On Our Radar: Coming Out, "Booty Pop," and Trans Women in Media!

Bitch HQ post by Devyn Manibo on July 6, 2012 - 1:56pm; tagged coming out, feminist, homophobia, links, media, On Our Radar, trans women.

Well, this has been an exciting week!

As you've probably heard, Andersoon Cooper came out earlier this week. Super exciting to hear, but here's why when straight people say things like "it's about time?" or "why did he even have to come out in the first place?" it's rude, entitled, silencing, and downright annoying. [Tiger Beatdown]
Speaking of coming out, has Frank Ocean changed the game? He released an incredibly powerful statement via Tumblr, which is stirring up some commotion in the often homophobic world of hip-hop, and is also creating a lot of tender feelings. Excuse me while a tear up a little—his mom is super proud and said he's an "incredible human being." [Ebony/Tumblr/Colorlines]
Rookie is releasing its fancy first print edition in September! This is so exciting! Are you excited? [Rookie]
Did you see that "Booty Pop" video? Tami Winfrey Harris breaks it—and the stereotype of the hypersexual black male—down for you. [Clutch]
Anti-choice legislation strikes again! First New Jersey, and now North Carolina is to defund Planned Parenthood—an estimated $200,000 will be stripped from the state's two remaining Planned Parenthood affiliates. [Ms. Blog]
Objectification or empowerment? Caroline Heldman has devised the Sex Object Test to measure the presence of sexual objectification in an image. [Sociological Images]
Hey, look! Wal-Mart is still horrible, and the Supreme Court doesn't care about the oppression of women. [Autostraddle]
June Thomas talks about the history of closed captioning, and how streaming online content ignores deaf viewers. [Slate]
Catch up on your queer history. United in Anger: A History of ACT UP, a film by Jim Hubbard, is being screened in a few places this month (NYC, Philly, LA, DC, I'm talkin' to you), and you should go see it!
Check out this awesome video of Janet Mock and Isis King on media representations of trans women. [In The Life Media]
Portland update: The second annual Portland Queer Music Festival is coming up on July 22nd, and half of it is all-ages! Pre-sale tickets are available now!

What have you been reading, musing, raging, or raving about? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Designing Women: Midwives, Class, and Choice

Posted by JA (not verified) on July 6, 2012 - 2:11pm

"A couple of weeks ago The New York Times ran an article that asked its readers, “are midwives becoming trendy, like juice cleanses and Tom’s shoes?” Turns out, yes. At least for “the famous and the fashionable.”

Although the article highlights an increased social acceptance of midwifery, the idea of midwives as being the marker of social status seems to diminish its value somewhat. My midwife, I thought, was an advocate, not…a fashion accessory. Still, the Times piece got me thinking. What might it mean that midwives have become the newest trend for the trendy?"