After being tried in absentia on June 22 by an all-male panel of judges, Kate Kelly, founder of Ordain Women, has been convicted on an apostasy charge and is excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). The panel found that she has been engaging in “conduct contrary to the laws and […]
Author: Simone Lieban Levine
Simone Lieban Levine is a rising junior at St. Mary's College of Maryland and an intern for Ms.
NEWSFLASH: Worldwide Protest Against Sultan of Brunei on Friday
The Sultan of Brunei announced his plan this past May to impose a hateful and deadly Taliban-like penal code that includes the stoning to death of gay men and lesbians and the public flogging of women who have abortions. These clear violations of human rights have resulted in a massive international backlash, including a protest […]
Breaking Down the Federal Student Aid Office’s Offensive Tweet
Today, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Twitter account tweeted the message at left. It references a scene from Bridesmaids in which Kristen Wiig’s character gets drunk on an airplane and tries to sneak into first class. But while both Bridesmaids and Kristen Wiig are hilarious, using them to make light of poverty and U.S. […]
Message to HelloFlo: Ha Ha, Oh No
On June 17, HelloFlo, a company that sends care packages to women (timed to their monthly cycle) that include everything from pads and tampons to chocolate to beginners’ guides, followed up its hilarious commercial “The Camp Gyno” with the clever and funny “First Moon Party.” Both the website (which includes a blog and an advice section) and the commercials are […]
Back to the Big House
As avid fans know, the second season of Netflix’s hit show, Orange is the New Black, has been released. The series is a fictionalized version of the real-life story of Piper Kerman, an upper-middle-class white woman who was sentenced to over a year in prison for committing a drug-smuggling-related crime 10 years earlier. Piper Chapman […]
Street Harassment USA
Hey, baby! Oh mami, come over here. Smile for me, sweetheart! Chances are, most of us have heard some variation of these catcalls. In fact, 65 percent of women and 25 percent of men in the U.S. have encountered street harassment, according to a recent study. Of the women surveyed, 57 percent experienced verbal harassment […]
We Heart: Australian Chief of Army David Morrison, Feminist Ally
On June 12, 2013, Lieutenant General David Morrison, AO, Chief of Army, sent a message to the Australian Army by posting a YouTube video on the Australian Army Headquarters channel describing his thoughts about the allegations of sexual assault, harassment and degrading behavior by Aussie Army members. In the video, General Morrison says: Every one of us […]
NEWSFLASH: Obama Plans to Sign Executive Order Prohibiting LGBT Job Discrimination
The White House announced today that President Obama plans to sign an executive order that prohibits federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. This is a huge step forward in protecting the rights of LGBTQ federal employees, particularly because the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which was passed inthe Senate […]
Feminist Debates: Pornography
The women’s movement is a diverse, complex, multifaceted one with many differences of opinion and ways of thinking. Although most mainstream feminists generally agree about issues—such as being pro-choice or against genital cutting—there are several controversial issues about which no one general consensus has formed. This article on feminist debates is half explanatory, half experiment: […]