Would you be a bodyguard?

Last week a Today Show segment featured the growing trend of women becoming bodyguards. Instead of the stereotypical brawny male bodyguard, celebrities and other high profile clients are asking for female bodyguards. Why? Women can be just as well trained in threat assessment, self defense and weapons as a man and we have the added advantage of blending in with our surroundings. In a reversal of feminism (interestingly enough), the bodyguard would be seen by others as a member of the celebrities’ inner circle rather than outside security.

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After I viewed the segment, I fantasized about becoming a bodyguard. I was absolutely fascinated, because it seemed that it would be a complete adrenalin rush. It seemed that I was ignoring the realities of the position. The reality is less glamorous and more about intelligence.

The opening shot of the Today Show was of a no-nonsense woman preparing to shoot. In 2008, Anna Loginova, a very famous and glamorous Russian bodyguard was killed in a carjacking in Moscow. She was a former model who opened her own agency, specializing in female bodyguards. In Egypt, the Falcon Group, also specializes in providing female bodyguards to high profile women in the middle east. They even provided protection for Beyonce for her concert last year. The bodyguards do not carry guns, but are trained in the martial arts. As the role of women in the middle east change and more women travel outside of their homes, it is preferable to have another woman guard them. The owners of the Falcon Group are set to open a second office in Lebanon. In Libya, the most talked about  female bodyguards are those of Muammar Qaddafi who dress in military camouflage and do not blend in at all!

At bodyguardcareers.com, the profile questionnaire was decidedly heavy on military or law enforcement experience. These are backgrounds that are decidedly male dominated, but as more women enter law enforcement and/or the military more women make seek executive protection as a career. That same website touts women as bodyguards.

So, I ask you, would you pursue a career as a bodyguard?

Have you been tested for HIV?

June 27, 2010 is National HIV Testing day. It was founded in 1995 by the National Association of People with AIDS to promote early diagnoses and HIV testing.


As I listened to a PSA for HIV testing, I realized that I had never heard a condom commercial on that same radio station. I like a lot of musical genres, so I listen to a lot of music stations. The Black Eyed Peas, while regularly played on Top 40 or Pop stations, are not always on the play list for R&B stations. The same goes for Lenny Kravitz. And it also seems that way for condom advertisements.

The PSA’s for HIV Testing are part of a CDC outreach effort tailored to the African American community where almost half of all HIV/AIDS infections are diagnosed. According to CDC statistics (2004) AIDS is THE leading cause of death for black women aged 25-34; the third leading cause of death for black women aged 35-44; and the fourth leading cause of death for black women aged 45-54. That is an astounding, unfortunate and sad statistic.

The sadness continued as I learned that most women are infected through UNPROTECTED sex with an infected man. After that, Black women are infected by using tainted needles. Both ways of infection can be prevented, one by condom use and the second by using clean needles. So, it struck me as I listened to the R&B station that I had never heard a condom commercial on that same station; only the HIV PSA's. The PSA’s urge African Americans to test for HIV/AIDS and open a dialog about the disease. I cannot stress how important that is, but I just found the PSA’s…dry. This is no longer a new disease; to not talk about condoms or fresh needles as a means of prevention seems to be a statement that there are some things that we just won’t talk about!

African Americans are not alone in AIDS deaths. AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death for Hispanic women aged 35-44; the fifth leading cause for ALL women aged 35-44 and the sixth leading cause of death for all women aged 25-34.  It seems that this disease is out to catch us all!

So, this is a call to ALL women to protect themselves and to use condoms...regularly…each time…for each sex act. And yes, oral sex is a sex act. Planned Parenthood locations give out free condoms; Wal-Mart (the low cost leader), has the cheapest condoms I’ve found in my area. What is harder to find in most drug and department stores are female condoms and dental dams. I couldn’t find ONE that carried female condoms and/or dental dams and I hit the usually suspects (Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreen's and CVS). Specialty shops or buying online would be your best bet there.

HIV/AIDS is an epidemic and it affects us all, not just African Americans. HIV infection rates are rising in Asia also. For this HIV Testing day (and beyond), do your part to make sure you're safe and healthy.

Get Tested!

Use Condoms!

Use fresh needles!

For more information about the National HIV Testing day, please go to: http://www.aids.gov/awareness-days/national-hiv-testing-day/

For testing sites near you: http://www.hivtest.org/

An Embarrassing Admission

It’s embarrassing to think that I didn’t pay attention to my own history. When I reflect on the history of civil rights or women’s rights, I have painfully ignored many of the women and men who helped secure my liberties and freedoms in this country. Sometimes, the past was just so hurtful; I chose ignorance instead of inquisition. Oh, to be sure, there are standouts that made a impact on my psyche such as Sojourner Truth and her famous “Ain’t I A Woman” speech. But, there are so many more women that I have ignored. Unfortunately, Dorothy Height was one of those women.

On April 10, 2010 Dorothy Height died. She was described as a civil rights leader, president of the National Council of Negro Women, and the only woman to stand on the podium as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous I have a Dream speech in 1963.

The only woman.

I have seen the picture hundreds of times, but before, it only showed men. It is only when the focus is expanded do you see Dorothy.

There she is pulled forward, a bit apart from the rest of the crowd, pointedly looking to her right at MLK as he speaks. It is a Mona Lisa expression; a look that holds thousands of thoughts in one simple smile. It seems that she is standing there as a dare.

Mary McLeod Bethune is another woman I have embarrassing ignored. In fact, it is Mary who founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935.  Dorothy, like Mary, also counseled Eleanor Roosevelt on issues relevant to black women and men.  Mary was born in 1875  and died in 1955. Two years after Mary’s death, Dorothy became president of the NCNW and remained in that position until 1997. The NCNW’s mission is to advance the quality of life for African American Women. Mary believed that by advancing the causes of black women, you will advance everyone. (Wow!)

Mary’s history is also storied; she was a member of Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Black Cabinet and the founder of a school for girls that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University.

Mary had a mentor in Lucy Craft Laney, a former slave who founded Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Augusta, Georgia. Lucy’s educational philosophies influenced Mary and her drive to educate black women. (Thank you!)

I have read that women do not make very good mentors. We will only take someone under our wing for a short time, but very often kick them out of the nest before they are ready or before they become a threat to our sense of accomplishment. These women, the ones that I have tried to ignore because they looked so harsh or unfashionable in pictures, are my mentors.  For ALL women, the foundations have been laid before us by others who worked so hard so that we could live our dreams.

Their work and their lives deserve attention. We won’t make it on our own.


Read: Dahleen Glanton's article in the Chicago Tribune for more information about Dorothy Height and other women civil rights leaders.

Where's The Professional Hockey League for Women?

Last night was game six five of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals. Normally, I wouldn’t pay much attention to the finals of any major sport but this is the first time since 1971 that the Chicago Blackhawks have been in the Stanley Cup finals. The operative word is Chicago and this town has Blackhawk fever! Hockey has been the lead for local newscasts. News anchors, shuttled to Philadelphia, give commentary on Philly Steak sandwiches when the players are not on the ice, and of course, hockey is on the front page of the major newspapers. With all of the commotion, I thought about female hockey players. Just as there are no women in the NBA or MLB, there are no women in the NHL.

The last major stories about women in hockey were reports from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. The story about Canada women winning gold was overshadowed by pictures of the gold medal team drinking alcohol and smoking cigars…on the ice…after the medal ceremony. Shades of Brandi Chastain doffing her shirt after making the winning goal in the finals of the world cup soccer! Women do such shocking things! Thank goodness. Unfortunately, at least one player was under the legal age limit to consume alcohol and she was caught…in pictures…drinking…and smoking. Not cool at all.

Alcohol aside, where is the professional women’s hockey league?

In researching this post, I read about Karen Koch, the first woman to play professional hockey in NORTH AMERICA. She played for the semi-pro Marquette Iron Rangers team. She was signed on at the age of 18 in 1969. She was the only woman on that team. In 2003, Manon Rhéaume played in pre-season games for the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lighting. Manon was a silver medalist in the 1998 Olympic Games; the first time women’s hockey was played as an Olympic sport. But these women seem to be few and far between and although there have been leagues for women to play in, most notably the National Women’s Hockey League, Western Women’s Hockey League, and Canadian Women’s Hockey League. The National Women’s Hockey League is now defunct. Was money a factor in its demise? That’s a situation that seems to haunt women’s leagues including the WNBA.

Will there ever be a time when women’s teams are funded enough so that female athletes can make a living by playing sport? What are the problems associated with women’s leagues that make it difficult to support? There has been talk of partnering with the NHL in order to form a women's professional league, but so far I haven’t found that it has gone beyond talk.

Hey, I’ve take the easy way out and thought that it’s probably better that we don’t have the leagues. Why? Well, I’ve never given myself a clear answer on “why” we shouldn’t, but it probably has to do with rocking the boat and “What if”. But, what if we allowed ourselves to dream of these leagues being successful? What if we then allowed ourselves to work toward the success of the leagues? Would it be so bad? Would it be so awful to view women as professional players who make a living playing a game they love?

Would it be so awful?

Memorial Day: Women in the Military

In honor of Memorial Day, I wanted to share a list of women who ranked highest in the U.S. military; specifically, generals or admirals. It didn't matter if they were currently serving, retired or deceased. This was going to be my way of acknowledging the women who decided to work in a very hierarchical and patriarchal environment. That is not to say that those of us who work in corporate, non-profit, or family owned businesses aren’t confronted with the same attitudes that exist in the military, but seriously, we’re not commuting to a war zone every day.

I thought it would be an easy list to complete. I was wrong. There is still only one woman who has received the rank of four star general , General Ann E. Dunwoody, but many more have obtained one, two, or three stars or flags (Navy). Many women in the military are continuing to break the mold and are being promoted to positions that  women have not held previously.

I do not blindly support wars or the military but, I believe these women should be honored for their perseverance, tenacity, courage and their decision to work in very difficult situations daily.

This is not a comprehensive list, but it’s a good starting point as we think of the women and men serving in the armed forces this Memorial Day.

Women Generals:

Ann E. Dunwoody, General, Army, 1st woman four star general

Anna Mae Hays, Brigadier General, Army, 1st woman to be promoted to general  rank

 Elizabeth P. Hoisington, Brigadier General, Army, 2nd woman promoted to general rank**

Alene Duerk, Rear Admiral, Navy
Ann E. Rondeau, Vice Admiral, Navy
Carol Mutter, Lieutenant General, Marines*
Clara Adams-Ender, General, Army*
Claudia Kennedy, Lieutenant General, Army*
Eleanor Mariano, Rear Admiral, Navy*
Fran McKee, Rear Admiral, Navy**
Grace Hopper, Rear Admiral, Navy**
Jeanne M. Holm, Major General, Air Force**
Leslie F. Kenne, Lieutenant General, Air Force*
Patricia Ann Tracey, Vice Admiral, Navy*
Susan J. Helms, Brigadier General, USAF, former astronaut
Terry Gabreski, Lieutenant General, Air Force*
Vivien S. Crea, Rear Admiral, Coast Guard*

*Retired
**Deceased

Interesting Books:

Women Warriors: A History by David E. Jones

The Girl’s Come Marching Home: Stories of women warriors returning from the war in Iraq by Kirsten A. Holmstedt

Patriots in Disguise: Women Warriors of the Civil War by Richard Hall

Moving Beyond G.I. Jane: women and the U.S. military by Sara Zeigler


I would be interested in any additional information about women in the military.