This Week in Ladybits
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has called for routine screening for sexual and reproductive coercion – including the sabotage of birth control devices. I look forward to hearing our pals in the GOP (way too mainstream) loon fringe start talking about how birth control sabotage is actually awesome.
The White House has released a new compromise over the birth control provision in health care reform.
Goobers are still saying that they’re not sexist or anything, it’s just that the world will collapse unless women drop their careers and start having babies.
Washington state is considering a parental notification bill for minors who need abortions, in spite of the fact that those tend not to work so well when the minors have problematic parents.
And South Dakota is one-upping Washington by trying to legalize murder as long as the victim is an abortion provider.
This Week in Thinky
Melissa Harris-Perry had a few words for the Boy Scouts.
And Jay Vanasco dismantled the ugly tendency to conflate gay men and pedophiles when covering the Scouts.
The Frisky did some interesting musing on World Hijab Day.
The Google Doodle celebrated Mary Leakey.
You know all the irritating conventional wisdom on how men are assertive and bold and don’t want commitment and women are clingy nurturers who can’t possibly like Star Wars or be good at sports and that’s just the way it is, so sexist generalizations are fine because it’s just biology talking? Complete horsefeathers. Science says it’s wrong, wrong, wrong.
And departing Secretary of State (and fountain of awesome) Hillary Clinton tidily sums up a bit of truth.
This Week in Feminism Across the Globe
Jezebel reported that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of Pussy Riot has been hospitalized after being worked beyond endurance at her prison camp.
Malala Yousafzai has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. The 15-year-old Pakistani activist for girls’ education was shot in October by Taliban members. She is in recovery and has no intention of shutting up.
This Week in Ugh
We got a mildly depressing infographic on women in science – with some heartening hope for the future. Check out the whole shebang over at The Jane Dough.
Bisexual women have an especially high risk for rape and domestic abuse.
Holy crap. Ireland sent girls and women to Catholic workhouses until 1996. Yes, that second digit is a nine.
Jezebel pointed out that “race-blind casting” all too often means “We’re casting a white guy as Othello!”
And while they were at it, the ladies at Jezebel published a handy list of Senators who oppose the Violence Against Women Act (and how to give them a piece of your mind.)
This Week in Progress
The National Rifle Association executives who value gun sales to criminals over common-sense public safety measures like background checks released a list of enemies this week.
Among those on the list are the American Medical Women’s Association, the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union, the League of Women Voters, the National Council of Negro Women, and a pretty awesome list of celebrities, including Julie Cypher, Ellen DeGeneres, Melissa Etheridge, Fannie Flagg, Jodie Foster, k.d. lang, Madonna, Kathy Najimy, and many, many more… But not outspoken NRA critic Rachel Maddow. Also the list is haphazardly alphabetized and contains numerous duplicates. And also an actress named “Amy Poller.” I’m just saying. Anyway, all you ladies (and gentlemen and organizations) who made it onto this list, get down with your reasonable selves.
Miss Representation (and feminists of every gender) continued their new Super Bowl tradition of using the #NotBuyingIt hashtag to call out sexism in the ads.
(But do feel free to use that hashtag at any old time of the year when an advertiser is being a platehead.)
Did that skim-of-history book or your World Cultures 101 class tell you that that polyandry is bizarre and rare? Not so fast.
My faithful correspondent Bisera alerted me to the fact that an Illinois Senate committee has approved gay marriage. The Land of Lincoln still needs full Senate and House votes. Cross everything.
And speaking of that, Britain’s House of Commons passed a same-sex marriage bill too. Royal Wedding hats, you are about to get blown right the hell out of the water.
Monday was the 100th anniversary of Rosa Parks’s birth. The Post Office issued a stamp if you feel like doing a little celebrating.
This Week in Awesome
Check out the moves on this kid!
We bet Liz Carmouche would be proud of her. (Watch for our interview with out MMA fighter Carmouche next week. She’s really cool.)
A meditation on Beyoncé‘s Super Bowl performance as a prophetic dance of power.
Io9 looked at the scandalous pulp covers of Margaret Brundage, who liked to portray women who were as strong as they were scantily clad …when she could get away with it.
Chaka Cumberbatch wrote in XOJane about continuing to cosplay in spite of racist bullpuckey. Play on, Ms. C.
Have a great weekend. I hope you approach it with much the same attitude that Madeline has for trains.
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