On the "Legitimate Rape" statement

The keyword here isn't rape, even though everyone is right to focus on how our society approaches the concept of rape (we are not very evolved. Oh, also, did you know that in 31 states, rapists are allowed visitation rights to their children?The keyword for me--at least just as important of a word--is the word " ( Read more... )

The election to replace Jane Harman, the blue-dog Democrat House of Representatives incumbent of my District, is today. (As noted in previous blog posts, to me, Harman was a big "meh.")

No less than 16 candidates have emerged to replace her and this is the first test of California's new open-primary law.I'm not a registered Democrat, but I pretty ( Read more... )

Earlier today the House of Representatives voted to defund Title X and strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood and other family planning and women's health services. Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and preventive health services, particularly to low-income ( Read more... )

On August 24, 1959, Senator Daniel K. Inouye was sworn in as the first Japanese-American U.S. Representative ( Read more... )

"Yousa People Gonna Die?!" - Jar Jar Binks
Thanks Jar Jar, you said it best. On Friday, January 8th, Governor-Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office released the year’s first draft budget proposal for the State of California. It hurts. I haven't seen any other newspaper really spell it out like this, but here it is for you ( Read more... )

Today the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger trial to overturn Proposition 8 begins in San Francisco's U.S. District Court presided by Judge Vaughn R. Walker. This trial is expected to make it's way all the way up the Supreme Court, perhaps in Fall 2011.

This morning the Supreme Court, on emergency appeal overruled the initial decision to stream the trial ( Read more... )

Anyone ever hear about the US Military's preggo policy?

If you are a woman in the US Military, you are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire in Iraq. Twenty-nine percent of women who were in the Los Angeles Veteran's Affair hospital reported being raped during their service.

If you are a woman in the US Military ( Read more... )

Tonight it took me two hours to travel twelve miles to get home.  At first I was pissed off at the traffic jam until I realized that the traffic was due to the Equality Network 2010 March and Rally taking up street space on Santa Monica Blvd.  And that if there are Americans in this country who have to wait years  and years for the equal right to ( Read more... )

President Obama is supposed to sign the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Act today. The bill expands protection and prosecution of bias-motivated crimes to more activities and to more people--"actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability." I am proud of my country today. (Even though the bill was ( Read more... )

I liked Jezebel.com's take on this NPR interview on how "U.S. born Asian-American women are more likely to attempt suicide than other groups."

"So, to recap: Let's say you have extremely traditional parents who encourage you to achieve at all costs, discourage any admission of weakness, and think the cure for depression is working harder. And you ( Read more... )