Dr. George Tiller, a long-time abortion provider, has been murdered. He was shot to death in the lobby of his church in Wichita around 10AM this morning. Dr. Tiller was one of the few doctors left in the United States who was willing to perform late-term abortions. Despite being the target of severe anti-choice protesting, as well as an attempted murder in 1993, Dr. Tiller remained in Kansas to help the women who desperately needed him.

Unfortunately, an anti-choice terrorist has put an end to it. Police commenced a search to find the terrorist, who fled immediately after the shooting, and they have since taken a person into custody, though they will not reveal the identity.

Anti-choice murdering spiked in the 1990s, but the last successful murder of an abortion supporter was in 1998. Over 10 years passed since a doctor was killed... until the tragic death of Dr. George Tiller. All we can do is honor Dr. Tiller, and hope and pray that this death doesn't lead to another decade of anti-choice terrorism.

Ironic, isn't it? "Pro-life," and yet they possess such a bloody history. My heart goes out to Dr. Tiller's family and friends, and also to the women of Kansas, who are now deprived of an important resource. Attaining an abortion in Kansas was difficult enough, but now I doubt another abortion provider will feel comfortable going near Wichita for quite some time. Ann from Feministing suggested to honor Dr. Tiller by making a donation to Medical Students for Choice, which I think is a wonderful idea. You can even make a donation in memory of someone.

Dr. Tiller, at only 67 years-old, was taken too soon... but we will forever remember him as a martyr for reproductive rights.

This just goes to show that you can withhold reproductive rights all you want, but never underestimate the power of women helping women. We will always find a way.

Example A: with abortion being illegal in Chile since 1989 with no exceptions, women are turning to other methods to take control of their bodies. A network of feminist organizations has launched an abortion hotline for Chilean women, which will instruct them on how to safely self-abort using Misoprostol, a drug available by prescription used to treat gastric ulcers. It's truly upsetting that women in Chile have to resort to this, but I love that with no reproductive rights to speak for, feminists are at least attempting to ensure that self-induced abortions are safe.

Chile has one of the highest abortion rates in Latin America, with about a third of pregnancies ending in abortion. In fact, I remember reading in How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America that the countries with the strictest abortion laws often have the highest abortion rates. Hmm. According to GlobalPost.com:

So what do women in Chile do in these circumstances? If they have money, they go to private clinics or doctors who practice abortions in safe, sanitized conditions. Or they may even pay for an air fare to the United States or a country where abortion is legal. Most, however, resort to unsafe clandestine abortions performed by people claiming to be midwives or doctors, paying anywhere between $500 and $1,000. And then there are those who concoct homemade solutions, using celery sticks, clothes hangers or knitting needles to provoke the loss of the fetus.

Of course, many of the women end up in the hospital. And that’s when doctors are faced with a dilemma: Should they preserve their patient’s confidentiality and privacy, or turn them over to the police as they are legally bound? Few call the police. Nonetheless, about 200 women have been arrested for having abortions in the past few years and are now on parole. A dozen are imprisoned.

You can learn more about the hotline from Women on Waves, and if you have the means, you can donate to help them provide reproductive services to women abroad. Also, you can read about Latin American abortion rights at the Center for Reproductive Rights, and you can donate to help support them in their mission to spread reproductive justice throughout the world.

As a Jewish feminist, I was delighted to hear about the first black woman rabbi, Alysa Stanton, who is set to be ordained on June 6th. She is 45 years-old, and at age 38, she began her rabbinical studies, though she was concerned she was too old and too poor to do so. Still, she believed she was destined. After she is ordained, she will become the rabbi at the Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, N.C., on August 1st. Concerns over her race or gender never arose at Bayt Shalom, but she has undoubtedly experienced hardships elsewhere. From Huffington:

...Stanton didn't always feel accepted by Jewish congregations or some friends when she converted during her 20s.

"A lot of my African-American friends thought I'd sold out, the Jewish community wasn't as accepting then and some Christian friends thought I had grown horns," said Stanton, who had been a Christian.

I think there is somewhat of a tension between the African-American community and the Jewish community, since those in mainstream Judaism are overwhelmingly white. Hopefully through events such as these, those gaps can be slowly bridged.

It's a bit shocking that it took so long to put a black female in this position. Then again, the amount of black Jews in general is extremely sparse. But overall, I like to think of Judaism, at least the reform branch and sometimes even the conservative, as one of the more progressive religions. At my reform temple, they have introduced gender-neutral prayer books which don't refer to God as either "he" or "she," and we have quite a few openly gay congregation members. I don't consider myself very religious, but I have no problem holding onto some of my Jewish roots, because although I might not believe in the Jewish concept of "God," I can definitely respect a lot of aspects of Judaism.

This will definitely put a smile on your face. It's a hilarious music video entitled "Sex with Ducks," made in response to Pat Robertson's comment that establishing gay rights will lead to the law having to protect other people... like those who have... sex... with ducks.

I know, I don't get it either.

Remember that time Newt Gingrich posted on his Twitter a particular pearl of wisdom regarding Sonia Sotomayor? The one that said, "Imagine a judicial nominee said 'my experience as a white man makes me better than a latina woman.' New racism is no better than old racism." Yeah well, he just got schooled on The Huffington Post by John Ridley:

But here's the deal, Newt, your "new racism" isn't like "old racism" 'cause "old racism" tended to involve things like shackles, and whips and the Middle Passage. Attack dogs, Billy clubs and water hoses. Burning crosses and lynch mobs. Confederate flags, liquor and screams of "Kill the (fill in pejorative here)!" "Old racism" was red lining and segregating and "whites only" drinking fountains, schools and country clubs. It was The Dred Scott Decision, Executive Order 9066, and the Trail of Tears. "Old racism" was a blind eye and "all deliberate speed" that wasn't deliberate or particularly speedy and nonsense about the sanctity of marriage which was crap when it was applied to "race laws" and is crap when applied to "one man/one woman."

"New Racism?" That's apparently a Latina openly talking about how "more often than not" she would like to avoid the "conclusions" that allowed "old racism" to thrive. That's a long way from getting your ass beat for trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge so maybe your kids might one day enjoy the right to vote.

The fact that Newt would even attempt to compare "old racism" and "new racism" only proves Sotomayor correct in saying that experience based on fact is very different than that based on perception.

Newt, seriously, anytime you want to swap racisms give me a call.

The old "he's white so he couldn't possibly understand" excuse can't even save Newt's ass or the ass of any other ignorant right-winger who dares to drop the "reverse racism" bomb. I'm white, and even without the ability to truly understand what people of color have gone through and will continue to go through, I know better than to compare a time period when photos of black people being hung from trees were put on postcards to a time when a Latina woman publicly states that despite all the racism, all the abuse, all the rejection her ancestors have faced, she is deciding to turn the negatives into a positive, and to develop a strong identity that no one can take away from her.

I guess the difference between Newt and me is that I'm willing to give up some of my power for the sake of equality. As far as Mr. Gingrich and his posse? I'm not holding my breath.

As you might have realized, I'm making some changes to the layout. Just bear with me while I re-design it for the next day or two. Thanks!

Really, can they sink no lower? Ultimately, what this boils down to is white heterosexual men feeling threatened by minority groups. To them, Obama is giving just too much power and too much responsibility to a lowly Latina woman. Hispanics are fine as long as they are confined to working at fast food joints and mowing lawns, but once they enter high political positions, cowardly conservative white men seek to push them out. Tom Tancredo himself is no stranger to this behavior, as seen by his political ad that implies that all illegal immigrants will either steal our jobs or become terrorists.

By the way, in case you're wondering about what La Raza really does, here's their mission statement:

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) – the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States – works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. Through its network of nearly 300 affiliated community-based organizations (CBOs), NCLR reaches millions of Hispanics each year in 41 states, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia. To achieve its mission, NCLR conducts applied research, policy analysis, and advocacy, providing a Latino perspective in five key areas – assets/investments, civil rights/immigration, education, employment and economic status, and health. In addition, it provides capacity-building assistance to its Affiliates who work at the state and local level to advance opportunities for individuals and families.

La Raza focuses only on Hispanics because most white people don't need the same help. Yes, of course there are impoverished and unemployed white people, but they have a much greater chance of being able to attain a job and a college degree than most Hispanics do.

It is precisely these hardships that lead to developing the unique experiences of Hispanic women - the same experience Sonia Sotomayor was referring to when she stated that Hispanic judges, having lived drastically different lives than white people, would make different decisions than white judges would.

In the media coverage of Sotomayor, all I see is cowardice. White men are afraid to let a proud Latina make important decisions, as if she's destined to always rule in favor of the side that bears a Hispanic defendant or prosecutor. They know that her confirmation will mean big steps in the direction of letting Hispanic people do more than just mow lawns and paint houses. The white men don't like that. They like their power, their status, and their nice, comfy position on top.

To ensure that I do the absolute best job I can running this blog here, I'm asking all of you to take a few minutes to complete a short survey on your overall satisfaction with Appetite for Equal Rights. Your feedback means a lot to me! Thanks friends :)

Inevitably, right-wingers are having a conniption over Obama's nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court justice. Are they attacking her political ideology or her experience? Nope. They are attacking her for this little statement she made back in 2001:

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

According to right-wing conservatives: "OH EM GEE, THAT LIBERAL ACTIVIST JUDGE JUST SAID THAT LATINA WOMEN MAKE BETTER JUDGES THAN WHITE MEN!!!!!!111"

According to Tucker Carlson, and - ahem - Ann Coulter, Judge Sotomayor is a damn racist:




Pat Buchanan calls "reverse discrimination," which is a phrase that can make my skin crawl like no other:


Oh, and this is cause for a laugh: Mike Huckabee, if you're going to attack someone, at least get their name right:

"The appointment of Maria Sotomayor for the Supreme Court is the clearest indication yet that President Obama's campaign promises to be a centrist and think in a bipartisan way were mere rhetoric."

Dear morons: when Judge Sotomayor made this statement, she was not implying that Latina women are better than white men. She was referring to the fact that both women and Hispanics have been oppressed for years, and it is this oppression that caused Latina women to develop a strong sense of cultural identity and undergo unique experiences, and it is this sense of self and uniqueness that will cause her to be able to use her experiences to make good decisions. So calm the fuck down, please.

Don't miss the next episode of my online radio show. This particular segment, entitled Gay Rights: So Close Yet So Far will examine the recent progress made by activists in achieving equal rights for GLBT people, while discussing and debating how much further gay rights advocates have to go. You can listen in on:

Thursday, June 4th at 6PM EST.

You can listen to it (and past episodes) on BlogTalkRadio.com. You can also call in to the show and speak to me on the air using the provided call-in number. Looking forward to having some of you listen!

Upsetting news. The California Supreme Court has ruled to uphold Proposition 8, thereby keeping same-sex marriage illegal in the state of California. However, a tiny silver lining can be seen in the fact that the Court also ruled to keep the 18,000 same-sex marriages performed prior to Prop 8 valid. From MSNBC:

The 6-1 decision written by Chief Justice Ron George rejected an argument from gay-rights activists that the ban, Proposition 8, revised the California constitution's equal protection clause to such a dramatic degree that it first needed the Legislature's approval.

The court said the people have a right, through the ballot box, to change their constitution.

"In a sense, petitioners' and the attorney general's complaint is that it is just too easy to amend the California constitution through the initiative process. But it is not a proper function of this court to curtail that process; we are constitutionally bound to uphold it," the ruling said.

The justices said the 136-page majority ruling does not speak to whether they agree with the voter-approved Proposition 8 or "believe it should be a part of the California Constitution."

They said they were "limited to interpreting and applying the principles and rules embodied in the California Constitution, setting aside our own personal beliefs and values."

Protests are commencing across the United States. Please do anything you can to help - from spreading the word (via mouth, blogs, Twitter, etc) to making a donation to finding a rally near you to participate in. We will overturn Prop 8 and we will achieve marriage equality for all the people who deserve it.

And wonderfully enough, it's a woman. Judge Sonia Sotomayor has been nominated to fill the empty seat on the Supreme Court left by Justice Souter. If confirmed, she will be the third woman ever to serve on the Court, and the first Hispanic justice to ever serve. Of course, conservatives are not happy. From The New York Times:

"Judge Sotomayor is a liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written," said Wendy E. Long, counsel to the Judicial Confirmation Network. "She thinks that judges should dictate policy, and that one's sex, race, and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench."

Ech. What she really believes?

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life," said Judge Sotomayor.

Quite true. Judge Sotomayor has sat for the last 11 years on the federal appeals bench in Manhattan, and six years before that, she was a federal district judge in New York. According to her biography on the Times website:

Judge Sotomayor earned a reputation as a sharp, outspoken and fearless jurist, someone who does not let powerful interests bully, rush or cow her into a decision.

I'm really excited. I sincerely hope the right-wing Republicans don't block what appears to be a qualified judge who can bring fervor and diversity to the Court.

This Tuesday at 10AM, the California Supreme Court will rule on the discriminatory Prop 8. The Court could either uphold Prop 8, thereby keeping same-sex marriage illegal in the state of California, or reject Prop 8 and give deserving same-sex couples the same marriage rights that heterosexual couples enjoy. If the former decision is made, it remains to be seen whether or not the Court will invalidate the thousands of same-sex marriages that have already been performed, way back when same-sex marriage was legal in California for all of two seconds.

Depending on the decision, Equality California is calling on all states to either celebrate or protest. Visit DayofDecision.com to find an event in your area. This is a HUGE decision - be sure to check on the results come Tuesday! No doubt I will be compulsively refreshing Equality California's Twitter page to find out. Eeeeee, I'm nervous!

Unions exist as a way to take a chunk of power away from the overly-powerful corporations and place it in the hands of workers. Though working conditions have improved over the years, many companies are still getting away with exploiting workers through means such as unlawful firing and unequal pay. All people, women especially, need job security to ensure economic independence. But some corporations value profit over the well-being of their workers. Starbucks is one company that is guilty of this.



Take action at StopStarbucks.com.

I laughed really hard.

In Kuwait, the first women lawmakers have been elected to Parliament. The four women elected included the country's first woman cabinet member, Massouman Mubarak, women's rights activist Rola Dashti, and professors Salwa al-Jassar and Aseel al-Awadhi.

In Lithuania, the first woman president, Dalia Grybauskaite, has been elected with an overwhelming majority of the votes. With over 99% of the votes counted, Grybauskaite held 69.05% of the vote. Wow.


Of course, these victories should serve not just as a cause for celebration, but as a humble reminder that women are still highly underrepresented in the world of politics, and now more than ever is the time for action. In light of these events, take a minute to send a message to President Obama and urge him to nominate a woman to replace Justice Souter on the Supreme Court. Senator Barbara Boxer has taken on the mission of getting another woman on the Court, and she's urging everyone to help.

Inevitably, anti-choice protesters showed up at Notre Dame to protest President Obama's commencement address. Honestly, can't the guy fucking congratulate college graduates without it being turned into a political issue? He was not there to push abortion rights, and the focus of his speech was not abortion.

Police officers ended up kicking out the protesters for trespassing, and arrested at least 27 anti-choice activists who refused to leave. The protesters are slightly scary and very cult-like.



Still, they made their mark. Over 300 demonstrators gathered outside the school's front gate. Among them was Norma McCorvey, or "Roe" of Roe v. Wade, who was "converted" to pro-life after the Supreme Court case. For the record, though the pro-lifers might use her as a poster-child, Norma's changing of sides, in my opinion, isn't detrimental to the pro-choice movement. Her pro-life stance came from her conversion to Catholicism, and she also claims to have "converted" from being a lesbian to being heterosexual. *Snort*

Regardless, I'm concerned. I'm really concerned. Obama's election, much like Clinton's election did, seems to have served as a wake-up call for our opponents.

Ugh. The ever tasteful Maxim magazine named Michelle Obama #93 on their Hot 100, a collection of what they believe to be the "hottest" women in the world. According to Maxim:

He may be dealing with two wars, an economic meltdown, and a rapidly graying dome, but at least our Commander in Chief gets to come home to the hottest First Lady in the history of these United States. (Sorry, Martha Washington!)

I hate that it's perfectly acceptable to rate women based on their looks, even political figures. Michelle Obama is undoubtedly beautiful, but there is more to her than just good looks. Where are the lists of women with good hearts? Where are the "Top 100 Most Bad Ass Women" lists?

That's it, I'm making one. Maybe not 100, but I'll do my best. Expect it soon.

Oh no. Oh no no no. Pepsi has launched a disastrous new campaign, promoting PEPSI MAX, THE DIET COLA FOR MEN!

'Cause you're a big ol' sissy if you drink regular diet soda. With Pepsi Max, which is apparently made from the crushed bones of a viking, the spit of a rabid wolverine, pepper spray, and scorpion venom, you have something delicious and manly to drink while you scratch your crotch and chew on beef jerky. Don't forget to crush the can against your head after you're done drinking.



Do me a favor. Tell the men in your life that it's no BFD if they drink Diet Pepsi. Tell them that "manliness" is socially constructed and only keeps them confined into tiny boxes in which they can move very little outside before they are called "queers." Tell them to say "fuck gender roles" and live their lives the way they damn well want to.

Why must we always discuss the mothering skills of female politicians? Why did so many people concern themselves with analyzing whether or not Sarah Palin had the "time" to be both a mother and a vice president, but we never saw any type of news story titled, "Can John McCain Juggle Both Presidency and Fatherhood"?

Oh right. 'Cause we're living in a patriarchal society in which women couldn't possibly juggle both a career and a family, and if she does - GASP! - she's an anomaly! Call CNN to interview her, quick!

In regards to Wanda Sykes' famous bit at the White House dinner, the very eloquent Christopher Hitchens decided to express himself in only the kindest and most intelligent of ways:

"The president should be squirming in his seat. Not smiling. The black dyke got it wrong. No one told her the rules."

Cringe. "The black dyke got it wrong." Perhaps Mr. Hitchens finds it perfectly justifiable to bring out the derogatory D word in response to what he sees as distasteful jokes, but I never find it excusable to publicly call someone a dyke, a fag, a nigger, etc etc. And secondly... what rules?! That only straight white men and women can say outrageous things while being perfectly serious, but it's against the "rules" for black lesbians to make political comments in jest? Give me a fucking break.

Tommy Christopher at PoliticsDaily.com says it well: "I haven't heard "boo" out of the right denouncing Hitchens for this, yet they want to portray their poobah, Rush Limbaugh, who imagines that people expect him to receive anal sex from the President just because he's black, as the poor widdle victim here."

In Britain, a euthanasia activist and doctor is holding a series of "suicide workshops," which teach people various ways to kill oneself. The initial talks are open to all, but anyone who wants to attend more "in-depth" workshops must be over 50 or seriously ill. From AlterNet:

One of the people who attended yesterday's event was Charles Beech, 76, from Ringwood in Hampshire.

He said: "I often observe elderly people suffering long, lingering deaths. Let's get it organised, let's be fair to everyone. Why should it be so important for people to suffer an awful life? It is so wrong. In pain, agony and despair, it should be stopped."

While reading this article, I started to examine euthanasia through a feminist lens. Is the right to die a true feminist issue? A fundamental feminist belief, in my opinion, is control over one's own body. We believe, as pro-choice activists, that a woman should be able to decide, on her own, when she should give birth. But does being pro-choice include the belief that a person should decide when to die?

There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of discussion on euthanasia within the feminist community. In fact, the entire right-to-die movement seems to be fairly small. My guess is that people don't enjoy talking about this issue - honestly, who wants to sit around and discuss how and when people should die? Rather morbid. But it is something we should be talking about. Personally, I see this as related to the feminist movement and to the pro-choice movement. I am a feminist, I am a pro-choice activist, and I believe that an ill or elderly person has the right to die with dignity. Death is scary for everyone, but perhaps some of the terror that comes with death can be eased when we have the ability to exercise some control. No doubt death will never be easy, but certainly passing away peacefully is easier on someone than dying slowly and painfully.

If you're interested in learning more about the ideology behind the right-to-die movement, or perhaps even joining the movement yourself, you can visit Exit International.

This is outrageous. Women in Texas are being charged thousands of dollars to get rape examinations.



Please contact the office of the Texas Attorney General at crimevictims@oag.state.tx.us and tell them you will not stand for this. You can copy the letter I sent if you're so angry that you're at a loss for words:

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to express my outrage over the fact that the state of Texas is charging rape victims thousands of dollars for rape kits. By doing this, you are essentially punishing women for cooperating with the authorities. What kind of message does this send? Already, large amounts of rape victims avoid reporting the crime due to emotional trauma, and to tack on an unreasonably large fee only further discourages terrified and humiliated women from going to the authorities. This means less rapists behind bars and more roaming the streets. Don't sacrifice the safety of the women of Texas, and stop charging victims for crimes they had no power to stop.

Sincerely,
[Name]

Just thought I'd share the good use I put my "THIS INSULTS WOMEN" stickers to from the fabulous Sticker Sisters company. Good thing I carry them around with me wherever I go, because I especially needed them while browsing in a bookstore, in which I came across the first book I've ever had the urge to burn: The Alphabet of Manliness. Yes it's as bad as it sounds. Don't bother commenting and telling me to "lighten up" because it's a "joke." Joke or not, it's still really fucking sexist. For example, C is for Copping a Feel, F is for Female Wrestling, K is for Knockers, and S is for Sneaking a Peek. A big ol' gold star goes to author Maddox for knowing how to spell, because I really had my doubts.

Interesting how this commercial is all about different flavors and colors, yet it features virtually no women of color. And just for good measure, they threw in some objectification and treating the women as body parts to be ogled. Didn't know it was possible to pack so much offensiveness into just 30 seconds!

Oh, happy day! Obama's budget for the year 2010 has been revealed, and nowhere does it include federal funding for abstinence-only education. Not another tax dollar will go to these failed programs, and instead, Pres. Obama is proposing a new pregnancy prevention initiative. Hopefully, his new program will prove to be effective.

Read the entire budget here.

Hey, let's play a game! Let's analyze and attack the most trivial and not politically relevant things that President Obama does! Let's all be like Sean Hannity and accuse Obama of being elitist because he ordered Dijon mustard on his burger! Oh, it'll be fun!

Take a few minutes to watch this beautiful performance of a slam poem by three young men who understand the importance of feminism.



Male allies are so important to me, and it reaffirms my faith in the male gender when I come across open-minded, respectful, understanding feminist men. I just love it.

It's official.

And Washington, D.C. voted 12-1 to allow same-sex marriages performed in other states to be recognized in the District.

Wooooooo!

Although women make up over half of America's labor force, only 12 Fortune 500 companies and 25 Fortune 1000 companies have women CEOs or presidents. To truly break through the "glass ceiling," we must abolish discrimination and sexist stereotypes that cause people to think that women are not as "capable" as men.

What's NOT the way to do that? I'll take featuring in Playboy the few women CEOs that do exist, Alex.















America's Sexiest CEOs is the article, and it consists of "beautiful women in charge of companies large and small; women whose good looks and savvy business acumen add a bit of sunshine to an otherwise gloomy economic forecast." I'm all for honoring female CEOs as strong, capable, intelligent women, but why are their "good looks" a factor? And indeed, the women featured in this article are all, by society's definition, attractive, and for the most part, white.

Not a good way to gain more credibility for women.

WE-TV earns a hearty FAIL for their new sad excuse for a TV show. It's called I Want to Save Your Life, and it consists of the "Diet Detective" stalking overweight women and staging an intervention by request of their family members and friends. That's right. If a loved one of mine had me ambushed on a TV show to tell me I was too fat, I'd be inclined to storm away from the cameras and never talk to that person again. But then again, our culture just loves to humiliate people into losing weight.

My other beef with the show is that some of these women don't look as if their lives are in danger from being overweight! The woman eating the hotdog, for example. And speaking of eating, when are we going to finally break through this stereotype that all overweight people are lurking in ice cream shops and fast food joints, stuffing their faces every chance they get? Many people are overweight due to genes and slow metabolisms.

Bottom line: I'm all for losing weight if it's necessary to stay healthy, but why stalk women and humiliate them on national television?! That is not necessary.

Watch Jon Stewart cover the ridiculousness that is the hearings surrounding whether or not "sexual orientation" should be added to the list of hate crimes that can be committed. The arguments against the bill are preposterous. Some Republicans tried to say that it would have a "devastating and chilling effect on free speech in America." And as Jon Stewart says: "You can still hate gays and say so... you just can't physically hurt them!"

Rep. Steve King of Iowa had a groundbreaking suggestion of: why don't all gays just keep their gayness quiet and then none of us will have to hit them! Oh my goodness... it's all so clear now.

Oh oh oh! And he also compared being gay to sexual fetishes, such as asphyxiophilia (the desire to be strangled during sex). According to King, if we start making laws to protect those damn queers, we'll soon have to add hate crime legislation to protect everyone! Because what sexual fetishes a person holds is just so equatable with who someone falls in love with.

After months of slaving away over my Women's Studies Senior Seminar Ovular 30-page paper on the pro-life movement, I'm nearly done. We have to create presentations that we'll be giving this week on our research, and I decided to make a video. It gives an overview of everything that was in my 30-page paper, including the history of the pro-life movement, common tactics used by anti-choice activists, and emerging trends in the movement. I narrated the video myself. I think it came out pretty well, and now I'm quite the Windows Movie Maker expert. Here's the video if you're interested in seeing it:

We all remember Joe the Plumber, right? From an interview with Christianity Today:

Christianity Today: In the last month, same-sex marriage has become legal in Iowa and Vermont. What do you think about same-sex marriage at a state level?

Wurzelbacher: At a state level, it's up to them. I don't want it to be a federal thing. I personally still think it's wrong. People don't understand the dictionary--it's called queer. Queer means strange and unusual. It's not like a slur, like you would call a white person a honky or something like that. You know, God is pretty explicit in what we're supposed to do--what man and woman are for. Now, at the same time, we're supposed to love everybody and accept people, and preach against the sins. I've had some friends that are actually homosexual. And, I mean, they know where I stand, and they know that I wouldn't have them anywhere near my children. But at the same time, they're people, and they're going to do their thing.

I just love his ideology: "They're people, and we're supposed to love and accept everyone... buuuuut I still think God hates them and they're going to hell, and I'll be damned if those queers get near my children."

This ignorant close-minded moron was the person John McCain chose to represent the "real" America? Just when I thought I couldn't get any happier that he didn't win the election.

Ad #1 (click on it to see it enlarged) teaches us that unless we keep our vaginas squeaky clean, no one will ever love us. #2 warns all men that you just never know where she's been!






(Special thanks to Ash for the pics!)

In Maine, the state Senate, in a 20 to 15 vote, approved a bill that would allow same-sex marriage in the state. However, uncertainty remains whether or not Maine Governor John Baldacci will sign the bill. Polls show that the state is split on the issue, with roughly 47.3% of the population supporting the bill, and 49.5% opposing it.

In New Hampshire, the state Senate voted 13 to 11 in favor of a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage in the state. The state House will need to approve the bill before it is sent to Governor John Lynch for his approval. In a statement on Wednesday, Governor Lynch said, "I still believe the fundamental issue is about providing the same rights and protections to same-sex couples as are available to heterosexual couples. This was accomplished through the passage of the civil unions law two years ago. To achieve further real progress, the federal government would need to take action to recognize New Hampshire civil unions."

Yes, Miss California (known for her anti-same-sex marriage views) did receive breast implants paid for in full by the Miss USA pageant. Why? Because beauty pageants, no matter how much people insist it's as much about "personality" as it is about looks, are social constructs that exist to force women to adhere to narrow beauty standards, while dehumanizing and humiliating the 98% of the female population that doesn't fall into this exclusive category. These were the contestants in the Miss USA 2009 pageant:



Not only do many of them look remarkably alike and possess no hint of uniqueness, but there is also a blatant lack of women of color. Why are feminists not doing more to end these pageants that function only to objectify and judge women as if they exist solely to be on display for others? Why aren't we carrying on the plights of the second wave feminists who stood outside the Miss USA pageant and threw makeup, bras, girdles, pantyhose, and other "instruments of torture" into a Freedom Trash Can? Why aren't we sneaking "WOMEN'S LIBERATION" banners into this pageants and flashing them at opportune times? Have we just become so used to our looks-obsessed culture that we've come to accept pageants and stick-thin models as the norm?

I sincerely hope not.