Weekly Feminist Reader

Vagina: The word itself makes some men uncomfortable
Gif via Jessica. Watch this frat boy Virginia legislator tell his bros fellow state representatives about how his wife totally wouldn’t bone him thanks to the state’s transvaginal ultrasound bill.

A video compilation of some of the women-directed films that were passed over by the Academy for an Oscar this year.

Gaby Dunn’s scary and infuriating story of being harassed while performing at a comedy show.

In defense of Liz Lemon
: “We all know this has always been the goal: enough female funny out there that each one doesn’t have to hold the banner quite so high.”

An interactive map of government benefits.

Oh good. DSK is back in the news after being arrested by police investigating a French prostitution ring.

“What does it mean to be a man? To me it means a lot, and nothing at all.”

Rick Santorum is so single-mindedly anti-choice he opposes pre-natal testing.

Um, what? Instead of bail, a Florida judge ordered a domestic abuser to treat his wife to dinner and flowers.

Utah is considering an incredibly restrictive sex ed bill that would prohibit schools from teaching about contraception, if they decided to offer sex education at all.

Back in the good old days, when there was a broad, bipartisan consensus that birth control was a good thing, the Catholic Church almost came to accept it.

The UN’s latest report on sexual violence in conflict zones names some of the military forces and militias that are the worst offenders.

Amadi received this incredible hand-written screed from her state representative when she wrote to tell him what she thinks of Pennsylvania’s endovaginal ultrasound bill.

Melissa Gira Grant provides 10 things the American media really needs to learn about sex.

Wisconsin Republicans are about to repeal the state’s Equal Pay Enforcement Act.

When Pat Buchanan is warning the GOP they’re overreaching on birth control, you know things have gotten bad.

Bullshit Bingo for Sexist Career Moments.

The Muslim Brotherhood is opposing a reform to the National Council for Women, “raising fears about the future status of women in Egypt.”

You don’t say: Women voters are increasingly fed up with Mitt Romney.

Lauren Wolfe writes about the vitriol she received after penning an op-ed with Gloria Steinem about rape and the cult of masculinity.

What have you been reading/writing/watching/learning this week?

St. Paul, MN

Maya Dusenbery is executive director in charge of editorial at Feministing. She is the author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick (HarperOne, March 2018). She has been a fellow at Mother Jones magazine and a columnist at Pacific Standard magazine. Her work has appeared in publications like Cosmopolitan.com, TheAtlantic.com, Bitch Magazine, as well as the anthology The Feminist Utopia Project. Before become a full-time journalist, she worked at the National Institute for Reproductive Health. A Minnesota native, she received her B.A. from Carleton College in 2008. After living in Brooklyn, Oakland, and Atlanta, she is currently based in the Twin Cities.

Maya Dusenbery is an executive director of Feministing and author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm on sexism in medicine.

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