Circle of male political voices: “Men are bigger, stronger, faster”

Do you remember when Donald Trump issued one or more Executive Orders claiming that his horrible, new policies were actually ways he was protecting women?

Well, it seems that a lot of men in politics believe that women are inherently weaker, and it is very important to protect women from men and from coed sports.



My name is Kimberly Wilder. I am a progressive, independent candidate running for New York State Assembly. When I decided that it was worth my time to do a candidate screening with a local, right wing newspaper, I received the surprise of my life.

First of all, I entered the screening to find three, white men, sitting around a table, ready to question me, judge me, and videotape me. I will say that they were gracious, and were fairly good listeners. Though, I was so shocked when they admitted that one of the focus questions was: “Should men be allowed to play in women’s sports?” And, now the article that arose from that question has appeared in their newspaper.

I am giddy with the amount of press coverage they gave me. I do appreciate it, and I believe that some of the reason they published so many of my views was partly because I did stick out to them as an interesting candidate. I will say that they failed in the article to mention the name of my party line: It is “Voter Options”. And, I feel like the article fell short by not explaining that my proposals about sports were not definite goals of mine — I spoke to the reporters about my desire to apply “social innovation” and creative thinking to community problems.

Still, I did propose that if there was a reason that women could not safely play in the sport of basketball, ie: as it currently exists as “male basketball” in America, then maybe we should abolish male basketball leagues, and create a way to have unisex basketball rules.

I will say that the most interesting part of the article for me was the way that all of the other candidates quoted — all men — took the question as an opportunity to condescendingly promise to help women and girls in sports, to help females retain sports scholarships, and to save women from having to compete with men.

I feel regret that the screenings were done one at a time. I would have loved to have been in the room when one of the male candidates said: ““Anatomically, biologically, men and women are not equal. It’s that simple. Men are bigger, stronger, faster.”

Even the Democratic candidate in the story framed the question in a way that seemed oddly protective of women. (Though, I do realize that the candidate was probably put on the spot by this odd candidate screening. And, I acknowledge that the lumping together of his views with the Republican candidates’ views was done by the right wing newspaper.)

The South Shore Press noted, “Despite their political differences, nearly every candidate interviewed centered their response on protecting female athletes and preserving opportunities for girls.”

How nice of all of those men to protect female athletes and try to preserve opportunities for girls. Though, I believe that there are successful women athletes who probably do a better job as guardians of women and girls in sports.

Having read the article, I now have a much fuller response than I could come up with than when I was in the hot seat.

First of all, I would like to personally challenge each and every member of the editorial team of South Shore Press to a game of H-O-R-S-E or Around The World.

Secondly, I would like to personally challenge each of the male candidates who responded to the questions to the same games.

More importantly, I believe that some women politicos and women athletes should bond together in response to this article and line of questioning. I think that Midterms 2026 needs to redo Tennis 1973.

I think that we need a 2026 Battle of the Sexes. A game of 3-on-3 Half Court with three famous women against three famous men. My vote is for: Caitlin Clark, Brittney Griner, and AOC vs. Any two NBA players and RFK.

Perhaps part of the fractured discourse in this country over transgendered people in sports is less about the fear of the LGBTQ+ community than we think? Perhaps one of the core issues is that there are some super insecure and patriarchal men in the public discourse who are still determined to assert that they are stronger than all the women on earth, and that they have the power to protect those women from some imaginary harm?

I will put the above engineering problem into my formula:

Can we find a social innovation which can address how we respect the rights of women and girls to their needs, while still making sports safe for transgender people, and especially making sports safe and welcoming to young people who may be experiencing internal conflict or fluctuating feelings about their gender identity?

As a mom and an educator, I know that there must be a way for local schools and communities to meet the needs of all concerned. As a candidate — and hopefully a future elected leader — I hope to prevent state or federal government from interfering with our rights, and from interfering with sports in a way that is oppressive to women, to transgender youth, or to any American.

As someone with a love of culture and a penchant for whimsy, I am planning on the biggest bag of popcorn you’ve ever seen to devour as I watch Caitlin Clark, AOC, and Brittney Griner pounce all over LeBron James, Ben Wallace, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the basketball court.

You do know, South Shore Press, and Suffolk County politicos, Billie Jean King won!

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More about the Battle of the Sexes Tennis Match of 1973:

https://www.billiejeanking.com/battle-of-the-sexes/

More about Kimberly Wilder for New York State Assembly:

https://votewilder.com/

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Please do note that this article is about my candidacy — Kimberly Wilder — and it is written and posted on my, personal blog: Georgiana Circle: Women Healing History. I suppose I have some editorial bias.

Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

October 6, 2026: Kimberly Wilder for Assembly at NBDC event

A message from Kimberly Wilder, candidate for NYS Assembly, District 2:

As an independent candidate, I am proud to be supported by some independent-minded Democrats, who care strongly about justice and democracy, and who are brave enough to attend many important rallies and protests. The North Brookhaven Democratic Club has been a wonderful circle of friends for me for a couple of years now. And, I am so proud and excited that they have invited me to their Candidate Meet & Greet on October 6th at 6:30pm at the Longwood Public Library.

There are also several, great Democratic candidates who will be there. And, Abigail Field, a Democrat, who is running a write-in campaign for Suffolk County Clerk, will be there, too.

If you can come, please RSVP to: northbrookhavendems At gmail

Help fix the ballot for Suffolk County Clerk 2026

To learn more about the Suffolk County Clerk race for 2026, please find the FaceBook group:
“Progressive Suffolk County Clerk 2026“

When you walk into the voting booth on November 3, 2026, you will find that on the ballot line for “Suffolk County Clerk”, you will (probably) have only one option, only one candidate to pick, the incumbent Republican/Conservative.

You will probably find your ballot that way, for what appears to be back door deals among Democratic, Republican, and Conservative party bosses. Newsday has done great coverage on some of the how and why the Democratic candidate was pressured to leave the race, in a strategic move to ensure victory for the Republican/Conservative.

If you want to put a progressive on the line for Suffolk County Clerk, you have two choices:

By this Friday, August 21st, pressure Suffolk Democratic Chair Richard Schaffer and his friends to appoint a new candidate…

Or, if that does not happen, you can work with fellow progressives in Suffolk County to choose a “write-in” candidate who we will all give strong support and publicity to, in order to possibly win, or at least show our displeasure with Dem/Rep dealmaking that harms voters.

If this story interests you, please consider requesting an invite to our private, Face Book Group. It is called: “Progressive Suffolk County Clerk 2026” on FaceBook, and if one of the moderators knows your work in the justice, progressive, activist, and or progressive Democratic Party community, we will accept you pretty quickly.

There is currently a straw poll to help determine who we may all agree on for a write-in candidate. There are eleven candidates, some of them former Democratic candidates, some of them justice activists, some of them new to politics.

The link is here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1551697496696152

We can create a ballot where progressives and Democrats will find candidates whom they can trust to care about our community and our democratic values.

Three months: Three actions to save our democracy

Save Our Democracy:
Three Actions A Day ‘Til November

Three is a magic number.

There are about three months left until the midterm and local elections.

The elections are on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

Please, every day, for about three months, please do a little bit of community service for democracy in each of these three ways:

1. Take an action to support any progressive candidate or any progressive Democrat candidate
to win their election.*

2. Take an action each day that will diminish authoritarianism, white nationalism, oligarchy, kleptocracy, racism, and/or ICE.

3. Take an action to preserve the integrity of the November election.

You can do this thing. You can save our American democracy. You can focus on our democracy for three months so that we do not entirely lose it. We can win our democracy back (and try to make it better than before).

Here are more precise instructions:

Please, each day, for three months, take three actions to save the democracy:

1. Take an action to support a progressive or progressive Democrat to win an election.

Please make an effort to support our election system, even if election systems and voting are not something that you much faith in or don’t usually use. Our election system is a tool we have that helps some people express their will and exercise their democracy.

2. Take an action each day that will diminish authoritarianism, white nationalism, oligarchy, kleptocracy, racism, and/or ICE.

Kimberly Wilder has fun at the North Brookhaven Democratic Club’s annual picnic!

They are blue. I’m an independent progressive. Though, it was gracious of the club to let me speak at their annual picnic. So happy we can meet at the No Kings protests, at the backyard rallies, and, also, at the voting booth (when our missions line up so perfectly!)

To see my official, campaign webpage, please go to: votewilder.com

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Note: Georgiana Circle: Women Healing History is a long time blog project of Kimberly Wilder. I had posted a lot about my campaign when I did not have an official, candidate webpage. Now, I am posting a little about my campaign, between other projects and announcements. Please excuse the editorial bias on my free, personal, WordPress blog.

In our hearts the flags can be at half staff for Lorenzo and Joan, who were unjustly killed by ICE

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Guerrero were both killed by ICE within the same week.

When I see the flags at America’s court houses and federal buildings at half staff, in my heart, I know it is not for just another conservative friend of the current, authoritarian president. I know, in my heart, that American flags are flying at half staff for our neighbors — two people of America — who were killed unjustly by an out-of-control, federal, law enforcement agency named ICE.

Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Joan
We honor you.
Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Joan
We honor you.

This flag
This flag it flies for you.
We honor you.

Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Lorenzo, Joan,
we honor you.

Note: In the video, it was a kind of slip that I said “two Americans”. And, then I realized that the word American does, truly describe each of these men in so many ways, including that they are and were a part of the community and fellowship of the people of the United States of America, and in addition, they belong to the land that is America –North and South — a region of nature and spirit, not just borders.

Chant, comments, and video by Kimberly Wilder.

Poem: Response to social media post of another immigrant neighbor being hunted down in another Home Depot parking lot.

Shto Ehta?

Part One

In the video, the man is on the ground, in a parking lot, in a Home Depot in East Baltimore. There are two dark figures struggling him into handcuffs and taking him away.

A woman chases them, shouting ahead. Though, none of the men seem to respond appropriately to her urgency.

As the story unfolds,
my trying to understand what is happening, when it is happening,
and if it is real, is disorienting.

It seems like we are watching a scene…maybe a movie?…maybe a nightmare?…from 1930’s Germany. And, Hitler’s secret police are taking people away. And, we think that we can do something. We know what is happening is wrong, really wrong. And, everyone should realize by now. We chase the bad guys, yet they keep taking the man away to hurt him, and no one comes to the rescue.

The silence of the victim is also eerie and confusing. Something to process: Does he want our help or not? Is he afraid? Or, is he merely consigned to his part in the movie?

The woman gives up and breathes out in frustration. Is she really a modern day attorney who has stumbled upon this horrible scene? That is what she claims in the movie (or in my dream.)

Could she actually be a time traveler
who can only see the past and not change it?
Or, maybe, she is an actress in a movie we are watching?
Or, is she myself?

Perhaps she is a vision in a dream where you see a character
and then realize the character is yourself?

What should we do next?



Part Two

There is streaming commentary under the moving picture.

Don’t worry about the people popping up to cheer on the cruelty and feed the power and ego of ICE.

Some of them are not even really people. They are robots sent out by Darth Vader or Hitler, to frighten you into submission.

They are the little old ladies, who live on the bottom floor of dingy apartments in the former Soviet Union, who call the local government to tell on you when you have foreigners visit.

Or, again, I am thinking even more now, that this video is actually our collective dream. And, the people who post bullying comments — meant to demean our neighbors and discourage us from fighting back against the fascism — those bullies are just images of ourselves in our dreams.

They are the part of us that as little children absorbed the prejudices of our community, and were indoctrinated by the ethnic jokes repeated over and over again by our nasty uncles at the dinner table when we were too young to discern.

Those bullies are the weakness inside us
trying to rise up and make one more stand to summon our bravery.

What should we do next?





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by Kimberly Wilder

Dedicated to Kristen and to the man who does not give his name.

(Shto Ehta means “What is this?” in Russian.
It is a phrase people often utter in a dumbfounded way
when they are shocked or learning the language.)

7/12/2026

4th of July: Posted for friends, family, and neighbors

[Comments on photos and the Bicentennial Parade after third photo!]

Many people are reflecting on old times in their celebrations of America at 250: The United States Semiquincentennial.

This post may be imperfect in its old fashioned naïveté. It is a parade organized by Karen and friends, in the town of Holbrook, Long Island, New York. This event happened on July 4, 1976. First a Bicentennial Parade was held. Then, the annual block party happened.

Photos and photographer’s comments are below. If more photos flow in, I will keep posting. If you were there and have photos, please do send to Karen from Hyacinth Lane, or to blogger Kimberly Wilder.

This very local parade involved Hyacinth Lane, Horseshoe Drive, and Hillberry Lane.

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Read more: 4th of July: Posted for friends, family, and neighbors

Looking Back at 1976:
A Long Island neighborhood celebrates The Bicentennial

It is hard to believe that it was 50 years ago since our country’s bicentennial and here we are celebrating our 250th anniversary!

I lived on a very special (almost magical) block in Holbrook — Hyacinth Lane. We were a group of neighbors that became like extended families! We had all moved into a new development as newlyweds, and had grown into young families.

There were lots of birthday parties, Easter Egg Hunts, Christmas Cookie Exchanges, Mahjong games, and even a neighborhood ceramics class.

And…on July 4th, 1976, we had a special event before our annual block party, a Bicentennial parade. Many kids and some parents participated. We marched down Hyacinth Lane, and around Hillberry Lane and Horseshoe Drive.

We had: kids dressed in colonial costumes; a group imitating The Spirit of 76 with a fife and drum; and a baker who was carrying a “Happy Birthday America” cake. Even Uncle Sam was there, pulling a little red wagon with Betsy Ross sitting inside, sewing the first American Flag!

We finished with a stop at a table with slices of juicy watermelon served to the tired marchers. After the parade we had our traditional barbecue, dessert table, pony cart rides, games, and fireworks to complete our memorable day!

Article and most photos by: Karen Isaksson

Photo from the Cava archives.

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This post is a vision from a guest author/photographer. The post is off topic, and much less partisan or political than others on this blog. Though, you are free to send complaints to blogger Kimberly Wilder.

Robin Hood’s tree dies: Reflections of a poet and a genuine trystler

Trees are so important, and such a backdrop for our lives here on earth. Often, trees are underappreciated and overlooked. Though, once upon a time, while I tried to protect a small patch of wetland trees on Long Island, I wrote the poem below describing how important trees are in the life of people.

I am amazed that when I wrote this poem, I did not know that there was an Old English word which specifically means, <trees that were used as meeting spaces>. The word is trystler.

I stumbled upon the word trystler in the sad news that the ancient oak tree, in Sherwood forest, often associated with Robin Hood, has died.

Below is a link and blurb from the CNN article about the passing of the tree.

And, further down is my poem, “Message from Essex”.

Ancient Sherwood Forest oak tree reputed to have sheltered Robin Hood has died
(story on CNN Science)

However, the early stories do refer to Hood and his outlaws having distinctive meeting trees, called “trystle trees,” where people knew they could find Hood, Brown said.

“It is, of course, possible that this meeting tree would have been associated with a distinctive tree within the Forest from a very early stage in the legend,” he [Alex Brown, an associate professor of history at Durham University, England] said. (from CNN)


Message from Essex

Thoughts on reforming the Supreme Court

Thoughts on reforming the Supreme Court:
From the “1A” program on WAMU radio, and also, from 1A fan, candidate Kimberly Wilder

As I was listening to NPR on the radio the other day, I heard the host from 1A invite comments about the Supreme Court for the upcoming show. I was so excited to have lead time to submit something, that, I confess, my something became rather long.

I did not make the show!

Though, I did listen to their whole program on the court and it was very informative. One thread of the conversation was that a lot of folks are looking toward the idea of creating “term limits” on the Supreme Court as a good way to create some reform and some possibility of independence from the polarized politics of our current system. Additionally, this term limits idea seems to be more doable than other reforms, since it appears that both Democrats and Republicans support the idea.

Please consider listening to the whole 1A show for valuable insight and ideas about restoring trust in the Supreme Court.

Below is a slightly modified version of the comments I submitted, which did not make the show. I do believe that my thoughts on corporations are a fresh take which would be interesting for experts to examine as a possibility.

Dear Friends at 1A,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful programs.

I am very excited to hear what your experts and other listeners have to say about ways to reform the US Supreme Court.

I feel like the court is very out of touch with America, and also out of touch with the role they should be playing to support our democracy and to protect the rights of Americans.

I have done some research on the Supreme Court and the chances that the court might choose a case to consider. The amount of cases that they can take is so low. And, some of the cases they should be hearing are about profoundly important issues such as saving the environment or protecting prisoners from injustice and harm. The Supreme Court only has time to address a fraction of the cases for people pleading for themselves, their children, their communities, and the earth.

The first part of my idea to reform the court is that the court simply needs the ability to take more cases, because the number of people and businesses has grown so much, we need to have some matching proportion in the cases that the Supreme Court has the time, docket space, and ability to hear. Maybe that means that America needs to have two or three “sets” of justices and each set can have its own calendar and docket to hear cases.

Another idea of mine is a social innovation, which could incorporate the above.

When it comes down to it, what is the most important part of justice? Our rights and our dignity as living, breathing, human beings: “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The Supreme Court (and all our American courts) are bogged down by so many cases that involve corporations. Corporations are not people. Corporations should not be able to “gang up on human beings and the living” in order to protect wealth.

I think that we should rearrange the court in one of two ways to return the court to the protection of human beings, as opposed to money/capital:

1. There should be a rule that corporations can not bring cases to the Supreme Court. It should be adequate justice for a corporation to stop at the US District Court. At that level, the corporation has already received a lot of our joint resources (and, when it comes down to it, tax dollars) and a fair chance to be heard. (Note that under this model, if a person or group of people wish — since they are human beings and participants in our democracy — they should be allowed to apply to the Supreme Court to consider their case AGAINST a corporation.)

or

2. We should add justices and split the Supreme Court into two sections. One section would be for people, nonprofits, environmentalists, prisoners, and advocates to bring cases to protect humanity and keep our system just. The other section would be to take cases where a corporation is a plaintiff. In those cases, where it is about the profit of a corporation, there should be a high fee to file a case. Or, alternately, the whole “Corporate Supreme Court” system would be paid for by taxes on corporations.

The Supreme Court was created and designed when there were many less people in America. In addition, when the Supreme Court was created, there was less influence of money, wealth, lawyers, and corporations on our democracy. In order to return the Supreme Court to any semblance of service to humanity and our democracy, we need to help the Supreme Court have more time for the things which matter most: the right of living people to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

In addition, I believe in many of the ideas that others have proposed. [Term limits, which was proposed on the 1A show, seem to hold great promise if applied to The Supreme Court.]

Another important idea is to create a better system to make sure that justices do not have conflicts of interest. There needs to be a committee of lawyers or some other independent mechanism to ensure that justices recuse themselves when there are conflicts of interest, and that justices do not take gifts over a certain amount from anyone.

Another reform could be to allow Americans to vote on one Supreme Court justice. By having one member who clearly represents the voice of the people, there would be a kind of watchdog voice on the court.

[It is so heartening that so many regular Americans, lawyers, legal experts, and politicos are focused on how to rearrange the Supreme Court to put it back on mission for the American people.]

Many thanks,
Kimberly Wilder

Kimberly Wilder is a political activist, mom, and freelance writer who lives in Riverhead, Long Island, NY. Wilder is running for New York State Assembly, District 2 for the November 2026 elections.

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[Disclaimer: Georgiana Circle is a project of Kimberly Wilder. I am using my old blog about women, history, and politics to get some information up on the web about my current, political campaign. Thanks for your patience and, hopefully, your support.]