Feminism

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  • FFFF: Probably Gay

    Gender Focus - A Canadian Feminist Blog
    jarrahpenguin
    17 May 2013 | 6:04 am
    In honour of today being the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia: Broad Comedy (Erin Roberg, Katie Goodman, and Maggie Garver) performs “The Homophobia Song”, aka “You’re Probably Gay”.

  • Question of the Day

    Shakesville
    20 May 2013 | 4:20 pm
    If you tend to do most of the cooking for yourself and/or any others in your household, when was the last time someone cooked for you? If you generally don't do the cooking, when was the last time you cooked for someone else?

  • Penis Piñatas and Beyonce's Feminism: Check Out the Great Writing from Our New Issue

    Bitch Blogs
    Sarah Mirk
    20 May 2013 | 12:27 pm
    read more

  • Walmart, American Retailers Refuse to Join Bangladesh Accord

    FMF BlogFMF News Feed | FMF Blog
    feministnews
    20 May 2013 | 11:26 am
    Walmart, along with 13 other major North American companies, refused to sign a legally binding agreement to improve working conditions for overseas factory workers that manufacture their clothes after a garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh killing an estimated 1300 workers, the New York Times reports. The agreement requires retailers pay $500,000 to improve worker safety measures over a five year period. The 13 other companies are The Foot Locker, Macy’s, Sears, JcPenny’s, North Place, The Gap, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Carters/Osh Kosh, North Place, Cato, The Children’s…

  • Humor by Female Comics Redefines What's Funny

    Latest articles from Women's eNews
    Gina Barreca
    18 May 2013 | 7:21 am
    Much has changed in the world of comedy thanks to strong female voices since "They Used to Call Me Snow White . . . But I Drifted" was first released in 1991, says Gina Barreca in this updated version of the book.
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    FMF BlogFMF News Feed | FMF Blog

  • Teenager Charged with Felony and Expelled for Same-Sex Relationship

    feministnews
    21 May 2013 | 12:06 pm
    An 18 year old high school senior in Florida was charged with a felony and expelled from her school for a consensual same-sex relationship with a 15 year old classmate. Kaitlin Hunt was arrested in February and charged with “lewd and lascivious battery on a child 12 to 16″ after the parents of her partner filed charges against Hunt. According to Hunt’s mother, Kelley Hunt-Smith, “These people never came to us as parents, never tried to speak to us… and tell us they had a problem with the girls dating…They were out to destroy my daughter. [They] feel like…

  • Lawmakers Introduce CPC Truth in Advertising Bill

    feministnews
    21 May 2013 | 9:55 am
    On Friday, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced legislation that would allow the government to investigate crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) that falsely advertise abortion services. The “Stop Deceptive Advertising For Women’s Services Act,” introduced in both the House and the Senate, would allow the Federal Trade Commission to investigate reports of CPCs advertising as providing abortion care without offering any such services just as any other consumer complaint. The bill would not affect CPCs that accurately advertise as not…

  • Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks AR 12 Week Ban

    feministnews
    21 May 2013 | 9:47 am
    A federal judge has issued a temporary injunction against a twelve week abortion ban in Arkansas while the constitutionality of the bill is in question. U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright of Little Rock granted the request of two doctors involved in the case to block the enforcement of the bill. In her decision she said, “I believe that there is a threat of irreparable harm, because these doctors… could face loss of their license… They also have established that their patients could suffer irreparable harm by not being able to have abortions post 12-weeks but during…

  • Afghan Violence Against Women Law Blocked in Parliament

    feministnews
    20 May 2013 | 12:14 pm
    On Saturday, the Speaker of the Lower House of Afghan Parliament delayed a vote on the Elimination of Violence against Women law after two hours of vociferous debate between conservative religious and more liberal members of Parliament. The Speaker did not specify when the measure would be placed on the floor for a vote again. A number of conservative members of Parliament (MPs) raised their voices against the measure, deeming it un-Islamic. Although the EVAW law was issued by the executive decree of President Hamid Karzai in 2009, women’s rights activist Fawzia Kofi, who also heads…

  • Walmart, American Retailers Refuse to Join Bangladesh Accord

    feministnews
    20 May 2013 | 11:26 am
    Walmart, along with 13 other major North American companies, refused to sign a legally binding agreement to improve working conditions for overseas factory workers that manufacture their clothes after a garment factory collapsed in Bangladesh killing an estimated 1300 workers, the New York Times reports. The agreement requires retailers pay $500,000 to improve worker safety measures over a five year period. The 13 other companies are The Foot Locker, Macy’s, Sears, JcPenny’s, North Place, The Gap, Kohl’s, Nordstrom, Carters/Osh Kosh, North Place, Cato, The Children’s…
 
 
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    Latest articles from Women's eNews

  • RN's Pay is Fine, But Her 'Back is Killing Her'

    Samantha Kimmey
    19 May 2013 | 10:02 pm
    Tabitha Waugh, a registered nurse in a West Virginia hospital, can't complain about the pay. But it's tough finding time with her kids and the work takes a toll, physically and mentally. "I just don't want to do direct patient care forever," she said.

  • Humor by Female Comics Redefines What's Funny

    Gina Barreca
    18 May 2013 | 7:21 am
    Much has changed in the world of comedy thanks to strong female voices since "They Used to Call Me Snow White . . . But I Drifted" was first released in 1991, says Gina Barreca in this updated version of the book.

  • Pollution Risks Worse for Developing World Women

    Molly M. Ginty
    18 May 2013 | 12:54 am
    Environmental factors are responsible for 23 percent of the overall global disease burden, according to World Health Organization research. Addressing such pollution could save the lives of 6 million women a year.

  • Obama: Soldier Rapes Hurt U.S.; Comfort Women Dissed

    WeNews staff
    17 May 2013 | 6:28 am
    Obama says that the U.S. military's sexual assaults are "dangerous to our national security." A mayor says the Japanese military's "comfort women" were necessary.

  • One State in India Stands Out for Early Menopause

    Swapna Majumdar
    15 May 2013 | 10:45 pm
    With female sterilizations pushed as the primary mode of fertility control in Andhra Pradesh, post-operative complications have caused women to undergo needless hysterectomies and endure side effects they never expected.
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    Salon.com

  • Cannes: Directing 101 with James Franco

    21 May 2013 | 5:01 pm
    CANNES, France – James Franco hardly counts as a newcomer to filmmaking, having directed at least six or seven features since 2005. (The ambiguity about the exact number comes with something like “Francophrenia,” a film consisting entirely of his appearances on “General Hospital,” which were edited into a spurious narrative, or “My Own Private River,” an art project that repurposes much of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho.”) But there’s no question that the 21st century Renaissance man’s new adaptation of William Faulkner’s “As I Lay Dying” -- which premiered…

  • Welcome to the jungle: The definitive oral history of ’80s metal

    21 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    While the New Wave of British Heavy Metal was taking over the club scene in the UK and Europe, a batch of bands in and around Los Angeles — triggered by a love for KISS, Van Halen, and glam groups like the New York Dolls and the Sweet — were about to shake Sunset Strip like a 7.0 earthquake. With flashy, androgynous images and brash, solo-saturated songs, the “hair metal” bands were visually compelling and musically engaging. In the beginning, groups like Mötley Crüe and Ratt were almost as heavy as Judas Priest and Dio, the band Ronnie James Dio formed after leaving Black Sabbath.

  • The most popular Tumblr porn

    21 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    Yahoo's purchase of Tumblr has some devotees worried that what they love most about the micro-blogging platform -- the GIF porn, obvs -- will disappear. TechCrunch calculated that more than 10 percent of the service's most popular 200,000 sub-domains feature Yahoo-unfriendly adult material. The panic was barely lessened by CEO Marissa Mayer's promise to protect "the richness and breadth of content available on Tumblr." So I decided to take a look at what, exactly, Tumblr-ers have to lose -- by visiting the community's most popular adult blogs, of course. You know me, any excuse to watch porn…

  • I’m not achieving my dreams!

    21 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    Dear Cary,I am lying in bed right now sobbing, which I've been doing a lot lately, and writing to get these twisted feelings out of my head and onto paper. I'm graduating college on Saturday ... wow, great, such an accomplishment. Did you read that in a monotone voice twinged with sarcasm? Because that is how I feel about it. Literally, whatever. I had so many hopes for this semester and everything has fallen apart. I spent six months in 2012 traveling in Central America. Some of it was for school, some of it was because I wanted to throw a middle finger to everyone who has ever told me I…

  • Slave descendants seek equal rights from Cherokee Nation

    21 May 2013 | 3:15 pm
    On an oppressively hot evening last May, David Cornsilk addressed a room of so-called “black Indians” at Gilcrease Hills Baptist Church in northwest Tulsa. He wore a leather-braided bolo tie clasped by an emerald quartz. Though Cornsilk never formally studied law, his voice bellowed with the rhetorical ire of a white-shoed seasoned litigator.“By a show of hands, how many folks here tonight are Freedmen?” Cornsilk asked into the microphone. Each raised an arm. Visibly dismayed, Cornsilk shook his head. It was a trick question.“No,” Cornsilk said. “The Freedmen died a long time…
 
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    feminist blogs

  • Justice

    Egalia
    21 May 2013 | 7:09 pm
    Liberal Politics Feminist News Gender

  • Talks With My Father

    bloggerclarissa
    21 May 2013 | 5:37 pm
    Father: Get this, the husband of your mother’s friend Anya has been castrated. Me: Castrated? Are you sure? Father: Yes! Castrated! Me: Do you mean he has undergone chemical castration? Father: Well, I don’t know the details but he has been castrated. She didn’t want him to have any more children on the side. Me: So he agreed to it? Father: Oh yes, he really wanted it. Me: Do you mean he was sterilized? Father: Castrated, sterilized, who knows with these weird people? This is a true story and not a variation on an old joke where a man runs into a clinic in Israel and yells,…

  • Daily Feminist Cheat Sheet

    Lori
    21 May 2013 | 2:00 pm
    Women, Action, and the Media (WAM!) is organizing its first-ever social media initiative today around content promoting gender-based hate on Facebook, targeting companies like Dove, American Express, and Audible.com. Read the Open Letter to Facebook and visit the WAM website for more information. Judging from the responses from advertisers, the campaign is already a huge success. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the massive tornado in Oklahoma and especially those who lost loved ones. Donations to the Red Cross are needed; to make one, go to www.redcross.org, call 1-800-Red-Cross, or…

  • Building in Harmony with the Storms of Oklahoma

    okiefeminist
    21 May 2013 | 12:15 pm
    Every few years now, like an eclipse, a fatal tornado hits a newly and inexpensively organized suburban area in a state otherwise filled with nature-rich landscapes as old as the Earth herself. Oklahoma, land of the Red Human and land of the red conservative, is made diversely of green hills, ancient rocky mountains, and dry prairie. Through all of her body, rivers and creeks spread like veins carrying water to and from lakes like organs giving us more shoreline than any other of the United States. She’s beautiful and hearty. But listen: Hell hath no fury like Nature unconcerned with…

  • With some electoral gains in Iraq, women candidates work towards change

    UN Women
    21 May 2013 | 12:00 pm
    Cross-posted from UN Women To run as a political candidate in Iraq demands courage and determination – even more so for a woman. Fourteen candidates, including one woman, were murdered in the run-up to local elections held in April – the first elections to be run by the Iraqis themselves without any international help since 2003. Maryam Abdulla, 31, was recently elected to the regional council in Kut, southern Iraq. She is proud of her success and pleased that training from UN Women helped her achieve more votes than predicted. Women candidates and their election trainer following a…
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    Feministe

  • Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday

    Jill
    19 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    Promote yourself.Similar Posts: Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday by Jill January 6, 2013 Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday by Jill January 13, 2013 Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday by Jill January 20, 2013 Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday by Jill January 27, 2013 Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday by Jill February 3, 2013

  • Weekly Open Thread with Tapestry

    tigtog
    17 May 2013 | 3:58 pm
    Hosting this weeks open thread is Carole King’s classic hit from the 70s. Please natter/chatter/vent/rant on anything* you like over this weekend and throughout the week. Carole King’s “Tapestry” with lyrics So, what have you been up to? What would you rather be up to? What’s been awesome/awful? Reading? Watching? Making? Meeting? What has [insert awesome inspiration/fave fansquee/guilty pleasure/dastardly ne'er-do-well/threat to all civilised life on the planet du jour] been up to? * Netiquette footnotes: * There is no off-topic on the Weekly Open Thread, but…

  • Angelina Jolie and her mastectomy. (It was going to come up eventually.)

    Caperton
    15 May 2013 | 10:05 am
    In February, Angelina Jolie had a prophylactic bilateral mastectomy. This week, she wrote an op-ed about it for the New York Times. And here’s all I’m going to say about it: 1. Does it qualify as “brave” or “heroic” to get a preventive mastectomy? I don’t know. Mostly, it sounds like a medical decision made with the aid of her doctor in response to a medical threat, so I suppose that is what it is. What does qualify as brave, in my mind, is to speak about it so openly in a society where women are evaluated on the basis of their breasts, where…

  • No, actually. No. Violence against women actually isn’t funny.

    Caperton
    15 May 2013 | 8:39 am
    No, The Onion. No, Hanna Rosin. A joke about beating a woman to death is not funny. No, Hanna, trivializing horrific violence against Rihanna to make a (supposedly) funny point about domestic violence is not funny or okay. Jesus Christ. (Trigger warning for domestic violence on the linked post.)

  • Mother’s Day is Over – But Pregnancy Discrimination Isn’t

    Guest Blogger
    15 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    Guest Bloggers:  Vania Leveille, Washington Legislative Office & Lenora M. Lapidus, of the ACLU Women’s Rights Project: this post was originally published on the ACLU Blog of Rights. The ACLU Women’s Rights Project (WRP) is dedicated to ensuring that all women can lead lives of dignity free from violence and discrimination, including discrimination based on gender stereotypes. Women make up almost half the workforce today, and, if they become pregnant, most will work throughout their pregnancy. Given this reality, you probably think the stories below are works of a bygone era.
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    Finally, A Feminism 101 Blog

  • #FF101 Call for Links: On Silencing Campaigns Against Feminists Online

    tigtog
    1 May 2013 | 3:06 pm
    From the Suggestions page: Well, I don’t know how to bring this up…. or if I’ve just missed the article, but perhaps you could do something about the silencing effect that can often happen on Feminist internet efforts? I often end up sharing this link as an example, but it would be nice to have more than one high-quality link: http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/10/11/on-blogging-threats-and-silence/ Many thanks for the suggestion. Since s.e.smith wrote that post on Tiger Beatdown in 2011, nothing has improved regarding the torrents of abuse directed at outspoken women online (and it’s…

  • Call for Feminism 101 Links V

    tigtog
    9 Feb 2013 | 1:30 pm
    These posts ask readers to drop relevant links that they tend to share widely because they do a great job explaining/clarifying basic feminist concepts or debunking anti-feminist myths/factoids  (please check that it hasn’t already been linked in an FAQ by searching on the post title).  Obviously this is mainly looking for recent posts/articles (within the last 6 months or so), but older material should also be linked if it’s stuff that you just keep on referencing in recent discussions. If a relevant link happens to be one of your own writings, then please shamelessly…

  • Cyberbullies 101: Part 2 – The Art & Science of Moderation – Free Speech vs Free Audience

    tigtog
    9 Feb 2013 | 4:50 am
    I have had a long post in the works about comment moderation following on from Part 1 in this series from September last year, but RealLife™ intervened and I hadn’t been able to complete it. Luckily Bora Zivkovic at Blog Around The Clock has a long and detailed post full of relevant links which includes pretty much every point I wanted to make. I’m providing a summary of his headings with some meaty quotes below, but please make sure to click through and read his post in full in order to see all the points he makes and the many link citations he provides. A couple of weeks ago,…

  • Call for Feminism 101 Links IV

    tigtog
    13 Jan 2013 | 2:30 pm
    These posts ask readers to drop relevant links that they tend to share widely because they do a great job explaining/clarifying basic feminist concepts or debunking anti-feminist myths/factoids  (please check that it hasn’t already been linked in an FAQ by searching on the post title).  Obviously this is mainly looking for recent posts/articles (within the last 6 months or so), but older material should also be linked if it’s stuff that you just keep on referencing in recent discussions. If a relevant link happens to be one of your own writings, then please shamelessly…

  • Feminism Friday: What can I do, right now today, to help stop sexual violence

    tigtog
    29 Nov 2012 | 4:39 pm
    by Guest Poster Damsel Indetech It is frustrating to live in a society where sexual violence is commonplace, and feel helpless to stop it. Many people are so disgusted and frightened for themselves and those they care about, that they do not have the patience to wait for our culture to right itself. It is from this frustration, impatience, and usually from a sincere worry for women’s safety, that people often will try to pass along rape prevention measures that may or may not be useful. For example, most people seem to express relief and concern when passing along the chain letter…
 
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    Hugo Schwyzer

  • On “feminist pick-up ethics” at Daily Life

    Hugo Schwyzer
    16 May 2013 | 10:25 am
    My latest at Daily Life looks at what it would mean to create egalitarian, feminist-friendly “pick-up” ethics. I chatted with Clarisse Thorn, Arden Leigh, Mark Manson and Michael Kimmel for their insights. Excerpt: If there are to be such things as feminist pick-up ethics, they’ll have to be as much about empowering women to take the sexual initiative as about encouraging men to be honest and respectful. The reality is that getting what you want from whom you want it can be as challenging for women as for men. Just as men need to work, as Kimmel says, on “acting…

  • Navigating Pornography at The Atlantic

    Hugo Schwyzer
    9 May 2013 | 8:53 am
    I’ve written about my Navigating Pornography course before (I Don’t Need to Know if You Masturbate), but today at the The Atlantic, I give a little overview: I Teach a College Class on How to Think and Talk about Pornography.. Excerpt: Even more than history lessons and an introduction to feminist debates, my students need and deserve the tools to combat sexual shame. I never ask how many of my students use pornography, nor do I inquire about any of their other sexual habits. A safe classroom environment hinges on respect for students’ right to privacy. I don’t need to…

  • Sex and Self-Mutilation at Jewrotica

    Hugo Schwyzer
    8 May 2013 | 10:08 am
    I’ve got a second contribution up at Jewrotica today: I Can Read You with My Fingertips: Scars, Ink, Sex, and Leviticus. It may be a little triggering to some who’ve had issues with self-mutilation.. and a little PG-13 in terms of sexual description. Here’s how it finishes: My ex-lover Amy, one of the first women I slept with in my early sobriety, was the first to find evident erotic delight in my scars. I’m grateful that she didn’t turn out to be the last. As I learned to have sex without the crutch of drugs and alcohol, I also learned not to flinch from curious fingers…

  • Ten Male Feminist Allies You Should Know

    Hugo Schwyzer
    7 May 2013 | 7:09 pm
    As a man who writes and teaches about gender, I’m often asked for examples of good male feminist allies. In no particular order, here are just ten — some well known, some not — of the many whose work I admire and recommend. Not all would call themselves feminists, but all have a tremendous and demonstrated track record of support for women’s equality — and an equally strong commitment to transforming men. 1. Michael Kimmel, the founder of masculinity studies in America, author of Guyland. 2. Jay Smooth, founder of New York’s longest running hip-hop radio…

  • Tuesday Short Poem: Barenblat’s “And Then There Are Days”

    Hugo Schwyzer
    7 May 2013 | 9:18 am
    I don’t often put up poetry any more, but I want to make an exception this week to promote the new book from my friend Rachel Barenblat (also known as the Velveteen Rabbi.) I had a few of her lovely offerings up on my old Thursday Short Poem series, and I’m excited to announce her new poetry collection Waiting to Unfold. Rachel wrote one poem a week during the first year of her son’s life — and she beautifully captures the wonder, the fear, the exhaustion, and the surges of stupendous love of new parenthood. “Waiting to Unfold” would make a most excellent…
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    Jezebel

  • Zosia Mamet Is the Queen of Hearts

    Laura Beck
    21 May 2013 | 6:30 pm
    Love the blue shoes! Gimme.Read more...    

  • Axe Body Spray Thinks Women Are Into Greasy-Haired Burglars

    Laura Beck
    21 May 2013 | 5:35 pm
    Do you ever get the feeling that Axe's advertising strategy is Geico - gecko + perviness? Read more...    

  • Justin Bieber's Monkey Is Now a Naturalized German Citizen

    Lindy West
    21 May 2013 | 5:30 pm
    Hey, remember when Justin Bieber's baby monkey got seized by German customs? (NOT A EUPHEMISM, PERVS.) Well, instead of going all Not Without My Monkey-Son on the German boy-king or whatever, Bieber was just like "w-evs," and didn't even fucking bother to send in the the required vaccination and import papers to get his monkey back. So that monkey is German now. It will grow up eating Deutsch-nanas and speaking monkey-German instead of cavorting about the Bieber bus in a pair of drop-crotch diapers.Read more...    

  • Danny DeVito Is the Lively Bard of Twitter

    Callie Beusman
    21 May 2013 | 4:45 pm
    In today's edition of Tweet Beat, Danny DeVito twitter-raps, Neko Case is having a very uniquely bad day, and Aaron Carter always takes musical risks ("Aaron's Party").Read more...    

  • Zoe Saldana's Shades Of Gray

    Dodai Stewart
    21 May 2013 | 4:30 pm
    Stunning. Read more...    
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    Muslimah Media Watch

  • Gay Muslims: Fighting the Oxymoron

    emaan
    21 May 2013 | 2:18 am
    In 2007, when Iranian president Ahmadinejad declared that ‘we don’t have any gays in Iran’, he was met with widespread media criticism. Yet, much of the world seemed content to believe in the crux of what he was saying: that according to conventional wisdom, there is no space for homosexuality in Islam. As the West’s [...]

  • In conversation with Pakistani Actress Saeeda Imtiaz

    Izzie
    20 May 2013 | 1:34 am
    Movie stars have always fascinated me. We follow their dressing sense, emulate them, secretly envy them and even the most polite among us feel obliged to pass snide remarks on them as if they belong to each one of us. In this email interview, Pakistani actress Saeeda Imtiaz, who portrays the role of Jemima Khan [...]

  • Friday Links | May 17, 2013

    anneke
    16 May 2013 | 11:00 pm
    Reports about Syrian refugee women getting sold in marriage in Jordan remain rampant, especially young girls are considered to be desirable. In Egypt too, Syrian refugee women are often singled out by Egyptian men with propositions of marriage. Last weekend were the elections in Pakistan, for some women it was the first time in half a century [...]

  • Undermining the Justice of Sharia, from Granting Divorce to Female Breadwinners

    Yasmeen Nizamy
    15 May 2013 | 2:55 am
    A couple of weeks ago I came across this BBC Panorama  story on “Women at risk” which warns that “some Sharia councils in Britain may be putting Muslim women “at risk” by pressuring them to stay in abusive marriages.” The story presents a case of a couple going to one of the Sharia councils for [...]

  • Women and Democracy in Pakistan: How Dreams are Stronger than Fear

    Patheos Admin
    14 May 2013 | 3:39 am
    This post was written by guest contributor Maria Salman. Defiance. In light of a recent landmark election, this is the one word dominating the media’s rhetoric on the civic engagement of Pakistani women. On May 11, scores of Pakistanis came out to exercise their right to vote – many for the first time in their [...]
 
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    Womanist Musings

  • All marginalised people are practiced at biting our tongues

    21 May 2013 | 10:31 am
      This is a guest post from Sparky, of Spark in Darkness.  Many of you are  familiar with him from Livejournal, as well as from his insightful and often hilarious commentary here. Each Tuesday, Womanist Musings will be featuring a post from Sparky.    Senior Partner #1 likes me to be “discreet”  about my sexuality and in a million ways tries to poke me

  • Yes, GLBT People Need Protection Under the Law

    16 May 2013 | 8:34 am
      I was reading Jezebel (don't judge me) when I came across the story of yet another bigoted bakery who refused to make a cake for a couple who are getting married. An Oregon bakery owner, Pam Regentin of Fleur Cakes, has refused to make a wedding cake for two brides-to-be, Erin Hanson and Katie Pugh, soley because they are gay."I mentioned Erin in passing," said Pugh of her future wife, "

  • New Jersey Teens Create a White Girl Club

    15 May 2013 | 7:51 am
    I recently came across a story about a group of teens who created a White Girl's Club. The club  became so popular that it quickly spread to other schools. Apparently, a group of these young women showed up at school on PI day wearing shirts identifying them as members of this club with a teachers permission no less. The teens communicated using instagram and twitter.    Another Franklin

  • Please Don't Let it Be One of Us

    8 May 2013 | 7:22 am
    If you are a member of a marginalized community, at some point a crime, or a ludicrous action will become public or go wildly viral and the first thought that will go through your head is, "please don't let it be one of us." We will follow up on the story, find out that it is indeed one of us, shake our heads and think about how the action of one individual will come to reflect upon us. If you

  • In the real world Coming Out is a risk

    30 Apr 2013 | 11:57 am
    This is a guest post from Sparky, of Spark in Darkness.  Many of you are  familiar with him from Livejournal, as well as from his insightful and often hilarious commentary here. Each Tuesday, Womanist Musings will be featuring a post from Sparky.  So another famous person comes out of the closet and there are many reactions. Some of which are great,
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    Our Bodies Our Blog

  • Angelina Jolie, Breast Cancer, and You: How to Make the Right Decisions for YOUR Health

    Judy Norsigian
    17 May 2013 | 6:23 am
    Angelina Jolie certainly has good intentions in sharing her experience with breast cancer genetic testing and her decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy, and her announcement marks another welcomed example of well-known women coming forward about personal health issues. But it is now up to women’s health advocates to ensure that the media coverage and public debate that follows does not offer false information or false hope — which I fear it will, if women are not fully informed about all the issues involved before imagining that Jolie’s decisions would be the right ones for…

  • Truth in Medicine: Vast Majority of Assisted Reproductive Technologies Fail

    Guest Blogger
    16 May 2013 | 11:15 am
    by Miriam Zoll In an essay recently published in the Wall Street Journal, Sarah Elizabeth Richards, author of the new book “Motherhood Rescheduled,” encourages women to ward off age-related infertility by simply freezing their eggs — like she did. Between the ages of 36 and 38, Richards spent $50,000 to freeze 70 eggs that she plans to thaw, fertilize, and insert into her uterus when she is 44 or 46. “Egg freezing,” she said, “stopped the sadness that I was feeling at losing my chance to have the child I had dreamed about my entire life.” Still looking for a mate at…

  • One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: The Week in Over-the-Counter Emergency Contraception

    Rachel
    2 May 2013 | 1:12 pm
    Plan B on a drugstore shelf in Canada. Photo / Cory Doctorow What a frustrating week in the ongoing battle over evidence-based health policy. To the surprise and disappointment of women’s health advocates, the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday filed an appeal to prevent girls under age 15 from gaining over-the-counter access to emergency contraception. Approaching the date U.S. District Judge Edward Korman’s order making levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptive pills (such as Plan B and Next Choice) available without restrictions would go into effect, the Obama…

  • “Cracked Open”: New Book Looks at Fertility and Reproductive Technology

    Rachel
    30 Apr 2013 | 6:30 am
    Our Bodies Ourselves board member Miriam Zoll has a new book coming out on May 1, “Cracked Open: Liberty, Fertility and the Pursuit of High Tech Babies.” Zoll tells her own story of infertility and IVF treatments, and shares what she learned along the way about assisted reproductive technologies. From the book description: When things don’t progress as she had hoped, she and her husband enter a science-fiction world of medical seduction, capitalist conception and bioethical quagmires. Desperate to conceive, they turn to unproven treatments and procedures only to learn that the…

  • How Can We Help Teen Mothers Avoid and Cope With Postpartum Depression?

    Rachel
    25 Apr 2013 | 11:13 am
    Although there is a fair amount of information and research available on postpartum depression in general, very little of it seems to focus specifically on the needs or care of teen mothers. A pilot study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology in March attempts to fill in this gap — and it shows some promising results. First, the authors explain why the risks of PPD in teens are important: PPD puts adolescent mothers and their children at risk during an already challenging time in their lives, and this hardship may be a major determinant of poor outcomes for…
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    Shakesville

  • Oklahoma Tornado Open Thread

    21 May 2013 | 6:32 am
    [Content Note: Death; injury.]Here is the latest. Please note that the same guidelines re: photos and politicizing remain in effect for this thread.New York Times—Vast Oklahoma Tornado Kills at Least 91: A giant tornado, a mile wide or more, killed at least 91 people, 20 of them children, as it tore across parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs Monday afternoon, flattening homes, flinging cars through the air and crushing at least two schools. The injured flooded into hospitals, and the authorities said many people remained trapped, even as rescue workers struggled to make their way through…

  • Open Thread

    21 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    Hosted by quail eggs in a can.

  • Question of the Day

    20 May 2013 | 4:20 pm
    If you tend to do most of the cooking for yourself and/or any others in your household, when was the last time someone cooked for you? If you generally don't do the cooking, when was the last time you cooked for someone else?

  • Oklahoma Tornado Open Thread

    20 May 2013 | 3:49 pm
    [Content Note: Death; injury.]Earlier this afternoon, a tornado nearly a mile wide struck down in Oklahoma, causing widespread devastation. I've read reports that there have been two deaths and many more injuries, some serious, but I can't find good confirmation on that right now.Please consider this an Open Thread to share information as it becomes available, to provide links to local services and charitable support, and to report in if you're an Oklahoma Shaker.I am going to politely ask that we not share photos of the destruction in this space, which may be triggering for some readers,…

  • Tom Hardy and a Puppy Visit Central Park

    20 May 2013 | 3:30 pm
    [Content Note: Body policing.]"Tom," said the puppy, licking its nose, "did you hear about how Vin Diesel said that 'Hollywood is more concerned about its male actors being in shape than its female actors,' ha ha for real no kidding he actually said that?" And Tom laughed and said, "Yes, I did hear about that." And the puppy said, "I'm pretty sure I know what you're going to say here, Tom, but do you think that's true?" And Tom said, "I will only make this observation: I believe the closest Jack Black has ever come to having a fat leading lady is Gwyneth Paltrow in a fat suit." And the puppy…
 
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    The F-Word: Latest features, reviews and blog posts

  • You never ask a lady her age

    Philippa Willitts
    21 May 2013 | 1:34 pm
    Philippa wonders about the bizarre conventions that surround adult women and their ages

  • Pinterest and anti-blonde sentiment

    J Whitehead
    21 May 2013 | 12:03 pm
    J Whitehead explores the "dumb" blonde stereotype, which reared its head on some t-shirts she found on Pinterest

  • All good things...

    Jess McCabe
    21 May 2013 | 6:54 am
    When Catherine Redfern, founder of The F-Word, called me up more than six years ago to ask to meet in a South London pub for a chat, I didn't know what she was going to ask. I was nervous...

  • Weekly round-up and open thread, 20 May 2013

    Holly Combe
    20 May 2013 | 8:19 am
    A round-up of the articles and blog pieces we've been reading over the past week!

  • World Sex Project TV opportunity

    Laura
    19 May 2013 | 9:01 am
    We were recently contacted by Firecracker Films, who are looking for 16- to 24-year-olds to take part in a documentary on sex and relationships. The F-Word is not involved in and does not endorse this project, but we thought some of you might be interested. If so, please read on!
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    Skepchick

  • Skepchick Quickies 5.21

    Amanda
    21 May 2013 | 5:20 am
    Afghan law to protect women’s rights blocked by opponents – From Critical Dragon1177. Why do men keep putting me in the girlfriend zone? – This is brilliant. From Blakut. Felicia Day on the women in the new Star Trek movie – Spoilers, of course. I couldn’t agree more with her assessment. 6 women scientists who were snubbed due to sexism – Why not start your day with some outrage?

  • How to Stop Patronizing Your Fat Friend: Self-Loathing Edition

    Heina
    20 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    Trigger Warning for Body Image Issues and Eating Disorders So you’ve stopped making the political into the personal when it comes to your fat friend. That’s awesome! Thank you so much for hearing what your fat friend has to say rather than your own internalized assumptions about her feelings. “But sometimes,” you tentatively begin, “I hear her actually hating on herself. I hear her call herself worthless, ugly, and so on. What should I do then?” Definitely, definitely don’t tell her to just love herself, ignore the “haters,” or otherwise…

  • Skepchick Quickies 5.20

    Mary
    20 May 2013 | 8:30 am
    On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart began the world’s first solo nonstop flight (by a woman) across the Atlantic, starting in Newfoundland and ending in Ireland. Lyndon Baty and the Robot That Saved Him – The story of a young man (born with PKD) who uses a robot to attend school. If you need to read some good news, check this out. Is Homosexuality Natural? Yes. So is male lactation – Check out this informative (and arty) series! From CriticalDragon1177. An Open Letter to Felicia Day About the Value of Trans Women’s Lives – From Elyse. Disney Exec Defends Brave…

  • ICYMI: May 12 – May 18 on the Skepchick Network

    Mindy
    20 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    On your mark! Get set!  GO READ ALL THE SKEPCHICK NETWORK AWESOME! Teen Skepchick The Physics Philes, lesson 48: Physicists Make Weird Things for Science Mindy draws a weird picture in the name of physics, and also talks tries to explain moment of inertia. Hell Ain’t a Bad Place to Be Eddy muses on the concept of hell. Speak You Mind: Summer Vacation The whole summer is ahead of you. What are you plans? Mad Art Lab “Palm Reader” and “Religion vs. Skepticism”: SkepchickCon, Part 1 Gigi reveals a photo project she’s been secretly working on for SkepchickCon…

  • Auctions End in Less than 2 Hours!

    Melanie
    19 May 2013 | 5:38 pm
    If you want a crack at the items up for sale this week, you are running out of time. In less than 2 hours, these donated items may be lost to you FOREVER. Can you live with that kind of regret? CAN YOU?! Here’s what we’ve got up for auction to help raise money for SkepchickCon travel costs: The original ink drawing of a horse featured in Surly Amy’s post about white knighting, signed by Amy and accompanied by a Surly-Ramics necklace with the horse design A custom cocktail recipe created just for you by mixologist Anne Sauer of Mad Art Lab Handmade copper goblet with a raised…
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    Viva la Feminista

  • 10 Years

    18 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Mom & Me circa 1977 Undated photo of Mom

  • Mother's Day Giveaway

    12 May 2013 | 5:30 am
    Happy Mother's Day to everyone who has mothered in any way. And to celebrate, thanks to My Yoga online, I'm giving away a year-long membership to their website. Feel like you don't have time to go to a yoga class? And DVDs are just not for you? Why not try this online yoga site? Videos are available not just on your computer, but also tablets, TVs and mobile devices. There's more than just yoga too! There are also pilates and wellness videos available. So here's the deal: To enter just leave a comment and leave your email address or tweet this giveaway (@veronicaeye so I know you did this!).

  • EVENT: Choice Rocks! (New Mexico)

    9 May 2013 | 5:30 am
    If you live near Albuquerque, New Mexico, what are you doing on May 18th? May I suggest you head out to "Choice Rocks! 2013" It's a benefit for Planned Parenthood of New Mexico and tickets start at $20 for general admission and $50 for VIP tickets. It looks like a great time and at an affordable price too. So what are you waiting for?

  • IMOW Muslima

    7 May 2013 | 5:30 am
    Did you know that there is an online museum of women? The International Museum of Women is totally online and showcases some great art. Their latest exhibition is  MUSLIMA: MUSLIM WOMEN'S ART & VOICES  and features the artwork, stories and ideas of Muslim women who are standing up for their rights, reforming Islam from within, and reclaiming their religion for themselves. The curator, Samina Ali, led the peaceful protest at a West Virginia mosque that prompted the American Muslim group CAIR to change its policy about admitting women through a mosque's main doors. The best part…

  • Book Review: Yoga Wisdom at Work

    5 May 2013 | 5:30 am
    Part of my mission to get myself healthy involves doing yoga. When I was contacted about a new book about yoga at work, I was all, "Yay!" And due to my hectic life I skim a lot of my emails. So...yes, when I was contacted I thought, "Oh, a book to help me do yoga at work..." well, it is and it isn't that kind of book. I will admit that I have not read the whole book yet. I wanted this review up quickly as when, Yoga Wisdom at Work: Finding Sanity Off the Mat and On the Job goes on sale May 6, 2013, authors Maren and Jamie Showkeir will donate a percentage of that day’s sales to Namaste…
 
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    Gender Focus - A Canadian Feminist Blog

  • The Round-Up: May 21, 2013

    jarrahpenguin
    21 May 2013 | 5:55 am
    A.Lynn at A Nerdy Feminist found nothing revolutionary in the gender messages in Star Trek: Into Darkness. Katie Halper at PolicyMic collected the 5 most offensive things said last week. A Chatham, Ontario elementary student was the victim of a homophobic beating by 4 teens earlier this month (Chatham Daily News). Ms. Magazine talks about the ongoing employment discrimination experienced by pregnant women. A story of hate for people with disabilities in three parts, by Philippa Willitts at The F Word. At Autostraddle, Vivian Taylor talks about the pressure to be a “good trans…

  • My Reality: I Have Emetophobia

    jarrahpenguin
    19 May 2013 | 10:51 am
    by Jessica Critcher While I missed the boat on Mental Health Awareness Week in Canada (May 6-12) May is Mental Health Awareness MONTH over here in the US. Jarrah’s bravery in opening up about her experience with Trichotillomania (Hair-Pulling Disorder) inspired me to speak up about my emetophobia. Emetophobia is a strong fear or aversion to vomit. I know, most people don’t like it. But for emetophobes like me, it’s a constant fear that warps into a daily struggle. Some don’t even type or say the word “vomit” out of superstition. Here is a pretty neat infographic on the subject.

  • New Apps Tackle Dating Violence, Street Harassment

    jarrahpenguin
    18 May 2013 | 6:03 am
    by Jarrah Hodge Back in 2011 Gender Focus contributor Roxanna Bennett reported on YWCA Canada’s Safety Siren app, which gave women and girls a way to use their smart phones to learn about dating violence and easily send an emergency signal if ever in danger. Now, other Canadian non-profits are adapting our new technology to give young women new, on-the-spot tools to fight violence and harassment. Toronto non-profit METRAC (Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children) launched their “Not Your Baby” app last fall after they heard many people saying…

  • FFFF: Probably Gay

    jarrahpenguin
    17 May 2013 | 6:04 am
    In honour of today being the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia: Broad Comedy (Erin Roberg, Katie Goodman, and Maggie Garver) performs “The Homophobia Song”, aka “You’re Probably Gay”.

  • My Reality: I Pull My Hair Out

    jarrahpenguin
    16 May 2013 | 5:39 am
    (not my real hair) by Jarrah Hodge I’ve been struggling with whether or not to write on this topic ever since we started the “My Reality” series here at Gender Focus. On the one hand I think it’s important to share these stories because the stigma involved with mental illness is a huge problem. On the other hand, that very same stigma made me worried that talking about my experiences would cause my friends and coworkers to look at me differently. But I finally decided to face up to the potential consequences because of GF contributor Roxanna Bennett, who is writing about her own…
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