Gender-Neutral Restrooms
The reason why I chose this article is because it will tie in with what we will be talking about today. I also chose this because I wanted to know more about what people where doing to makes these changes.  West Chester are trying to makes changes by changes the rest rooms  on the first floor in the dorms gender-neutral  The article talks about how men and women who are transgender are afraid to use the bathrooms in a public places because they do not want to be harassed, beaten or arrested. It talks about how transgender people get arrested because they do not know which bathroom to use and if they use the bathroom for the identity they were born they will be arrested.  This article also talks about how we need to understand the terminology associated with transgender issues and access.  It also state that heterosexually people take using the bathroom for granted.  It also talks about the Trans-friendly colleges how colleges all over are changes dorms and bathrooms to gender-neutral.
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/youthresource/genderneutral
~ Gwendolyn Dickerson

Domestic Violence Not Taken Seriously

http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2011-05-20-domestic-violence-act-not-taken-seriously

This article ties in with our last class since we talked about domestic violence. This article states that their are many cases that when spouses have came to police to report domestic violence, that there case wasn't taken seriously and they ended up being murdered by their partner because the proper steps weren't taken. The Domestic Violence Act of 2007 was put in place to help in the advancement of women in Zimbabwe.A prosecutor allegedly beat his wife and placed a hot iron on her buttocks, raped her six times and then shoved hot spices into her reproductive organ. Those 6 rapings happened throughout the night . They alleged rapist was only held on $100 bail. The man bragged to his wife that he was untouchable because he was a lawyer in the attorney generals office .This just shows how people that work in the law no how to commit crimes and get out of them.

-Dennis Brown

Leggo my LEGOS: Fair play for girls

http://feministing.com/2012/04/20/leggo-my-legos-fair-play-for-girls/
http://www.sparksummit.com/2012/04/17/why-are-we-still-talking-about-lego/ (continued article)

LEGO has recently made a LEGO Friends line which is specifically for girls. The line consists of packages of Lego’s with themes such as decorating homes, getting hair done, cooking, and anything stereotypically related to a girl. This is when the article stuck out to me. Just because it is cliché for a girl to do such things, doesn’t mean every girl in the world wants to decorate homes or cook. The boy’s line of Lego’s has themes like ninja quests, policeman, doctors, construction workers, and fighting alien invasions. This once again not only shows the stereotypes of girls, but also to boys. Who says that boys can’t decorate homes or be interested in cooking? This is what media, toys, and society say is not the “norm”.

A group called SPARK, whose mission is to challenge the sexualization of girls, has asked LEGO to “Stop selling out girls.” Having toys like this automatically makes little girls think they can only take certain paths in life. LEGO is basically telling little girls and boys what they can or cannot be. Also, because these are little girls playing with these toys, they are being exposed at an early age of what society thinks a girl should be in life. That then does nothing but block girls from being whatever they want to be. SPARK states, by telling LEGO what they want, “And we want them to improve the Friends line by giving the characters more diverse story options, and maybe even introducing some male characters.”

I don’t think LEGO should separate their lines by gender. If a little girl wants to be a policewoman or have ninja quests, then they should be able to do that. This issue could relate to various topics we speak on in class, such as how women are seen to only do womanly things and not take on what is considered, “a mans job”. This article just reinforces the cage women are stuck in.

-Jazmyn Hudson

KIA Optima

http://feministing.com/2012/02/06/superbowl-commercial-sexism-notbuyingit/

In the series of 2012 Superbowl commercials, KIA aired a commercial featuring supermodel Adriana Lima. In the commercial, there are two dreams that are seen. The first dream is a short depiction of what apparently all women dream about: rainbows, pretty white horses, and long haired half-naked men. The second, more in-depth, commercial features the manliest of manly dreams: supermodels, rock bands, a fast car, and other stereotypical masculine representations. Other than the fact that the woman's dream is about the quarter of the length of the man's, his dream also interrupts hers when he crashes the car into her scene and steals her away. KIA sends a clear message that the majority of Optima buyers will more likely be men and implies that women will be "unable" to handle such a race car. It is also an implication of the difference in mentality between men and women. KIA sends the message that men are more creative and have a stronger and wider range of mindset than women who apparently only think of fragile and safe ideas. There were two other KIA Optima commercials that were aired that did not include the woman's half of the dream at all.

Is the military labeling rape survivors as “crazy” to get rid of them?

http://feministing.com/2012/04/16/is-the-military-labeling-rape-survivors-as-crazy-to-get-rid-of-them/

The reason why this article caught my attention was because in class we spoke of different ways women are continuously being oppressed. This article shows how women in the military who have serve our country our being victimize. Women who had the courage to come forward about being rape have been  labeled "crazy". In the military they consider women who have gone through rape as a personality disorder in some cases the survivors have been kicked out the military and lose all access to their benefits. According to the article, from 2001 to 2010, the military discharged more than 31,000 service members because of personality disorder–and a disproportionate number of them were women. For example, in the army, 16% of all soldiers are women, but women constitute 24% of all personality disorder discharges; in the Marines, women made up 7% of the Corps and 14% of personality disorder discharges.  This article is related to the Marilyn Frye article that we as women are caged in whether we want to believe it or not.

Double Standards http://abigailbarefoot.tumblr.com/post/11169148924/what-you-cant-tell-from-the-photo-above-is

I choose this blog because it gives a good example of the double standards with gender and sex which we discuss in class. In this blog there are two examples of how women are not surprisingly the target. In the first image there is a women photo’d naked in a magazine and to its left there is a man photo’d naked in a magazine. To further explain, the magazine of the man photo’d naked was covered by newsstands believing that it was to pornographic but yet, as for the magazine of the naked women that magazine however was not covered. As for the second image it is a male that is photo’d on a cover magazine but was covered due to the fact that he looked too much like a women, and also his photo was considered to be pornographic.  For the second example I decided to include it in my blog because I thought that it was kind of contradiction to the overall marketing corporation.

                                                                                                                 Kiana Waters

No Comment, Newcastle: “Not an Attractive Woman”

http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/04/05/no-comment-newcastle-not-an-attractive-woman/

  This blog stood out to me. The commercial being advertised is so blatant with its sexist remark or “joke”. I agree with the blogger, this is a enforcing a stereotype that all professional women are ugly and only “a male standard of beauty” can be shown on TV. The company says they are being honest, well they are sure are. They are not holding back any sexist views. They are showing their true thoughts which can be linked to how women are being oppressed today. The commercial relates to the reading for today, “Oppression” by Marilyn Frye. As Marilyn would say being oppressed is like being caged in. There are forces and barriers blocking women which are not accidental.

When you first look at the commercial you think joke whether it’s good or bad. But also like Marilyn says, you have to look at the bigger picture to see the network of connected obstructions. The bigger picture here is women are oppressed, and held back from many things just because they are women and especially because they are not attractive to men. So these are all reason why this company is not showing the woman because her outward appearance is not worthy enough.

The commercial implements what society has instilled, that women should only be seen when pretty and not heard whether you’re pretty or not. The company is being completely honest and not wasting anyone’s time and when I say anyone I mean only heterosexual males. I’m offended that when the commercial says no nonsense they mean what some people really think about women. There are no thoughts or consideration for anyone else’s feelings. I don’t like this commercial nor do I think it is funny. I think it is extremely common in every way. To me this is a good example of trying to control women and how they should live their lives according to the oppressor.

Christie Butera

Mississippi’s Sole Abortion Provider in Danger

http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/04/03/newsflash-mississippis-sole-abortion-provider-in-danger/


This blog caught my eye and relates directly to what we are discussing in the class now.  The article tells us that 99% of counties in Mississippi do not supply a clinic for abortions. The Mississippi Senate Public Health Committee passed a bill "HB 1390" which requires doctors performing the abortions to be board-certified OB-GYN's with hospital admitting privileges. This bill is yet another slap in the face to women's reproductive rights of Mississippi.   Supporters, including Gov. Phil Bryant,  justify this bill stating that it is intended to provide women with better healthcare and to assure a certified doctor for "that very complicated procedure."  What is not being taken into consideration is that it difficult for a physician to receive approval by a hospital, considering the hospital or medical center can refuse admitting privileges and Mississippi is a very conservative state.  This leaves the patient with no other option but to remain pregnant, or perform abortions in their own home using th RU-486 pill, which is only successful until the ninth week of pregnancy.

First-Ever Abortion Study in Rawanda

http://feminist.org/blog/index.php/2012/03/30/first-ever-abortion-study-in-rwanda/

I chose this article because it talks about the study of abortion in Rwanda, and directly relates to last weeks reading by Margret Sanger. It talks about how most abortions are "secret and considered medically unsafe".  17% of maternal deaths in East Africa are due to unsafe abortions, the process or lack of post-op treatment. The main point of the article was to realizing the need to "address the unmet need for modern contraceptive" in order to decrease the number of unplanned pregnancies and deaths from abortions.

Amber Gandy