Unfortunately, mainstream thought would like to portray feminists as
Anti-Sex, pro-censorship, and generally humorless prudes. Especially when
you start talking about pornography, which seems to be the prime focus of
1st Amendment Rights discussions in the mainstream debate.
Censorship is a huge problem in our society; we adamantly oppose it.
When we went to print with the last issue penis images and the
dick, in a pull-out quote, were censored by our
printer. His excuse was that women who worked at the press would be
offended. We also debated the presence of vaginal images, and a fashion
photo of a woman being measured by several men. Those images were allowed
to stay, while while penis images were censored. This begs certain
questions: Why are images of penises so threatening? Why is it OK to have
vaginas, but no penises? Could this possibly come from a fear that penises
might appear small, funny, unimportant?
Censorship in this country goes so far beyond the realm of pornography,
bordering on a complete denial of anything real. Our media ignores,
deletes and censors vital truths that we should be privy to as citizens.
"News" as we know it is often a collection of hearsay, gossip, and
stereotypical bullshit that distracts us all from what's real. Many news
"vendors" get their press releases from PR firms that work for corporate
and political interests. So, is disliking the whole fantasy of a sexual
revolution prudish and censorial, or are we asking for something a little
bit beyond that? Let us know what you think.
So, we were censored last time; we really have a choice of finding
another printer at that late date and had to succumb to penis censorship.
We changed printers rather than content. Much thanks to Chapel Hill News
Printing and John Flinchum for printing the publication. Viva la 1st
Amendment.
Our Mission Statement: HA! is a women's zine
published by the Lilith Collective. Our vision of HA! is
to provide a venue for women's voices and self-expression, as well as a
forum for feminist issues. We recognize the diversity of women and
therefore the existence of multiple feminisms, based on the various
experiences and struggles of women. The Collective seeks to empower women
by creating and strengthening connections, providing information and a
community to enrich women's lives. |