Mother's rights vs. fetal rights: how do we value women?
Brought to you by the National Advocates for Pregnant Women:
Brought to you by the Massachusetts School of Law:
October 31, 2008
October 29, 2008
See MILK and vote no on 8!
Milk, the film portraying the life and times of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to hold political office, premiered in San Francisco’s Castro district.
How do they measure up on gender-related issues?
Alternet posted a comprehensive voter’s guide to the candidate’s positions on 10 gender-related issues that include:
1. Reproductive choice
2. Contraception
3. Reproductive health and family planning
4. Sex education
5. Domestic violence
6. Equal pay
7. Paid family leave and workplace flexibility
8. Minimum wage
9. Gender-based health disparities
10. Title IX
Check it out and VOTE!
Keith calls 'em out
Socialist! Socialist! “Redistributionist-in-chief.” Celebrity.
Oh, GOP. Keith calls you out on your double-standards. Swoon.
October 28, 2008
Book Spotlight: Getting Off
Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity by Robert Jensen should be placed at the top of your reading list. Second wave feminists, namely the women associated with W.A.P (Women Against Pornography), have been painted as outmoded, “anti-sex” shrews and a new generation of Pro-Sex feminists have emerged. I understand the critique and I appreciate the efforts that have been made to expand the dialogue regarding sexuality. With that said, we can’t dismiss the fact that the rules of pornography have changed. Situations change. Arguments change.
I embrace sex, sexuality and sexual freedom. With that said, I have noticed a remarkable change in the proliferation, availability and representation of “normative” sexuality in pornography over the last 15 years. Mainstream, normative pornography has become increasinly aggressive and violent portraying a sexual norm and it makes me uncomfortable and concerned.
Posted on Alternet on October 21, 2008, Robert Jensen, explains why pornography has become more boring and more brutal:
Whatever the number, theoretical or routine, the discussion reminds us that pornography is relentlessly intense, pushing our sexual boundaries both physically and psychically. And, pornography also is incredibly repetitive and boring.
Pornographers know all this, of course, and it keeps them on edge.
These days there are about 13,000 pornographic films released each year, compared with about 600 from Hollywood. Not surprisingly, a common concern at the Adult Entertainment Expo each time I attended (in 2005, 2006, and 2008) was that the desperate struggle by directors to distinguish their films from all the others was leading to a kind of “sexual gymnastics.” Lexington Steele, one of the most successful contemporary pornography performers and producers, put it bluntly: “A lot of gonzo is becoming circus acts.”
“Gonzo” is the pornographic genre that rejects plot, character, or dialogue, offering straightforward explicit sex. Gonzo films are distinguished from “features,” which to some degree mimic the structure of a traditional Hollywood film. According to the top trade magazine: “Gonzo, non-feature fare is the overwhelmingly dominant porn genre since it’s less expensive to produce than plot-oriented features, but just as importantly, is the fare of choice for the solo stroking consumer who merely wants to cut to the chase, get off on the good stuff, then, if they really wanna catch some acting, plot and dialog, pop in the latest Netflix disc.” ["The Directors," Adult Video News, August 2005, p. 54.]…
Pornographers deliver graphic sexually explicit material that does the job, but to do so they must continuously increase the cruelty and degradation to maintain profits.
Gonzo producers test the limits with new practices that eroticize men’s domination of women. Less intense forms of those sexual practices migrate into the tamer feature pornography, and from there in muted form into mainstream pop culture. Pornography gets more openly misogynist, and pop culture becomes more pornographic — many Hollywood movies and cable TV shows today look much like soft-core pornography of a few decades ago, and the common objectification of women in advertising has become more overtly sexualized.
Where will all this lead? How far will pornographers go to ensure their profits, especially as the proliferation of free pornography on the internet adds a new competition? How much eroticized misogyny will the culture be willing to tolerate?
When I ask that question of pornography producers, most say they don’t know. An industry leader such as Lexington Steele acknowledged he has no crystal ball: “Gonzo really always pushes the envelope. The thing about it is, there’s only but so many holes, only but so many different types of penetration that can be executed upon a woman. So it’s really hard to say what’s next within gonzo.”
What’s next? What comes after DPs and double anals? What is beyond a “10 Man Cum Slam” and “50 Guy Cream Pie”? I can’t claim to know either. But after 20 years of researching the pornography industry as a scholar and critiquing it as part of the feminist anti-pornography movement, I know that we should be concerned. We should be afraid that there may be no limit on men’s cruelty toward women. In a patriarchal society driven by the predatory values of capitalism, we should be very afraid.
Upcoming class: Women and Media
For all you media heads, there’s an upcoming class sponsored by the Media Alliance in Oakland, CA November 3, 10 and 17th taught by Vanessa Vega on Women and Media: Media Aggression Against Women.
Additional media sources:
Girls, Women and Media Project
Check it out
BBC News reports on the third International Congress on Islamic Feminism. Click here.
Here’s a great post at Feministing on “pimping the vote” retro style. Click here.
I’ve been MIA the last few days. I’ll be back soon. For now, all I can say is SEVEN MORE DAYS! SEVEN!
October 24, 2008
Grad student jailed in Iran
One of our grad students at California State University, Northridge, Esha Momeni, has been arrested and jailed for a stated “traffic offense.” Momeni, a graduate student in the Department of Communication Studies, had been in Iran for several months conducting research via video interviews for her master’s thesis on women’s movements. According to reports, Momeni is a member of Campaign for Equality which seeks to campaign on behalf of Iranian women. She is not the only member that has been arrested in connection with the mission of the campaign.
As reported in the Bloomberg Press today:
Esha Momeni, 28, a graduate student at the university’s Northridge campus, was taken into custody Oct. 15 in Tehran on “suspicion of committing a traffic offense” while driving on the Moddaress Highway, the human rights group said in a statement.
Police then searched her family’s home in Tehran and confiscated her computer and footage of interviews she conducted, Amnesty said. She was taken to Evin Prison, and authorities told her relatives she would be released quickly if they didn’t publicize her arrest, according to Amnesty.
When officials at a branch of the country’s Revolutionary Court told the family no information on her case would be released until an investigation is completed, relatives decided to make details of the arrest public, Amnesty said. Momeni has not been charged with any crimes and is at risk of being mistreated or tortured, the group said.
“We’re tracking reports and official statements and will continue to monitor the situation,” Nicole Choueiry, a spokeswoman for London-based Amnesty International said today in a telephone interview.
University president, Jolene Koester, issued this statement:
I am deeply concerned that one of our graduate students, Esha Momeni, has been arrested and detained by Iranian authorities while conducting research as part of her Master’s degree requirements in Mass Communications at California State University, Northridge. My understanding is that her thesis project focused on women’s issues in Iran.
Ms. Momeni is a U.S. citizen. She is a student invested in learning and understanding current conditions in the country of her family’s origin.
Anyone who values knowledge and the role of academic inquiry in shedding light on the human condition should be concerned. We are in support of the efforts of the U.S. government in their efforts to secure Ms. Momeni’s immediate release and are in the process of contacting the following individuals and organizations to obtain their assistance: Senator Diane Feinstein, Senator Barbara Boxer, Representative Brad Sherman, the Department of State, and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee.
The university has taken action by contacting the Iranain ambassador to the UN, Congressman Sherman and Senators Boxer and Feinstein.
Featured Feminist: Justine Serebrin
Justine Serebrin is an artist of many mediums specializing in Body Art. She uses the human spirit and form as the guiding force behind her work. Individuals inevitably carry so much diversity in their body alone, that it allows each painting to evolve in an organic and unique order. The magic of Body Art, for Justine, lies in the kaleidoscopic nature of human beings.
Justine attended Otis College of Art and Design, and shortly after she received her BFA, she completed the Professional Make-Up program at the Cinema Make-Up School. She quickly transformed the art of body painting into a performance piece, which she then performed at many events and galleries in the Los Angeles/Hollywood area.
She is currently interested in collaborating with photographers who are interested in pushing the limits of body art and taking it to a much more fascinating level.”
My “click” moment: During my 1st woman’s studies class I realized that I had been a feminist all of my life and from there everything from there seemed to just snap into place. My life, my art, my sexuality all fell into place.
Favorite reading materials: Bell Hooks – Communion: The Female Search for Love, Vitamin D – -New Perspectives in Drawing, Wanderground, Stories of the hill women by Sally Miller Gearhart, Women’s Rites, Women’s Mysteries, by Ruth Barret, Magazines – Art Forum, The Coagula, books on artists, Internet interviews with different artists.
Feminist icon: Angie Evans, musician and my lover
Personal role model : Doreen Virtue, PhD. and Kari Barba, tattoo artist and owner of Outer Limits Tattoo Shop.
My issues/concerns: We live in a world dominated by men, duh! It’s time that there were more women only or women focused places, such as tattoo shops, art galleries, bars, gas stations, etc. I feel it is important for women to really feel their power in a separate space, away from men, at least temporarily. I have felt it and have realized the need for it in many places.
Projects:
1) I am working on getting a formal tattoo apprenticeship to helping women to design unique, meaningful tattoos and create a ceremonial ritual space for them to be tattooed within.
2) Photographing feminine masculinity…. more coming soon.
3) A new body of work, paintings/drawings having to do with imagination, sexuality and making babies!
Websites:
Body Art: http://www.justineartist.com
Fine Art: http://ospace.otis.edu/justine/Welcome
Favorite quote:“And there came a time when the risk of remaining closed tight in a bud far outweighed the risk it took to bloom.” ~Anis Nin
October 23, 2008
Campbell Brown calls out the double-standard
I appreciate Campbell Brown’s statement. Watch and listen.
