Feminism
-
Allah’s Little Ambassador: What Hijab Is & Isn’t
A few weeks back, I gave a talk at the first Sexy Secular Conference in Akron, OH, with the title Virgins, Raisins, & Sexy Serving Boys: Decoding Female Sexuality in Islam. I had a lot of fun giving the talk and attending the con — shout-out to the organizers who put the it all together. Even disregarding the fact that it…
Read More » -
Global Quickies: 16/11/13
MIDDLE EAST (From Salem) Arab Atheists and Humanists are looking for your help to set up a website to promote secularism. BRAZIL (From miserlyoldman) As this was the last country to abolish slavery in the Americas (1888), Brazil has probably the largest archive of photographs of slavery. The University of Sao Paolo has a new exhibition showing these photographs expanded…
Read More » -
Stop Using Black Women as Accessories
I had planned to write about this subject after the whole “Miley Cyrus VMA performance” happened, but I only wrote half a draft and never finished it. In light of Lily Allen’s latest video, “Hard Out Here,” and my current inability to sleep, I figured I’d be at least try to be productive. So, that’s why I’m going to call…
Read More » -
Global Quickies: 09/11/13
IRELAND Atheist Ireland asked the Convention on the Constitution to repeal the nation’s blasphemy law. They argue that, even if Ireland does not prosecute under this law, it serves as an excuse and even an example for countries who do. MEXICO The (scarily shady) mayor of the tiny town of Pueblo Nuevo Solistahuacan had 14 kids arrested for trick or…
Read More » -
Joss Whedon hates “feminist”
“I hate ‘feminist.’ Is this a good time to bring that up?” Joss says as he begins his talk at an Equality Now benefit dinner. And people got angry. He explains that he doesn’t hate feminists. And then he goes on to say AMAZING things that made me want to hug him. Joss Whedon hates the word “feminist” but he…
Read More » -
When Doubt is a Poison
Stories of sexual harassment in the science and skeptic communities are nothing new around here, despite the efforts of far too many people to dismiss them. To understand the impact of these instances on a particular survivor, I recommend that you read carefully a recent essay by my friend and mentor, Pamela Gay, about her own issues with harassment and…
Read More » -
You Can’t Fight the Gender Binary with Transphobia
A couple of days ago DJ Grothe, president of the James Randi Educational Foundation, posted a transphobic status update on Facebook reading While it is certainly possible this person, who Grothe assumed to be a transsexual, was indeed trying to challenge the gender binary, his post is not. The very idea of passing is derived from gender binary thinking. If his…
Read More » -
Anti-Rape Device Locks Out Women Most Vulnerable to Sexual Assault
[Content Notice: sexual assault, rape, transphobic violence] A few days ago, an Indiegogo campaign came to my attention. Called “AR Wear – Confidence & Protection That Can Be Worn,” the product is basically underwear that attempts to thwart rape by being… impregnable? impenetrable? (I can’t seem to think of terms that don’t sound like bad wordplays here). The two women…
Read More »
