For the last ten years of her life, Ledbetter has fought for equal pay rights in the work place for women. After experiencing pay-based discrimination because of her sex (and learning about it through anonymous letters in her work mailbox), Ledbetter filed a complaint of gender discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Making a long story short (however, you should read the whole story over at CNN), President Obama stepped in and signed the Lilly Ledbetter Equal Pay Restoration Act this past week making the fight for women’s rights and equality better upheld through the law.

While I feel gratitude for Ledbetter’s ongoing battle with the Supreme Court and Congress to pass this act that will give women the rights they warrant and money that is rightfully theirs, I know that work is still left to be done.

It may seem hard to believe, but to this day, full-time working women get paid “on average, only 77 cents for each dollar full-time working men get paid,” according to the Wage Project. This happens in every occupation across the nation, and while it impacts women in different ways, the reality of it is that hardworking women with outstanding college degrees lose money in their pockets simply because of their sex.

Think about it. Imagine working at the same place, doing the same job as a man (who has the same degree and amount of experience as you), putting in the same hours, only to find out he is, in fact, making more money than you on an annual basis. How is that fair? It’s not, at all.

But it is reality.

Amazing women across the nation have been fighting for women’s rights for equal pay for decades now. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act (EPA) was signed by John F. Kennedy in hopes to help stop the divide within the work place. While it drew attention to issues involving work discrimination because of sex, it did not necessarily revolutionize the issue over night. Nearly 50 years ago, when the EPA was signed, women were only making 55 cents to the male dollar. In the last four and a half decades, only 22 more cents have gone into making up for those earnings.

As a young woman about to enter the workplace after college, I am outraged to know that I won’t make what my fellow male peers will. However, while it is scary to know that such discrimination still exists, I do feel some relief knowing that laws are out there to protect us, and a President looking out for us, too.

Is there something wrong with that?

That’s the question, isn’t it? In a world where it’s normal to partner up, get married, and have children, it often seems to me that those who fall outside the norm are harassed for it. What exactly is so wrong about wanting to be single for always? In my mind, that’s a matter of preference and a personal choice for which no one should be discriminated against.

If a person is single and wants to be in a relationship or have children, that’s one thing. But if they don’t—lay off!

Sometimes it’s parents who are the culprits. If their child doesn’t seem to want the suburban dream of a spouse and a decimal-pointed number of children, that child is looked at as an anomaly. “When are you going to get married?” the parents will drone—or, even worse, “When am I going to get some grandchildren?”

To those parents, I say, Go volunteer at a preschool, and leave your kid alone.

Just as it’s any married person’s choice who to marry and why to marry, it’s any other person’s choice and right not to do the same. Just because someone is past the glow of youth, is not married, and does not have children does not mean that person is a pedophile, a criminal, socially awkward, or desperately unhappy.

Singleness is not a problem to fix. Period.

[photo from www.nubar.com]

Half the internet has made this an issue of white vs. black, about double standards and race discrimination. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some places in the South that still think the Civil War was an impass, but this poor kid was convicted because we have a judicial system that goes by absolutes. “If/Then” statements rule half of the laws out there. Genarlow was considered an adult, while his partner was a minor – that is the legal justification of the “crime”. PLUS, they have demanded that he register as a sex offender.

In this case, there are many other factors: he was also accused of raping a 17 year old girl (ACQUITTED), he and all members at the party were drunk and stoned (NO CHARGES FILED) and some idiot video taped the whole thing for his personal whack-off library. Everyone is bringing up all of these other charges, when they discuss this case, but there is no reason – he was found NOT GUILTY – which is only the basis of our entire judicial system.

How does this case involve us?

A judge ordered him released and prosecutors in Georgia appealed so that he would stay in jail. The local government wants to lock this kid up and throw away the key.

This could happen to any of us. I am 18 and this case horrifies me. Every now and then someone brings up their friend from highschool (usually Seniors) and they are fair game. They go to a party, we all party and then hook-up afterwards. Oral sex is almost like a given – now I can goto jail for that?

I am trying to be straight-up here, and you can all hate on me for the honesty, but it is true. This is the time when we figure out what sex is all about. This is like charging athletes as criminals for delivering late hits (sorry for the sport’s parallel). In Georgia no less…which is point #2. I know I said it was not the major issue of the case, but really? WTF was with all of the social reformers when this kid got canned? Leave Imus alone and help this f*&%ing kid! Can you imagine spending over 2 years in jail for getting head from a girl/guy within a 2 years age difference?

We may think we are above race in this country but we are wrong. The worst part is that growing up we were taught to see without prejudice, and yet it is our parents and the older generation that is so damned socially imept it is nausiating. Who is the jackass who thought this was a 10 year prison sentence crime? His name is Goober and he is a pissed-off racially intolerant red-neck who is bitter that his sister turned him down for a BJ. But it is not just the rednecks, there is a whole generation of prejudice that is under wraps. The Georgia legislature passed a law closing the loop-hole that sent Genarlow Wilson to jail. Oh, but they didn’t make it retroactive – i.e. Genarlow Wilson stays in jail, but thanks for the heads up that the law is wrong.

F^%& Paris, where is the outrage for this kid? FOX and CNN aren’t all over Genarlow?! Why not? You have to ask that – the only visible answer makes me sick.

Genarlow, I am sorry dude. As an 18 year old white kid from NY, you got shafted. You really did. Not sure what I can do to help, but I will think of SOMETHING. Maybe a petition, letter to a congressman – petition to let a celebrity drunk driver free, but a 17 your old in prison for a BJ…uhhhhhhh ok, missed that memo.

We are with you.