2009 February Archive

Clinton to Pick Human Rights Activist as Assistant Secretary of State

This is good news. Via RH Reality Check, we learn that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton intends to name Michael Posner, the current president of Human Right First, as Assistant Secretary of State.
Posner has a 30-year history involved in human rights work, with a focus on refugees’ rights, the protection of and justice for torture victims as well as strengthening accountability for war crimes. He also helped found the Fair Labor Association, which promotes corporate accountability for working conditions in the apparel industry.
You can check out his bio here, but all in all, this dude seems too good to be true. And for that, HRC is our homegirl today.

By Miriam • 15 years ago

My Little Red Book

This is a great idea–we need to share these experiences in more open and honest ways.

MY LITTLE RED BOOK is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the world. The accounts range from light-hearted (the editor got hers while water skiing in a yellow bathing suit) to heart-stopping (a first period discovered just as one girl was about to be strip-searched by the Nazis). The contributors include well-known women writers (Meg Cabot, Erica Jong, Gloria Steinem, Cecily von Ziegesar), alongside today’s teens. And while the authors differ in race, faith, or cultural background, their stories share a common bond: they are all accessible, deeply honest, and highly informative. Whatever a girl ...

This is a great idea–we need to share these experiences in more open and honest ways.

MY LITTLE RED BOOK is an anthology of stories about first periods, collected from women of all ages from around the ...

By Miriam • 15 years ago

Low-income children shamed by cheese sandwich policy

Via Chicago Tribune:

Faced with mounting unpaid lunch charges, Albuquerque Public Schools last month instituted a “cheese sandwich policy,” serving a cold cheese sandwich, fruit and a milk carton to children whose parents are supposed to pay for some or all of their regular meals but fail to pick up the tab.

There is a lot that is troubling about this policy, but the main thing is the idea of making kids suffer because of their parents financial situations. Not only would this policy have a nutritional affect on the kids (since they don’t get the variety offered by the hot lunch options) it also has a shaming affect, singling them out and making it clear to their peers that they ...

Via Chicago Tribune:

By Miriam • 15 years ago

More on Rachel Maddow

The media can’t get enough about America’s new butch sweetheart, Rachel Maddow.
I can’t say I blame them, but this week’s piece on Maddow entitled Butch Fatale maybe takes it a bit too far.
Author Daphne Merkin writes an overly poetic piece about the role of lesbians in fashion–the forgotten wallflowers, she calls us. She relies on a lot of played out tropes (battle of the sexes, lipstick lesbians, etc) and makes the claim that Maddow marks the beginning of a new era for lesbian glamour.

Lesbianism has finally come into a glamour of its own, an appeal that goes beyond butch and femme archetypes into a more universal seduction. Her name is Rachel Maddow, the polished-looking, self-declared gay newscaster ...

By Ann • 15 years ago

Ask Congress to fund anti-violence programs

Both statistically and anecdotally, incidents of violence against women increase as the economy falters. As Obama prepares to release his budget, now’s the time to ask him and Congress not to reduce funding for preventing violence against women and helping survivors. According to Women’s eNews:

Congress is currently authorized to spend up to $175 million a year for the program. But the actual allocation of federal dollars is subject to a congressional vote, and lawmakers last year set aside $123 million; over $50 million less than was approved. That was a slight cut from fiscal 2007, when Congress spent $125 million on the program.
Women’s safety advocates also want Congress to fully fund the Violence Against Women Act, ...

By Miriam • 15 years ago

Gamers banned for sexual orientation

A woman was recently harassed, chased and eventually banned from playing Xbox Live for self identifying as a lesbian. Teresa says:

…My account was suspended because I had said in my profile that I was a lesbian. I was harassed by several players, ‘chased’ to different maps/games to get away from their harassment. They followed me into the games and told all the other players to turn me in because they didn’t want to see that crap or their kids to see that crap.
My account was suspended and xbox live did nothing to solve this, but instead said others found it offensive.

I’m not a gamer, so I’m not familiar with how these communities operate, but this seems like a ...

A woman was recently harassed, chased and eventually banned from playing Xbox Live for self identifying as a lesbian. Teresa says:

…My account was suspended because I had said in my profile that I was a lesbian. ...

By Jessica • 15 years ago

Who needs closet space when you have a nekkid lady?

I know this picture has already made the rounds, but I felt like I had to post it.
You can contact Details Magazine, where the “fashion spread” was published, here. (I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised given the mag’s oh-so-progressive history with women.)

I know this picture has already made the rounds, but I felt like I had to post it.
You can contact Details Magazine, where the “fashion spread” was published, here. (I suppose ...

By Jessica • 15 years ago

Quick Hit: Alcohol-cancer link in women

From the Associated Press: “A study of nearly 1.3 million British women offers yet more evidence that moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of a handful of cancers.”