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On Our Radar: Today's Feminist News Roundup

News post by Sarah Mirk on May 16, 2013 - 9:23am;

Here's all the feminist news I'm reading today. What's on your radar?

• The National Conference of Black Lawyers criticizes the FBI's continued hunt for "most wanted woman" Assata Shakur. [Feminist Wire]

• How Star Trek failed on LGBT issues. [Wired]

• When will the military reach "the tipping point" on rape and actually try to change? [Salon]

• Speaking of the military, here's one female veteran's gripping video about dealing with PTSD. [New York Times]

• The Mindy Project has solid, complex characters of color, while so many shows tend toward stereotypes. [Racialicious]

• In the opposite of the Abercrombie and Fitch firestorm, H&M uses a plus-size model and thinks it's no big deal. [xoJane]

• Is "When did you decide to be straight?" a question that makes sense? One writer says no. [Cori Wong]

• In all the hubbub around Angelina Jolie's mastectomy, one woman explains why she didn't want to get tested for the BRCA gene.

[Slate]

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Forcing Your Old Abercrombie and Fitch Clothes on People is a Bad Idea

Social Commentary post by Sarah Mirk on May 15, 2013 - 4:08pm; tagged Abercrombie & Fitch, homeless.

Greg Karber trying to give away his clothes.

Don't demand that people you think look homeless take your clothes, bro.

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How Women-Only Comedy Spaces Break Up the Boys' Club

Women Aren't Funny post by Gabrielle Moss on May 15, 2013 - 1:09pm; tagged Comedy, Upright Citizens Brigade, women in comedy.

A portrait of Lesley Knope A portrait of Liz Lemon

For the first time, many of the biggest, mainstream names in comedy are women. From titans like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to rising stars like Mindy Kaling and Kristen Schaal, funny women are headlining the biggest summer comedies, starring in top network sitcoms, and—judging by the gigantic line of people I saw waiting outside a recent Kristen Wiig-hosted episode of “Saturday Night Live'—inspiring a Beatlemania-level of devotion in their fans.

Despite all of this, comedy often still has as a reputation as a “boy’s club” where women are just not taken seriously.

How do female comedians make space for themselves in the comedy world? For an increasing number of comedians, the answer has been to form women-only comedy classes, troupes, and shows.

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Why I Was Never a Riot Grrrl

Movies post by Laina Dawes on May 15, 2013 - 10:08am; tagged bikini kill, music, punk, Race, riot grrrl.

The Punk Singer logo

A couple of years ago I saw ex-Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna speak in New York City, right before she donated her musical archives to New York University’s Fales Library. I was struck by her acerbic wit, her ‘I don’t give a fuck’ attitude.

While I was a teenager during the grunge and Riot Grrrl era, for some reason I was (at the time) more drawn to hyper-masculine, testosterone-saturated grunge and metal bands and was not that interested in what was happening on the other side of the scene. As Hanna’s talk was intriguing, I took the opportunity to check out The Punk Singer, part of the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto.

About 10 minutes into the documentary, I knew that I had made a colossal mistake.

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On Our Radar: Today's Feminist News Roundup

News post by Hannah Siobhan ... on May 15, 2013 - 9:49am; tagged Angelina Jolie, DGR, gender policing, mastectomy, the Netherlands, twerking, Uni-Ball.

Happy hump-day! Here's some of the feminist news we've been reading at Bitch HQ.

For those who can't get enough of Angelina's mastectomy, here's an article on why breast cancer is at the center of a supreme court battle. [Policymic]

Pen company Uni-Ball's latest ad perpetuates the image of Black men as "criminal, hyper-sexed, uneducated and sub-human." [Newsone]

How the expansion of surveillance techniques in the Netherlands is compromising civil liberties. [Space Invaders]

Oof. Deep Green Resistance, a prominent ecofeminist organization, takes a transphobic stance. [Decolonizing Yoga]

Twerking at school: the cultural demands on black students in sororities. [Racialicious]

Be a woman right: how gender presentation is sometimes policed within trans communities. [Autostraddle]

Stay tuned!

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Oh Joy Sex Toy: The Best Lube Ever!

Comics post by Erika Moen on May 14, 2013 - 4:02pm; tagged Oh Joy Sex Toy, sex, sex toys.

Artist Erika Moen riding a wave of lube

Here's the latest installment of my sex toy review comic series: Pink lube!

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Just Dance and Have a Good Time: An Interview with The Shivas Drummer Kristin Leonard

Music post by Emilly Prado on May 14, 2013 - 12:08pm; tagged K Records, The Shivas, women in rock.

kristin leonard, wailing on the drums

The Shivas, a dreamy quartet of surf rockers from Portland, Oregon, released their third LP, WHITEOUT, on vinyl through K Records this month. We talked with drummer and vocalist Kristin Leonard about drumming, the band's record deal, and tales from tours.

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