Weekly Feminist Reader

How the state can go wrong when it tries to “save” Muslim women.
Courtney warns, “Don’t call it a he-cession.”
Redefining “vagina music” as a positive thing.
Is impregnating a woman against her will a form of intimate-partner violence?
A really moving essay on Michael Jackson.
Did you know Rhode Island’s official name is actually “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”? There’s now a push to remove the “Province Plantations” part by folks who say it is a reminder of slavery.
The complicated history between women in Iran and women in the West.
The growing backlash against evolutionary psychology.
In Missouri, “a husband who consents to his wife’s insemination with donor ...

How the state can go wrong when it tries to “save” Muslim women.
Courtney warns, “Don’t call it a he-cession.”
Redefining “vagina music” as a positive thing.
Is impregnating a woman against her ...

Ask Professor Foxy: Should I Lose My Virginity?


Apologies for the delay, there were some technical difficulties – PF
This weekly column “Ask Professor Foxy” will regularly contain sexually explicit material. This material is likely not safe for work viewing. The title of the column will include the major topic of the post, so please read the topic when deciding whether or not to read the entire column.

Dear Professor Foxy,
I am 22 and half years old and I am still a virgin, and frankly, I worry a lot that this is strange and unusual.
From age 17 to 20, I dated two different guys seriously. Coming from a pretty religious Roman Catholic background, at first I didn’t want to have sex for all ...


Apologies for the delay, there were some technical difficulties – PF
This weekly column “Ask Professor Foxy” will regularly contain sexually explicit material. This material is likely not safe for work viewing. The title of the ...

What We Missed

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force wants to know: “Given the chance, what would you say to the president? What would you ask? What story would you want told to let the president know how you feel?”
Iran is not a “lipstick revolution.”
The White House appoints an adviser on violence against women.
“The highest court in France determined that executives at Garnier, L”Oreal’s beauty products division, intentionally created an all-White sales teams to promote their shampoos throughout the country.”
A heartbreaking first-hand story behind the staggering South Africa rape statistics: “A friend and my cousin pressured me to prove that I was man enough, by taking part in the rape of a ...

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force wants to know: “Given the chance, what would you say to the president? What would you ask? What story would you want told to let the president know how ...

Vintage Sexism: VW Edition

Click to view full size.

The smaller text underneath is just priceless:

Women are soft and gentle, but they hit things. If your wife hits something in a Volkswagen, it doesn’t hurt you very much.

I think I feel like hitting something right now… (Kidding! I don’t endorse violence!)

See previous editions of Vintage Sexism here. Thanks to reader Lance and ncbeets on Twitter for the link.

Click to view full size.

The smaller text underneath is just priceless:

Women are soft and gentle, but they hit things. If your wife hits something in a Volkswagen, it doesn’t hurt you very much.

I think I ...

Update: Plea deal on Jena 6

After the news tha the remaining five defendants of the Jena 6 case were getting a plea deal today, we find that they pleaded no contest to misdemeanor simple battery, sentenced to seven days probation and fined $500 plus court costs. Color of Change’s Executive Director James Rucker said:

“The story of the Jena 6 was an extreme example of what can happen when a justice system biased against black boys operates unchecked. But it’s also an example of what can happen when hundreds of thousands of people across the country stand up to challenge unequal justice. Together, we drew the country’s attention to this case and raised the money necessary to fund a strong legal defense.”

This ...

After the news tha the remaining five defendants of the Jena 6 case were getting a plea deal today, we find that they pleaded no contest to misdemeanor simple battery, sentenced to seven days probation ...

Is it possible to raise a child outside the gender binary?

A feminist couple in Sweden is attempting to raise their child (who is now two and a half years old) without gender norms. They call the child “Pop,” do not use gendered pronouns, and have kept Pop’s biological sex a secret.

“We want Pop to grow up more freely and avoid being forced into a specific gender mould from the outset,” Pop’s mother said. “It’s cruel to bring a child into the world with a blue or pink stamp on their forehead.”
The child’s parents said so long as they keep Pop’s gender a secret, he or she will be able to avoid preconceived notions of how people should be treated if male or female.
Pop’s wardrobe includes everything from ...

A feminist couple in Sweden is attempting to raise their child (who is now two and a half years old) without gender norms. They call the child “Pop,” do not use gendered pronouns, and have kept ...

Meet Lori!

Please give a warm Feministing welcome to the fabulous Lori Adelman, who will be blogging at the site for the next few weeks while I’m on vacation. More about Lori…

Lori, 22, currently works for the International Women’s Health Coalition, blogging for Akimbo, among other communications-related duties. Previously, she worked in the Women’s Rights Division of Human Rights Watch in NY, where she is most proud of lending support to a U.S. tour raising awareness about the obstruction of legal access to abortion after rape in Mexico. She has also been involved with the Abortion Access Project in Cambridge, MA, working with healthcare providers to strategize the best ways of providing safe and comprehensive healthcare for ...

Please give a warm Feministing welcome to the fabulous Lori Adelman, who will be blogging at the site for the next few weeks while I’m on vacation. More about Lori…

Lori, 22, currently works for the

The Meaning of MJ

A lot of smart people have weighed in on Michael Jackson’s life and legacy. Here are just a few takes…

First up, Tammy Johnson of Colorlines (via Isak):

You could say he was just another celebrity, another pop star, the King of Pop, but Michael Jackson did have an impact on our society. For his time, he made it ok for white girls to scream at a black man, to say that they wanted him. He made it ok for white boys to do the moonwalk. But you know, it wasn’t ok for Michael Jackson to be Michael Jackson. It was written all over his face — or the face that he changed into. And that’s a shame.

Adrienne Maree Brown ...

A lot of smart people have weighed in on Michael Jackson’s life and legacy. Here are just a few takes…

First up, Tammy Johnson of Colorlines (via Isak):

You could say he was just another celebrity, another ...

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