On this International Women’s Day, we would like to emphasize the importance of the inclusion of chronically ill and disabled women in feminism and why issues such as disability rights, ableism, and gender disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of women with chronic and rare diseases should be seen as feminist issues. Below you will find links to all of the articles featured in “In Sickness,” a series produced by Bitch Media in 2018. This is a powerful series that discusses import issues and resources regarding women’s health, chronic illness, and the challenges faced by women in the medical system. These are issues that we come across all the time at our summits as many of our guests are young women in a constant battle against their own bodies and a system that often makes their struggle even more difficult.
We would like to thank Bitch Media and the following writers who contributed to this important work: Evette Dionne, Kate Horowitz, Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore, Caroline Reilly, Diane Shipley, Alana Kumbier, Sarah Mirk, Paula Kamen, Anna Hamilton, Jen Deerinwater, and illustrator, Panteha Abareshi.
In Sickness
By Evette Dionne
Performance of a Lifetime
On Invisible Illness, Gender, and Disbelief
By Kate Horowitz
A Displaced Body
“Sick” and the Elusive Search for Wellness
By Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore
It’s All In Your Head: The Dangers of Disbelieving Female Pain
By Caroline Reilly
Sick Women
How Women Took Control of Chronic Illness Narratives
By Diane Shipley
Influx of Illness
Will Chronic-Illness Patients Get Their #MeToo Movement?
By Caroline Reilly
Trauma Club
The Chronic Popularity of Illness Lit
By Alana Kumbier
The Mortal Ones
How Young Women Navigate Serious Illnesses
By Evette Dionne
Popaganda: Women and Pain
By Sarah Mirk
No Rest for the (Already) Tired
Feminism Must Center Chronically Ill Women
By Anna Hamilton
Our Bodies, Our Hells
Why Isn’t Pain a Feminist Issue?
By Paula Kamen
The Endo Look
Body Positivity Needs to Tackle Chronic Illness
By Caroline Reilly
Abby Norman on Endometriosis, Healthcare, and the Legacy of Female “Hysteria”
By Evette Dionne
Checkbox Colonization
The Erasure of Indigenous People In Chronic Illness
By Jen Deerinwater
Behind The Scenes
How the “In Sickness” series changed our work
By Bitch HQ