January 2005 Archives

The military is “using” women as part of its interrogation tactics against terrorism suspects. And that doesn’t mean women are simply the ones asking questions.

Female military interrogators and civilian contractors at Guantanamo tried to break male Muslim prisoners by showing off their tight T-shirts and thong underwear, rubbing their breasts on prisoners’ backs and wiping fake menstrual blood on prisoners, according to a new book that is “classified as secret pending a Pentagon review.”

Did the military encourage women to conduct interrogations this way? Or did the women themselves come up with this “creative” method? Either way, it’s disgusting.

Any thoughts?

Contributed by Ann Friedman

The Independent Women’s Forum never fails to make me want to fucking kill someone. Nice job, ladies.

The Independent Women's Forum today defends statements by Harvard President Lawrence Summers. Summers suggested the possibility that innate differences between men and women contribute to there being fewer women in science and engineering at colleges and universities.

"President Summers is being vilified for telling the truth about women," said Nancy Pfotenhauer, president and CEO of the Independent Women's Forum. "Women have children and choose to raise those children and neurobiology shows us women are better in certain fields than men and tend to gravitate towards those fields they do better in. Men, likewise, gravitate to fields they excel in."

But lucky us—the IWF is conveniently giving contact info. Call away…

Contact: Louise Filkins
Phone: (202) 419-1820

What? Talk about a case against legalized prostitution!

A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services'' at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.

The government had considered making brothels an exception on moral grounds, but decided that it would be too difficult to distinguish them from bars. As a result, job centres must treat employers looking for a prostitute in the same way as those looking for a dental nurse.

Great, so now the government can be your pimp…Hey Germany, how about giving decriminalization a try?!

What a weekend! We’ll have a full analysis up in a bit; sorry—I’m exhausted from the trip back. Despite some logistical problems on Sunday (we were locked out of the building!), the conference was great and we had such an amazing time meeting all of the participants.

A special thanks to Erin, Terese and Claudia for being the last feministas at the bar with us on Saturday night!

Also stay tuned for posts from some of the women who participated…

Both Lauryn and I are in DC at the Younger Women's Taskforce Meeting, a project of the National Council of Women's Organizations. Having a great time, meeting some awesome women. We'll give a full report on Monday...

Lauryn asking all the participants to write about their experience at the conference to possibly post on Feministing. Doesn't she look so professional?

Young women at work...

the ladies of feministing are attending a conference this morning. we'll be back later this afternoon.

...or closeted love letters. Depends on how you look at it.

Some hilarity to get you through the weekend:

Corky Loomis: If you all weren't so young I'd try to have my way with you, but you'd never give me the time of day. Bitches. I suppose I'll have to save it all for the spank bank...

Robert Trojan: Haven't you heard? Feminism is dead.

Matt Dietrich: Hi Cupcake, Rush (Limbaugh) was right when he penned the First 35 Undeniable Truths of Life. Here's a sample. You're welcome. #24: Feminism was established so as to allow unattractive women access to the mainstream of society.

Awesome. I�m particularly fond of Matt's nah-nah-nah-boo-boo style of political debate. Nothing says smart like resorting to "well-you're ugly!" when faced with views you don't like.

Speaking of the old feminists-are-ugly-and-can't-get-a-man crap, I just came across this article (if you can really call it that) from Men's News Daily. Apparently writer Bernard Chapin is less than pleased that unlike the stereotype, the Feministing gals are "young and fit." Eww. I think I need a shower.

(But really, check out the whole article. It seems women have nothing to complain about because we have "television channels like Lifetime or Oxygen.")

A little update to Lauryn's post on SorryEverybody.com -- the site that makes an official apology for the re-election -- apparently another site has been developed in response, ApologiesAccepted.com.

The original site also had a photo gallery of thousands who are open to express their disappointment for the four more years with Dubya. Apologies Accepted has a more optimistic photo gallery that urges viewers to send their pic in again, but with a better outlook. "Bush's inauguration does not mark the end of all dispute -- it is just the beginning." Word.

Check out the gallery, thousands of viewers worldwide are sending their thoughts in. It's a nice thing to see.

Much thanks to Myra for the link!

Check out Why I am not taking part in these phoney elections, by Houzan Mahmoud, the UK head of Women's Freedom in Iraq.

You had me at "phoney elections."

From Ellen Goodman:

On Monday, abortion opponents held the 32d "March for Life." We barely notice the way the word "life" was hijacked and locked in the right-wing dictionary. "Life" now means fetal life; life begins with conception and ends with birth.

As an update to our previous posts concerning the hundreds of young women who have been killed over the past decade in Ciudad Juarez, I was happy to see that the United Nations has finally begun to recognize the horror that this city has endured.

It was reported by Reuters that last Thursday, a U.N. panel --specifically the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women -- accused Mexico of “grave and systematic” rights violations for the lack of effort that’s been put in to solve the murders of these young women.

They stated that the committee was “greatly concerned at the fact that these serious and systematic violations of women’s rights have continued for over 10 years.” In the report, it also “notes with consternation that it has not yet been possible to eradicate them, to punish the guilty and to provide the families of the victims with the necessary assistance.”

Although the Mexican government claims that the murders’ origin "lies in entrenched cultural patterns of discrimination,” an incredible film I mentioned in the previous post on the slayings, Senorita Extraviada, suggests otherwise. Director Lourdes Portillo delves into the possibility of bigger involvements with the murders, like the Mexican police, the government, or drug trafficking.

Let’s just hope that this address by the panel will motivate the government to finally take some action on this horrifying encroachment of women’s rights.

Something to check out if you’re feeling particularly vaginal today: The Online Vulva Museum. I shit you not.

Founder Kirsten says she is “continually saddened to see the widespread disrespect that is displayed towards women's genitals in most cultures and is offering this website as an alternative...”

Sounds good to me. Though I have to say, the vulva purse (above) made me highly uncomfortable.

Thanks to Jake at Lying Media Bastards.

A New Hampshire judge was suspended for groping five women at a conference on sexual assault and domestic violence. (He later resigned.)

Nice move, asshole.

Too funny. A German woman has created a thong dispenser in bar bathrooms for all the ladies who get caught out there wearing granny panties right before a potential hook-up.

For around $8, you can get a thong and a “toothpaste tablet” (can't have the stinky breath...) to make your night complete. Innovative or fucking ridiculous?

Via Nerve.

The gals over at Feministing are pleased as punch that we’ve been getting so many comments lately—the whole purpose of starting this site was to foster an open dialogue among young women.

Unfortunately, the increase in traffic we’ve had recently has also brought out some folks who are less than polite about their opposition to the content of Feministing. As I’ve said before, I’m not into censoring. If people disagree and want to argue in the comments section, I’m all for it.

But I’m not going to tolerate threats or verbal abuse. And as much as I’d like to respond to every comment we receive—even the insulting ones—I just don’t have enough time in the day. So from now on, if certain people are here just to be assholes, I’m going to erase their comments.

Now let me be clear—this doesn’t apply to those who come to respectfully disagree with us. This doesn’t apply to those who come to sarcastically disagree. This policy is only for those whose comments are outright threatening or abusive.

Now back to the real work…

UPDATE: Sometimes when I'm dealing with all the freaky comment spam we get, a legitimate comment gets erased by accident. We're trying to figure out a way to cut down on this; thanks for your patience!

Further to Jessica's post about SpongeBob SquarePants' "pro-gay" message, check this gem:

Cnn.com reported yesterday that America's new Secretary of Education denounced PBS for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children "exposed to such lifestyles". The not-yet-aired episode of "Postcards From Buster" shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont -- a state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions. The episode features two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple sugaring. Lea Sloan, vice president of media relations at PBS, subsequently issued a statement saying: "The department's concerns align very closely with PBS' concerns, and for that reason, it was decided that PBS will not be providing the episode."

Ok, I would understand the government objecting to gay sex on one of these shows. That, it could be fairly argued, might be questionable to "expose" to children. But the purpose of this federally-funded cartoon project is to educate children about "people of different backgrounds." And, as much as the Bush administration would like to deny it, GAY PEOPLE EXIST! And they deal with farm life and maple sugaring in the same way straight people do! I find this unusually appalling. What do you think about this and/or the new "moral" trend in communications?

Check out Women’s eNew’s article today about a form of abuse that’s greatly ignored: emotional abuse. And a new reality show is showing it off on national television. Big shocker.

On “The Amazing Race”, a team of two that are married shows numerous accounts of Jonathan Baker berating his wife, Victoria Fuller, calling her “stupid”, “useless” and “dumb”.

Baker has made an official statement and posted on his website that he does not abuse his wife, and referred to his actions as a “heightened version of stress and obsession mixed with medication for a sickness called Sarcoidosis.”

Yet the fact that CBS chose to exploit this treatment on the air is problematic. Jill Morris, the public policy director for the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence in D.C., blames the producers. “By showing the program, they're telling the public it's OK to treat someone this way. They can edit this stuff out, yet they are choosing to show it to viewers. In our opinion, that is condoning violence against women.” Or at the very least, put out counter or prevention messages, says Esta Soler, founder and president of Family Violence Prevention Fund in San Francisco.

Medical research on emotional abuse has defined it as the use of verbal and nonverbal acts that symbolically harm the other or using threats to hurt the other. Researchers also claim that because of the fact that it is not illegal, women that suffer from it are not taken seriously.

Many emotionally abused women are also more likely to report poor physical health and depression (no, duh) and were at a higher risk of developing a chronic mental illness. Support groups who work with emotional abuse victims say that the psychological treatment leads victims to be afraid to make decisions for themselves, and can destroy friendships, leading them to isolation.

For more information on emotional abuse, click here.

Did everyone know that last Sunday was declared by Bush "National Sanctity of Human Life Day"? Bush called on all Americans to "reaffirm the value of human life and renew our dedication to ensuring that every American has access to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Think it's an accident that this came near the Roe anniversary? Think again.

Susanne Martinez, vice president of public policy for Planned Parenthood, said the timing of the announcement showed that the Bush administration "has made it clear they'd like the law overturned in the U.S."

Yikes.

From Cnn.com, http://www.cnn.com/2003/ALLPOLITICS/01/15/bush.abortion/

Then go check out this commercial for Mercator Insurance and Banking. Ick.

Thanks to Amber for the link!

For those in Pennsylvania—here’s a great way to get involved. For others—take a look at innovative activism at work! Love it…

When faced with addressing unintended pregnancies, most states would take a look at sex education, insurance for birth control, and accessibility of EC for rape survivors. But not PA!

To take on unwanted pregnancies, the Pennsylvania State Legislature created “Chastity Awareness Week.” Cause if you get preggers, it’s cause you’re a slut...

So check out what the folks over at Pro-Choice Pennsylvania want you to do:

If our lawmakers want to make chastity our only option, shouldn't they give us the right accessories? Order your chastity belt from the Pennsylvania State Legislature TODAY! Then, ask for more than a chastity belt this year - ask them for real choices.

Amazing.

Abstinence-only sex ed and limited access to birth control don't prevent teenagers from having sex? We’re shocked!

Two new studies show that teens who lack contraceptive information and services are at an increased risk of unintended pregnancy and STDs. Also, most teenagers said they choose to tell their parents that they use birth control, but one in five would rather have unprotected sex than use contraception if parental notification were mandatory.

Don’t expect the Bush administration to pay attention to these studies. The federal government is spending nearly $170 million (thankfully less than Bush’s recommended $268 million on abstinence-only education programs in the coming year.

Think that dollar amount isn’t scary enough? Here’s what some of these federally-funded programs are telling teenagers:

Watch what you wear, if you don’t aim to please, don’t aim to tease.

Because they generally become aroused less easily, females are in a good position to help young men learn balance in relationships by keeping intimacy in perspective.

You hear that, girls? Bush says to keep your legs together.

Contributed by Ann Friedman

If you haven't already, make sure to check out Salon's interview with newly-appointed bad-ass Barbara Boxer. (Forgive the excessive alliteration.)

Further to "The Slippery Slope of Re-framing Reproductive Rights", also check out The New York Times and NPR on the Dems' move to broaden camaraderie by backing away from reproductive rights:

On Abortion, Mrs. Clinton Reaches Out

Democrats Should Keep Open Mind on Abortion

Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles (D-WA) is sponsoring a bill to repeal an old state law that criminalizes the “slander of women.”

But this isn’t any normal slander law:

The statute prohibits “false or defamatory words or language which shall injure or impair” the virtuous and chaste reputation of any female over 12. The law does say it is OK to slander a “common prostitute.”

Obviously no ones wants to be called a big slut (and no, I’m not going to get into the whole “reclaiming” argument), but Kohl-Welles argues that this law is simply reinforcing the woman-on-a-pedestal stereotype. Not to mention it assumes that a woman’s worth is bound to her virginity. That’s why you can say whatever the fuck you want to a “common prostitute.” Ick.

Japan has just announced that The Asian Women's Fund—set up in 1995 to help women who were forced into military brothels during World War II—has “achieved its purpose” and would close in early 2007.

The fund financially compensated 285 "comfort women" in the Philippines, South Korea and Taiwan—Japan would not compensate these women directly. Many women have refused money from the fund, saying that the indirect payment indicates that the Japanese government is not taking full responsibility for what happened.

Other disturbing facts:

An estimated 200,000 women from across Asia were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II.

Tokyo has also not offered an official apology to former "comfort women", and refused to even recognise them until 1992.

Thanks to Dru for the link!

Check out Ellen Goodman’s column, Can women have it all?, which takes on the problems women academics face with the work/life balance.

I’m especially fond of her jab at those who would suggest that women just need rethink their timing:

But "life sequencing" remains a conversation about women directed at women. When was the last time you heard a treatise urging men to marry and father earlier in life?

How true…

First it was math, now it’s driving. Jesus.

A German study is claiming that some women aren’t great map readers and parkers because they weren’t exposed to enough testosterone as a fetus. Huh.

But wait, it gets even stranger. A big part of this study had to do with the length of people’s ring and index fingers:

In women, the two fingers are usually almost equal in length, as measured from the crease nearest the palm to the fingertip. In men, the ring finger tends to be much longer than the index…

Women with the male pattern of finger length did better than those whose wedding finger was shorter…they also scored better on the numerical tests…women who had 'male-like' finger length ratio patterns outperformed other women.

Is there such a thing as finger-envy?

You should check out Linda Feldman's piece for the Christian Science Monitor, For Democrats, Abortion Revisited. Discussing Howard Dean's comments on abortion during "Meet the Press" last month (in which he urged respect for anti-choice Democrats), Feldman explores how differing views on reproductive rights may impact DNC leadership decisions. She argues that the party is at a cross-roads, as many Democrats struggle to reframe the current reproductive rights platform to satisfy red-staters.

"Some Democrats, including those who oppose abortion rights, point to Clinton's mantra that abortion should be "safe, legal, and rare" as the winning formulation. In a press-club speech last week, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts spoke in those terms. He won praise from Democratic activists ranging from Kate Michelman, a longtime abortion-rights leader, to Jim Wallis, an evangelical Christian whose focus is fighting poverty, but who also opposes abortion."

I understand the necessity of building bridges, but I've also accepted the fact that I'm not going to change most anti-choicers' view on the issue. I know that I have a legal right to exercise my reproductive freedom, and I don't feel compelled to package my right-to-choose in a way that's going to please the Right. However, there seems to be a growing group of pro-choicers that disagree with this activist stance...

"Frances Kissling, head of Catholics for a Free Choice and author of a 7,400-word essay outlining how Democrats can make concessions on abortion without sacrificing their core beliefs, says the movement has to get over its fear of the 'slippery slope.' Ms. Kissling calls for a new discourse that 'will permit us to acknowledge both women's rights and needs and our basic respect for all human life, including fetal life.'"

Ummmm, no thanks. Concessions aren't the answer. I believe that we have to focus our movement on women's rights not "fetal rights"--that slope is just *way* too slippery.

And while Dean may believe that the Democratic party needs to "make a home for pro-life Democrats", I don't. While someone should have the right to identify as both anti-choice and a Democrat, I don't feel compelled to accomodate them in their anti-women views. Any thoughts?

A new report found that nearly half of the women in Britain's Royal Air Force have been sexually harassed while in active service. More than 1000 of the 2500 women interviewed reported having been sexually harassed during the last twelve months.

Responding to the relatively low rates of reporting, the Ministry of Defence noted simply that, "Whilst people experience unacceptable behavior, the majority tolerate it and do not complain especially because they feel it will not be taken seriously or will affect their career." As I'm sure it would, given that most women reported being harassed by two or more male servicemen of a senior rank.

United Press International reported on one particularly disturbing case in which a Flight Lieutenant had a bounty placed on her head for the first crew member to have sex with her.

Not that the US stacks up any better. Surveys taken last year found that at the US Air Force Academy 70% of cadets reported being sexually harassed and 20% reported being sexually assaulted.

Given our current state of perpetual war, you have to take a step back and look at the treatment women are receiving within these institutions. While Bushie & Laura seem to love talking about the US military's liberation of the women of Afghanistan, it seems worth noting that a report released last month found that, "273 sexual assaults have been reported since August 2002 among U.S. troops deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, Afghanistan and Bahrain, including 119 in the Army and 32 in the Navy."

If you are looking for an activist upper, let me recommend What We Do Now. This phenomenal book was written and published within a month of the election, and contains essays by twenty-four activists grappling with how the progressive community should respond to the resurgence of the red states.

Check it:

Percival Everett describes the problem like this: "I can deal with disappointment of my candidate having lost. I cannot deal with the lies. But we lost because of lies...The race for the White House in 2008 has already started. And the advantage goes to the liars. It goes to them because they have managed to divide the country into red and blue states. They have sucked us into blaming the loss of the election on the backward red states in the middle of the country. We sit around laughing about the yokels without waterfront and all the while we alienate the people who are just like us."

And check out Jamin Raskin's essay for a boost. "The great advantage to being marginalized is that, in the margins, you can find space to innovate. In the political wilderness, we can remake the way we practice politics and redesign our political institutions...The awesome power of the liberal mobilization in 2004--so strong it almost defeated an incumbent president in wartime--came not from the Democratic National Committee or the Kerry-Edwards ticket but rather from progressive civil society...The progressive movement cannot win if it is a bunch of bureaucracies in Washington."

Four years *is* a long time. But this election showed that we have A LOT of work to do and many bridges to build. We need to seize this time and make a plan...

Today marks the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Hopefully you have some kickass events planned for the day, however, if Thursday's festivities left you feeling like you have little left to celebrate, then take a moment to reflect on what you're willing to do to for the reproductive rights movement.

Whether it's a commitment to start escorting at your local abortion clinic, writing a quick email to Congress, taking a pro-choice picture, making a donation, or posting on BushvChoice--just get busy.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, encourages that: "We need to talk to neighbors around the kitchen table about the values of freedom and privacy; we don't run away from the arguments. Our movement is on stronger ground when we take seriously the moral dimensions of the issue."

And keep faith--Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, explained to the NY Times that her fears about future judicial appointments "were tempered by polls indicating most Americans don't want Roe v. Wade overturned."

Regardless, we won't go back--so right-wing America better get ready for a fight.

Make sure to check out Sharon Lerner’s piece in The Nation, Post-Roe Postcard. The piece highlights what we’ve discussed previously: how prevalent (and scary) Mississippi’s anti-choice laws are, but perhaps more importantly, how the state serves as a grim reminder of what all states will look like if Roe is overturned.

Here’s a snippet:

A small, mostly rural population and the absence of local prochoice organizations have helped turn Mississippi into the perfect laboratory for antiabortion strategists.

Meanwhile, prochoice activists see Mississippi as a glimpse of what might become the norm in a possible post-Roe future…Even while Roe stands, Mississippi is a cautionary tale for the rest of the country.

Lawrence Summers has apologized for his statement on women and science:

I was wrong to have spoken in a way that has resulted in an unintended signal of discouragement to talented girls and women. As a university president, I consider nothing more important than helping to create an environment, at Harvard and beyond, in which every one of us can pursue our intellectual passions and realize our aspirations to the fullest possible extent. We will fulfill our promise as an academic community only if we draw as broadly and deeply as we can on the talents of outstanding women as well as men, among both our students and our faculty.

But is he really taking responsibility for what he said?

Despite reports to the contrary, I did not say, and I do not believe, that girls are intellectually less able than boys, or that women lack the ability to succeed at the highest levels of science.

Too little, too late?

The letter, which resulted from a meeting Summers had with Harvard's Standing Committee on Women, sparked this response from economics professor Caroline M. Hoxby (a member of the committee):

"Apology or no apology, a lot of damage has been done by reinforcing these stereotypes..."

I tend to agree. Thoughts?

I couldn’t quite deal with yesterday’s activities so I pretty much chose to remain in denial. But I just wanted to highlight Bushie’s shout out to his anti-choice fans:

Americans, at our best, value the life we see in one another and must always remember that even the unwanted have worth.

Sigh…

Go to Mouse Words immediately and check out the discussion on guys who won't go down. I don't know why I didn't see this before today (it was posted Monday).

I've always said that when it comes to straight guys and oral sex, they fall into three categories: guys who just won't do it, guys who act like they're doing a huge fucking favor by doing it, and guys who love it.

There is only one kind of guy that is acceptable (at least for me).

You would think that perhaps conservative Christian groups would have something better to worry about. Apparently not.

Focus on the Family and the American Family Association are all bent out of shape because of a supposed “pro-homosexual video” being mailed to elementary schools which includes SpongeBob, Barney and Jimmy Neutron promoting a “tolerance pledge.” The unholy alliance between cartoons and gays is finally revealed!

The video's creator, Nile Rodgers, says that the groups are getting riled up over a misunderstanding:

Mr. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the Sept. 11 attacks to create a music video to teach children about multiculturalism. The video has appeared on television networks, and nothing in it or its accompanying materials refers to sexual identity. The pledge, borrowed from the Southern Poverty Law Center, is not mentioned on the video and is available only on the group's Web site.

But Paul Batura from Focus on the Family is sticking to his story: “We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids.”

Yeah, ok. But teaching your kids to be hateful bigots is cool. Assholes.

Via NY Times and apparently every other blog in the world.

Chocolate and Sex. Put away your vibrators, ladies, a new sex product is in town. And a delicious combination, I might add.

We all know that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but this is a bit of a step up from your average Snickers bar. SRK Labs has created a new chocolate bar, Playful Chocolate, that is specifically made with the intent of enhancing a woman’s libido. The chocolate is made with various natural herbs and nutrients that increase sex drive.

The ingredients include ginseng and L-arginene, which supposedly works with chocolate’s mood-enhancer, phenylethyalanine, to result in one horny lady. And it tastes good, too! Yet check out the site, it looks like one of those penis-enlargement ads. Scawy.

Another downside? Looks like the price is $19.95 for a six-pack and $64.95 for a 24-piece pack. I love chocolate and all, but in my opinion, that shit should have an orgasm-guarantee or money back.

I just got an email action alert from the National Organization for Women about how the Bureau of Labor Statistics will no longer be reporting on women. I'm glad that they're taking action on this, but their timing could have been a little better:this news came out two months ago.

I guess better late than never, though. So if you haven't already, go write some letters of outrage.

I guess Lawrence Summers’ mom is an exception to his chicks-are-naturally-bad-at-math rule.

Here’s a 2001 bio from when she was Ombudsman at the University of Pennsylvania:

Anita Summers, PhD joined the University of Pennsylvania in l979 as an Adjunct Professor at Wharton, became a Professor of Public Policy and Management in 1982, and chaired that department from 1983-1988. She was a member of Provost's Academic Planning and Budget Committee from l984-1990, in addition to many other University activities. Dr. Summers has been a recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Awards at Wharton several times. While technically retired, her expertise is very much sought after as she is considered a leading authority on urban economic development and finance and educational efficiency. She is also a senior research fellow at Wharton's Samuel Zell and Robert Lurie Real Estate Center.

Pretty impressive—for a girl that is.

Anita: You know, he’s not too old for a good spanking.

There was an interesting article in the Village Voice from last week, “Whore Pride”, about the modern world o’ sex work in the city.

The writer interviews a number of different women who participate in various activities that are considered “sex work”. For example, Jane Vincent is a “self-proclaimed slut and whore” that created her own blog, Educated Slut, which discusses her experiences with sex work. She gets her clients from Craigslist.org, and although she does a lot of random freaky-deaky shit, never has intercourse with them. But that’s just her. She also started her own sex workers’ collective and works for a reproductive rights organization.

Audacia Ray also has her own blog that talks of her work in the sex industry, Waking Vixen. Yes, it looks like a number of young, feminist, politically active and educated women are beginning to come out of the sex work closet. There’s also a bunch of books coming out by sex workers, including Michelle Tea’s illustrated and autobiographical book Rent Girl and Nelly Arcan’s novel Whore.

A new magazine is creating talk as well, titled $pread: Illuminating the Sex Industry. A co-editor, Raven Strega, tells us the purpose of the magazine: "We want the general public to become aware of issues such as the physical working conditions of sex workers and their health care and housing needs, and to start considering sex workers as real people rather than mythical beasts who only come to life when someone drops a quarter into a slot."

Generally, people tend to either demonize or victimize sex workers, either label claiming that they’re incapable of having agency. Yet these women obviously do. And they want the world to know. Audacia Ray says it well, “It's important to me to be outspoken because I'm putting my cunt where my sex-positive mouth is. The combination of talking, writing, and doing is really the only way to destigmatize sex work and diverse sexualities generally."

Write on, ladies!

Check out these horrifying stats from the Center for American Progress (get full list here):

$40 million: Cost of Bush inaugural ball festivities, not counting security costs.

$10,000: Price of an inaugural package at the Fairmont Hotel, which includes a Beluga caviar and Dom Perignon reception, a chauffeured Rolls Royce and two actors posing as "faux" Secret Service agents, complete with black sunglasses and cufflink walkie-talkies.

400: Pounds of lobster provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the exclusive Mandarin Oriental hotel.

3,000: Number of "Laura Bush Cowboy cookies" provided for "inaugural feeding frenzy" at the Mandarin hotel.

22 million: Number of children in regions devastated by the tsunami who could have received vaccinations and preventive health care with the amount of money spent on the inauguration.

1,160,000: Number of girls who could be sent to school for a year in Afghanistan with the amount of money lavished on the inauguration.

66: Percentage of Americans who think this over-the-top inauguration should have been scaled back.

Big Daddy Kristof’s exercise in masturbatory journalism.

Because assholes like this still exist.

Thanks to Ladygoat for the link.

Sorry about the title...any chance to use the term "Italian ass-slapper" needs to be taken advantage of.

Reuters reported today that an Italian man who slapped a young woman on her ass was given a 14-month suspended jail term by the Supreme Court. Wow!

Apparently the judges in Italy have been cracking down on sexual harassment in a major way. Quite the turn around, considering these are the same courts that said it was impossible to rape a woman wearing jeans!

Check out some of the latest coverage on the Summers controversy:

Boston Globe: Harvard women's group rips Summers

The Washington Post: Harvard Chief's Comments on Women Assailed

NY Times: No Break in the Storm Over Harvard President's Words

Not so long ago, Feministing covered a disturbing Hardee's commercial that featured a young woman stuffing a shit load of straws in her mouth in a creepy sexual way. (As if there's another way to stuff straws in your mouth...)

I never would have guessed that the straw commercial wasn't the only mouth-stuffing ad that the marketing geniuses at Hardee's came up with. This recent Slate article dissects the scary porn connotations behind the Hardee's "Fist-Girl" commerical (yes, it's called that) and others. Read it and weep. And take your hand out of your mouth.

Make sure to check out "When There Was No Choice: On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the memory of illegal abortion fades," by Sharon Lerner of The Village Voice.

Great piece, but truly terrifying.

Check out The Harvard Crimson’s coverage of Summers’ remarks on women lacking “natural” ability in math and science...

While the piece voices the concern of Nancy Hopkins, the MIT biologist who walked out of Summers’ talk and supposedly notified the press, it’s pretty much riddled with inadequate excuses for Summers and desperate testimonials on his account.

Summers’ first excuse in the article is that his speech was a “purely academic exploration of hypotheses,” and that he’d “like to be proven wrong on this one.” (Don’t blame me; I wish you ladies weren’t so bad at math, I really do!)

Professor of Economics Richard Freeman, organizer of the conference, was also quoted: “We didn’t invite Larry as a Harvard president per se…We invited him because he has an extremely powerful and interesting mind.” I don’t understand how Summers speaking as an academic and not President of Harvard—if you can even make that distinction—makes his comments any less offensive.

The Crimson also notes that Summers (and this just reeks of desperation to me) “had not expected that the comments would be published.” Oh, well that makes it okay then.

If Summers is such a brilliant guy and strong proponent of women, then why won’t he stand by his comments (oh, I’m sorry, “hypotheses”) and explain them rather than hide behind sad excuses?

A bunch of comments were just deleted because of a fuck up with MT.

Don't get your panties in a bunch; it was accidental!

Sorry, y'all...

Daily Kos asks "Why are you a feminist?" Go throw your two cents in.

But not before you answer my question: Why the fuck wouldn't you be a feminist?

The Brad and Jen break-up may not be on the forefront of every feminist's mind. (I still can't get over that Us Weekly's most recent International News of the Week section featured Brad and Jen's trip to the islands with no mention of the tsunami, but I digress)...

Turns out there might actually be something deeper to glean from the news of this celebrity split. Check out Rebecca Traister's recent Salon.com article, The Not-Good-Enough Girl, dealing with the mass obsession with celebrity pregnancy, and the danger this trend presents for every woman. Traister writes:

"[N]ow that [Pitt and Aniston's] marriage seems to be ending, the press is gleefully dancing on a grave that they have dug: one that contains the corpse of a marriage that does not bear fruit. It's a regressive and scary message to women: No matter how rich, thin, beautiful or talented, what really makes us attractive -- after a few years of marriage anyway -- is our ability and willingness to reproduce on demand!"

There may be something to this, and it's highly disturbing. Think about it - you don't have to be as celebrity-trash-obsessed as I am to notice this recent phenomenon. Courtney Cox, Kate Hudson, Liv Tyler, Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Debra Messing, Julia Roberts, Gwyneth Paltrow, Denise Richards, Mira Sorvino, Laura Dern, Christy Turlington, Jennifer Connelly, Heidi Klum, and Catherine Zeta-Jones have all had well-covered pregnancies within the last year or so. Leah Remini from King of Queens even did a VH1 special about conceiving and carrying her baby to term. Eeeek!

A blurb from another (incredibly interesting) Salon.com article, Pregnancy Porn, quotes Lana Thompson, an anthropologist and the author of The Wandering Womb: A Cultural History of Outrageous Beliefs About Women on the issue. Thompson compares the trend to past generations' obsession with royalty. Thompson writes, "They would kill women who were married to kings who didn't produce heirs."

Janice Min, editor in chief of Us Weekly, wrote: "Pregnancy mania is running so high right now that often we get photos in from agencies and the captions from the agencies read, 'Is she pregnant or did she just have a big meal?' It's very Salem witch trials, but in a more positive way of course. We hunt down and find the next pregnant person."

YIKES! What do y'all think?

A UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), reported Friday on the gender-specific effects of the tsunami in Asia, and called for increased empowerment of women to address these effects:

The burden on women may have increased due to the high number of people injured or who become ill as epidemics develop, FAO said, noting that due to the household division of labour, women traditionally take care of the sick. They also have the responsibility to fetch water and may now need to increase the amount of time dedicated to collecting both drinking water and freshwater for agriculture crops.

“Fear of sexual violence has been reported to limit women’s and girls’ mobility, for example in search of new economic opportunities,” the agency added, noting the increased cases of rape and abuse against women and children being reported in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

Another concern is the more than 150,000 women in the area who are pregnant—50,000 of whom will give birth in the next three months.

Nice job, dickhead. Lawrence H. Summers, President of Harvard University, managed to piss a lot of people off at a Friday academic conference when he said that biological differences between men and women could be the reason that less women succeed in science and math careers--not discrimination.

Damn, do I feel bad for the ladies at Harvard right now!

Now I understand that addressing provocative theories is part of academia, but Summers' comments were just a little too much for me. One of several explanations he put forward on the fewer number of women in math and science fields was that women don't have the same "natural" or "innate" ability as men. Huh.

Women at the conference--which was about women and minorities in science and engineering--were less than pleased. Nancy Hopkins, a biologist at MIT, walked out on his talk, saying that if she hadn't she "would've either blacked out or thrown up."

And I have to say, I don't buy Summers' attempt to spin his comments as "hypotheses," especially after learning that the number of tenured job offers made to Harvard women has dropped significantly since he took office. What a coincidence.

Check out the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University...

From the 1/9/05 NY Times magazine article about the "war" on frat culture, Ban of Brothers.

Just something to think about over the weekend...

I’m getting so sick of Maureen Dowd’s bullshit view of feminism.

First she thought it didn’t exist. Now she seems to think that feminism is to blame for men’s supposed preference for subordinate mates.

Citing two studies—one that says that men would rather marry women in subordinate jobs and another reporting women with high IQs are less likely to marry—Dowd discusses the “trend” of powerful and/or smart men going for women who she seems to think are of lower status.

So was the feminist movement some sort of cruel hoax? The more women achieve, the less desirable they are? Women want to be in a relationship with guys they can seriously talk to - unfortunately, a lot of those guys want to be in relationships with women they don't have to talk to.

Firstly, Dowd’s assumption that young women or women in the service industry are somehow NOT smart and are more likely to “service” men in their personal life is just disgusting.

And I’m sorry, but the last time I checked, feminism wasn’t a fucking dating service! If some asshole doesn’t want to date you because you’re smart and successful, is it the fault of feminism or the asshole?

I don’t really buy into these studies, and Dowd’s questionable examples from the notoriously vapid movie industry don’t lend her argument any more credence. Let’s give men some credit; I feel like most couples I know are of equal intelligence. No?

I know Feministing has covered these theories before…but I’m still curious about what people think. Do any guys out there want to weigh in?

NARAL Pro-Choice America has started a photo gallery a la the post-election "Sorry Everybody" website.

So take a pic of yourself with their “I am Pro-Choice America” poster (available here) and email it to NARAL here.

Maybe we can start a Feministing photo gallery...any ideas for slogans?

"This is what Feministing looks like?"
"Feminists do it better?" (Sorry, I have old Madonna videos on the mind...)

And we laugh and laugh and laugh…

Check out the email I got yesterday. (I was sure that it was a joke, but a little research proved otherwise…)

My name is (I’ll be nice and let her keep some anonymity).
I work as a casting director at "Trading Spouses" for Fox Television and Rocket science laboratories.

...All families who want to be on our show must have at least one child between the ages of 5 & 18 and must be legally married. Please have a look on our website: www.fox.com for more details.

And it goes on with some more details…So if any legally married feminists with kids are interested in being "swapped," now you know where to go.

Priceless.

Last week Feministing reported how the first-ever national guidelines on treating sexual assault survivors would have no mention of emergency contraception. I’m glad to say this truly disturbing news didn’t go unnoticed.

Today 97 members of Congress, lead by Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-14) and Michael Michaud (ME-02), urged the Justice Department to include EC in its National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination.

"Deleting the mere mention of emergency contraception from the guidelines may cause thousands of rape victims to unnecessarily struggle with unwanted pregnancies," said Maloney. "Politics should never eclipse sound science and health care. It is clear that the administration's ideological opposition to choice now even extends to rape victims. Women who are sexually violated at the very least deserve the right to prevent unwanted pregnancies."

Well done. Now let’s see how it’s received…

As an update to my post earlier today, check out Ms. Musings' article on Essence magazine's 12-month campaign, Take Back The Music, which is discussing and creating awareness about the ways black women are depicted in music.

Check out this article in USA Today from yesterday about female Iraqi candidates and their struggle for a place in politics, despite the strong opposition.

Risking their lives to have a voice in office, the teenage sons of two candidates have already been killed in opposition to the women’s political activities, and another’s family was kidnapped. One woman candidate, Wijdan al-Khuzai, was found murdered near her Baghdad home in December.

Under the new law planning the January 30 elections for a national assembly, at least a third of the candidates on the ballot must be women. For women who choose not to campaign (most Iraqis will vote for political party slates, rather than individuals), they can do so and remain anonymity.

Whether they choose to campaign or not, these women are risking everything for a chance to make a difference, and have become models of courage and inspiration.

Not that I've been waiting by the mailbox or anything (well, maybe a little), but damn was I happy to see the third issue of Sweet Action waiting for me when I got home yesterday!

A porn mag for the ladies, Sweet Action stays away from the creepy greased-up looking dudes that frequent the pages of Playgirl. It's cutie alt boys all the way from this Brooklyn-based magazine...nice.

So go pick up an issue here, or tell your local magazine store to start carrying it. The women who started Sweet Action are super cool and deserve your support!

Fun (but slightly bizarre) fact: My boyfriend is in this issue. Yes, I'm bragging.

There’s a great article in the Washington Post on the soon-to-be extinction of female rappers in the music world.

As a native New Yorker and lover of hip-hop from a young age, I was drawn to writer Teresa Wiltz’s nostalgic talk of old school hip-hop, and the female MCs who were a huge influence on hip-hop world and the young generation of that time. But where have they gone? Queen Latifah has moved to movies, Monie Love disappeared, MC Lyte is rarely heard of, and even Lauryn Hill is pretty much out of the scene these days.

What’s left (in mainstream hip-hop, that is) is Foxy Brown, Lil’ Kim and Trina -- who although I do enjoy their rhymes and consider them good rappers -- seem to feel that their most interesting topic of their rhymes is about their sexcapades. Now, do I object to that? Not at all. I love talking about sex. Have female rappers of this age possibly become more sexualized as women rappers and less valued as serious rappers? Hell yeah. And that is what Wiltz is trying to get at.

“The day of the tomboy -- think MC Lyte, Bahamadia, Da Brat -- is over. (Even Eve's covered up her TWA -- teeny-weeny Afro -- with a blond weave.) Today, there's just one role that a woman can play in hip-hop, so long as she knows, and keeps, her place: the chanteuse. Of course, this only works if you look like Beyonce or Ashanti or Ciara or the Black Eyed Peas' Fergie -- think long, blonde-streaked hair -- and sing like them, too. "Sing" is the operative word here. You can sing hooks to a rap song; you can even sing your own songs, songs steeped in a rap sensibility. You just can't rap. Understand that your role is to look and sound pretty, sort of like aural wallpaper.”

What has happened to the ladies in hip-hop? But some may correlate this with the question that many also ask, “What has happened to hip-hop”? The language and image of today’s female rappers may just compliment the language and image in general of mainstream rap these days.

Any thoughts?

Remember the controversial group FtheVote, who encouraged hot liberals to screw republicans out of their vote for Bush—literally? Seems like a Christian version has popped up: Date to Save (but without all the fucking and sinning and stuff).

Self-proclaimed beauty Tamara, founder of the site, thinks that the aesthetically blessed should be using their power for the Almighty by converting all the cute heathen boys out there. You've got to love her super-understated recruiting message:

Calling all Hot Women of the LORD!!!

As you can probably tell, I'm a Christian who loves Jesus and cares for all humans, even the wicked. What you probably don't know is that I'm hot…

(And so modest…)

So, I created this web page for information regarding the calling of Missionary Dating…Not only can we date cute guys, but hopefully we can lead them to God and help them get saved them from the burning fires of Hell.

Check out some of Tamara's dating-to-save tips:

If he reaches his arm around you...Tell him that nobody will ever be as close to you as Jesus is.

If he tries to kiss you...Remind him that a kiss killed your Savior.

And my personal favorite:
After you dump him...Tell him that Jesus Christ will never leave or forsake him.

Damn! Aren’t Christians supposed to be compassionate? That shit is cold!

By the way, you can also get a Date to Save thong if you're so inclined. Too bad no one will ever see it...

If you’re planning on protesting in DC, come hang out with Feministing! Since that Thursday will be chock full of activities, we’ve decided to have a little get together on Friday night. We’ll give details in a couple of days, so be on the lookout…

But if you’re not in the traveling state of mind, here’s a cool way to help out without even leaving the house (you lazy bastards!):

Are you wondering how to protest Inauguration Day (January 20)? Here's a way to make a powerful political point and also help women in need: "honor" George Bush, the most anti-choice President since Roe v Wade, by making a donation to the National Network of Abortion Funds. You know how pro-choice groups sometimes counter anti-choice demonstrations by asking people to Pledge a Picketer (give a small sum per demonstrator)? Think of this as Pledge a President!

Katha Pollitt and Jennifer Baumgardner

At a dinner for the International Women's Health Coalition last night, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton said that the Bush administration’s policies on reproductive health were affecting women worldwide—and certainly not in a good way.

Because of Bush’s decision to cut funding to organizations that provided (or even talked about!) abortions, some 20 million women have unsafe abortions every year and 68,000 women die because of the consequences of these abortions.

"So I hope we will do more to try to protect against these ill-thought-out policies by this administration." Clinton said.

Yeah, so do I. But I think the time for just “protecting” has come and gone. With the tenth anniversary of