Blog posts from June 2010
Call for Submissions for a Fat Studies Anthology
by Philippa Willitts // 30 June 2010, 20:19
A call for submissions for a Fat Studies anthology
So long and thanks for all the fish!
by Anji Capes // 30 June 2010, 16:28
So today marks my last day as a guest blogger here at The F Word. I've had an utterly fabulous time and Helen G has really outdone herself as my blogging buddy and has been endlessly patient with my constant...
MoD challenged on women's representation
by zohra moosa // 30 June 2010, 13:58
Yesterday Baroness Kinnock, who was appointed Minister for International Violence Against Women on International Women's Day this year after work done by ActionAid, submitted a parliamentary question to the new government which highlights its lack of women ministers (she uses...
Identity Documents Bill reaches Committee stage
by Helen G // 30 June 2010, 10:01
Having completed its First and Second Readings, the Identity Documents Bill 2010-11 has now reached the Committee stage of its progress through the House of Commons, according to the Parliament UK website. The committee's consideration of the Bill is scheduled...
New review: My Animal Life
by Jess McCabe // 28 June 2010, 19:13
Novelist Maggie Gee deals with the familiar subject-matter of family life and struggling artist, but Bidisha finds the results far from ordinary My Animal Life is the true story of the novelist Maggie Gee's life as it develops - no,...
How do you teach a child about sex?
by Anji Capes // 27 June 2010, 20:44
As a parent, sex education for children is something that’s really important to me. I want my son to grow up with a healthy view of sex and relationships. I want him, if and when he becomes sexually active, to...
Sport's last taboo?
by Carrie Dunn // 26 June 2010, 21:30
I've just been catching up with all the television I've missed recently, including a documentary from BBC One's Inside Sport segment entitled 'The Last Taboo'. The idea behind this programme was to examine the issue of sexuality in sport in...
New feature: Sarkless Kitty and the ghosts of misogyny
by Jess McCabe // 26 June 2010, 09:45
A young woman transgresses against the strict gender roles of her time. Katharine Edgar considers the seed of truth behind ghost stories such as Sarkless Kitty Between 1787 and 1809, at Lowna in the valley of Farndale in the North...
The gendered impact of the emergency Budget
by Jess McCabe // 24 June 2010, 12:06
The cuts have started, the emergency Budget is out. As Fawcett sets out the cuts are going to hit women hard. As Ceri Goddard says: Reducing women’s economic security in this way risks rolling back on women’s independence - as...
Women! Know your place!
by Lynne Miles // 24 June 2010, 11:41
New pronouncement from the National Institute for Heath and Clinical Excellence (NICE): all pregnant women should be routinely breath-tested for carbon monoxide to see whether they're telling the truth about whether they smoke, and how much. Remember, women: you are...
Prize draw!
by Jess McCabe // 23 June 2010, 22:45
We want to say thank you to all the FANTASTIC supporters of The F-Word, who contribute to our fundraising drive. Our £3,000 goal is just in sight but we cannot do it without you. If everyone contributes just a little...
Dates set for Ladyfest Ten
by Jess McCabe // 23 June 2010, 19:52
Get out your diary, the dates for the 10th anniversary of Ladyfest have been set. Ladyfest Ten will take place from 12-14 November across a number of North London locations, organisers have announced. The line-up is not yet available, however:...
Abbottmania?
by Lynne Miles // 23 June 2010, 19:23
I’ve been keeping up with the Labour leadership elections recently. We’ve talked about how until Abbott threw her hat in the ring it was a race populated by white men who were apparently very similar in a lot of...
Small Commitment for a Big Society
by Philippa Willitts // 21 June 2010, 19:44
Philippa posts a campaign by Rape Crisis to secure sustainable funding for Rape Crisis centres across England and Wales.
UK fails trafficking victims
by Jess McCabe // 21 June 2010, 19:09
Worrying news about the failures of the UK's approach to human trafficking, as ill-equipped Border Agency staff react to victims with an anti-immigrant mentality. The major report by a coalition including Anti-Slavery International, Amnesty International UK and TARA, is...
New review: Love: Sacred and Profane
by Jess McCabe // 21 June 2010, 12:04
Kaite Welsh reviews a performance of “romantic duets and melancholy ayres” by new opera ensemble En Travesti Thanks to its somewhat stuffy reputation, you'd be forgiven for not knowing that there is a long tradition of gender-bending in classical music....
How do you raise a child in a feminist manner?
by Anji Capes // 20 June 2010, 17:04
One of the things I was certain of, even throughout my pregnancy, was that I wanted to instil a sense of fairness and equality in my child. I didn’t really know how I was going to do it, but I...
A cultural relativism too far
by Naomi Mc // 20 June 2010, 14:38
There have been a few stories in the press recently which have put the issue of female genital mutilation back on the agenda. Female genital mutilation (sometimes referred to as female circumcision or female genital cutting) is the practice of...
Lugar Común - Common Place
by Jess McCabe // 18 June 2010, 22:17
What is the relationship between domestic workers and women who employ them? How does the hierarchy of this situation play out? 50 pairs of women - domestic workers and their employers - posed for photographs in "equalising" white shirts, with...
Spoonless Substitute
by Philippa Willitts // 18 June 2010, 19:12
Philippa's round-up of blog posts and news articles which have caught her eye.
First, do no harm
by Jolene Tan // 17 June 2010, 21:01
[Note: I've changed the wording of this post because children with clitorises may not necessarily be girls. In the interests of transparency, I've indicated my earlier error with the strikethrough tag. My apologies for the earlier sloppiness. It seems to...
UK Government "committed" to GLb(t) anti discrimination and prejudice plan
by Helen G // 16 June 2010, 20:44
According to this Press Release, the Minister for Women and Equalities, Theresa May today set out "an ambitious cross-government programme of work" with the admirable intention of tackling anti GLb(t) prejudice, including these aims: a commitment to remove historical convictions...
Police Chiefs Neglect Forced Marriage Road Shows
by Shiha Kaur // 16 June 2010, 19:16
Karma Nirvana, the charity that supports victims of forced marriage, is running a series of road shows to raise awareness about young people at risk of being forced into marriage. Survivors will be touring the country to speak out against...
One to watch: Nurse Jackie
by Jess McCabe // 15 June 2010, 20:23
Nurse Jackie is almost enough to return my faith in television to deliver interesting female characters and plot lines, particularly roles for older female actors. Season two just finished on US television, and I hear it will probably arrive on...
New review: The real story of The Last Station
by Jess McCabe // 15 June 2010, 08:32
Many married women will identify with Helen Mirren’s portrayal of Sofya, in a film set during the last months of Leo Tolstoy’s life, argues Rosjke Hasseldine Reading the reviews of the movie The Last Station confirms my fears - its...
BBC Radio Wales Debate on Chivalry
by Holly Combe // 14 June 2010, 21:32
It's a well worn concept that one might have hoped would have been replaced with a more universal standard of politeness by now but, even in 2010, the chivalrous conduct of men (or the bemoaned lack of it) is still...
Waterstones LSE, London - Tuesday 15th
by Catherine Redfern // 14 June 2010, 19:33
In London? Nothing to on Tuesday 15th June? Come and join me as I'll be speaking at 6pm at the Waterstones LSE / Economists bookshop, London about my book with Kristin Aune, Reclaiming The F Word, and what we're...
Future Sex panel at BFI in London
by Jess McCabe // 14 June 2010, 16:54
UPDATE: I forgot to link up the event page on the BFI website, here it is for those interested in purchasing tickets. I'm so annoyed I can't make this one: the BFI is hosting a panel on "science fiction as...
Feminists of Harrogate unite!
by Guest Blogger // 14 June 2010, 15:08
Are you in Harrogate? Local group Harrogate Feminists introduce themselves We are a new feminist group, setting up in June 2010. We have been concerned about how the children of the internet generation are dealing with all the spoken and...
Party for Ladyfest Ten
by Jess McCabe // 11 June 2010, 20:19
Feminist party organisers Girl Germs are hosting a fundraiser to support Ladyfest Ten: They explain: The thing is, in order to put on the greatest Ladyfest the world has ever seen, we need to raise some money. This Girl Germs...
£1,500 raised: half way there!
by Lynne Miles // 11 June 2010, 15:20
We've just received a donation from a kind reader that takes us an amazing half way to our fund-raising target of £3,000 in less than two weeks, the majority of which has come from small donations from individual readers. We...
Borderline Personality Disorder - a feminist critique
by Anji Capes // 11 June 2010, 14:32
Among my many diagnoses, I have what is known in the UK as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (Of The Borderline Type), known elsewhere as Borderline Personality Disorder. BPD is described by Wikipedia as “a prolonged disturbance of personality function ......
Calling Labour members: Lead for Women
by Jess McCabe // 10 June 2010, 11:57
Labour members may want to sign this letter to all the candidates for party leader, urging them to Lead for Women: Will you lead for women? We are writing to you as women activists from across the Labour Party, who...
50:50 coalition to back 50% shadow cabinet quota
by Jess McCabe // 10 June 2010, 01:01
A coalition of women's groups has formed to back Harriet Harman's proposal that the shadow Cabinet should be made up of women and men in equal numbers, and support women's representation in politics. From the press release: Alison Clarke,...
Wednesday round-up
by Jess McCabe // 9 June 2010, 20:11
Reporting from their first Women Speak Out event in London, the discussion ranged over some interesting territory, from the impact of the recession to fear of violence against women and education. The daily dramas of a cast of 20-somethings...
Fact is a feminist issue
by Naomi Mc // 9 June 2010, 18:00
One of the reasons why I started blogging was because I was sick at screaming at newspapers’ science stories. Now of course there are a lot of great bloggers and writers tackling the issue of bad science reporting in the...
£1,200 raised so far! Thank you!!
by Jess McCabe // 9 June 2010, 13:48
Thanks to you, F-Word readers, we have raised £1,200 towards The F-Word redesign in the first week. A massive, massive thank you to everyone who has contributed so far, getting us more than a third of the way towards our...
New review: Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
by Jess McCabe // 8 June 2010, 20:44
A film which flirts with issues such as body image, but models a disappointingly passive approach to relationships for teenage girls and reinforces stereotypes, argues Carina Schneider Why of all films in the world would I choose to see this...
Victory for Syrian women's rights activists (as reported by detained hitchhiker Sarah Shourd)
by Jess McCabe // 8 June 2010, 20:21
Shane Bauer, Sarah Shourd and Josh Fattal have been in a Tehran prison for nearly a year, after straying accidentally into Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan during a hike. A few days before their arrest, Sara Shourd filed a story with...
Introducing our second June guest blogger...
by Laura Woodhouse // 8 June 2010, 13:55
A big welcome to our second guest blogger for this month (and into July, as we're a bit late getting her started - blame my crappy internet access!), Naomi Mc: Naomi Mc blogs at Vagina Dentata, a feminist blog on...
O brave new world
by Jolene Tan // 7 June 2010, 23:52
Brace yourselves: you’ll need a strong stomach for this one.Here is a story (via Womanist Musings) of girls in the Sodavas and Girvas villages of Rajasthan, many of whom are kidnapped in infancy and brought there. When aged 6-10, they...
50% women for Labour's shadow Cabinet?
by Jess McCabe // 7 June 2010, 20:43
Harriet Harman may have ruled herself out of the Labour leadership contest, but she's certainly not stepping back from influencing the party. Last week, she called for a change in the rules to ensure an equal 50:50 split of women...
Book Launch - and Discount for Readers
by Catherine Redfern // 7 June 2010, 20:21
Discount for F word readers - see end of post On Thursday we celebrated the launch of my book with Kristin Aune, Reclaiming The F Word! We're proud to be part of a series of UK feminist books published recently,...
"SMASH ON MULTIPLE FRONTS"
by Jess McCabe // 7 June 2010, 15:38
Feminist tweeters will need no introduction to @feministhulk - but will still appreciate Ms Magazine's interview with the green feminist superhero and "literary life-partner, J": feministhulk: IN BEGINNING, HULK SMASH FOR LOVE OF SMASH. LATER, HULK REALIZE CRAVING FOR SMASH...
Brontë Sisters Power Dolls!
by Jess McCabe // 7 June 2010, 13:57
I realise this video has done the rounds of feminist blogs already, but somehow we managed to miss it - so, for a bit of Monday afternoon feminist fun:...
Welcome to Jenny Williamson, The F-Word's first pictures editor!
by Jess McCabe // 6 June 2010, 19:34
Welcome to Jenny Williamson, who has taken up the role of pictures editor and researcher for The F-Word. With Jenny's help, we're going to be including more illustrations, including original artwork, in our features and reviews. We advertised for the...
Dictionary corner: gayjacking
by Helen G // 6 June 2010, 16:40
Gayjacking: A portmanteau word combining gay and hijacking, it refers to the process by which TS/TG people's self-identification is invisibilised and our lived experiences appropriated and repositioned to fit cis people's agenda, and exempt themselves from acknowledging their own privileges...
Greencoat Boy Packs a Punch to Equality.
by Philippa Willitts // 5 June 2010, 23:04
Philippa reports about the LGBT Labour group being told they would not be served in a bar because they of their sexualities.
New review: One book - three reviews
by Jess McCabe // 5 June 2010, 12:49
Reviewing a book co-authored by Catherine, founder of The F-Word, was always going to be an interesting one. In a break from our usual review style, I asked three women to tackle Reclaiming the F Word: The New Feminist Movement....
Refugee and Migrant Justice needs your help!
by Anji Capes // 4 June 2010, 19:27
Refugee and Migrant Justice is a charity who provide free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants in the UK, including victims of trafficking and separated children. They are, in their own words, "the largest specialist...
Andrea Waddell: murder trial verdict (4 June 2010)
by Helen G // 4 June 2010, 16:57
Breaking now; more to follow later: Neil McMillan has been found guilty of murdering Andrea Waddell and jailed for at least 22 years. Via BBC News, Press Association and others: A man has been found guilty of murdering a woman...
SATC2 fail
by Lynne Miles // 4 June 2010, 11:22
*note: trying not to drop any major spoilers, but if you literally don't want to know anything about this film before you've seen it, look away now!* I went to see Sex and the City 2 last Friday, with a...
Find your local feminist group!
by Catherine Redfern // 3 June 2010, 11:55
UK Feminista have published a map showing local feminist groups. It's quite exciting to look at! Contact them to get your group added. More details on their website...
Support The F-Word redesign, post our banner
by Jess McCabe // 3 June 2010, 00:06
Do you have a blog or website? One way you can help us reach our £3,000 target is to spread the word. You can post our banner on your blog, just copy and paste this code! <a href="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_sxclick&hosted_button_id=6YWF8LSQQZXZA" title="Donate to...
Our first £300! Thank you!
by Lynne Miles // 2 June 2010, 12:22
Just now we received a donation which tipped us over the £300 mark, bringing us one tenth of the way to our fund-raising goal, marking the first point on our fund-raising thermometer, and almost half way to our first milestone...
New feature: Is it time for abortion to return to the political agenda?
by Jess McCabe // 2 June 2010, 10:27
Anti-choice lobbyists are gearing up as the new coalition government settles in. We should not let them define the terms of debate, says Lisa Ansell, instead we should push for women’s right to access abortion to be shored up I...
RIP Louise Bourgeois
by Jess McCabe // 1 June 2010, 22:22
Louise Bourgeois died yesterday aged 98. The New York Times says: Louise Bourgeois, the French-born American artist who gained fame only late in a long career, when her psychologically charged abstract sculptures, drawings and prints had a galvanizing effect on...
Last chance to send your support to Sr McBride
by Anji Capes // 1 June 2010, 19:21
Today is the last day in which to send messages of support to Sr McBride of St Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. For those who don't know, Sr McBride has been declared excommunicated from the Catholic church for her part...
Introducing our new guest blogger!
by Helen G // 1 June 2010, 19:06
I'm posting this by way of an introduction to Anji Capes, one of our two guest bloggers who'll be posting here during June. Anji is a 24-year-old woman, mother and radical feminist living in Portsmouth with her young son, her...
Sign petition to drop plans to make rape defendants anonymous
by Jess McCabe // 1 June 2010, 18:57
If you oppose the Tory-Liberal Democrat plan to grant anonymity to defendants in rape cases, then you may want to sign this petition calling on Justice Secretary Ken Clarke to drop the idea. There is also an Early Day Motion,...
New EFC blog
by Laura Woodhouse // 1 June 2010, 18:46
Missing our Education For Choice guest bloggers? Never fear! They've now set up their own blog at www.educationforchoice.blogspot.com. Recent posts highlight the Marie Stopes Helpline advert aired last week, celebrate a reduction in the UK abortion rate last year and...
Founder of The F-Word, Catherine Redfern, has co-authored a new book with Kristin Aune. Find out more at the 
