erotica

Good morning and happy Friday! Here's all the feminist news on our radar today...

• This week, Avril Danica Haines was tapped to be deupty director of the CIA. Naturally, the Daily Beast took that as a cue to point out that Haines used to own a Baltimore bookstore that hosted weekly erotica readings. You know, since women should be ashamed of anything tying them to having a human sex drive. Way to crack that story wide open, assholes. [The Daily Beast]

• Microsoft responded to the rape joke made earlier this week during the company's Killer Instinct Xbox press demonstration at the E3 conference, saying "We remain committed to make gaming fun for everyone, and in that effort, we must lead by example.” [The Mary Sue]

• Maine Republican Ken Fredette took to the state's House floor Wednesday to oppose accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage, invoking the classic sexist text Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus to buttress his claim that his "man's brain" can tell when free stuff isn't really free. You know, as opposed to female brains, which are full of lipstick and shoes and stuff.  [ThinkProgress]

• Why the last scene of the Game of Thrones season finale—you know, where Daenerys gets to play White Savior, complete with exalted crowd-surfing—was simply a continuation of a problematic characterization. [io9]

• As Sofia Coppola's new film The Bling Ring opens in selected cities this weekend, Indiewire takes note of the sexism that pervades its early reviews. [Indiewire]

• Like some of you, probably, BuzzFeed's Justine Sharrock wondered about the people who create Tumblrs devoted to chronicling their self-harm and advising others on self-harm. Here's her interview with one of them. (Obviously, trigger warning for cutting and other self-harming) [BuzzFeed]

• Are wedding presents a scourge of American culture? Yes indeedy, says Matthew Yglesias. (So if you're planning to stiff your friends at their weddings this summer, pin it on him.) [Slate]

• What happens when colleges and universities handle rape as an administrative matter, rather than a criminal one? Well, for starters, serial offenders are welcomed back on campus to rape again. [Bloomberg]

Okay, so we're basically just saying what many have already concluded. 50 Shades of Grey is a boring, badly written book that portrays people into BDSM as sick. Yes, it's popular, but we think erotica fans can do better.

This week has been chock-full of awesome articles and online conversations! Here's some of what we've been reading:

• The Black Women Film Festival happens this weekend in Atlanta, Georgia!
• Heather at AfterEllen gives her two cents on the events surrounding Glee's Dianna Agron performing in a t-shirt that says "LIKES GIRLS." For more, I recommend Jenny Aisenberg's piece at Velvet Park.
• The Times speculates on "why women don't get caught up in sex scandals." (via Briar Levit)
• Bust responds to recent articles that suggested women "grow up" and be less "girly." What Tami Said comments on the racialized aspects of the personae in question.
• The Daily Beast elaborates on just how horrifically anti-gay Presidential contender Michele Bachmann really is.
• Tiger Beatdown and Original Plumbing introduce their new bloggers, including Bitch contributors s.e. smith and Emily Manuel at TB and Thomas Page McBee at OP.
• Stinkin' Thinkin' opines on "Why Addiction Recovery Should Be A Feminist Issue."
• Clutch talks about a shockingly racist and sexist online ad by a Tea Party group.
• ColorLines and KABOBfest continue the conversation about Tom MacMaster and Bill Graber pretending to be high-profile lesbian bloggers. At TransGriot, Monica recalls her online run-in with Graber.
• Pam's House Blend provides statistics on same-sex couples to encourage the New York Senate to pass marriage equality.
• TransGriot pays homage to late rapper Tupac on what would have been his fortieth birthday.
• Shakesville's Melissa McEwan shakes her head at Mitt Romney's joking about unemployment.
• Liz at Our Turn admires ass-kicking female characters and shares her take on the Double Dare documentary.
• TransQueers XXX and TransErotica on Tumblr provide places for trans* individuals to share naked and/or erotic photos of themselves. (Both pages NSFW.)
• Queerty wants to know what it can do to better serve its female readership! Ideas? Go go go!

Share your thoughts (and/or other awesome articles) below!

More attractive than tough, the sexually progressive and confident space adventurer, Barbarella was played by Jane Fonda in an eponymous 1968 film. Produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by her then-husband, Roger Vadim, the movie was based on the early 1960s erotic comic created by Jean-Claude Forest– who served as a set consultant on the film.