You probably remember the attempted assassination of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in January of 2011, which happened right here in Tucson. Among those injured was Ron Barber, head of Giffords’ Tucson office. Now that Gabby has stepped down to focus on her recovery, the 8th Congressional District in southeastern Arizona is holding a special election on Tuesday to choose her replacement. Ron Barber, a pro-choice Democrat, is facing off against Jesse Kelly, a tea party Republican who is much more extreme than past GOP representatives from CD8. Last week we ran an unedited, full interview with Ron Barber, focusing on his stance on abortion rights, access to contraception, and other health-care issues. After the bad news in Wisconsin, keep your fingers crossed for us here in Arizona. And if you live in CD8 — remember to vote on Tuesday! And for those of you in search of yet more links, Stacey has brought together the latest headlines in reproductive-justice news. From Live Action to gonorrhea, we have you covered. We also, at long last, compiled bios for our bloggers, so now you know where we’re coming from!
This week at Mama Nervosa: Jen did a book review about intergenerational wisdom. She also reflected on her daughter’s first birthday. Lauren learned some heavy lessons from a monumental tech fail and talks about being back to square one after quitting graduate school. She also discusses the concept of “flow” and seeking ecstatic experiences (via watching a lot of rockumentaries).
If Katherine Harris (aka Cruella DeVille) were dead she’d be rolling in her grave. Rick Scott’s voter purge is on hold. But he’s not done yet. They’re counting on your amnesia– remember election 2000 and get activated— Protecting the Vote in Florida
This summer, I’m trying to review (and give away some of) my yoga and fitness DVDs that avoid body-shaming, diet, or weight loss talk. The current DVD up for giveaway is AM Yoga for Your Week. I’m finally decompressed from school enough to write about School Lunch Reforms I Could Get Behind to give students (and, um, teachers; teachers eat school lunch too) more meaningful choices when it comes to nutrition and food. And continuing my anatomy series on the hips, I compiled some variations on boat pose for different physical abilities and needs.
There are a lot of great reasons to see Take This Waltz, the new film starring Michelle Williams: it’s one of those rare films directed by a woman (Sarah Polley, who’s also known as an actor); Williams is terrific, as she always is; and it’s a sexy tale of infidelity told through a woman’s eyes. But most of all, as I point out in my piece about the film (now streaming for rent on various sites), I loved it most because it feels like a waltz — the film not only uses Leonard Cohen’s great song, but it moves like a dance piece. Read my piece, and see it.
With all the conversations I have been reading about privilege and white privilege, I got inspired to write one of my own. White Privilege
Because I didn’t want to derail the Stuyvesant thread a couple days ago, I wrote about my own slut-shamey high school dress code. I also wrote a post about music fans and who gets to call themself one. (Hint: it’s usually dudes.)
I’ve been a busy bee this week. There is just so much to talk about, so many feelings to express. Legislators are trying to defund Planned Parenthood in Pennsylvania. So I have officially declared war on Daryl Metcalfe’s war on women. Ending Safe Abortion Behind the Guise of Women’s Health Also, being an atheist can be hard sometimes. We are inundated with religious language and symbolism everywhere we go – even at secular events. And sometimes, we have to compromise when religious people insert their religious ceremonies into our lives. But I have also learned that there are more people of like mind out there than I realize.
Vampires: The Duty of Conformity : Looking at how conformity to human standards is necessary for a vampire to be perceived as good. Cover Snark: I See You Heroine, Shakin’ that Ass.: Once again we look at book covers and this week we focus on covers that seem to think that only a woman’s behind matters. Face off: Mortal Instruments vs The Infernal Devices : This week we compare Cassandra Clare’s two series and come to the conclusion that she has actually written the same book twice Review Snow White & The Huntsman: We save you time and money by sharing our thoughts on this re-crafted version of Snow White.
I wrote two entries once I was done with a class assignment. Insidious is about being changed by upgrading to a smarter smartphone (with a data plan). Fashionably feminist is the beginning of an exploration by a fashion merchandising student who considers herself a feminist. Naturally, I mention Feministe.
I’ve been busy this week. Here’s me on… The gender of “Prometheus” the military moms who breast fed in uniform and the Miss USA Pageant.
Review: Kiss the Dead by Laurell K Hamilton, Book 21 of the Anita Blake Series : Yes, she’s still writing books and this post contains our thoughts on her new book. Sadly we have come to the season finale of Game of Thrones but we do have thoughts on it. And teen wolf started last week, and so we watched episode one and two.
Hey, feminists who try to reclaim the term “feminazi”? Don’t. I’m continuing my interview series with feminists of faith with Episcopalian Erin K. Bartuska Lastly, remember that Atwood quote, “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them”? I’m thinking about violence and laughter.
what you should know. (my relationship with morality and religion, and my faults) http://thefatalfeminist.com/2012/06/09/what-you-should-know/ Finish http://thefatalfeminist.com/2012/06/09/finish/
A Buddhist Story about People and Cats http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2012/06/buddhist-story-about-people-and-cats.html Assorted stuff I covered on my radio show: http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2012/06/weekend-update.html Announcing our local candlelight vigil to commemorate victims of anti-gay violence… if you are in SC or Western NC, hope you will drop in: http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2012/06/greenville-candlelight-vigil-announced.html
Stuff I’ve written lately: To summon sexism, one need only speak its name: On Anita Sarkeesian’s Kickstarter project to make a video series discussing sexism in video games, and the absurd backlash it has received. With bonus analysis of how privilege and bigotry work How to deal with science you don’t like: call it religion: On the significance of 46% of Americans being creationists and how educators are trying to re-frame evolution as a religion so they don’t have to teach it
There was a recent slew of blog posts by female authors explaining why they wished they were boys when they were young. Which led me to wonder why, unlike them, I never wanted to be a boy. I concluded that it was all thanks to books. Specifically, the books written by those same female authors who, after reading book after book with male heroes went “screw this, I’m writing about girls.” Because books solve everything. Clearly. And finally, the end of my Epic recap of WisCon, the feminist science fiction convention. Part one covers the Tiptree Auction (feminists being funny! Prime numbers jokes!), the “It’s not for girls!” panel, which discussed sexist/highly gendered marketing and how to fight it, the “women aren’t contortionists” panel, where panelists tried to recreate typical comic book poses (ie: the brokeback), and a panel discussing the virtues of pseudonyms on the internet. Part two covers the “Are men and women really different?” panel (with tons and tons of book recommendations for further research) and the “Degaying and Whitewashing of YA panel,” which discussed why young adult literature is so devoid of queer and POC protagonists, and how to change the scene. The post also has my final thoughts on WisCon and why I appreciate the convention’s commitment to improvement and accountability.
Watch what you think, or you won’t get an income: Corporate Big Brother’s underhanded way to try and crush feminism, along with any other dissent. This is a huge threat to our freedom to express ourselves, to organize, and to make a difference.
I am signal boosting some awful awful news which is about to split up an adorable gay couple. Newly proposed UK immigration rules require the British partner of a foreign spouse to earn significantly more than the average female salary. I’ve summarised the story here, signed a petition and written to 3 MPs. Any UK citizens passing by, please check it out and consider taking action. My Coworker: Schroedinger’s Rapist? – I’ve decided to report a co-worker for harrassment and space-invading, but only after much angsting and internalised rape apologism. A Q&A between me and me, as I try to challenge my guilt. Possibly triggery. Trans Activists: MRAs? – ever since Radfem 2012 was banned from Conway Hall in its planned form, radical feminists have accused us trans activists of being MRAs, while genuine MRAs have cackled and taken the credit. Over at the Resist Radfem 2012 blog, I write about how the pair of them are using the spectre of one enemy to discredit the other, while setting the record straight.
Hey all, My name is Bianca James, sex and beauty editor at recently launched Msbehaved.com. We posted some stuff this week that may be of interest: We have a series about pregnancy sex called “Knocking Boots and Knitting Booties,” this week’s installment is about Brighid’s experience with miscarriage, which is sad, but also not the end of the world (she runs a fucking 5k during her miscarriage because she’s awesome/nuts): http://msbehaved.com/2012/06/08/knocking-boots-and-knitting-booties-when-sperm-met-egg/ “In Defense of the Sexually Prudent Feminist”: Msbehaved regular Rashaun talks being a sex positive feminist who’s simply not into “smanging it all over town” (her words) and the flack she takes for that. http://msbehaved.com/2012/06/07/in-defense-of-the-sexually-prudent-feminist/ “Health at Every Size and the Important Difference Between Thin and Healthy” by me. In which I tackle the differences between healthy and thin, and the real socioeconomic factors fueling the “Obesity Crisis” moral panic, in preparation for a piece on Fathleticism this coming week: http://msbehaved.com/2012/06/07/health-at-every-size-is-awesome-and-the-difference-between-being-thin-and-healthy/ We’re also looking for contributors, so check out submission guidelines here: http://msbehaved.com/submissions/
I have posted a short discussion of the use of the word feminist by the Catholic Church to silence women’s voices, and some pics of my embroidery projects, one of which is a portrait of Kathleen Hanna surrounded by bikini kill, le tigre and Julie Ruin lyrics. My aim is to subvert typically feminine arts by making the product overtly feminist, create a sex-positive feminist piece of art and keep my hands busy. My blog
I’ve been continuing to work through some of Paul’s letters this week for my summer course, so I wrote up some thoughts on 1 Cor, and then shared some of my experience as a formerly terrible song-leader in church-song, by which I mean, the song of the people gathered as church. I also reblogged a piece on Matilda of Scotland from another blog that I suspect Feministe readers will enjoy.
Hello! I wrote about Erykah Badu/Wayne Coyne (of The Flaming Lips) controversy (he released his version of a music video they collaborated on without her consent, in which she was naked and then proceeded to be a condescending asshole to her on Twitter while she gets raked over the coals for it from all sides). Have a good week!
Over at Keep Your Bridges Burning I finally wrote the thousands-of-words-long liveblog/scene-by-scene breakdown of The Sandman: A Game of You that I’ve been threatening to write for years. **Spoiler** Every time Wanda- the trans woman character- steps onstage, she reifies a cissexist norm. 🙁
As part of Rachel Held Evans‘ synchroblog on egalitarianism, I wrote on how my husband and I practice mutual respect and submission in contrast to patriarchal complementarianism. Somewhat in response to the recent discussion around nuns’ “radical feminist agenda” (?!) and the male-dominated hierachy of the Catholic Church, I wrote about what happens when women are treated as less than fully human in the church. R, a professional woman in the upper 30s, responded to The Last Name Project on why she wants it both ways: keep her name professionally, but take her husband’s socially.
Just got back from the Cincinnati Fringe Festival, where I had someone tell me I’m not a real woman because I’m trans. I then blogged my processing of her bullshit. I also wrote a piece about criticizing Israel without being accused of antisemitism
I remember my first election and talk about why voting is important: http://eskeptrical.blogspot.com/2012/06/my-first-election.html
Strip for This is my personal blog about stripping, anarchism, feminism, sex, etc. Enemas, stingrays, sunflowers, fetish, steampunk, and anarchist people of color
is my blog, Random Scratches. I haven’t been posting very often, but I hope that if I link to someplace and get some traffic, I’ll guilt myself into more frequent discussions.
My Pagan Library responds to Huffington Post’s list of pagan must-reads. My list has fiction, academic, original sources and some occult titles. I began my summer analysis of “The Mists of Avalon”. Read and discuss it with me. Prologue & Chapter 1-3 I’m back at the intersection of Goddess Thealogy and Queer Theory. La Luna della Streghe talks about how the maidenmothercrone phenom in m reduces women to their reproductive value and others women who do not fit into this overused goddess trope.
At Muslimah Media Watch: Eman looked at the ways that women’s issues are being used by candidates in the Egyptian presidential elections to promote their platforms. Lara wrote about a female village chief in Afghanistan; while this woman seems truly awesome, Lara had some questions to ask about the timing of the stories about her. Nicole covered yet another story about Muslim girls and swimming lessons, this time in Switzerland. And Sana took issue with a recent HuffPost article about hijab as liberation from Western beauty standards.
It really frustrated me when people challenge my identity by telling me not to label myself. They don’t seem to realise that labels can be incredibly freeing as well as categorising or limiting. Not needing to label yourself is a privilege.
This week I let a fit of pique turn into blog post turn into a long blog post. I used to listen to a pretty popular podcast within the secular/skeptical community, and I used to keep up with the affiliated forum, until I’d finally had enough of the sexism and misogyny. The podcasters seem to pay lip service to the idea that they are committed to bringing more women into the community, and yet the person they’ve handed over forum moderation to lets sexism and misogyny run rampant, and participates in it, too. How to Make Your Forum Not Welcoming to Women” is my bone to pick with how leadership–delegated and representative–matters, and how it’s hard for me to take seriously a commitment to bringing more women into skepticism when you allow your brand-name forum to behave like it does.
Live Tweeting The Greatest Story Ever Told. Part One. Part Two Part Three will be tomorrow. Am doing it right now. My writing partner and I were interviewed at The Armchair Reader. Doing It All And I’m in an anthology releasing this week: The Love That Never Dies: Affairs with the Undead. My guys are immortal, they die and wake back up.
This month I wrote about gaslighting and how it manifests both in abusive situations and in everyday conversations. I also give suggestions for healing. Repair Your Reality After Gaslighting.
Sanctimonious supermodel mommies be damned! A.k.a no, we will not legislate breastfeeding, Gisele. http://guerrillamom.blogspot.com/2012/06/fk-off-gisele.html
I addressed the claim by supporters of the Swedish model here in Ireland that it is a “loophole” in Irish law which makes buying sex legal. Is the legality of buying sex in Ireland a “loophole”?
This week at Douche Bag and Shoes: On respecting female athleticism: Even outside of the athletic arena there are clear examples of society’s inability to reconcile athleticism with the female body http://douchebagandshoes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/female-athletic-body.html
The Assault On Protesters in Egypt., about the newest incident of sexual assault on women* protesters in Egypt and continuing feminist resistance [Trigger Warning!]. Sign. [Sign, Sign, Sign!] , a post about my frustration that a petition against racial profiling in Germany could not even reach 5,000 signatures from this country within 2 months (that is 0.01 percent of the population…), while tens of thousands of self-proclaimed (white) german feminists have signed petitions against gender-discriminatory policies within the past weeks.
12 children’s picture books that challenge traditional gender roles: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/12-childrens-picture-books-that.html Ethics without indoctrination: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/ethics-without-indoctrination.html Have you participated in cause marketing before (buying something to help a cause)? If so, you’ll want to read Compassion, Inc.: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/on-our-must-read-list-compassion-inc.html
I know I’m late to this party, but I’m hoping I can play anyway. Is telling people to vote with their wallets an effective way to enact market changes? What are the limits to ethical consumption? I also wrote an analysis of Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild” video. And I’m running an Identity in Balance writing series on my blog and would love submissions!
This week at Nursing Clio: http://nursingclio.wordpress.com/ – Get Out of Our Exam Rooms: A Brief History of the Uneasy Relationship between Medicine and Politics – Community Nurse: The Crazy Train Just Pulled into Michigan Station – President Lincoln, Snow White, and the femininity police – all this and more in this week’s Sunday Morning Medicine.
Have young children and love boardgames? 42 Games is an independent game company and Orbit: Rocket Race 5000 is the game for you! Orbit challenges you to match colors and play special cards in an attempt to rid your hand of cards before the other players!
This week at the Provider Project, we finished up last week’s series honoring Dr. Tiller three years since his murder. Chantal wrote about why abortion should be free so that late-term services like those Dr. Tiller offered could actually be available to all women. Amy concluded the series with quotes from Vicki Saporta, president of NAF, who remembered Dr. Tiller’s compassion and willingness to provide abortions free of charge for many women.
I am trying to raise $1000 for Special Olympics (and if I don’t, they’ll charge my credit card! YIKES!), by rappelling down a 22-story building. Please help me out if you’ve got the spare cash! http://www.theepicadventurer.com/2012/06/im-going-over-edge.html
After some civil disobedience involving a huge group of people including many Occupy Minneapolis activists, I received a patronizing letter from someone who was upset that we blocked traffic in the name of stopping foreclosures, which was rife with misunderstandings about the Occupy movement as a whole. As someone who’s been very involved since the beginning, I used the opportunity to clear up some of those misconceptions.
This week, I discovered an organization called “Project Prevention” – they wave cash under the noses of addicts to convince them to be sterilized or use an IUD. Had to rant about why they’re doin’ it wrong.
Better late than never! At the Sartorial Nerd, I discussed the difficulties Wonder Woman has had in making the jump from the page to the silver screen, discussed a potential Justice League movie, and took a sneak peek at this week’s highly anticipated comic Before Watchmen: Silk Spectre.