2009 June Archive | Feministing

Jon and Kate, Plus Millions of Female Tabloid Readers

Even if you don’t watch reality television, or television at all for that matter, you’d be hard-pressed to avoid the recent controversy over Kate and Jon Gosselin, and their eight children. The stars of the beloved reality spectacle, Jon and Kate, Plus Eight, are divorcing. Despite salacious rumors about infidelity, they claim that it is just a gradual growing apart and, they add, the media spotlight certainly did help matters. It’s hard to feel much empathy for a couple complaining of overexposure when they signed the contract that would expose their entire family, eight little children included, to 24 hour cameras.
But perhaps it’s not just the media, or Jon and Kate, that are to blame. Kiri Blakeley, of Forbes.com, ...

By Lori Adelman • 14 years ago

NYC Pride Parade Pics!

Check out some pics I took from this past weekend’s amazing NYC Pride Parade. And be sure to share your stories and experiences of Pride in comments!

By Courtney • 14 years ago

Breaking News: Madoff Sentenced to the Maximum

A federal judge, calling his crimes “extraordinarily evil,” sentenced Bernard L. Madoff to 150 years in prison today for operating a huge Ponzi scheme that violated thousands of people’s trust and caused astronomical loss. I’m reminded of Nancy Goldstein’s great piece over at Salon (which Ann linked to a while back in her WFR) about how the closing of two of Madoff’s clients, the Picower Foundation and the JEHT Foundation, are affecting funding for advocacy and activism:

The media’s obsession with wealthy individuals who have been ruined by Madoff and feel betrayed is understandable. But when that story wears thin, let’s hope the cameras will document the effect of the $42 million shortfall that progressive nonprofits will face in 2009 ...

By Courtney • 14 years ago

‘Tranny Alert’ Site Taken Down Thanks to Rapid Response Online Activism

Tranny-alert.com–an site aimed at alienating and attacking trans people–was taken down after a flurry of online activism this weekend. A highly effective Call to Action against Tranny Alert was started by a Livejournal user named gudbuytjane and circulated widely by GLAAD and a chorus of other blogs.
Thanks to our own community blogger basketcasey who mobilized the feministing community to do their part. We’re so grateful that we have voices in our community that can lead folks into this kind of rapid response when we’re not on the ball.

By Courtney • 14 years ago

Venice Gets its First Female Gondolier

Twenty-three year old Giorgia Boscolo just became the first female gondolier after nine centuries of exclusively male rowing in the canal in Venice. Boscolo had to pass a grueling six-month, 400 hour course, but told reporters that she had no fear that she couldn’t handle the physicality of the job: “Childbirth is much more difficult.” Boscolo is the mother of two.
Her father, also a gondolier, has doubts about her participation in this historically male tradition: “I still think being a gondolier is a man’s job, but I am sure that with experience Giorgia will be able to do it easily,” he said.
Damn skippy Papa Boscolo. Better get used to waving across the canal at your diesel daughter.

By Courtney • 14 years ago

Raid in Fort Worth Bar on the Anniversary of Stonewall

On the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, June 28, Fort Worth police raided The Rainbow Lounge and made numerous arrests. Here’s an excerpt of an eye witness account:

My name is Kayla Lane. I am a Ph.D. student at UC-Santa Cruz, staying with my sister, Kelly Lane, for the summer. We and a few of our friends went to the new Rainbow Lounge last night to dance and have some fun. I was in the VIP section when police officers started coming up there. The first arrest (that we saw) was right in front of me in that section.
They asked the guy if he had been drinking, and he said some, and they snidely replied, “Well, we’ll see how much!” ...

On the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, June 28, Fort Worth police raided The Rainbow Lounge and made numerous arrests. Here’s an excerpt of an eye witness account:

My name is Kayla Lane. I am a Ph.D. student ...

By Courtney • 14 years ago

Military Coup in Honduras Outs Manuel Zelaya

A military coup in Honduras this weekend deposed President Manuel Zelaya. The Honduran Congress has stripped Zelaya of his office and appointed the president of the Congress, Robert Micheletti, to be head of state. It is Central America’s first military coup since the Cold War.
Eva Gollinger in Caracas, Venezuela reports:

The text message that beeped on my cell phone this morning read “Alert, Zelaya has been kidnapped, coup d’etat underway in Honduras, spread the word.” It’s a rude awakening for a Sunday morning, especially for the millions of Hondurans that were preparing to exercise their sacred right to vote today for the first time on a consultative referendum concerning the future convening of a constitutional assembly to reform the ...

By Courtney • 14 years ago

Lynn Rosenthal Named White House Advisor on Violence Against Women

Vice President Biden announced the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women on Friday.
From the Family Violence Prevention Fund:

In this new position, Rosenthal will be a liaison to the domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy community; coordinate with the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women on implementation of Violence Against Women Act programs; coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services on implementation of Family Violence Prevention Act services (including the National Domestic Violence Hotline); coordinate with the State Department and USAID on global domestic violence initiatives; and drive the development of new initiatives and policy aimed at combating domestic violence and sexual assault with advocacy groups ...

Vice President Biden announced the appointment of Lynn Rosenthal as the first-ever White House Advisor on Violence Against Women on Friday.
From the Family Violence Prevention Fund:

In this new position, Rosenthal will be a liaison ...