-
Sex ed
One of the things which I sometimes end up lying awake thinking over at unholy o'clock is what I think sex education should be like. Mine was somewhat mixed. My parents didn't really bother, unless you count my mother muttering a few things just before I turned 22. My school was a case of "blink and you miss it", and I think I was off ill that ( Read more... ) -
Is it appropriate to discuss male circumcision when talking about FGM?
I've just written such a long comment to an article by Ava Vidalon FGM that I may as well copy it over to here. The article is excellent, go and read it. The comments are full of racism and will probably make you headdesk repeatedly. Here's what I put ( Read more... ) -
Sex workers and people with disabilities: more parallels than you might think
A friend of mine spent many years working with sex workers, and is still very much involved in sex worker rights. I've ended up learning a great deal from her, and from sex workers who write on this topic. When we’ve discussed sex workers, I’ve often noticed the number of parallels between prejudice against sex workers and prejudice against ( Read more... ) -
No means no. Even when you're disabled. Especially when you're disabled.
Louise Mensch turns out to be quite the interesting read. In her recent Guardian article trashing intersectionality, she thoughtfully provided a link to her series on What Men Want. As expected, I found many of her viewpoints highly problematic. Much of it was about how women should mould themselves to men's desires. Now, I've seen this ( Read more... ) -
Intersectionality affects everyone. Yes, even if you haven't noticed it
Twitter is currently ablaze about an outrageous article by Louise Mensch, in which she complains about "intersectional bollocks" derailing feminism. I have a few observations ( Read more... ) -
Ethnicity and identity - sometimes the problems come more from within the community
In the wake of the Woolwich murder, I've been reading a few people who are horrified and alarmed at the strongly racist response that's occurring, both in the media and amongst the general public. This IS my home, you racist swine is an article by a woman talking about her experiences of "'my difference' or to put it in correct terms 'other ( Read more... ) -
Disablism? Where do I start?
Apparently it is Blogging Against Disablism day. I am pretty tired today, so you are going to get random witterings. But hey, it's not as if there's a shortage of material.
( Dignity ) -
On racism, white privilege and the freedom to speak up about something you're not sure about
I've been reading an excellent article about white privilege and feminism called This is white privilege by Reni Eddo-Lodge. After a much-needed discussion of racism and transphobia within the modern feminist movement, she goes on to relate her experience of trying to explain what it feels like to be discriminated against to a white woman.
I ( Read more... ) -
Newsflash: women don't need socks, coats or tampons. But hairspray is an essential human right!
In the light of the benefits scandals, the BBC has published an article pondering How little money can a person live on? It mentions that some people on benefits have to live on £53 a week, and then goes through the "essential" costs, but neglects to tot them all up. I presume this is so that you come away thinking that it's perfectly easy to live ( Read more... ) -
That equal marriage symbol which has been doing the rounds
If you're anything like me, you will have recently noticed that there is a pink-equals-sign-on-red-background doing the rounds at the moment. You will probably have enquired about it, been told that it represents equal marriage, thought, "Excellent idea," and adopted it ( Read more... )