anythings.org

Check out the LA Times article here.

In a 4-3 ruling, the justices rule that state marriage laws are unconstitutional.

SAN FRANCISCO — – The California Supreme Court ruled today that same-sex couples should be permitted to marry, rejecting state marriage laws as discriminatory.

The state high court’s 4-3 ruling was unlikely to end the debate over gay matrimony in California. A group has circulated petitions for a November ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution to block same-sex marriage, while the Legislature has twice passed bills to authorize gay marriage. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both.

Finally, some decisive action on this!

Here’s a quote from our shitty, shitty Governor, Mr. Schwarzenegger, that makes me feel a little more secure in today’s ruling:

“I respect the Court’s decision and as Governor, I will uphold its ruling. Also, as I have said in the past, I will not support an amendment to the constitution that would overturn this state Supreme Court ruling.”

I was more than a little shocked to see this article on the front page of CNN:

As the weather warms each spring, women — especially in cities with active sidewalk traffic — once again face catcalls from men. It’s a situation some find unnerving and an invasion of their space, while others ignore it or are even flattered by it.

“I call it street abuse,” said New York filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West, 49. “It’s unwanted attention and invasion of space.”

In her 1998 documentary “War Zone,” Hadleigh-West confronted catcallers and filmed their responses. Many of the men literally ran away to avoid talking to her about why they whistled or made a provocative comment. […]

“Being in a public space with a strange man who is being sexually aggressive is potentially dangerous,” Hadleigh-West added.

On the other hand, some women appreciate the attention in certain cases, like Jessica, a 31-year-old health-care educator in Los Angeles who declined to use her last name to protect her privacy.

“Yeah, it’s objectifying and all, but you know, if I walked down the street and didn’t have men looking me up and down and catcalling, I’d think, ‘Boy, I must really be getting old and dumpy,’ ” she said.

This is absolutely disgusting. Is that how you feel better about yourself? BY being verbally assaulted by men? I think it’s a little sad that the state of the world makes women feel flattered when they are being yelled at by strange men simply for existing. Where is your self esteem? Do you really need that much attention to feel good about yourself? I know I’m being a little more than harsh here, but I absolutely hate women like this. Especially when cat calling isn’t as innocent as a man being a jerk and asserting himself on a woman:

“There seems to be some evidence that it increases self-objectification,” said Fairchild, who surveyed 550 women both online and at Rutgers University in 2006 and 2007. The women — who ranged in age from 15 to 64 in the international online component and from 18 to 24 in the Rutgers survey of women from central New Jersey — were asked about their experiences with street harassment.

Catcalling “encourages women to look at themselves as body parts instead of as full, whole, intelligent human beings” and can cause women to fear for their safety, Fairchild says.

“When a man catcalls you, you don’t know if it will end at that point or if it could escalate to assault,” she added.

I’m glad that there is research being done on this - but I’m sad that it’s getting attention only after the article’s author finds some random woman who just lives for the attention cat calling provides her with.

You know, I was totally fine with this article, even the bits including the attention-seeking woman, until I reached the end:

“A lot of men have no idea that women don’t like being talked to in this way,” she said. “It never crosses their mind, and yelling doesn’t educate them. If you yell, they often don’t understand why you are upset and so they take it personally.”

Often, Kearl says, an assertive, clear response can illicit a kinder reaction than one expects.

“A lot of the time, I find guys will just say, ‘Oh, OK, I didn’t realize it made you feel that way. Thanks.’ “

Ok, now, really, as a woman who experiences cat calling because she has to dress up for work, I can honestly say that no matter how you respond to a man making sexual comments about you, they will still take it personally and be even bigger of an asshole about it. I have asked cat callers more than once if they think whistling and making sexual remarks at women is really the way to get their attention, and I’ve either been called a bitch, stupid, or a lesbian because of my return comment.

What is a man’s expectation when he says these things to a woman he doesn’t even know? Does he expect her to fawn over him in appreciation? Does he expect his comments to be appreciated, or does he know they are offensive?

I’m doing my part as a woman to make it clear that we don’t appreciate these comments, but I’m only one woman living in one small city - I can only do so much.

Peace Over Violence is proud to present the 10th Annual Denim Day USA 2008, a campaign to raise awareness and educate the public about rape and sexual assault. It takes place on Wednesday April 23, 2008.

In 1998, an Italian Supreme Court decision overturned a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. People all over the world were outraged. Wearing jeans became an international symbol of protest against erroneous and destructive attitudes about sexual assault.

Last year, on Denim Day an unprecedented 300,000 people signed up to wear jeans in support of raising awareness about the need to end sexual violence. This year we aim to at least double that amount.

This day in the schools, offices and streets of Los Angeles County we unite against rape of girls, women, boys and men. We stand in support of survivors. We break the silence to end sexual violence.

On Denim Day USA wear your jeans as a visible sign of protest against the myths that still surround sexual assault!

What can you do to make Denim Day USA a success?

• Wear Jeans on April 23, 2008.
• Tell your friends, family and colleagues to wear jeans
• Sign up and receive our Denim Day USA Action Kit.
• Donate Dollars for Denim.

Make a Difference

• When you participate in Denim Day USA on April 23, 2008 you:
• Make it possible for more survivors of sexual assault to reach out and find help.
• Promote prevention through education so that sexual violence doesn’t occur in the first place.
• Encourage men and boys to understand that strength is not for hurting, and the critical role they play in preventing violence against women.
• Encourage institutional and societal change.

Get Started

Please register as a participant and we will send you out a packet of Denim Day material. If you have more than 500 participants, we ask that you come to our offices and pick up your material if at all possible. Everything is also downloadable from the Denim Day USA website by clicking here. Thank You!

The past few months, the media has been overrun with stories relating to rapes that have been covered up by the military and KBR (and KBR, again), immigration officials, and many more. The coverage of rape myths has continued to remain popular, despite the thousands of women who have experienced otherwise. Stories have been released that tell us just how frighteningly common rape and sexual assault are in the military, even though we all know that the majority of sexual assaults go unreported, even though it is extremely frequent.

And you know what? I’m sick of it. Sick of the fear, the stigma, and the trauma all associated with rape. Sick of the guilt, sick of the terrible media coverage, sick of people blaming the victim. And you know why this happens? Do you? Because if you don’t, I do.

When companies like KBR discover that their employees are being victimized and violently attacked, they have the opportunity to do one of two things:

1. Take a stand for their employees and fight like hell for their rights. Assist them in the investigation and prosecution of the offender(s), and provide them with paid medical leave and access to trained rape crisis professionals, free of charge. Accept that you are responsible for what happened to them and reach an agreement with them privately.
2. Cower like idiots, take absolutely no responsibility for the crimes, discourage them from reporting it, force them to sign agreements taking away their constitutional right to a jury trial, and make them feel so much shame and guilt that they can no longer function physically or emotionally.

KBR, of course, being a huge, rich, and wealthy company, opted for route #2. Despite the fact that they have the money to help these women prosecute the offenders and the resources to provide them with help when they return home, they neglected to take care of their employees. They decided to force these women into arbitration so they don’t have pay exorbitant punitive damages to the victims if these charges were sent to a jury. Because, really, let’s be honest: if these cases went to trial, the circumstances are not in their favor. While the offenders may not be convicted, the women would most likely win in civil court.

But KBR knows just how many zeros can follow the number 1, and they didn’t want to take any risks. Instead of taking the high road and setting examples for corporations across America, they took the low road and continued to victimize their employees by not allowing them access to justice. It’s sick, and it’s wrong, not to mention cruel and inhumane.

But back to the point. All of this happens, the lack of reporting, the believing in rape myths, and the blaming of the victim because of the very public actions taken by KBR. If you are a 16 year old girl and you happen to stumble upon the story of one of these KBR rapes, what will you think? Will you think it’s safe to bring rape charges up on someone? Will you think the law is on your side? Will you think people will believe you? No, you won’t. And you won’t report your rape, and you won’t seek help. You will live your life in fear and shame, and you probably won’t even tell your friends what happened to you.

Rape is the dirty crime - it’s a crime associated with shame and dishonor. If you walk outside and discover your car is stolen, you report it. If you wake up and your house is on fire, you report it. If you are walking home from a night class and you are raped, you report it.

If you have been a victim of sexual assault, rape, or domestic violence, I urge you to REPORT IT NOW! April 29, 2008 is Angela Shelton Day: a day where victims come together, break the silence, and transform themselves into survivors.

Our lovely lawmakers have finally gotten up the nerve to tackle Bush’s abstinence-only sex education funding. It’s no surprise that it took a Democrat controlled House and Senate to allow this challenge to happen, but the question is, why didn’t it happen sooner? Despite years of outcry and criticism, it took our lawmakers seven years into Bush’s term as President to put any concentrated energy towards the removal of abstinence-only sex education in schools.

In a letter signed by 76 House and Senate members, they urged Rep. David Obey (D-Wis.), chair of the House Appropriations Committee, to redistribute abstinence-only education funds towards more effective programs, such as the comprehensive sex education that was used several Presidents ago. While I am all for a letter urging someone to action, I highly doubt that will be the solution to ending abstinence-only education. I’d think the many studies from prominent and well-respected institutions that have shown that abstinence-only education does not work would have pushed our legislators to action sooner, but apparently not.

From the National Partnership on Women and Families:

The letter did not suggest specific alternative programs that could be funded, CQ HealthBeat reports. Emily Kryder — press secretary for Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.), who signed the letter — said that Capps would prefer to fund the type of comprehensive sex education programs authorized by HR 1653 and HR 819, which contain a variety of measures intended to increase access to contraception and comprehensive sex education. Reps. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.) — sponsors of HR 1653 and HR 819, respectively — also signed the letter.

Capps in an e-mail said, “Abstinence-only education, such as that funded through CBAE, doesn’t work and is a waste of our limited financial resources.” She added, “We need to give our young people access to accurate information that will enable them to make healthy decisions.” Shays said, “The extraordinary number of teen pregnancies and growing rate of sexually transmitted disease transmission among teens underscores the necessity of comprehensive sexual education.” He added that children “need a responsible education that includes both abstinence and contraception approaches to pregnancy prevention and sexual health.”

Reps. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.) and Lee Terry (R-Neb.) also recently sent a letter to Obey that asks for CBAE funding and policy guidelines to be maintained. “Millions of youth will continue to receive education that provides a risk-eliminating advantage gained by abstaining from sexual activity if abstinence education funding is continued,” McIntyre and Terry wrote, adding, “This is not a partisan issue” (Grimaldi, CQ HealthBeat, 3/31).

Call you local legislators and urge them to join sign onto this letter. It may not be the driving force to end oppressive abstinence-only sex education, but it could be the catalyst for something bigger.

Image from Getty.

As a woman who falls into the 18-24 and sexually active statistic, it should come as no surprise that I have used emergency contraception at least once in my life. I am lucky enough to live in a liberal town where access to Plan B (and other emergency contraceptives) is readily available without scrutiny.

However, many woman do not live in towns where they can obtain Plan B without scrutiny, discrimination, or harassment. Some women aren’t even aware that Plan B is available to them (at a steep cost) without a prescription from their local pharmacy. In an effort to combat the lack of knowledge, resources, and availability of emergency contraceptives, Back Up Your Birth Control has launched a Day of Action to increase awareness surrounding this vital piece of women’s reproductive health.

From Back Up Your Birth Control:

Back Up Your Birth Control (BUYBC) is a national campaign to expand access to EC by increasing EC education and awareness.

2008 BACK UP YOUR BIRTH CONTROL DAY OF ACTION

The Back Up Your Birth Control Campaign Day of Action is March 25, 2008! Join advocates across the country in raising awareness of EC and ensuring that every woman can back up her birth control with EC when and if she needs it.

FEATURED 2008 BACK UP YOUR BIRTH CONTROL ACTIVITIES

The 2008 Day of Action is dedicated to making EC available to all women regardless of their income, insurance coverage or immigration status. While we celebrate the FDA decision that made EC available over-the-counter to women 18 and older, we know that the high cost of EC over-the counter, usually between $40-70 in pharmacies nationwide, is a continuing barrier to some women accessing EC. Making the situation even worse is the fact that many college health centers and safety-net family planning clinics have had to drastically increase the cost of regular birth control methods because of a provision in the Deficit Reduction Act passed in 2005 that eliminated discounts on birth control for these clinics. This means that the four million college-age women across America – along with low-income women who rely on the 400 safety-net family planning clinics – may need to back up their birth control now more than ever before.

This year’s campaign will focus on:

• Raising awareness of the barrier to EC access posed by the high cost of EC over-the-counter
• Educating women, and teens who can’t access EC OTC, about sources of free and low-cost EC in their communities
• Encouraging and providing resources for advocates who are working for a resolution of the DRA price increase
• Highlighting innovative models that advocates and health departments across the country are implementing to help increase access to affordable EC (including free EC days, websites that help women compare EC prices at their area pharmacies, states covering EC OTC under their Medicaid programs, etc.)

Check out their website for more ways to get involved in this year’s Day of Action!

Apparently, a company called Pipedream Products (google at your own risk) produces celebrity blow up sex dolls as part of their “Super Star Series”. They have dolls of:

Eva Longoria: she’s your whore next door!
Lindsay Lohan: no witty slogan, just references to her bad driving and Herbie movie
Jessica Simpson: Crazy Daisy! (pictured)
Jessica Alba: Jessica Sin, explore the dark side of this sexy lil angel!
Sarah Jessica Parker: Sex in her Shitty, She loves Big!, and Sarah Jessica Porkher

You can view all of the images here (if you dare). While some of the dolls do not look identical to the real person, they similarities are uncanny, especially when they borrow from current or past roles to encourage the sense of familiarity and desire.

This is absolutely disgusting. While I am horrified by sex dolls and the way they objectify women’s bodies for the sole purpose of sexual fulfillment, I am sick to my stomach at the thought of these dolls being produced. I’m not big on lawsuits, but I could definitely get behind any of these women for suing the shit out of Pipedream Products for producing sex dolls in their likeness.

I can understand that for some people, sex dolls are an innocent fetish and they do not intend to objectify women… but too bad. You do. A sex doll is 100% under the control of its owner and serves as a passive sex object. These women did not consent for their likeness to be used to create a sex toy, and highly doubt many women (except for those who have willingly entered the sex industry) would.

There is a huge difference between female porn stars and these dolls. For one, (most) female porn stars provide their consent every time they make a pornographic film. For another, well, they have a pulse. I don’t really know what I can say to illustrate the vast difference between sex workers and sex toys. Some sex workers feel a sense of agency in their work, while others are forced into it and suffer from violence, drug addiction, and STDs. Sex toys, more accurately sex dolls, are not alive, they cannot consent. They are passive recipients, to put it mildly. For the women whose likenesses have been used to create these dolls, I’m sure it’s a more horrifying experience and an extreme personal violation. I highly doubt they see the dolls as passive recipients of sex.

[Image from Splash News]

I am a huge Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan. Ask my boyfriend and my roommates: I watch it constantly, and I listen to the musical all the time. If Buffy could be a religion, I would be a devout follower.

Since Buffy is no longer on television, I’ve been going through a bit of a Buffy drought. Once the comics appeared on the scene, I began reading them sporadically, waiting for the paperback volumes to be released to purchase them. I caught an article on the New York Times about Issue #12 and Buffy’s lesbian “experimentation”. This isn’t the first time Joss Whedon has included lesbianism in his series.

For those not familiar with the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, Willow - a witch and Buffy’s best friend - develops a lesbian relationship with a fellow witch, Tara, during college. After Tara’s death, Willow begins dating a potential slayer.

Joss Whedon has often said that making Willow a lesbian wasn’t so much about her being a lesbian, it was about her finding in love in someplace unexpected, regardless of whether it was a man or a woman. As a character, Willow’s most obvious trait was her ability to love anyone wholeheartedly, and Whedon played on that trait in her relationship with, and grieving of the loss of, her girlfriend. While BtVS wasn’t the biggest pop culture hit during its seven year run, it was a show that used science fiction and fantasy story lines to highlight true life experiences and the struggles teens and young adults face growing up.

Besides, there’s nothing more fabulous than a show that takes the “high school is hell” metaphor and turns it into the basis for an entire seven season show.

From the NYT:

In a new issue of the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” comic book series, being released Wednesday, Buffy sleeps with a fellow slayer. And, oh yeah, she’s a woman.

It’s an unusual development for a lead character of a series, whether on television or in comic books.

The story line “evolved naturally,” said Joss Whedon, who created Buffy for the 1992 film and the 1997 television show, which ran for seven seasons. Mr. Whedon is also executive producer of the comic book, published by Dark Horse Comics and promoted as “Season Eight.”

He has written several stories for it, including an opening arc that introduces Satsu (pronounced SOUGHT-sue), one of nearly 2,000 slayers activated in the television show’s finale. One of Buffy’s prized disciples, she ends up sharing her bed.

Mr. Whedon has developed their liaison over several issues. In No. 3 Buffy is overcome by a “Sleeping Beauty” spell undone only by a kiss from someone who loves her. In No. 4 Buffy realizes that Satsu saved her. Last month the pair discussed Satsu’s feelings. Buffy, although flattered by Satsu’s attentions, said the risks of involvement were too great.

“People who love me tend to … oh, die,” she said. Or, she added, they leave, because “sooner or later everybody realizes there’s something wrong … something wrong with me, or around me.”

My favorite part, however, comes from none other than Mr. Whedon himself:

But before fans start blogging frantically, they should know that Mr. Whedon is clear where this is headed. “We’re not going to make her gay, nor are we going to take the next 50 issues explaining that she’s not. She’s young and experimenting, and did I mention open-minded?”

I can’t wait to read this issue! Nerd alert…

[Image from Dark Horse Comics, NYT]

By now I’m sure everyone knows about Amy Winehouse being asked by the Grammy Awards producers to cover up her tattoo’s nipples for her performance, but can we just pause a moment and reflect on how this is being reported to media outlets?

Every article I’ve read says the Grammy producers “expressed concern” over her tattoo’s nipples. I highly doubt that was what actually happened between the producers and Winehouse’s camp. Of course the producers have concerns, but I doubt they are for the good of the American public, especially since the FCC just slammed ABC for a partial nude butt shot on a show that aired five years ago and is no longer even on TV.

But the thing is, the Grammy producers didn’t “express concern”: they told Amy to cover it or she would lose her spot on the awards show. Of course, they couldn’t afford to have Amy back out at the last second, so they were hoping she’d realize this was her moment to prove herself to those who have doubted her and she’d lay down like a dog and cover up the nipples. Can you blame her? With all the negative press she’s been getting lately she had to find some way to refocus everyone’s attention on her talent as a singer rather than her talent as a burn out druggie.

I mean, it’s a topless woman tattooed on her arm. Was it really necessary for her to cover up for the Grammy Awards when almost every picture of Amy has it visible to the naked (no pun intended) eye?

Now I know why I never went ivy. A group of Zeta Psi pledges gathered up outside the Yale Women’s Center with a derogatory sign were completely blocking entrance to the center. Do you think you would be able to break through a group of 12 fraternity boys to get into the Women’s Center for your rape counseling? I’m doubtful I would take on that challenge, even if I needed to go to the bathroom and the YWC was the only bathroom within 10 miles walking distance.

Following a frat stunt picturing twelve alleged Zeta Psis with a sign reading WE LOVE YALE SLUTS by the Yale Women’s Center, the Women’s Center is threatening to sue. From the Women’s Center directly:

The gentlemen of Zeta Psi have apologized to “YALE SLUTS” — but only for what they thought they’d been caught for. They didn’t apologize for chanting “dick” outside the Women’s Center before their photo-op, and intimidating a female student from entering the Center (which, by the way, services rape victims — roughly 25 percent of women). They didn’t apologize for using the word “slut,” and being proud of it. They didn’t apologize for committing premeditated hate speech, for documenting that hate speech with pride, or for exalting it on Facebook.

And they didn’t apologize at all until we threatened legal action. The bigotry of Zeta Psi is unexceptional. It is pervasive, at Yale and around the world. This sort of behavior has to change, everywhere, here, and right now.

Of course, their apology was ridiculously lame. No word from the national front, which is no surprised if you ask me.

Although, I guess, if you were single and desperate for a boyfriend, you could always knock on the door of the Zeta Psi house and say “hey! I’m a slut! I go to the Yale Women’s Center! Date me!”

Right…