Weekly round-up and open thread

It’s a bumper round-up this week where we share (what we see as) the most interesting and important articles from the previous fortnight, including everything from Love Island to veganism! We’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the issues covered in the articles we’ve picked.

As always, linking to articles does not mean endorsement from the F-Word and certain links may be triggering. We welcome debate in the comments section and on Facebook/Twitter but remind readers that any comments containing sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or disablist language will be deleted immediately.

If you notice that we’ve missed out any important articles from the couple of weeks, feel free to let us know.

Study: male political reporters retweet other dudes 3 times more than their female colleagues (Vox)

From the article: “This is not about algorithms, but about the behaviour of journalists, especially male journalists, and structural inequalities in the journalistic profession.”

The age of patriarchy: how an unfashionable idea became a rallying cry for feminism today (The Guardian)

I Detransitioned. But Not Because I Wasn’t Trans (The Atlantic)

How much hostility is enough? | Windrush 70th Anniversary series (Media Diversified)

From the article: “Even for those who are unfamiliar with immigration law, it’s not difficult to see from the outset how people of colour and people without means will inevitably suffer in this environment. A landlord without a racist bone in his body will fear the consequences of getting something wrong and so will choose to play it safe, renting only to white tenants with Anglo-Saxon names and local accents. Conversely, a nurse who doesn’t have the time between a burst appendix and a compound fracture to check everybody’s paperwork will potentially end up singling out those who look or sound ‘like immigrants’.”

It’s Irrelevant Whether Sex Work is Empowering (Steph Farnsworth, Standup Mag)

Motion To Further Include The Trans Community In Women’s Council Of Ireland Unanimously Passes (Katie Donohoe, gcn)

Power tools for a revolution: the Woman with a Movie Camera Summit 2018 (Anna Coatman, Sight and Sound)

Single black female: Love Island and the problem with race and dating (The Guardian)

The next time you think about doing a bit of working class tourism and dressing up in ‘poorface’, read this (The Independent)

Research Shows Many Trans Folks’ Sexual Attractions Change After Transition (Them)

Love Island normalises emotional abuse – and we call it entertainment (The Guardian)

#DECOLONISINGCONTRACEPTION: How Reproductive Medicine Has Been Used to Oppress People of Colour (gal-dem)

‘This is huge’: black liberationist speaks out after her 40 years in prison (Ed Pilkington, The Guardian)

Standfirst: Debbie Sims Africa, the first freed member of a radical Philadelphia group many say were unjustly imprisoned, talks about reuniting with her son and defends the Move members still locked up: ‘We are peaceful people’.

BBC apologises to Carrie Gracie and admits ex-China editor was underpaid (Press Gazette)

From the article: “She has now received the money she was owed and has said she will donate the full amount to the Fawcett Society to set up a fund for women who need legal advice on equal pay claims. Gracie said: ‘I am glad to have been able to resolve this with the director-general – it shows that we can make progress. I’m also pleased that my work as China editor has now been properly recognised by the BBC and relieved that this difficult period is over. For me, this was always about the principle, rather than the money. I’m delighted to donate all the backdated pay from the BBC to help women striving for equality at work.’ In a tweet, she also thanked everyone who had supported her ‘on this long hard road’.”

Love Island’s Adam Collard accused of ‘gaslighting’ by domestic abuse charity (The Guardian)

I’m An Asexual Sex Worker — And It’s Not As Complex As It Seems (Kitty Stryker, Good)

17 real-life would-you-rathers I, a woman, have had to ask myself (Isabella Giovannini, McSweeneys)

Non-binary person trolled for appearing in lesbian magazine (Eve Hartley, Pink News)

Veganism has a serious race problem (Claire L. Heuchan, Media Diversified)

From the article: “The routine comparisons of animal abuse to the enslavement of Black people shows exactly how little value white members of the vegan community, generally considered a liberal breed, place on Black life. This racism, so casually delivered, is designed to add shock value – to trigger a dietary epiphany. In reality, the only message these campaign materials send to Black people is this: veganism isn’t for you. A quick search of ‘vegan’ images reveals rows of white people gagged, chained, and shackled in order to make a statement.”

The image is used under a creative commons license with thanks to Mike on Flickr. It is a photograph of a heart shape fashioned from pebbles on a sandy beach.