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Feminist Friday: Deep in the Ladybits of Texas

This Week in Ladybits

Hey, does a non-drug-using mom getting forced into “treatment” strike you as unsettling? How about a fetus getting assigned lawyer and the mom not getting one? Welcome to fetal endangerment laws.

There was appropriately big news from Texas this week: A federal judge declared part of the nutball abortion restrictions that Wendy Davis filibustered unconstitutional… But by Thursday night, a higher court has walked that back. A third of the already beleaguered clinics in the state are closing as of this writing. We may be headed to the Supreme Court with this one. But what exactly are Texas women doing in the meantime? Not to mention the women of Oklahoma who have been crossing the border into Texas to get care.

Hey, Virginians and people with loved ones in Virginia! Yes, Ken “Lock up the Ladybits” Cuccinelli is way behind in the polling. But this is a low-turnout election with voter-suppression efforts already well underway, so let’s not get cocky. Call your family and friends and make sure they get their butts (and bits) to the polls.

At least Cuccinelli’s dark-ages views on sex and love and people in general have had an interesting positive side effect:

This Week in Thinky

The Root featured an article explaining street harassment to men.

Yikes: HPV vaccines don’t seem to have been tested enough on black women — and don’t carry the strains of the disease that most affect them.

Brave Saudi women drove on Saturday in defiance of their country’s ban. Feministing featured this parody video about the country’s ban that has gone viral.

(As Max Fisher points out in The Washington Post, driving ain’t half of it.)

And the Employment Non Discrimination Act (ENDA) should head to the Senate floor next week. Bug your reps.

This Week in Awesome

Retired Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor presided over a same-sex wedding because everyone wants to be as cool as Ruth Bader Ginsberg and also because love is a good thing and she knows that.

If you’re fangirling over the female Supreme Court justices in general, you’re in luck. The National Portrait Gallery unveiled a group shot. (Via Wonkette)

Out UFC fighter Liz Carmouche is set to fight Alexis Davis (no relation) on Wednesday night. While you’re in the mood, BuzzFeed had some tips for fighting like a girl.

Philadelphia’s new legislation to protect the LGBT community includes gender-neutral restrooms in addition to men’s and women’s facilities. (Thanks to my faithful correspondent Bisera for the link.)

This is a bit het-focused, but still fun: Your food and a nice British lady are about to illustrate the difference between porn sex and reality.

Screenwriter Diablo Cody doesn’t think writing strong roles for women is just a little sideline.

And Women You Should Know revived a (fake, alas) commercial for Brontë sisters action figures. Book ’em!

This Week in Making Halloween Fun Again

There were so many news stories throughout October about trashy or just horrible (Thanks, Keva) Halloween costumes that I almost gave in to despair. But then last weekend I went to a Halloween party full of awesome theater and comedy dorks, and, with the exception of the woman in the Wonder Woman costume who knew NOTHING about Wonder Woman and refused to play along when addressed as such, everyone there was fun and creative and took time and care with their costumes and it reminded me that people are really fun when they want to be.

Especially you, woman in the full-on homemade Loch Ness Monster outfit and you, woman in the Unsexy Schoolgirl costume. You make life a little more magical.

So brag it up, ladies. Hit the comments and tell me about your own fantastic costume or the best one you saw this year.

Have a great weekend. I don’t care if Halloween is over: Get out there and howl.

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