Weekly Feminist Reader

In In These Times this month, Kate Sheppard has a must-read, comprehensive look at McCain’s attitudes toward women: McSexist.
The HIV infection rate is 40 percent higher than previously estimated. For more on the changing face of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., read Kai Wright. (More at the AIDS Institute.)
There are some good signs for women and people of color in TV and radio news.
Angie Zapata, a transwoman from Greeley, Colorado, was murdered on July 17. A man has been arrested in the case, which is truly horrible in all its details. (Trigger warning.) Zapata’s killer actually referred to her as an “it.”
Massachusetts will now allow out-of-state couples (of all gender combinations) to marry!
Legislation was introduced last week that would allow tribal councils to address crimes that take place on their lands, with a goal, in part, to “reduce the prevalence of violent crime in tribal communities and to combat violence against Indian and Alaska Native women.” (Cecilia at Ojibway Migisi Bineshii has more.)
Le Loup-garou on maternal medicine access in the developing world.
A Russian judge ruled, “If we had no sexual harassment we would have no children.”
Turns out (shock!) that Barbie’s exclamation that “math is hard” for girls is… not true. Paging Larry Summers…
Kara Jesella reports from BlogHer on the blogosphere’s glass ceiling.
Catholics in the Philippines oppose the church’s stance on contraception.
A liberal comic wasn’t allowed to discuss McCain’s use of the C-word on XM radio. (And she didn’t even say the whole word! She just said, “C-word.”)
Veronica at Viva La Feminista on the problem with the business of mommy-blogging.

Apparently there’s a guy who’s like Frank T.J. Mackey for web geeks. Ew.
The military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy disproportionately impacts women, because “women who spurn men’s advances risk false accusations while those who are cleared retain a stigma of suspicion.”
Bob Herbert on the Republican tactic of creating ads “featuring tacky, sexually provocative white women who have no connection whatsoever to the black male candidates.”
Cara has an update (Renee, too) on the Kyle Payne saga.
Former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack is on a statewide tour promoting sex-ed and birth control access. Awesome.
U.S. hospitals are taking it upon themselves to deport immigrants who go there seeking medical care.
Actions and Events
Kobra Najjar, an Iranian woman, is sentenced to death by stoning for adultery. Equality Now has info on how to take action.