In December 2013, Colorado Springs’ Chief of Police Peter Carey introduced a physical abilities test (also known as a PAT) that all officers were required to pass. It involved push-ups, sit-ups and running exercises. The stated goal of the test was to create a “culture of fitness” on the force and to reduce work-related injuries, ostensibly […]
Justice & Law
Marriage Equality Forecast: Victory Is Near!
Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the broad question of whether marriage is a constitutionally protected right for same-sex couples, a nationwide victory may be less than two months away. There were no surprises in last week’s hearings. Opponents of marriage equality had nothing new to say. They made the same unconvincing claims that […]
How to Defuse Police Violence
As the crisis continues to unfold in Baltimore and in communities across the country, it becomes increasingly clear that hiring the right types of police officers is imperative to improving police-community relations. In the Winter 2015 issue of Ms., I outlined why hiring more women officers would go a long way to reducing police violence. Below, find […]
Inside the Supreme Court’s First Day of Marriage Equality Hearings
I got to the Supreme Court to hear arguments for and against marriage equality early Tuesday morning, but the crowds were already everywhere—outside as well as in various lines snaking throughout the court. Bag and coat safely in a locker, I made my way into the gallery. The court was packed as the clerk shouted […]
‘Til Death Do Us Part: Inside the Pulitzer Prize-Winning Domestic Violence Exposé
This week, The Post and Courier, a family-owned and operated newspaper in Charleston, South Carolina, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Public Service gold medal for their in-depth investigation into the devastation wrought by domestic violence in their state. In seven heart-wrenching installments, “‘Til Death Do Us Part” explores the roles culture, patriarchy, law enforcement and legislation play […]
Why Don’t We Talk About the Gender Safety Gap in the U.S.?
This week, John Krakauer’s book, Missoula, “a depressingly typical” story about college town rapes, was released. In a recent NPR interview, Krakauer describes his dawning realization about how many women in the United States have been sexually assaulted, most often by people they know. His prior lack of awareness about women’s experiences, either of being assaulted […]
Trafficking Policy Should Focus on Empowerment, Not Coercion
I have been studying the sex industry for nearly 25 years and been a feminist for even longer. Over this period I have seen many changes in the sex industry as well as how feminists and others talk about it. But for many Americans, feminists included, one point has remained steady: the belief that sexual […]
Black Women’s Histories: A Conversation with Talitha L. LeFlouria
Black Women’s Histories, a conversation series profiling different feminist scholars engaging Black women’s histories and narratives during Black and Women’s History Months (February and March, respectively), concludes with Talitha L. LeFlouria, author of the forthcoming Chained in Silence: Black Women and Convict Labor in the New South, due out next month. LeFlouria is assistant professor […]
Blowing the Whistle on Campus Rape
This March, for Women’s History Month, the Ms. Blog is profiling Wonder Women who have made history—and those who are making history right now. Join us each day as we bring you the stories of iconic and soon-to-be-famous feminist change-makers. The following, which highlights the work of campus anti-rape activists around the country, is excerpted from the […]
Of Rape Culture, “Grievance Culture” and Mike Tyson
I’m lucky. I made it through my college years without being raped. I did have a couple of close calls, both times when I was alone with men I had considered friends. Fortunately, my angry bravado—which covered up my fear—proved enough to short-circuit their plans. Fortunately I hadn’t been given a spiked drink that would […]