Wednesday, April 20, 2011

SlutWalk comes to a rape culture near you


When a Toronto police officer told students they could avoid sexual assault by not dressing like "sluts", women took to the streets in protest with an organized "SlutWalk".

Although SlutWalk began in Toronto, the movement has spread across the globe and now many U.S. cities will host satellite SlutWalks.

According to The Huffington Post, some women in the Toronto walk wore jeans and a t-shirt while others wore lingerie and stilettos.

Protesters dressed in lingerie for a movement called "SlutWalk" was bound to draw criticism from people like Fox host Greg Gutfeld, who said, "Marching for sluttiness? Nothing brave there."
But for the organizers of SlutWalk, the campaign is less about flash and more about spreading the word that people who experience sexual assault are never at fault.

The movement also asks us to re-claim the word "slut", which has been used to hurt and condemn survivors of sexual assault instead of their perpetrators.

The brilliance of the campaign is that news organizations will undoubtedly cover a march called SlutWalk, especially if the marchers are carrying provocative signs and wearing only undergarments and thigh-highs. Let's just hope this important message is not lost in the spectacle.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Surgeon resigns after backlash from 'semen' editorial



A controversial editorial in the official newspaper of the American College of Surgeons has sparked a debate about possible gender and sexuality biases within the organization and the field of surgery.

According to a post by Dr. Pauline Chen in the New York Times Well blog, the offending article, written by the American College of Surgeons president-elect and editor in chief, Dr. Lazar Greenfield, discusses the possible mental health benefits of semen for women who have unprotected sex.

The article was published in the February issue of the newspaper, which must be why Dr. Greenfield decided to close his piece with this lyrical gem: "So there’s a deeper bond between men and women than St. Valentine would have suspected, and now we know there’s a better gift for that day than chocolates."

In response to complaints about the editorial, titled "Gut Feelings", the entire issue of the newspaper was withdrawn and Dr. Greenfield was asked to step down from his position as editor-in-chief. Criticisms continued and Dr. Greenfield also resigned from his position as president-elect on Sunday, the New York Times reported.

Dr. Lazar Greenfield
In an e-mail to the Detroit Free Press, Dr. Greenfield defended his article and his reputation as an advocate for women in surgery.

"The editorial was an opinion-piece written for a throw-away newspaper," he said, "I extended sincere apologies and resigned as editor in chief of the paper."

He continues, "That was not sufficient for some women who convinced the leadership that I was unsuited for the presidency to which I had been elected."

The debate over whether Dr. Greenfield's article was intended as a light-hearted joke-y piece or a subtle form of sexism could be tedious and everlasting.

My own "gut feeling" is that Dr. Greenfield's record of mentoring and advocating for women in surgery should not be overlooked because of one tasteless article. 

I also think that someone who is both the president-elect of the largest professional organization of surgeons in the country and the editor in chief of the organization's newspaper should be exponentially more cautious about the "jokes" he attempts to defend with research and then decides to publish.

But it seems like the backlash is less about the article and more about the bigger problems facing women in the field.

According to Chen's post, women only make up 10 percent of the members of the American  College of Surgeons and only five out of the 22-member governing board are women. Less than a third of women who enter medical school go into surgery, partly because of perceived male bias.

"Once in practice, studies have shown, well over half of all women surgeons report feeling demeaned, and nearly a third say they have been the objects of inappropriate sexist remarks or advances," Chen wrote.

Women in America, the White House's report on the status of women, showed that one of the reasons women still earn less than men overall is because women are still concentrated in lower-paying, "traditionally female" occupations.

As long as women are deterred by the negative attitudes and male bias in higher-paying, "traditionally male" occupations, like surgery, they will likely remain in those lower-paying jobs.

Hopefully this controversy has brought some of these issues to light in the organization and the profession.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Students participate in "Day of Silence" to protest anti-gay bullying



Thousands of middle and high school students across the nation will take a vow of silence today to protest the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning people. 

The "Day of Silence" began in 1996, but it has been sponsored since 2001 by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, an organization "working to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression."

Honestly, I was only made aware of this because my 15-year-old brother linked the event to his Facebook page (how awesome is he?).

But according to the 220,000 people who joined, it's a pretty big deal. 

Unfortunately, it only took 45 seconds of research for me to find a Fox News article titled, "Gay Day of Silence a Waste of Tax Dollars, Critics Say".

Wow, it's a good thing they added that, "comma critics say". Otherwise, I might have thought Fox slants the news! The full article is about as disgusting as you'd expect.

Anyway, I really think these young activists are doing something great here.


How many more children and teenagers need to die before the rest of us actually address this issue in our homes, communities, schools, and laws? 


Bullies aren't born, they're created. By Fox News (I kid, sort of).

For those who aren't convinced that anti-gay bullying is way more than a "cause du jour", let Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns remind you of how devastating the consequences can be. You won't regret it.




Thursday, April 14, 2011

What Congress would look like if it really represented us

Provided by Good magazine
It's only April, but 2011 is already looking like a bleak year for women, minorities, and working class people.

Since Republicans took control of the House of Representatives, they have proposed cuts to collective bargaining rights and funding for family planning centers and early childcare programs.

Predictably, these Republican efforts disproportionately hurt women, people of color, and the poor.

I could continue to blame Republicans for all of our society's ills -- and I probably will -- but there are other factors.

The above graph shows us what our current Congress looks like and what they would look like if they were demographically representative of our nation. 

While this graph shows us what our current Congress looks like, it's safe to say that previous Congresses have also been overwhelmingly comprised of white men.

Good magazine also notes that while the average American's net worth is $96,000, the average net worth of a U.S. senator is $13.6 million. The net worth of a House member is slightly closer to that of an average American, at $5 million.

Now, demographics certainly aren't everything, and I wouldn't advise anyone to elect officials solely based on their gender, skin color, bank account, golfing skills, etc.

But it would be nice if we started electing people who reflect who we are -- as long as they are willing to stand up for us against the status quo.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

'Pap smears at Walgreens' comment triggers a confused protest


On Saturday's Fox & Friends, co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade bravely attempted to expose the venomous lies of those batty Planned Parenthood defenders.

Defenders of Planned Parenthood, like Sen. Harry Reid, claim that funding the organization is important because their clinics provide women with life-saving services.


But Doocy and Kilmeade dismantled that argument by claiming that services like pap smears are available "at Walgreens."


This is obviously completely untrue, and Stephen Colbert did a hilarious piece about this on Monday's The Colbert Report, which brought a lot of attention to the issue.


Now, in response to this idiocy, feminist activists have planned a protest aimed at... Walgreens?


A blogger for Feministe called the idea "brilliant" and posted the details of the event and a link to the Facebook page. This is what it looks like:

FLASH MOB ALERT!!!

FOX & Friends thinks we don't need Planned Parenthood because women can just get their breast exams and pap smears at Walgreens (which is not true). Let's prove them wrong by demanding these health services at Walgreens across the country and seeing what happens.

Here's what to do this Saturday at 12 PM:

1) Pick your favorite local Walgreens
2) Get a group of friends together or connect with people via this event page.
3) Go try to get your pap smear!
4) Don't forget to bring your video cameras and share your footage on YouTube!


PLANNED LOCATIONS:

New York City: 1471 Broadway, between 42nd and 43rd street http://tinyurl.com/4xpc3kz

DC: 1217 22nd Street NW, between M and N Streets.

Madison, WI: 15 E. Main Street (on the Square)

POST YOUR VIDEOS HERE: YouTube Channel WalgreensPapSmear

Maybe I'm missing something, but doesn't it seem kind of pointless to harass the employees of Walgreens because of an ignorant and baseless statement made by the people at Fox & Friends?

I mean, I guess it would be kind of funny to see the puzzled looks on the faces of unknowing cashiers when they're asked which aisle the breast exams are administered in... But they really don't deserve it.

Wouldn't a more fitting protest be in front of Fox News
studios to address the dummies themselves?


Still, I'm eager to see the video footage.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

On Equal Pay Day, Ann Friedman gives working women tips to beat the wage gap

 Today is Equal Pay Day

Actually,a presidential proclamation released yesterday formally made it NATIONAL Equal Pay Day.

Anyway, the event is meant to raise public awareness of the gap between men's and women's wages.

Currently, women who work full-time earn 77 cents to a man's dollar.

But as of April 12, 2011, the average full-time woman worker has finally caught up to what her male counterpart earned in 2010. It only took us 102 days more!

Since the Equal Pay Act was enacted 48 years ago, these numbers are bleak, to say the least.

But don't be a Sour Sally-- Feminist journalist Ann Friedman offers us some friendly (and hilarious) advice on how to beat the wage gap and look gorge doing it! 



Equal Pay Day Tips for Working Women
Ann Friedman

Don’t choose a profession that is female-dominated. The wages tend to be depressed already. I mean, caring for children? Teaching? Girly stuff. You need to pick a man-tested, man-approved field if you want to rake in a decent salary.


But if you’re one of the few women in a male-dominated profession, as there will probably be some limits to your advancement because you may be seen as “unsociable and difficult to work with.” A 2004 study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found “successful women were characterized as more selfish, manipulative and untrustworthy—your typical constellation of 'bitchy' characteristics," according to one researcher.


Get educated! We all know that advanced degrees are one way to ensure you’ll earn an advanced salary.


But don’t expect that fancy book-learning to correlate with higher pay. According to a White House report released last month, in 2009 women earned about 75 percent as much as their male counterparts at all levels of education.


Be sure to negotiate. How will you earn more money if you don’t ask for it?


But don’t negotiate too hard, lest you be seen as a total harpy. "People found that to be way too aggressive," economist Linda Babcock told NPR in February. "She was successful in getting the money, but people did not like her. They thought she was too demanding. And this can have real consequences for a woman's career."


Be more cutthroat. The working world rewards go-getters and alphas, and nice gals finish last. Toughen up and maybe you’ll get that corner office!


But don’t, like, be a ball-busting bitch once you get there. Studies have shown that employees, both male and female, are wary of working for high-achieving women. And since only 20 percent of professional leaders are women, you’ve got to represent your whole gender. Do us all a favor and don’t make all of your employees hate you.


Maintain your appearance, especially if you are over the age of 30. Put on some lipstick and a nice pair of heels. Just because you’re one of the boys doesn’t mean you should wear what they do.


But for god’s sake, don’t dress like a slut! How will anyone respect you if they can see that you have breasts?


Use your natural nurturing skills to your advantage. Conservative author Christina Hoff Sommers has written that "a practical, responsible femininity could be a force for good in the world beyond the family, through charitable works and more enlightened politics and government."


But don’t expect to actually raise a child and keep your career on track. Breast pumps and salary bumps are mutually exclusive. Research shows that, regardless of performance, women with children are seen as less competent and less committed to work. They’re also less likely to be promoted. And in one survey, participants said they would offer working mothers wages an average of $13,000 lower than wages for fathers.


Get comfortable on the golf course. Know your way around a humidor. Suggest a post-work happy hour at the local strip club. The real deals all happen outside the workplace, you know.


But don’t be too uptight about it when those outside-the-workplace meetings happen in places that still explicitly ban you.


Congratulations! If you’ve followed all these easy tips, you are now a successful, self-determined, professional woman! Your friends always said you were the Miranda, and now you’ve got the salary to prove it. You are challenged and fulfilled at work! You probably make more than most men you know!


But good luck getting laid. You will probably die alone.

Read the full article and get more Friedman at GOOD magazine.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Glenn Beck says only 'hookers' need Planned Parenthood

Glenn Beck surpassed even his own standard of reckless depravity when he called women who need Planned Parenthood "hookers" on his radio show Monday.

Beck has been involved in a ridiculous public feud with MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell for the past several months.


Both hosts typically go back and forth mocking and spouting insults at each other during their shows, but during his latest rant against O'Donnell, Beck broadened his target to include women who use Planned Parenthood.


After he replayed a clip of O'Donnell, who was driven to tears on his show while reading an e-mail from a friend who said she relied on Planned Parenthood services, Beck ordered his producers to stop the tape.


"Stop just a second!" Beck said. "Hookers? Who depends on Planned Parenthood?"

Then, mocking the woman, he said, "I’ve got 400 abortions that I have to have. I’ve got these children that I have to have aborted. I depend on Planned Parenthood."

While this behavior isn't wildly out of character for Beck, it does give us some insight as to the types of attitudes we are up against in our mission to protect our bodies from government interference.

For a better sense of Beck's lunacy, listen to the audio: