Transgender Miss Universe thrown out of competition

http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/47fXdW/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2119786/Jenna-Talackova-Transgender-beauty-queen-kicked-Miss-Universe-Canada-pageant.html/


The organizers of Miss Universe Canada threw out Jenna Talackova once finding out she had undergone surgery to to become a woman.  She had already reached the finals of Miss Vancouver before being banned from continuing further in competition.


According the the national director Denis Davila, Talackova claimed on her registration that she was born a female.   Davila became suspicious and confronted 23 yr old Jenna about her sex change and Talackova admitted that she was actually born male. 

'She feels like a real girl and she is a real girl. She didn’t expect people to question it,' Davila told thestar.com. 

'She was hoping we could put her back in the competition, but the rules are very clear and there’s no way we can go back on it.' 

-Meaghan Weikel

Are Women Leaving Religion?

Are Women Leaving Religion?
Desiree D'Amico
http://news.discovery.com/human/women-leaving-religion-when-120309.html

The article that I chose is titled “Are women leaving religion?” This article talks about how not only religion, but conservative political parties such as the Republican party is on the verge of losing many women supporters. This is not to say that women are leaving religion all together, they are choosing not to attend church as frequently or just practice in their own homes. The data is supporting this statement. According to the article the number of women who attend church on a weekly basis has dropped 20% from 1991-2001. This number isn’t including the amount of women who are on the verge of leaving. The article cites a woman who after attending her church for 22 years has decided to leave due to a “painful and controlling church culture.”

                I am behind these women 100%. The church needs to learn to change with the times also. I understand it is built upon much history where men are the leaders and controlling everything but society has changed and it is time for the church to change also. There are no positions in church where a woman is in charge. This isn’t very encouraging when children attend church and see all males in the positions of power. There needs to be more diversity in the church clergy.

Wife-Beating Tennessee Lawmaker Should Resign, Obviously.

http://feministblogs.org/

David Hawk, who is a State Representative in Tennessee was arrested on Sunday, March 18 for battering his wife.  Crystal, Hawk's wife said that they had began drinking earlier that day and after that it all went downhill.  David began searching through his wife's cell phone and then started his rage.  Crystal reported that around 8:00am on Sunday morning they began fighting and her husband hit her in the face and knocked her to the ground while their 11 month old daughter was in her arms.  David's story is surprisingly different from his wife.  When David spoke to police he reported that his wife held a gun to his head while he was holding their daughter and at that time he escaped from the house with his daughter in his arms, even though no gun was found at the scene.  Hawk was released on a $500 bond on Monday morning and said he expects to be back at work by Friday.  His court date is scheduled for May 21st.

I found this article interesting because of our conversation on how women are not taking seriously.  Reading this story I cannot help but think that this case was not taken seriously because of Hawk's position in the state.  Just because he is a state representative does not exclude him from the laws and punishments that others would receive without his job tittle. 

The Scary, Weird World of Pinterest Thinspo Boards

http://jezebel.com/5893382/the-scary-weird-world-of-pinterest-thinspo-boards

The post I decided on relates to the body image issues that women (and some men as well) deal with. Pinterest is a website that allows people to share pictures and interests with one another. However, on this site, there has been an increasing amount of "thinspiration" posts. These are posts meant to inspire anorexic women using pictures of emaciated women and advice on how to starve yourself. Some include reasons to want to starve yourself ("To look down and see a "0" on your clothing") or quotes to encourage each other ("Do not reward yourself with food. You're not a dog", "Do you really want them to have to order you a plus-sized casket?") The reason these kinds of posts are so common on sites like Pinterest is because it allows these people to express themselves while remaining anonymous.

A similar blogging platform, Tumblr, has actually started banning blogs that are dedicated to self-harming activities. Bloggers who search terms relating to anorexia will instead be redirected to information on how to seek help. I think it's really important that websites recognize and take action against issues like this, because use of these sites until now has only facilitated the spread of ideas like thinspiration.

Riot Police Arrest 31 Protestors against Forced Ultrasound

http://feministing.com/2012/03/05/riot-police-arrest-31-protestors-against-forced-ultrasound-photos-and-video/

The Virginia state Legislature passed a bill that would require women to have an ultrasound before they may have an abortion. Because the majority of abortions occur during the first 12 weeks, most women would be forced to have a transvaginal ultrasound in which a probe is inserted into her, and then moved around until an ultrasound image is made. A proposed amendment to the bill that would have had a patient consent to this intrusion or allowed the physician to opt out of doing the vaginal ultrasound failed. So the law basically states that women seeking an abortion in Virginia will be forcibly penetrated for no medical reason whatsoever. Similar to rape…

Some women are weary of going to the gynecologist’s office for a routine exam because it’s not the most pleasant experience so I’m not sure why they are forcing this law if there truly is no medical reason for it. Their only goal is to hope maternal instincts kick in right at that point or the women are made to feel guilt and pressured into it backing down from their well thought out decision.

There was a protest made over the woman’s health care bill passed by the state Senate which brought hundreds of women and men of varying ages to Richmond, Virginia to the state Capitol grounds on March 3^rd. It ended with the arrest of 31 people who were seated on the Capitol steps.

The bill would have most likely be enacted into law by the governor, Bob McDonnell, who is trying for a gig as vice president and had already indicated that he will sign the bill but it hasn’t been signed yet. Originally, it did require a transvaginal ultrasound but then they decided on an abdominal one instead. This is slightly less intrusive but still a violation of rights.

The whole thing violates a woman’s right, as well as her relationship with her doctor and it’s clearly unethical. Legislators are acting as if women don’t understand the gravity of the situation and are essentially making the decision even more of a hardship. Women don’t have abortions because they believe the fetus isn’t human or they don’t know the truth. It’s insulting to think that they are blissfully unaware and need to be shown the “right way” to handle it.

Regardless of your stance on abortion, you must be aware that there are special circumstances where abortion while being unfavorable would be the best option overall. What if you had a fourteen-year old daughter who was raped? Would you want to further her traumatic experience by taking her to a government forced ultrasound to guilt her into keeping the fetus? Is it her responsibility to feel that child who was completely unplanned and is the result of another man’s force growing inside of her?

Shaina Jacob

Banning Child Beauty Pageants

http://jezebel.com/5891182/france-considers-banning-child-beauty-pageants


The French government has issued a report calling for a ban on child beauty pageants, as well as padded bras and high heels on young girls. The proposed ban comes after 10-year-old Thylane Blondeau showed up in heels and a provocative outfit in Vogue Paris magazine last year and sent the world into a frenzy. The senator who wrote the report, Chantal Jouanno, has said that the girls were being disguised as sexual candy, and the sexualization of young girls is "contrary to the dignity of the human being", as well as a step backward for gender equality. Vogue defended the models by saying the girls were simply 'dressing up like their mothers.' 

As we discussed in class, pageants are an extreme form of setting young girls up to give into today's beauty standards, and it also elevates them to act and look older than they are. I mean, I like heels and push up bras too, but my age is appropriate for that, 10 years old in my opinion, just isn't. There's nothing sexy about these pictures...they're just disturbing. 

Women's health and contraception

http://www.ourbodiesourblog.org/


When I was picking a blog out for class i happened to come across one I watch about on The View. A women named Sandra Fluke speaks infont of the world, about how she thinks all insurances should cover birthcontrole. She talks about how this will lessing the amount of teens that are having babys. From  her statement Rush Limbaugh a radio host talks out about and says basically the goverment and him money are paying for her to be a "SLUT". First off I think any man that calls a women a slut doesn't respect a girl, just because she wants to stand up for the women that can't get on birthcontrol.I strongly agree with what Sandra is talking out about, this can lessing teen births, and I think thats what she was going towards not saying her insurance wont pay for the type of birthcontrol she takes, she didn't say that at all. By limbaugh calling Fluke a slut one of his major advertisment pulled there commersial from the show. This is just showing no one suporst what he called Fluke.

By: Annie Marcinko

"Feminism is Evil"

I chose to discuss this blog with the class because this person clearly has no knowledge of what feminism truly is.  This blog is about how a woman’s place is in the home “baking cookies, knitting, and caring for the children.”  It is saying that women who work for equality stem from the devil because the differences in dominance between men and women are clearly biological.  This relates to the class because it is going against everything the authors of our readings are saying.  Bell Hooks found her voice by ‘talking back,’ but according to this blog, she would be going against God’s authority.  “America's churches, marriages and homes are being destroyed by the vile feminist agenda.”  According to this site, feminists are not working towards equal opportunity...we are trying to destroy society.  In my opinion, this is why everyone should be required to take women’s and gender studies courses.  If people understood the purpose of feminism, they would not feel this way.