Alaskan women get training in trades

A program in Alaska which trains women in the construction trades just received an award from the US Dept. of Labor. (Now if we could only get them to continue reporting on women’s wages…but that’s a gripe for another day.)
Alaska Works Partnership Inc. received the 2004 Exemplary Public Interest Contributions Award from the DOL for efforts to promote equal-employment opportunities:
The program began in summer 2003 with a program that included 15 women. For five weeks, they were given hands-on experience and exposure to various construction trades, including operating, electrical, plumbing, pipe fitting, sheet metal and carpentry.
…Beginning later this spring, the program will conduct training in Anchorage. Fifty-one women attended the first orientation for the ...

A program in Alaska which trains women in the construction trades just received an award from the US Dept. of Labor. (Now if we could only get them to continue reporting on women’s wages…but ...

Wage gap article ignores the real problem

I was going to write about yesterday’s wage gap story, but Amanda and Sheezlebub have already done an amazing job…I’m not into reinventing the wheel.
I’ve got to say though, as soon as I saw the headline, College-educated white women earning less, I knew the piece was going to piss me off. Why report on institutional sexism when you can just try and create competition among women?

I was going to write about yesterday’s wage gap story, but Amanda and Sheezlebub have already done an amazing job…I’m not into reinventing the wheel.
I’ve got to say though, as ...

Could doctors refuse to treat gays under conscience clause laws?

According to ProudParenting.com, the conscience clause laws that pharmacists have been using to deny women birth control and emergency contraception prescriptions could also be used by doctors to refuse treatment to gay and lesbian patients. Looks like these laws are just chock full of discrimination. Jeez.
The ProudParenting piece specifically discusses Michigan’s law, which Rep. Chris Kolb (D-Ann Arbor) notes “doesn’t ban discrimination based on a person’s sexual orientation.” The legislation prohibits racial discrimination.
This isn’t the first law as of late that discriminates against more than who it was intended for. Are these overlaps simply disturbing coincidences? Or is creating legislation that can be used against all kinds of us crazy ...

According to ProudParenting.com, the conscience clause laws that pharmacists have been using to deny women birth control and emergency contraception prescriptions could also be used by doctors to refuse treatment to gay and lesbian patients. ...

Support Feministing: Advertise with us!

So after a lot of thought (and talking through what exactly constitutes “selling out…”) we’ve decided to take ads on the site.
As traffic has increased for Feministing, we’ve had to upgrade numerous times and it’s all out-of-pocket costs. We’re hoping that taking on ads will let us continue the site without going totally broke!
So if you want an ad up, or know someone who might, we would really appreciate the support! (And frankly, they’re not very expensive….)

So after a lot of thought (and talking through what exactly constitutes “selling out…”) we’ve decided to take ads on the site.
As traffic has increased for Feministing, we’ve had to upgrade numerous times and ...

Maxim strips Bush twins…of dignity


The ever-classy lad magazine Maxim is “pranking” the Bush twins in the April issue by featuring a heavily doctored photograph of the twins in lingerie. The faces are theirs, the bodies…not so much.
Now, I hate Bush as much as the next feminist and I’m not exactly a fan of the twins either. But “pranking” Jenna and Barbara this way seems more like total humiliation than a harmless jab. (Did they take a cue from She’s All That? I wonder…)
Should the Bush twins decide to bare all themselves, I’d be fine with it; but Maxim ripping their clothes off (i.e. doctoring a bunch of photos) is just ...

The ever-classy lad magazine Maxim is “pranking” the Bush twins in the April issue by featuring a heavily doctored photograph of the twins in lingerie. The faces are theirs, the ...

Dads tell Bush to respect their daughters

Dads and Daughters, a national nonprofit org committed to providing “tools to men to be better fathers and advocates for their daughters,” just put out a great action alert: Get the White House to Value Achievement Over Looks in Female Officials.
The “Dads” are justifiably pissed that in discussing the appointment of Dina Powell to Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, White chief of staff Andrew Card and budget director Joshua Bolton essentially focused on how cute she was.
So they want Dads across the country to send a letter to Pres. Bush; here’s my favorite part of their sample message:

The first words that your chief of staff, Andrew ...

Dads and Daughters, a national nonprofit org committed to providing “tools to men to be better fathers and advocates for their daughters,” just put out a great action alert: Get the White House ...

Documentary features women speaking out on abortion


Make sure to check out this article on Speak Out: I Had an Abortion, by none other than our fab contributor Jessica Wakeman.
The film–by Jennifer Baumgardner and Gillian Aldrich (above)–features women talking about their experiences with abortion, in part to end the bullshit stigma surrounding the procedure.
Also read Karen Rosenberg’s take at Alternet.

Make sure to check out this article on Speak Out: I Had an Abortion, by none other than our fab contributor Jessica Wakeman.
The film–by Jennifer Baumgardner and Gillian Aldrich (above)–features women talking ...

Indiana hearts Kansas…way too much

Similar to Phill Kline’s nonsense in Kansas, Attorney General Steve Carter in Indiana is seeking women’s private’s medical records to look for “evidence of abuse.” Yeah, sure.
Luckily, pro-choice forces are coming out to fight against this obvious privacy violation (and not so obvious anti-choice maneuver).
What makes me crazy though is those who would fools themselves into thinking that this search is really about protecting women. All I need to know about this one column defending Carter’s actions is that the author put the phrase ‘protecting privacy’ in quotes. Cause, you know…privacy isn’t a real right or anything….

Similar to Phill Kline’s nonsense in Kansas, Attorney General Steve Carter in Indiana is seeking women’s private’s medical records to look for “evidence of abuse.” Yeah, sure.
Luckily, pro-choice forces are coming ...

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