Yes, Comment! Skins, Google Art, and High School Feminists
For us Ms. editors, by far the most rewarding part of the Ms. Blog has been reading the comments. Since we’re used to sending out a magazine into the void every three months and waiting with bated breath for letters to the editor, it’s been revelatory to hear back directly–instantly!–from Ms. readers. To be sure, [...]
Sex and Sexism and “Skins”
January 26, 2011 by Mia Fontaine · 43 Comments
MTV, you’ve come a long way baby. In six short years you’ve gone from pimpin’ rides to pimpin’ girls, starting with the recent premiere of Skins, a remake of the hit British program by the same name. Immediately labeled “the most dangerous show for teens,” by the Parents Television Counsel and lambasted for gratuitous sex [...]
UN Considers Rights of U.S. Sex Workers
November 5, 2010 by Cara Kulwicki · 2 Comments
Today, November 5, for the first time, the United Nations will, under its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) system, review the human rights record of the United States. That’s a pretty big deal period, especially since the process is comprised not only of self-assessments by the nation being reviewed, but also reports by civil society organizations. [...]
Why Decriminalizing Sex Work is Good for All Women
November 1, 2010 by Crystal Jackson and Barbara Brents · 93 Comments
Decriminalizing sex work is a win for all women, because it helps to combat “whore stigma” that all are vulnerable to.
Newsflash: Canadian Court Strikes Down Anti-Sex-Work Laws
September 29, 2010 by Stephanie Hallett · 8 Comments
The provincial court of Ontario, Canada, struck down several key provisions that limit sex workers’ ability to work safely, a victory being hailed by sex workers’ rights activists. On September 28, three anti-sex-work laws were deemed “unconstitutional” and a violation of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Justice Susan Himel, a high-level Ontario court [...]
How To Respect Sex Workers
September 2, 2010 by Monica Shores · 240 Comments
Most women have strong feelings about the sex industry, be they for or against. (And many, of course, remain undecided.) When dealing with such an emotionally volatile topic, it’s easy to inadvertently silence or even insult sex workers themselves. (As a participant in sex worker activism for the past four years, I’ve seen that in [...]
Global News Roundup: China, Southern Europe, Japan, Bangladesh, Indonesia
August 20, 2010 by Sarah Lohmann · Leave a Comment
This week, ‘fake virgins’ are the next big thing in China; gender equality becomes an economic necessity in Southern Europe; women suffer most from Japan’s economic recession; Bangladeshi prostitutes are given much-needed recognition; and Indonesia launches a women-only train line to fight sexual harassment. CHINA: A growing number of women in China are undergoing hymenoplasty, [...]
10 Things Men and Boys Can Do to Stop Human Trafficking
August 4, 2010 by Jewel Woods · 107 Comments
Human trafficking is modern day slavery. It is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel another person to provide labor or commercial sex against their will, and it is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises in the world. The Renaissance Male Project believes that men are complicit in this crime when they [...]
A Feminist Focus at the International AIDS Conference
July 23, 2010 by Anna Kelner · 2 Comments
The six-day International AIDS Conference, ended today. At the annual conference, people working to stop the pandemic as well as persons living with HIV gather to assess progress, evaluate scientific discoveries and plan more efforts. Coverage has ranged from condemnation of the U.S. War on Drugs to researchers’ efforts to develop a safe, effective vaccine [...]
