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Feminist Friday: Bad Governor. No Cookie.

This Week in Ladybits

In a truly remarkable bit of coincidence, on Thursday North Carolina revoked the operating license of the only abortion clinic in the state that would have been able to meet the standards of the draconian new anti-choice law that the governor signed into law this week. The law was rammed through by the North Carolina GOP as part of a motorcycle safety bill, probably because of the number of women who like to steer with their uteruses. And accessorize with tiny, tiny helmets.

This wave of legislative dickbaggery has been met with an invigorating wave of activism, including a two-day vigil outside the North Carolina Governor’s Mansion. When Governor Pat McCrory finally showed his face on Tuesday, it was to deliver the protesters a plate of cookies. I’m guessing — and I am being generous here — that he was trying to do that thing that some Chik-fil-A franchises did where they held onto a quantum of class by offering cold water to their protesters. Maybe?

The problem with that strategy, if that’s even what what was going on, is that offering cold water to people standing outside on a hot day makes sense and shows a bit of common humanity. Delivering cookies to a largely female group of protesters to whom you have rather pointedly not been listening, on the other hand, comes off as really freaking condescending. Ugh. McCrory should be subject to the no sex rule and the no cookies rule.

Governor, here is a nice kitty.

Now can the ladies in your state have their constitutionally protected rights back, please?

Oh, hey, has Obamacare really helped anyone? Well, the women’s health benefits that kicked in a year ago have helped about 27 million women. So, yeah. A few.

…And radio leviathan Clear Channel refused to air ads for the newly re-opened South Wind Women’s Center clinic in Wichita, Kansas. (Yes, that’s the clinic George Tiller ran until he was murdered by an anti-choice lunatic.) Clear Channel nixed the ads based on “decency standards.” Apparently the indecent part was the phrase “entrusting women with their own medical decision-making.” You can reach Clear Channel at 212-549-0965.

This Week in Thinky

Sarah Wong unpacked the stereotype — and constant cultural message — that women inherently don’t like porn (and shouldn’t like sex the way men do).

As fast food workers strike, you’ve probably seen a lot of news footage of and interviews with young men. Feministing reminded us that two-thirds of fast-food workers are adult women.

The always excellent Irin Carmon looked at the distinctly anti-feminist slant of some of the “feminist” pieces about Huma Abedin.

How about a three-fer? Here’s Melissa Harris-Perry with a tribute to TV news trailblazer Andrea Mitchell featuring Rachel Maddow.

Do you think women should have equal career opportunities and access to birth control? Surprise! You’re a radical feminist! Oh, and apparently unfit to be federal judge. Time to get your indignation on. (Via The MaddowBlog)

And Jessica Wakeman meditated on using the C-word.

This Week in Bad

Revered conservative columnist/butthead George Will declared that Detroit went bankrupt because of single moms.

Meanwhile, misogynists on the other side of the pond flipped their creepy little crumpets over the idea that my time-travel BFF Jane Austen might get her image on British currency. So their only course of action was of course to publish the personal information of Caroline Criado-Perez, the woman who started the campaign for Austen, and to harass and threaten her on Twitter, with the now-standard death and rape threats. Just a couple of days later, Police in Manchester actually arrested two Twitterers who made bomb threats against female journalists who were so unruly as to have opinions and mention them. This, at the very least, seems to be part of a heartening trend of police departments taking online threats seriously.

Sheriff Sid Gautreaux of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said it’s totally cool that he’s been arresting gay men for intending to have consensual sex with other men because he was not aware that his state’s sodomy law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court a decade ago. What, you expect a busy sheriff to keep up with every little update about what’s actually illegal or not? Where’s the room for creativity and flair?

And a minor (but influential) Russian legislator/noted homophobe/jerksack has suggested that Russia may be prosecuting gay athletes and fans who show up for the Winter Olympics next year. Rick Santorum’s head must be exploding over the dilemma of whether to buy tickets or not.

This Week in Awesome

Whoa! Check out four-year-old Anala Beavers. She’s a lady who knows it’s good to know things.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs was elected the first African-American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Shirley Jones told Katie Couric how to stay young.

And we said hello to the new camp gyno. (Via The Mary Sue)

Have a great weekend. Get out there and find your flow.

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