Category Archives: Feminism

myMADRE » Sounding the Drum for Women’s Rights

We were right in front of the beautiful home of Rose Cunningham, the Director of MADRE’s sister organization Wangki Tangni.

Within moments, Rose smiled down on us from her balcony and greeted us with a shout: “You made it!” Stepping inside, we found a place buzzing with activity, as the Wangki Tangni organizers worked hard, using her home as a staging ground to put everything in place. It was a big task — no wonder with over 1,000 Indigenous women from across the region converging in Waspam. Some of them had even traveled for days to arrive, some by foot, some on boats along the nearby river, the Rio Coco.

(A few days later, we even met one woman who traveled for two days in a canoe with her one-month old baby daughter strapped to her chest – just so that she could be part of this Forum. Pause for a moment to think about what that must have been like.)

via myMADRE » Sounding the Drum for Women’s Rights.

Hey, Jian Ghomeshi, I Call B.S.! | Dame Magazine AKA: Nails It!

It’s not just that one woman is so angry about being rejected by him that she falsely accused him of criminal behavior. It’s that she rounded up a bunch of other women, who all agreed they would lie to reporters in an effort to smear an innocent man. He has done nothing wrong, nothing non-consensual, yet all of these women hated him enough to conspire to get him fired and publicly humiliate him. They “colluded” to establish a false “pattern of [nonconsensual, potentially life-threatening] behavior.” Because one of them was rilly, rilly mad.

Can we take a moment to think about how incredibly unlikely that is? That doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be the truth—sometimes, as they say, that’s stranger than fiction. But goddamn, it’s unlikely.

via Hey, Jian Ghomeshi, I Call B.S.! | Dame Magazine.

Irish politician to take abortion pill in Dublin in defiance of republic’s ban | World news | The Guardian

An Irish MP is to take an abortion pill in Dublin to defy the continued ban on most terminations in the Republic.

The Socialist party’s TD Ruth Coppinger travelled to Northern Ireland on Tuesday along with 30 other pro-choice activists to buy abortion pills from the Marie Stopes clinic in Belfast.

The Irish state still bans abortion pills and last year the republic’s customs service seized more than 1,000 tablets that were posted from Britain and Europe to Irish women seeking to terminate their pregnancies.

via Irish politician to take abortion pill in Dublin in defiance of republic’s ban | World news | The Guardian.

What Jian Ghomeshi’s Accusers Were Afraid Of – NYTimes.com

Three women spoke to The Toronto Star about the former CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi, accusing him of violent behavior. None of them wanted to be identified by name. And their reason for anonymity offers a stark lesson about the effects of online harassment.

One of the women told The Star’s Kevin Donovan and Jesse Brown that “she visited Ghomeshi at his Toronto home and alleges as soon as she walked into his house he suddenly struck her hard with his open hand, then continued to hit her and choked her.” Another said: “He attacked me. Choked me. Hit me like I didn’t know men hit women.

via What Jian Ghomeshi’s Accusers Were Afraid Of – NYTimes.com.

Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists | IWMF

The Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists, the first ever funding initiative of its kind, enables the IWMF to dramatically expand its support of women journalists.

Established with a $4 million gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the Fund will support projects including educational opportunities, investigative reporting and media development initiatives.

via Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists | IWMF.

Misty Mourning

As the clouds rolled to and from the sky above Misty’s vigil, the sounds of the drums and songs carried out on the warm fall afternoon. Misty’s beautiful face shone through the flowers, balloons and candles surrounding her photos. It is hoped, as Misty’s sister, Amanda said, that Misty could see how loved she was, how much she will be missed, the grace she brought to her family and Indian Country, and the role model she was.

As I left Misty’s vigil and drove up a very crowded Interstate-5 towards Seattle, the clouds parted over the snow cone of Mount Rainier; known in Indian Country as Tahoma, the mountain that graces the seal of the Muckleshoot Tribe. A stray beam of light bounced up to the sky, creating a rainbow that lasted for a moment and then blinked away. Sometimes, the beauty lasts only a moment before it is gone. But in that moment, in that moment, nothing is more graceful, precious, or lovely that that beam of light.

via Misty Mourning.

Things I am too hot to care about

It’s the same reason why young women on juries are not a good idea. They don’t get it! They’re not in that same life experience of paying the bills, doing the mortgage, kids, community, crime, education, health care. They’re like healthy and hot and running around without a care in the world.”

–Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, on why young women don’t need to vote

Affordable housing. With hair like this, you don’t need a roof over your head.

Parental leave. Sometimes I think about having a kid but then I just rub my perfectly shaped stomach until I drift into a peaceful sleep.

Community investment. I believe strongly in the importance of building youths’ self-esteem so it’s really best that I just stay home.

Income inequality. Coins are sort of reflective, so every time I go to pay for something I am startled by my impeccable bone structure.

Safety. Once someone tried to mug me but I just smiled.

Criminal justice. Once someone tried to arrest me but I just smiled.

Police brutality. Once a cop was going to shoot me but I just smiled.

Education. Sometimes, I wake up in the morning, lug all my textbooks to the library, turn to the assignment, open up my laptop, and suddenly it’s four hours later and my Photobooth library is full.

Reproductive health care access. I am out of everyone’s league.

Alexandra Brodsky is too hot to write a bio.

via Things I am too hot to care about.

Girl turns back to help elderly person cross street, act of kindness goes viral online: Shanghaiist

“Random-Taiwanese-girl’s” handy guide to glory below:

1) Cross the street.

2) Notice an elderly, wheelchair-bound person trying to cross.

3) Have your friend hold your drink.

4) Run back, push said elderly person across the street.

5) Wait for traffic to subside.

6) Re-cross street.

Health benefits include good karma and 10 seconds of cardiovascular exercise.

Watch the full video below:

via Girl turns back to help elderly person cross street, act of kindness goes viral online: Shanghaiist.

A netizen is killed in Tamaulipas – Reporters Without Borders

{I have to wonder – is the President of Mexico in with the criminals or does he just not care?}

Netizen María del Rosario Fuentes Rubio was kidnapped by armed men on 15 October in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. A picture of her dead body appeared on her Twitter account the next day.

Netizen María del Rosario Fuentes Rubio was kidnapped by armed men on 15 October in the northeastern state of Tamaulipas. A picture of her dead body appeared on her Twitter account the next day.

Fuentes Rubio was kidnapped as she left the Tierra Santa clinic in Reynosa, where she worked as a doctor.

The photo of her body that appeared on Twitter was followed by a series of messages, including “Shut down your accounts, do not risk your families’ lives as I have done. I ask your forgiveness.”

For several months, Fuentes Rubio, under the pseudonym “Felina,” had been contributing via the Twitter account @Miut3 to the Valor por Tamaulipas citizen information service. It focuses on violence and organized crime activities in the state. Fuentes Rubio’s family left the country on 16 October, after filing a formal complaint.

via A netizen is killed in Tamaulipas – Reporters Without Borders.

Gamergate is loud, dangerous and a last grasp at cultural dominance by angry white men | Jessica Valenti | Comment is free | The Guardian

It would be easy to assume that the current online backlash that many women face from Gamergaters and beyond is simply the domain of a handful of trolls and a few harmless kids. But we’ve seen the violence that sexist men can do when they don’t get what they want. And even after authorities found a 140-page misogynist manifesto from the California shooter who killed six people this year, women were cautioned against calling the crime one of sexism.

What excuse will we use after the next inevitable act of violence? That we didn’t see the horror coming? Angry men are plainly telling us to expect it.

Even if the threats being bandied about now don’t come to real-life fruition, their chilling effect is real – Sarkeesian noted that women are already “being threatened out of the industry and out of their homes”. These are not small things.

Gamergate enthusiasts will continue to argue that the vitriol against women is coincidental – and they will likely never acknowledge their fear of irrelevance and accountability. That’s to be expected. But as the grip of angry white men on our cultural conversation arrives at its necessary end, it’s up to the rest of us to make sure that, as change comes, we take the anger from those men far more seriously. Ignoring “trolls” doesn’t work when they show up with a gun.

via Gamergate is loud, dangerous and a last grasp at cultural dominance by angry white men | Jessica Valenti | Comment is free | The Guardian.

Angry white men – aka – men who are still frightened boys who have never gotten beyond the “I hate girls and guys rule” stage of life that afflicts some and usually ends when they get to be 13-years old.