Unless you've been living under a rock, you know about the furor that's been raised by a Toronto police officer when he suggested that women can avoid being raped by not dressing "like a slut." In response, women in Toronto organized SlutWalk to demonstrate that what a woman wears has nothing to do with rape, whether it's considered "slutty" or not. Elizabeth Webb, a rape survivor, was inspired to organize a SlutWalk in Dallas. A huge number of women and men from the area gathered to support a woman's right to safely wear whatever they want, without fear that she'll be accused of "asking for it" if she is sexually assaulted. This message is one of the most important that needs to be shouted loud and clear. Victims of rape are still, even in 2011, accused of asking for... >Read more

This article is written as part of the Feminist Portrait Project Blog Carnival, inviting women to tell their stories of when the "click, I'm a Feminist" moment hit them. The discussion also involves "anti-click" in reference to non-white and oppressed, non-executive women who have many times been failed by Feminism. Growing up in a small town in Oklahoma in the 70's and 80's, Feminism wasn't something I was raised to respect. Although there were a few Feminists in my community, Phyllis Schlafly was definitely more of an influence than Gloria Steinem, and the mention of the word "Feminist" evoked responses similar to Pat Robertson's infamous definition of Feminism: "Feminism is a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." To top it off, I was raised Catholic,... >Read more

All over the web, there are blog entries asking what topics are appropriate in this time of global catastrophe. With Japan in a state of destruction, the uprisings and death in the Middle East, New Zealand recovering from the horror of the earthquake that hit them, and economic crisis world wide, people are asking questions like, "am I selfish for writing about body image or misogyny or about a skirt I fell in love with at the mall?" "If I write about the complete shite that is nuclear energy, will I be seen as taking advantage of a situation because it's a hot topic now?" Offline, we're doing the same thing - lambasting our own wants and worries as petty and spoiled. It's like the feeling we had after 9/11: those of us who are fortunate enough to be able... >Read more

There is something sinister going down in the United States, right now - something that every American woman should not only fear but fight. Right now, with the surge in conservative, religious-right thinking, women are not only in danger of losing basic human rights, but in many cases are losing basic human rights. Don't believe me? Check out these stories: In Montana, authorities are trying to force a woman with cancer to have a hysterectomy. Why? Because she has hope of one day having a child, and chooses to keep the hope of living a long life and becoming a mother. She is a religious woman, and according to the article "The physician said that L.K.'s "religious delusions" interfered with her ability to make reasoned decisions about her care, and that L.K. didn't understand that she might die without the... >Read more

Thanks to author Leila Radan for letting us re-publish this article off of A Band of Wives. Check out ABOW - it's free to sign up, and it's magnificent! by Leila Radan Once upon a time I was Miz BoheMia. Once upon a time I wrote this. Many parts I'd edit for the me I am today and the critical writer/editor who knows it can be better. But that me that I was had a message I still agree with. And given what's going on today, I thought I'd share this with you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The abortion debate is getting hotter by the minute as well it should. A whole bunch of mostly men are pissed that women want complete ownership of their bodies. They claim to fight for the rights of the fetus. They are human rights activists they bellow!... >Read more