Feminist Forte

Stories and news related to feminism

At Your Cervix

February 1, 2010
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At Your Cervix

This. Is. Not. Okay. Pelvic exams performed on unconscious women by medical students. The women haven’t consented. The exams are performed so that medical students can get experience. Outrageous that a woman is treated like a lab rat without her consent while in the care of a medical professional – and she may not even be told after the fact. You can read about the practice here or here. This article disputes the claim stating new guidelines were set up in 2006 to prevent unauthorized pelvic examinations. That’s not that long ago ladies! There is a documentary about the practice called “At Your Cervix.” View the movie trailer here. Be aware. Be outraged. And remember, advocate for your own health and safety.

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Celebrating Lilly

January 29, 2010
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Celebrating Lilly

It’s January 29 so today we are honoring two women named Lilly. The first, Lilly Ledbetter, a brave woman who fought against pay discrimination so that all women would have a better chance at earning a fair salary. Jan. 29 is the anniversary of President Obama signing the Lily Ledbetter Act into law. Thank you Ms. Ledbetter.  We know your work is not finished. So ladies, please take a moment and send a message to your Senators telling them to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act. Despite all of Lilly Ledbetter’s hard work, the wage gap has widened. Women earn, on average just .77 cents for every dollar a man earns. Women of color earn even less. January 29 also means it’s cold here in New England. There is snow on the ground, the temperature is 18 degrees F, and the wind is gusting to 28 mph. It’s the kind of day that makes us long for summer on Cape Cod. And it’s impossible to think about the Cape without thinking about the unofficial Cape Cod uniform – a Lilly Pulitzer dress. Lilly Pultizer was a New York Socialite who moved to Palm Beach with her husband in the 1950s. Although she never had to work [...]

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I forgot Chris Matthews was sexist

January 28, 2010
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I forgot Chris Matthews was sexist

I forgot Chris Matthews was sexist for an hour last night. Following the State of the Union address Matthews said of President Obama, “I was trying to think about who he was tonight. It’s interesting; he is post-racial, by all appearances. I forgot he was black tonight for an hour. He’s gone a long way to become a leader of this country and past so much history in just a year or two. I mean it’s something we don’t even think about. I was watching and I said, wait a minute, he’s an African-American guy in front of a bunch of other white people and there he is, president of the United States, and we’ve completely forgotten that tonight — completely forgotten it.” Here’s a clip. Wow. So does that means Matthews definition of post-racial is color-blind? A world where black leaders actually seem white – whatever that means? Oh Chris, you really stepped in it this time. And then, I was watching and I said, wait a minute, he’s a sexist guy in front of a bunch of television viewers and there he is, chauvinist Hardball host, and we’ve completely forgotten that tonight – completely forgotten it. This is [...]

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Seriously, Apple. The iPad?

January 27, 2010
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Seriously, Apple. The iPad?

I find it funny that Apple named its new tablet, unveiled today, the iPad.  I must be overworked or tired because every time I think about it, I chuckle. Seriously Apple, what were you thinking? A personal product that is ultra thin and you name it the iPad? Computing is not what comes to mind. Feminine protection is. I’ve worked with Apple marketing execs before and I know how much thought and research go into launching a product. But as they say in the Twitterverse, this was a #fail. Speaking of Twitter, the microblogging site has been buzzing with comments about the name. In fact the term iTampon is trending on the site as I write this. Here’s a sampling of tweets: @annfriedman “I hope the iPad has wings for extra nighttime protection.” @JillFilipovic “Can I use the #iPad if I’m in a bathing suit? If I use the #iPad, am I still a virgin?” @herbadmother “Snort! Wait until they come out with the larger version, or Max iPad. {LOL}” But this tweet, from @rachelslaj, wasn’t so funny. “The iPad: Proof not enough women work in the Apple Naming Department. //what I said.” Again, maybe I’m overworked and tired today, [...]

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On Ledbetter Anniversary, Paycheck Fairness Act Gets Attention

January 26, 2010
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On Ledbetter Anniversary, Paycheck Fairness Act Gets Attention

I think I owe you some good news. Don’t you? Well here it is. I just got off a conference call with Senator Dodd, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, Marcia Greenberger, Co-President of the National Women’s Law Center, and Lilly Ledbetter. Senator Dodd announced he has support from Senator Tom Harkin, Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to start hearings on the Paycheck Fairness Act. As you may know, this week is the one year anniversary of President Obama signing the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law. The Ledbetter law gives employees a longer window to file discrimination claims. It is an important piece of legislation, but as Ledbetter said on the call, “The work is far from done.” The Paycheck Fairness Act will strengthen the Ledbetter Act. One of the most important aspects of the bill is it will prohibit retaliation against employees who ask about or disclose their wages. Said Ledbetter, “This would have been particularly helpful to me. This policy delayed my discovery (that she was being paid less than her male peers) by decades.” The House passed the Paycheck Fairness legislation in July 2008 but the Senate has not yet acted on it. Hearings are [...]

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Stop the Rape Culture (TRIGGER WARNING)

January 25, 2010
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(TRIGGER WARNING) A woman was raped last week in Toledo, Ohio on the side of busy street in broad daylight.  A high school student approached her as she was walking down the street and threatened her with a pair of scissors. Cars drove by and several beeped. One witness called 911 but no one stopped. According to the local police, some witnesses thought the act was consensual and some may not have comprehended what they were seeing. How could they have? This is not supposed to happen in a  civilized society. Late last year, we were shocked and frightened by the gang rape of a high school girl outside a school dance in Richmond, California. Now we are sickened by a rapist brazen enough to attack out in the open in broad daylight. (Trigger warning) Over at Shakesville, there is an excellent piece on rape culture – what it is and what contributes to it. I’ve linked to it before. Again, if you can read it, I recommend it. I thought I was done writing about the Senate election in Massachusetts, but as I reread Melissa McEwan’s piece at Shakesville, I couldn’t help but reflect on our new Senator-elect. During [...]

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Blog for Choice

January 22, 2010
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Blog for Choice

Every year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, NARALPro-Choice America asks bloggers to blog the answer to a question.  This year’s question is in honor of the late Dr. George Tiller who was shot and killed at church one Sunday morning last May. Dr. Tiller often wore a button that read, “Trust Women.” So today, we answer the question: What does “Trust Women” mean to you? Let me tell you about trusting women. I trust women because a woman gave birth to me, nursed me, cared for me and raised me. She made sure I was well fed, adequately clothed and got enough sleep each night. She got me to school on time and made sure my homework was done. She comforted me when I suffered rejection and then pushed me back out to try again. She made me feel safe when life got scary and she let me go when the time was right. I trust women, because the woman who raised me, trusted me when I moved 3,000 miles away and built my own life. I trust women because I have worked for women. Women who mortgaged their homes to sustain their business. Women who had the [...]

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Why the Hate?

January 21, 2010
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Why the Hate?

For the last three months I volunteered my time to the Martha Coakley for Senate campaign. I held signs, made calls, (yes, that was me calling incessantly), canvassed, recruited, tweeted and blogged. Following her loss, I feel much better than I expected I would. Maybe it’s because I know I did all I could to get my candidate elected. Maybe it’s because it feels good to speak up for that which you believe. Maybe it’s because I have seen bigger political disappointments (like the Supreme Court naming George Bush president over Al Gore and then the country electing Bush to a second term). Or maybe it’s because I know, if we were still standing after those eight years, we will still be standing at the end of Senator Brown’s term. I am not going to engage in post-election quarterbacking. So many others have that covered. But I do want to share what I witnessed on the campaign trail. These experiences were as, if not more, upsetting than the final outcome. Leading up to the primary, when our group of local volunteers stood out in the cold, holding signs on street corners, most drivers passing by either demonstrated their support with [...]

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Massachusetts Special Election Today

January 19, 2010
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Massachusetts Special Election Today

Today is the Massachusetts Special Election. If you live in Massachusetts, don’t forget to vote. We are volunteering today. So until we return, here is an interesting  op-ed on the election from Joan Vennochi at boston.com.

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Mass Senate Race: The Personality Parade

January 18, 2010
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Mass Senate Race: The Personality Parade

Much of the media coverage of the Massachusetts special election to fill Ted Kennedy’s senate seat has focused on the leading candidates’ personalities, or perceived lack of personality in the case of Attorney General Martha Coakley. Reporters are quick to point out voters know more about Coakley professionally than personally. She has been referred to as an ice queen and a mean girl, monotone, robotic, with no fire in her belly, and the “personality of a frumpy substitute teacher.”  The Boston Globe says, “She hides her personality behind a businesslike veneer.” Inherent in many of these articles I believe there is an unconscious gender bias. Many career women, especially women from Coakley’s generation, have been conditioned to separate their personal and professional personas. We are taught that in order to be taken seriously, we must be serious. We are told that to get to the top, we must emulate those at the top. And the reality is, most of the people at the top are still men.  As a result women are trained that sports talk is okay. Girl talk is not. When I was pregnant, I tried to change the topic and redirect any conversations about my pregnancy while [...]

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