Fatherhood.gov put out a commercial to promote the importance of being a good dad. There's not much of a reason for me posting this here, other than I think it's really cute, and it takes a real man to be able to do this.

35 year-old Alan Ball fell asleep on a couch after drinking heavily at a house party. Sometime during the night, he walked upstairs and got into bed with a girl not even 13 years-old and kissed her on the lips. His defense? He doesn't remember any of it - he was sleepwalking the entire time. Because of the seriousness of the offense (sexual assault against a child), two experts were called in to examine the case. They concluded that Alan was telling the truth, and he was set free.

I'm inclined to believe him. Ball had a long history of sleepwalking and it ran in his family. Moreover, experts said that his behavior is concurrent with sleepwalking, since he did nothing more with the young girl than climb into bed and kiss her on the lips. It's possible that in his sleeping state, he subconsciously assumed he was getting into bed with his wife. Though charges were dropped, he went through hell. Ball lost his job, suffered alienation, and was separated from his own 5 year-old daughter for a year.

Though Mr. Ball's case seems legit, this sheds light on some other cases that certainly aren't. The "I was sleepwalking" excuse is more common than you might think, but don't assume that experts are brought in every time to thoroughly examine the culprit's history and make an educated decision. From the Daily Mail:

The defence is known as automatism, with those who commit indecent acts in their sleep said to be suffering from 'sexsomnia'.

This year the Daily Mail told the story of Jane McKenna, 33, from Hampshire.

She claimed she had been raped by a friend's husband, Jason Jeal, only for him to be cleared on the basis that he was sleepwalking - even though he had no medical history of the condition.

After the case, Solicitor General Vera Baird said such arguments should only be allowed in court backed up by well-founded medical evidence.

The year before, RAF mechanic Kenneth Ecott, 26, was cleared of raping a 15-year-old girl at a house party in Poole, Dorset after arguing that he had been in a state of automatism at the time.

How could a sleeping person have the capability to hold down a struggling woman and rape her? It blows my mind that a court could ever rule that.

I think this is the third post I've made in here about how bad ass elderly women can be when faced with danger. My jaw dropped when I saw this video.

A lesbian couple in New Jersey was the victim of discrimination when they were denied usage of church-owned beachfront property to hold their civil union ceremony. They took the issue to the courts, which ruled that the refusal to rent the property violated the state's Law Against Discrimination. From the Huffington Post:

Earlier this month, a state commission headed by J. Frank Vespa-Papaleo, the director of the Division on Civil Rights and the author of Monday's ruling, recommended that the state allow gay couples full marriage rights.

Opponents of gay marriage cite the case as a prime example of their contention that by recognizing same-sex couples, states are interfering with religious freedoms.

"It's something we have to be careful about," said the Alliance Defense Fund's Raum. "As the rights of same-sex couples increase, the tendency is to have it conflict with the First Amendment rights of religious organizations."

It's definitely difficult to find a balance between religious rights and same-sex marriage rights. I think, in the end, it's not going to be laws that remedy this. What it boils down to is changing people's beliefs and attitudes. Slowly, but surely, religious groups are becoming more accepting of GLBT people. But of course it's going to take decades, since very religious people like to cling to "tradition," meaning no gays allowed. We need to convince these people that gay people are not going away - in fact they are coming out in greater numbers than ever. I wish opponents would use their religious beliefs of respect and love, rather than focus on one tiny passage in the Bible and use it to keep an entire group of people down.

Check out the latest display of sexism straight from Dunkin' Donuts. As much as I love their coffee, I'm really close to girlcotting them completely - as if their amazing display of ignorance when they pulled the Rachael Ray commercial because her scarf resembled a traditional Arab headdress (so what?) wasn't enough.

Notice how the men in this commercial are fixing cars, using a leafblower, and doing construction work, while the women are working in a bridal shop and standing in front of a camera. Cute.



And here's a lovely new gem of an advertisement from Extra chewing gum that paints women out to be neurotic and body-conscious. I also love how they try to convince us that a stick of Extra is an acceptable substitute for a snack. I say EAT THE DAMN COOKIE!



As if diet commercials aren't bad enough for convincing us that we're disgusting fat pigs, Nutrisystem decided to throw in a little sexism for good measure. Watch Jillian Barberie tell us, "I know I'm not your average gal... I love sports. Football! How many girls can do that?!" Thank you, Jillian, for perpetuating the stereotypes we've been fighting for decades.

With our new administration, equal pay advocates are seeing opportunity to pass a new bill, after the tragic death of the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. From Women's ENews:

Now, on the heels of the U.S. presidential election of Barack Obama and a Democratic majority in the Senate of 58 seats, activists in New York who have attracted Ledbetter to their cause say they are hoping for the best from the next Congress.

"It's sort of like, what do we want for Christmas?" said Beverly Neufeld, vice president of the New York Women's Agenda, a New York City coalition of professional women. "We want some new fair pay legislation. That would be a gift."

The New York State Pay Equity Coalition is planning to push another equal pay bill in New York. This bill is especially important because it is much more thorough. For example, it would include pay equity for employees who have comparable job titles, not just identical positions. Also, it would outlaw firing or reprimanding employees for disclosing their salary to coworkers, since the discouragement of wage comparison is fuel that keeps an unequal workplace running.

When I was 16, I had my first job. Around the first month or so, my boss scolded me because she found out that I let slip my salary to a coworker. She was especially upset because it was through talking about our salaries that another employee and I realized we were being paid significantly different salaries. We were both women and were around the same age, yet I was being paid $2.50 more than her. She also had come to the job with more experience and had been working there for several months more than me. The only factor I can attribute our unequal salaries to is that she was African-American, and I'm not. She quit. She never got a straight answer from our boss as to why she was being paid less than me.

Laws like the one that the New York State Pay Equity Coalition is trying to pass are crucial.

In addition to the Hilary Duff PSA, there have been a couple more PSAs put out by GLSEN that discourage saying, "That's so gay." The one I like best is with Wanda Sykes, mainly because it centers around teenage boys saying the phrase, which is most often the case, and I think the commercial is very genuine because Wanda herself is an out lesbian, who obviously is participating not for money, but because she cares about the cause. Here's the Wanda one:



I think these PSAs are a really smart idea. The use of this phrase is getting ridiculously out of control - to the point where no one can walk down the halls of a school or through a shopping mall on a Friday afternoon without hearing some teenager saying it. Many of the people who use it don't even realize that the phrase can be offensive, so I think these PSAs have the power to shed some new light on just how offensive calling an ugly statue "gay" can be.

So what did the members of the Republican National Committee get for Christmas? A CD of songs sent to them by a candidate for chairmanship, in which one of the songs was titled "Barack the Magic Negro."

Yes. It is as racist as it sounds. And though RNC members are defending the song as mere "political satire," the fact that it was first played on Rush Limbaugh's show in 2007 reaffirms my belief that its intentions are not good.

Here's a sample of the lyrics:

[Sung to the tune of "Puff the Magic Dragon"]

AL SHARPTON IMPERSONATOR:
Barack the Magic Negro lives in D.C.

The L.A. Times, they called him that

'Cause he's not authentic like me.

Yeah, the guy from the L.A. paper

Said he makes guilty whites feel good

They'll vote for him, and not for me

'Cause he's not from the hood.

See, real black men, like Snoop Dog,

Or me, or Farrakhan

Have talked the talk, and walked the walk.

Not come in late and won!

I can see why people would defend it as satire - it is similar to the infamous cover of the New Yorker, but again, look at the source. Rush Limbaugh played it. I just don't see good intentions here.

To everyone else, have a wonderful Kwanzaa tomorrow, and I hope you've been enjoying your Hanukkah!

Here's yet another installment of "A Little Herstory," in hopes that as modern feminists we won't forget where feminism came from, and how many women suffered to make our lives better.

The Comstock Law was enacted in 1873, and made it illegal to send "obscene, lewd, and/or lascivious" materials through the mail, particularly materials that provided education on birth control, abortions, or STDs. Read an excerpt from the Comstock Law to see how utterly ridiculous it was. When you think of "obscene," do you think of pamphlets on reproductive health? Neither do I.

In 1915, Margaret Sanger, who founded Planned Parenthood, wrote a response to the Comstock Law, entitled "Comstockery in America." In 1932, Sanger arranged for a shipment of diaphragms to be mailed from Japan to a doctor in New York City. When U.S. customs confiscated the packages, Sanger helped file a lawsuit. In 1936, a federal appeals court ruled that the federal government could not interfere with doctors providing contraception to their patients.

This is great news. Transgender activist Diego Sanchez has been appointed to the position of legislative assistant to Congressman Barney Frank, who represents Massachusetts. He will advise the congressman on GLBT rights, health care, labor, and a range of other issues. According to Bay Windows:

Sanchez goes to Washington with an impressive resume. In addition to his current work at AIDS Action he served as director of JRI Health’s TransHealth and GLBT Health Access Programs. He was named among the Top 100 Most Powerful Latinos in Corporate America by Hispanic Business magazine and one of the 100 most powerful Latinos in Massachusetts by El Planeta newspaper. He is the first transgender person appointed to a Democratic National Committee standing committee, named to the DNC Platform Committee by Chair Gov. Howard Dean and appointed a Party Leader and At-Large Delegate to the 2008 convention in Denver.

A historic step for trans people everywhere.

Well, Rod Blagojevich may have royally fucked up, but there is one thing he did that he wins some points for: ruling in 2005 that pharmacists in Illinois should be required to distribute Plan B.

Unfortunately, two anti-choice pharmacists are now challenging that rule in an Illinois Circuit Court. One of the pharmacists commented, "I cannot follow my religion's teachings and continue to be involved" in distributing EC. The court is still reviewing the case in an attempt to find a balance between the right to free exercise of religion, and the right to access of reproductive health care.

I vote we keep religion out of the medical profession. Health care is an extremely important field - our health is precious and delicate, and we cannot compromise it because of someone else's religious beliefs. If we do, we're headed down a slippery slope. Scientologists, for example, don't believe in psychiatry. Should a pharmacist who practices Scientology be allowed to refuse to distribute anti-depressants? Should someone who disapproves of pre-marital sex be allowed to refuse to sell condoms or Viagra to an unmarried person?

We could eventually have a world filled with pro-life pharmacies, pro-abstience pharmacies, anti-psychiatry pharmacies, and whatever else might fall under this ridiculous "protect religion at the expense of our health" rule.

Booyah.

Just thought I'd do some shameless promoting for the brand new Appetite for Equal Rights newsletter. The first issue, sent out last Friday, can be seen here. Take a look, decide if you want one delivered to your inbox every Friday, and if so, sign up using the form on the right side of the blog (scroll down a bit).

Hope to see more of you subscribing!

Hate crimes against GLBT people are completely out of control. Yahoo! News has an extremely upsetting story about a 28 year-old out lesbian who was jumped by four male strangers, who saw the rainbow sticker on her car and taunted her for being a lesbian. They beat her, raped her, and robbed her. I can't imagine she'll ever fully recover emotionally from this event.

There were 1,415 sexual orientation-based hate crimes in 2006 and 1,460 in 2007. It's a fucked up world we live in.

What You Can Do:

• Learn more about hate crimes - who they happen to, how they happen, and how often they occur.
• Contact your representatives and urge them to champion stronger hate crime laws.
• Host anti-hate events, like Stop the Hate, on your campus or in your community.
• Contact your local media and persuade them to cover hate crimes that don't get enough media coverage, like this one.

Our new friend and idol, Rick Warren, offered this pearl of wisdom, as it was written on MSNBC:

"I have many gay friends. I've eaten dinner in gay homes. No church has probably done more for people with AIDS than Saddleback Church," he said in a recent interview with BeliefNet. But later in the interview, he compared the "redefinition of marriage" to include gay marriage to legitimizing incest, child abuse, and polygamy.

There are so many things wrong with this statement that I have no idea where to begin.

1. I wish people would stop using the excuse "I have many gay friends" to justify their anti-gay views. It reminds me of this documentary by Spike Lee on the segregation laws in the South, in which he interviewed this mayor who was key proponent of segregation laws. The mayor specifically brought his token Black friend with him to the interview just so he could say repeatedly, "This is my best friend." Having a gay/Black friend is NOT your "get out of jail free" card. It's not an excuse.


2. "Gay homes"? Homes that are gay? Homosexual houses? What?


3. Why does he bring up the fact that his church helps fight AIDS? Clearly, Mr. Warren associates AIDS with gay people. Clearly, we're back in 1985.


4. Rick Warren wins for Hypocrite of the Year. Let's tell the public how much we love homosexuals, and then associate them getting married with incest, child abuse, and polygamy! Funny way of showing love.

Well, after the Rick Warren debacle, Barack Obama has partially redeemed himself by choosing Hilda Solis as Secretary of Labor. Solis is a leader and fighter for women's rights and the rights of people of color.

"I am thrilled by the nomination of Hilda Solis, who has been a long-time strong champion for feminist issues in the House of Representatives," said Feminist Majority President Eleanor Smeal.

As if ripping marriage rights away from happy same-sex couples immediately after granting them isn't harsh enough, supporters of "traditional marriage" are seeking to nullify the thousands of same-sex marriages that were already instated. Imagine going to sleep one night next to what the government recognizes as your wife or husband, and waking up in the morning next to what the government defines as just someone you live with.

Nice.

Feminist and GLBT activists alike are furious over the choice of Reverend Rick Warren, who is anti-gay (he supported Prop 8) and anti-choice, to deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration ceremony on January 20th. The Human Rights Campaign wrote a letter to Obama, stating:

"by inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table."

I'm completely with them. I'm extremely disappointed. Not to say that the person who delivers the invocation has to completely agree with Obama's views and agenda, but why does it have to be someone who is so fervently against everything Obama's feminists and GLBT supporters stand for?!

I'm nervous that this is the first sign of many to come that we put too much faith in Obama. I hope he proves me wrong.

This is really bad. President Bush's new anti-choice rule has been made official. Now, anti-choice medical staff can withhold crucial information about abortion, birth control, and/or sex education from their patients without any penalty. Under this rule, facilities that receive family planning funding, like Planned Parenthood, cannot refuse to hire someone who holds anti-choice views.

A doctor who is morally opposed to premarital sex can refuse to prescribe birth control to a young patient.

A terrified pregnant teenager who finally musters up enough courage to see a doctor can be told that her only option is to carry the baby to term.

A doctor or nurse who believes contraceptives are immoral can refuse to counsel patients who are curious about their options.

Roe v. Wade is being seriously undermined. Bush, guided by his anti-choice views, is paying medical employees to trick women into following a path that isn't right for them. He's harming thousands of women solely to fulfill his own selfish desires. Take a minute to sign Planned Parenthood's online petition against this. Something needs to be done.

The only comfort we can take is that our next president is wholeheartedly pro-choice, and will hopefully rescind this awful regulation.

This is appalling.

Old Spice, in its infinite wisdom, decided to hold a contest where people can go online and vote for the "Art of Manliness Man of the Year 2008." Now, as if this sexist bullshit isn't bad enough, let's just take a look at the winner of this contest.

The winner is: Matthew Chancey. Chancey and his wife, Jennie, who runs the antifeminist website Ladies Against Feminism, are members of the Vision Forum, a cult-like group that spreads hatred. Take a look at their statement on homosexuality:

"Vision Forum believes homosexuality is a moral perversion to be publicly denounced. Homosexuality is a sin of choice, not a genetically produced birth defect and no concessions should be granted to the trendy and politically driven scientific theories of the present generation. Furthermore, we oppose the use of politically correct and misleading language like 'gay' to describe sodomite behavior."

Chancey and his wife believe women should stay inside the home, and not work, attend college, or have the right to vote. Proctor and Gamble, the company that owns Old Spice, has been informed of his outlandish beliefs, but they took no action. Please take a minute to send a message to Old Spice in hopes that bombarding them with complaints will pressure them to take action. You can also contact organizations like the Human Rights Campaign and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and ask them to do something about this. They cannot get away with this.

This video has been around for a little while, but I haven't posted it in here, so I think it's worth sharing. Women's Media Center launched a campaign called "Sexism Sells, But We're Not Buying It" in order to expose all the ignorant sexist comments that are made by news anchors. Now, they're currently in the process of scheduling meetings with media execs to discuss this issue. The sad part is that this video probably only shows about 1% of the sexism in the media - there is still so much more that goes on.

Here's what I'm thinking.

As wonderful as modern feminists are, we often forget to study and appreciate our roots. There were so many amazing women of the 1st and 2nd waves who laid the foundation for activism today. We owe them so much. Once in awhile, I want to post some feminist herstory literature. I highly advise reading them; the women of the past can be an extraordinary inspiration to us.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Rat was a leading leftist newspaper in New York City. However, the paper was plagued with inherent sexism and oppressive hierarchies, and this led a group of women who worked at Rat to take over the paper and convert it into a feminist newspaper. In the first issue, Robin Morgan contributed her ground-breaking radical feminist piece "Goodbye to All That," in which she harshly criticized sexism and oppression.

Thirty-eight years later, Robin Morgan wrote "Goodbye to All That No. 2," which scolded all the appalling sexism and racism surrounding the 2008 election.

Her pieces are well worth reading. She says everything that every feminist wants to say, but can't find the exact right words to say it.

There's an interesting article over at the Huffington Post about how women's contributions in the workplace are often less recognize than men's.

Despite significant advances in recent decades, women continue to lag behind men in income and career advancement. Regardless of class, race, educational level and profession, women make less money than their male counterparts -- an average of 77 cents on the dollar. Women make up 2.4 percent of CEOs of Fortune 500 companies (and get paid less than those peers), less than one-fifth of partners in law firms (minority women fare significantly worse, accounting for 2 percent of law partners), and continue to be significantly underrepresented in politics.

However, a growing number of studies show that women are more likely than men to be devoted to their employers and to see hard work as the best way to get ahead. But women, conditioned from an early age to be communal and "nice," are generally hesitant to boast about their efforts and are less likely than men to push for raises and promotions. In a workplace that rewards aggressiveness and self-promotion, women often go unrecognized for their contributions.

It's very true. If you put half the population in dresses and tell them to sit cross-legged so their underwear doesn't show because it's "unladylike," and put the other half of the population in jeans and encourage them to climb trees, which half is going to be more aggressive? For a few days, surround yourself with people and try to observe who tends to apologize more: men or women. If you're a student, who is more likely to preface their answer to a question asked by a professor with, "I'm not sure if this is right, but..." It's a really vicious cycle that needs to be broken. Of course, when a strong, aggressive woman does come along - i.e. Hillary Clinton - you get this reaction:


Double standard? I think so.

SNL recently poked fun at New York governor David Paterson, and he is not amused. Predominantly, his beef is over the fact that they blatantly made fun of his blindness. I can't say I'm surprised that he found it distasteful. His exact comment was: "I can take a joke. But only 37% of disabled people are working and I'm afraid that that kind of third-grade humor certainly adds to this atmosphere. Let's just say I don't think it helped."

Furthermore, why can't SNL pick an actual African-American actor to play an African-American character? Fred Armisen plays Governor Paterson, and he was also the one who played Barack Obama. It seems to me that just because Armisen's skin is a tiny bit darker than the average White person, he's the go-to guy when you need to portray a person of color. It just doesn't seem right.

Oh, and please enjoy this very classy headline put forth by the New York Post:

Wow, when I send out the newsletter this Friday, I might have to elongate the Hall of Shame solely to include this guy. Not only is he a cult leader, but he was recently convicted of inappropriately touching two young girls, ages 14 and 16, and laying naked with them. You gotta love his defense: "God told me to do it." According to him, the touching was religious, not sexual. The really sad part is that the 14 year-old wholeheartedly believes that he touched her to fulfill God's will as well.

I really wish people would stop using God as justification for crimes. "God told me to do it" is no excuse for child molestation, hurting yourself, or killing innocent people. I'm pretty sure that if there is a God, she/he/it would surely not will anyone to commit any of these acts.

The New Jersey State Civil Union Review Commission has decided that the rights granted to same-sex couples in civil unions are not equal to the rights granted to heterosexual couples in marriage. Everyone please join me in a resounding...




In response, the New Jersey governor stated, "it's clear that this issue of civil rights must be addressed sooner rather than later. I encourage the Legislature to seriously review the commission's report and, as I have said before, I will sign marriage-equality legislation when it reaches my desk."

Hm. Could good ol' NJ be the next to legalize?

I've decided to start sending out a weekly newsletter to anyone who's interested in signing up! The newsletter will include: a recap of everything I've blogged about that week, additional stories and events that didn't make it into the blog, a weekly quote, a spotlight on a blog/website/organization, a "hall of shame" nominee, a weekly "call to action," and more. If you're interested, the signup form has a permanent spot on the right side of the blog - just scroll down a bit. Thanks to all who subscribe!

Black Canary Barbie, so tastefully dressed in an outfit that looks as if she's headed to a biker bar or an S&M party, is causing quite the stir. Parents are furious that their children are being exposed to the fishnet-covered pouty-lipped dominatrix-esque doll, but in actuality, Black Canary Barbie is supposed to be based off of a DC Comics heroine.


Not that this fact makes the doll any more excusable, since the original Black Canary was still a highly sexualized female figure. It just amazes me that parents are now in an uproar, when for decades, the original white, tall, skinny, blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie doll has been promoting impossible beauty standards that have been harming the self-esteem of children everywhere. In a 2007 report, the American Psychology Association argued, "the proliferation of sexualized images of girls and young women in advertising, merchandising, and media is harmful to girls' self-image and healthy development." But toy-makers hardly take that to heart.

In the end, I see the original Barbie as far more of a cause for an uproar. Are young women more likely to become S&M sex workers or develop eating disorders in hopes of shaping their bodies to emulate their role models?

On a trial basis that will run for two years, two sites in London will be distributing oral contraceptives to women over 16, without any need for a prescription. This trial is intended to determine whether or not this change will lower the number of unintended pregnancies. I'm gonna go with a thumbs up on this change, and props to London for being open-minded enough to try this out. Right now, England has the highest rate of teen pregnancies in Western Europe, so clearly something needs to change. Come on, America, where's our trial run?

Scary.

The wonderful Feministing.com posted a holiday gift guide today with several feminist-friendly products, and I had the urge to offer my own take on a happy feminist holiday. Enjoy!

For the activist:

• "Smash Patriarchy" tote bag.
• "Equality in Marriage" gear.
• Sticker Sisters offers tons of girl-friendly goodies, including the "This Insults Women" sticker, to be put on anything that is sexist and offensive.
• "Smash Racism" stickers.
• Get a silk-screened Obama dress or sweatshirt.

For the empowered:

• NOW's 2009 "Love Your Body" calendar.
• "I Am a Powerful Woman" t-shirt.

For the sex-lover:

• "Eco Delight" kit at Babeland, featuring tons of green sex toys.
• Babeland's "Come for a Cause" kit.
• Adorable vibrating rubber duckie.

For the proud owner/lover of a vagina:

• Cunt Coloring Book.
• Check out VulvaLoveLovely's shop at Etsy.com. It includes fun products, like the plush "happy uterus."
• The famous "I Love Female Orgasm" t-shirt.

For the cartoon buff:

• The Lisa Simpson book of wisdom.
• "Girl Power" Wonder Woman t-shirt.

For the feminist baby:

• "Feminist in Training" onesie.
• "Two Mommies are Better than One!" onesie.
• "I Have Two Papa Bears" onesie.
• Radical coloring books at GirlsNotChicks.com.

For the bookworm:

• Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
• Woman on the Edge of Time
• The Handmaid's Tale
• Deciding the Next Decider: the 2008 Presidential Race in Rhyme

For the movie-lover:

• "Exes and Ohs" - complete first season (hilarious show about lesbian relationships).
• Documentary "The Bible Tells Me So," about the co-existence of religion and homosexuality.
• The movie "Itty Bitty Titty Committee" - doesn't everyone want a feminist gang like this?
• "Wall-E": Pixar's best movie, and some argue that the main characters are genderless.
• "Commander in Chief" - season 1. What if we actually had a female president?

For the charitable:
Make a donation in someone else's name to any one of these charities...

• NARAL Pro-Choice America
• Women for Women International
• RAINN
• National LGBT Cancer Network
• The Girl Effect
• End Human Trafficking
• The Queen's Company (New York City's all-female theatre company)

Tomorrow, be sure to CALL IN GAY! Day Without a Gay is a national movement to show everyone how important GLBTQ people are to society. This day-long protest was sparked by the passing of Prop 8 - since, you know, it's just a tad ridiculous that tax-paying citizens who contribute to society and help the economy are given second-class rights.

Even if you don't identify as GLBTQ, you can still participate! I'm sure allies are more than welcome to join. Don't go to work, don't buy any products, and instead, the organizers of the protest are urging everyone to perform volunteer work. Of course, students are not traitors if they go to class or take final exams. Involve your friends and family so Day Without a Gay really makes an impact. Yahoo! News already covered the protest, so it's already getting great attention.



There are plenty of places to volunteer near you. I'm spending a few hours at a soup kitchen, and they were thrilled when I called and asked to help. Check out VolunteerMatch.org for some nearby listings.

...According to the very reliable Fox News. Studies are "proving" that certain chemicals in the air are "feminizing" male animals by affecting their penis size, lowering their testosterone levels, and increasing estrogen levels. So now the monumental question remains: are male humans in danger of becoming the weaker sex?!?!?!?!

Because, you know, a decrease in testosterone and an increase in estrogen most definitely is the worst thing that could ever happen to the male gender. We don't want our men turning into a bunch of sissies. Watch this video and count how many sexist jokes the Fox News anchors make.

Polls are showing that support for same-sex marriage has been growing sufficiently in just a few years. The main poll that shows this is one conducted by Newsweek. Newsweek.com posted an article, detailing the results:

Fifty-five percent of respondents favored legally sanctioned unions or partnerships, while only 39 percent supported marriage rights. Both figures are notably higher than in 2004, when 40 percent backed the former and 33 percent approved of the latter. When it comes to according legal rights in specific areas to gays, the public is even more supportive. Seventy-four percent back inheritance rights for gay domestic partners (compared to 60 percent in 2004), 73 percent approve of extending health insurance and other employee benefits to them (compared to 60 percent in 2004), 67 percent favor granting them Social Security benefits (compared to 55 percent in 2004) and 86 percent support hospital visitation rights (a question that wasn't asked four years ago). In other areas, too, respondents appeared increasingly tolerant. Fifty-three percent favor gay adoption rights (8 points more than in 2004), and 66 percent believe gays should be able to serve openly in the military (6 points more than in 2004).

You have to wonder - if there's so much support for it, why is it only legal in two states?

So far, Governor David Paterson of New York is winning major points. First, he required New York to recognize marriages from other states, meaning same-sex couples can get married in another state and then live in New York, all while they are still legally recognized as married. Now, he rejected a state commission's list of recommended candidates for chief judge of the state Court of Appeals because the list did not include a single woman.

"To circumscribe, limit the governor to only men, and for the commission to say, 'We searched the state, we couldn't find a single, solitary qualified woman to serve on the bench' — something is wrong," he said.

An enormous thank you goes to Governor Paterson for having the guts to stand up to patriarchy. If you're a New Yorker, or even if you're not, send him a thank you note.

Obama's main speechwriter, Jon Favreau, got in big trouble over some photos of him posted on Facebook. The pictures showed him at a party, dancing with a cardboard cutout of Hillary Clinton. Now, I didn't have a big problem with that. But this picture was not cool:



Yeah, that's Favreau with his hand on Hillary's chest, while his friend feeds her beer and kisses her on the cheek. The photos were only up for a couple hours before Favreau took them down, but that was more than enough time for them to be spread all over the internet. I'm really disappointed by this display of sexism and disrespect.

It aired last night. And she most definitely did pick some fascinating people. Such as Thomas Beatie, who we all know and remember and (hopefully) love. Walters lost some points with me during her reaction to the news that Beatie is pregnant again. I think the proper response is "congratulations," NOT "I'm speechless."



And then of course we have the positively grotesque and arrogant Rush Limbaugh. This is where Walters gains points for having the guts to call Rush out on his bullshit. She quotes Rush's lovely comment on the country not being ready to watch a woman grow older before their eyes (talking about Clinton), to which Rush tries to claim that he was commenting on how unfair our culture is to older women. Right. Walters has the perfect response: "You're not fighting our battles." Oh, and I definitely laughed the hardest when Rush called himself "tolerant."



Also on the list was the very wonderful, talented, beautiful Tina Fey. Of course she made the list because her Palin impersonations were the hot topic this year.



Speaking of Sarah Palin... she was #3.



Aaaand not surprisingly, #1 was our new celebrity and president, Barack Obama.

Check out this disgusting music video to accompany the song by Theory of a Deadman, "Bad Girlfriend."



A sample of the lyrics:
My girlfriend's a dick magnet
My girlfriend's gotta have it
She's hot, can't stop, up on stage doing shots
Tip the man he'll ring the bell, get her drunk she'll scream like hell
Dirty girl, gettin' down, dance with guys from outta town
Grab her ass, actin' tough,
Mess with her, she'll fuck you up
No one really knows if she's drunk or if she's stoned,
But she's comin' back to my place tonight!

When I saw this article, I literally cried out, "Yes!" MSNBC.com posted an article arguing that abortion is not linked to depression, contrary to what anti-choicers will try to tell you about "post-abortion stress syndrome." Well, science says: it doesn't exist!

Studies on this have been done before. Cristina Page writes about it in her book, "How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America." A study done by the American Psychological Association found that women who had abortions were actually happier when compared to women who gave birth. They seemed to be functioning better, have a higher economic well-being, and were more likely to graduate high school. The study that MSNBC writes about was much larger than the APA study, and it proved the same thing:

A team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore reviewed 21 studies involving more than 150,000 women and found the high-quality studies showed no significant differences in long-term mental health between women who choose to abort a pregnancy and others.

"The best research does not support the existence of a 'post-abortion syndrome' similar to post-traumatic stress disorder," Dr. Robert Blum, who led the study published in the journal Contraception, said in a statement.

Any "studies" that anti-choice organizations claim support "post-abortion stress syndrome" were either conducted in an extremely flawed way, or were not conducted at all. Take that.

Sometimes the jokes made in Family Guy might go too far, but I really love the episode that completely makes fun of abstinence-only education. Basically, parents are outraged that kids are being taught about sex, so they bring in some guy to teach the high schoolers that sex is evil. Check out this clip:



Considering all the bullshit lies that abstinence-only education spews at kids, I guess it's not too far off.

You have to watch this. Now. "Prop 8 the Musical," with (among many others) Margaret Cho, John C. O'Reilly, and Jack Black as Jesus Christ.

Check out this great video from The Girl Effect, an organization that believes that investing in girls will make the world a better place.

This is cute. A radio station held a contest to win a date with a man named Travis Harvey. One woman won, went out on the date with him, and ended up getting sexually assaulted by Harvey. The woman is now suing the radio station. I hope they feel like shit. Why the hell would they think it's a bright idea to set a listener up on a date with a man they didn't bother to check into first?

Today marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. Since its discovery, AIDs has killed over 25 million people. Worldwide, 3.3 million people are living with AIDS today. It's nothing short of an epidemic, but I really have faith that we'll find a cure within a few decades. Still, that leaves plenty of time for plenty of people to be infected. In honor of World AIDS Day, I'm urging you to:


Get tested. Tell your friends to get tested. If you're too embarrassed to ask for an HIV test from your doctor, donate blood - if they find anything wrong, they'll notify you. It's a simple request when you think about what's at stake. But don't stop there. Get involved, donate if you can, and spread awareness. Promote comprehensive sex ed. Visit any one of these sites to take action:

• One Million Tests
• Stop AIDS Project
• The Global Fight
• Aid for Africa
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS
• The One Campaign
• InSpot.org (send an anonymous e-card to someone you think might have been exposed to an STD)

Okay, so maybe Thanksgiving does, in some way, commemorate the slaughtering of thousands of Native Americans, but let's use this day to celebrate something else. Let's be thankful for friends, family, Barack Obama being elected president, and of course, the wonderful women who have put their lives on the line to make our lives better. Happy Thanksgiving!

This is upsetting.

Newsweek has an article up about the abundance of "pro-ana" groups that have been popping up on Facebook. If you don't know, "pro-ana" or "pro-mia" basically implies a group of people who promote eating disorders, often offering each other diet tips, exchanging pictures, and finding "thinsperation" from one another. Of course, the members in these groups are predominantly female, since it's mostly women who suffer from these disorders.

Some users will make a separate private profile specifically to join these groups, while others will join with their regular public profile, usually in hopes of getting attention from their friends who can see what groups they are a part of. Luckily, the Facebook team is working to delete as many of these groups as they possibly can, because Facebook rules state that a group cannot promote harm to oneself or to others.

As a result, many "pro-ana/mia" groups are trying to fly under the radar by removing the "pro-ana" from the title, or making the group private. I did some searching, and was able to find a few of them. They're incredibly upsetting - I don't look at these people with disgust, but rather with plain sadness. They're so desperate to look like the women on magazine covers that they will do almost anything - even participate in an "ana boot camp" that involves not eating anything for thirty days straight and posting your results. This is probably the worst group I found. Please don't look at it if it will trigger you in some way.

On the upside, there seems to be far more "anti-ana" groups than pro. But the pro sites need to be eliminated completely. Who knows if these girls were actually considering getting help... until they stumbled on a "pro-ana" site and were drawn to the sense of community, and the encouragement that they offer.

If you find any of these groups on Facebook, report them immediately.

After 31 long years of not allowing a large group of tax-paying citizens to adopt children solely because of their sexual orientation, the ban on adoption for same-sex couples is finally gone. A judge ruled on Tuesday that prohibiting someone from adopting based on sexual orientation alone is unconstitutional.

Join me in a resounding "DUH!"

From Yahoo! News:

The ruling means that Martin Gill, 47, and his male partner can adopt two brothers, ages 4 and 8, whom he has cared for as foster children since December 2004.

Attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, who represent Gill, said the case was the first in the nation in which numerous experts in child psychology, social work and other fields testified that there is no science to justify a gay adoption ban.

"It is clear that sexual orientation is not a predictor of a person's ability to parent," the judge wrote. "A child in need of love, safety and stability does not first consider the sexual orientation of his parent. The exclusion causes some children to be deprived of a permanent placement with a family that is best suited to their needs."

Congratulations to all same-sex couples in Florida. Now, it's time to work on Arkansas, Utah, and Mississippi.

For years, the dating service eHarmony.com has been discriminating against those who seek companionship with someone of the same gender. When signing up for the service, there is no option for "men seeking men" or "women seeking women." Chemistry.com even put out a commercial exposing it:





And thankfully... someone has finally brought a lawsuit against them for it. The person claimed that eHarmony violated his rights, to which eHarmony responded that the company's main goal is to promote marriage and "we don't really want to participate in something that's illegal."

Nice try.

The courts ruled in favor of the plaintiff, and eHarmony is now launching a separate website, Compatible Partners, that will be specifically for same-sex dating. Why they can't just offer more fucking options on their existing website is beyond me. But I suppose it's better than nothing.

This is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. Thursday was Joe Biden's 66th birthday. And what did his new partner and best friend, Barack Obama, do for it? Surprised him with a dozen cupcakes.





Obama joked, "You're 12 years old!"

To which Biden laughed and responded, "Maybe in dog years!"

Did you know that Australia actually holds annual awards for outrageous sexism? I mean, not that they're trying to necessarily award sexist morons - the awards exist more to identify and humiliate the offenders.

This year, the top golden award went to Mount Isa Mayor John Malony who so tastefully offered words of wisdom to suggest that unattractive women should be confined to a remote town to give Australian men a better pick of the litter. His exact words were:

"With five blokes to every girl, may I suggest that beauty-disadvantaged women should proceed to Mount Isa."

Cute. He also continued to shove his foot further into his mouth by claiming that "the protesters are blaming me for their looks."

Among the other award-winners was Channel Nine news for firing a female reporter when she was on maternity leave. Oh, and news chief John Westacott decided to throw in this little pearl of wisdom: "Sheilas do health and consumer stories. You want your blokes, your main guns, doing the real news stories."

More details at MSNBC.

Brace yourself.



Awkward awkward awkward.

Al-Qaida has a thing or two to say about Barack Obama being elected president.

The video they released included Ayman al-Zawahri, a leader of the terrorist group, using hateful speech to take shots at Obama's race. Al-Zawahri called him "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X and used the term "abeed al-beit," which, in the English subtitles they supplied, translates to "house Negro." This is a reference to speeches of Malcolm X, of which footage was included in the Al-Qaida video, where he explains that in the days of slavery, slaves who worked in the house were more docile and obedient of their masters. The term implies an African-American who does not stand up to whites.

Scary stuff. They loathe our country, and I'm terrified to think about what they're planning next. But we need to keep our composure. Becoming terrified is exactly what they want. They want us to lash out. They want us to suspend our civil liberties. We can't.

Check out this piece of wonderfully ignorant anti-gay propaganda entitled "They're Coming to Your Town." In it, they outline the highly dangerous gay agenda. Oh, you don't know what the gay agenda is? I have news for you: neither do the gays.

But according to these people, the gays have big plans to invade every town in the United States, destroying religion, changing the holy definition of marriage, and eating your babies. Watch out.





It should be noted that this video was prompted by the anger of residents in a small town who were worried that their town was becoming "the San Francisco of Arkansas." It should also be noted that these people seem to have no good reason for their anger, aside from simply not wanting to live next door to gay/lesbian people. Pure hatred.