Tufts GADFLIES

International Women’s Day & Blog Against Sexism Day

2007-03-08T11:54:00.000-05:00

Happy International Women’s Day! Today marks a celebration of women all over the world, but also an acknowledgement that much work remains to be done to achieve gender equality all over the globe.

Here on campus, TFA is kicking off our “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” campaign to ‘raise awareness’ (it sounds like we are a disease) about feminism—what it is, who we are, and what we want. The goal of feminism is quite simple:

Equality for all genders.

I’ll leave you to marinate on that for a while, but we want to make it clear that that our primary goal is achieving equal choice for women across the world, whether that be the choice to work, stay home, be healthy, speak freely, or otherwise.

In addition, you are all invited to our International Women’s Day Celebration, TONIGHT in Sophia Gordon from 5-7 pm. Grace Paley, Deborah Digges, TFA, VOX, the Jackson Jills, and John McDonald will all be there…plus, free food! TFA and other groups will also be tabling today in the campus center from noon to 2 with info, food, stickers and other fun stuff for International Women's Day.

The Tufts Daily's coverage of the "This is What a Feminist Looks Like" campaign can be found here.

Bill O'Reilly: not exactly a feminist.

2007-03-03T14:48:00.000-05:00

On February 28th, Bill O'Reilly's radio show, which is played throughout the nation, tackled feminism and equality when he had Lis Wiehl (Author of "The 51% Minority: How Women are Still Not Equal and What You Can Do About it") on his show.

He said that women at ABC and CBS News had received preferential treatment because "[t]hey had a little cabal; and they intimidated the men in the organization and said, 'If you look at me cross-eyed, I'm gonna bring you up to Human Resources and destroy your life.' " He went on to say, "every man in the place was terrified of them." and, "in a lot of places, women have formed cabals to terrorize the men because they take advantage of, 'Oh, we're downtrodden. You're kicking us in the teeth.' "
He's referring here to women's advocacy for rules to put an end to sexual harassment in the workplace.

In 2004, his former producer, Andrea Mackris, brought a lawsuit against him for sexual harassment.

You can listen to the outrageous interview and read the full article here.

Vital Women's Heath Office faces huge setback

2007-03-01T00:24:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the Office of Women's Health of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received an unexpected $1.2 million cut to their $4 million dollar budget. The Office was established in 1994 in response to a growing body of scientific evidence that "some sex-based differences in biology warranted special regulatory attention -- and a recognition that other offices within the FDA did not have the time, money or expertise to focus on women's special needs." They were incidentally also instrumental in the approval of Plan B Contraceptives (the Morning After Pill) to be sold to those 18 and older-- a stance in opposition with the views of the current administration and FDA officials. They made clear their disapproval, and in 2005, the former director, Susan Wood, resigned because of the resistance the administration put up despite scientific research that supported the "safety and appropriateness" of Plan B availability.

The $1.2 billion dollar cut will, according to a member of the office, mostly prevent the office from doing further work for the remainder of 2007 due to previous assignment of the remainder of the funds.

Is this the beginning of the end of the office, experts are worried, says the article in the post.

Today, four senators (Hillary Clinton, D-NY, Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, Patty Murray, D-WA, and Olympia Snowe, R-ME), wrote a letter to the Commissioner of the FDA, Andrew von Eschenbach, asking that the budgeting be reconsidered, or at least explained to the senate. "As Congress moves forward with the budget and appropriations process, we will pursue every course to make certain that this funding is restored. We intend to use every tool at our disposal to make sure that the OWH has the resources it needs to safeguard women’s health." In that full text of their letter, they make the connection that a cut to the Office would be an attack on women's HEALTH-- this isn't even necessarily a choice issue.

VOX's Response to Samelson's Editorial

2007-02-28T20:59:00.000-05:00

Andrea Cote wrote a response to the op-ed as well, and it can be found here.

Sex Fair = Rape: Blaming the Victim

2007-02-26T10:41:00.000-05:00

Ashley Samelson's viewpoint on the sex fair draws scary, dangerous, and altogether unfounded conclusions about the link between attitudes toward sex and the perpetration of rape.

"Encouraging women to be free and casual with their sex (so long as it's 'safe') sends the message to men that women are available as sexual objects, merely instruments for obtaining meaningless pleasure."

By employing the classic 'blame-the-victim' argument, Samelson is doing more to enable rapists than the sex fair could ever do: she asserts that by claiming their sexuality, women are inviting the sexual approaches of men. In fact, that is exactly the OPPOSITE of the intentions of the sex fair, or of activism for women's rights. By claiming power over their own sexuality, women can also make the assertion that it is theirs to give, however they may choose. Further, the sex fair is intended to appeal to a broad range of college students, drawing them in and then (hopefully!) educating them in a positive way about sex and health. It might not be successful on every count, but the attitudes and images promoted serve both to grab attention and to raise awareness about sexuality--not simply to glorify sex.

THE BOTTOM LINE: THE SEX FAIR DOES NOT PROMOTE RAPE.

Further, I'd like to point out that though Samelson posits herself as concerned about rape and having worked "in the field of rape and domestic violence," she makes no mention of other events put on by groups associated with the sex fair--including especially the Vagina Monologues, a play that has inspired an entire movement organized to combat violence against women. Clearly, though the sex fair is an important part of encouraging dialogue about attitudes toward sex here at Tufts, it is not the only forum for such conversation; the annual Take Back the Night campaign also focuses on decreasing sexual violence against women, as do the Rape Aggression Defense classes offered by the Ex College.

The Vagina Monologues.. and an unexpected perspective.

2007-02-13T12:29:00.000-05:00

In celebration of a job well done on the Vagina Monologues by the 2007 cast here at Tufts, I thought this was an interesting viewpoint on the show. A play which faces criticism (sometimes not undue) from feminists, conservatives, and religious movements alike, Eve Ensler's work has found an unlikely champion in the world of Catholicism (picked up by Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic). Catholic colleges and universities have had an overwhelming and well-organized negative response to the monologues since they began to creep onto religious campuses, but a nun writing under the pseudonym of Sister Mary Eve (a great reference in and of itself to the dichotomy Adrienne Rich calls the mother vs. whore dichotomy, and which Sr. Mary Eve herself mentions) wonders "I wonder if the fully-cassocked seminarians who often participate in these protests understand the pain that many women carry because their sexuality is often denigrated, abused, and defiled? Do they have any sense of the experiences of women that brought the Monologues into existence?....The polarization of the sexes that is so deeply imbedded in Catholic thought needs to be reassessed." She goes on to analyze how christianity could teach women to love and treasure their bodies, but has instead been used to alienate women from them. Sr. Mary Eve, her bio on the page bearing the full text of the article says, is not a member of some new age feminist order of nuns-- she is a member of an order of nuns known for their traditional practices and lifestyle.

If she didn't need to write this article under a pseudonym, I would say this is wonderful proof that faith and feminism don't have to conflict. But kudos, Sr. Mary Eve.

TMAC "Pizza & Beer" Tonight!

2007-02-08T13:14:00.000-05:00

Tonight in Eaton 201 at 7:30pm, the Tufts Mens' Activist Coalition (TMAC) will be screening advertisements aired during the Superbowl and discussing gender steretotypes the ads present to the viewers, as well as the commercials' impact on our perceptions of masculinity and "manliness." As always, men and women are welcome. If you want to check one out beforehand, the Snickers ads can be found here.

TONIGHT. EATON 201. 7:30 pm. "Pizza and Beer: A Closer Look at Masculinity in Advertising"

I was never a Wal-Mart fan to being with, but this just put the icing on the cake

2007-02-08T07:45:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday, a federal appeals court ruled that the 2 million women who have filed a class action suit against Wal-Mart indeed do have a case and are headed to court. A group of six women won a similar case against Wal-Mart in 2001, when the judge ruled the the women presented enough evidence to file a class action suit, writing that they presented

"largely uncontested descriptive statistics which show that women working in Wal-Mart stores are paid less than men in every region, that pay disparities exist in most job categories, that the salary gap widens over time even for men and women hired into the same jobs at the same time, that women take longer to enter into management positions, and that the higher one looks in the organization, the lower the percentage of women."

The plantiffs hired Richard Drogin to compile statistics about women working at Wal-Mart, who found:

- the average time between hiring and promotion to assistant manager for women was 4.38 years; for men, 2.86 years
- from date of hire to promotion to manager: women, 10.12 years; men 8.64 years
- salary of female managers: $89, 280
- salary of male managers: $105, 682
- salary difference between hourly male workers and hourly female workers (in comparable positions): 6.7%

Wow. Can't wait to see how Wal-Mart argues this one.

Tyra Banks, Again.

2007-02-05T01:57:00.000-05:00

Tyra Banks might win the award for celebrity most often mentioned on this blog... On her show, Banks confronted the "fat" insults being slung at her recently in the press. Clearly, Tyra is not exactly what anyone in their right mind would call fat. But it's interesting to watch. What do you think?

So we haven't mentioned the A-word in a while...

2007-02-05T00:44:00.000-05:00

What's going on with abortion and choice issues? A lot, check it out below.

South Dakota legislators are intent on reversing the good work their constituents did in the last election overturning their state's abortion ban with a couple of proposals. The most media-worthy one is the new statewide ban being proposed; it differs from last years in that it allows exceptions for rape and incest. However, these loopholes come with pretty strict limitations. Ms. Magazine reports:
" In addition to preventing the death of a woman, an abortion may be obtained in cases of rape or incest, but the victim must report the rape to the police within 50 days, the physician must obtain a copy of the report record, and the victim must provide either the name and last known address or a description of the alleged rapist to law enforcement. Furthermore, the physician would be required to take blood samples from the woman and the fetus to be submitted to law enforcement. "

Ms. goes on to mention (conveniently also left out in the local paper) that the bill also outlines why abortion is so wrong-including that "the pregnant mother's relationship with her child is inherently beneficial to the mother" and that "abortion is an unworkable method for a pregnant mother to give up, surrender, or waive her fundamental right to her relationship with her child." (thanks to Think Progress for this lead)

Far less publicized is another restriction proposed by SD Republican legislator, Rep Roger Hunt, which was approved by the state's House Health Committee on Friday to be put before the House. The bill would require doctors to show patients ultrasounds before performing abortions-- if a woman refuses, the doctor must have her sign a statement to go with her medical records.

In Arizona, another proposed bill would make doctors performing abortions collect even more information from women than their age, race, and marital status (as is already required). This bill requires that doctors also record the reason for the abortion, who referred her to the clinic, the weight of the fetus, and other personal information. The bill would also include RU-486 (the abortion pill) and possibly even the morning after pill (which could possibly, under the state's definition of abortion, qualify as one), which would boost the state's abortion count.

BUT Wyoming, on the other hand, rejected a 24-hour waiting period bill. (Check out a copy of the AP article here)

Finally, feministing.com cites an ABC article and points out the obvious silence in the newly-announced 2008 presidential candidates on the issue of choice. The contentious issue is taking a quiet back seat in an election where democrats are hoping to win the votes of independents and moderates.

And those are the highlights in the word of choice for today.

Molly Ivins

2007-02-02T07:44:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard, Molly Ivins, the wonderful populist journalist, died on Wednesday night in Austin, TX. I grew up reading her columns and admiring both her humor and her intelligence; she will be sorely missed as a voice of passion and a force to be reckoned with. No matter your political views, it is inspiring to see a woman who has made a marked impact on journalism and politics throughout the past 30 years, and who so wholeheartedly fought on paper for everything she believed. Read her last column here.

Elizabeth Fox-Genovese

2007-01-31T19:15:00.000-05:00

Does anyone know much about Elizabeth Fox-Genovese? "The evolution of an antifeminist," an article about Fox-Genovese by Cathy Young (editor of Reason magazine) appeared in the Boston Globe earlier in January, bringing to light several of Fox-Genovese's contributions to debates encircling feminism. Fox-Genovese "evolved from a left-wing Marxist feminist into a deeply conservative Catholic anti feminist," first challenging feminism to buck its individualist roots (which cater to middle-class white women) in order to help protect those whose "self-reliance is circumscribed by motherhood" (the antithesis of independence?), but later migrating to a traditionalist Catholocism and distinctly defined gender roles.

The Last Abortion Clinic: With states across the U.S. passing regulations limiting access to abortion, does Roe v. Wade still matter? A PBS Frontline Documentary
I just started watching this, but I have a feeling it is going to be a wake-up call for pro-choice activism, especially for young adult women.

Women as 'breadwinners'

2007-01-30T12:02:00.000-05:00

In the context of America's classic "mother, father, and 2.2 kids" household, we've grown accustomed to single-earner families where the breadwinner is a man and dual-income families where both a father and mother work. So why haven't we come to terms with single-earner families in which the woman is the breadwinner and the man a stay-at-home dad? M.P. Dunleavy wrote of the phenomenon in A Breadwinner Rethinks Gender Roles on Sunday:

The patterns that seem 'normal' when the husband is the breadwinner don’t hold up when women earn most or even all of the income.

Barbara Risman, a professor at University of Illinois-Chicago, says in the article that women don't receive the same "identity benefit" from being a breadwinner that men do—financial power hasn't given women the balance that they are looking for. I think that the idea of identity has a real relevance here, especially with Dunleavy's reference to "renegotiat[ing] expectations"—but I'm not sure where to go with it. Any thoughts?

Sex trafficking around the world

2007-01-29T11:39:00.000-05:00

This article, from CNN.com (credit Shiva for the heads up), chronicles the horrifying nature of Cambodia's sex trade. International organizations estimate that between 50,000 and 100,000 women in Cambodia are sex workers, forced into the industry by dire poverty. The CNN article writes about a young girl, Srey, sold into the sex industry at the age of 5 (it is estimated that 30% of Cambodia's sex workers are under 18), and subsequently 'rescued' by anti-sex trade activists. Somaly Mam, the woman who rescued Srey, has been working tirelessly against Cambodia's sex trade ever since she escaped it herself. Scary stuff - and global activism in need of our support.

Are we ready for a female president?

2007-01-28T19:17:00.000-05:00

That question has been the topic of many conversations lately. In the past, I've been guilty of the pessimistic "this country won't elect a woman," but lately I've been wondering if that attitude is the only thing keeping us down. Sure, I don't trust a lot of the men (and, perhaps equally, a lot of the women) in our country to consider a woman as a viable choice for president, but to what extent does that lack of confidence create an environment where nobody believes a woman can be president? I've started rethinking my response to the "Who do you think will get the nomination in '08?" question, attempting to work in the subtle assumption that it could be Hillary just as easily as it could be anyone else. This article (from the Connecticut Post) made me start rethinking my answer to the '08 question, especially when I read this quote from a 17-year old CT girl, which left me feeling a little sad about young women and the perception we must be giving them about 21st century politics:

Emily LaDona is sure there will one day be a female president. She just thinks that day is a long way off. "I think it's going to happen eventually," said LaDona, 17, of Waterbury, who works at the Lafayette Deli in Bridgeport. "But I think the world isn't ready yet."

Perhaps its time to be more optimistic.

A few headlines for today...gender stereotypes

2007-01-26T08:38:00.000-05:00

Implicit stereotypes and gender identification may affect female math performance, say researchers at the University of Michigan. According to this study of college-age calculus students, even women who believe that they have equal competency to men in math can be hindered by a perception of femininity that discludes math and science.

More on gender stereotyping in the sciences: Women in Computing at IU, a women's student group at the School of Informatics at Indiana University helps "de-mystify and de-geekify" computer science for K-12 girls and minorities in order to break down the classic awkward white male computer nerd stereotype that has overwhelmed the field.

Pretty cool: Yesterday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Thomas Friedman asked Princess Lolwah Al-Faisal, the most prominent princess in Saurdi Arabia's royal family, what she would do if she were queen for a day. Al-Faisal responded that first, she'd let women drive—according to the article, even though many jobs in Saudi Arabia have been opened up to women, their inability to drive hinders their ability to work or get to school. Unless they have enough money for a male driver or can rely on a male relative, they are out of luck—i.e., the ban especially hurts poor women. Al-Faisal's comment was a rare departure from the normally united front of the royal family; she has not agitated for 'driving rights before.' Apparently the argument by conservatives in the country is that if women are allowed to drive, moral corruption will rise because they will begin interacting "with men who are not relatives in places such as gas stations."

Women in Nigeria buck traditional gender roles by working as mechanics

Beyond "We think men and women should be equal"...

2007-01-25T11:55:00.000-05:00

It seems that a lot of people struggle with defining feminism and whether it matters if a person identifies as a feminist or not. On one hand, its impossible to separate feminist issues from issues of race, social class, globalization, poverty, etc.—feminism can be embedded in each and every one of those. At TFA last night, Liz (one of our co-chairs) articulated feminism as "equality of choice, not equality of identity," which I think is an important designation. As a female feminist, I'm not seeking to be a man, or even to do what a man does—but rather to have the option to do so. More importantly, perhaps, I as a feminist activist, I am obligated to use my own social capital to seek those opportunities for other women who don't have the same resources as me.

Back to feminism being embedded in almost any issue: ostensibly, you can agitate for universal healthcare without proclaiming yourself a feminist--but why would you? Truly, the act of designating yourself as a feminist requires little more than a commitment to the equality of choice; yet why does is remain such a loaded word? Does it matter that people have skewed perceptions of the feminist movement in the United States? I touched on this in an earlier post, and Anna asked whether it matters if we need to be calling ourselves feminist in order to realize feminist goals. I think that we do; by articulating the premise of "equality of gender choice" (perhaps a less loaded way to describe feminism, but one I'm not particularly fond of) we justify other activism, as well as recognizing the major hurdles women around the world face, and the gendered nature of almost everything in society today, whether it be politics, arts, discourse, or sexuality.

Perhaps it seems obvious, but I considered for the first time yesterday that one obstacle to men identifying as feminist is the belief that "feminist" reforms and activism benefit only women--or worse, that what benefits women must thus be detrimental to men. How do you convince all genders that "women's issues" are "people's issues"? Lately in my Gender Issues in World Politics Class, we have been talking about the defection of men from the U.S. Democratic party over the past 40 years, and hypothesizing that it could be a result of the Democrats' focus on the civil rights and women's movements. The majority of those who have left the Democratic party are southern white men; why is this? Until we started discussing our ideas of the reasons behind their defection, it never occurred to me that you could see something which benefits women as inherently being detrimental to men. Certainly, I had considered the difficulty of convincing men that they should care about women's issues, but I didn't realize that perhaps we are starting even further back than I thought.

Some news links for today:
Separating genders in public schools in Wisconsin
Arkansas rallying to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment

Changing sizes, changing pressures?

2007-01-24T10:18:00.000-05:00

In the news of the slightly weird or possibly very interesting and noteworthy (depending on how you look at it), the Spanish government recently made an agreement with several fashion designers to establish uniform sizing across brands. Aiming to promote a healthier body image for women, the Spanish Ministry of Health has created regulations banning stores from featuring clothes smaller than a U.S. size 8 in their window displays, and hopes that the uniform sizing will help alleviate the pressure women feel to lose weight to fit into clothing:

"The Health Ministry's program aims to end a situation in which a woman who buys a size 40 [European sizing] dress from one designer may not fit in a size 40 garment from another designer. The ministry said the differences sometimes lead women to feel compelled to lose weight."

While I admire their innovative approach to altering the norms for women and clothing, the level of government intervention kinda freaks me out. It will be interesting to see if any other countries follow suit, especially with the four recent anorexia-related deaths of Brazillian models.

P.S.: Tufts Feminist Alliance meeting TONIGHT in the Women's Center at 9pm! Come join us.

Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

2007-01-23T15:03:00.000-05:00

This conference is pretty cool--it brings together experts on various countries to discuss issues of women living in different parts of the world. Countries report on their recent progress in accordance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and others have a chance to respond to the reports. The dialogue allows experts to point out continuing problems and suggest new approaches to solving what are often historically entrenched disparities in the treatment of men and women. It's especially interesting because it seems to be a textbook academic approach (conference with a bunch of experts) with very realistic, tangible effects.

I read the report on Namibia, whose challenges include keeping women's issues at the forefront of public interest (ah! we can sympathize with that), rectifying contradictions between customary/traditional and common law, and increasing the rate of reports for violence committed against women.

There are also reports on Kazakhstan, Poland, Vietnam, India and Nicaragua.

Welcome back on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade!

2007-01-22T10:05:00.000-05:00

TFA is back and ready for a new year and a new semester. The blog will be updated daily from now on (!) so be sure to keep checking here for new posts, and feel free to add your own comments.

While we're celebrating the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the day also serves to remind us of the major shortfalls of women's health care in the United States, as well as the complex politics and misinformation surrounding abortion rights. The New York Times Magazine published an article yesterday about anti-choicers who claim that abortions lead to struggles with depression, drug abuse, and other psychological problems—even though no scientific research exists to support the claim. Peer-reviewed studies have consistently demonstrated that whether a woman gives birth or has an abortion, she faces the same likelihood of future depression or drug abuse.
The article follows Rhonda Arias, one of these post-abortion syndrome crusaders, as she 'helps' women in prisons deal with their depression, which Arias credits to emotional fallout from past abortions. It interests me that Arias has targeted imprisoned women; my guess is that these women receive little other emotional support outside of her pseudoscience abortion counseling services, and it scares me that people like Arias are able to take advantage of a vulnerable population to crusade for their own unfounded ideas about women's health. Arias' program encourages women "to think about whether they were pressured into ending their pregnancies and to connect this with other experiences of feeling powerless." It's a cruel irony that Arias has found some of the most powerless women—female prisoners—and further removed their ability to receive accurate information and help dealing with their emotions.
This quote sums up how I feel about these so-called 'counselors':

"Abortion-recovery counselors like Arias could focus on why women don’t have the material or social support they need to continue pregnancies they might not want to end. They could call for improving the circumstances of women’s lives in order to reduce the number of abortions. Instead they are working to change laws to restrict and ban abortion."

The article also brings to light a seemingly frightening failure of the abortion-rights movement to advocate for post-abortion psychological care for women. Because we are eager to assure women that abortion-related depression is uncommon and rare, some women do not receive the health care they need after an abortion. It appears that more agitation is needed in this arena to open access to counseling without making it mandatory or infringing on a woman's right to a safe, legal abortion.
The article, by Emily Bazelon (a senior editor at Slate) is worth a read, if only to reinvigorate you to keep fighting for women's rights. Happy Roe v. Wade day!

Gag me.

2006-12-07T20:06:00.000-05:00

Some notes about the Global Gag Rule-- even though this has been in effect since the beginning of Bush's Presidency (he reinstated the policy on his first day of work), it doesn't mean that it isn't having a huge impact every day globally.

Here's a little about it:
The global gag rule (also known as the Mexico City Policy) denies federal funding to any family planning organizations internationally that provide abortions in cases other than life-threatening emergencies or rape, provide counseling services that include abortion as an option, or lobby for increased abortion rights within the country they are working in.

This greatly affects the health care community-- for example, in Kenya (according to globalgagrule.org) eight clinics were closed and many reproductive heath care staff and programs throughout the country were cut. This in and of itself is too bad, but even more crucial is the fact that many of those closed clinics were the only place to obtain health care in their local communities.

Read about
Impacts of the Global Gag Rule on individual countries around the world here.

Love,
Liz

TFA Blog in the Daily!

2006-12-06T12:56:00.000-05:00

Check out the press coverage!

TFA Brings Feminist View to Blogosphere-- Tufts Daily Article

Anti-choicer in charge of birth control distribution? Huh.

2006-12-06T12:38:00.000-05:00

So I'm sure many of you have heard about President Bush's appointment of Dr. Eric Keroack as the leader of Title X, a governmental Family Planning Program. Keroack has an incredible array of anti-choice and abstinence-only credentials, but has been placed in charge of the $283 million dollar program specifically designed to provide access to contraception, especially to those who can not afford it. This appointment doesn't need to be approved by anyone. Here's an editorial with more info:

Newsday editorial

Whether you're pro-choice or not, this is a pretty clear statement about how much interest Bush has in maintaining the dignity of Choice and of programs designed to promote it.

Below, if you feel like I do about it, are some opportunities to tell Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt to withdraw the appointment:

NOW petition

Planned Parenthood Petition

I know Cosmo can be fun to read but...

2006-12-06T01:06:00.000-05:00

here's a great alternative. The Women's Center has a regular subscription to this (and other fabulous) magazine, and its definitely worth checking out, and supporting!!

Bitch magazine's Winter 2006/2007 issue is chock full of interesting stuff. Here are some quotes and trivia that grabbed me.

An interview with Katha Pollitt, columnist for the Nation, writer, and activist bears (in part) the following introduction: "Pollitt's perspective is that feminism isn't a social movement that simply sits alongside other progressive causes, but one that informs and affects how those causes exist and evolve." Pollitt herself says of our forever lamented crisis of feminism's bad rep, "Lots of women don't [call themselves feminists]. They don't want to be taken for hairy-legged, man-hating, strident lesbians. Well, good luck to them, but eventually some of them are going to want something-- a raise, an abortion, a fair deal in divorce court, respect-- that a strong feminist movement might help them get."

Another great tidbit is the article about Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell on Banks' talk show. Banks chose to heal an intense old rivalry-- "Tyra could easily have made Naomi the sole villain. Instead, she chose to focus on systemic racism in the modeling industry."

The rest of the great stuff ranges from an echo of Bob Herbert's (see below) great article about hate crimes against women to an article about feminist vegetarianism to one about knitting.

So, in the end, this is just a shameless plug for a magazine that's long been a personal favorite. I just picked up the new issue and knew you should all see it too. So ask to borrow a copy, stop by the women's center, or check out bitchmagazine.com

Much love,
Liz

gGood news & bad news (from france)

2006-11-17T03:59:00.000-05:00

Hello TFA,
This is Melanie, TFA's biggest groupie, and I've snuck into the blog from Palaiseau, France to give you some good news and some bad news:
Bad news first. Check out this Washington Post article with terrifying news that you all might know about already:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/16/AR2006111601929.html

Now for some good news from France, where one of the biggest runners for the 2007 Presidential election is...a woman! But it gets better: she is also a feminist, and yes, she actually uses the f-word. She's the candidate for the PS (Socialiast Party, which translates roughly to the Democrats...don't be scared by the term Socialist), and her name is Ségoline Royal.
Ms. Magazine is doing a piece on her one of these days, so keep your eyes peeled.
:)
So, there you go. Hope all is well, TFAers, keep up the good work!
-Melanie

Some interesting statistics

2006-11-12T23:15:00.000-05:00

I was fooling around with old Gallup polls today, and I came across some interesting statistics from survey data.

How much of an impact you think the Women's Rights Movement has had on our nation's policies -- a great deal, a moderate amount, a slight amount or none at all? (2000)
A great deal (41.68%)
A moderate amount (39.72%)
A slight amount (13.46%)
None at all (4.27%)
Don't know/refused (0.87%)
There are many social movements that try to have an impact on policy-making in our nation. Regardless of how much impact, if any, the Women's Rights Movement has had, please tell me if you personally agree or disagree with its goals. (2000)
Strongly agree (45.38%)
Somewhat agree (40.07%)
Somewhat disagree (8.73%)
Strongly disagree (4.24%)
Do you consider yourself a feminist, or not? (2001 - asked to a national sample of adults)
Yes, a feminist (24.97%)
No (69.65%)
Don't know (5.07%)
Refused (0.30%)
Do you consider yourself a feminist, or not? (1999/1992 asked to women)
Yes (26.09% / 32.53%)
No (66.60% / 60.66%)
Sometimes/depends (4.54% / not an answer option)
Don't know/refused (2.77% / 6.81%)
Do you consider yourself to be a STRONG feminist, a feminist, not a feminist, or an ANTI-feminist? (1986, asked to women)
Strong feminist (10.25%)
Feminist (45.58)
Not a feminist (27.65)
Anti-feminist (3.96)
CAN'T SAY (12.55)

The percentage of people who self-identify as feminist seems to be falling. Why is this? Are there fewer feminists around or do people not see the need to quanitify themselves as 'feminist'? Is the definition of the word unclear? It's interesting that 95% of people believe that the women's movement has impacted our nation's policies. Further, 85% of people agree with the goals of the women's movement...yet just below 25% consider themselves feminists. Are 'feminists' seen as separate from the women's movement? To me they are one and the same.

B

Female Soldiers

2006-11-10T17:57:00.000-05:00

Does seeking equality mean that if we ever have a draft, women should be conscripted alongside men? Currently, there are 362,000 women in the U.S. armed forces (15% of our active duty force and almost 25% of reserves). Women are allowed to serve in almost all roles of the armed forces, with the exception of submarines; additionally, they are kept from serving in units that have an especially high likelihood of direct contact (on the ground weaponfire, etc.) with an enemy. More generally, they can serve in about 95% of all military positions and have achieve a relatively large proportion of high level military offices.
There are so many contexts in which to consider the question of female soldiers: historical, cultural, practical...In the most practical sense, the fact that we need women to reproduce our population could be an argument for not conscripting women. Beyond that, what can you say?
In Israel, women are conscripted to the military alongside men, although restrictions similar to the U.S. apply there as well (no submarines, combat is voluntary).

Source: Women in the military — international

B

The Morning After

2006-11-08T11:25:00.000-05:00

So, we've got some victories and some losses on our hands...but a huge congratulations to Nancy Pelosi, who is set to become the First female Speaker of the House thanks to the Democrats' big wins in Congress last night. A great thing to celebrate, yet also a stark reminder that women have a long way to go in establishing a presence in U.S. politics.
Sadly, ballot measures to ban same-sex marriage passed in several states (Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin), which means our work is cut out for us. Why is gay marriage a feminist issue? Feminism promotes the rights of all women—lesbian, heterosexual, mothers, daughters, transgendered people, bisexual—and banning gay marriage denies women with same-sex partners the rights that we give (without a second though, I might add) to women with opposite sex partners. Where's the logic? Further, domestic partnership might be a first step (thanks, New Jersey) but separate but equal is NOT EQUAL.
More victories: Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
...and a few losses for women everywhere: Michele Bachmann (R-MN) and the fact that George Bush is, unfortunately, still president.

B

ELECTION DAY

2006-11-07T20:04:00.000-05:00

We forgot to remind everyone, but since you're all politically active, great people, we know that you VOTED today. Needless to say, people across the world have struggled for the right to vote in 'democracies' everywhere, and women are no exception. In honor of election day, a few thoughts...

The text of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

The right of citizens in the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

SO MANY WOMEN fought long, hard battles for our right to vote in the United States. We should take advantage of that right--which some would call a DUTY--and vote what you believe in today. In a country of big money and tough politics, its one of our last chances to have a voice. [If that sounded a) like a lecture, or b) like a pep talk, it was supposed to.]

If you need more reasons to believe that women—especially young women (hey, that's us!)—have a voice, check out this article. In 2004, 18-24 year old women outvoted men by SIX percentage points (50% to 44%)...but c'mon women, we can do better than 50% turnout!

B

What's been on our minds lately...

2006-11-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

What's a feminist movie?
Experiencing otherness.
Gonzalez v. Planned Parenthood
Third trimester abortions are rare.
What is feminism? How do YOU define it?
Boys on the Side
Identity politics
Descriptive representation...what does it matter?
When will the day come that a women's issue is a people's issue?
Phillips Academy's 'Gender Center'
feeling distanced from abortion

GUILT from not posting on the blog!!
The blog is about to be back in action. Get psyched.

B

Job discrimination? Legal? yup.

2006-10-25T13:31:00.000-05:00

Below is a story from momsrising.org (check it out! it's a great advocacy organization for family-friendly laws in the workplace, for healthcare, etc.)

The gist is that in PA (as well as many other states), discrimination on the basis of marital status and children is legal-- there is a bill circulating in the state to end hiring discrimination, but for now this story is common... here are excerpts (it's not so well written, but the actual content is interesting)

love,
liz

***********KIKI'S STORY: GETTING REAL IN PA***********

A single mother of two, Kiki moved to a small, one stoplight Pennsylvania town in 1994. She was truly on her own. Her husband had left several years earlier, when her children were two and four years old.... Kiki left Long Island City in search of a smaller city with a lower cost of living.

With this move, Kiki and the kids were alone in a new town that had just two supermarkets and several diners serving a variety of aromatically enticing pork, sauerkraut, and dumpling dishes. It was just the change she wanted. Kiki was able to buy a Dutch Colonial Cape Cod house at the top of a “small mountain” in the Poconos with nearly two acres of land for a fraction of the price of her old house. It seemed ideal, until she started looking for a job to support her family.

"DO YOU HAVE CHILDREN?"
On a hot, humid August day, at an interview for a legal secretary position in a one-story brick building, Kiki sat down in a hard wooden chair to face a middle-aged attorney... “The first question the attorney asked me when I came in for the interview was, ‘Are you married?’ The second was, ‘Do you have children?’”

It was the eleventh job interview in which she’d been asked the very same questions since moving to Pennsylvania. After answering eleven times that she wasn’t married, and that yes indeed, she was a mother of two, Kiki began to understand why her job search was taking so long.

She decided to address the issue head on this time, “I asked him how those questions were relevant to the job, and he said my hourly wage would be determined by my marital and motherhood status.” Kiki then asked the next obvious question: “How do you figure out an hourly wage based on these questions?”

THIS CAN'T BE LEGAL! (BUT IT IS):
His response was as candid as it was horrifying, “He said if you don’t have a husband and have children, then I pay less per hour because I have to pay benefits for the entire family.” The attorney noted that a married woman’s husband usually had health insurance to cover the kids, and since Kiki didn’t have a husband, he was very clear that he “didn’t want to get stuck with the bill for my children’s health coverage.”

...It was the first time Kiki pushed for an explanation, and she was appalled by the answer. “I said to him, ‘You mean to tell me that if I am doing the exact same work, typing the same exact subpoena as a coworker, you’re going to pay me less because I have no husband and have kids?’ And he very smugly told me, ‘Yes, absolutely.’”

He couldn’t do that, it was illegal, Kiki wondered, wasn’t it? The attorney countered that it was perfectly legal—and as an attorney, he ought to know. He invited Kiki to check out the law herself and then ushered her out the door (without a job, of course).

She found out that the lawyer was right. The questions were legal, as was paying a single mother less than other applicants.

Pennsylvania, like scores of states, does not have state employment laws that protect mothers.

THE SAD TRUTH:
The sad truth is that Kiki isn’t struggling alone. Recent Cornell University research by Dr. Shelley Correll confirmed what many American women are finding: Mothers are 44 percent less likely to be hired than non-mothers who have the same résumé, experience, and qualifications; and mothers are offered significantly lower starting pay (study participants offered non-mothers an average of $11,000 more than mothers) for the same job as equally qualified non-mothers.

The “maternal wall” is a reality we must address if we value both fair treatment in the workplace and the contributions working mothers make to our economy.

Rape Allegations Against Duke Lacrosse Players

2006-10-19T08:51:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since we've blogged about the rape case brought against three Duke lacrosse players in March, so I tried to collect a few news links for some quick updates. The case has been moving slowly, complicated by (among other things) accusations against the district attorney, Mike Nifong, that he has not fully disclosed his evidence and the incohesive statements given by Kim Roberts, the woman who worked the athletes' party alongside the accuser. DNA tests have been inconclusive.
From USAToday: Duke lacrosse players thought DNA tests would end rape case
msnbc.com: Duke rape case D.A. faces big questions

A quote from David Evans, 23 (one of the three men indicted on the rape charges), that appeared in several recent news articles:

"I was naive, I was young, I was sheltered," Evans said. "And I made a terrible judgment. In five months I've learned more than I did in 22 years about life."

Makes you wonder what he was learning in the first 22 years of his life.

A few editorial comments:
Michael Lewis: The Duke 'Rape' Case in Black and White
Page Rockwell: Accused Duke players go on "60 Minutes"

B

VIOLENCE

2006-10-18T22:48:00.000-05:00

We've gotten complacent. Think that violence against women is a bad thing? You're right. I would venture to say that most of us agree that violence against women isn't good for our society--our women, our men, our everyone. But do we really pay attention to it? Do we really cry out when there is violence against women?
How many of us heard about the school shootings in Pennsylvania, where the attacker specifically allowed the boys to go free, keeping girls in the classroom with the intent to sexually assault and kill them—but didn't think about it in a gendered context? That is, how many of us read that news story, but didn't think "violence against women"?

On the other hand, maybe the problem is that we did think, "violence against women...again."

Why does the storyline seem normal to us? Crazy man goes into Amish school with a gun, lets the boys leave but keeps the girls there so that he can rape them. Seems obvious. If he's crazy and he has a gun, he's going to kill someone...and if he is crazy and has plans for sexual assault, he's going to keep the girls around.

Seems like a logical sequence. There's the problem.

Read Bob Herbert 's thoughts on this.

B

Fight the System

2006-10-16T22:40:00.000-05:00

A recent conversation made me question the way I think about feminist societal change. What is the best way to bring about change? What is the most ethical? Do these two necessarily coincide?
Let me explain:
As a feminist, should I work within the current system—that is, go along with whatever I need to, brush aside my objections to whatever the status quo is and do my damndest to achieve a higher position of power—in order to catalyze change? Or do I reject the status quo and instead attempt to create a new system from scratch: one that tears down the current markers of achievement and creates alternate pathways to power? Is the second option even viable if you are not already in a position of power?
"Working within the system" could involve all sorts of things: exploiting any advantages women do get in the workplace (i.e., if flirting helps you get somewhere, go for it!), following Carly Fiorina's model (gritting your teeth through business meetings at strip clubs), and generally actively allowing 'the system' to continue unabated until you garner enough clout to truly make change...What I fear is that once you get high enough in that chain, any impetus you had to make change will be gone. You will be too comfortable, losing sight of the inherent oppression that the 'system' creates.
"Fighting the sytem" constitutes an active attempt to reform the system before you even enter (although you could argue that we're all already in that system by virtue of being alive), refusing to accept the norms that structure the system, believing that society systematically exploits groups of people (including, but not limited to, women) and actively seeking to avoid being an agent in that exploitation.

Are these two approaches too simplistic? Too complicated? Unrealistic?

B.

Cooking With Feminists

2006-10-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda on the Colbert Report! This clip is absolutely hilarious—plus, Steniem and Fonda manage to throw in a few good points about feminism. A must-see.

An excerpt:

Colbert: Gloria, if you'll grab some of those McIntosh apples and explain to me, what is the state of American feminism?
Steinem: (laughs) Well, it's sort of like this apple. It's extremely healthy, full of vitamins, meant for everyone, transforms everybody's life and one a day and you'll keep the revolution away!

The Rise and Fall of Carly Fiorina

2006-10-11T21:24:00.000-05:00

Maureen Dowd wrote an interesting op-ed for the New York Times today about Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Fiorina's new memoir, Tough Choices, recounts her time at Hewlett-Packard, from her unprecedented corporate ascent to her subsequent ousting from the company. I haven't read the book, but the quotes Dowd uses certainly provide an interesting glimpse into the lives of corporate women. I was taken aback by the scenes Fiorina describes—but I am also very interested and optimistic about the new theories on the complementary leadership skills of men and women (check out the part of the article about the new additions to the Columbia business school curriculum).

"How Carly Lost Her Gender Groove (And Will She Get It Back?)" by Maureen Dowd (The New York Times), October 11, 2006

Carly Fiorina prided herself on being adept at succeeding in a man's world without whining about sexism.

In her new memoir, ''Tough Choices,'' the expelled C.E.O. of Hewlett-Packard -- the first female head of a Fortune 20 company -- describes how she insisted on going along to a business meeting at a Washington strip club when she started out as an ambitious young woman at AT&T.

''I was scared to death,'' she writes, adding that she wore her most conservative dress-for-success business suit and little bow tie, carried her briefcase like ''a shield of honor,'' and repeated the mantra, ''I am a professional woman,'' even when her cabdriver asked her if she was the new act for the club, where babes in see-through negligees danced on tables.

''In a show of empathy that brings tears to my eyes still,'' she recounts, ''each woman who approached the table would look the situation over and say: 'Sorry, gentlemen. Not till the lady leaves.' ''

On her first day at HP, she proclaimed, ''The glass ceiling doesn't exist.'' But she now concedes that the glass trapdoor might.

''I think somehow men understand other men's need for respect differently than they understand it for a woman,'' Ms. Fiorina told Lesley Stahl on ''60 Minutes.''

The male-dominated board's handling of her exit was ''heartless in some ways and disrespectful in other ways,'' she said. ''Maybe they took great pleasure in seeing me beat up publicly for weeks and weeks.''

Other controlling blondes, like Hillary Clinton, Martha Stewart and Tina Brown, were slapped back after great success (in a trend that The Times's Alessandra Stanley dubbed blondenfreude), and Ms. Fiorina now thinks she was victimized by gender.

''In the chat rooms around Silicon Valley, from the time I arrived until long after I left HP, I was routinely referred to as either a 'bimbo' or a 'bitch,' she writes. ''Too soft or too hard, and presumptuous, besides.'' She adds: ''I watched with interest as male C.E.O.'s fired people and were hailed as 'decisive.' I was labeled 'vindictive.''

She reels off things that offended her: The editor of Business Week asked her if she was wearing an Armani suit. She felt adjectives such as ''flashy,'' ''glamorous,'' and ''diamond studded'' were meant to make her seem superficial. (Who doesn't like being called glamorous?) Stories referred to her by her first name. There was ''painful commentary'' that she'd chosen not to have children because she was ''too ambitious.''

''When I finally reached the top, after striving my entire career to be judged by results and accomplishments,'' she concludes, ''the coverage of my gender, my appearance and the perceptions of my personality would vastly outweigh anything else.''

One of her foes was Tom Perkins, the 74-year-old rich venture capitalist on the HP board who also tangled with Patricia Dunn, the former board chairwoman. Being married to the romance novelist Danielle Steel and writing his own steamy novel, ''Sex and the Single Zillionaire,'' did not improve Mr. Perkins's skills in dealing with women, it seems.

With several of the few high-profile women at the top tanking, it's interesting to note that Columbia Business School has introduced a new program that teaches the importance of a more empathetic and sensitive leadership style in globalized business, as opposed to the command-and-control style that has dominated the White House and Pentagon for, lo, these many messed up years.

Students learn how to read facial expressions, body language and posture, and get coaching on their brain's ''mirror neurons'' -- how what they're thinking and feeling can affect others.

''This less autocratic leadership style draws on capabilities in which women are as good as men,'' says Michael Morris, a professor of psychology and management who is running the business school's new program.

Daniel Goleman, whose new book ''Social Intelligence'' is being taught in the program, points out that ''while women are, in general, better at reading emotions, men tend to be better at managing them during a crisis. Women tend to be more sophisticated in reading social interactions but also tend to ruminate more when things go wrong.''

And that can lead to score-settling memoirs -- Ms. Fiorina fillets both her male tormentors on the ''dysfunctional'' board and Ms. Dunn -- and to the sort of awful judgment and sneaky behavior that Ms. Dunn exhibited.

Neenu Sharma, an M.B.A. student in the new Columbia program, says the moral of the story is that leadership works best with both sexes involved. ''You need the woman there to know what's actually going on, but you need the man there to deal with the critical emotions at the time.''

Emergency Contraception Around the World

2006-10-11T14:50:00.000-05:00

In Septmember, Chile began distributing emergency contraceptive pills, FREE OF CHARGE, to teens: How Chile Handles the Morning After

Michelle Bachelet on the state's responsibility to prevent unwanted pregnancies:

"There are roles that the family undertakes and which no one can replace...But naturally the state has another role to fulfill, and that is to offer a range of alternatives, which people can choose between — according to their own family values and principles."

Plan B

2006-10-11T13:56:00.000-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard, on August 24 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (finally) approved the emergency contraceptive pill Plan B for sale WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION to men and women over age 18. Previously, the pill had been available only with a prescription. Plan B—also known as the "morning after pill"—is a type of birth control that you can take to prevent pregnancy AFTER sex.

The Basics:
The phrase "Plan B" is the brand name for emergency contraception (EC) in the U.S. The pill itself contains the same hormone found in regular birth control pills (progestin).
Plan B can be taken up to five days after intercourse, but is more effective the sooner a woman uses it; it can reduce her chances of pregnancy by 75-90%.
Plan B does not protect against STDs.
Plan B is NOT the same as RU-486. It is NOT an abortion pill; Plan B will not work if a woman is already pregnant.

The makers of Plan B have said that it will be available over-the-counter by the end of 2006, but they have not set an exact date; as of now, women can receive Plan B with a prescription from their doctor or (in Massachusetts) through a specially trained pharmacist.

On Men & EC:
Last week, a representative from the Massachusetts EC network came to Tufts and held an informal workshop on EC (what it is, where to get it, etc). The workshop drew twentyish women but only ONE man (a Daily reporter, at that!). Given that birth control affects both men AND women, why aren't men on campus interested in learning about Plan B? Do they know that in the future, they'll be able to purchase Plan B for their girlfriend/lover/one night stand?

The Politics of Plan B:
In 2003, the FDA's Reproductive Health Drugs Advisory and Nonprescription Drugs Panels voted 23-4 to recommend over-the-counter status for Plan B, yet it took THREE YEARS of political meandering to get Plan B fully approved as an over-the-counter medication; even with this approval, Plan B only available over-the-counter to women and men 18 years of age or older. Teen girls still need a prescription—even though Plan B is just as safe and effective for them as any woman over 18! Further, the age restriction means that 18+ women who want Plan B have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter (instead of grabbing it from an aisle, as you do with condoms) and show ID to prove that they are over 18.

WELCOME BACK!

2006-10-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

I'd like to welcome you all back to GADFLIES. Amanda and I, as co-chairs of Tufts Feminist Alliance, would love to encourage all of you to start reading regularly-- we have a great, beautiful, talented blogmaster (who knows how to do this type of thing, because I fall short) who's going to keep you guys updated on everything that's going on, from international to campus issues. And! If you want to join in on the effort, and join the voice of TFA, feel free (email me at tuftsfeministalliance@gmail.com if you're interested). Also feel free to use your/make a blog username and contribute (or contribute anonymously)! We want to hear what all of you have to say.

Browse through past entries and you'll see that responses have ranged from agreement to appall to ambivalence. Always feel welcome to throw in your knowledge, your opinions, and your feelings.

The blog has some exciting things in store for you this year-- next on the agenda is a forum on Emergency Contraception, stay tuned.

At the TFA meeting last week, we decided that our goal for the year was to really BE the women we want to see in the world (along with being the change we wish to see, thanks Gandhi).

So here's to a year of being our own best role models, whatever that means to you.

Love,
Liz

How could I have missed that strip tease?

2006-05-26T04:29:00.000-05:00

I don’t know if I’ve been slacking on keeping up with this news in the feminist blogosphere, or if I am just a nerd for rarely watching TV and not keeping tabs on how the latest notions of beauty in popular culture are destroying the world one self mutilating woman at a time-- but tonight I was watching the Showbiz Show with David Spade and I was appalled. Apparently stripping is the new yoga?

What the—

Apparently, Sheila Kelly (I have no idea who she is, which is probably why I am so behind on being enraged about this trend) started the trend of stripping being the new fad exercise regimen. Carmen Electra is in on it too. You know, like Madonna and yoga. Women are now taking stripping classes and saying not only is it a good work out but it is EMPOWERING?

No, stripping is not empowering—in this sense. I have no idea what climbing a pole does for your abs and thighs and I’m sure it’s great. Learning the motions of shoving your vagina in someone’s face can’t possibly be necessary for a work out. Now, I know there are exercises women do with their vaginas, like kegels and such. But we don’t call it stripping. I’m sure there are ways to climb poles and stick your ass in the air without wearing a G-string and high heels. Furthermore, trying to turn men on is never a necessary part of physical health.

Will someone please explain to me how this work out actually pans out when women claim to be exercising? How important is the part where they try do things that would make men have an erection?

The part I find most upsetting is that women are claiming this to be empowering. I don’t think you have to be a radical feminist to see the flaws in that logic. What makes this more empowering than Pilates? If women are in control of their bodies, fine. If women have their best interests in mind, fine. If this is a choice, fine. However, I think there are serious reasons to doubt that women who pursue stripping as a workout may be doing it for purely health reasons.

I get in some tricky water here because I am questioning the empowering factors of an activity that is meant to make men want to have sex with you. I don’t want to risk anyone thinking that I am making the assumption that women who are strippers can’t be empowered women, or that empowerment cannot be found in stripping. I’m not. But honestly, there is a problem here and some diligent investigation and discourse is necessary. This fad is indicative of a larger problem.

Not News to Me

2006-05-05T19:31:00.000-05:00

Dear President Bush,

Please stop regulating my body. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to be in middle school during the Clinton administration, when comprehensive sex ed was a priority and contraception use was up and abortions rates were declining more rapidly. I know you don’t read the newspaper, but just in case you were wondering why I mention this, check out this article in today's New York Times.

Love,

AG

CC: The Pope, Bill Napoli

PS: This is a funny cartoon.

Taking Feminist Theology as an IR major

2006-05-04T18:15:00.000-05:00

What does feminism have to do with international relations? Yesterday I got in a conversation with some people in the building I live in about IR curriculum reform at Tufts. They questioned my statement that feminism is a paradigm within international relations and a discipline on it’s own.

We argued a little about independent variables and positive verses normative analysis. My non-feminist friends told me that feminism couldn’t be a discipline because it is a form of activism and, furthermore, there was no independent variable other than feminism itself. I suggested gender/equality was the independent variable, but here is an example of a foreign policy issue in which both gender and sex are independent variables.

The Pope is making headlines for requesting a document to be written about the feasibility of using condoms during marital sex in one partner has AIDS. (if you don’t think this has anything to do with IR, read this from the Council on ForeignRelations.) Something to consider is The Catholic Church, is one of the largest organizations that does work in Africa related to AIDS, and condoms--the only way to prevent transmission of HIV during sex—are forbidden.

How is feminist analysis helpful in this issue?

Firstly, we can take a look at why the Pope hates condoms. The anti-sexual attitude of the Judeo-Christian traditions is arguably tied to geopolitical issues. According to Merlin Stone, in the book “The Sacred Sexual Customs,” sexual regulation associated with knowledge of paternity were “propagated for purely political motives, aiming at goals that would allow the invading patrilineal Hebrews greater access to land and governmental control by destroying the ancient matrilineal system.” Essentially, penalties against raped women, infidelity and loss of virginity was a way to suppress the society that existed when the conquers came, a society that worshiped goddesses.

Secondly, feminists can also shed light on why preaching abstinence in Africa doesn’t work based on the gender inequalities and sexual practices there. Furthermore, Rape is used a tool of war, and AIDS becomes a security threat.

Finally, we can also look to a gendered analysis of the Pope’s choices to understand the interests of the Catholic Church, just as we can with state actors. Feminist analysis would try to understand the significance of the Church’s exclusion of women to their foreign policy.

This is just one example in the news today. We can study causal relationships between the ways states treat gender and sex and their policy decisions. Look at how often inequality of women in the Middle East is invoked as a reason for intervention. Gendered analysis may actually help us to understand that those are actually NOT the reasons that motivated US intervention, but rather other political concerns.

The point is, the variables of gender and sex are useful for understanding international politics and I can study it without burning any bras.

-AG

A Quick bit of Good News

2006-05-02T21:09:00.000-05:00

Forgot to mention yesterday: The Supreme court rejected a case from anti-abortion extremists who appealed after a Portland, Oregon jury awarded doctors punitive damages.

Tired of Being an Angry Feminist

2006-05-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

Today was May Day, recently dubbed “A Day Without Immigrants.” To protest new legislation harmful to the immigrant community there was a boycott of school, work and purchasing today. I was at the State House for an internship and I was all geared up for the huge rally that was going on outside on the Boston Common, only to pass a the One Source crew holding mops and giving each other instructions in Spanish. Why weren’t they at the rally?

That dampened my spirits a bit--especially because woman immigrants are some of the most disenfranchised people in this country.

This weekend was actually a huge protest week. There was a 350,000 strong March for Peace Justice and Democracy on Saturday in Manhattan. According to a NOW press release, “The streets of New York City echoed [Saturday] with the chants, songs and shouts of at least 350,000 people from across the United States. Mobilized around the calls to end the war in Iraq, say no to any attack on Iran, and to support the rights and dignity of all people, including immigrants and women, the marchers brought a renewed urgency to the clear demand for change. The march featured the largest antiwar labor contingent in U.S. history.

Initiated by an historic alliance linking a diverse coalition of national organizations -- United for Peace and Justice, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, the National Organization for Women, Friends of the Earth, Climate Crisis Coalition, U.S. Labor Against the War, Veterans For Peace, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition, People's Hurricane Relief Fund -- the March for Peace, Justice and Democracy embodied the understanding that all those working for such goals must come together to right the reckless, dangerous, and wrong-headed direction the U.S. government has been following.”

Yesterday there was a huge rally to save Darfur at the National Mall in Washington DC. The protesters were led by students.

But the fact that the people we are trying to help can’t even afford to participate in these rallies is really discouraging. After having helped plan a rally, I realize how much work it is to even get a small showing.

Should we be focusing our rage on more tangible problems?

In terms of empowerment of women…Actually, empowerment is not the right term. In terms of MITIGATING rape, The Women’s Commission for Refugees and Children has been active in promoting ways to end real problems related to the genocide. Women who are displaced because of conflict, like in Darfur, must settle in dangerous refugee camps. When they go to collect firewood they are often in danger of getting raped and exploited. A solution based approach focuses on alternative fuel sources so women don’t get raped as much.

Are people doing more than just shouting about Iran, Iraq and immigration as well? Legal Momentum seems to be doing good work on behalf of women immigrants. I am sure there are more examples and I’ll try to post some when I get distracted from studying for finals.

But until then, I urge you to say hello to the One Source woman who cleans your bathroom. Maybe you should ask her about her kids, or if it meant anything to her that you wore a white T-shirt today and boycotted goods. Maybe if you tell her, it will matter.

AG

Getting Even

2006-04-26T11:09:00.001-05:00

Perhaps it was appropriate that the Mass. State Senate unveiled it’s paid family leave plan yesterday, because it was also “Equal Pay Day.” However, perhaps we should think of paid family leave and equal pay as separate issues because the calculated wage gap in the US, is that women earn about 77 cents to every dollar a man earns, and that is absolutely NOT because they are taking time off work to take care of kids. We need BOTH equal pay and family leave for women to be equal in the work place and to facilitate a healthy balance between work and family.

One of the leaders on this issue is of course another strong Massachusetts woman who recently spoke at a Fletcher event on enlightened power. Former Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Evelyn Murphy has been writing books and starting grassroots campaigns called ”wage clubs”
to try to remedy the wage gap, a problem that is not going away anytime soon. One thing she mentioned at the Fletcher event is that if women can learn to talk about sex, they can learn to talk about money. So start keeping track of the men you work with and make sure you aren’t being paid less for the same work.

Surprisingly enough, one of the things women can do for empowerment is to make tons of money. We need more rich women who control companies! Some women feel that being a business woman is not a job that involves integrity and generosity. Women gravitate toward the non-profit sector, and are grossly underrepresented in business schools and top company positions. Perhaps if they took more leadership and didn’t feel guilty about making profits, we would have less corruption and more creative business strategies. The point is, if you are a woman, please, please go get rich.

PAID FAMILY LEAVE BACK ON MASS. AGENDA

2006-04-25T12:18:00.000-05:00

Opt Out Revolution Anti-dote?

Today the President of the Massachusetts State Senate announced a paid family leave plan that is generous by our nation’s standards. Family leave has been a dormant topic in the Mass Statehouse that hasn’t been talked about this much excitement since 2001. California is the only state to have passed any paid family leave plan. So check out today's Globe!

Sen. Pat Jehlen who came for Women's Week has a very active role in this topic, so be sure to stay abreast of this exciting news and see how we can get involved!

Rape laws written in favor of rapists?

2006-04-12T17:35:00.000-05:00

Since the Duke lacrosse team’s media attention related to the rape of a woman from a near by school, many of the media coverage has neglected to mention clearly the relevence of the story and violence against women. (Google the story to see the diverse angles different reporters have taken.) This Guardian Article on Catherine Mackinnon is extremely interesting and summarizes some of the theories of the renowned women’s rights lawyer.

It really makes you think about what this lack of coverage indicates in terms of rape laws being written to favor rapists.

Furthermore, I have yet come across an article that makes the connection between this story and the prevalence of rape on all college campuses. We learned at the Take Back the Night forum that in 2004 it was estimated that 93 women at Tufts would be victims of rape or attempted rape. Why is one story getting so much attention when this is an endemic problem for all college campuses? Is this going to make women fear reporting even more than they already do because the events were so scandalized?

-AG

Joint Meeting With Jewish Women's Collective and TFA

2006-04-11T21:31:00.000-05:00

Some things we discussed:

How to get the message out to people who are not already part of the positive gender role movement:

• Start education and advocacy in middle school
• More programming during in the SACK
• Required reading
• Find the victims that men can identify with
• Change the way the mainstream addresses rape issues
• Set examples during freshman orientation
• Storm perspectives/explorations classes
• Come back from school early and go to frat parties with freshman
• Create better alternative to frat parties
• Organized trips to town
• Change drinking culture
• Joint women’s group conversation/party at orientation

Someone has Taken The Night, Please Provide information about possible suspects

2006-04-10T21:28:00.000-05:00

We had a record turn out of about 90+ at the Take Back the Night Rally 2006! Special thanks to Elaine Theodore who was an excellent moderator! Also thanks to Peggy Barrett and Sue Gilbert in the Women’s Center, they are always fantastic. TUPD showed their support and we really appreciated it. TFA did a fabulous job at the rally and Essence and the Jackson Jills really made it a special moment on the library roof!

To keep the discussion going, here are the questions we addressed at the forum:

1. How to allocate funds for violence prevention
2. Specific problems that need to be addressed
3. Projects that we’d like to undertake for violence prevention
4. How to get men involved
5. How to get new students involved
6. How to monitor our progress.

We talked a lot about in the SACK, sexuality in college and ways to disseminate information. Tomorrow at 9:15 in the Women’s Center TFA and the Jewish Women’s Collective will be hosting a discussion about the rally.

Take Back the Night TONIGHT

2006-04-10T09:19:00.000-05:00

Does anyone see the Irony here?

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT RALLY

2006-04-02T20:41:00.000-05:00

So this week we are doing the final preparations for the Take Back the Night Rally, which will be Monday, April 10th. TBTN is a nation wide, yearly tradition and this year’s rally at Tufts is going to be great.

There will be an 8pm open campus forum in Pearson 104, followed by a procession to the library roof. The rally will be at 9pm on the library roof.

BE THERE!

Feminist Blogs

2006-04-01T00:09:00.000-05:00

Check out this article from the Guardian!

The third wave - at a computer near you
Feminist blogs are booming. But are they globalising emancipation - or just playthings for the rich and well educated? By Kira Cochrane

Kira Cochrane
Friday March 31, 2006
Guardian

Young women are apathetic. They're not feminists. They don't call themselves feminists. They don't know what feminism is all about.
"That," says Jessica Valenti, "was all we ever seemed to hear - from colleagues, from the media. And we just thought, who are they talking about? I know young women all over the place who do feminist work. We wanted to show that young feminists aren't crazy or mean, but cool. A lot of feminism has this academic basis that can be very off-putting. And so we thought, let's put something out there that's not dry and academic, but lively and fun."

So Valenti became one of the founders of Feministing.com, a highly popular blog website that attracts 100,000 visitors a month. Each day it features between five and 10 women's stories, ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous. An article on incoming Chilean president Michelle Bachelet, for example, is followed by a wisecrack on a dubious skin-tightening product called Virgin Cream.

And it's not alone. In the two years since feministing started, there has been an explosion of feminist blogs, including many that have a highly professional edge, and a large, loyal readership. The feminist movement has always produced plenty of meaty writing and lively debate: witness Sylvia Pankhurst's newspaper, the Woman's Dreadnought, in the 1910s, through the pamphleteering of the 1970s second-wave, and the vibrant 'zine culture of the 1990s' "riot grrrl" movement. Prior to the blogosphere though, distribution remained local for all but a few major publications, such as Spare Rib, Ms, or, latterly, Bust and Bitch magazines.

Now though, the third wave (a movement often dismissed as a myth) has gone online. At feminist blogs you can find women writing on a bewildering range of topics, be it the perilously high caesarean rate in India, the dearth of abortion clinics in South Dakota, or the human rights record of the Philippines' president, Gloria Arroyo.

Some of the most popular blogs include Bitch PhD, the F-word, Pandagon, AngryBlackBitch, MindtheGapCardiff and Gendergeek. A recent estimate put the number of feminist blogs at 240,000, but, given that this posited the number of "active" worldwide blogs at 4m (some figures put it as high as 27.2m), and the proportion of women who are self-described feminists at 10% (a British survey this month produced a figure of 29%) the true figure could be much higher.

Comparative levels of computer literacy and interest mean that younger women do dominate. As Valenti says, "There's always been this sense among second-wave feminists that young women just aren't interested. That's never been true though: they just didn't know how to reach us."

There has also typically been a suspicion that if younger women are interested in feminism it's of a specific variety: what's sometimes called "girlie" feminism. The mainstream media tends to highlight young feminists whose outlook is "sexy". Those, for instance, who frame pole dancing as a feminist act.

Go online, though, and you are immediately struck by the huge variety of outlook and opinions. This is most evident at the twice-monthly Carnival of Feminists, set up by British blogger Natalie Bennett, who also runs Philobiblion, a women's history blog. Each carnival (usually on the first and third Wednesday of the month) is hosted by a different blogger, who invites people to contribute articles on current events or a general theme: "radical feminism", for instance, or "1970s feminism and what it means today". The host then chooses the best pieces, putting links to between 50 to 100 articles up on their site and providing a short commentary on each. This effectively creates a major new anthology of feminist thought every two weeks.

"People are always saying the feminist movement is dead, but I've never believed that," says Rebecca Traister, a feature writer for Salon.com, and one of the founders of Salon's own women's blog, Broadsheet, which launched last year. "What I think is that it's taking a modern, technological form, and that, from now on, feminism will be about a multiplicity of voices, growing louder and louder online."

But is it all just sound and fury? The blogs reflect second-wave ideas of consciousness raising and the personal as political (many women write about their experiences of rape and sexual assault), but there's a question mark over how this feeds into grass-roots activism.

Nina Wakeford, a sociologist at the University of Surrey, is cautious about blogging's influence. "I think the way blogs can provoke debate is useful," she concedes, "but it isn't clear how much they feed into activism. In the past, there was a clear role for women's organisations as regards representations to government, but I'm not sure whether women can affect public policy through blogging. Just who are they representing?"

This last question is interesting. As with second-wave feminism, this online movement is open to the accusation that it simply represents privileged white women. "Blogging is still somewhat limited, of course," says Georgia Gaden, a postgraduate researcher who has studied feminist blogs, "because although we take our access for granted, many women, globally, don't have that luxury."

That said, these blogs do redress the balance by highlighting global stories. And the Carnival of Feminists is trying to reach as many women as possible, with the most recent carnival held on the Indian blog, Indianwriting. "That was our fourth continent," says Bennett, "and I'm looking for an African blogger, so that we can reach our fifth."

The links between feminist blogs and activism are nascent - in January there was a "blog for choice" on abortion, and earlier this month saw mass blogs on street harassment and sexism - but they look set to grow. And for now, the sites provide both an insight into the strength of feeling among young feminists, and a much-needed alternative to mainstream women's magazines. If a young woman asked her about feminism, says Gaden, a blogosphere is the first place she'd direct her to. Traister agrees. "There are so many authentic voices out there that it's really invigorating. It just goes to prove that the internet isn't just for accessing porn!"

In their own words: The best of feminist blogs

Later this month, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is inducting Blondie. This makes Debbie Harry - only the 43rd woman out of nearly 500 people total - to be honoured by the rock hall since it opened in 1983. Hmm. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame claims you don't have to have a penis to get in ...
March 14, Ann, Feministing

The Mexican government is taking a stand against the objectification of women by running commercials that star blow-up sex dolls ... Interesting. So do I not like the ads because: 1) President Vicente Fox trivialises the murders of over 400 women in Ciudad Juarez, as well as recently referring to women as "washing machines with two legs", or 2) inflatable sex dolls scare the bejesus out of me?
March 10, Vanessa, Feministing

We should be under no illusion that the sexist attitudes that underpin (gender-based) violence are as deeply entrenched as ever. The radical notion that men should get consent before having sex has elicited a bizarrely hysterical response over at the Daily Mail, a newspaper that has the audacity to accuse feminists of being hypersensitive.
March 8, Emma, Gendergeek

Time magazine reports that colleges across the country are now offering more classes on pornography ... Whether we like it or not, porn is everywhere, so why shouldn't it be probed and questioned and studied? Maybe porn can be just as fun and educational as it is degrading. And by dissecting it in a thoughtful way, we can take back its power.
March 28, Sarah Elizabeth Richards, Broadsheet

Social conservatives are pretty damn wishful ... they are also ethnocentric and culturally homogeneous in their thinking. To assume that having a parent stay at home is universally beneficial is intellectually lazy ... my mother stayed at home. She was also a demented individual.
March 22, AngryBlackBitch

check out this link

2006-03-15T09:23:00.000-05:00

hi people,
someone gave me this link, it's a site by a woman who's into punk & other kind of feminist music. Feminist music! I love it.
http://www.jennywoolworth.ch/index.html
check it out!
-me

Women's Week

2006-03-13T21:28:00.000-05:00

Hello!
It is great as Jewish Women's Collective to finally be a part of GADFLIES!
Well, I will start out by starting a discussion about women's Week!
This year women's week has/had some pretty high profile speakers, unfortunately however--some low attendance. Even with all of the work that the women's Week Planning committee put into the events, why do Women at Tufts seem to shy away at some opportunities to present their unity?
Hopefully the negotiation panel on Tuesday night at 7:30 in Cabot will make up for it!
Everyone can benefit from this great panel of Tufts Alumnae in really awesome positions!
Come to the reception afterwards---food lovingly donated by Danish Pastry House--!

Body and Sold

2006-03-05T21:35:00.000-05:00

Tonight we had a great discussion about Deborah Lake Fortson's play "Body and Sold" which was performed by the Tempest Theater Company. Special thanks to the Tufts University Women's Center for getting it all together.

The play is meant to spread awareness and outrage about sex trafficking and its consequences through a series of intermeshed stories about youths who had fallen prey to sexual exploitation. The play made it clear that there is abuse, drug addiction, poverty, exploitation and violence running rampant on our streets and that many people are vulnerable while victims are afraid to talk. One of the lines in the play mentioned that they were “shell shocked” from a war that no one knows about. The play was quite intense for the audience, prompting interesting discussion afterwards.

Some of the things that were mentioned:

Could regulation or decriminalization of sex trafficking curb the violence and drug addictions?

How familiar are Tufts Students with the circumstances that led to sex trafficking in the play? Are there victims of abuse related to sex trafficking at Tufts?

What are the signs that a pimp may be trying to take advantage of you?

What is consent?

PORN and the Sex Industry

2006-02-28T22:46:00.000-05:00

We had a great discussion about porn and the sex industry tonight. Please feel free to continue it here.

We addressed three main issues:
1. What is porn?
2. Ethics of Porn
3. Porn industry

Here are some of the discussion questions:

Is porn art?

Is porn degrading, and if so to just women, or men too?

Does porn facilitate or perpetuate violence against women?

Who is accountable for the negative consequences of porn, the consumer or the producer?

Why are women’s fantasies never pictured in mainstream porn?

Is porn different in different cultures?

Are submissive sexual roles a choice for women?

What effect does dehumanizing men and women in pornography have on our sex lives?

Is there racism in porn?

Can we make watching porn a positive experience when we watch it by ourselves or with our sexual partners?

What is healthy sex?

Sexcellent Fair

2006-02-23T01:07:00.000-05:00

The Sex on the Hill fair sponsored by VOX was fun! Thanks to everyone for helping us make a great display! We had a “Where have you had sex” game in which people could mark a campus map with red sticker dots. People had a lot of fun looking at some of random places dots appeared…as well as some of the buildings that were entirely covered.

More importantly, we had information about legislation and statistics related to campus sexual assault. We also had a side panel that demonstrated that feminists have a diversity of opinions about sex. The display is in the women's center if you want to check it out or add your own dots.

Christina Hoff Summers

2006-02-23T01:03:00.000-05:00

I'm just opening up a comment board for any comments people who went to the Christina Hoff Summers lecture might have. Personally I'm bursting with opinions and things to rant about, but I'm going to have to think about it before I come up with anything like a clear analysis or actual thoughtful critiques. So comment on what you guys thought!

Check Out this, from the Tufts Daily

2006-02-22T07:37:00.000-05:00

Tufts Daily

SEX on the HILL

2006-02-19T18:12:00.000-05:00

So we were thinking of having a display about college feminisms. We will be making a collage about the diversity of feminist idea and issues about sex in college, and the type of people involved. Some people may be writing up some information various topics like STDS, college sex statistics and things of that nature. We are going for serious, informative and thought provoking. We want to show how we are an alliance that welcomes many different opinions as long as sexual and political equality between men and women is embraced. Please post comments, please check back for more discussion.

HAPPY V-DAY!

2006-02-15T00:06:00.000-05:00

Happy V-Day

The Valentine’s Day edition of the Primary Source had an article by Anna Kim called “A Dissenting Feminist” which I feel requires a response. Firstly, I would like to applaud Miss Kim for being critical of the feminist community. Certainly we can achieve as much progress for our aims of gender equality when we debate internally as when we criticize and seek to change patriarchal institutions. With that said, I firmly disagree with the article’s premise, that The Vagina Monologues and the V-Day celebrations that accompany the performance contribute to the objectification of women.

Anna Kim seems to agree with Christina Hoff Sommers, a scholar who is a leading critic of feminisms. I find many of Sommers’ and Kim’s claim problematic, but I will only address Kim’s statement that, “The Vagina Monologues mars the respect that society ought to have for women, much as when the entertainment industry, for example, uses nude women to generate profit, the result is not only an increasing acceptance of scandalous attire, but also an increasing trend of males using females only for sexual gratification.” I think this is a very misguided assertion, which Kim never substantiates. However, she does admit that the monologues make women more comfortable with talking about rape and sexual violence. That alone, I believe, makes the monologues an admirable endeavor, and separates them from the dehumanizing portrayal of women we often see in the media.

Being comfortable with talking about sexual abuse is a big deal. Indeed, this discourse is perhaps one of the most powerful tools for fighting violence against women. When women are not ashamed or afraid to talk with each other about sex and sexual behavior they are empowered because they can learn how to differentiate healthy relationships from abusive ones. Our greatest weapon to stop violence against women is our ability to confidentially say “no,” in sexual situations if we feel uncomfortable. When we treat talking about women’s sexuality as taboo, many women are afraid to question and resist abusive circumstances. Encouraging silence perpetuates abuse.

I would like to go even further, however, and say that there is much more to The Vagina Monologues and the fight to stop violence against women. The Primary Source also included a page entitled “The Penis Monologues,” a parody of The Vagina Monologues, which demonstrates that when you substitute a penis, the effect really isn’t the same. The parody really crystallizes why Kim’s interpretation of the monologues misses the substantive message: they aren’t just about vaginas, they are about women—they are about people.

Thus, the monologues are not responsible for men using women for sex. Furthermore, women’s discourse and attire ought never be blamed for that sort of behavior anyway. The Vagina Monologues portrays many different types sexual roles for women, but never promotes disrespect. This is the exact opposite of many images we see in the media. The campus is certainly addressing this issue. The Tufts Men’s Activist Coalition hosted an event after the Super Bowl to analyze the portrayal of masculinity in advertising and inevitably femininity was addressed in the discussion. It was noted that women are portrayed as objects and body parts, without faces or identities. The Vagina Monologues reverses this picture of women’s sexuality by giving true identities to women and showing that they are more than body parts, and sexual abuse affects more than just their bodies, it affects their humanity.

The Vagina Monologues gives us the ability to talk about rape and sexual violence more freely. They portray women with identities that get hurt when their bodies are objectified. The V-day celebration is centered on the notion that women have voices and dignity, and celebrating that is a way to truly take a stand against violence. For these reasons, every day is V-Day to me.

-Anna G.

Vagina Monologues

2006-02-13T15:14:00.000-05:00

Well this weekend was the Vagina Monologues at Tufts, and I thought I'd give my impressions...
I went on Friday night, and it struck me that the biggest challenge for this play has become keeping it original: I think that every single person in that room had seen the Vagina Monologues at LEAST once or twice before, and frankly most people seemed to be there out of a sense of duty ("it's February, I guess I have to go see the Vagina Monologues..."). Of course, it's a fantastic testament to the power of this play that it has gone from revolutionary to cliché in only seven years - can you imagine that V-day started in 1998? It wasn't that long ago, and it's already an obligatory production for every University in America. But this wild popularity has its disadvantages in the fact that, well, it's all been done, and people are beginning to get bored.
Congratulations, then, to the women and men involved in the Tufts Vagina Monologues, who did a damned good job of keeping our attention! The representation was very simple and loyal to the text, and depended on the actresses’ abilities to pull it together despite everyone’s familiarity with the play. Personally, I thought Lauren Jackson in “The Little Coochie Snorcher That Could” and Jessica Cohen in “Reclaiming Cunt” both deserve additional props (they were awesome). But I’m not trying to be rude when I say that this production had nothing too special about it: it was basic, and well done.
So another Vagina Monologues season has come and gone, Good Job to the cast and crew at Tufts…I guess we can all go back to being afraid to say vagina and talk about women’s sexuality for the other 364 days of the year…
(-melanie-)

New York Times Talk and Events down the block

2006-02-08T22:01:00.000-05:00

Check out this this editorial in the New York Times today by Judith Warner.

She will be in Harvard Square next Monday, February 13th at 7 pm on the third floor of the Harvard Coop talking about her new book, “Madness: Motherhood in the Age of Anxiety.”

Another option for that evening is at 6:30 at the Boston Public Library in the Rabb Lecture Hall. Karenna Gore Schiff will discuss her book, “Lighting the Way: Nine Women Who Changed Modern America.”

Gadflies Unite!

2006-02-07T02:18:00.000-05:00

Tufts Feminist Alliance hopes to serve as an umbrella network for all Tufts student groups devoted to equality between men and women and the exploration of gender identity. The project is named GADFLIES for Gender Awareness Discourse For Living In Equal Societies. Any campus organization that would like to be represented is welcome to apply for a membership to this web log. The group will get their own username so their representatives can post blog entries. Your group may inquire about membership by emailing TFA. We welcome a diversity of perspectives and ideas.

At today’s meeting we will be discussing the legacy of Betty Friedan and our upcoming campus projects and discussion topics. We will be baking vagina cookies for people to decorate at our Vulvapalooza booth for V-Day, as well as creating a poster to raise awareness about “Laws that Affect your Vagina.” Please keep checking back as new members are added and we post reactions to tomorrows’ discussion.