When Sherry Johnson was eleven, she found one day that she’s gonna marry a 20-year-old member of her church who had raped her. She became pregnant and in order to avoid investigation and criminal case, her family and church officials decided to make the girl a legal wife of this monster.
“My mom asked me if I wanted to get married, and I said, ‘I don’t know, what is marriage, how do I act like a wife?’” Johnson remembers today, many years later. “She said, ‘Well, I guess you’re just going to get married.’”
However, her case is one of thousand cases of child marriage. According to statistics, children 16 and under are still being married in Florida at a rate of one every few days.
Johnson and her family also attended a conservative Pentecostal church and that other girls of a similar age periodically also married. One girl said when she was 10 she was raped by both a minister and a parishioner and later gave birth to a daughter. There were all documents confirming her and her child’s age, but still, the judge approved the marriage to end the rape investigation, telling her,
“What we want is for you to get married.”
And nevertheless, America prefers to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, like in Syria, calling it “defending freedom” rather than to change states’ laws and to protect American children from rape, coercion and molestation.
Today, Johnson is campaigning for a state law to stop underage marriage that has already become a norm in some states.
Please, help me to raise awareness to this issue. No one can remain indifferent to the problem of child molestation.
#StopChildMarriage
#StopChildAbuse
America land of the Hypocrites
In New Hampshire, a girl scout named Cassandra Levesque learned that girls in her state could marry at 13. So she set out to change the law.
A legislator sponsored Cassandra’s bill to raise the age to 18, and researchers found that two 15-year-olds had recently married in New Hampshire, along with one 13-year-old. But politicians resisted the initiative.
“We’re asking the Legislature to repeal a law that’s been on the books for over a century, that’s been working without difficulty, on the basis of a request from a minor doing a Girl Scout project,” scoffed one state representative, David Bates. In March the Republican-led House voted to kill the bill, leaving the minimum age at 13. (Legislators seem willing to marry off girls like Cassandra, but not to listen to them!)
Look, there’s a great big hunk of world down there, with no fence around it. Where two dogs can find adventure and excitement. And beyond those distant hills, who knows what wonderful experiences? And it’s all ours for the taking, Pige. It’s all ours.
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“There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison” ― Jane Austen, Persuasion
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You know what I absolutely adore about this moment? The way it has such a real feeling to it. How the nervousness and the little bit of awkwardness makes this scene even more beautiful.
A lot of tv-shows often make date-scenes feel like it would never happen like that in real life. They overdo the confidence of the characters or how overly, almost fakingly perfect the moment should be just because they’re so in love with each other. I think, because they showed how Oliver and Felicity were both so nervous for this because they feel so much for each other, because they were about to go on a date, makes it perfect.
Here are two people, a man and a woman, who have been friends for a long time - became very close friends, even - and fell in love, unexpectedly, yet very intensely. And now, finally, they’re about to go on a date.
In that very moment, Felicity is a woman who’s about to start a date with a man she cares deeply about. A man she had a huge crush on, got to know the real him, became friends with him and developed deep feelings for him. And after a very confusing confession from him, never really knowing if it was true or not, after months of lingering looks, of wondering, of doubting herself, he asked her out. She’s so nervous sitting there, waiting for him, she’s rubbing her hands on her thighs without realizing she’s doing it. And then she turns and sees him standing there. Her breath catches, everything stands still for a moment, she’s a bit stunned for a second. At how handsome he looks. At how it’s Oliver who’s standing there. You can feel the abundance of butterflies in her stomach. Wow. He’s here. And she’s here. She can’t help but let out a little smile. They are really about to do this.
In that very moment, Oliver is a man who’s about to start a date with a woman he slowly, and then all at once, fell in love with. A woman, who came into his life out of nowhere. A woman who made him feel like a person, who made him see a person as a person for the first time in a long time. A woman who took him by surprise by her intelligence, courage, support and love. A woman he started to, so very carefully, have feelings for. A woman for whom his feelings only got deeper and deeper, as time went on and kept denying them. A woman to whom he, at the most unthinkable time, confessed he loved her. And couldn’t make it clear that he really meant what he said. And after months of lingering looks, of longing, of doubting himself, he asked her out. He’s so nervous, he’s just about done buttoning his jacket, asking for the table, and then he sees her sitting there. It’s like his heart is doubling in size, everything stands still for a moment, he’s a bit stunned for a second. At how absolutely beautiful she looks. At how it’s Felicity who’s sitting there. Wow. She’s here. And he’s here. And he can’t help smiling. Because, yes, they are really about to do this.
And then he’s coming over, and she’s getting up. It’s all starting and they’re standing there, looking at each other. All the butterflies and feelings making it so that they don’t really know what to do next. A kiss on the cheek, or is it too much? A hug? How long do you linger for? Are they allowed to linger? Was the hand-holding too obvious? Was it not obvious enough? How do they show that this is so important to them?
In that very moment, nothing about Oliver being The Arrow and Felicity being a part of Team Arrow mattered. It was just them. A man and a woman. Oliver and Felicity. Tentatively crossing that bridge from friends to something so much more.
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Remember this deleted scene? It was on the DVD of s3, was the nightmare Oliver had when he woke up on the League plane next to Ra’s in the beginning of the episode. Poor lamb. But it was only a dream. And the real moment with Felicity was perfect. And they went on to have FIVE PERFECT MONTHS, living together, traveling together, having ALL THE SEX. We missed a lot of development for these two during those five months. Just makes me more excited for s5.
Keep up the great work you guys. You’re holding the line as best you can. The reset is coming in an hour and a half. We can do this! We will prevail! I’m so proud of all of you! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!
Vote now for Ship of the Year by liking and reblogging your OTP here on Tumblr! Remember, notes = votes, so be sure to show your favorite ship some love and tune into the 2016 @mtvfandom Awards on July 24th at 8/7c to see who wins!
