2012 November Archive

Donald Trump needs to have a stadium of seats

I’m so tired of Donald Trump. And to the folks who are thinking, “well why are you writing about him then? Ignore him and he will go away,” I say prove it! The media monstrosity that is Donald Trump has been infecting my world for my entire lifetime. At what point does someone in the media or his family tell him to have a stadium of seats?

After bribing race-baiting the President of the United States to release his transcripts, calling for revolution after President Obama won re-election decisively, and a reported intervention by his children, Trump still doesn’t get the hint. The world wants him gone but he continues to talk, tweet, and blather about nonsense related to China, ...

I’m so tired of Donald Trump. And to the folks who are thinking, “well why are you writing about him then? Ignore him and he will go away,” I say prove it! The media monstrosity that is ...

By Alexandra Brodsky • 11 years ago

Suzanne Venker responds to criticism of “The war on men”

We all owe Suzanne Venker a big apology. When Feministing criticized her Fox News piece “The war on men,” we thought she was saying that women shouldn’t compete with men. In fact, as she clarified to the Daily Beast, what she really meant to say was the wives shouldn’t compete with husbands. It was all just a simple wording mistake!

According to the Daily Beast interview, Venker believes women can have high-powered jobs, but we have to leave our ambitions and accomplishments in the workplace. “You need to keep those separate,” she said. “Otherwise it will make your marriage more of a competition than a complementary relationship.” No mention is made of whether men “keeping those ...

We all owe Suzanne Venker a big apology. When Feministing criticized her Fox News piece “The war on men,” we thought she was saying that women shouldn’t compete with men. In fact, as ...

By Alexandra Brodsky • 11 years ago

This week in victim-blaming: 11-year-old gang-rape survivor as seductive “spider”

Two years ago, an 11-year-old Cleveland, Texas girl was gang-raped by 20 young men. The crime was recorded on cellphones and circulated amongst students at the local school before finally coming to the attention of the police. And since then plenty of allies have stepped forward to rally around the “real victims”: the rapists.

First the New York Times ran an article focused on the terrible strain the investigation had on the community. Forget about the survivor’s trauma: “The case has rocked this East Texas community to its core” and, as one concerned neighbor pointed out, “These boys have to live with this the rest of their lives.” The paper was also criticized for its focus ...

By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

What we missed

Check out this great piece by my UN Foundation colleague Jacob Tobia on the ways in which homophobia can hinder progress in global development, and why it’s so important to address LGBTQI discrimination as the UN shapes its new global development framework.

Love this.

Just a few days left to support APAD’s badass grassroots activism against forced and early child marriage in Cameroun.

Why it sucks to be a woman in the video gaming industry.

File under more victim-blaming: Defense attorney calls 11 year-old gang rape victim a spider luring men into her web. (via Jessica)

Suzanne Venker, author of that wrong-headed Fox News piece on the imaginary so-called “war on men”, offers a totally ...

By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

Five insidious victim-blaming tactics being used against Halle Berry

On Thanksgiving Halle Berry’s current boyfriend apparently fought with and badly bruised the face of Halle Berry’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her child. If you’d like more information about the situation, here is a summary of everything that happened.

As dramatic and concerning as these developments are (I feel bad for pretty much everyone involved and am generally bummed to see violence take place), perhaps most disturbing of all is the insidious if not predictable victim-blaming that has taken hold in the days since the violent incident. Because Berry has been a victim of domestic violence in the past, you see, it is OBVS all her fault when anyone around her engages in violence.

For those of you who don’t ...

By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

Quick hit: Nathaniel Frank on the AP’s misguided ‘homophobia’ ban

Yesterday the Associated Press announced that it will drop the term “homophobia” along with “Islamophobia” and “ethnic cleansing” from its Style Book. Politico reports that the reasoning behind dropping the term is largely semantic, citing AP Deputy Standards Editor Dave Minthorn’s rationale that a phobia, or “an irrational, uncontrollable fear, often a form of mental illness” should not be used “in political or social contexts,” including “homophobia” and “Islamophobia.” It also calls “ethnic cleansing” a “euphemism,” and says the AP “does not use ‘ethnic cleansing’ on its own. It must be enclosed in quotes, attributed and explained.”

This is a big deal because the AP Style Book is very influential and could impact journalistic standards across the field.

While I ...

By Sesali B. • 11 years ago

New report on domestic workers exposes low pay, harsh conditions, and need for labor protections

Yesterday, the National Domestic Workers Alliance–led by the amazing Ai-jen Poo–released a groundbreaking report on the work conditions faced by domestic workers (nannies, maids, caregivers, etc.) nationwide. The survey of over 2,000 domestic workers revealed the effects of race and immigration status on workers’ pay. Some troubling stats:

94% of domestic workers are women. 23 percent of workers are paid below the state minimum wage.* Undocumented domestic workers are paid about 20% less than those who are U.S. citizens. 66% of all those surveyed reported working while sick, injured or in pain. 56% of U.S.-born domestic workers and 77% of undocumented domestic workers reported working under such conditions. Workers of color make up 54% of the domestic workforce. The median wage for white caregivers is $12/hour; that of black ...

By Sesali B. • 11 years ago

Photo of the Day: The really naked truth about budget cuts to HIV/AIDS programs

If there was ever a reason to take your clothes off for a Republican, this is it!

Three women were arrested yesterday after a direct action protest in which they, along with several men, got completely nude in House Speaker John Boehner’s office.

“Three women AIDS activists saying they wanted to highlight the ‘naked truth’ about potential spending cuts in HIV programs were arrested Tuesday after taking their clothes off in the lobby of House Speaker John Boehner’s office.

The trio had the words ‘AIDS cuts kill’ painted on their bodies and had linked arms with four men who also disrobed as part of the protest. The nude protesters, along with dozens of other clothed demonstrators chanted slogans, including: ‘People with AIDS ...

If there was ever a reason to take your clothes off for a Republican, this is it!

Three women were arrested yesterday after a direct action protest in which they, along with several men, got completely nude ...