Prom (oting) Homophobia...

This month in Fulton, Mississippi, two girls wanted to go to prom together, and one of them wanted to wear a tux. When one of the girls—high school senior Constance McMillen—challenged the school’s written policy that prom dates must be of the opposite sex, the school board decided:...

Hope And Change In India...

Indian women celebrate after the Women's Reservation Bill is passed. The world’s largest democracy made history this week when Indian lawmakers approved a historic bill that would set aside one-third of all seats in India’s parliament for women. Only 59 women were elected to the current...

Happy International Women’s Day!...

To our readers–and all women–around the globe. Today marks the 99th such observation, although the roots of International Women’s Day go back even further, to 1908, when 15,000 New York women marched for their labor rights (and my little socialist heart sings!). This year’s theme...

God Is Not A Segregationist...

This month, local news stations in Washington D.C. reported on a protest by Muslim women at the Islamic Center of Washington, who demanded the right to worship in the Center’s main prayer hall. The police were called and the women asked to leave. But they say their struggle will continue. The source...

Apple Stays Classy...

Do Not Want. Yesterday the New York Times Business section ran a story about how Apple is pulling the plug on iPhone apps featuring sexually suggestive content. “It came to the point where we were getting customer complaints from women who found the content getting too degrading and objectionable,...

Friday Fun Thread: Simple Deeds Make a D...

The Singer is mightier than the sword. Via menteblu61 @ Flickr. Last night I was reading the news online and came upon an item about Phyllis Schafly. Naturally, I scrolled past it as fast as I could, and in doing so, landed on a story that was about as far from Phyllis’s hatemongering as you can...

What’s the Weather Going to Be Like on...

Perspectives from the Abortion-Rights Front, from Mischiefmanager and Baraqiel. Mischiefmanager: I started volunteering as a clinic escort almost 20 years ago. I was a stay-at-home mom with two young kids and I wanted to get out of the house and do something useful. There had been a series of violent...

Honorary Harpies: Women of the Wall...

Breaking the law. Photo via Women of the Wall. In December 1988, a group of Jewish women calling themselves the Women of the Wall began what would become an over 20 year battle for women’s rights. Their mission? To pray together at Judaism’s holiest site, the Kotel (aka the Western or Wailing...

In memoriam: Haitian women’s right...

A survey of Haitian women and girls conducted by women’s rights organization Kay Fanm revealed that approximately 72 percent had been raped and at least 40 percent were victims of domestic violence. Haitian lawyer and actress Magalie Marcelin founded Kay Famn, which provides legal, health, literacy...

Today is Blog for Choice Day!...

Do it. Via blogforchoice.com Today, January 22, is the 37th Anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion and has subsequently saved the lives of countless women. This week has been a remarkably craptacular one for progressive politics, so I wanted to end the week with some...

Justice for Ruchika...

Ruchika Girhotra. The two weeks I was in India, I read the Times of India every day. The Times is the world’s largest English-language daily newspaper by circulation, with a readership of 13.3 million. It is of a decidedly progressive bent, and the stories are expressive, opinionated and don’t...

Feminist Giving Guide...

If you still have money left over once your holiday shopping is done, please consider making a donation to a worthy cause that benefits women and girls. Girls Write Now Since 1998 Girls Write Now has provided guidance, support, and opportunities for New York City’s high school girls to develop...