Blog posts from April 2005
Poor women in the US denied abortions, even after rape, incest
By Jess McCabe | 29 April 2005, 12:33
Poor American women who become pregnant after rape or incest are being denied access to abortion, according to Stephanie Poggi from the Centre for American Progress. On AlterNet today, Poggi reports that legal protections that should allow women on Medicaid…
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Women fight it out to be Chile's president
By Jess McCabe | 29 April 2005, 12:03
Two Chilian politicians are fighting it out for a chance to become the country’s first ever female president. Michelle Bachelet and Soledad Alvear are only competing to be the presidential candidate for Chile’s centre-left coalition, but it is widely predicted…
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Women speak out about their abortions
By Jess McCabe | 28 April 2005, 23:15
It’s often said that abortion is not given much in the way of airtime. And certainly not in a way that portrays the complex reasons behind women’s choice to have an abortion. So, following on from I’m not sorry, the…
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Daisy, Daisy ….
By Lynne Miles | 28 April 2005, 11:08
The Guardian today reports concerns from the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), the newest sexual fad amongst schoolchildren is daisy chaining - the practice of group sex (in a circle, or so the rather romantic name for this decidedly non-romantic…
Half of voters will not have the option of voting for a woman
By Jess McCabe | 27 April 2005, 11:28
Just under half of voters in next weeks general election will be denied the opportunity to vote for a woman, the Fawcett Society said today. None of the parties are doing that well, then, but Labour seems to do the…
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Mexico City shelter to house elderly prostitutes
By Jess McCabe | 27 April 2005, 11:12
A new shelter is being set up for elderly survivors of the sex trade in Mexico City, the Guardian reports today. The site of the shelter is a grand, abandoned sports museums, which the local authorities are providing rent free….
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Embroideries
By Jess McCabe | 26 April 2005, 23:39
Nerve is running a really interesting interview with Iranian comic book artist/writer Marjane Satrapi, about her latest comic Embroideries. The comic documents Satrapi and her female friends and relatives talking (mostly about sex) over tea one afternoon. From her comments…
Robert Downey Junior "compliments" Lorraine Kelly
By Louise Livesey | 26 April 2005, 18:58
Viewers of morning TV were apparently concerned by Robert Downey Junior’s “compliment” to presenter Lorraine Kelly on This Morning. Downey, in response to Kelly saying how well he looked, passed remark on Kelly’s “tits”. The outrage, obviously, is that he…
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Be heard
By Jess McCabe | 26 April 2005, 18:09
Women in London have set up a sister site to provide a forum for women to express their views on political issues ahead of the general election. The website, Women and e-democracy is pretty sparse, but includes an online survey….
Women to play golf alongside men
By Jess McCabe | 26 April 2005, 14:41
Women may compete alongside men for the first time at a prestigious golf tournament, the Open at St Andrews. The tournament\x92s organisers have said that American teenager Michelle Wie willbe allowed to play if she qualifies this year. Maybe this…
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Tick, Tock
By Catherine Redfern | 25 April 2005, 22:25
So, the best age for women to start a family is apparently 34. You have to take all these soundbite generalisations with a pinch of salt of course, but at least it’s more refreshing than those doom laden, backlash inspired,…
Do it yourself teenage sex offending
By Barbara Felix | 25 April 2005, 17:49
Alistair Gillespie, of the governments net task force, is calling for a re-think on how we deal with underage sex offenders after the case was dropped against a teenage girl who had taken topless photos of her friends and posted…
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Hidden army of girls uncovered
By Jess McCabe | 25 April 2005, 10:23
Girls around the world are being abducted and forced to work in the army, as soldiers, porters, cooks and cleaners, according to a report by Save the Children. Most of them are also forced to serve as sex slaves or…
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London women win recognition
By Jess McCabe | 24 April 2005, 20:41
Southwark Council are giving the public a chance to vote for who should be the recipients (both people and places) of the next round of blue plaques, commemorating the history of the area. There a couple of interesting ones, including…
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Fairytales are bad for you, it's (kind of) official
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2005, 12:26
An American psychotherapist is to present a paper next month that suggests reading too many fairytales featuring submissive role models is bad for girls. As reported in the Guardian, Susan Darker-Smith found that women who were stuck in abusive relationships…
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Selfridges Boob?
By Catherine Redfern | 23 April 2005, 11:57
The window displays at Selfridges, Oxford Street, London are “legendary” and “groundbreaking”; they also seem to have somewhat of an obsession with stripping and sex work. A few years ago, in collaboration with Stringfellows, the windows contained live pole dancers;…
Vagina badge sparks contraversy
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2005, 11:44
Here is a story (via Boing Boing)which is interesting on a couple of levels. A teenager in the US has been banned from wearing an ‘I (heart) my vagina’ badge, the Winona Daily News reports. In most UK schools, wearing…
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Pilot wins sex discrimination case
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2005, 11:17
A pilot who flies for British Airways has won her landmark sex discrimination case. Jessica Starmer, who has a young child, found it difficult to cope with the long and irregular hours of a full-time pilot, and asked to work…
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Musical doctors
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2005, 14:11
The life of Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, the first female doctor in the UK, is to be turned into a musical. According to this local news story, it is to be funded by the Camden Central Partnership, which exists to promote…
Ball Breaking Millionaire Females
By Lynne Miles | 22 April 2005, 13:59
Thoroughly objectionable article in The Telegraph today \x96 a new report published today by the Centre for Economic and Business Research for the Liverpool Victoria Friendly Society indicates that in 20 years\x92 time there will be more female millionaires than…
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Sexism in the FT
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2005, 11:19
It is annoying to find outdated, sexist sentiments, where-ever you find them. But it is even more annoying when you find sexism in the headline of a newspaper article that is purporting to highlight an example of discrimination against women….
Position Offered: Editor, Cambourne Chronicle
By Lynne Miles | 22 April 2005, 11:01
The editor of The Chronicle, the parish magazine for Cambourne, West Cornwall, has come under fire after half of the magazine\x92s 550 subscribers cancelled their subscriptions as a result of his lampooning of the local Women\x92s Institute. Dr Morley defends…
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"Moulin Rouge meets Chicks on Speed"
By Lynne Miles | 22 April 2005, 10:46
Immodesty Blaize, \x91queen of British burlesque\x92 starts a run at the Arts Theatre on 20th April. The show is billed as \x93a seductive blend of hot charm and high camp\x94 and was featured in the Sunday Times Magazine last weekend,…
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We Love A Wife Beater, We Do
By Lynne Miles | 21 April 2005, 13:23
So apparently it\x92s okay to hit your wife, as long as you\x92re a lovable rogue with it. And, let\x92s face it, if you write a book about it afterwards saying how terribly remorseful you are, we\x92ll probably even shower you…
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My Name is Rachel Corrie
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2005, 13:58
Guardian journalist Katherine Viner and the stupendous actor Alan Rickman have co-written a play about Rachel Corrie, the American activist who was killed by an Israeli bulldozer when she was protesting the destruction of Palestinian homes. My Name is Rachel…
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Women's votes?
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2005, 11:54
For anyone agonising over how to vote in the upcoming elections, the Fawcett Society has put together a neat booklet comparing the main parties’ policies on issues of concern to women. The news is good (a bit), with all of…
New pope has 'limited' understanding of women
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2005, 08:47
So, the white smoke has puffed out of the holy chimney, the bells have rung, and the world’s 1 billion Catholics have a new pope. I for one am already worried. The German Joseph Ratzinger is a hardline right winger,…
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Further assault on reproductive rights of US women
By Lynne Miles | 19 April 2005, 18:29
Pursuant to recent attempts by the evangelical Christian right in America to outlaw abortion, reports have been coming through recently of pharmacists refusing to complete prescriptions for the Morning After Pill (MAP), and even the contraceptive pill where it “goes…
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Woman attempts gruelling army training
By Jess McCabe | 19 April 2005, 09:01
A 23 year-old from Birmingham is to attempt one of the most gruelling training regimes in the world, in a bid to become the army\x92s first female Para. Lieutenant Jenny Hands said in the Scotsman “I am looking forward to…
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Today's Gender Transgressors
By Catherine Redfern | 18 April 2005, 23:39
I just realised why I stopped reading the METRO; it’s guaranteed to make any commute more infuriating. For starters, Page 3 of today’s issue highlighted the apparently newsworthy fact that at the Bafta TV Awards, David Walliams from Little Britain…
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Bam Bam and Celeste
By Jess McCabe | 18 April 2005, 22:24
Fans of the unstoppable Margaret Cho will be excited to know that filming has just wrapped on her first self-written movie, Bam Bam and Celeste. According to the press release, “In Bam Bam and Celeste, Celeste (Margaret Cho) and Bam…
What's Your Pleasure?
By Holly Combe | 18 April 2005, 17:02
Madeleine Bunting’s recent Guardian article, The Price of Pleasure, rightly draws attention to contraception’s failure to break the link between sex and reproduction. But is it really true that such a link is “wishfully ignored”? We are, after all, talking…
Girls still not getting a fair deal in school
By Jess McCabe | 18 April 2005, 11:51
UNICEF is set to release a report today showing mixed progress in getting more girls into school around the world. According to the report, there are now the same number of girls as boys in school, world-wide. However, there is…
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Palindromes - choosing sides?
By Jess McCabe | 16 April 2005, 20:36
Todd Solondz is a director who provokes strong reactions. From ‘Welcome to the Dollshouse’ to ‘Storytelling’, Solondz thrives on controversial, whacked out, grim and gritty stereo-type busting. So it should come as no surprise that he has entered into America’s…
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The Dove Effect
By Catherine Redfern | 16 April 2005, 15:43
Dove have recently brought out a new wave of adverts under the banner of its “Campaign for Real Beauty”. Feminists have been divided over the ads. Some expressed concerns over the term “real women”, the emphasis on selling “firming products”,…
Vive La Similarite!
By Catherine Redfern | 16 April 2005, 14:36
I always thought it was really cool when a close male friend would drop the phrase “male intuition” into conversation. “How’d you guess?” I’d say, and he’d shrug nonchalantly: “Male intuition”. It made me smile, and I appreciated the anti…
Andrea Dworkin 1946-2005
By Lynne Miles | 15 April 2005, 11:11
Many of you will have already heard about the untimely death of Andrea Dworkin last weekend. She died in her sleep, aged 59. You can read a biography of Andrea (which she prepared before her death) on the Women in…
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