MA House candidate could be first openly gay Republican in Congress

If he’s victorious this November, Richard Tisei would become the first openly gay Republican in the House of Representatives.

A candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, Tisei supports marriage equality and choice and is expected to be a tough challenger for Democratic Congressman John Tierney who is currently embroiled in personal legal troubles related to his wife and brother in law being involved in a illegal gambling operation.

Tisei doesn’t want his identity to define his candidacy and describes himself as a “live and let live Republican,” who believes “the government should get out of your bedroom, off your back and out of your wallet.”  Tisei’s libertarian platform should play well in south Boston and given the incumbents personal controversies, Tisei has a ...

If he’s victorious this November, Richard Tisei would become the first openly gay Republican in the House of Representatives.

A candidate for Congress in Massachusetts, Tisei supports marriage equality and choice and is expected to be a tough challenger ...

Via Courier-Journal

Teen rape survivor tweets names of rapists, could have faced jail time

A 17-year-old rape survivor in Kentucky was facing jail time after tweeting the names of her rapists, but after her story went viral yesterday the District Attorney decided not to pursue charges which would have carried a punishment of a maximum of 180 days in jail and a $500 fine.

After a plea deal was struck with her rapists, Savannah Dietrich disappointed and angered by the lenient punishment, tweeted,

“There you go, lock me up,” before tweeting their names, “I’m not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell…They said I can’t talk about it or I’ll be locked up.  So I’m waiting for them to read this and lock me up.  F**k justice.  Protect rapist is more important ...

A 17-year-old rape survivor in Kentucky was facing jail time after tweeting the names of her rapists, but after her story went viral yesterday the District Attorney decided not to pursue charges which would have carried ...

antichoice2

Bad-ass of the Day: Outing crisis pregnancy centers

Awesome. Sticker reads: “Be advised, this is an anti-choice organization. They will NOT present you with all your legal and medical options. Call Planned Parenthood instead.”

Close-up after the jump. Via Upworthy, via Shelby. Pics by bedbugsbite. 

Awesome. Sticker reads: “Be advised, this is an anti-choice organization. They will NOT present you with all your legal and medical options. Call Planned Parenthood instead.”

Close-up after the jump. Via Upworthy, via ...

RIP, Sally Ride

“All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.”

As you’ve probably heard, Sally Ride passed away yesterday at the age of 61 due to pancreatic cancer. Ride was not only the first U.S. woman to enter space, but the first LGBT American (she actually came out in her obituary) and the youngest astronaut to enter space at the time. “Groundbreaker” almost seems like an understatement.

She was also a staunch advocate for girls’ and women’s involvement in science, setting up programs across the country to urge girls to get involved in STEM. She is survived by her childhood friend turned partner of 27 years, Tam O’Shaughnessy, her mother Joyce and her sister Ms. Scott, who is known as Bear.

We ...

“All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary.”

As you’ve probably heard, Sally Ride passed away yesterday at the age of 61 due to pancreatic cancer. Ride was not only the first U.S. woman to enter space, ...

What We Missed

An International AIDS conference opened in Washington DC today. Sex workers, excluded from the conference in the U.S., protested their exclusion by organizing their own conference, the  Sex Worker Freedom Festival, in Kolkata, India.

As expected, Evangelical leaders ask themselves WWJD and decide it would be blame liberals and the media for the Aurora shootings and say that only Christians will get into heaven.

In light of revelations that Joe Paterno helped conceal the allegations of sexual abuse, Penn State’s new president had a 7-foot tall statue of the coach removed from outside the football stadium, calling the sculpture an “obstacle to healing.” The Paterno family disagreed, stating that the removal “does not serve the victims.” That seems pretty presumptuous, ...

An International AIDS conference opened in Washington DC today. Sex workers, excluded from the conference in the U.S., protested their exclusion by organizing their own conference, the  Sex Worker Freedom Festival, in Kolkata, India.

As ...

Gun violence video mashup with Melissa Harris-Perry & more

As I wrote earlier, I’ve been struck by the unproductive coverage of the Aurora Colorado shooting. Thankfully, some politicians, like mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rep Carolyn McCarthy (whose husband was killed and whose son was paralyzed by gun violence), as well as some in the media, like Melissa Harris-Perry, have been fearless in linking tragedy to policy. In contrast, others, like Senator Ron Johnston, are not only refusing to look at the connection between gun laws and violence, but suggesting that armed citizens could have prevented the killing. The idea that armed citizens could have engaged in a shoot out with a men in full riot gear without hurting others is far-fetched at best.

I will updating this post ...

As I wrote earlier, I’ve been struck by the unproductive coverage of the Aurora Colorado shooting. Thankfully, some politicians, like mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rep Carolyn McCarthy (whose husband was killed and whose son was paralyzed ...

Gun violence video mashup with Melissa Harris-Perry & more

As I wrote earlier, I’ve been struck by the unproductive coverage of the Aurora Colorado shooting. Thankfully, some politicians, like mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rep Carolyn McCarthy (whose husband was killed and whose son was paralyzed by gun violence), as well as some in the media, like Melissa Harris-Perry, have been fearless in linking tragedy to policy. In contrast, others, like Senator Ron Johnston, are not only refusing to look at the connection between gun laws and violence, but suggesting that armed citizens could have prevented the killing. The idea that armed citizens could have engaged in a shoot out with a men in full riot gear without hurting others is far-fetched at best. I will updating ...

As I wrote earlier, I’ve been struck by the unproductive coverage of the Aurora Colorado shooting. Thankfully, some politicians, like mayor Michael Bloomberg and Rep Carolyn McCarthy (whose husband was killed and whose son was paralyzed ...

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Condom searches are being used to profile sex workers

You may remember the feminist blogosphere talking about laws that said carrying condoms could get you arrestedA new report from Human Rights Watch examines the issue: sex workers and people profiled as sex workers, especially trans women, are being targeted by the cops with condom searches in Prostitution Free Zones. This puts sex workers at risk, as they’re then reluctant to carry condoms. From the report:

In four of the nation’s major cities—New York, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and San Francisco—police stop, search, and arrest sex workers using condoms as evidence to support prostitution charges. For many sex workers, particularly transgender women, arrest means facing degrading treatment and abuse at the hands of the police. For immigrants, ...

You may remember the feminist blogosphere talking about laws that said carrying condoms could get you arrestedA new report from Human Rights Watch examines the issue: sex workers and people profiled as sex ...

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