The biopic begins in 1953 when Ginsburg enters Harvard School of Law, one of a handful of women in that freshman class. The story leads up to her argument in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1972, in which she takes on laws that discriminate "on the basis of sex." That case, Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, was about a situation in which a man was discriminated against, but it makes the point. And there's been no turning back. (Despite continuing and current efforts to do so.)
The script was written by Ginsburg's nephew, so it would seem that he had access to credible sources. It's little things, like her microphone squeaking when she accidentally knocks it upon beginning her appeal to the court, that bug me. But, okay, no biggie. What's important is the story.
I was not surprised at the sexism in the story. I grew up in the 50s and 60s, and I remember well how it was. For example, as a child, I loved sweeping the sawdust off the machines in my father's workshop. I can still smell that wood. My father was a woodworker, a builder, and an Industrial Arts teacher. Did he ever teach me any of his skills? No. "Girls don't do that." Even when choosing courses for my senior year of high school, my request to take mechanical drawing was denied because . . . wait for it . . . "girls don't do that." In my 30s, I took a couple of woodworking classes at the local adult school, finally getting to fulfill that dream. So there. (I'm rather proud of the coffee table, medicine cabinet, and lidded box that I made!)
Title IX, which prohibits discrimination in school athletics, became law in 1972 when I was a few years out of high school. In my experience, girls could be cheerleaders or twirlers or pompom girls, and I did those things. I do remember that in my junior and senior years, I was on both the girls' field hockey and soccer teams. How could I be in two sports that both took place in the fall? Because each sport only had two games per season!
It was in 1972 that I graduated from college with a degree in secondary education. (Career choices for females at the time consisted primarily of teacher, nurse, secretary, or stewardess, the latter of which only became "flight attendant" after men entered the field.) Teaching jobs were hard to come by that year, and I had several interviews before I was finally hired. I will never forget being asked on one interview if I could coach football. Needless to say, despite my saying I could, I did not get hired for that position. At another school, I actually received a rejection letter which offered as a reason the fact that they wanted to hire a man. These are true stories, but the reality of sex discrimination was so embedded in the culture, it never occurred to me to file a discrimination lawsuit.
I used to love clambakes. Back in the 70s, it was not uncommon for organizations to host "stag clambakes." This pissed me off. So when the American Legion started selling tickets to one such event, a girlfriend and I surreptitiously purchased two. Although we had several male friends watching our backs at the event, the old guard was not amused. They called the cops. And when the police said they could not evict us, we were ushered into a private room to enjoy our steamed clams and corn-on-the-cob. I recall many of our male friends joining us there. And the clams were damn good.
I'm no Notorious RBG, but I am grateful for her and all the others who have led the fight for gender equality. My daughters do not have stories like mine to tell, and my son would never think himself superior to a woman just because he is male. I am grateful that most of the world has changed in this regard. But there are more battles to fight. News just broke the other day of Karen Pence, "Second Lady," taking a teaching job in a "Christian" school that discriminates against LGBTQ students, parents, and teachers. "Religious freedom"? Bullshit.
We have already begun to see changes in our elected officials. The new House is more diverse than ever, especially in the ratio of women to men. (The Senate? Not so much.) I am looking forward to continuing change before my time here is over. Thank you, RBG, and thank you to all those who continue to fight this good fight.
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