The past 24 hours have been exciting ones for supporters of gay marriage rights. If the President and progressive members of the Senate get their way, the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is on its way out. At a press conference yesterday, White House press secretary Jay Carney released word that President Obama supports the pending […]
Author: Audrey Bilger
Audrey Bilger is the current president of Reed College, and previously served as vice president and dean of Pomona College. She is also a former professor of literature at Claremont McKenna College and faculty director of the Center for Writing and Public Discourse. She also teaches gender studies, and occasionally yoga. Her latest book, which she co-edited with Michele Kort, is Here Come the Brides! Reflections on Lesbian Love and Marriage (Seal Press, 2012). She is also the author of Laughing Feminism, editor of an edition of Jane Collier’s 1753 satire "An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting," and a frequent contributor to Bitch magazine. Her work has been featured in The Paris Review, Rockrgrl, the Huffington Post and the Women's Media Center.
Obama Administration Says Marriage is Between a Woman and a Woman
Karen Golinski has a wife. She and Amy Cunninghis have been legally married in the state of California since August of 2008. And now, even the Obama Administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has officially recognized the validity of that marriage, emphatically stating that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to deny same-sex couples the […]
Feminist Hulk Meets Ms.—Again
When we last checked in with our big green superhero friend, Feminist Hulk, in his first-ever interview last June (one of the most viewed posts on the Ms. Blog 0f 2010), he was just learning to flex his muscles in the Twittersphere. But his feminist superpowers were mighty and growing stronger ever day. Now, with […]
Judge Rejects Bigotry of Prop 8 Proponents
The proponents of Proposition 8, the California ballot measure that stripped same-sex couples of their right to marry, aren’t above fighting dirty. In their campaign materials, they whipped up fear about protecting children and defending families, irresponsibly painting lesbians and gays as molesters and degenerates. When they had their day in court and an opportunity […]
We Heart: “Nerdy Misanthrope” Using His Art to Aid Cheerleader
If you’ve been following the case of Texas cheerleader Hillaire S., who was assaulted at a party by star athlete Rakheem Bolton and then kicked off the cheerleading squad for refusing to chant, “two, four, six, eight, ten, come on Rakheem, put it in” (see the Ms. Blog coverage of the case here, here, here, and […]
We Know Women Rock–Tell Us Something New
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has a reputation for being a boys club. Since 1986, when its first annual list of inductees consisted of men only, women have been snubbed three additional times (1992, 2003, 2004). But now that the Cleveland museum has a new exhibit, “Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, […]
Rereading Women’s Lit with “Madwoman” Sandra Gilbert
“Is the pen a metaphorical penis? Literary paternity implies ownership!” When I pulled my well-worn copy of Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar’s 1979 classic The Madwoman in the Attic off the shelf the other day, I found these words scrawled across a Post-it, tucked inside its pages. Not in my handwriting (most likely written by […]
Betty White Isn’t a Feminist, But…
At 89, Betty White is going strong. She’s been “working steadily for the past 63 years,” and she continues to take on new challenges. At a time of life known as the twilight years–when people are supposed to relax and step away from the fray–she’s garnered a blurb for her new book from Twilight star Robert […]
F is for Funny, Feminist, Fey
Tina Fey isn’t afraid to throw around a few F-words in her new memoir, Bossypants. She stands up for funny women, and says to those who don’t like–or believe in the existence of–women comedians, “We don’t fucking care if you like it.” Throughout, she makes clear that she views herself as a feminist and offers […]
Prop 8 Still in Effect: What’s the Harm?
Yesterday, more than seven months after same-sex marriage ban Proposition 8 was ruled unconstitutional, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decided to prolong the wait for California gay couples who want to exercise their constitutional right to marry. After a federal judge overturned Prop 8 in August, the 9th Circuit stopped lesbian and gay couples […]