Don’t get me wrong. I’m happy that Serena and Venus Williams were on the cover (left) of The New York Times Magazine last week. Sure, I might have been happier if either of them were wearing a shirt, but with Serena’s 24-pack on display in its full muscular glory, I can see the shirtless argument. […]
Author: Laura Gottesdiener
Laura Gottesdiener is a freelance journalist based in New York City. She is a former Ms. editorial intern who is enjoying exploring and writing in the Big Apple.
Thousands in New York Rally Against War on Women
Feminists gathered in 55 cities worldwide on Saturday in a “Walk for Choice,” spurred by a recent wave of anti-abortion legislation in the U.S. Congress that detractors have dubbed “the War on Women.” In New York City, thousands convened in front of the U.S. courthouse. Pro-choice senators, congresswomen, doctors and activists spoke out against the […]
Oscar Nominee “Poster Girl” Puts A Face to Women Iraq Vets
For Iraq veteran Robynn Murray, the current discussion over whether to allow women soldiers to serve in combat is not a debate–it’s a reality. When the National Honors Society student enlisted in the Army right after 9/11, her recruiter assigned her to a civil affairs unit, promising it would be “just like the Red Cross.” […]
Can You Promise It Gets Better?
In President Obama’s “It Gets Better” speech—released this fall after the suicides of Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown and others—the President deplored teenage bullying and promised adult protection for struggling gay and lesbian youth. The President said, To every young person out there, you need to know that if you’re in trouble, there are […]
We Expect This from Goldman Sachs, But from Nonprofits?
In 2005, Pittsburgh’s newspaper the Tribune-Review reported that women nonprofit executives were fleeing the state to avoid Pennsylvania’s “pink collar ghetto”–a pay gap $6,000 greater than the national gap for the nonprofit sector. Where the executives headed is unrecorded, but if they flocked to the Big Apple to seek wage equality they’re out of luck. […]
Judith Bernstein Makes a Name for Herself
Feminist artist Judith Bernstein was hours from completing her signature piece–literally a massive rendition of her own name charcoaled on the walls of Manhattan’s Alex Zachary Gallery–when the nine-foot-tall “B” nearly caused her downfall. “I was going over the railing to work on the letters “B” and “E” when I slipped, fell backwards and broke […]
What’s the Feminist Solution to Surnames?
My 12-letter, four-syllable surname is Gottesdiener. Its German translation–“servant of God”–is quite beautiful, but the name itself has given me my fair share of trouble. In elementary school I was the last student to learn to spell her name, and in middle school there was the familiar taunt “Laura’s Got-a-steamer! Laura’s Got-a-steamer!” These days, the […]
Paycheck Fairness Act Stalls in Senate–Grrrr!!
The U.S. Senate failed to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act this morning, provoking anger and disappointment from women. According to the National Committee on Pay Equity, women still make just 77 cents to men’s dollar. Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority, said, “Women’s groups all over the country will be working to ensure that […]
Take Action for Pay Equity: Call In Today!
As the “lame duck session” of Congress got underway yesterday, the impending vote on the Paycheck Fairness Act gives the current sitting senators the opportunity to prove that they are anything but, well, lame ducks. This legislation, formally known as H.R. 12, is designed to strengthen the Equal Pay Act of 1963, closing the loopholes […]
For Women Veterans, the Battle Continues
Today, Veteran’s Day, we Americans will pause for moments of silence, listen to bells tolling and guns firing and remember the deaths of thousands of our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (let alone wars of the more distant past). It’s a day of meditation and sadness–but it must also be a day for feminism and […]