tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67306571399310624212024-02-20T21:39:17.176-06:00Female ImpersonatorAmeliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10884754298018500343noreply@blogger.comBlogger772125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-22553244988082522442013-02-14T23:30:00.001-06:002013-02-14T23:30:22.085-06:00This is My Body<span style="font-size: large;">I am a little late on this bandwagon, but I love this video. You can find out more about the movement and read the transcript <a href="http://www.facebook.com/ThisIsMyBody">here</a>.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/z2ME8sR-bnY" width="560"></iframe>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-15729604171757178762013-02-13T21:18:00.002-06:002013-02-13T21:19:35.716-06:00College Health Plans Respond as Transgender Students Gain Visibility<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I love <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/13/education/12sexchange.html?ref=us&_r=0">encouraging news</a>. </span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Over the last decade, as activists started pushing colleges to accommodate transgender students, they first raised only basic issues, like recognizing a name change or deciding who could use which bathrooms. But the front lines have shifted fast, particularly at the nation’s elite colleges, and a growing number are now offering students <span style="color: #0000ee;"><u>health insurance </u></span></span><span style="line-height: 22px;">plans with coverage for gender reassignment surgery.</span><br />...<br />The idea still seems radical to plenty of people; last year, when Sandra Fluke, a law student, became famous for speaking in favor of an insurance mandate for contraceptive coverage, conservatives painted her as part of a fringe element because she also supported sex-change coverage...Other medical groups, like the American Psychiatric Association, have taken the same position. Several major insurers have taken the stance that the treatment, including surgery, can be considered medically necessary. The Internal Revenue Service considers the expenses tax-deductible.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The issue directly affects only a tiny number of students; no one knows how many. But universities recognize that their insurance plan sends a signal to the much larger number of students for whom the rights of transgender people have taken a place alongside gay rights as a cause that matters.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Students notice whether the issues that they care about, that make them feel like it’s a more comfortable and welcoming place, are being discussed and addressed,” said Ira Friedman, a doctor who is associate vice provost for student affairs at Stanford and director of the student health center there. Stanford began covering sex-change surgery in 2010.</span></blockquote>
Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-58098722443309091122013-01-05T10:46:00.001-06:002013-01-05T10:46:34.705-06:00Compilation of 2012 Lists <span style="font-size: large;">Yes, I am just as sick of reading all of those "best of" or "looking back" lists about 2012 too. And yes, I am also just as prone as you to get sucked in to their bullet-pointed seduction techniques. I figured as long as I am reading a ridiculous number of them anyway I might as well compile a list that has to do with women and feminism. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you have any others to add, please let me know about them in comments!</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/20/best-articles-2012-women-required-reading_n_2166577.html">Best Articles 2012: 25 Pieces that Should Be Required Reading for Women</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/2012/12/30/167708304/courage-and-curiosity-the-best-heroines-of-2012">Courage and Curiosity: The Best Heroines of 2012</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2012/12/the-greatest-literary-heroines-of-2012-an-alternate-list/266712/?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women">The Greatest Literary Heroines of 2012: An Alternate List</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.forbes.com/power-women/">The World's 100 Most Powerful Women</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://feministing.com/2012/12/28/feministing-reads-best-feminist-journalism-of-2012/">Feministing Reads: Our Favorite Blog Posts from 2012 </a></span></li>
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Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-91580929516764499752013-01-05T10:27:00.000-06:002013-01-05T10:27:07.314-06:00Seventeen Magazine Promotes Body Hatred<span style="font-size: large;">In unsurprising but nonetheless saddening news, Seventeen Magazine undermined the entire notion of a "Body Peace Project" by partnering with the Biggest Loser in order to encourage girls to learn to love their bodies. Sound contradictory? That's because it is. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Nina Bahadur <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/02/the-biggest-loser-seventeen-magazine-collaboration-overweight-teens_n_2398209.html?utm_hp_ref=women&ir=Women">calls Seventeen out</a> in her article for <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/">Huffington Post</a>. Excerpt below. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The <em>Seventeen</em> blog features Chandrasekar's <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/video/sunny-chandrasekars-audition-tape/n30745" target="_hplink">"Biggest Loser" audition video</a>,
in which the 16-year-old from New York tells viewers: "I want to love
myself... which is something I find hard to do at times, at this weight.
Secondly, I want to look fabulous for prom." The tape also features
Chandrasekar's mother, who states, "It is really my greatest regret in
life... that my daughter has gotten into the vicious cycle of weight
gain." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, <em>Seventeen</em>'s <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.seventeen.com/health/tips/body-peace-pledge" target="_hplink">Body Peace Pledge</a>,
signed by almost 90,000 young women to date, invites them to vow to
"know that I'm already beautiful just the way I am" and "not let my size
define me."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><em>Seventeen</em> introduces the "Biggest Loser" partnership in the
wake of other recent body image controversies. In late 2012, the
magazine came under fire for featuring a <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/30/bmi-calculator-seventeen-magazine-controversy_n_2218748.html?1354649870" target="_hplink">BMI calculator </a>on its website. The aforementioned calculator indicated that a girl with a BMI of 14.8 was "healthy," when, according to the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/" target="_hplink">Center for Disease Control</a>, such a BMI renders a person "underweight." <em>Seventeen</em> took down the BMI calculator from their website after 3,000 individuals signed a <a href="http://proud2bme.org/content/victory-seventeen-removes-bmi-calculator-its-website" target="_hplink">Proud2BeMe</a> petition demanding its removal. </span></span></blockquote>
Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-17264211126008089782013-01-05T10:06:00.003-06:002013-01-05T10:06:47.305-06:00Humor that's funny<span style="font-size: large;">I came across a gif this morning that featured this quote from Ellen DeGeneres, "Most comedy is based on getting a laugh at somebody else's expense. And I find that that's just a form of bullying in a major way. So I want to be an example that you can be funny and kind, and make people laugh without hurting somebody else's feelings." </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I love this quote. I love it because it calls out people who tell jokes that are mean-spirited and perpetuate a culture of bullying marginalized groups but also points to a positive example of humor that doesn't fall into that bullshit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As an example I feel the need insert a piece of comedy from Ms. DeGeneres that is subverting, rather than playing into, sexist stereotypes (unfortunately I don't have a transcript for this but if someone else does I will love you eternally if you put it in comments). </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eCyw3prIWhc" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">If any of you have other examples of comedians who are funny without resorting to laughing at other people's expense, let me know! I am always down for a giggle fest. </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-50594644990922388012013-01-02T22:07:00.002-06:002013-01-05T10:08:32.083-06:00Feminism and Tattoos<span style="font-size: large;">So because I am self absorbed and (as I mentioned in my last post) newly marked my very own feminist tattoo, I feel the need to make a post full of some articles, blogs, etc which I have come across recently that have to do with feminist ink. If you have your own feminist tattoo and something to say about it or have another online resource about feminist tattoos, I would love to hear from you in comments!</span><br />
<ul><span style="font-size: large;">
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">An <a href="http://revisionistslc.com/2011/07/11/tattoos-my-declaration-of-feminism/">article</a> by a graduate student reflecting on both the pros and cons of publicly displaying her feminism in the form of her tattoos</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://ifshecryout.com/TheSurvivorsInkProject/news/survivor-tattoos/">The Survivors Ink Project</a> (pretty self explanatory, but I love that this community has a space)</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/feminist%20tattoo">A collection</a> of images and stories of feminist tattoos which can be found on Tumblr</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://smallstrokesbigoaks.com/2010/11/03/feminism-tattoos-a-woman%E2%80%99s-right-to-ink/">A brief look</a> at some of the historical and cultural context surrounding women and tattoos</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-size: large;">A reflective look "<a href="http://meloukhia.net/2009/08/on_ownership_marking_the_body_and_tattooing_as_a_feminist_act.html">On Ownership, Marking the Body, and Tatooing as a Feminist Act</a>"</span><h2 class="entry-title" style="background-color: #fafafa; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-family: 'gill sans', 'gill sans mt', 'gill sans mt pro', 'century gothic', corbel, sans-serif; font-size: 2.4em; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">
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Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-56343326846781289912013-01-01T12:30:00.001-06:002013-01-05T10:07:22.145-06:00I'm baaaaacccckkkkk<span style="font-size: large;">So I am not going to be so presumptuous as to apologize for taking over a year-long hiatus from blogging here. I assume all of our readers have been reading other great feminist blogs and have been carrying on just fine without my witty commentary on topics related to feminism. But I am sorry I have taken such a long break because having the opportunity to be heard in this forum is something I really appreciate and have missed. I hope that you all aren't so annoyed by this blog having been inactive for so long that you won't start reading again.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">There are lots of reasons why I took a break from blogging which are fairly uninteresting and typical: I had my senior year of college to contend with, I got lazy, etc.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, the reasons I want to start blogging again are more interesting (to me, anyway). I want to start blogging again because of the following:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">1. I watched <a href="http://www.feministfrequency.com/2012/12/tedxwomen-talk-on-sexist-harassment-cyber-mobs/">this talk</a> by Anita Sarkeesian and was incredibly moved an inspired.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">2. I got the woman symbol tattooed on my foot yesterday (I will blog more about my journey to this tattoo at a later date). While I got the tattoo because I was already passionate about feminism, in the 24 hours I have had it on my body it has only served to fuel my feminist fire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">3. I had a really bad experience with a boy one year ago today. Becoming more involved with the feminist community again is my way of saying to him, "FUCK YOU, I WILL NOT BE OPPRESSED! HEAR ME ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The wound is still too fresh to talk about this more now, but I plan to write about it later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">4. It is a unique privilege to be able to think through issues that are important to you, write down your thoughts, and have other people actually bother to read them. I don't think I realized how cool blogging for Female Impersonator is until I spent a year missing it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">5. I want to.</span><br />
<br />Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-78020760611457881892011-07-06T11:49:00.004-05:002011-07-06T15:09:02.346-05:00"We Need Fashion to Catch Up To Women of Size"<span style="font-size:130%;">I love this piece over at </span><a href="http://jezebel.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;">Jezebel</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">. In it, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dodai</span> Stewart comments on an interview with Velvet <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">d'Amour</span>, a plus-sized actress, model and photographer. Some of my favorite quotes by <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">d'Amour</span> that are mentioned in the Jezebel piece are:<br /><br /></span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">Fleshy, curvy women have been relegated to men's magazines, whilst edgy<br />editorial fashion in particular, has been inundating us with imagery glorifying adolescence (sometimes using models even as young as 13); the standard sample size forces the use of more skeletal models; and the opening of the Eastern bloc countries (where women are naturally quite delicately slender) caused an influx of lanky lovelies to grace the pages of our magazines and thus it's really quite normal that the curves here are deemed as more <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">risqué</span>. We have been fed a steady diet of rail thin, white, tall, Youth for the most part. Thus instead of delving further into what Beauty means to us as individuals, the tendency is not to question authority.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Should one go out on a limb and include a genuinely voluptuous model, 9 times out of 10 they will do so by <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">harkening</span> back to the Renaissance. Rubens and the like, are seemingly our only reference point for a larger body […] If we continually marry the fat body with nude classics, then we are hardly creating a revolution.<br /></span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">You can read the entire piece </span><a href="http://jezebel.com/5816282/plus+size-model-on-plus+size-issue-of-italian-vogue-we-need-fashion-to-catch-up-to-women-of-size"><span style="font-size:130%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">.<br /><br /></span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-39244525142955302892011-06-23T21:06:00.005-05:002011-06-24T08:56:38.443-05:00Self Esteem and Street Harassment<span style="font-size:130%;">Mandy van <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Deven</span> over at the </span><a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/blogs"><span style="font-size:130%;">Bitch Magazine blog</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> brought up a problem about the way some self-proclaimed feminists judge people (usually women) who are flattered by street harassment that I have always felt but never articulated. Namely, that sitting in judgement of the victim of street harassment's reaction to their harassment is just as counter-productive as victim-blaming when trying to reduce any other crime.<br /></span><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">...The message they [commentators] hold is clear: if you're a girl or woman who likes receiving overt sexual attention from men and boys (in public), it's because you lack the self-respect necessary to throw off the confines of external validation regarding female sexuality and beauty. We hear this self-esteem argument in various places, including conversations about female promiscuity, girls and women who wear revealing clothing, and the reasons women become sex workers. The underlying assumption in this logic is that desiring or expressly seeking out male sexual attention is the result of having low self-esteem.<br /><br />For starters, comments of this kind set up a false dichotomy of women who have self-confidence and those who lack it (as though we don't all struggle with confidence in various circumstances), which allows the speaker to denigrate and "other" women who engage with men unfamiliar to them in a sexual manner on the street, blame these women (at least in part) for the problem of street harassment, and bolster one's own sense of personal integrity and moral superiority. </span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I thought Mandy's points in </span><a href="http://bitchmagazine.org/post/takin%E2%80%99-it-to-the-streets-she-aint-me-the-problem-of-self-esteem"><span style="font-size:130%;">the rest of the article</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> (which I highly suggest you read) were really spot-on and insightful. I especially appreciated that she mentioned how fine but distinct the line between flattery and street harassment is. I thought she put it well when she said, "Who determines the difference between a compliment and street harassment? The simple answer is: you do. The not-so-simple-answer is that we all do... and it depends heavily on context."<br /><br />I do have one criticism with Mandy's article, however. While she quite rightly states that the distinction between flattery and street harassment is partially defined by what the target of the comment or gesture thinks it is, I think she should have clarified that street harassers aren't people who meant to pay a compliment and were just misunderstood. Street <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">harassment</span>, like sexual assault, is not the result of the perpetrator finding their target so <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">irresistible</span> that they cannot control themselves. It is about the perpetrator trying to exert power over and intimidate the person they are directing their comment or gesture at and it is not okay.<br /><br />While I don't think Mandy was in any way disagreeing with what I said, I do wish she clarified what she meant. Street harassment is unfortunately so normalized and accepted that many targets of it feel they don't have a right to be upset about it or take action against it. In our current environment, myself and my fellow feminist <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">bloggers</span> out there need to be careful that we do not accidentally reinforce an upsetting misconception by not clarifying our meaning.<br /><br />All in all though, I thought Mandy made some really great points and I applaud her for taking on this issue and pointing out a common problem in the way people talk about victims of street harassment.<br /><br /><br /></span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-33284684828145930442011-06-06T16:01:00.000-05:002011-06-06T16:01:41.800-05:00Long time, no blog.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Hey everyone. It's Amelia. It's been a long time since I've been on Blogger. I never really explained my absence, so here goes.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">I started my prolonged break from feminist blogging (and reading news, in general) when I was going through my first major depressive episode. I was having a difficult time dealing with my personal issues and was unable to handle the stress of being aware of the large world which is, as we all know, filled with terrible problems alongside some amazing triumphs.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">At that same time, I was focusing on finishing my undergraduate studies at Knox College. I graduated cum laude from that school on Saturday.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Basically, my life right now is up in the air. I know I want to get training as a volunteer advocate for sexual assault victims. I know I want to write and perform poetry. But I currently have no job.</span><br />
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We will see where I end up, but for the time being, I can't promise I'll do more blogging. </span><br />
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I would like to offer a round of applause to Victoria. Without her work, this blog would not exist. Please leave her some love.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Take care, all of you.</span>Ameliahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10884754298018500343noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-90481437947034096952011-05-18T09:47:00.003-05:002013-01-05T10:07:53.419-06:00What Trans People Want<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9K2_CzXM5XwORXvizDIRNpbspglYmRQOZ7f8IjC77lDQrm3v1Xf9WxS1BI48XL_5fn7I9DjR-gOyHNnf24teWvyQL2Sz_nOvY1ifw3lZJ6p8ibt_CoKftrbWhK8wOktQJSHRvIYlQmU/s1600/gltbtq.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607429077539768962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH9K2_CzXM5XwORXvizDIRNpbspglYmRQOZ7f8IjC77lDQrm3v1Xf9WxS1BI48XL_5fn7I9DjR-gOyHNnf24teWvyQL2Sz_nOvY1ifw3lZJ6p8ibt_CoKftrbWhK8wOktQJSHRvIYlQmU/s320/gltbtq.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 224px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 300px;" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">With all the ignorance and bigotry about trans people out there, the project of achieving equality for all people regardless of their gender can seem overwhelming. Recently, a DC trans coalition <a href="http://www.tbd.com/blogs/amanda-hess/2011/05/what-trans-people-want-10796.html">delivered</a> a list of the trans community's priorties to the Director of GLBT Affairs. Hopefully this list will give advocates ideas of what issues to start with to work towards a fairer, more welcoming world for trans people.<br /></span><br />
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<blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">So what do trans people want? Turns out they would like to safely use bathrooms, not be kicked out of their homes, avoid being sexually assaulted, receive fair treatment in the criminal justice system, and not be completely ignored in the city's educational and social services systems. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can view the list in its entirety <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/55268164/Dctc-Priorities-for-Gray-Administration">here</a>.</span></div>
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Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-61496240577926971972011-05-03T21:19:00.004-05:002011-05-03T21:24:03.674-05:00NY Times Series: Race Remixed<span style="font-size:130%;">The New York Times has been running the series "<a href="http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/us/series/race_remixed/index.html?ref=us">Race Remixed</a>," which examines the "growing number of mixed-race Americans." I have found this series really interesting, particularly the below video. I would be really interested in hearing your thoughts on the series in general, the topic, and the video specifically.</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" id="nyt_video_player" title="New York Times Video - Embed Player" src="http://graphics8.nytimes.com/bcvideo/1.0/iframe/embed.html?videoId=1248069564399&playerType=embed" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" height="373" width="480"></iframe>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-77188420601970373152011-05-01T18:18:00.005-05:002011-05-01T18:47:08.821-05:00Italian Women Protest Sexism, Berlusconi<span style="font-size:130%;">Italian women are getting fed up with their poor treatment and are starting to <a href="http://www.newsweek.com/2011/04/17/we-are-treated-like-prosciutto.html">take a stand</a>, showing disapproval of their prime minister <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Berlusconi</span>.<br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Berlusconi</span>’s approval rating among women has dropped from 48 percent a year ago to 27 percent—an all-time low. True to form, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Berlusconi</span> has his own statistics. “Did you hear about the latest poll?” he recently joked. “They asked women between 20 and 30 years old if they want to make love to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Berlusconi</span>. Thirty-three percent said yes, and 67 percent said, ‘Again?’”<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Arcidonna</span>, a woman’s group, filed a lawsuit against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Berlusconi</span> last month for 25 years of abuse against Italian women. “The conduct of the prime minister—now charged with child prostitution—is the final straw,” says Valeria <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Ajovalasit</span>, the group’s president.</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Berlusconi</span> is only part of the problem. According to recent data, Italy is even more sexist than comparable nations.<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">According to the 2010 Global Gender Gap report by the World Economic Forum, Italy ranks 74<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> in terms of women’s rights, behind Colombia, Peru, and Romania. Indicators include wage parity, labor-force participation, and domestic violence. Other statistics reveal 95 percent of Italian men have never used a washing machine, and that Italian women spend 21 hours a week on housework while Italian men spend only four.</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Luckily, women have started wide-reaching protests across Italy against <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Berlusconi's</span> sexist speech. Let's hope that this is the start of a larger movement towards equality. </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-59902942042912603382011-04-27T16:59:00.003-05:002011-04-27T17:10:57.272-05:00SaVE Act: A Step in the Right Direction<span style="font-size:130%;">As we have <a href="http://impersonated.blogspot.com/2010/07/rape-on-college-campuses.html">said before</a>, rape on college campuses is a huge issue that needs to be better addressed. It looks like the proposed <a href="http://www.msmagazine.com/news/uswirestory.asp?ID=12982">SaVE Act</a> may be a step in the right direction.<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">The Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, or SaVE Act, would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and expand the 1990 Jeanne Clery Act to "improve education and prevention related to campus sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking."<br /><br />Co-sponsored by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the SaVE Act (S. 835) would expand the framework of sexual assault education and victims' rights to include domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and addresses the issue of how to define consent in sexual relationships. Schools would be required under the act to include sexual violence statistics in their annual crime reports. Colleges and universities would also be required to explain how to obtain protective orders and other victims' rights whenever a student reports being a victim of sexual violence.</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Frankly, the fact that colleges are not already required to do such things as inform survivors of sexual violence about how to obtain a protective order should be disturbing and should move senators to vote for this act. However, the senate often does not do what they should. Here's hoping that the senate does the right thing this time. </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-78571494636644199152011-04-25T13:41:00.006-05:002011-04-25T13:49:20.865-05:00Kate Middleton & the Trouble with Fairytales<span style="font-size:130%;">I just finished reading </span><a href="http://www.examiner.com/feminism-in-washington-dc/kate-middleton-the-trouble-with-fairytales"><span style="font-size:130%;">this article</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">, the upshot of which was that </span><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">...there are certain undeniable truths about the sacrifices this young woman [Kate Middleton] has already made for her upcoming nuptials in addition to her career in fashion (Kate shortly worked for the British clothing brand, Jigsaw), and her photography (Kate had planned an exhibition she ended up not showing). As <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Cochrane</span> states, "What's deeply dangerous about Kate for the monarchy, is that she looks as purposeless as the rest of them."<br /><br />In many ways, Middleton has already failed to use her entry into this family as an opportunity to make them more modern. Instead she has convinced the Queen that she will not been reaping havoc and causing scandals galore like Diana, making herself much easier to "manage" (read: control). Kate is more willing to adjust to the royal family's ways than have them adjust to her, and in the process allowing the monarchy to remain unchanged when what it so desperately needs is to change.<br /><br />All this being said, Kate clearly loves William and maybe at the end of the day, she is doing all this for love. But something about that doesn't sit too well with me. Perhaps it's the whole <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">fairtytale</span> factor thing.<br /><br />Or maybe, just maybe, Kate Middleton has bigger plans than any one of us could imagine. I mean, Queen Elizabeth is not getting any younger, and guess who happens to be waiting in the wings to be Queen? Perhaps that was the ambition of "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Waity</span> Katey", as the British press famously dubbed Middleton, all along.<br /><br />Maybe Ms. Middleton will get to have her fairytale, the last laugh, and show us all how it's done- as Queen of England.</span></blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Thoughts? Does Kate Middleton represent a new, more feminist version of women in the English royal family? Is it even fair to use her as a starting point from which to discuss the role of fairytale and marriage in modern society given her exceptional circumstances?<br /><br /><br /></span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-66745325392724274362011-03-11T10:22:00.003-06:002011-03-11T10:32:04.398-06:00Update: Planned Parenthood's Budget<span style="font-size:130%;">Luckily the Senate </span><a href="http://www.womensenews.org/story/the-nation/110310/planned-parenthood-sees-ongoing-budget-peril"><span style="font-size:130%;">voted down </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">the </span><a href="http://impersonated.blogspot.com/2011/02/stand-with-planned-parenthood.html"><span style="font-size:130%;">ridiculous bill </span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">passed by the House of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Representatives</span> that would have cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood. But women's health advocates can't celebrate just yet.<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">"As the negotiations for the spending bill continue, it's clear that social conservatives want to ban funding for Planned Parenthood in future spending (negotiations)," said Planned Parenthood Federation of America spokesperson Tait <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sye</span>.<br /><br />The organization also faces a longer-term funding threat in H.R.3, the "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Stupak</span> on Steroids" bill, for which congressional subcommittee hearings are set for March 16.<br /><br />That bill blocks private insurance plans from covering abortion care in the new health care system and imposes tax penalties on small business owners and many other individuals who purchase private insurance plans that cover abortion care. The legislation now has 219 co-sponsors, enough votes to pass the House.</span></blockquote>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-72464058653389755342011-03-09T08:36:00.003-06:002011-03-09T08:50:57.459-06:00Daniel Craig in Drag for International Women's Day<span style="font-size:130%;">Yesterday was <a href="http://internationalwomensday.com/default.asp">International Women's Day</a>. In honor of that fact, Daniel Craig stood up both in drag and in his James Bond attire while statistics were read by Judi Dench about how the life of men and women in the UK are different. I know that these statistics are UK based, but unfortunately they apply very well to the U.S. as well.<br /></span><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/dIjiqeUx4fk?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="640"></iframe><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway, I am not a big James Bond fan so I was not on the Daniel Craig bandwagon until my friend showed me this video. Now I totally get it. Those legs! That feminist advocacy! *drool* </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-78310038633961582582011-03-08T13:56:00.002-06:002011-03-08T14:01:48.413-06:00ESPN Discusses Title IX<span style="font-size:130%;">This makes me really happy:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">To celebrate Women’s History Month, ESPN is discussing Title IX in a three-part video series. The series features female sports writers and coaches talking about the impact of Title IX, the pros and cons that have developed from it, its influence on their own careers, and its impact on gender notions.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">For more information and a link to the site where you can watch the videos, click </span><a href="http://womenslawproject.wordpress.com/"><span style="font-size:130%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-54437327155913029592011-03-07T22:24:00.004-06:002011-03-07T23:34:17.745-06:00Make Love Not Porn<span style="font-size:130%;">My best friend just directed me to the site "</span><a href="http://makelovenotporn.com/myths/facial"><span style="font-size:130%;">Make Love, Not Porn</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">" which is an <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">initiative</span> I am really excited about. The site primarily consists of information about porn norms and how they don't match up to real life. Here is what the author, Cindy Gallop, says her site is all about:<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">•<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">MakeLoveNotPorn</span> is not about judgement, or what is good vs what is bad. Sex is the area of human experience that embraces the widest possible range of tastes. Everyone should be free to make up their own mind about what they do and don't like.<br />•<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">MakeLoveNotPorn</span> is not anti-porn. I like porn and watch it regularly myself.<br />•<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">MakeLoveNotPorn</span> is simply intended to help inspire and stimulate open, healthy conversations about sex and pornography, in order to help inspire and stimulate more open, healthy and thoroughly enjoyable sexual relationships.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Cindy does a good job of not demonizing what we see in pornography, but of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">emphasizing</span> that it is not necessarily how sex is for everyone. Some of my favorite tidbits of information readers can find while scrolling through the homepage compares the norms regarding pubic hair and gagging while performing oral sex in pornography and real world. </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-82397720610485373122011-02-18T15:53:00.003-06:002011-02-18T16:00:22.431-06:00Stand with Planned Parenthood<span style="font-size:130%;">The House of Representatives </span><a href="http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2011/02/18/house-votes-to-block-all-funding-from-planned-parenthood/"><span style="font-size:130%;">has voted</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> to cut all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">By law, federal funds haven’t paid for abortions since the 1970s, so the House hasn’t voted to cut abortion funding. They’re cutting funding for the entire Title X program — funding for contraception, cancer screening, STI tests, sex education, mammograms, HIV testing and diagnosis, and pregnancy screening and counseling. Title X is the only federal program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and preventive health services, particularly low-income families. Last year, 5 million people benefited from the services funded by Title X.<br /><br />Planned Parenthood is the target of this legislation, and American women the primary victims. This isn’t about abortion — it’s about cutting access to health care for women.</span></blockquote><br /><a href="https://secure.ppaction.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=pp_ppol_ws_I_Stand_with_PP&s_src=standwithppfeb2011_taf&JServSessionIdr004=r6o96fyv3n.app210b"><span style="font-size:130%;">Take action</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> against what could have hugely detrimental effects for women's health care. Sign Planned Parenthood's "open letter to every single representative in the House who voted for this cruel, unconscionable, unthinkable law, and to every senator who still has a chance to stop it." </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-75665499495245822082011-02-11T19:14:00.007-06:002011-02-11T19:41:57.105-06:00Update: Women in Publishing<span style="font-size:130%;">I have </span><a href="http://impersonated.blogspot.com/2010/12/female-authors-2010.html"><span style="font-size:130%;">written before</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> about the fact that significantly less female than male authors have their work reviewed in major publications.Well, some number crunching has been done since I last posted about this topic and it seems like the disparity </span><a href="http://www.tnr.com/article/books-and-arts/82930/VIDA-women-writers-magazines-book-reviews"><span style="font-size:130%;">does not</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">originate</span> with the reviewers, but with the publishers.<br /></span><br /><div><div><br /><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">...These numbers we found show that the magazines are reviewing female authors in something close to the proportion of books by women published each year. The question now becomes why more books by women are not getting published.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">It is unclear why less women are getting published but it seems to have something to do with a possible bias in literary journals.<br /></span><br /><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Of the new writing published in Tin House, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Granta</span>,and The Paris Review, around one-third of it was by women. For many fiction writers and poets, publishing in these journals is a first step to getting a book contract. Do women submit work to these magazines at a lower rate than men, or are men’s submissions more likely to get accepted? We can’t be sure. But, as Robin <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Romm</span> writes in Double X, “The gatekeepers of literary culture—at least at magazines—are still primarily male.” If these gatekeepers are showing a gender bias, there’s not much room to make it up later.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">While it is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">unfortunate</span> to hear that female authors are not properly represented, I am happy to hear that people are trying to get to the bottom of the disparity.<br /><br /></span></div></div>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-87334594737437160522011-02-01T21:22:00.004-06:002011-02-01T21:31:23.136-06:00Men's Health Feminist Blog<a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/02/01/we-heart-mens-health-magazine/"><span style="font-size:130%;">This</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> made my day.<br /><br /></span><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Yeah, you read that right: Men’s Health magazine, full of “how<br />to have better sex” and “how to lose the belly fat!” advice for men, has a blog<br />for men about feminism. This unequivocally rocks for three reasons.<br /><br />First, it’s a sign that the feminist blogosphere has moved into the<br />mainstream. When feminist verticals like Broadsheet and Double X are either<br />disappearing or folding back into their original publications, it’s a good<br />indicator for the future that a mainstream popular men’s magazine has taken up<br />the feminist cause.<br /><br />Second, hopefully a blog like this can help de-stigmatize the label “feminist” for readers.<br />...<br /><br />Finally, the blog could help bring men to the movement. For men, feminism and what it entails is rarely discussed outside of a historical context...</span></p></blockquote><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">You can read the Men's Health Feminist Blog </span><a href="http://blogs.menshealth.com/mh-feminist/"><span style="font-size:130%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;">.</span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-43855098524320769862011-01-26T20:39:00.003-06:002011-01-26T20:51:30.009-06:00Miss Representation: Taking on Objectification of Women in Media<span style="font-size:130%;">The film <em><a href="http://www.missrepresentation.org/welcome.html">Miss Representation</a></em> (currently being screened at <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Sundance</span>) addresses the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">sexualization</span> and objectification of women in media and how this relates to the oppression of women in general.<br /><br />I am personally really excited about seeing the film but Jezebel commentator <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Irin</span> </span><a href="http://jezebel.com/5743972/katie-couric-feels-bad-about-her-legs-and-what-that-has-to-do-with-hillary-clinton"><span style="font-size:130%;">is wary</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> of the trailer as it<br /><br /></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">paints a rather broad brush (and yes, trailers are wont to do this — we'll reserve final judgment til we see the actual movie), seemingly uncritically describing all public displays of sexuality as inherently demeaning. It's not that Britney Spears has nothing to do with how female politicians are treated on cable news, but conflating voluntary displays of sexiness in entertainment with demeaning <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">sexualization</span> of public figures, played over ominous music no less, is <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">unnuanced</span>. So are the vague references to the "media" and "Hollywood" as faceless, catchall entities.</span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Thoughts?<br /></span><br /><iframe class="youtube-player" title="YouTube video player" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6gkIiV6konY" frameborder="0" width="640" type="text/html"></iframe>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-467244826505884592011-01-20T19:48:00.004-06:002011-01-20T19:52:51.423-06:00Santorum: Obama's Race Should Shape Abortion View<span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/01/20/133093474/santorum-slams-obama-for-abortion-stance">This</a> is fucking infuriating.<br /><br /><blockquote>Former Sen. Rick Santorum says it is surprising that the nation's first black president is willing to deny civil rights to fetuses.<br /><br />Santorum, who is a potential Republican presidential challenger to President Barack Obama in 2012, linked civil rights with abortion during an interview posted Thursday with the Christian Broadcasting Network. Santorum, who lost his 2006 Senate re-election bid in Pennsylvania, is an outspoken critic of abortion rights.<br /><br />Santorum notes that for decades, slavery allowed African-Americans to be treated like property. And he says fetuses are denied the right to life because they are considered property.<br /><br />Santorum says he is disappointed that Obama, a former law professor, refuses to treat fetuses as humans under the Constitution.<br /><br />The White House declined to comment on Santorum's criticism.</blockquote><br /><br />The comparison between the Civil Rights movement (which was about gaining rights) and the anti-choice movement (which is about stripping away the right women have to their own bodies) is ridiculous and upsetting. </span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6730657139931062421.post-19579398216192375262011-01-18T21:55:00.002-06:002011-01-18T22:11:36.027-06:00Gay Parenting Most Common in South<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/us/19gays.html?_r=1&ref=us"><span style="font-size:130%;">This</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> article is very interesting and enlightening on a number of levels. </span><blockquote><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In addition, the data show, child rearing among same-sex couples is more common in the South than in any other region of the country, according to Gary Gates, a demographer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Gay couples in Southern states like Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas are more likely to be raising children than their counterparts on the West Coast, in New York and in New England.<br /><br />The pattern, identified by Mr. Gates, is also notable because the families in this region defy the stereotype of a mainstream gay America that is white, affluent, urban and living in the Northeast or on the West Coast.<br /><br />“We’re starting to see that the gay community is very diverse,” said Bob <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Witeck</span>, chief executive of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Witeck</span>-Combs Communications, which helped market the census to gay people. “We’re not all rich white guys.” </span></blockquote><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">My first reaction is to hope that the fact that the South is home to the most gay parents will serve as a wake up call to residents of other states that consider themselves progressive but aren't forcing their state legislatures to make a real push for gay rights (I am looking at you, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/nyregion/03marriage.html">New York</a>). What are your reactions? What stood out to you about these findings?</span>Victoriahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13968935965317086952noreply@blogger.com1