The Activista

Womanish Words: Who Cares About International Women's Day?

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:30:46 -0500

Womanish Words: Who Cares About International Women's Day?:

On March 8, International Women’s Day (IWD) will be marked around the world with large scale events to celebrate the advancement of women and to remind us of the continued vigilance and action required to ensure that real equality is gained and maintained in all aspects of our lives. I’m quite sure there will be no events, large or small, held in this place to mark the occasion. I’m sure there will be no public statements of acknowledgment or solidarity from the politicians, certainly none from the church, none from the op-ed writers of the local newspapers. I’m certain no local news editors are sending reporters out to interview surviving Bahamian suffragists nor any of the feminist activists of our generation, there will be no special supplements about IWD, or the women’s movement in the Bahamas, or in the world, no coverage of our advancements or our continuing struggles. I’m sure not one civic leader, not one business leader, not one religious leader, will give IWD a thought, much less a word. Bahamian women will be silent too. The global women’s movement goes unacknowledged by most Bahamians. The only acknowledgment made in my country might be these poor words I write tonight in my little blog that no one reads.

International Women's Day: A Collective

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:28:56 -0500

Happy International Women’s Day! Some history of the day, which is more popular and more often recognized in other countries but has finally hit home in the US, can be found here.

Articles of Interest for IWD:

NYT: Three Proven Steps to Advance the World’s Women

HuffPo: 11 Women Who Are Changing the World

Gender Across Borders held a celebration via blogs! They asked all bloggers to blog on IWD.

AWearNess: Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity

gauntlet: Kathleen Hanna came into a music scene in the 90s...

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 13:03:51 -0500

gauntlet:

Kathleen Hanna came into a music scene in the 90s that was angry, violent, and full of men. She and her bandmates in Bikini Kill, along with the rest of the riot grrrl movement, pushed back against that culture and helped usher in a new “wave” of feminism.

After Bikini Kill, Hanna went on to make feminist dance music with Le Tigre and has kept pushing boundaries ever since. Recently, she donated her zine archive to NYU’s Fales Library as part of its new Riot Grrrl collection. She joins Laura in studio to talk feminism, rock’n’roll, and why she’s hopeful for the future.

Hookup Culture, Marriages, and the Relationships We Forget

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:32:51 -0500

Hookup Culture, Marriages, and the Relationships We Forget:

“With the options for young women seemingly either the decried “hook-up culture” or settling in for “college marriage,” I have to pause and ask: These are our options?”

50 percent of women blame rape victims

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:01:51 -0500

50 percent of women blame rape victims

"The Supreme Court has held that in rape cases the testimony of the victim cannot be considered to be..."

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:45:50 -0500

“The Supreme Court has held that in rape cases the testimony of the victim cannot be considered to be the gospel truth, though in normal circumstances her statement has to be relied upon.”

- Rape Victim’s Testimony ‘Not Always True,’ a report on India’s new policy.

The Ms. Myth: Boston Globe

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 16:14:50 -0500

The Ms. Myth: Boston Globe:

More and more women are opting to take their partners’ last name.

The Boston Globe thinks this is something public opinion should make sense on: “ A recent poll of US men and women by researchers from Indiana University and the University of Utah found that 71 percent of those surveyed agreed, either strongly or somewhat, that it was beneficial for a woman to take her husband’s name. About half of those polled felt so strongly about it that they said the government should force women to take their husband’s name.”

I’ve made the decision already not to do so if I was ever to marry. One woman in the article claims her name was “her brand,” while another claims taking her husband’s name made the coupling more “concrete.” So, what is it then? What makes women take someone else’s name, someone else’s family history, as their own?

It seems simple enough- the last name as a sign of who you are. After all, our names are important parts of our identities.

So why not have one for ourselves?

GWU Faces Another Sexual Assault

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:43:52 -0500

GWU Faces Another Sexual Assault:

“On the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010, GWPD received a report of a forcible fondling that occurred in Gelman Library on Sunday, Feb. 14, 2010, at approximately 11:30pm. The victim reported that she was assisting the suspect when he unexpectedly put his hands down her pants and up her shirt. The victim pulled away and fled the area and the suspect left the library.

SUBJECT DESCRIPTION: Black male, 6′ 3″- 6′ 7″, 265 lbs., 35 to 45 years old, wearing a white sweater.”

"Hollibaugh also became involved in a number of political movements, and stripping by night funded..."

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:13:49 -0500

“Hollibaugh also became involved in a number of political movements, and stripping by night funded her unpaid activism by day. Simultaneously a prostitute and communist, she was a hooker among feminists who viewed sex workers as victims of patriarchal misogyny, and a high-femme lesbian in a gay and lesbian movement that regarded butch/femme as outdated, offensive role-playing. One way or another, Hollibaugh was an outcast, and she hid her sex work from her fellow activists. “I knew that even in the midst of the sex liberation movements, it wouldn’t be cool to talk about [being a sex worker],” she says.”

- A Missing History: Former sex worker and AIDS activist Amber Hollibaugh shows a complex and contradictory picture of lesbianism: Arts: Feature (via tissie)

Announcing: Blog for International Women’s Day!

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:43:18 -0500

Announcing: Blog for International Women’s Day!:

(via genderacrossborders)

Songs For The Lonely On V-Day: The Five Stages of Loneliness?

Sat, 13 Feb 2010 12:01:05 -0500

Songs For The Lonely On V-Day: The Five Stages of Loneliness?:

The Daily Cardinal thinks being alone requires five stages to overcome on Valentine’s Day.

I think I’m glad I don’t read the Daily Cardinal.

The Anti-War Superbowl Party

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 14:31:01 -0500

The Anti-War Superbowl Party

Feminist Summer Camp: REGISTER NOW!

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:59:15 -0500

Feminist Summer Camp: REGISTER NOW!

Exhibition Review - 'Rubbers - The Life, History and Struggle of the Condom' - The Condom Unrolled at the Museum of Sex - NYTimes.com

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:31:54 -0500

Exhibition Review - 'Rubbers - The Life, History and Struggle of the Condom' - The Condom Unrolled at the Museum of Sex - NYTimes.com:

(via tissie)

N.H. House Bill Treats Fetus as a Person

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 13:01:53 -0500

N.H. House Bill Treats Fetus as a Person:

The New Hampshire House is considering a bill which would allow prosecutors to charge people who kill a fetus with murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide.

Supporters say the bill is in response to a 2006 case where a speeding driver hit a cab driven by a pregnant woman. The passenger was killed, and the seven-month-old fetus was born not breathing. The fetus died after briefly being on life support. However, a judge ruled that, under the law, the speeder couldn’t be convicted for the death of the fetus; under current law, a fetus is not considered a person unless the baby shows evidence of life.

Opponents say the bill is an attempt to give unborn children legal rights. However the bill does include an exemption for abortion and doesn’t look to infringe on a woman’s right to choose.

WCAX News

HollaBack 2.0: From a Blog to a Revolution

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:29:53 -0500

HollaBack 2.0: From a Blog to a Revolution:

“Today, journalists, citizens, and public advocates have no access to reliable data on incidents of street harassment and assault. By providing a platform for citizens to “hollaback” against street harassers, Hollaback!’s bottom-up, crowd-sourced reporting strategy creates a pipeline of data that can be used by advocates, media, and policymakers. This information will be available online at HollabackNYC.com and analyzed in an annual “State of our Streets” report. Hollaback! will leverage the success of HollabackNYC’s citizen journalists, who have been featured in over forty media outlets. The new Hollaback! will deliver otherwise un-reported news to the New York City community.”

Join Me On The Bridge: International Women's Day Will Be MARCH 8, 2010

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:59:55 -0500

Join Me On The Bridge: International Women's Day Will Be MARCH 8, 2010

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with THE LINE Campaign!

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 11:24:35 -0500

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with THE LINE Campaign!

SexIs Magazine

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:16:43 -0500

SexIs Magazine

melissa: And you better come, because with this lineup, there...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:35:48 -0500

melissa:

And you better come, because with this lineup, there will be no one left to liveblog.