The Hegemony of ‘LGBT’September 20, 2011The mainstream Western LGBT movement has become a commercialized monolith in the years since 1960s “gay liberation,” and its impact is in no way limited to the US and Europe.This mainstream movement not only embraces a “with us or against us” mentality that demands queer people come out (as L, G, B, or T only) or be left behind, but it also creates a very narrow definition of acceptable genders and sexualities. |
Un(i)sex me hereSeptember 20, 2011Should documents be gendered? On the basis of a distinctly unscientific poll, taken amongst a group of feminist academics yesterday, the answer is easy: if gender is not strictly necessary, then the option not to specify gender should be there. For everyone. That sounds straightforward. Unfortunately, though, the issue has got tangled up in other issues. |
Breaking: Troy Davis denied clemencySeptember 20, 2011In a rather unsurprising but nonetheless ruthless move, Troy Davis, a man accused of a murder that he most likely did not commit, has been denied clemency from the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles from his sentence to death. Davis will be put to death tomorrow at 7pm thanks to Georgia’s draconian death penalty laws. The parole hearing was the last possible hope. |
Aerial Arts for All BodiesSeptember 20, 2011By Jennifer Jonassen About a year ago I was working on a circus variety show in L.A. called Your Town Follies. One night, I was talking to my fellow cast mate Michelle Sargent, a seasoned professional aerial artist and circus performer. I was telling her that the beauty and artistry in aerial acts always made |
Their Eyes Were Watching God as a “Legal” NovelSeptember 20, 2011The discussion on Dee Perry’s Around Noon [on September 19, 2011] was Zora Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. You can hear all of the show at the link above. The book is a timeless classic that, in broad brush summary, is about hierarchy and race, gender and class. The novel begins where it ends, and ends where it begins, telling the story of Janie Crawford and her journey from late girlhood to womanhood. It is often read in literature courses and especially in African-American literature courses. It combines its gritty realism, black dialect and lofty poetic language to depict the black South of over 70 years ago. It is not typically thought of as a legal novel. |
Stigma, Shame, and Sexuality: A Reflection on AbortionSeptember 20, 2011“The one that has an abortion is treated as…as bad, as a killer and…the other one is…is a good woman, she has a good heart, she loves children.” |
STFU, privileged onesSeptember 20, 2011I admit it: as a mom and a bit (!) of a Facebook junkie, I enjoy the site STFU Parents. Though I am darkening the door of forty, I am still extremely immature and enjoy a good laugh at someone else’s expense whenever possible. Happily, I am not so oblivious that I don’t recognize myself in some of the posts, especially the ones that are pointedly labeled “first world problems.” Why, just last week I whined on my personal FB page: |
The official end of Don’t Ask, Don’t TellSeptember 20, 2011At 12:01 am this morning, the horrible policy that was Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell ended. The U.S. Department of Defense will formally repeal the inequitable policy that has been law since 1993. The repeal which was voted on by Congress during the lame duck session will now officially take effect. |
Focus-ing on Common Ground?September 20, 2011Focus on the Family isn’t exactly what you’d call a pro-choice-friendly organization. But recently the conservative, evangelical group announced that it would like to open up conversations with abortion rights organizations, in the interest of establishing a dialogue around abortion. In particular, Focus’s president Jim Daly raised this question on his radio show in February: |
Pigtails and Army BootsSeptember 20, 2011Hello! My name is Hayley aka DJ Moonlight and I present a radio show that may be of interest to readers of The F-Word. The show is feminist minded and features all female fronted music. The music ranges from alternative to indie, rock and sometimes I even throw some 80's pop into the mix. The show includes unsigned bands including an unsigned band of the month, as well as a weekly event guide featuring both gigs and feminist related events. |
The FenceSeptember 20, 2011Another afternoon had fallen over the clinic, the morning bustle turned sleepy lull. In the waiting area, the patients seemed more sedate than I’d come to expect on such days. Perfumes mingled in the air and dissipated with every opening of the door as patients or their companions entered or left, ignoring as best they could the protesters in the parking lot. |
Welcome! Tsk Tsk: Stigma, Shame, and Sexuality SeriesSeptember 20, 2011Welcome to Gender Across Borders’ series on stigma, shame, and sexuality, cross-posted with RH Reality Check and in partnership with Ipas. I am proud, excited, nervous, and touched to be introducing to you eighteen poignant and provocative pieces about an issue that eludes definition: stigma. |