In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday

Jill

Promote yourself.

63 thoughts on Shameless Self-Promotion Sunday

  5. Whew. Can we even begin to talk about all the bad news about rape?

    Instead, let’s start shaming the rapists, rape apologists, and “she is so raped right now” tweeters.

    A manifesto.

  6. In response to a ThinkProgress article about school dress codes and slut shaming, I wrote a couple brief posts about my own experience with school uniforms and dress codes.

  9. I have a new short I directed up on Stage 5 TV’s YouTube show The Continuum, called “Zero Sight: Bad Call.” It’s gamer girl vs. assassin when Veronica “accidentally” texts the name of her ex-boyfriend to an assassin. Now she must use her first-person shooter skills to scout a real assassin across suburban rooftops and convince him to call off the hit.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0ZdWCvyiS0

  11. I read an article from a prominent education journalist saying that students who take “remedial” coursework shouldn’t be eligible for Pell Grants.

    In this post, I reflect on how much statements like that enrage me . . . and remind me of my own path through the education system.

  17. This week’s been a combination of new stuff on the blog, and moving old writing over from where it was previously published. A blend of Cumberbatch, Victorian actresses, opera starring animals, gender-inventive ballet, Puritanism in slasher films, and the usual… Instead of a litter of links, I hope people don’t mind if I just link to the tags that are likely to be of interest (though they overlap…)

    The stuff on theatre: http://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/tag/theatre/

    and the writings on gender: http://quiteirregular.wordpress.com/tag/gender/

  20. I’m working with an all-female team (3 female writers, female director, female DP, etc) on a feature film, “June, Adrift!”
    We just launched our Kickstarter campaign: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/248524544/june-adrift-a-real-indie-feature-no-offense-zach-b
    Please don’t forget to vote for “June, Adrift” to be IndieReign’s Project of the Week! It’s a tight race: http://blog.indiereign.com/vote-for-crowdfunding-project-of-the-week-7/

  21. I have a novel coming out on Friday, so there have been excerpts.
    Excerpt 1 and 2. These are work-safe. The book is a space bounty hunter romance, two men after the same quarry.

    A friend of mine is running a poll on digital piracy and I am boosting the signal, with commentary.

    Promotion for older books, two giveaways and a good review.

    And there was much excitement this weekend as my oldest son graduated from high school. (he’s the one with just the cap and gown.)

  27. Local fundamentalist school garners much internet scorn for anti-evolution quiz, which in turn leads to more money and positive attention to stay open and thrive. (sigh)
    http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2013/05/knuckleheads-of-world-unite.html

    I briefly covered the recent trans/radical feminist controversy at the Law and Disorder conference. (more at length on our radio broadcast)
    http://daisysdeadair.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-sparkle-of-your-china.html

    1. Anti-trans radical feminists are a legitimate target for trans activists and their cis allies. Have you read how hateful and hurtful a lot of the radfem stuff is about trans people? How damaging and exclusionary and often parallel to conservative trans hate? Trans people are speaking about this because it matters to them – as a cis woman, I listen and the very least I can do is NOT dismiss their experiences.

      1. Also, in response to “why don’t you fixate on your REAL enemies???”:

        Because one is more betrayed by the indifference of a sister than the hatred of a stranger.

        1. Actually, that’s the question I always want to ask the radfems: why are you so obsessed with trans people? Why don’t you go after the real enemy? And the answer is that trans people make such an easy target.

          Also, the idea that radfems don’t partner with conservative transphobes to deeply harmful effect is absurd. As is the idea that transphobic feminist rhetoric doesn’t strongly affect trans people–particularly politically active trans people–is insulting. Who else should ignore hate speech directed at them for the “greater good,” I wonder.

        2. Because one is more betrayed by the indifference of a sister than the hatred of a stranger.

          I wish we could click “like” on comments because this quote is awesome.

        3. Yeah, I defy anyone to spend some time reading, say, Gender Trender (you can google it, I’m not linking, but fair warning that it’s completely foul) and not come away thinking that transphobic radical feminists are legitimate targets for trans* women’s activism.

        4. There’s a strong argument, I think, that they deserve the attention of all self-identifying feminists as well since in their bloodlust to castigate all trans women (while pitying trans men) they jump right back in to the sexist essentialisms and patronizing rhetoric of old school misogyny.

          Gendertrender reads like someone gave Father Jack Hackett a quart of motor oil, a copy of “The Transsexual Empire,” and an internet connection.

        5. [Trigger warning for transphobia] I forgot all about the notorious Bev Jo (famous for wishing all trans women dead); a typical recent comment of hers at gendertrender is all about “THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS “TRANS-WOMEN.” “TRANS-WOMEN ARE MEN.” Anything else is mind-fuck and an attempt at mind rape,” and so on. (Emphasis in original.) Gendertrender is also the place where a number of people agreed with the comment that what the world needs is brave radical feminist midwives willing to kill baby boys at birth.

        6. Holy shit. Why the fuck would any pregnant woman go to such a midwife?

          You know what? Never mind. I don’t even want to know. They’re just hateful people egging each other on to say hateful things, and directing their damaging fantasies onto those already suffering intense persecution (trans people) and the utterly helpless (infants–infants, for fuck’s sake). Even in their fantasies they’re too cowardly to take on anyone with actual power.

          Mind rape. Mind rape. I can’t even.

        7. Actually, the midwife thing might have been at radfemhub, not gendertrender. Not that it matter, really.

      2. Also, contrary to the post “the radscum do not seek to deny GLBT equal rights or try to keep folks from transitioning,” some radical feminists are just as vitriolic as the moral majority lot when it comes to gendered public spaces. Not to mention Dr. Janice Raymond’s instrumental work in blocking trans people from receiving Medicare coverage for related treatment. Another one that springs to mind is the Brennan-Hungerford letter to the UN.

      3. “Gendertrender reads like someone gave Father Jack Hackett a quart of motor oil, a copy of “The Transsexual Empire,” and an internet connection.”
        10/10 Willard 🙂

    2. More to the point, the radscum do not seek to deny GLBT equal rights or try to keep folks from transitioning; they just argue (endlessly, relentlessly) about the physiological and social meaning(s) of “woman” and “female”

      Stop. This is a grossly ignorant statement. That’s exactly what they do. Every damn day. Go educate yourself; I have neither the time nor the inclination to point out all the ways in which you’re wrong. You do know that Janice Raymond was instrumental in having trans medical care excluded from Medicaid, etc., right? You do know that anti-trans radical feminists like Cathy Brennan (who’s an “LG” activist in Maryland) actually go out of their way to try to defeat trans-inclusive anti-discrimination legislation, right? You know about her United Nations petition, right? You know that one of the most vile and repulsive of the anti-trans feminists, who writes under the name Lucky Nickel, is actually a prominent university professor in England? Another equally vile individual (I think her screen name is violet tiptree or some such thing) is actually the well-known author Perri O’Shaughnessy. And then you have all the people like Julie Bindel and Sheila Jeffries.

      Never mind the psychological damage they do, or the effect on a vulnerable population of the relentless eliminationist rhetoric coming from people who SHOULD know better. Nobody expects anything from the religious right. That isn’t the case for self-identified feminists — even those belonging to the Stalinist wing, like these people

      And if you really think those people are just having academic discussions, you should try reading some of the blogs and websites in various fetid corners of the Internet where people like this hold forth. I’ve never seen anything in the rhetoric of the religious right that’s anywhere near as vile and disgusting as the anti-trans rhetoric of anti-trans radical feminists. You know, the kind who talk about how you can always tell a trans woman’s “fake” vagina — which they like to call a “second asshole” — from a real one, because it smells of rotten meat. That kind of thing.

      So f— you, Daisy. It’s not your goddamn place to tell any trans woman what she should be concerned about. You have no f—ing idea what you’re talking about.

      1. Sorry, Willard, I think you’re right that it was Medicare, not Medicaid.

        Janice Raymond, of course, is a Ph.D, not a medical doctor.

        1. I know Medicare has a hard exclusion, but that Medicaid coverage is in essence not much better. Still haven’t figured out a way to keep the two straight in my mind though.

      2. I’m still upset about this. I really had the impression that Daisy had a clue about trans issues, but apparently not. Speaking of being disappointed at people who should know better.

        And, nice job not saying a damn word about Deep Green Resistance’s incredibly nasty anti-trans rhetoric.

        Feh. I can’t believe you thought people would just sit by silently (or applaud your wisdom) when you posted a link here to your exercise in telling trans people how they’re doing it wrong. Tell me, which marginalized group are you going to lecture next about who their real enemies are?

    3. Daisy’s response (on her blog) to being challenged on her ignorance means I definitely won’t be reading her blog in future. I suspect she’ll lose quite a few people from feministe.

      Donna’s response (on this thread) is awesome.

      1. Thank you. (I think that any further discussion on this probably belongs on this week’s, not last week’s, thread.)

    4. Interesting that someone would question the targeting of radical feminists. Are they (or anyone) too progressive to be called out or sumtin?

    2. That was fantastic.

      The only one that didn’t immediately click for me was Wheel of Time; lord knows there’s plenty about RJ that annoys me, but in terms of represenation the series has transgender male and female characters, bisexual and lesbian characters (though I don’t recall any gay men) and large numbers of POC (though talking about what type is difficult since it’s a fantasy world, a good number of characters are described as having ‘ebony skin’ etc). What did I miss?

      1. Eep, I just saw this.

        (CW: transphobia, rape)

        Re: Wheel of Time – there’s multiple issues with the trans characters. Halima, for one, is not so much trans as forced into a differently sexed body that he feels explicitly pretty dysphoric about; it’s transition as humiliation and punishment, and not a positive at all, since he expressed no sense of dysphoria while still…oh crap I can’t remember dude’s name while he was cis. Also, I found it incredibly problematic that though Halima still uses saidin (it harkens back to the “magic knows what you are on the inside”, which I thought was cool) he winds up misgendered by pretty much everyone. It’s better than trans invisibility, I guess…..?

        Re: GLB characters – there are only villainous bisexuals, and no positive gay/lesbian characters until the Brandon Sanderson books (don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the references are in there, but I can’t help but wonder if Jordan would have put them in there, and it is possible Sanderson did that on his own initiative, since the details don’t change much about the plot). The only Jordan-introduced canonically non-straight character I can recall is Graendal, which… I don’t know about you, but I’m incredibly uncomfortable with the only stated same-sex sex in the series being initiated by a person who is canonically a mass rapist. (I’m including Compulsion in this, as she’s clearly brain-fried several dozen nobles into being her sex slaves, as Demandred’s description indicates.)

        POC – yes, represented, but only in the later books. Which makes sense given context.

        Mainly, though, I was speaking of the monolithic gender interactions between the main characters, particularly romantic pairs, given the vast differences in culture. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine how a Malkieri man and Andoran woman, or an Andoran man and an Aiel woman, would wind up with such similar relationships, but there it is. It’s pretty weird. But I’m going to cease rambling now.

  29. Last Friday was the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia, and we covered it with two pieces. The first covers the country as a whole. While legislation is supposed to protect society, too many politicians work to enshrine homophobia and transphobia into law. Take a look at some of the legislation and court rulings that have served to oppress the LGBTQ community over the past several decades. The list isn’t pretty.

    The second focuses on LGBTQ-related law in Arizona. The city of Bisbee, Arizona takes steps toward legalizing same-sex marriage, and state Attorney General Tom Horne threatens to sue. Phoenix passes nondiscrimination legislation with protections for gender identity, and Rep. John Kavanagh tries to foist the so-called “bathroom bill” on the entire state. Sometimes it seems like it’s a constant tug-of-war between those who wish to create a freer society, and those who would like to keep oppression and prejudice encoded into law!

    * * *

    We are also continuing our series on the history of the birth control pill. In this week’s installment, we learn about the clinical trials in the 1950s. After decades of research into hormones and basic biochemistry, scientists had collectively figured out how to create a tiny little pill that would place control over fertility firmly into our hands. Before the FDA would approve it, though, the birth control pill had to go through rigorous large-scale clinical trials, which took place around the world and were not without controversy. Learn about this amazing chapter in the history of medicine, feminism, and family life!

  31. I haven’t shamelessly self-promoted in a while! So over the last two weeks, I wrote about how happy I was that a recent episode of The Big Bang Theory (not usually a bastion of feminism) finally stopped laughing at Sheldon and Amy’s relationship and actually started treating it like every other relationship on the show:

    Taking Sheldon and Amy seriously

    I also wrote about some parallels between slut shaming and defining women by their sexuality in our society and in Roman society:

    Patriarchy Past and Present: The Case of Cicero’s Clodia

  33. It’s A Class Thing:

    Angelina Jolie’s honesty and courage in opening up to the public about a very private part of her life and struggle against cancer – in this case, preventing the most feared disease via a very stigmatized procedure – is admirable. But, and this is a big but, her message of self-empowerment falls flat. And it really bums me out. To a medically dispossessed person like myself, Jolie’s message can’t help but exude an air of condescension. (continue reading)

  34. This week I opened my YA summer series by reviewing Hemlock, a YA werewolf fantasy with an interesting civil rights/internment camp angle and a love triangle I miraculously don’t hate. Werewolves suffer from Lupine Syndrome, which spreads through bites and scratches, and victims are immediately quarantined and denied civil rights.

    I also reviewed Dead Things, a somewhat decent piece of urban fantasy that’s trying too hard to be gritty. The magic and premise aren’t bad, but it wallows in angst a bit.

  35. This week at the Yes Means Yes Blog:

    The Scarlet D: The Accusation of Deviance, starts with the video of Chris Cuomo trying to badger Amanda Knox into some kind of admission of sluthood or deviance, then I talk about the social constructs of “slut” and “sexual deviant” as abject identities, drawing from gender theory.

    On Mr. Fox’s Application For A Security Position At The Poultry Facility is about the new revelation of sexual assault by someone in charge of preventing sexual assault in the military, the second of its kind in days.

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