Hooray! Finally the government did something right. A Senate subcommittee approved a 25% reduction in funding for abstinence-only education. I'm guessing this decision was prompted by the enormous amount of evidence and statistics that prove that it doesn't work. This 25% decrease is such good news... I just hope that I'll live to see the day when funding for abstinence-only "education" is completely cut off.

Aside from the budget cut, the bill also significantly increased funding for community health centers and provides funding for breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings for low-income women. Hooray again.

This is absolutely ridiculous. A judge presiding over a rape trial in Nebraska ordered the victim to abstain from using the word "rape" in her testimony, claiming it could "prejudice" the jury.

Yeah, it would prejudice the jury to think that the victim was forced into having sex against her will, which she was.

Many legal experts maintain that banning the word rape is preposterous. One lawyer representing the victim, Tory Bowen, commented: "It's virtually impossible to see a woman as a victim when you're calling a rape 'sex.' It's like a victim saying it was consensual."

Sigh.

If anyone's interested, I created a new Facebook group to help raise awareness about McCain's fervent anti-choice record. It's called "The Election of John McCain = A Scary Future for Women" and you can find it here. If you join, I would really appreciate it if you invited some friends, just so we can spread the word as much as possible. Thanks!

NOW (National Organization of Women) put together a "Hall of Shame" list that spotlights the 2008 election's most sexist moments. Samples from the list:


Glenn Beck calls Hillary a "stereotypical bitch" and says that when she speaks, it sounds like his wife asking him to "take out the garbage."





Cameron Cardow draws an insulting and degrading political cartoon.





Double whammy: sexism and racism shines through Cal Thomas' commentary on "angry black women."




So how can you take action besides getting really, really angry? NOW offers an opportunity to speak out - each "hall of shame" entry is followed by a link to send a letter to the offender or the offender's network. So, click here to view the rest of the shameful list, and go nuts (please)!

I saw the most heart-wrenching and wonderful documentary last night. "Freeheld" is a short film about Laurel Hester, a woman who served her community as a cop for 25 years. Upon finding out that she was dying of lung cancer, she sought to transfer her pension to her domestic partner, Stacie. She was denied by the Freeholders; a board consisting entirely of white heterosexual men. They were actually able to look a dying woman in the face and tell her that she can't give her pension from serving her community for almost three decades to the woman that she has spent the past six years of her life with. They also failed to give adequate reasons. It baffled me. This documentary chronicles her final days and the struggle she goes through, along with hundreds of other supporters, to gain the same right as heterosexual couples.

Has anyone seen "Freeheld"? If not, it's being shown multiple times this month on Cinemax, so please try and catch it. It'll bring you to tears, but it's really well-done and so eye-opening.

While reading People magazine (guilty pleasure), I came across an advertisement for a clothing website that lets you customize things with your name. It's called CustomizedWorld.com, but I think they should consider changing the name to WomenAreMensProperty.com because it fits much better. A sample of their merchandise:





They even have some stylish sexist apparel for young teens... I found this in the youth section:



I ventured into the men's section to see if they had any such shirts for males. Hardly. Instead, they had this:




Ick. I don't think the "world's best boyfriend" would approve of his significant other wearing underwear that says "Steve's Tight End." Gag me.

I'm sure most of you have heard of this so-called "pregnancy pact" that occurred at Gloucester High. For those of you who haven't, basically 17 girls all got pregnant around the same time and there's rumors that these girls made a pact to get pregnant together. No doubt that abstinence-only advocates are going to have a field day with this one... especially because this particular high school doesn't use abstinence-only education, but rather comprehensive sex ed.

But I really don't think the school can be blamed. Obviously, these girls know how to put a condom on and they had easy access to birth control, but they chose to not use any of that. It was their decision... it wasn't like they were "brainwashed" by teachers telling them that having sex is okay. This is a rare and extreme case, and I wish people would stop trying to blame the cause of it on things like sex education and the movie "Juno." Below is a video from Fox News in which an author is being interviewed (it should be noted that this guy wrote a book basically outlining the "destruction" of today's schools as caused by sex education). I definitely rolled my eyes a few dozen times while watching this, but what irritated me the most was when this guy claimed that Gloucester High has a sex education program that "encourages" sexual activity. NO sex ed program "encourages" teens to have sex... they merely present all the appropriate information and don't act as if sex is a dirty and taboo thing that should never be talked about. I hope Gloucester High doesn't change a thing about their sex education program. But that's probably asking too much.

I saw this in Tobes' blog and I was laughing so hard that I just had to post it here too. Ellen cracks me up.

Thought the Obama-monkey doll was bad? Check out this gem of a button that's being sold at the Texas Republican state convention:


Yeah, I wish I were kidding. Not only is this button incredibly offensive, but it's not even remotely clever. If you're going to be racist, at least be a little funny. Another example of an equally disgusting and un-clever Obama accessory that I'm sure was created by some douchebag with absolutely no life?




Yeah. Good stuff. Of course Hillary wasn't without her attackers...



I searched under anti-McCain paraphernalia but I couldn't find anything attacking his race or gender. Of course. Although I did find this amusing...

Ugh.

For those of you who are college students in the U.S., I encourage you to go here and fill out a survey for the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition. This survey helps them gauge exactly which campuses are lacking in providing the necessary resources for people of all sexes, gender identities, races, and sexual orientations to feel accepted and comfortable at their schools. Their goal is to help make colleges all over the country a safe learning environment for everyone. You can help by giving them information.

(Thanks to Georgia for the link!)

Yesterday, the Democratic Women for Change released their "Checklist for Change" campaign. This is exciting, because it features 10 major issues that every Democratic woman in the Senate has signed on to fight for. Among those on the checklist: achieve equal pay for equal work, make health care affordable, and protect our environment. You can see the rest of the checklist here.

Let's hope we can put a check next to one or two of those tasks in our lifetimes.

This is scary.

"Pro-life" drugstores. Pharmacies that will allow their beliefs to take precedent over their customer's health. The new DMC Pharmacy in Chantilly is an example of one, which will turn people away if they come in asking for condoms, birth control pills, or plan B emergency contraception. This is ridiculous. Those in the health industry should not be allowed to let their personal beliefs interfere with what our bodies need. If we can't count on pharmacies and doctors to honor our reproductive rights, who can we count on?

"We try to practice pharmacy in a way that we feel is best to help our community and promote healthy lifestyles," said Lloyd Duplantis, who owns Lloyd's Remedies in Gray, La., and is a deacon in his Catholic church. "After researching the science behind steroidal contraceptives, I decided they could hurt the woman and possibly hurt her unborn child. I decided to opt out."

Health lifestyles. Right. Imagine a world where women are made to feel dirty and immoral for taking birth control pills. Where STDs are spreading like wildfire because people do not have access to the proper contraceptives to stop epidemics like HIV and Syphilis. Where sexually active people have to travel to other counties or states because their local drugstores are "pro-choice" and therefore deny them basic contraceptives. And people without cars or driver's licenses have no way of traveling to these other drugstores and are forced to have unprotected sex. Condoms are being sold under the table in towns with only "pro-choice" pharmacies, and the sellers aren't always reliable, so buyers could unknowingly be purchasing expired or broken condoms. Unwanted pregnancies are everywhere, adoption agencies are so jam-packed that they have to turn some babies away, women are doing desperate things like binge-drinking or throwing themselves down stairs to abort their pregnancies. Teenagers who want to have sex but have no access to information are forced to Google it, or ask their friends. The population is growing at uncontrollable rates because women are having 8, 10, 12, or 15 children in their lifetimes.

"Healthy lifestyle"? Not really.

More research on where homosexuality comes from has shown some interesting results. Researchers scanned the brains of straight women and gay men and found strong similarities between the two types of people, particularly in language use, which might explain why both gay men and straight women tend to outperform straight men on verbal skills tests.

They also found similarities in emotional processes, and discovered that gay men and straight women are more susceptible to depressive disorders than straight men. Although it should be obvious that gay men are more depressed than straight men, since straight men generally aren't called homophobic slurs their entire lives or beat up for their sexuality. Some scientists try to argue that the brain of a gay man is "feminized," thus explaining why some gay men act effeminate. But others shoot this theory down by saying that gay men possess certain "masculine" traits that most straight women do not possess, such as responding to sexually aggressive images.

I also read a really interesting article yesterday in Psychology Today about the origins of homosexuality. The fact that gays and lesbians have been around for hundreds and thousands of years now completely perplexes scientists because logically, evolution should have gotten rid of it, since it "harms" our species' reproductive abilities. Speaking completely scientifically, homosexuality does not help our species to survive, so why does it seem more prominent than ever? New research has shown that gay men tend to have more relatives than straight men, suggesting that maybe families with homosexual members "compensate" for it by reproducing more children. Gay men tend to have more older brothers than straight men - so the more older brothers a boy has, the larger chance he has of being gay. Also, one researcher found that mothers of gay men tended to have more sexual partners than mothers of straight men. The researcher suggested the existence of a "man-loving" gene in the mother, causing her to desire more sexual partners, that was passed onto her son, causing him to be gay.

Yeah, it's going to be hundreds of years before we figure this one out. I'm 100% sure that being gay comes predominantly from biology. There's no way that it can be completely a factor of environment, or else everyone in San Francisco would be gay, and there would be zero homosexuals in Alabama. Also, how would same-sex attractions in animals be explained? I think maybe that homosexuality can lie "dormant" in some people and certain environments can encourage it to arise. I mean, I had boyfriends my entire life until I went to an extremely liberal college with a very large lesbian population... and then I got my first girlfriend. Do I think my college "turned" me gay? No. I think to some level, I was always queer... but wasn't completely comfortable with addressing it until I was surrounded by liberal people.

Anyone want to contribute their theories? How does everyone feel about the search for the "gay gene"? On one hand, it will shut up every person who argues that being gay is a "choice." On the other, if a "gay gene" is found, no doubt people will go about trying to find a "cure" or ways to determine their child's sexual orientation before birth.

I know this video is from Fox News, but don't let that turn you off. The content is wonderful - an insight into Babeland, every feminist's favorite sex shop. A new one just opened up in Brooklyn, and most of the neighbors have no problem with living near a sex shop. Most even feel comfortable walking by with their children. Babeland has redefined sex shops, making shopping for sex toys a comfortable and acceptable activity, instead of making women feel awkward and sleazy.

I found a really interesting opinion piece in The New York Times today about whether or not Clinton supporters are flocking to McCain after her withdrawal from the election. Frank Rich addresses several reasons as to why women would not support McCain, including his stunning and very well-known anti-choice record. Cold-hard facts also support the existence of McCain-hating women, with Obama showing a 13 percentage point lead in female supporters in polls (that's a significant lead). Rich concludes that the former-Clinton-supporters-turned-McCain-lovers is a huge myth:

But the notion that all female Clinton supporters became “angry white women” once their candidate lost — to the hysterical extreme where even lifelong Democrats would desert their own party en masse — is itself a sexist stereotype. That’s why some of the same talking heads and Republican operatives who gleefully insulted Mrs. Clinton are now peddling this fable on such flimsy anecdotal evidence.

This article was a huge relief. I'd hate to think of the anti-equal pay and anti-women's right to choose McCain receiving more female voters. Shudder.

Full piece here.

Happy Fathers' Day! I hope all of you have found some good way to celebrate it.

Barack Obama honored the holiday by addressing thousands of people in a predominantly black church - Apostolic Church of God. The topic of his speech was a very sensitive one: the absence of fathers in the African-American community. Obama has personal experience with this, since his own father was absent during his childhood. He addressed the fact that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households. Sad fact. From an article in The New York Times:

“Too many fathers are M.I.A, too many fathers are AWOL, missing from too many lives and too many homes,” Mr. Obama said, to a chorus of approving murmurs from the audience. “They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.”

On Friday, he announced that he would be a co-sponsor of a bill that will address absentee fathers. If passed, the bill will increase the enforcement of child support payments and help prevent domestic violence (yay).

Oh wow. This is classy. Fox News recently referred to Michelle Obama as "Obama's baby mama." I've basically learned to expect nothing more than pure crap from Fox News. While interviewing Michelle Malkin (*cough*) about the criticism Michelle Obama has received, a graphic was shown with the words: "Outraged liberals: Stop picking on Obama's baby mama."

Seriously... you have to be a complete idiot to not realize how offensive this is before putting it on the air for millions of people to see. Once again, a big fuck you to Fox News.

Full article here.




(I just love how Michelle Malkin says that Republicans "don't make cheap shots" at Michelle Obama right after Fox News slaps her with a racist phrase. Oh, the irony).

Oh my dear lord, WHY?! You'll never guess what they came up with this time. You'll never guess. It's too horrifying.

Introducing... HEELARIOUS! Stylish high heels designed for baby girls to wear. I wish I were kidding. On the Heelarious website, these shoes are described as: "extremely funny, completely soft, fully functional high heel crib shoes for babies." Of course, by "fully functional," they mean: "Not intended for walking (heel will collapse with weight)." So basically... the purpose of these shoes is to put them on your daughter while she's sitting in her crib, invite your friends over, and stand there and laugh at how "heelarious" she looks.



Yeah, that's really disturbing. The website (decked out in pink and heart designs) proudly boasts the slogan, "Her first high heels" and offers mini pumps in several designs. I can't wait until I have a daughter so I can buy her a pair of these:




I think I might vomit.

With all the voter apathy that exists in this country, it's so nice to hear about people who understand how important the right to vote is. Check out this video over at CNN about a 97-year-old woman from Arizona who really will stop at nothing to be able to vote. Due to voter ID laws, she's having trouble casting her ballot, with no birth certificate, no driver's license, and no passport. Still, she's going to continue fighting the uphill battle to vote. How amazing is that? My guess is that she realizes how precious this right is because she was alive during a time when women were legally banned from voting.

If any of you live on or near Long Island, there's going to be an extremely worthwhile exhibit opening up soon at the GLBT Community Center in Bayshore. This exhibit will cover a topic that is not discussed as often as it should be: the Nazi persecution of gay men during the Holocaust. This is the only time this year that Nazi Persecution of the Homosexual will be in New York, so if you're in the area, try to make it.

The exhibit will be open from June 22 to July 30, Monday - Thursday at 12PM - 8PM, and Friday at 12PM - 7PM. Admission is free. For directions to the center, click here.

Yes! The Egyptian Parliament has passed new restrictions on female genital mutilation. One law can impose a maximum of 2 years and $1,000 fine for those who engage in genital mutilation. The practice has already been banned in Egypt, but it still remains a huge problem, with about 70% of Egyptian women having undergone circumcision.

Of course, the ban has opponents. Some still believe that female circumcision is a crucial part of Islam to "tame" a woman's sexual desire. Many parents opt to have their daughters literally sewn shut so that they cannot have sex until their wedding day, when the stitches across their vagina are ripped open. Some parents also have their daughters' clitorises cut to make them stay at home longer, because they believe that with sexual desire comes also the desire to leave home. It's a sick practice that degrades and dehumanizes women, and teaches them that they have no right to a sex drive.

Read the full article here, and/or find out more about genital cutting here.

I think you should all check out the bluntly honest and realistic article from InTheseTimes.com, entitled "Damned If Feminine, Damned If Feminist."

I'm sure most of you can figure out what it's about from the title. That double-standard that women are held to, or as this article focuses on, women in the political spotlight are held to. To appear "too feminine" is weak, to appear "too feminist" is aggressive. Hillary Clinton has undoubtedly struggled to maintain a balance between these two images, and yet has not escaped media sexism.

Sen. Clinton has been treated like most male candidates, questioned about her policies, attacked for gaffes and inflammatory remarks. Yet the press has also persisted — despite the countless times feminists have denounced this routine — in emphasizing her physical appearance to an extent rarely done with male candidates.

True. I wanted to throw up every time a "journalist" talked about her pantsuit, or some ignorant and misguided reporter said she needed to "figure out what her gender is." Even Cindy McCain has experienced it:

In February, both commanded the national spotlight. On Feb. 21, as reported in the New York Daily News, a “slender” Cindy McCain, “the striking blond” and “perky stay-at-home mom” “stood by her man” to defend her husband against charges printed in the New York Times that he had had an improper relationship with “an attractive female lobbyist.” Or, as the Washington Post stated, she stood by “her husband’s side, all jewel-toned clothing and icy blue eyes.”

Bottom line: if you're female and you put yourself in the political spotlight, you cannot escape sexism. I have respect for any woman who can endure that.

Feministing.com posted this today, and I just had to snag it to post it here as well. A wonderful video straight from TheRealMcCain.com, featuring a *very scary* future of John McCain running women's clinics:





Many other videos about McCain's endless flaws can be found on the website.

I've mentioned before that I'm spending my summer working at 3iying, an advertising agency composed entirely of young girls - roughly ages 16-21. The point of 3iying is to give companies a fresh perspective on what girls really want, and to sort through all the misguided, offensive, and terrible advertisements that we have to see every single day. Our goal is to change the industry, one campaign at a time.

Currently, I'm working on a project to compose a presentation that's basically telling companies what not to do when putting out advertisements that are supposed to appeal to girls. I wanted to post a few videos of "flips," which are basically rejections of specific ads from girls who were involved with 3iying. I thought some of you might find them interesting, and will probably agree with the majority of them, since there is so much crappy and condescending advertising out there. Watch, enjoy, and please comment afterwards, telling me about what advertisements you hate. I could use all the help I can get with convincing companies that they have no idea what girls want.













Let me know what you all think! You can watch more Flips at the 3iying YouTube channel.

Been busy busy busy at my internship, so I apologize for not being able to post everyday. Here's a Buffet of the Week with several feminist-friendly stories and current events to make up for the lack of updates. Enjoy!

• As most of you know, Obama has officially gained the amount of delegates needed for him to win the nomination. Clinton is now respectfully bowing out, and planning to endorse Obama.

• The first U.N. General Assembly debate on human trafficking was held this week. Among the speakers at the event was actress Ashley Judd, who stressed the importance of empowering women and girls.

• I'm not sure how many of you have heard of this, but recently, a lesbian couple received complaints at a baseball game because they were kissing. An usher told them that their kissing was "inappropriate" - he had received a complaint from a woman who said that parents shouldn't have to explain to their kids why two women were kissing. Ugh.

• This is interesting. An artist in Bangkok is challenging the standards of beauty in China through her exhibit "Naked Beyond Skin." The exhibit features sculptures of nude women of various shapes, sizes, and body types. The sculptures are hairless, and are all showing different moods. Many are disturbed by the naked women, but they can't help but feel intrigued.

• Interestingly enough, West Point has adopted gender-neutral lyrics to its songs. For example, "the men of the Corps" becomes "the ranks of the Corps."

• The New York Times has a very interesting essay written by a doctor, who performed abortions before Roe vs. Wade.

• First same-sex weddings in Greece are stirring controversy. Surprised? Me neither.

• A Durban rape survivor plans to open a special hospital specifically for rape survivors.

• A writer in Germany is sparking controversy through her new racy novel. "Wetlands" follows an 18-year-old girl as she explicitly and honestly describes her sex life and private grooming habits.

• Similar to Angola's "Miss Landmine," Denmark now has an unconventional beauty pageant of its own: "Miss Headscarf."

• In Zimbabwe, predominantly female activists have been arrested and may be facing torture.

• Check out this super trendy line at Kmart that promotes abstinence amongst teen girls. The sweatpants sport the slogan "true love waits." So... if I don't wait until marriage, my love isn't true...?

Feel free to comment with any stories that I missed!

"I am open to it" - Hillary Clinton, regarding becoming Obama's vice presidential candidate.



Oh. Man. What an unstoppable team those two would make.

Full article.

I don't know who I'm more disgusted with; the transphobic man that this story is about, or Greg Gutfeld for his ignorant comments. Then again, I wouldn't expect anything less from Mr. Gutfeld.

Landmines are a major problem in at least 99 countries today. For those of you who don't know, landmines are explosives that are set off when someone steps on or near them, causing injury or death. Angola is one country that is severely affected by mines. How can landmine survivors cope? Well, perhaps by participating in Miss Landmine, a beauty contest for women in Angola who have been injured (physically and/or emotionally) and disfigured by landmines.

Miss Landmine is the work of a Norwegian theatre director, who was appalled by the extent of the landmine problem in Angora. Miss Landmine's motto is: "Everyone has the right to be beautiful." All contestants are receiving about £100 a day by the government to take part, and will be allowed to keep the dresses and jewellery they wear. The winner will become an international ambassador for landmine survivors.

Some oppose the beauty contest; one organization refused to take part, calling it a "freak show." But harsh words can't stop these women. Miss Landmine is a great way to celebrate the inner and outer beauty of women who have endured terrible hardships, while raising awareness about an important issue.

Full article here.

I completely forgot to say:

Happy Gay Pride Month!

My girlfriend called me while she was driving and told me that she had just passed a church that had put on their sign: "Thou shalt not lie with mankind as with womankind."

Yep, the churches always do this during Gay Pride Month. Just ignore it, and have fun at the pride parades if you decide to go!

I can't imagine living in a country where I could possibly be jailed for writing in this blog.

In Iran, a 22-year-old male student was thrown in prison for one year for campaigning for women's rights. Amir Yaghoub-Ali was arrested while collecting signatures in a park, although a fellow campaigner has said, "According to our constitution ... collecting signatures is not a crime."

Dozens of women's rights activists have been jailed in the past couple years. Iran rejects the notion that women are discriminated against in the country, but many women feel as if they have been made into second-class citizens.

A leading member of the campaign, Parvin Ardalan, says, "They are trying to control us."

Read full article here, help women in Iran here.

I just caught the episode of The Colbert Report where Stephen Colbert sits down with "pro-family" (translation: anti-gay marriage) activist Tony Perkins. He grills Perkins and stumps him so wonderfully when he tries to argue that Paul of the New Testament was against homosexuals, to which Colbert replies, "Paul was also in favor of adult circumcision too."

The look of utter discomfort on Perkins' face is priceless. Read some wonderful quotes and see the entire video here.

This is infuriating and it really made me lose major faith in America.

Recently, Dunkin' Donuts pulled an online ad that they had produced featuring Rachael Ray promoting their coffee. Conservatives and right-wing bloggers (AKA Michelle Malkin) were in an uproar because they claimed that the Dunkin' Donuts ad demonstrated "symbolic support for terrorism". Let's take a look at a still from the ad and try to spot this so-called "symbolic terrorism"...



Give up? It's her scarf. Yep. Conservatives complained that the scarf Ray is wearing looks like a kaffiyeh, the traditional Arab headdress, which they argue has come to "symbolize" Muslim extremism and terrorism.

You know, my teachers used to tell me that we learned about the history of the United States so we don't repeat it, but apparently either these people fell asleep during history class, or we need a new way of teaching it, because I'm seeing history being repeated right before my eyes.

The Cold War: everyone becomes terrified of Communists, and anyone who dares criticize the American government is suddenly deemed a loyal follower of Marx and Lenin.

World War II: we literally put all Japanese-Americans into camps, because we are so irrationally frightened of "what they might do."

Today: we exercise racist ideals by associating anything Muslim with terrorism... to the point where a harmless scarf on a commercial can be considered "letting the terrorists win."

Amahl Bishara of the University of Chicago sums it up by saying:

"I think that a right-wing blogger making an association between a kaffiyeh and terrorism is just an example of how so much of the complexity of Arab culture has been reduced to a very narrow vision of the Arab world on the part of some people in the U.S. Kaffiyehs are worn every day on the street by Palestinians and other people in the Middle East -- by people going to work, going to school, taking care of their families, and just trying to keep warm."

Not only are the right-wing bloggers blowing an innocent advertisement completely out of proportion, but they are perpetuating the notion that all Muslims are terrorists. Let's say Rachael Ray did get that scarf at a bizarre in Palestine... SO WHAT? Are we such a narrow-minded country that we reject anything associated with Palestine because of a few select people who decide to engage in terrorist tactics? What about the rest of the population who completely disagree with terrorism? They wear kaffiyehs too!

Please, Michelle Malkin, pry your mind open just a little bit.