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On Our Radar: Today's Feminist News Roundup

News post by Andi Zeisler on April 5, 2013 - 8:06am; tagged abortion, Brittney Griner, NBA, rape, Steubenville, Tyler Perry.

Good morning! Ready to start your weekend off right with a big bowl of healthy links from around the web?

• Tyler Perry's new movie, Temptation, looks to be a moralizing mess. But it's also dangerously cavalier about rape, according to Carolyn Edgar, who posits that the movie's larger message about "fallen" women getting what they deserve makes it even trickier to discuss the issue. [Carolyn Edgar]

• Earlier this week, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban caused a stir in the sports press by saying he's interested in drafting Brittney Griner, the star player for Baylor University's women's basketball team. But is it simply a "publicity stunt" on Cuban's part? Would drafting a woman into the NBA be terrible for women's basketball? Everybody's got an opinion. [ESPN, ThinkProgress, Business Insider]

• Elsewhere in basketball news, Rutgers men's basketball coach Mike Rice was fired this week after video surfaced of him physically and verbally abusing players during practice. At Autostraddle, a Rutgers alumna considers why Rice's apparently longstanding habit of using antigay slurs to bully (or, as he thought of it, "motivate") players was hush-hush for so long. [Autostraddle]

• In all the recent discussion about women leaning in and having it all, where's the discussion about what men can do? A paid paternity-leave quota in Quebec could be changing both how typically gendered work is valued as it allows mothers more freedom to continue working post-childbirth. [New York Times]

• It's Steubenville all over again: In the town of Torrington, Connecticut, two high-school football players have been charged with the rape of two 13-year-old girls—and the girls are on the receiving end of bullying and vitriol. [New York Times]

• Nevada assemplywoman Lucy Flores testified this week about the consequences of inadequate sex education, noting that her sister all gave birth as teenagers, and that she herself opted for an abortion. Cue the death threats, since as we all know, that's the pro-life way to do it! [ThinkProgress]

• If you're a Walking Dead fan who's been frustrated with how the show portrays women, well, get ready to be a little more frustrated: The comic series' author is on record as believing that women are weaker than men. "That's science." [Village Voice]

• Yesterday we lost Roger Ebert, a film critic who was so much more than just that. The Daily Beast rounds up some of his best reviews—as well as his most awesome burns. (Lookin' at you, Vinccent Gallo.) [Daily Beast]

As ever, let us know what you're reading in the comments!

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One Day, Two Comments About Good Looking Women in Politics

Politics post by Sarah Mirk on April 4, 2013 - 5:40pm; tagged body image, kamala harris, Mark Sanford, Obama.

Today saw not one, but two politicians toss offhand comments about appearances at women involved in politics. One of those men is the chair of a South Carolina county’s Republican Party, which, well, no surprise. But the other is President Barack Obama. Obama! Step it up.

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Ms. Opinionated: I Want Out Of My Small Town!

Ms. Opinionated post by Megan Carpentier on April 4, 2013 - 3:44pm; tagged activism, class, work.

image of Megan Carpentier

Welcome to the latest installment of Ms. Opinionated, in which readers have questions about the pesky day-to-day choices we all face, and I give advice about how to make ones that (hopefully) best reflect our shared commitment to feminist values—as well as advice on what to do when they don't.

Dear Ms. Opinionated,

I'm *the* liberal, lesbian, feminist living in a small town in Pennsylvania.

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New Bitch Radio Popaganda Episode: Monogamy!

Audio post by Sarah Mirk on April 4, 2013 - 11:45am; tagged Bitch Popaganda, monogamy, same-sex marriage.

Popaganda logo

Our Popaganda relaunch kicks off with a bang: This episode digs into issues of monogamy. We tend to take monogamy for granted as a goal of relationships, but that's in part because it's an idea that been carefully constructed and policed throughout history. On this 20-minute episode, author of Sex and Punishment Eric Berkowitz explains the strange legal history of monogamy, writer Alex Borinsky discusses the role of monogamy as a political tool in the same-sex marriage debate, and sex educator Tristan Taormino dishes on the logistics of open relationships. Tune in!

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Disney's "Secretariat" and Sexism in the Horseracing Industry

Reverse Cowgirl post by Ashley Wells on April 4, 2013 - 9:12am; tagged horses, movies, racism, Secretariat.

secretariat and penny chenery

The story of racehorse Secretariat has been told many times, many ways. In 2010 Disney released their own star-studded telling of the horse’s rise to glory with the help of his determined owner, Penny Chenery (played by Diane Lane). Everyone knows this film as a story about a horse's Triple Crown win. But really, it's as much a story about Chenery’s struggle with challenging gender norms both personally and professionally. The horse Secretariat was her means to achieving success in a sexist industry.

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A Sibling Expedition into Family and Media

post by Dorian and Isad... on April 4, 2013 - 8:52am; tagged family, movies, television.

Welcome to Family Drama! For the next eight weeks, we’ll be guest blogging on Bitch about the portrayals of families on TV and in movies. We’ll delve into what makes fictional families functional (or not), different types of familial arrangements in media, relationships between family members, and a ton of other issues.

Our background is that we're siblings whose family has often been defined as "dysfunctional." This label is a simple umbrella term that covers the myriad problems of abuses, rotating caregivers, and ever-present instability we've faced. When we were young, no one ever dissected or defined that term for us. As adults, we've had to unpack it for ourselves.

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On Our Radar: Today's Feminist News Roundup

Bitch HQ post by Hannah Siobhan ... on April 4, 2013 - 8:22am; tagged afro, consent is sexy, Dean Spade, electrified underwear, India, NYC.

Happy Thursday everyone! Here's some feminist news to start your day.

Consent is sexy. Say it a thousand times. And read this article on why the “silence is sexy” model is a huge part of what sustains rape culture. [Queer Guess Code]
Tired of people hating on fat? Here are some myth-busting facts for you to whip out next time someone makes a fatphobic comment. [Everyday Feminism]
Horseback heroics aren’t necessary to be an ally, and don’t expect a medal. But if you are committed to justice and want to offer up your solidarity, MSNC’s Melissa Harris-Perry gives us some tips on how to be a good ally. [Colorlines]
If you are in NYC this month you are really lucky. Why? Because there are some really sweet events coming up including: A conference on The Politics of Solidarity: Gender, Sexuality, and Transnational Organizing, A Conversation on HIV Criminalization and Trans Politics, and a Conference on the Future of Online Feminism. [Visual Aids] and [Barnard Center for Research on Women]
Did a white writer from Slate really just post a piece titled “Bring Back the Afro?” Did that just happen? On why white writers should check their privilege before asking black people to wear their hair a certain way. [Jezebel]
Meanwhile, in India people are bringing self-defense from rape to a whole new level with electrified underwear. [Death and Taxes]
Do we need more laws to keep us safe? Attorney and trans activist Dean Spade contests the idea of the state as protector of rights and safety, and offers a critical trans politics that challenges enhanced criminalization as a means to achieve justice. [Against The Grain]