Hi Jami, our policy is that you can quote a paragraph or two (general fair use), but it isn't okay to repost a full article. Is that what you were asking? I may have misunderstood. Carmen, I'm all for Skeptic meetups! I really do wish there was a way to filter out mooks, the way mooks filter out "fatties." I get that people are attracted to all sorts of physical characteristics, which is a good start, but pretty means nothing to me if there's nothing but empty between the ears. And you know what else is weird? Stupid people don't seem to know that they're stupid, or they think that nice abs or VERY WHITE teeth in some way trumps stupid. This makes me crazy.

"not" derision. Yikes.

Now that I've walked the dog and had a little caffeine, I can be a little more indignant. The only way a vag issue can be considered "not quite normal" (since I have a vag, the issues that come with vag-having are pretty freakin' normal to me) is if "normal" is defined as not having a vag. Those with a vag occasionally suffer from wicked pains, yeast infections, urinary tract infections, menopause, and sometimes, in the interest of perpetuating the human race, we vag-havers suffer labor and birth. Anyone who finds this unacceptable is a jackhole. My goal is not to pretend I don't have a vag, but to make sure that those that actually don't have one behave with some fucking gratitude and derision. "Hooray! You have a vag! Thanks for taking one for Team Human! How may we accommodate your vag?" So we have maternity leave, which is nice, since it's difficult to give birth in a board room in between powerpoint slides. "Normal" is not the state of not having a vag. A vagina is a good thing. Everyone who ever came out of one should both agree AND make sure that all the issues that come with vag ownership are considered "normal." Because they are normal. So there's that. A workplace that doesn't get that will miss half the world's talent. I once worked for an all-female team of lawyers where it was okay to cry if you were especially stressed out. You'd get handed a box of Kleenex and the conversation would continue as normal, since "crying is a normal response to stress." Not a weakness, but the body righting itself. Blow your nose, dab your eyes, continue. I understand that it's rare, but it was AWESOME. And productive. And drama-reducing.

Huh. I never really thought about it as offensive. My bosses have always been women, so calling in "yeast infection" has always been understood.