August 2008 Archives

A kicker was booted from a high-school football team in Georgia because of her gender.

A Pakistani senator defends the fact that women were buried alive in his district as "tribal custom."

Monica Roberts has video interviews with Isis, the first trans contestant on Top Model.

MzBitca has a plea: leave Amy Winehouse alone!

A clearly innovative and forward-thinking family counselor goes on Oprah to tell women it's their fault if their husbands cheat.

Broadsheet discusses a new blog, called What to Expect When You're Aborting.

Katie Couric on how her nightly news hosting gig has been difficult.

In These Times on why soldiers rape. And Col. Ann Wright has another piece on the possible cover-ups related to two female soldiers' suicides.

I want to put in a plug for the site TheUptake, which has obsessive (in a good way) coverage and videos of the RNC protests and raids. They've got the video of DemocracyNow's Amy Goodman leaping a fence to question some journalists who were detained:

Glenn Greenwald and Lindsay Beyerstein have more on the house raids. Here's one video:

And last but certainly not least, the awesome Anne Elizabeth Moore is filing dispatches from St. Paul on the Feministing Community site, and we'll be posting them all to the front page so you don't miss a single one. You can also follow Anne at CodePink's blog and on Twitter. Click here to read her first post.

INCITE! needs your support in their efforts to help low-income women of color with evacuation efforts as Hurricane Gustav approaches the Gulf Coast.

Your assistance is urgently needed to help low-income women of color and their families evacuate safely if need be, stay safe for the duration of the evacuation, and return to the city as soon as possible so as not to fall prey to the pushout that has kept so many folks from being able to return to New Orleans since Katrina. Local organizers are using whatever resources and funds at their disposal to help women and their families evacuate, bond people being held in Orleans Parish Prison out, and support those who make the choice to stay in whatever way they can.

This money will go directly to supporting the hundreds of low income women of color that are the constituency of the New Orleans Women's Health Clinic.

Once again, the particular vulnerability of low-income women of color and single female-headed households (including folks with disabilities, seniors, undocumented immigrant women, and incarcerated women) has been erased in the face of disaster and overlooked in the days leading up to the storm. With few resources, facing challenges and concerns for their families of their own, INCITE! New Orleans and WHJI have stepped in to fill the gap. Please send all your support, solidarity, sisterhood and strength their way, and join us in hoping for the safety and well-being of the people who are already suffering from Gustav in Cuba, Jamaica, and Haiti, and willing the storm to subside or veer off safely before it strikes the Gulf Coast.

TO HELP: Click here to make a donation online (be sure to put "New Orleans" in the "Purpose" line). [Updated link.]

Or you can write a check directly to WHJI and send it to:
PO Box 51325
New Orleans, LA 70151

I have a piece up at TAP:

Palin's addition to the ticket takes Republican faux-feminism to a whole new level. As Adam Serwer pointed out on TAPPED, this is in fact a condescending move by the GOP. It plays to the assumption that disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters did not care about her politics -- only her gender. In picking Palin, Republicans are lending credence to the sexist assumption that women voters are too stupid to investigate or care about the issues, and merely want to vote for someone who looks like them. As Serwer noted, it's akin to choosing Alan Keyes in an attempt to compete with Obama for votes from black Americans.

[...]

It's clear that Republicans believe that what made Hillary Clinton such a good candidate was her gender, not her political experience or positions on the issues. And McCain's decision to pick Palin shows he took this message to heart and chose to add her to the ticket primarily because of her gender. In so doing, McCain has turned the idea of the first woman in the White House from a true moment of change to an empty pander.

Why is this a pander? Because Palin is not a woman who has a record of representing women's interests. She is beloved by extremely right-wing conservatives for her anti-choice record (fittingly, she's a member of the faux-feminist anti-choice group Feminists for Life). Palin supports federal anti-gay marriage legislation. She believes schools should teach creationism. Alaska is currently considering spending more on abstinence-only sex education. And when it comes to a slew of other issues of importance to women, such as equal pay, she's not on the record.

Read the rest here. I'll be discussing the article (and debating this woman) on CNN tomorrow morning at 10:30 a.m. eastern.

More from other bloggers after the jump...

Bush and McCain share cake for McCain's 69th birthday as Hurricane Katrina hits Gulf Coast.

With all the election news and the impending landfall of Hurricane Gustav, let's not forget that today marks the three-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Salon has an interview with Phyllis Montana-LeBlanc, who appears in Spike Lee's documentary about Katrina, "When the Levees Break." She describes her experiences:

Yeah, just as we were getting up to leave, a helicopter came by and we were like, "We can go now, we're saved." They came right in front of our faces, and the [pilot] looked at me, but they left. I couldn't believe they were leaving us and they were that close. But my thinking afterward, after reason hit, was that there was only 5 feet of water [where we were] and they had to go and get other people who were in more dire need. I understand that now. And I have great respect for those people, the Coast Guard, because they helped us a lot. They're heroes. But when you're in a situation where water's rising, and you don't know whether people are drowning, it's a different story.

So we were stuck there, looking at two blocks of water, before we could get to higher ground. It was me, my husband, Ron, my sister Catherine and my mom, and she can't swim, and we've got my nephew Nicholas, and he's autistic and he can't swim either. We had to get to higher ground, so we got them on refrigerators, and facing us was the longest two blocks I've ever seen in my life. And then there were the alligators and snakes that we'd heard about being in the water, eating bodies and stuff. It was beyond horrific. There was just two blocks, but you're thinking you may not be able to make it even two blocks. And the water smelled horrible. I can still smell it to this day.

Think Progress has a timeline of how events unfolded -- including a mention of the fact that Bush and McCain were eating cake together on this date three years ago. It helpfully illustrates the extent to which the Bush administration fucked up -- but I think stories like Montana-LeBlanc's are even more compelling. It's no wonder New Orleans is still struggling to recover.

Because fighting domestic violence makes one so unelectable. Via Barefoot and Progressive:

Exxon Eddie Whitfield's surrogate has just posted a clip of his opponent in KY's 1st congressional district race, Heather Ryan, performing a short piece from the Vagina Monologues earlier this year, which raised money for the Merriman House in Paducah for battered women. In it, he asks "Is this what we want to represent the first district of Kentucky?"

Uhhhh.... YES.

Violence, shmiolence - this woman is in a show about vaginas, people!! Sigh, how moronic. (Albeit not surprising.)

As we noted over and over throughout the Democratic primary, it's important to decry sexism against women in politics even if you don't agree with them on the issues or endorse their candidacy. With that we're depressed to note that the sexist bullshit against Republican VP pick Sarah Palin is cropping up so soon:

C'mon. Criticize her on the basis of her political record or experience. Don't make it about looks.

(For those who don't get the "joke," this should explain it.)

UPDATE: And Jill points out another incident, too.

Picture from littlebethany.

Trigger warning : This is very upsetting. At the convention, a CodePink protester was knocked down by a policeman saying (you can hear him in the video): "Back it up, bitch."

So McCain has chosen Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. She's young -- 44 -- and a self-described "hockey mom." Because Palin is relatively unknown on the national level (she's been governor since 2006, and before that was mayor of a town of 8,000 people), a lot of people are already identifying this as a ploy to snag the votes of disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters. I don't know whether that's true (my guess is yes), but it's my sense that Hillary backers who don't like Obama are not going to like a McCain/Palin ticket much better.

Let me say right off the bat that, overall, I think it's great that Republicans have chosen to elevate a woman to this level -- no matter what their motivations. I want to see more women of all parties involved in politics. But, as we stated over and over in the primaries, a politician's gender isn't everything. It's merely one factor to be considered. And quite frankly, Palin's political views suck.

First up, she's super anti-choice. The forced-pregnancy crowd is thrilled today! (She recently had her fifth child, who has Down's syndrome.) She's against marriage equality and supports a federal gay-marriage ban, but has made sure to note that she "has gay friends." Though she has signed on to same-sex partner benefits. She believes schools should teach creationism. She's also pretty terrible on environmental issues, and is a huge advocate of drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Plus, she's embroiled in a scandal:

But Palin's seemingly bright future was clouded in late July when the state legislature voted to hire an independent investigator to find out whether she tried to have a state official fire her ex-brother-in-law from his job as a state trooper.

As Vanessa blogged last month, Bill Kristol was claiming McCain would pick Palin -- and that would prove that Republicans are "much more open to strong women." Frankly, that's bullshit. Republicans are more open to a certain type of woman -- one who is strongly against things like equal pay, universal health care, and reproductive freedom. In other words, the party is pro-woman-candidates, as long as they enact anti-woman policies.

More to come later... Any Alaskans out there who know a bit more about her? What do the rest of you think?

UPDATE: My colleague Adam over at TAP makes some great points:

The pick of Palin is dripping with transparent condescension, the notion that the enthusiasm behind Hillary was simply the result of her being a woman, that it had nothing to do with what she actually stood for, and in that sense it's equally sexist. Palin is essentially a hard right ideologue, and therefore nothing like Hillary as far as substance is concerned. It's not very different from running Alan Keyes against Barack Obama in 2004. The conservative media reaction has already engaged in paternalistic language, with FOX News reporting on television that "McCain broke the glass ceiling," implying in fact, that the pick had nothing to do with Palin or her qualifications, but merely her gender. It's fitting that the party positing affirmative action as a program that picks people exclusively based on race or gender rather than qualification should do something similar given an opportunity for political advancement. While Obama is promising change through policy, not simply through the circumstances of his birth, the McCain campaign thinks his appeal is simply visual and demographic, and therefore something they can exploit.

UPDATE II: Bilerico has more on her record on LGBT issues.

Here it is! After the fabulous Feministing happy hour - where we got to talk to activists, readers and regular commenters like TheSoyMilkConspiracy and Thomas - we headed over to NARAL NY's watch party. It was amazing to get to watch this incredible speech with such a great group of people. Awesome night.

Don't let her celebrate alone, folks! Wish that girl a happy birthday!

My wonderful sister and partner in feminist crime, Vanessa, is turning 28 today. I'm so proud and happy - not just to have such an amazing friend and sister in V, but also that we've gotten to take this feminist journey with the site together. Love you, sis.

This is a great question to keep asking John McCain and other anti-choicers:

Related:
Reclaiming the abortion debate
How much jail time should women get for having an abortion?
Thompson gives her jail time
McCain's long and ugly record on choice
More on McCain's dismal record on choice
McCain: Contra-contraception

Have at it, folks...

Since Courtney is on vacation, I'm stepping in this week to do my first Thank You Thursday post!

This week I want to dedicate to graphic novels, and particularly the bad-ass women who write them. In the pretty male dominated world of comics and graphic novels, these women rock their content. I love the way reading a graphic novel makes my brain work differently, giving visual context for the words and characters on the page. Two women in particular stand out for me: Alison Bechdel and Ariel Schrag.

I've written about Alison Bechdel's stellar book, Fun Home, before. It's gotten TONS of well deserved attention, and I've read it at least five times. She has such a witty and thoughtful style and tells the story of her own coming of age and coming out, as well as her dad's own struggle with his sexuality. She's also the author of the favorite comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, which is coming out in a collected edition this fall.

Ariel Schrag is a newer find of mine, but she's also a fantastic contributor to the lesbian graphic novel world. She wrote a series of graphic novels while in high school in Berkeley, one about each year. It's really cool to watch her skill and style develop and really fun to delve back into the world of high school through Schrag's eyes.

Both these women write with such honesty and humor it makes my life feel just a little less foreign.

Who are your favorite female graphic novelists?

Our NYC Feministing Happy Hour starts in just an hour, so if you're in the area and want to join some friendly neighborhood feminists for some end-of-the-summer cocktails, we'll be at Dove Parlor from 5 - 8 pm. You can see details also on our Facebook event page.

Hope you can make it!

Go read Angry Black Bitch's thoughts on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. A taste:

Members of my family...men and oh yes, women...earned the protected vote in 1965. And I wish my Grandmère was alive today to cast her vote for whoever she damn well would want to. My vote isn't about candidates...I've been in this game too long to fall in love with politicians or be romanced by campaigns.

No, my vote is all about me and mine.

Now go read the rest.

Mexico's high court voted to uphold legalized abortion in Mexico City!

And yeah, it appear the Mexican court has its own version of Scalia:

Magistrate Mariano Azuela, who was one of two justices to speak against the law, declared that life begins at conception. "I feel that a woman in some way has to live with the phenomenon of becoming pregnant," he reportedly said. "When she does not want to keep the product of the pregnancy, she still has to suffer the effects during the whole period."

A pretty succinct summary of the view that women who dare to have sex should be "punished" with pregnancy.

Anyway, awesome news!

Pic from JillNic83.

And here's the Monty Python interpretation...

'

From the NYTimes City Room:

Paratroopers are drifting down to earth -- well, down the side of a Brooklyn apartment building -- and slowly being helped back on their feet. This scene has finally come into full view in Sunset Park, where a group of young women this summer painted a mural that was their response to military recruiters in their schools and neighborhoods.

The mural project was sponsored by the Groundswell Community Mural Project.

Badass.

Thanks to Veronica for the link.

I had been meaning to read this journalistic classic by Janet Malcolm for years, after having read an excerpt of it in grad school, but, you know, life happens. I finally picked it up and devoured it on a plane a few days ago on my way home to visit my parents.

Essentially, Janet Malcolm revisits the case against Joe McGinniss, a journalist who was sued after publishing a book about convicted murderer Jeffrey MacDonald. MacDonald felt that McGinniss had deliberately lured him into thinking that they were friends, that he believed in his innocence, and then written a scathing indictment. McGinniss denied intentional subterfuge and, also, argued that it is the writer's practice to coax the subject into comfort, however false. It explores the complexity of the writer-subject relationship, truth and justice, and the thorny psychology involved in making the personal public.

This book is a journalistic classic for a reason; it pushes writers to come to terms with the insanity of trying to write about real people's lives with integrity. What you learn in journalism school these days is fairly limited to networking and logistics--new media techniques, the craft and art of writing, journalistic protocol, but rarely are the psychological incongruities of the profession brought to light and discussed openly.

I have struggled with the drive to write the emotional truth of a person's story so as to illustrate my analysis in the most cogent, inspiring way and my deep commitment to honoring that person's humanity and privacy. The two are often at odds in a way that I suspect non-writers wouldn't predict. It's painful and murky and fraught with human frailty.

Through a feminist lens, this is very related to the personal being the political. On the one hand, for example, women's struggles with perfection and their own bodies is entirely personal--right up there with sex and money and religion in terms of unspeakables. On the other hand, I had a conviction that there was a collective story to our individual pain, and I wanted to bring that to light in my book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. So I asked these women--many of them my friends, all of them people I care about--to share their stories with the world. I encouraged/pushed/coaxed (depending on your perspective) them to bare their souls (personal) for the betterment of the public (political). Many experienced unanticipated consequences (angry mothers, a sense of being horribly exposed). Some also experienced a deep sense of freedom, courage, a letting go. I stood, morally, in between these two experiences, feeling a bit helpless and also totally responsible.

I leave you with Malcolm's own words (pronouns admittedly annoying):

Unlike other relationships that have a purpose beyond themselves and are clearly delineated as such (dentist-patient, lawyer-client, teacher-student), the writer-subject relationship seems to depend for its life on a kind of fuzziness and murkiness, if not utter covertness, of purpose. If everybody put his cards on the table, the game would be over. The journalist must do his work in a kind of deliberately induced state of moral anarchy.

Our gal Vanessa has a piece up at AlterNet today on a topic that won't be a surprise to regular Feministing readers: how the Christian right is trying to make abstinence cool.

Study after study has shown that those schooled in abstinence rhetoric are just as sexually active as those who aren't, leaving the right wing with virtually no credibility on the subject. Now, conservatives have to be a little savvier if they want to lie about condoms' effectiveness against sexually transmitted infections, make bogus claims about a link between abortion and breast cancer, or manipulate teens into thinking that premarital sex is damaging to one's self-worth. That's why conservative ideologues have taken abstinence-only discourse outside of the classroom and are trying to woo students through a different strategy: by making abstinence the teen trend of the year.

To boost the no-sex-'til-marriage cool factor, conservatives are co-opting everything from teen magazines to fashion to comedy routines. But behind the trendy talk are the same shame-inducing tactics and medical misinformation that could potentially put teens' self-esteem, health and lives in danger.

Read the rest here.

Today the Washington Post covers a new book with the earth-shattering thesis that, if women want to "keep a man" they should start scrubbing floors in lingerie, learning to cook steaks to order, and giving blowjobs in between.

Is that cover condescending or what? And that's not even getting into the content of the book...

Moore's slim treatise purports to explain how women should go about sex, relationships and marriage -- according to men. Here is his mission as a self-described reeducator: "I want to express my anger and frustration as a man with the women I feel are miseducated, misinformed, and ill-prepared about their responsibilities in getting and maintaining a relationship with a man of quality," he writes in the introduction.

Moore, of course, considers himself just such a man. Read his book, ladies, and you can snag a catch just like him. Your responsibilities include cooking, staying skinny, wearing sexy things around the house and doing whatever your man tells you to do (because, Moore writes, "Here's a little secret, ladies: men never really ask for anything. They command. . . . And believe me, what you won't do, ten broads around the corner will.")

Ugh. The sad part is, he's found this method successful:

Moore's girlfriend, Khanequa Tuitt, who's at the book-signing, recalls that when she first read his manuscript, she only got past the first couple of pages before calling him to curse him out. But now she's come to terms with his views. She's started "trying to stay away from wearing frumpy, flannel stuff," even when she's cleaning, for example.

Moore also keeps it classy with a "no fatties" message:

In his book, size matters -- a lot: "The fatter you get, the more you decrease your potential single-man pool. Let me give you an example. When you go to the grocery store to shop, do you pick out the nastiest-looking, most rotten, smelliest fruit or meat you can find? Oh, you don't? Why not? . . . It's the same with men when they see baby elephant-sized, out-of-shape women."

The interesting thing is that (as you may have noticed from the cover above), the book is "presented by" Zane, a best-selling writer of black erotica. (As M.Dot at Model Minority writes today, "Zane sells because her fiction allows Black women to be sexual in a culture that refuses to acknowledge that we are sexual, a culture that calls us ho's if are so inclined to be sexual, talk about sex, or even look like we are human and have a sexual appetite.") But Zane says her name on the book is not an endorsement -- it's a warning: "There are some men who feel exactly like he does. I feel like women should be forewarned and realize what's out there."

We here at Feministing heart Margaret Cho, so we couldn't have been happier to find out she was getting her own show on VH1. If you missed the first episode, you can watch it right here!

Rest of episode after the jump....

Ann gave you a serious run-down on Biden already, but I just wanted to highlight this piece from Jonathan Cohn at TNR on the silence in the mainstream media and beyond about Biden's role in drafting and passing the Violence Against Woman Act.

Del Martin (right) with her wife, Phyllis Lyon

Sad news: LGBT rights activist Del Martin has died.

Martin, who married her longtime partner Phyllis Lyon on the first day same-sex marriage was legal in California, co-founded (with Lyon) the first national lesbian rights organization, the Daughters of Bilitis in 1955.

Lyon released the following statement on Martin's death: "I am so lucky to have known her, loved her and been her partner in all things. I am devastated, but I take some solace in knowing we were able to enjoy the ultimate rite of love and commitment before she passed." (Emphasis mine)

This is incredibly sad, but what an amazing woman - and an amazing life!

Pam has more.

You can always count on The New York Post to bring you the bottom-of-the-barrel headlines.

And this one is no exception.

38 year-old Elizabeth Acevedo, a human being, was murdered in Brooklyn after someone hit her in the head. The police are still looking for a suspect.

Renee at Womanist Musings has more.

Via Ren at Feministe.

This one seems like a good news, sketchy news kind of situation to me.

The good news

Local researchers have found that mothers' views about premarital sex don't affect their decisions on whether their pre-teen or teenage daughters should get the vaccine against the sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

The survey, by a team at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, appears to refute the perception that mothers who opt against their daughters receiving the vaccine for the human papillomavirus do so because they oppose sex before marriage.

The study's lead author Susan Rosenthal said, "This is a decision about parenting, vulnerability and vaccine attitudes, not sexuality...Mothers who haven't had their daughter vaccinated yet most often said they want more time to learn about the vaccine."

The perhaps-sketch news

The study was in part funded by Merck, the vaccine's manufacturer.

Thoughts?

For those in NYC, our summer happy hour will be at the fabulous Dove Parlor in the village tomorrow from 5-8pm. That'll give you plenty of time to get home or to your watch party to see Obama's acceptance speech for the nomination! Some of us will be heading to NARAL Pro-Choice New York's Watch Party at The Skinny afterwards. RSVP here if you're interested in going!

Check out our happy hour on Facebook!

Hope you can join!

We've posted in detail about McCain's horrible history (and potential future) with reproductive justice issues. But there's always need for more reminders.

Dahlia Lithwick at Slate says McCain is trying to "pull a Jessica Seinfeld."

So the candidate is doing exactly what Mrs. Jerry Seinfeld did in her popular cookbook, Deceptively Delicious. He's sneaking a little of his bad-tasting reproductive rights stance into the meatloaf of his candidacy--not by hiding it, but by trading on his reputation as a maverick. Seinfeld's contention was that if your kids don't like asparagus, you should just whirl it up in the blender and bake it into some meatloaf. The children won't know the difference until it's too late.

Make sure to check out the whole piece. Even if it doesn't tell you anything you don't know about McCain and choice, it will make you hungry for meatloaf. (Okay, that's probably just me. But seriously, read it.)

Here's my fave part.

Lapriss Gilbert was forced to leave a federal building after a guard in the Social Security office told her that her "lesbian.com" shirt was offensive.

She said the guard, who works for a private company hired by the Department of Homeland Security, demanded that she leave the building or face arrest.

"As an African-American and a lesbian, I haven't been through one day without facing some sort of discrimination ... but this is just shocking," said Gilbert, 31.

A witness, Paul Dumont said, "For her to be told to leave was completely unnecessary, especially considering how peaceful and quiet she was responding the the security officers." In his statement to police Dumont noted that the guard's "loud, unreasonable, aggressive and angry approach to the situation almost caused chaos."

Via the f word.

What does everyone think?

Aside from the applause line about fighting for women's rights and gay rights, I'd say her "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits" was a pretty great turn of phrase. I'm also glad she's recognizing Stephanie Tubbs Jones.

And ooooh, loved that line about McCain and Bush being "awfully hard to tell apart."

Also, did anyone catch Lilly Ledbetter's speech earlier tonight? I missed it...

My stomach turns everytime I see another one of these stories.

In another large-scale workplace immigration crackdown, federal officials raided a factory here on Monday, detaining at least 350 workers they said were in the country illegally.

Numerous agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement descended on a factory belonging to Howard Industries Inc., which manufactures electrical transformers, among other products.

The raid follows a similar large-scale immigration operation at a meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, in May when nearly 400 workers were detained. That raid was a significant escalation of the Bush administration's enforcement practices because those detained were not simply deported, as in previous raids, but were imprisoned for months on criminal charges of using false documents.

See A Book Without a Cover for possible action you can take to stop these raids.

If I didn't know better I would think it was my birthday - because it's not often that an anti-feminist organization gives you a gift like this one.

The Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute* has put out Sense & Sexuality, a handy little anti-feminist guide to sex by none other than Miriam Grossman, author of the slut-shaming book Unprotected (not to be confused with the similarly titled slut-shaming book Unhooked).

Seriously, every page is priceless - so it's hard to know what to highlight. But here are some of my favorite tidbits.

On the biology of why dudes will fuck you and dump you:

When it comes to sex, oxytocin, like alcohol, turns red lights green. It plays a major role in what's called "the biochemistry of attachment." Because of it, you could develop feelings for a guy whose last intention is to bond with you. You might think of him all day, but he can't remember your name.

On the dangers of "hooking up":

As the number of casual sex partners in the past year increased, so did signs of depression in college women.

On why women with HPV are unlovable drop-outs:

Even though these infections are common, and usually disappear with time, learning you have one can be devastating. Natural reactions are shock, anger, and confusion. Who did I get this from, and when? Was he unfaithful? Who should I tell? And hardest of all: Who will want me now? These concerns can affect your mood, concentration, and sleep. They can deal a serious blow to your self esteem. And to your GPA.

On why you should get to the baby-making ASAP:

Remember that motherhood doesn't always happen when the time is right for you; there's a window of opportunity, then the window closes.

On wishing herpes on fictional characters:

It's easy to forget, but the characters on Grey's Anatomy and Sex in the City are not real. In real life, Meredith and Carrie would have warts or herpes. They'd likely be on Prozac or Zoloft.

But really and truly it's page 16, in its entirety, that's my favorite. Check it after the jump. Then laugh yourself to sleep tonight. I know I will.

*The organization that also brought you one of the top 10 anti-feminist videos and the "bring back the hope chest" campaign.

It's safe to say that evangelist John Hagee isn't a fan of stay-at-home dads. Yikes.

Via Shine.

A reader sent in this story of a woman who intervened when she saw a girl getting physically abused, and I thought it brought up a lot of interesting questions about when to get involved.

I was waiting for my bus up to Ye Olde Transit Centre early this morning, and I noticed a young couple scuffling outside the Youth Employment Centre near my bus stop. They were older teenagers - the boy was 17 or 18, and the girl looked to be about 16. She was crying and yelling something at the boy, and suddenly they started pushing and shoving.

She took a swing and he grabbed her hand (he was easily 6' and she must have been 5'2 and about 100lbs) and he threw her up against the building and grabbed her throat. I was alone at the stop and reacted instinctively: I pushed my way between them and told the boy to back off. Predictably he started screaming at me to "stay out of his business" but I ignored him and worked on leading the girl away. She kept sobbing in apology, and flinched when the boy tried to grab her hand. The boy kept yelling at me to "stay out of it" and I told him that he if was going to assault his girlfriend on a public street than it damn well was my business, and that if he didn't back off and move away I was going to call the police.

...He muttered, "Fucking feminist bitch!" and moved away up the street.

Telling that he called her a feminist as a pejorative, but I digress. I've often seen things in public spaces that I found upsetting and/or well, criminal, and I've spoken up when I've felt safe. But how can we gauge safety, or if other women want us to get involved?

I'm reminded of two stories...

A women's studies professor I had as an undergrad told my class about how her sister was in an abusive relationship - his battering her was so loud that the neighbors called often the police. However, the police generally made things worse: Not just because they didn't arrest her boyfriend and treated her as if she was the criminal - not believing her, asking if she had attacked him - but also because once they left, she was beaten even worse. My prof went on to say that from then on whenever she saw or heard a woman being abused, she asked if the woman would like her to call the police - assuming that she knew what was best for her own situation.

Related: Babble snagged an interview with her - jealous!

Today is the 88th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

In honor of the anniversary, I thought folks could share their first-time-voting story... The first time I voted (and I was so excited to) was in the 1996 presidential election. I had turned 18 years old a mere four days before election day, and I was living in New Orleans at the time - which meant that I had to vote by absentee ballot. Not quite the lever-pulling fun I was looking for, but I remember being so psyched that it didn't much matter to me. I was also the high and mighty gal who was appalled by my classmates who weren't voting, and wasn't afraid to let them know. Yeah, I wasn't very popular at Tulane. (Thank goodness for transferring!)

What's your story?

We've written about the great film At Your Cervix before, but this time we need your help.

The film's director Amy Jo Goddard has written Feministing to let us know that they're trying to get the word out about the project and, of course, need funds in order to do so. Right now, the film is up for up for a $10,000 award on Idea Blob - they're one of eight finalists. So if you like what At Your Cervix is doing, and you want to support Goddard's work, head on over and vote!

Anyone watching? Thoughts?