Sita Goetschius' Spoken Word

I tried.
I tried to conform to the constraining standards that are constantly forced before me

I tried to compromise
My individuality
To emulate the images encircling me

But I couldn't.
As hard as I tried,
I don't have it in me
To surrender myself to something surreal.

If you will excuse me,
But I like being my own person too much to be anything else.
I'm fine right here thank you,
The grass is plenty green on this side.

I tried to change
But once I started to see,
I backed out.
It didn't appeal

"Black your eyes everyday,
To look alive"
But all I saw was a zombie.

"Put this, and that
Into your hair to make it shiny, soft and sheen"
But all I felt was hard, sticky shit.

"Be this size, squeeze into these minuscule jeans
Fit for only those fabricated by fashion monsters"
But I all did was walk a little funny with my insides interpolated into me.

"Here, try this bra,
You'll look two times sexier"
But all I felt was unsexy plastic shoved in every which way.

I refuse, reject, repudiate these ridiculous requirements.

Confidence is my make up and hair.
Brains are my size
Individuality is what I do.

I tried to conform,
But my conscious took over.

Gaucho Gazette Interview

The following is a complete interview with Ginamarie about the Zero Campaign and the student rally held at Casa. Parts of the interview appeared in the Gaucho Gazette. Nina Udomsak conducted the interview via email.

What is your mission statement for Girl Talk? In other words, what do you hope to accomplish with this club?

Girl Talk’s goal is to create a space for feminism at Casa. We strive to create a space where men and women can discuss issues in a way that promotes equality and education on those issues. This allows for a healthier, happier, more solid student body.

What is your mission statement for T0C? In other words, what

do you hope to accomplish with this campaign?

The Zero Campaign got its name because those of us who work with The Zero Campaign have zero tolerance for sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. We work to bring the number of victims as close to zero as possible by breaking down social barriers and stigmas regarding rape, domestic abuse, and sexual assault. These problems are all very prominent in our community and our surrounding communities; however, they are not talked about or discussed publicly. Those of us working on The Zero Campaign feel that the silence around these issues needs to be broken and we would like to do this by being a means of support for students. We are aware that this is a sensitive issue and hope to address it in a manner that is appropriate.

What gave you the idea to start the Zero Campaign? Why is it

important to you and everyone at school (both genders, all ages)?

The Zero Campaign came out of a Girl Talk meeting a couple of weeks ago. I heard about the gang rape in Richmond as I was on my way to the meeting and it became the focus of that meeting. We decided then to go into classrooms and have a rally to show solidarity with the victim and her family. However, we felt that in order to participate in multiple actions and to take it past the rape in Richmond, that we should call it something else. Raelyn Caldwell thought of the name and it fit really well so we went with it.

The Zero Campaign is important and relevant to all of us. When Raelyn and I went into classrooms, we came across a sophomore class and went and gave the same speech we’d given other classes. Their teacher asked how many kids knew someone who had been raped, and three fourths of the students raised their hands. That was an intense moment of realization for Raelyn and me. That class was mainly 14-15 year old students, and twenty knew someone who’d been raped? That alone blows most statistics out of the water. So even if you’re a freshman or a senior, a girl or a boy, a majority of us have dealt with this issue before, whether it was a direct experience or the experience of someone we know.

What hopes did you have for the rally? What did you think of its

outcome?

Our main hope for the rally was to get the word out about what happened, to introduce The Zero Campaign, and to show solidarity with the Richmond High student who is dealing with something very painful. It reinforces the idea that we are supporting each other any way we can. I hoped students would react appropriately to it, and the majority of them did. For a first action, I felt like it was a success. More opportunities for the campaign and the club came from it, so it won’t be the last thing students will see from us.

How do you think you affected students with the rally, and with the

classroom visits? Are there any particular student reactions you'd

like to share?

I know that the rally encouraged students who don’t normally speak to speak to a scary audience--their peers. Cordelia Kritz and Ryan Markey both performed poems they had written themselves. I think that that kind of raw material drew some other students in and made them wonder what we were all about. I saw a lot of interest at the rally and a lot of emotion from students when we went into classrooms. To my surprise, we were generally by students. I know that some other club members had students who were in tears about what happened. It hit everyone who heard about it pretty hard, whether they showed it with their emotions or with a really heavy silence. You could just tell that for at least a moment, it weighed heavily on people’s minds.

What else are you doing for the Zero Campaign? What can other

students do to help?

We are currently focusing on fundraising for Girl Talk and for the girl from Richmond. We are selling the t-shirt that the club members were wearing at the rally and working with a few teachers on further actions involving women’s issues as well as with groups like CODEPINK and UASA [United Against Sexual Assault] in regards to The Zero Campaign. We hope to continue action with The Zero Campaign as much as possible. If students want a t-shirt they can contact Raelyn Caldwell, Jordan Schlau, or myself. We also accept donations for both the student from Richmond High and for Girl Talk.

What are your thoughts about the Richmond High gang rape?

To be honest, I’d have to go really in depth to tell you that. I can say that when I heard about it I was really emotional; I’d never heard about something so brutal happening in the Bay Area. After hearing about it, I became more familiar with what happened and found that things like this actually happen with an alarming frequency; they just don’t stay in mainstream news. Things like rape are given space in the news but disappear far too quickly. This inhibits discussion about sexual assault because people figure that “it just doesn’t happen here”. It does. Men rape women no matter where they live, how old they are, what color they are, what their social status is, or what they do in their free time.

What other issues do you plan to focus on in Girl Talk?

We focus a lot on media imagery and the effect it has on our peers, both male and female. We hope to have more guest speakers from feminist organizations like CODEPINK and about-face. We are also planning to host a workshop from about-face on negative media influence and feminism in general. Most meetings include some type of planning for these and/or a discussion.

Anything else you want me to include in the article?

Girl Talk meets Wednesdays at lunch in M-2. Everyone is welcome, male or female. If you’re male and want to come to a meeting, don’t be intimidated; you won’t be the only male there. Girl Talk has a Facebook page that you can find and join as well as a blog that members are encouraged to post to. It can be found at casagirltalk.blogspot.com; students are welcome to write a piece, create a video, or create any other media that relates to feminism and it can be added to the blog with credit or anonymously. To do this, simply post your work on the Facebook page, give it to me, or leave it in M-2 with a note asking that it be put on the blog.

The Zero Campaign

Girl Talk, in response to a brutal gang rape at Richmond High, has created the Zero Campaign.

Zero tolerance for sexual assault and zero victims of rape and assault. We have gone into classrooms to talk about the rape in Richmond, to educate, and to rally students in support of the victim and her family. We have held a student rally that included student speakers, poets, and outreach in the form of statistics regarding sexual assault and rape. We have raised money for the victim and her family. The rally has inspired a teacher at Casa Grande High to shift the focus of a previously planned teach in from poverty to women's issues. We are also in contact with United Against Sexual Assault and will be working with them when possible.