Category Archives: Feminism

Texas woman files federal lawsuit after birth in solitary confinement results in baby’s death

The claim further goes on to describe Guerrero’s night in solitary confinement, where she tried in vain to get medical attention all night and ended up delivering a baby that was not breathing and had its umbilical cord wrapped around its neck.

Though shocking, I wish I could say this news is surprising. Given what we know about access to reproductive health care in prison and the criminalization of drug-addicted pregnant women, it really isn’t – it is a mere continuation of the long list of degradations and indignities people suffer when imprisoned. I’ve quoted Cece McDonald on this and before and will do so again: prisons aren’t safe for anybody.

via Texas woman files federal lawsuit after birth in solitary confinement results in baby’s death.

Jimmy Carter’s Call to Action – Women, Religion, Violence and Power – Look to the Stars

“It’s kind of a subtle thing that men enjoy their superiority in getting the best jobs, the best opportunity to go to university and that sort of thing,” says Carter. “Two of the most revered institutions in the United States of America is our university system and our military. Sexual abuse or assaults on campuses in our major universities, like Harvard and Yale and Emery University where I teach, is really horrendous and only four percent of the rapes on college campuses are reported. There are about six times as many reported in civilian life outside of universities, and this is primarily because presidents of colleges and universities and deans and so forth don’t want to bring discredit or a bad reputation on their own institution. So they encourage girls not to report.

“And soon, a few boys on the campus who are students realize that they can commit these crimes with impunity. So they become serial rapists and get away with it. The department of defence found that in the US military alone, 26 thousand sexual assaults took place, and only about 300 actually resulted in anybody being punished. That’s about one percent.

“You see, there’s an aversion to admit what goes on even in our most cherished institutions.”

via Jimmy Carter’s Call to Action – Women, Religion, Violence and Power – Look to the Stars.

Mississippi Judge Accused of Striking Young Black Man, Then Yelling ‘Run, Nigger, Run!’ and being as abusive to a female vendor| Hatewatch

“I do not care if this young man was being a nuisance,” said the first witness, who is white. “I do not care if he were breaking a law, I do not care if he were loitering, but I do care that a man of authority, one that is sworn to protect and serve, was slapping a young man.”

She added that she also saw Weisenberger verbally assault a female vendor at the market, threatening to make her move her car to a distant location before she could unload. When the woman asked him to change his tone, he reportedly replied that he would only deal with her husband, “because he didn’t take orders from a woman.”

The executive director of the state Judicial Commission, Darlene Ballard, told Mitchell that if the allegations are true, they would “violate multiple canons” of the state’s Judicial Code of Conduct.

Former Canton Mayor William Truly, president of the Canton branch of the NAACP, led a press conference Friday denouncing Weisenberger.

“This is 2014, not 1960, where someone could slap a young man and call out, ‘Run, nigger, run,” Truly said. He called on Weisenberger either to simply resign or to step aside from hearing cases until the matter is resolved.

“No citizen should have to face justice before a judge who holds such a high degree of racial animus and hatred,” Truly said.

via Mississippi Judge Accused of Striking Young Black Man, Then Yelling ‘Run, Nigger, Run!’ | Hatewatch.

Rupert Murdoch paper prints picture of Duchess of Cambridge’s bare bottom | Media | theguardian.com

Sick, sick, sick – Rupert Murdoch paper prints picture of Duchess of Cambridge’s bare bottom

Sydney Daily Telegraph criticises ‘ridiculous’ UK media ban as it follows German tabloid Bild in printing controversial image

Daily Mail follows Bild in racing to the bottom

via Rupert Murdoch paper prints picture of Duchess of Cambridge’s bare bottom | Media | theguardian.com.

{Money and Reputation (money) before Humanity!} Williams Is the Latest College Accused of Mishandling Rape – The Wire

Brackenridge writes that when she was a 17-year-old freshman at Williams, she was raped by a 21-year-old hockey player at the school. He was ultimately found guilty of sexual assault by an administrative panel and suspended for three semesters. Williams will likely allow him to come back to campus this fall. In light of this, Brackenridge questions the advice Williams deans gave her when she first reported the assault to the administration. She says that the deans “explicitly encouraged me not to seek legal action, asserting that it would be a bureaucratic nightmare and that they, as the College, had my best interests in mind.”

In addition to facing her attackers re-admittance, Brackenridge says she suffered severe harassment from other hockey players on campus, which she says the administration ignored: “In one instance, they surrounded me, threw full beer cans at my head and chanted that I should have kept my mouth shut. When I spoke to the deans about the incident, I was told that everyone was ‘exhausted’ from dealing with the case and that perhaps it would be better if we all just ‘took a little break.’ Members of the men’s hockey team and my rapist’s friends continued to harass me for months on campus. I received no ‘break.'”

via Williams Is the Latest College Accused of Mishandling Rape – The Wire.

Roundup: Essential feminist writing on the Isla Vista shooting

We, as a feminist community, have spent the last four days in shock after the Isla Vista shooting. That the roots of the tragedy — violent misogyny — may be too intimately familiar to so many of us hasn’t softened the blow. Here we’ve tried to compile some of the best feminist writing in the aftermath, highlighting how our movements are processing, responding, and fighting back. Let us know what you’ve been reading in the comments.

via Roundup: Essential feminist writing on the Isla Vista shooting.

In Lahore, pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death – The Times of India

{No honor – just a murder by her own family}

In an apparent ‘honour killing’, a 25-year-old pregnant woman was brutally beaten and stoned to death on Tuesday outside the high court here by her father and brothers for marrying the man of her choice.

Police said Farzana Parveen, resident of Faisalabad, had married Mohammad Iqbal of Jaranwala a few months ago against the wishes of her family.

The incident happened as the couple reached the court premises to record Farzana’s statement to defend her husband against allegations by her family that he kidnapped her and forced her to marry him.

Initially, the family members fired shots in the air and tried to snatch her from Iqbal.

After failing in their attempt, nearly 20 members of her family, including her father and brothers, attacked the couple with sticks and bricks before a crowd of onlookers in front of the high court of Lahore, said police official Naseem Butt.

Farzana, who was three-months pregnant, died while her husband managed to escape.

via In Lahore, pregnant Pakistani woman stoned to death – The Times of India.

Eat Drink Better | Healthy recipes, good food: sustainable eats for a healthy lifestyle!

The Great Vegan Search Engine Project is a constant work in progress, and I’m totally happy to add sites! If you have a site that you think should be on the Engine, send me an email! I’ll take a peek, get some feedback from the folks who helped with the project, and if it gets the thumbs up, I’ll add it.

via Eat Drink Better | Healthy recipes, good food: sustainable eats for a healthy lifestyle!.