28 September 2006

French feminists fight stoning advocate

The French feminist group Regards de femmes is calling for the government to refuse permission for a scholar to enter the country, because he supports death by stoning as a punishment for adulterous women. According to wire reports, Hani Ramadan… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 28 September 2006

Culture Club

Complaints about sexism in the world of comics are never hard to come by. But Alison Bechdel has been providing a counterpoint to the world of capes and silly costumes since 1983, when she began the newspaper strip Dykes to… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 28 September 2006

27 September 2006

Chavez support for Iran ignores women

Hugo Chavez has charmed the left wing with bold social reforms in Venezuela and an exciting disregard for the feelings of the US president. But over at Women’s eNews, Jennifer Fasuloargues he has gone too far in his support… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 27 September 2006

26 September 2006

US immigration law discriminates against lesbians

Reforms to US immigration law are bypassing lesbian couples, according to a story on Women’s eNews. Perhaps unsurprisingly in the current political climate states-side, efforts to legalise the status of millions of migrant workers have ignored the plight of same-sex… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 26 September 2006

Support women, go to the cinema

If we want to see more women film-makers, we should support their work through the boxoffice, argues Natasha Walter in Comment Is Free today. Walter takes her queue from the First Weekender Group in the US, which corrals support for… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 26 September 2006

Kerrang Magazine

Paper Dolls: Searching for Women within Kerrang Magazine Collette explains how Kerrang magazine lets down female rock fans. Analysing a recent issue, she looks at how rarely female artists are seriously covered, and finds that even when women are included… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 26 September 2006

25 September 2006

Women's rights activist killed in Afghanistan

A women’s rights activist has been shot dead in Afghanistan, after the government refused to provide bodyguards or offical transportation. The Times reports that Safia Ama Jan was getting into a car outside her house when she was shot at… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 25 September 2006

Maxim shows its ugl(ier) side

Maxim has published a list of TV’s “least appealing ladies”, provoking a storm of criticism across the blogosphere. The lad’s mag is better known for its list of the top 100 hottest (celebrity) women, which sparked off the idea for… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 25 September 2006

22 September 2006

Shocking language in Daily Mail

Unlikely as it might seem, I read a piece in the Daily Mail this morning which contained the phrase \x93powerful gender stereotypes\x94. In context, and with no trace of sarcasm. Honestly, you go on holiday for one short week and… Read more...

Posted by Lynne Miles at 22 September 2006

Independent blacks up Moss

Yesterday the Independent devoted its entire front page to a “blacked up” photo of Kate Moss, supposedly to highlight the plight of African women. It’s unfathomable to me how the Independent, usually so clued-up, could publish sometime so racist… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 September 2006

Canadian conservatives may cut funding for women's groups

Canada’s conservative government may be about to abolish an agency that provides funding for women’s groups. According to the Toronto Star, the minister in charge of the agency’s budget is refusing to answer questions on its future. Bev Oda, the… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 22 September 2006

20 September 2006

Women's health special

The 23rd Carnival of Feminists is up with a special looking at women’s health issues. Plenty of incredible feminist writing to keep you occupied for several days. In a similar vein, I received information about an interesting sounding new site,… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 20 September 2006

Sweden swings to the right

Sweden has elected a right-of-centre government, kicking out the Social Democrats that defined the country’s much envied social model. Why? Polly Toynbee says it’s all about the women. Sweden’s women ministers fumed during the campaign as Persson ignored the party’s… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 20 September 2006

I am not an ifeminist

What, you might ask, is an ifeminist? Is it a feminist autobot, come to replace your humble human bloggers completely? Well, no. It’s an individualist feminist. According to ifeminists.com: As the cost of freedom, ifeminists accept personal responsibility for their… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 20 September 2006

19 September 2006

New Article & Review

Women Are Not In Fashion This season’s must-have fashion choices include the pre-pubescent child or the porn star; both one-dimensional images of female passivity and compliance. Where is the space for real, complex women in our culture and in fashion?… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 September 2006

Interesting stuff round up

Some interesting stuff I’ve been looking at lately…. “Lad mags would be moved to the top shelf if they featured men in similar poses” claim the creators of http://ladsmags.blogspot.com/, who set out to prove their point in a rather hilarious… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 19 September 2006

Steinem starts radio station for knitters and cookers

Gloria Steinem, Jane Fonda and “other prominent women” have launched a new radio station in the US, catering specifically for women. Now, a whole radio station for women run at least partly by a feminist sounds like a good idea…. Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 19 September 2006

18 September 2006

Michigan festival slaps down transwomen, betrays feminism

Before I start, I’d just like to say I hate stories like this. As if it wasn’t enough that we’ve had the breast wars last week, now the Michigan Womyn’s Festival has said that transgender women can buy tickets, but… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 18 September 2006

Male lapdancers?

Women in Birmingham will soon have the chance to visit the nation’s first male lapdancing club. In a report for the Guardian, Ellie Levenson remains unconvinced: Although Tricky Dicky’s is likely to see a lot of business from groups of… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 18 September 2006

Palestinian feminist to speak in London

If you’re in London looking for something to do next Friday, you could do worse than to head over to Stoke Newington to listen to Palestinian activist Rauda Morcos speak. Morcos founded Aswat, the Palestinian feminist lesbian organisation. It sounds… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 18 September 2006

17 September 2006

The end of the macho

Masculinity has to go. Or at least that’s the conclusion of Robert Jensen, author of The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege, in this AlterNet opinion piece. If masculinity is defined as conquest, it means that men… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 17 September 2006

13 September 2006

Pakistan caves in on rape law

Pakistan is to vote on whether to relax its tough rape laws, which require that a woman present four male witnesses to secure a conviction. Rape is currently tried under religious laws, and if a woman fails to prove her… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 13 September 2006

11 September 2006

Ladyfest Newcastle - 22-24 Sept

If you’ve never attended a Ladyfest, you’re really missing out on modern feminist culture today; the events are always fun, vibrant, creative, passionate, and inspiring. So if you’re in the North East, you’re in for a real treat because Ladyfest… Read more...

Posted by Catherine Redfern at 11 September 2006

5 September 2006

Female teachers struggle to make Head

Although women make up two-thirds of the teaching workforce, they are still too few women in managerial positions, according to a survey by the General Teaching Council of England. As the Guardian reports, female teachers are held back by career… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 5 September 2006

2 September 2006

Female priests stick it to Vatican

Women in the Roman Catholic church are working to subvert the Vatican’s opposition to female priests by getting ordained under psuedonyms. Nerve.com interviews the recently enpriestened Jean Marie Marchant, and suggests that this movement could spur the creation of a… Read more...

Posted by Jess McCabe at 2 September 2006