June 2008 Archives

When you click on a post (try this Quick Hit about home birth as an example), in the right sidebar related posts from Feministing and the Community blog will show up. Nifty, right?

We try something new and it all comes crashing in around us! So sorry for the site crash today, folks. Apparently, there are just a lot more of you than there used to be - so we have to get a dedicated server. (Don't you feel special?)

I'm going to assume that there will still be glitches over the next day or two, but it looks like we've been through the worst of it! *crosses fingers*

Thanks again for all of your patience and don't forget to leave questions about the new site on this thread.

Madeline Holler at Babble tells the story of her illegal home birth. Check it out and feel free to share any home birthing stories in comments!

So, did anyone do any pride-related events this weekend? I'm sad to say I missed the NYC march...it looks like it was as fun as ever despite the rain.

Pic from Taylor Siluwe.

I always knew he was a smart dog.

So, ladies and gents, as you can see - the new site is live! A big thanks to Jen and Matt for all of their hard work...

Below is some info on the new site, how it works, and how you can get involved. There will probably still be some bugs that we have to work out over the next couple of days. If you're having any problems please tell me in this thread. If you can't comment, email here with the subject line "tech problem."

Commenting/Posting to the Community Blog: Despite trying very hard and annoying the Movable Type people, it seems that there is no way for readers to post to the community blog unless they register directly with MT. For those of you with existing commenting accounts through TypeKey, that means that if you want to blog on the community page, you're going to have to re-register (using a slightly different name) where it says "register" in the upper right hand corner of the site. I know that's a total pain in the ass, and I'm sorry. The MT people tell us that the next upgrade they do of the software will make it possible for those with existing accounts to post, but they're not sure when that will be. If you're not interested in posting to the community site, or having a profile (check out mine for an example), you can simply keep your TypeKey profile and keep on commenting as you have been.

Feministing Community: We've been really psyched about the level of posts that have already been put up on the community site, and we're looking forward to seeing more! For those of you who are posting, or who plan to, here's the deal. Right now when you put a post up, it goes into moderation until we have a change to check it out and publish it. Once you put up several posts and we recognize your name (and that you're not some anti-feminist wackadoo), we'll make you a trusted poster - which means your stuff will automatically go up. And of course, if you've been posting often and we haven't "trusted" you yet, feel free to email me to give me a heads up.

A lot of you have expressed concern about the sheer volume of content - how can you possibly keep up with all the community posts? Well, if you'd rather not read through them all, the most recommended posts will be highlighted on the front page of Feministing, as well as in the sidebar of the Community blog.

There are other ways to get involved in the Feministing community without posting. As you can see in our "Feministing As You Like It" sidebar section, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel, find us on Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, or join our MeetUp Alliance.

Relaunched Newsletter: After a long hiatus, our e-newsletter will be back! For those of you who have signed up yet - we're going to be posting what the new newsletter will look like on the blog today, so check it out. If you like it, please consider signing up!

I'm sure I'm missing something, so keep an eye on this post for updates. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the new site and that it gives you all sorts of new ways to get involved. Thanks again to everyone for their patience and support as we worked on the community site. We're so thrilled with the way it turned out (and the response we've gotten so far) - we hope you love it as much as we do...

UPDATE: There's a little rebuilding problem, so please forgive if you don't see your comments go up right away.

Hey folks! Just want to give everyone a heads up - we're switching over to the new site tonight, so things may be a bit wonky until the morning. First thing tomorrow, I'll have a post up explaining the changes in the site and how to use it. In the meantime, thanks for your patience!

ICE raided a garment factory in Houston, and over 70 percent of those arrested were women.

The FDA chose not to approve Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, for women ages 27 to 45. This doesn't mean women those ages can't get it -- it just means your insurance is not likely to cover it.

Megan McArdle says guns are a feminist issue. Jill at Feministe, Megan at Jezebel, and Dana at TAPPED tell her why she's not quite right.

Read Renee over at Feministe on race and gender, and then check out Think Girl's petition to stop the false race/gender divide.

A Southern Baptist scholar says domestic violence is a result of wives' failure to submit to their husbands.

The Frisky weighs in on a modeling competition for women with disabilities.

Male members of Phoenix golf club are harassing those who protest the no-girls-allowed policy.

Actions and Events

The Hip Hop Culture Center in Harlem is holding Rapathon 3: The Female Takeover. The Rapathon is a 24-hour cipher that features over 100 rappers who rhyme non stop with no vulgarities.... Our objective this time is to amass over 100 female MCs with hot lyrics, great energy, and stage presence... For more info, please contact Natassia Seward at 212-234-7171 or hiphopculturectr@aol.com

Some great stuff over there today...

Lissette calls our attention to the fact that LPGA athletes are getting the WNBA treatment.

erica asks, "Will someone tell John McCain that the wife beating jokes just aren't funny?"

And Josh O. of Planned Parenthood of South Dakota writes about how his state has failed to keep pace with declining teen birth rates.

Today the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court injunction, allowing South Dakota's "informed consent" legislation to take effect. The legislation requires doctors to inform women seeking abortions that the procedure "ends a human life." Because, you know, women are stupid and are just getting abortions willy-nilly, without thinking about it much. We need to be told "the truth," because clearly no woman is aware that carrying a pregnancy to term is an option.

Last April, Sarah Blustain wrote about this case and other "informed consent" laws for the Prospect:

This line of thinking makes clear that women are too ignorant to realize that they are carrying some sort of nascent life in them, and too weak to possibly decide for themselves whether to have an abortion. Even worse, drafters of the South Dakota law do not think women are competent to state whether they have absorbed all of this helpful state information properly: The law would require the doctor to certify, in writing, that he "believes she [the pregnant woman] understands the information imparted."

"Informed consent is good," says Yale's Reva Siegel (who wrote about these issues with me in TAP last year), "but not if the only abortion decision the movement recognizes as 'informed' is the decision to carry a pregnancy to term; if this is the premise on which the regulation and litigation rests, then the law is premised on an offensive view of women seeking abortion -- weak and confused and failing to conform to their natural role as mothers -- and will function to pressure and intimidate those women."

Ugh. The case is now headed back to the lower court.

Related:
The politics of "informed consent"
Mandatory ultrasounds and "informed consent"

Any day that includes Sarah Haskins is a good day indeed.

There's a really interesting story in the New York Times about sworn virgins in Albania, a custom that's said to have declined because of an increase in gender equality:

The sworn virgin was born of social necessity in an agrarian region plagued by war and death. If the family patriarch died with no male heirs, unmarried women in the family could find themselves alone and powerless. By taking an oath of virginity, women could take on the role of men as head of the family, carry a weapon, own property and move freely.

They dressed like men and spent their lives in the company of other men, even though most kept their female given names. They were not ridiculed, but accepted in public life, even adulated. For some the choice was a way for a woman to assert her autonomy or to avoid an arranged marriage.

“Stripping off their sexuality by pledging to remain virgins was a way for these women in a male-dominated, segregated society to engage in public life,” said Linda Gusia, a professor of gender studies at the University of Pristina, in Kosovo. “It was about surviving in a world where men rule.”

Jill takes the words out of my mouth:

It’s an interesting look at the fluidity of gender butting up against the rigidness of gender roles — while it’s possible for people born as women to “cross over” and live as men (and be totally socially accepted and understood as men), the only way they can do that is to fully embrace traditional gender roles.

Thoughts?

You know, there is something simultaneously hilarious and disgusting about Blogginheads hosting Ann Althouse (of boob-shaming fame) and Robin Givhan (of WaPo's cleavage coverage) in a clip called "Michelle Obama's Arms." It's like they have no shame whatsoever. (And they really, really should.)

If Bloggingheads is really supposed to be about making political discourse better by circumventing corporate television to give folks ample time to talk about issues in depth (rather than in sound bites) - then why in the world would they produce something like this, which basically embodies the worst of American media?

Or maybe this is just what they think "women's issues" are? Tits, arms and power suits?

Today is the Trans Day of Action for Social and Economic Justice, which is organized by the TransJustice working group of the amazing Audre Lorde Project. So if you're in the New York area, come out and march for trans justice.

Jack at Feministe has more.

On Dennis Miller's radio show Wednesday, McCain's former top strategist Mike Murphy talks about current chief strategist Charlie Black's recent slip that another terrorist attack would be "a big advantage" for their campaign. And what better way to lighten the conversation by joking about tits:

Transcript:

MILLER: Charlie Black, the aide decamp for McCain who gacks it here, does he have to go, do you think?

MURPHY: Well, he’s an old friend of mine, so I’ll defend him. I don’t know what happened. I think there must have been tremendous reporter cleavage involved or something.

MILLER: hahahahahahaha

MURPHY: Charlie got off his focus, he’s a good guy, he’s apologized for it... (Emphasis mine)

Via Think Progress.

h/t to Jake.

I'm ashamed to admit this is four days overdue. But better late than never. Monday, June 23rd marked the 36th - yes 36th - anniversary of Title IX, the U.S. law stating that "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

Title IX has been largely associated with the rights of girls and women's to participate in sports in school, but most don't know there's 9 other issue areas that are really important:

• Access to Higher Education
• Career Education
• Education of Pregnant and Parenting Teens
• Employment
• Learning Environment
• Math & Science
• Sexual Harassment
• Standardized Testing
• Technology

In the meantime, check out Courtney's Thank You Thursday to Title IX and all of the wonderful stories in comments of how Title IX affected Feministing readers. Feel free to add more in comments here.

A Supreme Court ruling made on Wednesday may make it easier for murders from intimate partner violence to go unpunished.

In Giles v. California, victim Brenda Avie called the police three weeks prior to her death, reporting that her boyfriend Dwayne Giles choked her and threatened her life. A trial court convicted Giles for murder which the California Supreme Court upheld, but the Supreme Court justices threw out the conviction in a 6-3 ruling. And it was because Avie wasn't available to be a witness:

The case revolved around the Sixth Amendment, which affords people the bedrock right to confront and cross-examine witnesses who give testimony against them. At issue is whether defendants forfeit their confrontation rights by doing harm to people whose statements are introduced in judicial proceedings.

So because she had made the prior report about his violent behavior and wasn't available for Giles to cross-examine, the conviction was thrown out. The exception of the amendment is if the prosecutors can prove that the accused purposefully killed the victim to keep them from testifying.

And Justice Breyer argued just that in his dissent: "The defendant here knew that murdering his ex-girlfriend would keep her from testifying; and that knowledge is sufficient to show the intent that law ordinarily demands."

What are people's thoughts on this? I find this really upsetting, but I'm no law expert.

Thanks to Jenny for the link!

Check out issue two of Sadie Magazine. It includes an interview with Jenny Block, author of the controversial new book Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage, and another with cartoonist Lauren Weinstein. Sweet job Sadie ladies.

I had a really incredible experience a few weeks back and I wanted to write something about it for the feministing community because I hope it inspires others to do the same.

For many years my extended family on my mom’s side, which is mostly located in Colorado—with some outliers on the east and west coasts—has had a hard time getting everyone together. When I was growing up our Thanksgiving celebrations were legendary—kids everywhere playing board games and falling in the snow during touch football, parents laughing and reminiscing about old times, my grandmother pulling out her amazing pumpkin pie and drinking scotch on the rocks. But since we’ve all become adults, it’s gotten harder and harder to make this happen.

And let’s be honest, it’s not just a logistical difficulty. My family is really diverse, not in the ethnic sense, but in the political, cultural sense. We’ve got cousins who still think George Bush has been a great president, that abortion should be illegal, that homosexuality is an abomination. And then we’ve got my mom, for example, who uses words like “goddess” and “patriarchy” with ease, drives a Prius, and talks to animals in the backyard like they are her little friends. When the two meet—especially in these contentious political times—things can get ugly.

The women in my family—however—have a way of working with these differences that has always been more compassionate, more resilient, less fraught with black and white thinking. So, in the spirit of the amazing women who have come before, we decided to try an all lady reunion at my mom’s house in New Mexico.

It was amazing. It was actually more than amazing. I would sit around a table in the backyard and feel stunned by how unalike we all were, yet how wildly similar. It turns out that though we have traveled very different paths, so many of us have been traveling them in the same way.

We are a family of women with indistinguishable empathy and tireless work ethics, what my Christian cousins would call “servant’s hearts.” Among the “momma generation” we’ve got a psychiatric social worker, an emergency room nurse, a missionary nurse, a teacher in a poor, urban school, a business owner with a collaborative, cutting-edge ethic, and a bartender (aka another therapist). I’d never really seen all these women (at least with an adult consciousness) as a quilt of where I come from. I’d never felt my roots so deeply and profoundly as I did over this weekend.

It wasn’t easy to get everyone together. A lot of us, in truth, barely knew one another before showing up for this familial leap of faith. But I cannot tell you how grateful I am that we did it. I encourage you—especially if you come from a family like ours, where political tensions run high—to try to cut out the guys for a weekend (not forever, just for a weekend) and see what transpires. I have a feeling you’ll be as moved as I was…

(And if it’s something you’ve been thinking about doing, but just having gotten around to it, do it. Today. Email everyone or call and say, “Okay, let’s get a date on the books.” That’s what we had to eventually do to make it happen.)

Renee of womanist musings, guest-blogging at Feministe:

When you think of the Niagara region immediately the mind turns to the majestic falls. Some who have spent more than an afternoon here will think of places like the Welland Canal, The Skylon Tower, Fallsview Casino, Clifton Hill, and maybe even the dearth of reasonably priced hotels, and restaurants. The aforementioned sites are the Niagara region you are supposed to think about. It is what you will find printed in all of those handy little pamphlets, that the tour guides like to give out. Yes the safe family destination, where everything is bright and sunny.What you will not hear about are the women that have been killed here since 1996. What if I were to whisper these names in your ear?

Go read the whole thing.

Betsy Perry has a vacuous rant about flirting in the workplace up over at TheStreet.com that will make your feminist head spin. It’s not only misogynistic (apparently all women talk about is “anorexia, the latest under eye concealer, and J. Sisters bikini wax techniques"), but grossly reinforces traditional definitions of beauty (“The overweight young woman whose bra straps always showed, and who had the unfortunate habit of burping out loud, lasted minutes before being moved quickly to another floor”), and basically suggests that “the male gaze”—that great women’s studies term for feeling watched and judged constantly—is women’s only source of pleasure in their own appearance: “What’s the fun in getting dressed up for work if no one’s around to appreciate the gold-flecked body powder you’ve tossed down your cleavage?”

Ugh. Perry delights in alleging that Bill Clinton touched her breast, relives her good ol' sexual harassment days, and wonders why girls today can't own up to the fact that flirting in the workplace is a great way to get ahead.

What makes all of this so sad is that Perry obviously has some really important stories to tell about what it was like to work in the male-dominated journalism business back in the day. There’s no question she’s been sexually harassed and forced to be a chameleon in order to “get the story.” Why couldn’t she have communicated these critical tidbits without devolving into various forms of unexamined hatred (for self and, well, all women)?

Flirting, in the workplace and elsewhere, is certainly fun, but it isn't a career strategy for men or women. I'd personally like to be known for my intelligence and dedication, not my tits. If I enjoy some consensual flirting in work atmospheres, that's cool, but its not going on my CV.

The ending is really the nail in the coffin: “Not unlike a geisha, leave your flip-flops at the door and step into those Jimmy Choos—a sexy gait is worth a little hamstring ache in the long run, don’t you think?”

Wow, where do I start? Maybe Perry should read up on geisha culture before referencing it willy nilly. On the other hand, I guess the parallel makes some sense. Just as many geisha’s were sold as children to geisha houses, and forced to clean up after other people as their first stage of training, Perry is advocating selling out and putting up with men’s shit in the workplace as a way to get ahead.

Perhaps Perry is our best, newest example of internalized oppression. She’s been made to feel like women suck for so long that she actually believes it. I just wish she could spend a couple of hours with the feministing community to see what she’s been missing.

Quench Zine is liveblogging the first-ever congressional hearing on trans issues, "An Examination of Discrimination Against Trangender Americans in the Workplace."

Check out Lisa Chen and Lisa Witter talking about their new book, The She Spot: Why Women Are the Market for Changing the World--And How to Reach Them above.

When I first heard Lisa W. speak this winter at the Women's Media Center I was absolutely smitten with her (she's clear, smart, inventive, and managed to be all that while a GIANT baby (hers) hung out on her hip). But I have to say that I was immediately worried about the thesis of The She Spot, which is that marketing to women (for both nonprofits and political campaigns) requires essentially different principles than marketing to men (i.e. men are from Mars, women are from Venus--the social justice version).

The Lisa's explain their idea about gender different this way:

When it comes to improving the lives of women and girls and creating the society we want to live in, we couldn't agree more that women should be treated on equal footing with men. But we are selling ourselves short if we deny the fact that gender differences exist.

What I like about their view on gender differences, as queasy as it makes me, is that they're not just arguing that there are neurological and hormonal differences, but that there are differences bred by the continued differential socialization of girls and boys in the country. In other words, fight against it for the long term, but in the short term, recognize that some of the ways in which women are socialized (to care deeply about others, to be self-sacrificing) are actually assets for social change.

I'm excited to think about the ways in which The She Spot might influence politicians and nonprofits. In a world of the Lisa's making, there would be no more candy cotton pink websites that are supposed to appeal to women, no more use of the terrible term "women's issues", and lots of appealing to single women--who they note are THE most important constituency for the 2008 election. In their world, the Survival of the Fittest would be evolved into the Survival of the Connected. In their world, fundraisers and communications consultants would understand that though it takes longer for women to decide to give money or get involved in a cause, they are more loyal over the long run and give more of their proportional income. In their world, people would understand that a passionate woman tells everyone about her cause.

They sum it up:

At the dawn of the 21st century, the social and political tides that define where and who we are as a people today make the values that matter most to women--connecting and community--a winning blueprint for social change and transformation.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts...

I'm about to head back home from the very cool city of Toronto, and I just wanted to say a huge thanks to the Miss G Project for bringing me out here (especially Anne-Marie for her general fierceness). Not only did this feminist organization put together an amazing panel, they also hooked me up with the most hilarious hotel room of all time. (A young Ralph Macchio watched over me while I slept...)

So thanks, gals - and thanks to all the folks who came out (I'm talking to you nerdalert!). I had a great time.

via AngryBrownButch, Rinku Sen talks about the myth that communities of color are more anti-gay than white communities:

Transcript after the jump...

The community blog is looking awesome, make sure to check it out and let us know how the experience is. I was particularly taken with this post today by zohramoosa. Great job, all!

RH Reality Check has a special feature this week - an election coverage package on choice. Dana Goldstein has the run down of pro-choicers running in Senate races, choice-related ballot initiatives, and everything else in between. Make sure to check it out!

"Now that I've shaved my face, I'm not sure about anything anymore!"

Marie Claire Beauty Director Ying Chu is answering beauty questions on MSN, and her advice is, uh, well...I'll let you judge for yourself.

Q: Do models shave their faces? Their skin always looks so smooth!

A: Absolutely not, and you shouldn’t either. Face shaving is such a masculine act that it can be psychologically confusing to do as a woman. If you feel like you have excess hair on your face, try waxing, plucking, using depilatories, or laser hair removal. You can also ask your doctor for Vaniqa, a prescription cream that slows hair growth in about four to six weeks. But you shouldn’t obsess over a little peach fuzz. I’ve definitely seen my share of it on models’ faces. The reason you haven’t is because facial hair is pretty much always retouched out of photos.

I'm sorry, but what? Now I don't know too much about the psychological consequences of hair removal methods, but I'm pretty sure that, you know, there are none. Chu also recommends women stay away from football, BBQing, and peeing standing up lest you suffer a gender-related nervous breakdown.

Thanks to Dorothy for the link!

Creating a "joke" list about how to kill your wife. Not funny.

Thanks to Jessica (and her boyfriend!) for the link.

Okay, I think It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is super funny. This video promoting it, however, is not.

Thanks to Daniel for the link.

It seems every few weeks there is another study about sexual difference and biology. I've written before about what bothers me about studies that talk about gender difference, and I similarly take issue with studies about sexuality and sexual orientation.

Why do they bug me? Because the premise behind studying the why of sexual difference is unfair. When we decide to look for the cause of queer sexual orientations to me that says "here we have a problem. let's find the root cause!" Queer sexualities are not a problem, or an abnormality, or a disease that we need to cure.

The same goes for "why are you gay" discussions. I frankly find them offensive, because we are once again searching for the root cause of this sexual abnormality. I also think these studies (and the way the media likes to misuse them) are overly deterministic. They imply simple cause and effect relationships between biology and sexuality that are just not accurate. We are all super complex beings, with many factors that influence who we are and our behaviors.

They also tend to make conclusions that are just generalizations backed by statistics--like the recent BBC report about gay brains looking like straight brains of the opposite sex. Not all queer women are the same, nor are all queer men. Nor are all straight women, etc. These generalizations just serve to reinforce the categories that we already believe to be valid.

Some within the queer community have fought in support of the "I was born this way" logic, because they feel that it is the easiest way to fight against discrimination. Since I can't help being the way I am, you have to respect me and my lifestyle. That doesn't hold up too well though if scientists (or psychologists) decide they have a "cure" for homosexuality. Then we no longer can stand behind the I was born that way logic and instead it becomes a choice to fix the problem or not. Some conservatives (and those in favor of ex-gay therapies) already believe this.

Again, we are super complicated beings and it's pretty difficult to prove where sexual preference comes from. But what if it was a choice? I think that should be respected just like anything else. I'm in support of sexual practices between consenting adults, no questions asked.

I'm not saying we should ban these studies--obviously scientists will conduct whatever studies they want, but it would be great to see them covered in a more nuanced way that doesn't fall into these traps.

Moon Duchin, a 1993 Westinghouse finalist, is one cool woman. After Duchin's success in high school, she went on to Harvard to study math and kick some patriarchal ass:

[B]ut even as she pursued a fairly traditional track for a promising young mathematician, she was becoming suspicious of the traditional great "Men of Mathematics" (to quote a famous book title) concept. "Does it hinge on specific people or is it inevitable it will come out that way?" she asks. The Great Man model of a genius working alone in his garret "started to seem like it was obscuring some of the important community aspects of mathematics, and like it was controlling who would even think to enter the field," she says. Duchin stuck it out because of her 7-year-old dream and "adolescent stubbornness," but "it wasn't always easy to see my way through. Meanwhile, I'd picked up an enduring interest in cultural practices and philosophical issues in science."

So at Harvard, Duchin wound up double majoring in math and women's studies. She did a mathematics research thesis, and also one for the women's studies department looking at "Why the notion of genius is so attractive with thinking about math and how it functions, and what it does to math as a field," she says. "Lots of people think this is a non-social field—would math come out differently in a society with a different social organization?" While she's not trying to debunk the existence of genius ("there really are people you meet in math and you learn about who just synthesize things in ways that other people don't have access to with any investment of time"), the Great Man theory "definitely stilts the narrative. A real intellectual history is harder to do but it illuminates the math very differently."

Oh, and if that isn't enough to win you over - Rush Limbaugh once called her a feminist ringleader in one of his trademark rants. Hot.

Thanks to David for the story!

Don Imus, whose oh-so-charming "nappy headed hos" comment last year got him fired (and rehired) from his radio show, has once again proven him to be a grade-A asshole and racist.

During a conversation about [Dallas Cowboys cornerback Adam] Jones' run-ins with the law, Imus asked, "What color is he?" Sports announcer Warner Wolf said Jones — formerly known as Pacman — is "African-American." Imus responded: "There you go. Now we know."

Imus is trying to defend his comments by saying he was making a "sarcastic point." Uh huh.

Feministing community blogger apieceofwork points us to a story about a "pro-life" Congressional candidate in Oregon whose not-so-pro-life past is coming to bite him in the ass.

(PS. Can I just say how incredibly impressed I am by the quality of community posts going up? And we haven't even launched for reals yet! Amazing.)

This petition was inspired by the R. Kelly verdict from last week, read and pass along.

Statement of Black Men Against the Exploitation of Black Women

Six years have gone by since we first heard the allegations that R. Kelly had filmed himself having sex with an underage girl. During that time we have seen the videotape being hawked on street corners in Black communities, as if the dehumanization of one of our own was not at stake. We have seen entertainers rally around him and watched his career reach new heights despite the grave possibility that he had molested and urinated on a 13-year old girl. We saw African Americans purchase millions of his records despite the long history of such charges swirling around the singer. Worst of all, we have witnessed the sad vision of Black people cheering his acquittal with a fervor usually reserved for community heroes and shaken our heads at the stunning lack of outrage over the verdict in the broader Black community.

Over these years, justice has been delayed and it has been denied. Perhaps a jury can accept R. Kelly’s absurd defense and find “reasonable doubt� despite the fact that the film was shot in his home and featured a man who was identical to him. Perhaps they doubted that the young woman in the courtroom was, in fact, the same person featured in the ten year old video. But there is no doubt about this: some young Black woman was filmed being degraded and exploited by a much older Black man, some daughter of our community was left unprotected, and somewhere another Black woman is being molested, abused or raped and our callous handling of this case will make it that much more difficult for her to come forward and be believed. And each of us is responsible for it.

Keep reading and sign petition here.

Thanks to Kara for the heads up.

Carlin was not exactly the poster child for feminism, but he was funny as hell and had some really insightful things to say about our rigid and often ignorant views on culture, politics and the environment. And this skit on the foolishness of anti-choice politics, is pretty on point.

He will be missed.

CEO Barbie Criticized For Promoting Unrealistic Career Images - The Onion: "Toy company Mattel is under fire from a group of activists who say their popular doll's latest incarnation, CEO Barbie, encourages young girls to set impractical career goals."

First Female General Nominated - Feministing Community (Marc): "I'd say it's the beginning of a very critical start in the equalization of genders in the military. One of the reasons I decided to stay in after eight years of service, almost to the date, is because I realize that in society where rank does matter, that those who have a bit of rank can affect the people below them. Patriarchal as it is, the military leaves some room for change - and it is up to those in the military,with what little bit of rank they have, to change the culture."

Unfetter women's intellect on campaign trail - Newsday: "Media coverage everywhere is "Michelle vs. Cindy." Where do they buy their dresses? Do they make bacon for breakfast? And, of course, which one can we compare to Jackie O? Is anyone else as appalled as I am at how quickly we have gone back to thinking of women in the oldest of stereotypes - as only wives and mothers?"

The Loud Silence of Feminists - The Washington Post: "Michelle Obama has become an issue in the presidential campaign even though she isn't running for anything. An educated, successful lawyer, devoted wife and caring mother has been labeled 'angry' and unpatriotic and snidely referred to as Barack Obama's 'baby mama.' Democrats, Republicans, independents, everyone should be offended. And this black woman is wondering: Where are Obama's feminist defenders?"

"If she's not crying...then I did not do my job" - Women Who Serve: "In this same story, [Justin] Gimelstob goes viciously after Anna Kournikova, calling her a bitch, a douche and a scumbag. With regard to playing against her in World Team tennis mixed doubles, he says 'If she's not crying by the time she walks off that court,' then I did not do my job." That is mild, however, compared to: '...she's gonna be serving 40 miles an hour and I'm gonna be just plugging it down her throat.'"

Bratz Candy Cosmetics - Candy Blog: The doll company launches candy makeup for young girls.

Pantsuits and the Presidency - The New York Times: "Some supporters of Hillary Clinton believe that sexism colored news coverage of her presidential campaign. The Times reported in a front-page article on June 13 that many are proposing boycotts of cable news networks and that a 'Media Hall of Shame' has been created by the National Organization for Women. The Times itself, however, was barely mentioned, even though two of its Op-Ed columnists, Maureen Dowd and William Kristol, were named in the Hall of Shame."

Generation Y Refuses Race-Gender Dichotomy - AlterNet: Courtney's latest!

Judge's ban on the use of the word ‘rape’ at trial reflects trend - Kansas City Star: "It’s the only way Tory Bowen knows to honestly describe what happened to her. She was raped. But a judge prohibited her from uttering the word 'rape' in front of a jury. The term 'sexual assault' also was taboo, and Bowen could not refer to herself as a victim or use the word “assailant” to describe the man who allegedly raped her....Bowen’s case is part of what some prosecutors and victim advocates see as a national trend in sexual assault cases."

Tila Tequila: California lifted its gay-marriage ban "because of me" - Reality TV World: "Tila Tequila thinks she deserves some credit for California lifting its ban on same-sex marriages."

Apparently, there is a trend online of posting videos of women's breasts being slapped and punched. Cuz you know punching a woman in the breasts is so funny, har har.

(This video is very annoying to watch and probably NSFW)

Ouch. Am I the only one that doesn't think this is funny?

Thanks to Joy for the link.

If she identifies as a woman, she is a woman. But that is obviously too much for the state of Virginia to understand, so they are trying to figure out if they should prosecute a husband and wife for getting married, because it turns out the wife is an MTF. So technically they are violating the same sex marriage. Since a transgender woman's personhood is not recognized by the state.

A prosecutor says the decision to press charges could turn on whether the pair knowingly misled officials when they applied for a license and later, traveled to a courthouse for a ceremony. If the bride was transgender, and identified as a woman, it is unclear whether the marriage would be considered illegal.

The pair went to Newport News Circuit Court on March 24 to obtain a marriage license -- McCain appearing as a woman and saying the name "Justine" before a deputy, said Newport News Circuit Court clerk Rex Davis.

McCain produced a Virginia driver's license, but a design quirk -- the 'm' or 'f' for male or female appears directly against a darkened state seal -- meant nobody noticed McCain's gender, Davis said.

If she identifies as a woman than she is a woman. Is she "fooling" herself along with the courts? If she "mis-led" them that would assume that she is not actually a woman according to the state and her rights as a transgender person are illegible. The debate around gay marriage doesn't always factor in the relationship between transgender citizens and the legal apparatus of marriage.

via CNN.

Picture from 2DaH Max.

This story kinda slipped through the cracks, but apparently two Obama campaign volunteers didn't want women in head scarves to be sitting behind the podium for the picture. According to Politico.com,

Two Muslim women at Barack Obama’s rally in Detroit on Monday were barred from sitting behind the podium by campaign volunteers seeking to prevent the women’s headscarves from appearing in photographs or on television with the candidate.

The campaign has apologized to the women, both Obama supporters who said they felt betrayed by their treatment at the rally.

For more about why this is not cool check out the Political Poet. Laura Fokkena at PopPolitics also has a post on the issue.

(More about Obama and Muslim supporters via NYTimes.)

Anti-feminism on the internet is widespread, vicious, and fucking hilarious. So we figured why not ma