I Spy A CPC

The Feminist Majority Foundation's Campaign to Expose Fake Clinics has targeted misleading advertisements in college newspapers throughout the year. Many of you are no stranger to "Pregnant? Scared? Need Help?" ads in your newspaper and have taken your school paper to task for advertising for fake clinics that lie to women about their reproductive health.

It seems that small quarter ads of false and misleading information just won't do anymore. In the first of what will surely be an enlightening/infuriating series from Robin Marty at RH Reality Check, we learn that anti's have now taken to FULL PAGE INSERTS!

Truth in Advertising? Not From Human Life Alliance | RHRealityCheck.org

So what do you do after you've burned this 12 PAGE rag? Take this issue to the people and form a coalition to demand that your Student Government sign on to a resolution to keep your campus health center and your campus newspapers free of CPCs!

Photo credit: DRB62 from Flickr

Don't Let Sirius XM Radio Bully Women's Health Care Providers!

Sirius XM anti-abortion shock-jock Andrew Wilkow is targeting the Northland Family Planning Centers of Michigan. Since last Friday, Wilkow has urged his listeners to call and harass the clinic on three different shows!

Wilkow's malicious rants are jamming up Northland's phone lines and patients are not able to get through to clinic staff - even if there is an emergency.

When the Northland Family Planning Centers owner contacted the radio show last Friday about stopping this outrageous harassment and to explain how jammed phone lines are threatening women's lives, a man who answered the radio show's phone line said, "Hey, the bitch from the abortion clinic is on the phone!"

Without women's health care providers like Northland Family Planning, there is no choice!

Now it's time for us to tell Sirius XM radio to stop this outrageous harassment! Join us today and send emails to Sirius XM executives, letting them know how outraged you are about Wilkow's attacks. Here's a sample Action Letter:

Dear Sirius XM Chief Executive Officer Mel Karmazin: mel.karmazin@siriusxm.com
Dear Sirius XM President Scott Greenstein: Scott.Greenstein@siriusxm.com
Dear Sirius XM General Counsel Patrick Donnelly: Patrick.Donnelly@siriusxm.com

We are outraged over the unconscionable on-air taunting and verbal attacks by Sirius XM talk show host Andrew Wilkow against Northland Family Planning clinic in Detroit, Michigan and we request that you immediately stop Wilkow from continuing these hateful attacks

Over the past four days, Wilkow has outrageously singled out Northland Family Planning clinic three times, urging supporters to call the clinic with anti-abortion messages. These calls have jammed clinic lines for hours and prevented dozens of patients trying to reach clinic staff to make appointments or to receive follow-up care.

As a result, women’s lives and reproductive health are literally being put on the line by your employee, Andrew Wilkow.

When Northland Family Planning clinic owner tried to call into the station and ask Wilkow to stop his attacks, a man answered the phone; after identifying herself, the man called her a bitch repeatedly. This response is unprofessional, unethical, and outrageous.

Sirius XM radio’s programming and conduct is interfering with a lawful and essential women’s health care provider in Michigan, while promoting intolerance for women’s reproductive rights and health. I am appalled by these malicious actions.

I beseech you to stop hate-jock Andrew Wilkow from continuing to harass and bully lawful women’s health care providers.

Sincerely,

Your Name

Thank you for joining us in the fight to protect vital women's health care services!


Photo courtesy of www.flickr.com/wannabehipster

Coming to National Young Feminist Leadership Conference from the West Coast?

The FMF's National Young Feminist Leadership Conference is taking place March 20 - 21 with a Congressional Action Day on March 22 in Washington, DC. We are already planning up a storm and you won't want to miss this incredible chance to hear amazing speakers, network with young feminists from across the country and meet with your members of Congress.

If you're coming from the West Coast, check out these SUPER CHEAP FARES on Virgin America. You have to book by Dec. 15th, but these are great prices!

The NYFLC website and registration will be open soon! For more information on the conference, hotels, costs, and how to finance your travel, contact your Campus Organizer at 1-866-444-FMLA (East Coast) or 1-866-471-FMLA (West Coast).

Hope to see you there!

Celebrating a Major Victory and Looking Toward the Future

Yesterday’s Senate vote to table the Nelson/Hatch amendment, the Senate version of the infamous anti-choice Stupak/Pitts amendment, was a major victory for pro-choice healthcare reform supporters. By voting to table the amendment, 54 pro-choice senators (including 50 Democrats, 2 Republicans, and 2 Independents) rejected the drastic expansion of abortion funding restrictions, which would ultimately result in a de facto ban of even private insurance coverage for abortion.

Watching coverage of the debate and vote on C-SPAN yesterday afternoon, I was disheartened to watch one old white man after another come up to the mic and talk about what women can and cannot do with their bodies. It was an extremely telling demonstration of the distribution of power in this country. These men, however, are dinosaurs, especially when contrasted with their progressive female colleagues (the anti-choice team did have Kay Bailey Hutchinson on their side, playing dumb in a farcical exchange with Orrin Hatch, but that’s to be expected). Hearing the floor speeches of the pro-choice Senators was rewarding for those of us who have been working so hard to reach out to our representatives in Congress on this issue. Barbara Boxer, Barbara Mikulski, Al Franken, and others remind us that it is possible to both be a lawmaker and stand up for your principles.

While yesterday’s results were definitely a cause for celebration and a recognition of the thousands of abortion rights activists working tirelessly throughout the United States, we still have many more hurdles to jump. Without Senator Nelson’s support, the healthcare reform bill’s vital public option component is more likely to be bargained away to appease moderate Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, whom Majority Leader Harry Reid may need to get the 60 votes necessary to pass the bill. Senator Snowe favors a "trigger mechanism" , meaning that a government-run insurance plan would only be created should private insurers fail to provide affordable coverage, and Senator Collins has expressed her firm disagreement with the public option in the past. There is also the risk that healthcare reform opponents will attempt to fillibuster the bill. Once it is passed by the Senate, it will go into conference to be combined with the House version to produce a final bill.

The death of the Nelson/Hatch amendment lowers the chances of Stupak/Pitts surviving conference, but there is still a risk of an abortion restriction emerging, so abortion rights supporters need to remain vigilant and continue contacting their Congress members, writing letters to the editor, and rallying public support for reproductive choice AND a public option.

Boycott Ralph Lauren!

For any of us who have ever glimpsed a billboard or opened a magazine, distorted and unrealistic depictions of a woman’s body in advertisements are nothing new. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to go through a day without being assaulted by images of what the fashion and advertising world wants us to believe counts as real beauty. If you’re anything like me, you’re sick of it.

Well, we’re not alone. Recently, filmmaker Darryl Roberts, whose hard-hitting documentary “America the Beautiful” addresses the effect that media projections of beauty are having on Americans, has launched a boycott against fashion designer Ralph Lauren, and he has gotten support from more than 100,000 other concerned people who will refuse to buy any products associated with the designer. Why this sudden outcry over Ralph Lauren? Check out the ads below:

Seen enough? Me too. These outrageous advertisements, with their unbelievably distorted images of women’s bodies, are exactly the kind of images that lead so many women, especially young women, to think that their perfectly normal, beautiful bodies are not good enough. This kind of advertising has to stop.

To join Darryl and the thousands of others who have united behind this boycott, click here and spread the word to your friends. As consumers, we ultimately hold the power, and it’s time we use it to show that these kinds of advertisements are unacceptable. If we join together, we might just be able to get them to listen to us.

Op-Ed: Stupak-Pitts abortion amendment an attack on women's rights

By Claire Macomson, University of North Carolina - Greensboro

As many of you know, the health care debate has been raging on for months. Last month, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would radically change health care in this country. I am not here to debate the pros and cons of the public option or whether or not the government is going to let grandma die. I am here to talk specifically about the Stupak-Pitts Amendment and its attack on women.

Currently, federal funds are banned for abortion, exceptions allowed, under the Hyde Amendment, and most private insurers cover abortion. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment will prohibit the use of federal funds for abortions for women in the public option, and will prevent private insurers from covering abortions for women with government subsidies under the proposed exchange system. Its exceptions include rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is in jeopardy. It also specifically allows for supplemental abortion insurance to be bought.

This is an attack on women. Supporters of this amendment will say that their tax money should not go to support something they morally oppose. All Americans are forced to pay for many things they morally oppose; the wars, the death penalty, public schools, the welfare system, abstinence-only sex education, various government programs - the list goes on for both sides of the debate. That is not a good enough excuse. No excuse is good enough when women's lives are on the line.

People will bring up that the amendment allows for abortions to protect the mother's life, and in instances of rape and incest. That is a joke. Rules like these are arbitrary. Look at the way we treat rape victims in our society: with scorn and distrust. We blame them for the violent and unacceptable acts against them. Who decides if a pregnant woman has been raped, in time for her to get a timely abortion?

Women do not have the time the courts will take making their decisions about our lives. Who decides what constitutes a threat to a mother's life and well-being? What happens to a mother who has to give birth to a baby she knows developed without a brain? Wouldn't it be better for her and her family to have the option of privately terminating this pregnancy, rather than go through the mental anguish of giving birth to a dead baby? What woman deserves to have her life placed in jeopardy by our bureaucratic government? It's a joke, and not a funny one at that.

Trying to limit abortions will not decrease the number being performed. Women have always gotten them when they needed them, whether it was legal or not. Abortion has been a necessary part of society since ancient times; ask anyone studying the ancient Greeks and Romans. The Stupak-Pitts Amendment will only serve to force more and more women into back-alley procedures because they cannot afford to pay in full for a proper procedure. Back alley abortions still exist today, because some women cannot afford the cost. Do we really need more coat hanger deaths on our public conscience?

All women deserve equal access to abortion. Restricting it only makes it more dangerous. It will just lead to more deaths and complications. I urge you to write or call your senators and urge them to not support the Stupak-Pitts Amendment to the health care bill. Because women deserve better than a coat hanger, and because women deserve better than to be pawns whose rights can be bartered away.

One Place I DON'T Need a GPS

I don't like stupid products. As an environmentalist opposed to waste, senseless consumption and the human rights violations incurred on the world as a by-product of consumerism, stupid products represent one of the highest forms of waste, extreme consumption, and (That rant will start with agricultural factory workers being poisoned by the chemicals they work with and not even getting paid a living wage in Venezuela [which, since factory jobs there are overwhelmingly occupied by women, is something I consider a feminist issue], point out Italy's laws that prevent immigrants from the Phillippines from getting jobs outside of the menial service sector [which, since stereotypes about women's roles prevent men from being able to get jobs as caretakers, means that women are the ones being exploited and limited are primarily women], and may end up with Das Kapital and GMOs. You are warned.)

Just a few days ago, however, BUST Magazine had a blog post about this creepy piece of work: GPS IN LINGERIE.

The gps device is SEWN INTO the bodice, and a password is required to find out where that specific gps signal is located.

So Let's decompress the "pros" and "cons" of a product such as this:
Pros:

Your significant other will never have to wonder where you are! In case, you know, they have control issues and want to stalk you.

It does turn off.

In the case the wearer is kidnapped or murdered, she could be more easily found

Its a sexy game of hide and seek!

Cons:

HACKERS. PASSWORDS. So much for feeling safer!

My personal opinion is that pagers are not sexy. I imagine it might get in the way of *ahem* activities. But, if that's what floats your boat or inflates your intertube, that's chill--riding the metro must be a really fun experience. (okay, humor aside--)

If a significant other wants to know the location of their partner, they should know that through the process of acquiring technology, people-kind have invented this thing called a telephone, whereby they could call and ask about said pertinent information. It would be more communicative, and would lessen the possibility of awkward surprise appearances. Its creepy and controlling if they expect to be able to know where their significant other is at all times.

What is the chance that one will actually be wearing this GPS when they are murdered or kidnapped?

Consider domestic violence situations: what if bodice-wearer goes sonewhere abuser doesn't like--such as a treatment center--but has to face the dilemma of risking anger by turning their GPS off, or anger by going to an "unapproved place"? (Let's assume that if she/he is running away, she will turn the gps off and to avoid being found.)

Consider victims of sex trafficking, and how the only person likely to have that password would be their pimp. Similar concept about needing to run away.

Why does the GPS need to be located in the underwear? It seems to me if one should want a gps somewhere, there are a bunch of other places to put it. Could it be, perhaps, that the placement in the lengerie represents keeping control over female sexuality?

Seriously though, why the creepy factor?

Photo Credit: Chris1h1 on flickr.com

FEM ACTION NEWS 2009!!!!

HEY FEMINISTS! IT'S THE FEMINIST NEWS YOU'VE MISSED! ONLY ITS GOTTEN A WHOLE LOT BETTER! ENJOY!!!

Help your neighborhood women's orgs!

The thermostat is finally registering winter, which means a) holiday/finals madness and, more importantly b) baby it's cold outside. Consequently, it's an important time to keep supporting your local women's organizations!

Here in DC, the lack of an autonomous government has profound human consequences. To make things worse, the District of Columbia slashed social services funding this fall, which has left DC organizations scrambling to keep their doors open. Direct service organizations that assist women need your help to continue providing critical resources for DC's most vulnerable women and families.

The domestic violence nonprofit Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE) ran a successful 10-day campaign this September to raise $85,000 so WEAVE could stay open. But WEAVE still needs support and volunteers to continue providing their services. Check out this list of ways you and your groups can help!

House of Ruth, a housing and shelter program for homeless women and families (many of whom are DV survivors), has been promised DC funding but does not have a dedicated funding stream to make up the $500,000 cut in their grants.

The Women's Collective, a well-regarded HIV/AIDS prevention and counseling organization, continues to lose DC funding while poorly-managed HIV programs receive millions. This, in a city with the highest HIV rate in the nation. This, in a city Congress singles out to attack needle-exchange programs that reduce the transmission of HIV.

'Tis the season to fight patriarchy and help a sistah out. Your friendly FMF campus organizers are hosting a holiday party to benefit Bread for the City. This week and next we're collecting food, used clothes, and items for the BFTC wish list. If you are interested in joining forces, drop us a line at campusteam@feminist.org. Or plan a drive or event to benefit your favorite progressive cause.

Want to donate to FMF and help us advocate for women in the US and around the world? You can do so online or with a good old-fashioned check payable to the Feminist Majority Foundation. Checks can be sent to FMF at 1600 Wilson Blvd., Suite 801, Arlington VA, 22209. Call us at 703-522-2214 if you need more info!

Let us know how you're getting active this winter! Stay warm and happy activism!

PEPFAR Returns to Common Sense HIV Prevention

Good news! On World AIDS Day we wrote about the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has long relied on the ineffective ABC (abstinence, be faithful, and as a last resort use condoms) program as a means to prevent HIV and AIDS. Thanks to the tireless work of human rights activists around the world, the State Department announced major positive changes to PEPFAR this week!

This new plan includes a shift away from ABC and towards scientific, common sense methods, integrating "HIV prevention, care and support, and treatment services with family planning and reproductive health services, so that women living with HIV can access necessary care, and so that all women know how to protect themselves from HIV infection." PEPFAR will now emphasize condom distribution and safe sex, a proven method of HIV prevention.

This is tremendous news for feminists everywhere, as women make up approximately half of all people living with HIV worldwide. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women make up an estimated 57% of adults living with HIV, and three quarters of young people living with disease there are young women aged 15-24.

As you observe International Human Rights Day on December 10, celebrate this victory! There is always more work to be done and we thank you for your tireless efforts in support of women around the world.

Riot Acts: Flaunting Gender Deviance in Music Performance

Yesterday, I saw an amazing documentary called Riot Acts: Flaunting Gender Deviance in Music Performance. It's a documentary about trans and gender deviant musicians across North America and the intersections between gender performance and stage performance. In other words, gender deviant and trans musicians talking about making music.

The movie focused on the experiences and issues that these musicians have when on stage. One of the film makers said that this movie was letting trans musicians tell the audience about themselves. The goal of the documentary was to go against the grain of many trans-focused movies and show how being trans is awesome.

My favorite part of the documentary was focusing on how voice changed during transition and how vocals played into gender performance. A lot of musicians in the movie said that they were afraid to transition because of how drastically their range would change. Others said that learning a new way of singing was not so difficult while some musicians said that they didn't feel like they should change their voices at all and that transition had no effect.

You can actually see the documentary tonight at 7 PM for $10 at the Creative Alliance on 3134 Eastern Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21224. There will be food, performances by Jessica Xavier and The Degenerettes, and a Q+A after the movie.

The soundtrack alone is enough reason to check it out. Here are some videos from bands I really liked from the movie:

Novice Theory from New York, NY


The Degenerettes from Baltimore, MD


Systyr Act from Boston, MA


Coyote Grace from Sonoma County


The Shondes from New York, NY


For a full list of musicians, you can check out the Actor Slash Model website.

Image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/rickharris/

The F!ght for Equality in Sweden

I've spent this semester in Sweden taking a number of courses, including one about the role of women in Swedish society. I'm currently wrapping up my final paper about the Feminist Initiative (F!), and it's all so incredibly interesting that I thought I'd share a little bit with you all.

For those of you who do not know, F! is the feminist political party in Sweden. It was founded in 2005 and has participated in several elections. While Sweden has had a history of progressive policy with regards to gender, this party feels that the country needs a party that puts women and feminism first.



Don't you just get shivers thinking about it? I mean, Jane Fonda and Eve Ensler publicly supported it. Well, hold your horses. While F! was predicted to fare well in their first election, they fell short receiving significantly less than the 4% of the votes necessary to win a seat in the Parliament. Many feel that the internal struggles and negative coverage from the media hurt their chances. It also led to several of the founding members leaving the party.

I was really interested in looking at the party because the thought of a strong political party that is dedicated to feminism sounds absolutely wonderful to me. It just seems like such a giant step forward. But, as I have read articles and looked at the reactions to F! in Sweden it only increased my awareness of the overwhelming pervasiveness of misogyny and anti-feminist sentiment in the world, however subtle it may be. I would encourage everyone to learn more about the party because in doing so, I have learned a lot not only about the current feminist movement in Sweden but also about activism and the long road ahead.

Feminists Rally on Capitol Hill Against Stupak/Pitts

As you may have noticed, we've been writing a lot about the Stupak-Pitts amendment in the last few weeks. Yesterday, all the interns (and just about all the permanent staffers) from the East Coast office went to the Lobby Day--here's what the Daily Feminist News had to say:

Hundreds of feminist activists from around the country gathered today on Capitol Hill to rally against the anti-abortion Stupak/Pitts amendment to the health insurance reform bill. The lobby day was presented by the Stop Stupak Coalition, which is also sponsoring a week of action that started Monday. The coalition includes 53 partners that form "a broad group of advocacy organizations from the progressive and women's health communities."

The restrictive anti-abortion Stupak/Pitts amendment to the Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962) passed by a 240-194 vote of the House of Representatives on Saturday. The amendment, co-sponsored by Bart Stupak (D-MI), Joe Pitts (R-PA), Brad Ellsworth (D-IN), Dan Lipinski (D-IL), and Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA), bans abortion coverage for women in both the public option and private insurance. Under the guise of no federal funding for abortion in so-called keeping with Hyde Amendment restrictions, the Stupak/Pitts Amendment goes way beyond Hyde. This amendment bans abortion coverage even if women pay for it with their own money in the public option or private plans in the insurance exchange.

Reports indicate that Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) is planning to introduce an amendment to the Senate bill that parallels the Stupak/Pitts amendment.

Act Now! Join in the day of action and sign our petition to stop Stupak/Pitts now!

Photo credit: Luanne Smith

Stop Stupak: Call your Senators!!!

Today is the day we STOP STUPAK.

Today, the Senate begins debate on their version of the Health Care Reform Bill. Senators Hatch and Nelson are preparing to introduce an amendment to the Senate version of the bill that is identical to the Stupak-Pitts amendment.

Call your Senators TODAY. We need to flood the lines, and let our voices be heard. This is the biggest threat to reproductive health our generation has seen, and they need to know that we won't go back!

Call BOTH your Senators at BOTH their DC office and field office.
You can find the phone numbers for both offices at senate.gov. You can also reach your Senators D.C. office by calling the capitol Switchboard at 888-423-5983.

Let your Senators know that you want a pro-women, pro-choice health care reform bill, and to URGE them to fight against any attempt to attach a Stupak-like amendment to the Senate version of the health care reform bill.

Let them know that women rights will not be a bargaining chip!




check out Lindsay phonebanking!

Young Activists and the Apathy Myth

I'm now going to be guestblogging occasionally at Jewesses with Attitude, the blog of the Jewish Women's Archive. Here's the first of what will hopefully be many posts for them!

Ever since Bart Stupak finagled his anti-choice amendment onto the House’s Health Care Reform bill three weeks ago, my life seems to be all Stupak, all the time. I have attended rallies, visited Capitol Hill to talk to my Senators, helped plan a Lobby Day on December 2 with a broad group of progressive organizations known as the Stop Stupak coalition, supported students as they plan their own on-campus actions, and organized online to get the word out as much as possible.

Having done all that, and having been committed to pro-choice activism for many years, I cannot help but take personal offense when I read articles like “In Support of Abortion, It’s Personal vs. Political.” The New York Times is known for both its insightful reporting and ridiculous trend pieces, and this article, from last Sunday, appears to be the latter. Once again, the Times trotted out the typical talking points when it comes to younger women and feminism — that we take our rights for granted, that we only see things in terms of personal choice, and that the movement is GOING TO DIE because we do not appear to care. The author attempts to put a new spin on that old trope by saying that young people (or “millenials,” as no one, except the writers of trend pieces, calls us) view abortion rights in a new way, framing that movement as part of a larger struggle for human rights. This is after they claim that we view abortion as purely a personal issue.

My problem with this article (and the many that have come before it) is two-fold. First and most obviously, I am insulted by the premise as a twenty-something activist. Too often, younger women are written off as not caring about their rights, a condescending and foolish assumption. I travel a lot, and everywhere I have been, from Tuscaloosa, AL to Beloit, WI, I have found feminists. They are pushing their school administrators to take sexual assault seriously and raising money for women’s education in Afghanistan and volunteering at their local comprehensive women’s health clinics as escorts. They are blogging, tweeting, and organizing on Facebook, using these online tools to build a stronger community and reach more people than ever before. When young women are dismissed as apathetic, it hurts the larger movement.

Secondly, the premise of the Times piece is built on a type of “good ol days” nostalgia, remembering an era in which all young women rallied for their rights. Just as there are apathetic people now, there were apathetic people then. To imply that all women were activists and understood reproductive rights in a women’s empowerment framework is both historically inaccurate and does not appropriately honor those who did work like crazy for change—protests do not plan themselves and laws do not magically appear. There were many dedicated individuals in the baby boomer generation who threw their whole lives into this cause, and to make it seem as if everyone was into abortion rights and feminism downplays their struggles.

I am always wary of any kind of generational framing of activism. I don’t buy into the “waves” concept in women’s history. The struggles of today are connected to the struggles of the past. If younger women do not understand the achievements and failures of those who came before them, we will not succeed. If older women do not work with younger activists, listen to them, and encourage them to take on positions of power within the larger feminist movement, we will not succeed. I will be on Capitol Hill tomorrow, lobbying for the Stupak amendment and advocate for healthcare reform, and I look forward to seeing both young and old faces.