It’s been a rough couple of months for women. Republicans are waging a war against us on state and federal levels, our rights are getting trampled on an all-too-frequent basis and the future is looking a bit dreary. We sign petitions and write letters to congressmen, but sometimes we may feel like screaming into a […]
Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi served as the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the first woman elected as U.S. House Speaker and the first woman to lead a major political party in either chamber of Congress, leading the House Democrats from 2003 to 2023.
Prime Philanderer, Confession Apps and Inside CPAC: Editors’ Picks, 2/6-2/12
“Italy’s Second Sex Is Pissed,” headlined The Daily Femme, which reported that 73,500 Italian women have signed a petition demanding a change in the way the Italian government (and culture) treats women, and thousands of Italians staged a public protest against the treatment of women in their country. High on their list of grievances: yet another sex scandal […]
WTF Will John Boehner Do? (Warning: Not for the Faint of Heart)
Every nightmare has its beginning. For Harry Potter, it was perhaps the moment he purchased his first wand from Olivander’s and discovered that it contained the same feather-type as Lord Voldemort’s, sealing his fate to kill or be killed by the Dark Lord. For the U.S., it was probably the instant that John Boehner first […]
Boehner Bias?
On Wednesday, Nancy Pelosi handed over the speaker’s gavel to John Boehner, who is charged with leading the “Tea Party Congress” in their efforts to repeal health care reform, disband the Select Committee on Global Warming, defund Planned Parenthood and do a bunch of other things that people who have never held elected office think […]
Watch Out, John—Nancy’s Still on the Job
As Nancy Pelosi hands off the Speaker’s gavel to John Boehner today, she also hands him a tough act to follow. Despite insistent attempts to malign her during her four years as Speaker of the House, the California congresswoman turns out to have been arguably the most effective person in that post in U.S. history. […]
Judy Chicago on Frida Kahlo, Feminism and Women’s Art
Feminist artist Judy Chicago, known best for her iconic work, The Dinner Party, recently released the book Frida Kahlo: Face to Face, coauthored with art historian Frances Borzello, in which the two converse over a selection of the esteemed Mexican artist’s work. The well-illustrated volume explores Frida Kahlo as a woman and an artist, as […]
A Feminist Lens on the New Congress
With the midterm elections now several days behind us, we can assess what the new U.S. Congress looks like for women in general and for progressive, pro-choice feminists in particular. —There will be at least 85 voting women members of Congress in January. Depending on how five undecided races turn out (four in the House, […]