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Opinion: Cuomo, Russell strong advocates for women, says St. Lawrence County Legislator from Norfolk

Posted 6/12/13

To the Editor: The Honorable Governor Cuomo is leading again forging ahead with political courage seldom seen today. Unlike many current Governors who duck the hard issues leading from behind with …

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Opinion: Cuomo, Russell strong advocates for women, says St. Lawrence County Legislator from Norfolk

Posted

To the Editor:

The Honorable Governor Cuomo is leading again forging ahead with political courage seldom seen today. Unlike many current Governors who duck the hard issues leading from behind with little or no substance statements, Cuomo has taken on the tough stuff. But he is not alone, our Assemblywoman Addie Russell is a strong advocate standing with Governor Cuomo as Chair of the Committee to bring this legislation forward.

What is this legislation about? It is a stand on the rights of women to be treated fairly; to have protections the male of our species take for granted. His 10 point Women’s Equality Agenda appears to be a ‘no-brainer” to me but then I am a woman. The idea of pay equity is a question of economic fairness. Many women are their own head of household with all the bills and concerns that we all have. Protecting women’s right to choose and control her own body, to be safe from domestic violence and human trafficking appears logical and reasonable to me.

But then I fought the fight in the “old days”. It was when women were definitely second-class citizens. We had to take matters into our own hands, be aggressive and push forward being labeled ‘feminists’ as if that were a “dirty’ word. It wasn’t then and it isn’t now. We, as women, want fair and equal treatment. The concept of women as a minority still leaves me shaking my head. We are roughly half of the population!

Great strides have been made but there is still a lot to be done to provide half of our population the protection it deserves. So a BIG Thank You to Assemblywoman Russell and Governor Cuomo! I applaud your courage and am proud to be a supporter of your efforts on behalf of the women in New York State.

Sallie Brothers, Norfolk St. Lawrence,County Legislator