Just found out that this year’s Blogger BoobieThon will happen on October 1st. What a cool idea, to use breasts to raise money for the health of breasts and to raise awareness of Breast Cancer.
It's About the Children, My Ass
Dubya just failed to fund the UNFPA, again. I hate him I hate him I hate him. It’s literally a death sentence for thousands of women and children, and could have prevented 12 million unwanted pregnancies via birth control and contraception.
Dark Odyssey #5
We almost didn’t go to Dark Odyssey this year for a variety of reasons, but as it turns out, femme tops top everyone: Tristan told me we had to, so we did. When we were leaving, and I was getting really choked up and was sad to be going, I knew I wouldn’t ever think of not going again. What Tristan and Greg and all the many perverted presenters, staff, and attendees create on a campgrounds – nearly out of nothing – is really singular, in my experience.
There were plenty of familiar faces missing this year – some in the middle of new book publicity, others dealing with personal stuff or health concerns, and many, many people were missed. But people stepped in to fill the gaps, and it was as if Betty and I had an omen of what a good DO it would be when we found ourselves, the first night that we got in, talking to one of the staffers we’d just met about Neil Gaiman.
Betty read Stephen King’s IT the whole time we were there, and I’ll let her blog about how meaningful she found that book this time around.
Continue reading “Dark Odyssey #5”
Won a Round
Catholics really can kick ass, sometimes.
WIMN Radio
Greenstone Launches All-Women Radio Talk Network
(I’ve always wanted to be a DJ.)
Literary Menstrual Hut
This recent article by Michelle Tea in the SF Bay Guardian made me laugh, since I’m being published by Seal Press as well – and I can’t say the words “menstrual hut” ever crossed my mind.
But “literary” did. As did “trans friendly.” My experience with Seal so far has been stellar, to be honest, and I feel much as I did when I decided not to work for most straight male clients when I do my freelance bookkeeping (which I should write more about one of these days): it’s just such a pleasure to work with a bunch of kick-ass women.
Moreso, I just wanted to point out how hip Seal has been about publishing interesting trans books, like The Testosterone Files, Nobody Passes (edited by Mattilda), She’s Such a Geek (edited by Charlie Anders & her partner), Julia Serano‘s upcoming manifesto, and my book. In a nutshell, Seal’s trans titles are becoming a Who’s Who of the 30-something trans generation, no? And you’ll notice, too, that these feminists include both FTM and MTF narratives in their trans collection, just as they should.
Chile 1, U.S. 0
Chile has just made contraception for all women ages 14 and over free. Younger women do not need parental authorization to get contraception, either.
Irony: Chile is a Catholic country.
Fact: The president of Chile is a woman and a pediatrician.
Statement: A government spokesperson explained that because 14 of every 100 teenagers are sexually active that the government has a real need to provide these services.
Tragedy: Texas now requires any woman under the age of 18 to get parental permission for an abortion which has to also be notarized by a third party.
Orthomoxie
Birth control pill prices just shot up, and clinics have effectively been punched in the stomach by it.
To absorb the higher prices, public clinics are contemplating cutting other services, reducing the hours they’re open, or closing some locations. Some clinics are finding that generic substitutes are difficult to afford. Prices for generic birth control pills vary widely, but many seem to cost between $5 and $18 dollars a pack—not bad compared with retail prices, but far more than clinics were accustomed to paying for Ortho. Some clinics say they will have to stop offering certain classes of birth control pills altogether. This is a problem since women respond differently to different hormonal formulations: One kind of pill may cause breakthrough bleeding, bloating, or moodiness, while another causes no side effects.
Thanks to Slate and Feministing.
Screwed-up His Courage
Ah, another inspired headline from The Onion: Area Man Finally Works Up Courage To Sexually Harass Secretary
After having nearly resigned himself to another seven years of unspoken requests for sexual favors, Winters seized an opportunity to express his feelings Monday morning, offering to help Davis “get to the important stuff” as she bent over a file cabinet. Later, as further proof of his commitment, Winters suggested that he and Davis discuss a possible promotion at his beach house over the weekend.
(Thanks to Ronnie Rho for the RSS.)
That Forbes Article
I’m a little surprised, though I guess I shouldn’t be, by the brouhaha created by Forbes re-printing an article from 1973. (That’s a joke, folks, it’s a new article, but it could have been written in 1973. The whole premise of said article is that career women suck as wives and mothers – more likely to: not have kids, not stay home with kids, cheat, get divorces, etc. etc. etc.)
What amazes me is that this got by an editor. Is sexism so not apparent to people? I mean if a woman wrote an article in Forbes that men who have careers make bad husbands and fathers, the hue & cry would be outrageous. But writing an article judging how good women are in their “natural” role is perfectly reasonable?
The whole thing makes me ill. As does the use of the term feminazi. What a bunch of schlock. I’m reminded of that old feminist slogan, “Men of Quality Love Women’s Equality.” Not many quality men out there, apparently, at least not if the Forbes’ forum for discussion of said article is to be believed.
But the sense of humor in response is quite satisfying: this little slideshow on why to marry a career bitch, in particular. Oh, & Forbes took down the original article, so if you want to read it, it’s archived here.