Femmostroppo Reader April 23, 2011

Items of interest come across recently in my feed-reader. What did I miss? Leave your own interesting links in comments.
n.b. Comments threads have not necessarily been read. Some may be NSFW or triggering, so please report back any problems you encounter so the post can be marked.

• Before you improve my footpath; please think

– “there are a few things I wish people took more notice of;”

• Wait, and it’s feminists who hate men?

– Jill smackdowns on Liz Jones’ assumptions that all women are just like her.

• Oversimplifying Sex Slavery: Demi, Ashton, and Badvocacy

– “Sadly, what surely began with good intentions has become an even better example of what is wrong with celebrity aid today.”

• Myth Five: Fat is Asexual

– “As with just about every generalization possible, it is ridiculous to suggest that all fat people are not sexually attracted to anyone. It’s equally ridiculous to suggest that all fat people are not sexually attractive to anyone.”

• The Bathroom Predators Are Cis People

– “In reality it’s transwomen and our cissisters with ambiguous gender cues who have to fear for our lives and our human dignity when we visit public restrooms. “

• Autistic Teen Speaks for Herself

– Listening to what actual auties say…

• Biscuits and Gravy

– “Maybe they didn’t realize how much their jabs hurt. Maybe they didn’t realize how deeply I internalized the shame I felt, how an intelligent little girl heard, “Biscuits and gravy, heh!” and translated it to mean that she was bad, out of control, a terrible person, a terrible daughter.”

• Incorporate Me!

– “Here’s the way conservatives present their demands that corporate taxes should be lowered: The United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates among otherwise similarly situated countries. That makes the US a bad place for business and weakens its international competitiveness.

But corporations in the United States actually don’t pay those high taxes because of all the loopholes:”

• Policing boys for masculinity in Malaysia

– “(Trigger warning for child abuse, transphobia, homophobia, enforced gender performance.)”

• This is so the worst thing you're going to read all day.

– “Granderson would almost certainly argue that he’s just addressing an existent reality, which is true, but the problem with recommendations that avoid challenging that fucked-up reality head-on is that it more deeply entrenches that reality: Policing little girls’ clothes and calling them “trampy” only reinforces a culture in which female bodies are sexually objectified and judged.”

• Can I Just Watch A Game of Thrones in Peace? [Brown Feminist Fan Rant]

– “Still, I was excited enough for the series. I had already resigned myself to whatever background noise style racism was going to be in the series, having read all the books. Swallowed my bluepill, prepared to head happily into Westero with a minimum of drama. Was it too much to ask that I would be able to enjoy the show in peace? Could I just keep my bottle of Jameson at the ready for the inevitable “Winter is Coming” reference, make my little rules for the drinking game (imps, nipples, incest are already marked), and figure out if the adaptation measures up to the books?

Nope. Instead, I got racism in my fandom (thanks to Drago and the Dothraki), and sexism from the mainstream media.

Sigh. Where do we even begin?”

• BODY LANGUAGE: Autism and neurodiversity

– “Ne’eman has received a surprising number of hostile responses to his appointment to the National Council on Disability, responses that seem in part to be based on his perspective on autism. As one of the people in class last night observed, “Changing our culture to accommodate people with autism is much more immediate and pragmatic than all these efforts to find a cure for autism. Maybe that’s why it’s threatening: it’s saying that the mainstream culture has to change, rather than saying that people with autism have to be different, or disappear.””

• Quote of the Day

– Geena Davis rocks.

• Disabled women and sexual assault.

– “And it is not just that disabled women are less likely to be taken seriously, and less likely to have access to support and judicial services, we are also much more vulnerable to abuse.”

• British Transpeople Successfully Shut Down Transphobic UK Conference

– “Activist Jane Fae, speaking for the organizers of the trans protest said: “The only people to blame for this are the Royal College. They could have had a very successful event if they had talked to the trans community and included people.””

• Paying for Affection

– Buying intimate attention and services – our stories tell us that this ultimately leads to true caring from those being paid, because that makes us feel better about ourselvesl; but also tells sex workers and nannies/mammies that money can buy not only their time and effort but also their love.

• Mis-Illustrating Abortion

– “The disconnect between the reality (90% of abortions occur in the 1st trimester) and the imagery (of women who are in their 3rd) implies that many abortions are occurring much later than they are.”

• The Baby Next Door

– “for once, someone talking about kids on the internet is not being terrible. Faith in humanity restored. “

• Dear so-called progressives: I hate you

– “Hey so-called Progressives: Disability is not your fucking punch line and I hate you.”