Who Needs Superman?

Below the Belt: A Biweekly Column by NOW President Kim Gandy

July 12, 2006

Yep, there's a new Superman movie. A spiraling plane, a bank robbery, a sinking ship—no crisis for Superman. He's got superior strength, penetrating power of sight, the ability to fly, and a bulletproof body. What else could you ask for in a superhero?

Actually, a heck of a lot. Especially these days, when most of our problems are a bit more complicated and not so easily spotted—even with Superman's exceptional sight. Superman might be able to thwart Lex Luthor's plot to become the world's richest landowner, but even if there were a real Superman, what could he do about the issues we face today?

Not much, I'd say. Though we might buy over a hundred million dollars worth of tickets for Director Brian Singer to suspend our disbelief for two and a half hours, one guy—even Superman—can't really save the world.

Bush, apparently, never got that memo. But we feminists know better. We know that,while superior physical strength might come in handy for catching large, falling objects, it is strength of heart and determination that sustains us in times of adversity. Muscles can't do a thing to respond to the New York Court of Appeals' decision to ban gay marriage, but having the courage to organize and pressure the legislature to overturn that ruling is invaluable. Nor can a strong arm do much to counter gender discrimination in the workplace, but the fortitude to fight for EEOC funding, as NOW is doing, and take legal action—like six women at Morgan Stanley did last month—is essential.

Superman can use his eyes to set things on fire, but we can use our feminist vision to address pervasive problems such as street harassment—like the collective of people who founded HollaBackNYC.com, a website where visitors are encouraged to post pictures they took of street harassers. He can see through walls, but we can see right through the political games—as Dr. Susan Wood did when she resigned from the FDA due to the agency's refusal to make Plan B over-the-counter. We might not be able to fly without the assistance of an airplane, but we do wield the power to volunteer, vote, work for and become candidates who fly above the ideological fray and legislate equality instead of war and discrimination.

We're not easily confused with birds and planes, but we're definitely super—Superfeminists, that is. And we're about to convene, from Florida to Alaska and everyplace in between, for our Young Feminist Summit and 40th Anniversary NOW Conference in Albany, New York on July 21-23 to shape our superfeminist agenda. Superman and superman-wannabes are welcome to come, provided that they drop the one-man-show mindset and consider exchanging "Super" for "Equal." How 'bout it, Equalman? Lex Luthor's got nothing on Rick Santorum, Pat Robertson, and Bush & Co. Join the Superfeminists and find out what a real fight looks like.

See you in Albany!

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