Items of interest found recently in my RSS feed. What did I miss? Please share what you've been reading (and writing!) in the comments.

• How much would you spend to persecute 0.18% of the population?

– “Gary Randall is fixated on actively persecuting 0.18% of the population, the tiniest of minorities. Estimates are that this campaign will cost both sides in the millions of dollars. All to keep 0.18% of the population from being able to use sick leave to care for a seriously ill partner. All to keep 0.18% of the population from providing a partner with a pension they’ve already paid for should one die. All to keep 0.18% of the population from being notified if their partner is the victim of a crime. All to keep 0.18% of the population from providing death benefits to a partner if they are a police officer or firefighter killed in the line of duty. “

• American Women Athletes Part Two: How intersex athletes are punished by the gender testing system

– Comprehensive links from ABW on gender testing for athletes, including two little-publicised facts: gender testing has so far never disclosed any men deliberately masquerading as women, and there is absolutely no evidence that intersexed athletes have a competitive advantage over “normal” female athletes.

• Filament magazine flies the flag for the female gaze

– A fascinating insight into how explicit sexual images of men for straight women to enjoy almost never got printed because the publisher just didn’t think they should – no legal basis, just personal distaste. Even though it was obviously in demand and would sell. So much for the perfections of the free market economy.

• Erotic Film With Feminist Aims Wins Award Despite Ban

– “The Melbourne Underground Film Festival (MUFF) are said to have opposed the ban and seriously considered defying it. They have also pointed out that the OFLC has “historically privileged violent and misogynistic representations of explicit sex over the type of unabashed female sexual pleasure shown in Matinée”.”

• Same-sex hand holding (Sshh!) Saturday

– “In what is planning to become a monthly event, the first international Same-sex hand holding (Sshh!) Saturday starts on September 26”

• Dealing with Terms of “Endearment”

– “Notice, also, that male students are not called “honey” or “babe.” No, if they are called nicknames at all, it is something like “buddy,” or “pal”– something that signifies their status as an equal to the teacher.”

• Bookclubbing

– Chally recommends some online feminist bookclubs

• Orson Scott Card, meet Alan Turing

– “I have never been sure how Orson Scott Card justifies his homophobia to himself: I know he loathes being identified as a homophobe, because he would rather think of himself as a normal person with a normal distaste for and hatred of gay men who normally wants gay men to be kept in the closet, and chemically castrated or otherwise punished if they fail to keep themselves out of sight.”

Categories: linkfest

Tags: blogging, Read-ems