I know I've been a little tardy with the Friday Buzzworthy posts. If you're like me, you don't have much time during the week to keep up on all the local and national news. So I've wrangled up some of the most buzzworthy headlines of the week for your reading convenience. Some are infuriating, some are inspiring. But they're all worth a quick read - and you'll have something to chat about next time you get caught in a watercooler huddle, or an awkward dinner party.
Ready? Here we go:
Trayvon Martin's death is an LGBT issue, and here's why.
Democratic political commentator Hilary Rosen made the "mistake" of revealing GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's wife Ann's lack of work-force experience on TV the other night.
While everything she said is pretty much true, her indiscretion is causing an uproar evocative of the "Mommy Wars" of the '80s and '90s. My two cents? There's a huge difference between being an average American mom and being a wealthy white politician's wife who has the privilege of not having to worry about providing an income for her family.
PS - If the work of stay-at-home-moms is so valuable to you (like it is to me), how 'bout you legislate it?
Here's the fantabulous essay she wrote for The Daily Beast speaking out against the cultural attitudes toward women that make our bodies the object of constant public ridicule. Read more about what kind of an impact this role model's action this week is having on women here.
That's gonna wrap it up from the MWC this afternoon. I'm gonna go get my Friday on. Be safe and super-smart this weekend, folks.
Obama's controversial birth control mandate, which would require religious institutions to provide insurance that would cover birth control costs, has been lauded by feminists and human rights activists, but faced push-back from right-wing house and senate members, resulting in an all-male discussion of the matter at a Congressional hearing on Thursday.
Pop Star Rihanna's abusive ex, Chris Brown, was welcomed back to the Grammys with open arms Sunday evening. His two live performances and Grammy win come on the heels of a three-year absence from the awards ceremony following public outrage at his 2009 beating of then-girlfriend Rihanna. There's also evidence that the couple may reunite: Brown helped Rihanna celebrate her birthday on Monday, and a musical collaboration has recently been announced. Critics of domestic violence and victim advocates say a reconciliation between Rihanna and Chris Brown wouldn't be suprising, but the social acceptability of such a celebrity reunion speaks volumes about our casual attitudes toward domestic violence.
Sarah Palin is going to Save America! by maybe running for President.
Rick Santorum campaign donor Foster Friess says women don't need contraception coverage - they just need to hold an aspirin between their knees.
Fox News contributor Liz Trotta showed her true (pro-military, anti-feminist) colors on Sunday, claiming that women in the military should expect to be raped, and that the Pentagon is spending way too much money on prevention and support services for victims of sexual violence in the Military. Read the entire interview here.
If investing in the prevention of sexual violence against military women is such an offensive waste of money by the government, why isn't Liz Trotta concerned about the trillions of dollars our government spends on war (which happens to be a major contributing factor to the rape culture in which we live)?
She's right about one thing - if we continue to institutionalize systems that support and promote sexual violence, women will continue to be victimized. Trotta is, of course, grotesquely out of touch (but in tune with dominant rape-casual attitudes that blame victims rather than perpetrators) when she places the responsibility of prevention on women who experience sexual violence in the military.
Where Trotta falls especially short, however, is in the assertion that the military's preventive strategy is problematic and wasteful. At the very least, we need more victim advocates, crisis counselors, and "response coordinators" on the scene. Perhaps, though, a better solution would be to address the underlying causal attitudes and problematic cultural paradigm that accepts sexual violence as an inevitable fact of life, particularly in the military. The fact that the number of violent sexual assaults has jumped so noticeably over the past six years says something important - maybe rather than talking about how women in the military are asking to be raped simply by being there, we should address the myriad ways in which military culture hyper-genders men and reinforces the idea that violent behavior is a definitive expression of masculinity and power.
Greetings! My name is Yodit Tesfaye and I am the new Public Poilcy Intern at Minnesota Women’s Consortium for the Spring semester. I am really excited and privileged to have the opportunity to work with an organization that fights for equality and justice for women. My duties include tracking policies that are currently impacting women nationwide and statewide as well as updating the Capitol Bulletin,e-newsletter, blogging, facebook and twitter.
To tell you a little about myself, I was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Minnesota.Every winter, I question why my parents picked MN but I have grown to love the state and the vibrant diverse community in the Twin Cities. My country is sometimes referred to as the country of “13 months of sunshine” so it definitely took time to get used to MN. I am currently a senior at the University of Minnesota:Twin Cities majoring in Global Studies with an emphasis on Human Rights and minoring in Spanish. I am passionate about topics in Human Rights, Public Policy and would love to continue my studies in the area.
When I am not in school/work, I like spending time at church, meditating, spending time with family and friends, listening to spoken words, dancing like no one is watching, zumba workouts and traveling! I have studied abroad in Venezuela, visited Israel, Bethlehem and I recently got back from a student exchange program in Japan. I was fortunate to learn about different cultures and it gave me a chance to learn about others.
Please let me know if you have any questions for me! It is great to be part of a wonderful organization that advocates for women’s rights! I love the office atmosphere and the lunch conversations! :)
Check out the blog posts to learn and share ideas!
"Pregnancy Centers Come Under Fire for Abortion Info"
NARAL Pro-Choice Minnesota released a report this week which chronicled the types of information given to women who seek help at crisis pregnancy centers. Get the full story from the Star Tribune.
"Birth Control for Men?"
Ms. Magazine's blog takes another look at what new birth control methods developed for men might look like. For the full story see the Ms. Magazine Blog.
"Duluth Joins Campaign to Defeat the Marriage Amendment"
The Duluth City Council just announced they voted to formally oppose the Marriage Amendment which will appear on the ballot in November. Check out MNUnited.org or the Duluth News Tribune for more information.
"Taboos Undercut Nepal's Marital Rape Law"
Some women in Nepal are trying to figure out how to handle marital rape and domestic violence. Get the full story at WomensENews.org.
"Pittsburgh's Milk Truck Breaks for Nursing Moms"
A new organization is blooming in Pittsburgh. Figure out why it might soon be easier to breastfeed on the streets from WomensENews.
"Finally, Finally! FBI's 'Forcible Rape' Definition is Officially History"
It's official, the FBI has changed their definition of rape - which means statistics will better reflect actual incidences of sexual assault. This change will also help highlight better ways to fight rape culture and stop sexual violence. Get the full story at Ms. Magazine's Blog.
"Yale University Discovers Firsthand the Awful Results of Gender Cohabitation"
The results are in! And they're not awful - they're actually exactly what you might expect. Check out Yale University's foray into mixed gender on-campus housing in this Jezebel article.
"The Tea Party's Not-So-Civil War"
For an in-depth look at how the Tea Party functions, what they're thinking about the upcoming election and an all in all great read, hit up this New York Times Magazine article.
"Who Needs New Hampshire? Minneapolis Election Winners: Susan Allen and Kari Dziedzic"
In a special election this week Susan Allen became the first Native American woman elected to the Minnesota legislature and Kari Dziedzic won in Senate District 59. For more details on the elections and the elected visit the article on Twin Cities Daily Planet.
"Victims of Eugenics Sterilization in NC to be Compensated"
North Caroline intends to compensate victims of its former eugenics program $50,000 each. Get the full story at Feministing.com.
Here are some highlights from the first week of 2012:
"Employed Students Workload Puts Studies at Risk"
Women are attending college in record numbers and in Minnesota students are working more than ever before to help finance their education. Check out how college students are doing double duty - work and school - in this MPR article.
"Why There's No Such Thing as 'Reverse Racism'"
Our society still struggles with institutions that support domination and discrimination. For an excellent analysis of power structures in society definitely check out this article on Daily Kos.
"Yet Another Huge Comprehensive Study Finds that Abortion Doesn't Cause Mental Health Problems"
While reproductive rights were vehemently attacked in the last legislative session, we can rest assured that legitimate research is on our side. Ms. Magazine Blog reports on a new study regarding the long term effects of abortion.
"Bachmann Ends White House Bid"
After the Iowa caucus earlier this week Rep. Michele Bachmann formally announced the end of her presidential campaign. For more details check out the full article.
Did you get so wrapped up in Halloween celebrations and elections work that you fell behind on the latest headlines? Don't worry, here are a few snippets about what's going on for women's and gender issues in the world.
Minnesota's Sen. Al Franken speaks out in support of the Student Non-Discrimination Act which would provide solutions and support for students victimized based on their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Watch the video below for his remarks during the committee hearing.
