2011 February Archive

Why Guns Won’t Make a Campus SAFER

Because I did not grow up in a culture that valued gun-ownership, it’s EXTREMELY hard for me to wrap my mind around why anyone would think a bill allowing students and professors to carry concealed handguns on college and university campuses would be a good idea. But that is the bill that is set to pass in Texas, and the law that already exists in Utah.

The folks who support this legislation claim that they are supporting students’ rights to defend themselves, and use school shootings as an example. Because, if one disturbed student has a gun and starts killing their peers, it would be great if one of their peers could whip out ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

What We Missed

Mother Jones profiles the group behind the “justifiable homicide” bills that would legalize the murder of abortion providers (and potentially women).

Blog for International Women’s Day 2011 is coming up.

Looks like anti-choicers pulled a google bomb making “abortion” the number one result when you search for the word, “murder.” Thankfully, it’s been removed.

Why the fuck does Dr. Phil still have a job? (Via.)

An anti-choice billboard targeting the black community has shown up in LA too.

Mother Jones profiles the group behind the “justifiable homicide” bills that would legalize the murder of abortion providers (and potentially women).

Blog for International Women’s Day 2011 is coming up.

Looks like ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

Pop star Brian McFadden pens new ode to date rape

You would think that a song called “Just the Way You Are” would be about loving and accepting a person with all their faults and foibles and so on and so forth. But it turns out that the full title of Irish pop singer Brian McFadden’s new song is “Just the Way You Are (Drunk at the Bar).” And it turns out that this song, far from being about unconditional love and acceptance, is in fact a gift for the committee in charge of picking a new national anthem for the Republic of Daterapia. Check out this chorus:

I like you just the way you are, drunk as shit dancing at the bar,
I like it, and I can’t wait to ...

You would think that a song called “Just the Way You Are” would be about loving and accepting a person with all their faults and foibles and so on and so forth. But it turns out that ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

Quick Hit: The economics of “Ladies drink free”

Ever wondered why it is that some night clubs charge women less for entry than they charge men, or let them drink for free? Is it because these establishments are aware of the gender pay gap and are trying to exercise a little after-hours affirmative action? Is it because they are deeply invested in the theory of gender analysis developed by Lauper in the late 1980s, i.e., that girls just want to have fun?

No. It is because they think that guys will pay for access to drunk girls. In other words, sexism! (Is it also sexist to charge men one rate and women another? Why yes, it is! Sexism hurts everyone!)

Jamie Keiles over at Teenagerie has figured out how ...

Ever wondered why it is that some night clubs charge women less for entry than they charge men, or let them drink for free? Is it because these establishments are aware of the gender pay gap and ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

Feminist Coming Out Day

Do you remember when you came out as a feminist? Do you remember the moment when you announced to the world, “Hey world, I believe that men and women should have the same rights and opportunities”? Were you perhaps, like my friend Greg, the only person who raised their hand when your US History teacher asked the class, “Who here is a feminist?” Were you scared? Excited? Or have you perhaps not publicly come out as a feminist yet?

Well, Feminist Coming Out Day is fast approaching, so if you’re looking for an excuse to come out, or if you’d rather come out en masse rather than all alone, listen up.

Feminist Coming Out Day was founded by Harvard ...

Do you remember when you came out as a feminist? Do you remember the moment when you announced to the world, “Hey world, I believe that men and women should have the same rights and ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

In their words.

Trigger warning

The words from this video were taken directly from the legal complaint against the Pentagon over their failure to respond to the sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape that the 15 plantiffs (and so many more) experienced while in the military. As upsetting as it is, I thought it was really powerful and had to be shared.

Trigger warning

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Obama administration rescinds Bush’s “conscience clause”

It looks like the days of the anti-choice pharmacist are over; now, they’re just plain ole pharmacists. The fantastic news slipped past our radar late last week:

After two years of struggling to balance the rights of patients against the beliefs of health-care workers, the Obama administration on Friday finally rescinded most of a federal regulation designed to protect those who refuse to provide care they find objectionable on moral or religious grounds.

The decision guts one of President George W. Bush’s most controversial legacies: a rule that was widely interpreted as shielding workers who refuse to participate in a range of medical services, such as providing birth control pills, caring for gay ...

It looks like the days of the anti-choice pharmacist are over; now, they’re just plain ole pharmacists. The fantastic news slipped past our radar late last week:

After two years of struggling to balance the rights ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

This is what a pro-choice rally looks like.

What an incredible day. A reported 6,000 people came to the Rally for Women’s Health in NYC this Saturday. Here’s a slideshow with some highlights, although we weren’t close enough to get pics of the speakers and performers. You can find some of those here. Some of my fave speakers were Jamia Wilson, Anthony Weiner, Yvette Clark, Kathleen Hanna and Amanda Marcotte.

For those who participated in the Walks for Choice across the country, please share how your events went in comments or write about them on the Community blog! More coverage to come.