We Must Speak Our Truth

Every so often I come across a bit of news that takes me back to what I know I need to do. As a feminist lesbian scientist I run across some closed minds. It doesn’t happen often. I generally think it is because there is a certain sense of fear. People who disapprove of who I am are reluctant to say so. Honestly, I would prefer to hear what they have to say so I can respond. Society as a whole is never going to be on the same page on everything. Our job is to hear all the opinions so we can make the most educated decision for ourselves. Today I came across a fabulous article that reminds me of my responsibility to hear the other side.

Douglas Murray wrote what I find to be an amazing piece about how he chooses to have discourse with Muslim extremists. It can be found here:
Why we must debate the extremists: The oxygen of free societies is freedom of speech. Everything short of incitement has to be tolerated, even when it is wrong

Clearly I am not wading into this particular debate as I have no standing in it, but the following quote certainly brought me up short:

At events I regularly meet young Muslims and non-Muslims who have simply never heard arguments put for why liberal democracy is, though not perfect, our only achievable, messy, hope. I think it important that they hear someone speaking in defence of religious pluralism, women's rights, gay rights, and actual diversity in society. I also think it important that they hear religions critiqued, satirised and treated in the same robust manner in which the rest of us have our most cherished ideas treated.

I had such a visceral response this paragraph. It's true...we all need to hear the other side. Without all the information it isn't possible to stand as an intelligent individual. It made me want to speak out more than I do. While I know many people who don't approve of me remain silent out of fear of perceived repercussions, I know I also remain silent for many of the same reasons. I choose to not rock the boat. It is not a wise choice.

NYC: Addressing Harassment in Public Transportation

Just got this emailed to me:

New Yorkers for Safe Transit Presents
Taking Back Public Transit: Ending Violence On Board
Monday, June 8th, 7:00 pm, Brecht Forum, 451 West St. (btwn. Bank & Bethune)

You shouldn’t have to compromise your safety and well-being to simply get across town. Unfortunately, many New Yorkers do. Harassment — and even violent attacks — are happening on subways and at station platforms across the five boroughs. That’s why New Yorkers for Safe Transit is bringing people together to put a stop to the violence. Veronica Tirado, Girls for Gender Equity; Cate Contino, Straphangers Campaign; Emily May, HollaBack NYC; and Doyin Ola, RightRides for Women’s Safety for a frank discussion about how to address violence and harassment, the issues riders are facing, and how to make effective change. All are welcome to share their own experiences and expertise that we can transform into action.

To RSVP and/or co-sponsor this event please email newyorkersforsafetransit@gmail.com or call 718.522.0822

Event is free, but donations of $10 per person are appreciated.

NYFST is a collection of organizations and advocates dedicated to eliminating harassment and assaults—particularly gender- or discrimination-based—on public transportation in New York City. The coalition focuses on raising public awareness, community building, and facilitating changes that ensure New Yorkers can get from one location to another safely and securely.

Happy Int'l Women's Day!

It's International Women's Day! Celebrated every year on March 8th, it's a time to reflect on the accomplishments and advancements made to women's rights around the world. It is obviously also a great time to think about how to move forward - there's never time for a day off when there's social justice to think about.

In terms of accomplishments, there are many to look at. Going back to the women's suffrage movements around the world, there have always been struggles for equality. This year we've already got Iceland's first woman Prime Minister who's openly lesbian, the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act in the U.S., and some more rights for women in Iran, Afghanistan, and elsewhere.

But, we've also got anti-choicers having a field day in the U.S., rape still being used as a weapon of war in Congo, and the Catholic Church is excommunicating doctors for saving lives performing abortions.

So I'll turn to you all and ask what you think are some of the best recent accomplishments, and what advancements do you want to make this year for women's rights around the world?

The only other assignment I leave you with is to show some love to all the women in your life. Let them know you admire and respect them, and that their lives are valued.

(Cross-posted at Jump off the Bridge.)

Blog for Choice 2009

I'm breaking the silence here for Blog for Choice Day!

The theme is "What is your top pro-choice hope for President Obama and/or the new Congress?"

I'll keep this really simple -- My hope is that everything is done to ensure that Roe v. Wade is not overturned. I want Obama to select Supreme Court Justices that will actually take women's rights, especially women's choice, seriously.

It is the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. More than three decades have passed and yet we are still having this conflict, why?! It doesn't get much simpler than it is a woman's choice. Period. The end.

I have gone back and forth in the past about what will happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned. It was my Women's Studies Senior Thesis for goodness sake! But I'm tired of making my brain go there. Overturning Roe v. Wade just shouldn't be an option. With news of underground abortions going on (honestly, I couldn't write about the Dominican women and Cytotec b/c it was just too close to home), I really don't have the mental energy to listen to reasons why a conscience rule is necessary.

So that's my hope-- plain and simple. What's yours?

(Cross-posted at Jump off the Bridge.)

Clinton's State Department Will Champion Women

If you are a regular reader of news, you probably read all about Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing yesterday. You may have heard that it went swimmingly, or that there were questions about conflict of interest, or that a lot of it was about policy with countries like Iran. What seems to be getting left out of these stories is a lovely exchange between Clinton and Senator Barbara Boxer.

Boxer made it plain that she wanted to hear what the State Department is going to do about the international rights of women. Clinton was right there with her, promising a strong Women's Office and Office of Human Trafficking if confirmed. I didn't know there was such a thing. But here's the Women's Office and here's the Office of Human Trafficking. Boxer referenced a series of articles by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times. Kristof's columns are here (his recent articles are from January 1, 4, and 11; November 27 and 30; September 25; and August 31). In fact you can see that this isn't a new issue for him. There's a set of articles from 2004 on slavery and human trafficking as well. Who said women were the only ones who should be talking about women's rights?

I have to admit, I'm kind of surprised this story isn't getting a bit more play. The only example I've found? Rachel Maddow!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

URGENT Action: Bush's Conscience Rule

Bush seems determined to make some of his worst decisions in the final days of his presidency. He's just upped the ante by issuing the "conscience" rule, which gives health providers (including pharmacists) the right to refuse performing procedures or giving treatments that are against their religious or moral beliefs.

Here are a few scenarios in which this rule can be applied:

1) Somebody goes to the doctor, learns she is pregnant and subsequently decides to have an abortion (for WHATEVER reason). The doctor believes abortion is immoral. The doctor can not only deny giving her a completely legal abortion, but doesn't need to give her information on how to get one or who to speak to for counsel on having one.

2) A couple decides that in addition to wearing a condom, they will use birth control for extra protection. The local pharmacist, however, believes using birth control is a sin and refuses to fill the completely legal prescription. Said pharmacist does not need to refer the couple to another pharmacy that will fill the prescription.

3) A woman has been living with AIDS after a blood transfusion for several years. She moves to a new town and goes to get her prescription filled a new pharmacy. The local pharmacist believes AIDS is a punishment from God and refuses to fill the completely legal prescription. Said pharmacist, again, does not need to refer this woman to a pharmacy that will fill the prescription.

In all of these scenarios, I've used a different reason that might be against somebody's religious or moral beliefs. In all of these scenarios, the procedure or medication was completely legal. In all of these scenarios, the health provider was not required to give the patient the information they need to receive their legal health care.

If you're as outraged as I am, you can take action NOW! Planned Parenthood has an online petition. Rachel Maddow has posted the phone number for the White House on her show's website (with a link to an MSNBC article) so that we can CALL, CALL, AND CALL AGAIN. We need to act now in order to send a message that we want this rule reversed as soon as possible.

(Cross-posted at Jump off the Bridge)

I Gotta Go Home, I've Got a Bad Case of Gay

You're at home in your jammies now, right? No!?? Damn it, people - you were supposed to call in sick today, with a bad case of the gays. Because, if we're going to treat gay as a disease, then we should get sick leave for it. But the point won't sink in unless we all do this at once, and today is the day.

So, go find your boss and tell her that you've got to go home - you feel a case of the gays coming on and you'd hate to spread it around the office. Then you can go sit in bed and watch the new Sarah Haskins video about vampires. This is my type of activism! (Actually, you're supposed to use the time off to volunteer for your local LGBT or Human Rights organization - otherwise you're not doing it right. Still, you could watch the new Sarah Haskins video first - and you can wear jeans and sneakers to volunteer instead of that stuffy button-up you're stuck in now.)

So, get to it!

Veterans' Day and Anti-Choice Protesters

California NOW alerts us to the fact that Veterans' Day -that's right, November 11th - has increasingly become a day of anti-choice protests and violence over the last decade:

Over the years, four doctors who provide abortion service have been shot around this date, and one, Dr. Bernard Slepian, was killed.

If you do not already participate in a clinic escort program, you can contact your local NOW chapter to find out how you can volunteer to help women receive needed health services without harassment.

I like that California NOW doesn't merely report the rise in protests, but suggests a way to combat the harrassment. You can also check out their video explaining how the escort program works at their site.

Boobs for Burma: Can Sex Sell Human Rights?

You know, I get it--human beings like nothing more than looking at sexy ladies and thinking about sexy lady boobies. So, naturally, if we want to sell something to other human beings we must first get their attention with boobies and sexy ladies. Apparently we can sell anything this way - masonry drills, information numbers, animal rights, compassion...

Wait - can you really sell people on compassion with sexy ladies? The Human Rights Action Center says, "Yes! With the help of Tila Tequila, we'll save the good people of Myanmar!"



The creepy works on so many levels here. First, high school kids are... kids. That's right, they are too young to legally give consent, so this little 'strip tease for correct answers' is flirting with pedophilia. Then there is the bit where two girls smilingly speak of the murder of thousands of people, happy to report the deaths because they know the news of tragedy will be rewarded with some fresh new view of lady skin.

But it works, right? Viewers will help the Burmese people now that we've gotten their attention! Its cleavage for a cause! Yet, judging from the comments over at YouTube, this video has got people talking - but not about dictatorships or human rights violations. In five pages of comments, there was not a single mention of the cause this video ostensibly promotes.

So, what are we really selling here? Apparently the very real problems of the Burmese people make a nice narrative to go along with a lesson in Nice Guy (TM) syndrome. That's right - if I'm a Nice Guy who cares about the plight of (insert noun), I deserve to have a hot lady falling all over herself to fondle me. Women are the prize for being a decent person; thus, as a good person, you have a right to hot women.

That's what I see, but what do you all think - is this a savvy way to advocate for an end to human rights violations, or a commercial for sexism and male privilege? Or both?

(h/t Sociological Images)

UPDATE: Feminism and Adbusting points to some "Non-sexed up info on the situation," which can be found here.

My Daily Activism

I know I am cheating on this post since it is more of a forward rather than an actual post of my own making, but I want to share with you all an email I just received from One.org and encourage you to sign the Keep Our Commitments Petition.

Dear MM,

I want to share a video with you from an amazing speech I heard last night. It was given by one of our founders, Bono. He spoke at the 2008 California Women’s Conference, an event bringing together thousands of women who are inspiring and empowering others through their work, lives and stories.

Click below to watch highlights from the speech and sign the petition:

http://one.org/keepourcommitments/

If you’re as inspired by Bono’s message as I am, I hope you’ll add your name to the same petition he asked everyone at the Women’s Conference to support. It’s a petition 53,000 other ONE members have already signed, calling on John McCain and Barack Obama to keep their commitments to fight global poverty even during these difficult economic times.

In just the last week, people from across the political spectrum, from Colin Powell to President Bush to Robert Rubin, have come forward to stress the importance of international development in our foreign policy. America’s leadership against extreme poverty is more important than ever. As Bono said last night: “When America looks outside of itself, its view of itself is never clearer. Its faith in itself is never firmer. Its purpose is never stronger. Today, at a time when America, again, is tempted to turn inward, turn away from the world and its troubles, it is more essential than ever that you look outward.”

We’re still looking outward because we know America can and must lead the fight to end global poverty.

Thank you for making a difference,

David Lane, ONE.org

HSS Proposal to Let Doctors Refuse Abortions: Comment Deadline

If you haven't submitted your comments regarding the Department of Health and Human Services' proposed rule that would let any medical provider refuse any treatment to any patient at any time, today is the day to act. We know that this rule is intended to make it more difficult for women seeking medical help with abortions or birth control, yet anyone could be affected. If your doctor decides it would be against his code of ethics to provide fertility treatment to a WOC or a lesbian, for example, this rule would open room for him to refuse treatment. In short, this rule is not someone else's problem - it has the potential to impact all of us.

Tomorrow is the deadline, so it is imperative that we speak now. Two ways to submit comments include visiting the Regulations.gov website and submitting a comment on their site (docket number HSS-OS-2008-0011) or emailing consciencecomment@hhs.gov (put HSS-OS-2008-0011 in the subject line).

To be sure, the point of this HSS rule is to limit abortion access, and some will argue that it will not be interpreted in a way that will impact anyone but women seeking to terminate a pregnancy. Of course, even this intended interpretation of the HSS's proposed rule takes choices away from women and families and allows doctors to deny assistance to patients seeking medical care.

It is time for the anti-choice crowd to stop pretending that all situations are the same and attempting to to write rules to fit one ideal scenario in which bringing a pregnancy to term is a viable option. Who should make the decision in cases like those of Tiffany Campbell, who discovered that she must terminate one twin fetus or loose both? Who should make the choice for a woman who's life might be put at risk by bringing a pregnancy to term? Who should decide for a woman with limited financial resources living in a country where medical bills routinely bankrupt working people who discovers that the fetus would be born with an illness that would require constant care and frequent medical treatments? Who should make these decisions - some Bush appointee or a doctor who believes that it is his or her right to deny legal medical procedures to anyone deemed unworthy?

Please join us in telling the HSS that women deserve the right to expect their doctors to provide medical services, not over-simplified world views and moral judgments.

(h/t to This Is What a Feminist Blogs Like, which has tirelessly provided information on this proposal from the start.)

Creating a Mosaic

A little over two years ago, I became involved with a nonprofit called The Women's Mosaic (TWM). TWM works to unite and empower women by promoting personal growth and intercultural understanding. It is their mission to create positive social change starting with women themselves, and having that stretch out locally and then globally.

What really got me was the tagline: Recognizing Our Unity; Celebrating Our Diversity. The concept is simple, but often overlooked. Just because we're different doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for unity. Why can't we use our differences to create a greater collective of voices and visions to unite and empower us?!

For seven years, they've hosted events aiming to do just that -- they've examined body image, religion and spirituality, various countries and cultures, women's role in politics, and much more. The events are the core of TWM, and I don't think I've ever left one without learning something new or meeting a woman with a fascinating story.

The latest effort, which I've helped lead, is CHICKS ROCK!, a blog that continues to work towards the mission of TWM: having women share their experiences related to diversity and personal growth. Our hope is that CHICKS ROCK! can reach a greater audience and engage people on a personal level. Maybe it sounds silly, but we really want to create a community where everyone (even men) feels welcomed and wants to work towards the same goal. Who knows, we might fail, but it's worth a try, right??

So head on over there and check it out. There's not too much there now, but in the coming weeks it'll grow, and you can be part of that process! Hopefully, TWM will affect you in the way it's affected me and you'll find yourself stronger and more culturally aware, optimistic, and positive that you were before. At the very least, you'll meet other chicks that rock. =)

On Underground Abortions, Anti-Choice & Pro-Life

ABC News has an article up about the fact that, surprise!, women are still having "underground" abortions. To summarize, there is a lot of information out there on the internet that lets you know what combination of drugs and such will induce a miscarriage. (My senior thesis was actually on the past, present and future of abortion, so I can add that there are several books that also have this info.) It seems that women are accessing and using this information in growing numbers. Now researchers want to know why.

I understand the need for actual statistics, but I can venture a few guesses as to what they will find:

1) Access to abortion is becoming quite the tricky issue. There are partial-birth abortion bans (FYI, this is a phrase anti-choicers contrived to fuel their own claims), parental consent/notification laws, public funding requirements, etc.

2) Abortion laws and regulations vary from state to state. Here is a breakdown of state differences from the Guttmacher Institute.

3) There is a general distrust of doctors in this country. Am I the only one who finds that I need to tell the doctor what might be wrong with me rather than the other way around?
EDIT: In getting caught up in my schpiel, I forgot to urge people that they should not stop seeing their doctors! GO TO YOUR DOCTORS! Yes, our health care system is not perfect, but doctors are trained and fully capable of keeping us safe in situations like these.

4) (Related to #3) Our health care system needs an upgrade. Stat. Abortions are expensive and many lack the resources to get abortion. Combine that with the fact that doctors can refuse to give you an abortion, and you've got a whole lot of obstacles hidden in the fine print.

5) There is serious shame and blame attached to abortion. This increases when dealing with people who have religious families and people from other cultures. Some women would rather see the problem go away quickly and play the denial game afterwards.

6) Access to the correct information is sometimes tricky. With all of these rules and obstacles, there is plenty of room for confusion. The article mentions a Mexican woman who just did not have all of the facts straight:

"She knew that abortion was legal in the U.S.," Grossman said, "but she thought that is was only for people who are legal residents."

I think we need to attack these problems from both sides. Not only should we advocate for better policies and clearer information from our government, but we should also rely on grassroots efforts to keep others informed of what the law says, what the alternatives are, and how to make sure that women are safe at all times.

And can we please stop calling the anti-choicers, "pro-life"? I am pro-choice. I am also pro-life. In fact, I don't know of ANY pro-choicers who are not also pro-life. I recently read that they're sometimes called pro-birth. I suppose this is also accurate, but since this particular group of people is usually the one against birth control and adequate sex education, I think anti-choice is more accurate. Erica has a post up over at the Feministing Community site about reclaiming the term pro-life. I completely agree with her. We need to start now.

Some great resources: NARAL, Planned Parenthood, Abortion Access Project, and National Abortion Federation.

(Cross-posted at Jump off the Bridge.)

The softer, smoother side of feminism

Did we really need an image overhaul? I happened upon this video:



I know sometimes we Feminists have a bad reputation (Man hating and the antithesis of feminine). This video was created by feminist.org, and I think is fairly effective at putting across its point.

My main beef is that does Feminism really need a PSA, the same way buckling your seat belt and not smoking does? Are we that misunderstood and distorted in the public eye that we need to reach out publicly to re-define ourselves? Just as Gloria Steinem was the figure head for the new [attractive] feminist movement, why don't we just create a friendly character a kin to Smokey the Bear or McGruff the Crime Dog to further marginalize our cause? Any suggestions? I vote for Martha the Multi-talented.

----------------------------------------------------
Update: Please check out the best PSA ever "Don't you put it in your mouth." Thank you Canada.

Do We Have a Global Responsibility?

As a very passionate activist, I often find myself having conversations with people about why I feel the need to, say, help women in Africa who are subjected to FGM, when I live and work in America. It's not my problem, they usually say. Not my responsibility. Can't I at least stick to my own country? We've got a war going on, the economy to worry about, all sorts of problems. Don't I have better things to worry about?

People insist that I should mind my own business and keep to myself.

I just can't do that. Here's why...

For starters, the world is not as disconnected as we'd like to think. A recent study suggests that the six degrees of separation theory was pretty dead on (it's also been studied in mathematical theory, but I don't have a link for that). But even more than that, for all of our differences, people around the world are just like us. They have families to love, jobs to keep, and rights being violated. If I can help them just the teeny, tiniest bit by taking action and urging others to take action too, why the hell shouldn't I?!

Also, helping with one cause doesn't stop me from helping with another. I can write to authorities in Iran asking them to stop a woman from being executed by stoning AND write to congress about ending the war in Iraq. I can donate a suit that'll never fit me to a woman who really needs it AND cast a vote on Election Day.

There is of course the image of the big, bad, American feminists trying to tell Third World Women how to live their lives. I've given this a lot of consideration, and I just don't think it's as prevalent as people think it is. Women in other countries deserve to lead their lives with lives. I don't want to you to lose your culture, but I do want you to have access to birth control and safe abortions, stronger rape laws, the ability to leave your husband if he beats you, etc.

So, DO we have a global responsibility? Do we even have a local responsibility? I agree with JK Rowling on this one: we have imaginations so that we can use our cognitive ability to empathize with people all around the world in situations we will never face. I think our responsibility is to act on that empathy if we really feel it. So long as you are communicating with the people we want to help, rather than giving them the help we think they might want.

In the end, I think it is a personal choice. If you can barely make ends meet for yourself, I don't expect you to donate anything to someone living halfway around the world. And if you do have more than you need, but you don't want to for whatever reason, I won't make you. Just don't try to stop me from doing it, because I won't.

What are your thoughts? Do you think we have a global responsibility? Or should we clean up our own house before trying to bust into others?

Joan Tysinger's Wheelchair Diaries

Here is a clip from Joan Tysinger's Wheelchair Diaries, a short documentary in which she chronicles her journeys around the sidewalks and streets of Atlanta, GA:



Joan explains why she decided to make the Wheelchair Diaries this way:

As an artist with a disability, my personal journey towards self-acceptance is ongoing. While many individuals are engaged in this quest, the process of establishing a positive self image is a particular challenge for those of us who are different. I have dealt with physical disability since I was nine months old when I contracted polio. Until recently I studiously avoided focusing my work on any aspect of living with permanent mobility limitations...

In creating Wheelchair Diaries, I have taken on the role of aesthetic activist: my work has begun to open eyes, alter opinions, and hopefully effect change. I am convinced that through this work I have an opportunity to make a difference, and I believe the time is now.

You can read my interview with Joan over at Feministe.

My Feminism: Theory and Practice

[Note to readers: Last week we asked for some feminist definitions of feminism, and for readers' personal stories about how feminism has played a part in their lives. Today, we are honored to have Amelia of Female Impersonator as a guest writer. These are her words...]

As far as my definition of feminism goes, it's been really hard to come up with. When I first began calling myself a feminist during my first term at college (Fall 2007), my boyfriend had a really hard time understanding. We had several difficult discussions in which he asked me to explain what feminism was so he could better understand where I was coming from. I finally got through to him by explaining that feminism, for me, was a general understanding that women suffer many inequalities that do not exist for men because of the society that we live in which has been structured in many ways to favor men. I then explained that the way in which I practice feminism is by recognizing those instances in which people, the government, the media, etc. treat women unjustly and I call them out for it because no change will come if people are so used to sexism that they don't even notice it. I feel as if true equality cannot come about if our society does not first recognize that their are inequalities and decide how to address them. That is all feminism is about - equality. And true equality certainly isn't going to come about if we merely put a band-aid on the problem of sexism and pretend its all better. As a feminist, I try to dig out the problems in our society and bring them to the surface so they can be properly addressed.

Some of the ways I practice feminism in my life:

This post is a little illustration of how I practice feminism in my daily life by recognizing misogyny in everyday media, like the music that I constantly listen to. I realized, while writing this post, that although some of the songs by this band (Nickelback) clearly were offensive and sexist, others were less so. I had a difficult time critiquing them because I like their music, which hurts me as a feminist because I know it's not always respectful.

I also try to fight misogyny in the media by refusing to purchase "women's" magazines which I feel are damaging to women's self-esteem and confidence. My action project for my first gender and women's studies class involved this idea.

I also call out other media, like television shows or websites, that are sexist (here and here). When I do that, I get a lot of negative responses, like people think I am acting superior to them because they like those shows. Even when I try to explain why I won't watch certain shows, people often choose to ignore me out of spite for my supposed superiority complex. That has led to a lot of conflict in myself - Can a feminist like some misogynist media and really call him/herself a feminist? I have decided that that is indeed possible, as long as one does not passively accept the misogyny and is able to identify and recognize it.

I also practice feminism on a slightly less-than-daily basis when I am in school by doing a feminist radio hour during which my co-host (Kate, from the Female Impersonator blog) and I talk about feminism and try to get casual radio listeners involved in discussing the sexism that exists around us everyday. This has been a really empowering experience for me so far because I have had numerous fellow students tell me that they listened to our radio show and they were enlightened about many of the problems that still exist in our society when it comes to gender equality. The same can be said about blogging, which is a big way in which I practice feminism in my life.

[Cross-posted at Female Impersonator]

Good News, More Good News, and Homework

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted two civil rights laws in a manner that will protect workers from retaliation by a company should they complain about discrimination in the workplace. As the New York Times explains:

Congress has provided explicit protection against retaliation in two major federal statutes. One is Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race and sex. The other is the provision of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act that applies in the private sector.

But there is no such explicit protection in the portion of the age discrimination law that applies to federal government workers. Nor is there explicit language in a post-Civil War era statute that gives “all persons” the same right “as is enjoyed by white citizens” when it comes to making and enforcing contracts, such as contracts of employment. Those were the two statutes that the court interpreted on Tuesday.

In the first case, Gómez-Pérez v. Potter, the Court ruled in favor of Ms. Myrna Gómez-Pérez, who became a target for retaliation by her employer, the U.S. Postal Service, after she complained that she had been denied a transfer based on her age. The decision protects federal workers from harassment should they complain that they've been the victim of discriminatory practices. Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia and Thomas dissented.

The second case was brought by Hedrick G. Humphries, a black manager of a Cracker Barrel restaurant who lost his job after complaining that a black employee had been dismissed based on race. The Court's ruling in Humphries favor in CBOCS West, Inc. v. Humphries helps ensure that employees cannot be punished for speaking up in defense of one another in the face of racial discrimination. Justices Thomas and Scalia again joined in a dissenting opinion.

So, very good news out of the Supreme Court this week, indicating a return to logic and a commitment to protecting workers' rights after the Lilly Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire debacle.

Now for your homework - if you have not already done so, go fill out the Ask a Working Woman Survey sponsored by the AFL-CIO and Working America. We need to make it clear that women are paying attention, and will vote only for those politicians fighting to ensure that the pay gap is closed, that affordable childcare is offered, that maternity leave is paid, and that women are truly protected against wage discrimination.

(h/t: Feminist Law Professors)

Ask a Working Woman Survey 2008

In national elections, it can be frustrating to watch women being taken seriously only as a demographic while the issues that impact them are almost entirely ignored. Who "soccer moms" might support is discussed ad nauseam, but no time is spent discussing the policies that actually impact working mothers in this country - things like maternity leave, the challenge of finding an employer who will provide a flexible work schedule, fair pay, and health benefits for families. This is a challenge we are facing once again, as commentators and politicians alike discuss who women will support without mentioning the ways in which different candidates or parties will support - or fail to support - us. Our votes, it seems, are important. Our voices are not.

This is why the AFL-CIO and Working America have joined up to produce the Ask a Working Woman Survey 2008. As one reader, who wrote last night to encourage me to post on this survey, points out:

The survey is an opportunity for working women in America to tell decision-makers what it's like to be a working woman in America in election years....

Opinions will be collected through June 20, 2008. The findings will be announced to decision makers and released in nationwide media in order to highlight and help improve the status of the working mothers, daughters, sisters, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, and nieces in all of our American families...

In 2006, more than 22,000 working American women took the survey. The majority of those women said they were concerned most about fundamental economic issues like paying for health care, not having retirement security, and pay not keeping up with the cost of living--or with the pay of their male counterparts.

In this year of economic and political uncertainty, it is more important than ever to ensure that working women have a voice in the debate for the future of the American economy. We want to hear what working women need – health care, pension benefits, flex time – to make the juggling act that is working womanhood a little bit easier.

You can learn more about this survey and its sponsors at the AFL-CIO News Blog, or jot me a line and I'll send your questions along to our inside connections (yes, we are very important), and we'll post the responses here.

Happy survey taking!

The Little Acts of Protest

Once a year, I enjoy shaking things up for my students by teaching Alfonsina Storni's “Tú me quieres blanca." Basically, it is a poem that rails against the hypocrisy of the sexual double standard that faces women even to this day. I'm not absolutely sure I've converted any young people to feminism, but it does get them thinking, which is always nice to see.

Tobes over at Hear Me Roar also enjoys pulling off the occasional feminist coup, and managed to do a little something to subvert the patriarchy last week when she was asked by her boss to retype 100 pages of text from old management pamphlets into a Word document:

If you can't imagine it being any worse.. jut wait. There were entire sections on, "What a partner's golf swing says about his business style." *head desk* It gets even better. All the references to secretaries-- female pronouns and all the mangers and sales people-- you guessed it-- male pronouns. Naturally I had to do SOMETHING.

So I switched all these references so now the women are out golfing and making business deals and the men are working the front desk -- it's my mini-revolution.

If you've pulled off any similar mini-revolutions recently, we want to hear about them. If not, here are some ideas of things to do this week.