2010 November Archive

What We Missed

For the first time, a trans woman will rush the Texas Zeta Chi sorority at Trinity University in Texas.

Newsweek addresses how the new TSA security screenings could be triggering to sexual assault survivors. (Via Shakesville.)

F-Bomb talks about whether “feminist”-friendly advertisements are exploitation or progress.

Apparently the idea of women bishops have some Angelicans’ panties in such a bunch that it’s causing them to convert (thanks to Pope Benedict, of course). Buh-bye!

A big congrats to our girl Courtney, who will be speaking at the TEDWomen conference in a couple of weeks.

Have a great weekend, all!

For the first time, a trans woman will rush the Texas Zeta Chi sorority at Trinity University in Texas.

Newsweek addresses how the new TSA security screenings could be triggering to sexual assault survivors. ...

By goddessjaz • 13 years ago

Mounting Evidence that BirthorNot.com is an Anti-Choice Stunt

A Minnesota-based couple has jumped on the relying-on-Internet-voting-to-make-major-life-decisions-for-publicity bandwagon. Greg and Alisha Arnold created the website birthornot.com to have others help them decide whether they should give birth to their now 17-week-old fetus, or to have an abortion. The polls close on December 7, giving her two days to have an abortion, if they decide to, before she reaches 20 weeks and cannot have an abortion.

Gawker has spoken with the couple and they claim they are not conducting a crazy pro-life (anti-choice) stunt because Alisha supports a woman’s right to choose. But evidence against that point is mounting. At face value the ultrasounds and pictures on the site are a suspiciously common visual used by anti-choice advocates. It ...

By goddessjaz • 13 years ago

President Obama Honors Maya Angelou and Other Phenomenal Women

This week, President Obama announced the winners of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. Out of the 15 recipients, five are women: Maya Angelou, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Gerda Weissmann Klein, Sylvia Mendez, and Jean Kennedy Smith. There will an official presentation ceremony in early 2011.

According to the White House, the Medal of Freedom is “presented to individuals who have made especially meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the United States, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Former President George H.W. Bush is being honored…I’m sure because of his hard work to achieve world peace ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Enough talk on body image. Let’s take action.

What is one bold action that could make the world truly value the diversity of women and girls’ bodies?

I don’t know. I’ve got ideas…launch a consumer campaign against crappy media, for example, or re-imagine health curriculum in public schools so that it reflects accurate physiological realities (unlike reality television craziness like Biggest Loser). More widespread media literacy would be great, as would funding for eating disorder prevention and treatment across the economic spectrum. But I suspect you’ve got some even more interesting ideas, and I want to hear them.

In fact, the leading U.S. advocates on body image want to hear them. Enter the LOVED BODIES, BIG IDEAS Contest. All of the BIG IDEAS will be considered by a team ...

What is one bold action that could make the world truly value the diversity of women and girls’ bodies?

I don’t know. I’ve got ideas…launch a consumer campaign against crappy media, for example, or re-imagine health curriculum in ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Beginning to explore a neglected intersection

Maha Elgenaidi, a true force (pictured above in red), leaned across the round table towards me and asked, “Why do Western feminists assume that I am oppressed just be looking at my hijab? Why do they define feminism so narrowly as to not include the strong women of my faith tradition?”

At first I felt defensive. “Western feminists?!” I thought. “We’re not a monolith.” But I took a deep breath and heard her out. This is her experience, her impression, her conclusion based on real interactions with women that she sees as Western feminists.

“I don’t feel that way,” I explained, “but I can understand why you’ve been left with that impression.” We then got down and dirty with the true pain ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Guest Post: Gender Neutral Financial Security

This is a guest post from Kimberly Palmer, author of the new book Generation Earn: The Young Professional’s Guide to Spending, Investing, and Giving Back, and personal finance columnist at US News & World Report.

When I first set out to write a personal finance book, I thought it would be for women. After all, I’ve always love writing about feminism, and I planned to incorporate that passion into my full-time job as a personal finance columnist for US News & World Report.

As I started my research, though, something didn’t seem quite right. There were tons of pink-covered books on the market aimed at women, much of which focused on how to spend less money and reign in shopaholic tendencies. ...

When I ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Not Oprah’s Book Club: The Other Wes Moore

The Jon Bennet Ramsey case blew up while I was a teenager in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I remember how the nightly news was filled with story after story of the search for the little beauty queen, and then endless months of criminal investigation coverage. But I remember even more vividly, how I read a tiny, buried story about one little girl, named Sade Terry, who had died at the hands of her own parents—the result of ongoing child abuse. I remember researching her short, poverty-stricken life, writing a column about her neglected story, and even going to visit her grave. It was one of the first times that I really delved into the ways in which we, as Americans, as ...

By Miriam • 13 years ago

What We Missed

Apologies for the tech problems today! You’ll notice we took down some of our features (like the featured post bar) for the time being to resolve some ongoing issues. Thanks, as always, for your patience.

This week is Transgender Awareness week, with organizations around the country hosting events to bring light to trans issues. It concludes on Saturday with the Trans Day of Remembrance, a day meant to commemorate all the trans lives lost to hate, violence and intolerance.

Fred Goldhaber, the first teacher at the Harvey Milk School for gay and lesbian students, passed away on Monday. Harvey Milk was the first school established specifically to provide a safe environment to gay and lesbian students, founded in ...

This week is ...