act because it profited them. "Government Jackboots?" you say? Congress gave Comstock personal status as a special Postal Inspector to go armed and haul in to custody any female he deemed improper. We only have had the right to vote since 1920! Blink of proverbial eye, sisters!