On Our Radar

After a hot few days, it's finally cooling down in Portland. Here's what we've ben reading.

• I believe I was born in the right body; transgender, yes, but there's nothing "wrong" with me. Thomas Page McBee thoughtfully tears down notions and media deptions of the "typical" trans narrative. [Salon]
• Odd Future's Syd The Kyd doesn't identify as a feminist, in fact, she even said that "extreme feminists" are annoying, but she believes in equal rights for all people. Sound familiar? Right, okay. We'll ask you again in five years, kiddo. [Mass Appeal]
• Racism is racism is racism. Off-hand racist comments and actions are a problem. Not calling them out is a bigger problem. Check yourself! [xoJane]
• This week in oppression and the Olympics: Are you kidding me? I just made history. And you’re focusing on my hair? This is the Olympics, not America's Next Top Model! The media's got an appetite for negative portrayal of black femininity, and a wholly unjustified bone to pick with Gabby Douglas. Ew. Stop. [Ms. Blog/Ebony]
• "Free birth control" isn't so "free," so stop calling it that. [Tiger Beardown]
• Want to be a good or better ally to people of color? Having some trouble? This is important, read it. [The Crunk Feminist Collective]
• Some rad folks from Autostraddle will be hosting a queer ladies speed dating at Strand in New York City on August 15th. And there's free wine. Wait, what? Yeah, free wine, cuties, and eighteen miles of books. Sounds like a dream. [Autostraddle]
• Queer and trans activist, author, and all around badass, Kate Bornstein is going to be at Powell's on Monday, August 13th supporting her latest book, A Queer and Pleasant Danger. You should go!
• Portland update: The 12th annual Portland Zine Symposium is happening on Saturday, August 11th and Sunday, August 12th at Refuge in SE Portland! We'll be there, so stop by our table!

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

Have you been keeping up with the Olympics? If you have, then this has surely been an exciting week. Other things have been exciting too though. Here's what we've been reading/watching.

• Smile, it makes you seem less threatening. Racially biased commentary in the Olympics is a thing, but if you just shrug it off and smile real big, it's okay, right? Ummm, no. But look, Gabby Douglas led the U.S. Gymnastics team to gold victory, so basically, skeptical (read: racist) commentators should back the heck up. [The Crunk Feminist Collective]
• Send Dear White People to the Tribeca Film Institute! They're well ahead of everyone, but just in case something happens, get your vote in by 5pm tonight! [IndieWire]
• Recession Art at CULTUREfix presents Still Figuring it Out: a feminist coming-of-age, an exhibition and event curated by Ana Cecelia Alvarez running from August 9th-12th in New York City! [Recession Art]
• Orientalism still runs rampant—check out this critique of Orientalist fantasies in contemporary travel narratives. [Racialicious]
• In case you need more reasons to despise Arizona's state legislation, their new abortion ban (with the earliest gestational age restriction in the nation) just went into effect. Great. [Ms. Blog]
• After some much merited cringing, Bitch contributor, Audra Schroeder shows you how NOT to write about female musicians. [Dallas Observer]
• Gore Vidal passed away this week. Here are some important thoughts about his life and his questionable values that you might not have been previously aware of. [Tiger Beatdown]
• Nicki Minaj is so close to being the perfect feminist–what's holding her back? [AlterNet]
• Check out this conversation with queer, feminist, Texas Rep. Mary Gonzalez–she's changing the face of politics, and she's also the sweetest! [Autostraddle]
• Kai Davis and Safi Niara of Philly Youth Poetry Movement absolutely KILLED it (as usual) at Brave New Voices, 2012 last week. I actually shouted "yes" at my screen multiple times while watching this. Perfection. Seriously, watch this immediately. The after you watch it once, watch it again. In fact, I will leave it here for you just to make it easier. [YouthSpeaks]

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

This has been a week, and now it's Friday, so turn on your television and let's get these Summer Games crackin'!

• Did you hear? The Olympics start today! Oh, and Caster Semenya gets to carry the South African flag in the opening ceremony! Who's excited? We are! [Colorlines]
• Yes! Sasheer Zamata's video about meeting her flasher is pure gold–super spot-on social commentary, plus, she's just hilarious. [Punch!]
• A model with Down Syndrome is being featured in a children's swim catalogue. Is this a "progressive" ploy or geniune want for and real step towards diversity in ability amongst models? [xoJane]
• This week in sexism and the Olypics: Leisel Jones is no stranger to the summer games—she has some world records, a bunch of medals, and basically, she's awesome, but all people can talk about is her weight. Seriously? Step off. [Feministing]
• Take a look at this super informative, and deeply saddening inforgraphic about women and HIV/AIDS. [Ms. Blog]
• Check out this fascinating interview with Keelin Godsey, the first out American trans person to to be a serious Olympic contender. Unfortunately, it did not work out this year, but maybe 2016? We can hope. [Feministe]
• The panelists for The Queerness of Hip-Hop/The Hip-Hop of Queerness symposium at Harvard University were just announced! [QOOH]
• Is it Girl Scout season yet? I could go for a box or five of some Thin Mints. Learn about the history of the cookies you love so much! [Collectors Weekly]
• The Miss Zee Coloring Book is being created to empower underrepresented girls of color, but it can't happen without your help! This is important! [Kickstarter]
• Viola Davis on what to expect from the Barbara Jordan biopic, plus, what critics of black actors don't understand. [IndieWire]
• Help Autostraddle build a better Autostraddle! Really, donate or buy some merch, any little bit counts! [Autostraddle]
• The Visibility Project, a national portrait and video project seeking to bring presence and representation to the queer Asian and Pacific Islander communities, who we've featured on the blog, are looking for more folks to participate in New York until August 7th! They'll also be in Portland on August 11th! [The Visibility Project]
• Portland update: The 12th annual Portland Zine Symposium is in two weeks! Come support local artists and all sorts of DIY awesomeness!

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

This has been another week! Here's what we've been reading.

• s.e. smith weighs in on the tragic shooting in Colorado this morning, asking why we blame "crazy" people for acts of violence. [xoJane]
• Check out this awesome and super insightful dialogue on the intersections of race and feminism and more! [Tiger Beatdown]
• Oh, I'm cringing right now. Longtime Google executive, and new CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, believes in equal rights, and that women are just as capable, if not more capable than men in many dimensions, but doesn't identify as a feminist because she doesn't have "militant drive" and a chip on her shoulder??? Get with it, Marissa! Where the heck would you even be right now without feminism? These "opportunities" for women you speak of weren't just handed to us. [Feministing]
• Mike Le discusses frustrations with the lack of Asian and Asian American characters in Joss Whedon's shows. [Racebending]
• This week in Olympic athlete discrimination: Highest ranked Olympic weightlifter Sarah Robles can't get sponsored because she doesn't fit the model athlete image? Well, she's got one sponsor, but still, come on! [Slate]
• Megan Dietz tackles issues around weight obsession, diet culture, and all sorts of things that plague societal standards of beauty and body image. And BBC's global weight calculator is certainly not helping the matter. [The Hairpin/BBC]
• Uh oh, Slate's advice columnist, Emily Yoffe (Dear Prudence) isn't giving very sound advice, and frankly, just comes off as totally rude and condescending. "Stop acting like a parody of a gender-studies course catalog and start acting like a loving wife." Seriously? Drunk sex is not always consensual sex, and nonconsensual sex is rape. Point blank. [In These Times]
• Hooray! VIDA – Women in Literary Arts recently launched their blog! [HER KIND]
• Healthy San Francisco, the city's health insurance program for uninsured residents, to remove its trans exclusions. One step closer to trans inclusive healthcare everywhere! [Bay Area Reporter]
• And just because I'm a little obsessed, you should look at this side by side comparison of this young fan's shot-by-shot recreation of Beyoncé's "Countdown." It is actually perfect. [Videogum]
• Portland update: The Portland Queer Music Festival is this weekend! Come for the music, stay for the queers!

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

Riled up yet? Here are more things that might make you angry, but also some things that should make you excited! Take this as your cue to go out and get some sun this weekend. I think we all need it.

• Daniel Tosh may have taken the cake for being the scum of the week, but Domino's Pizza is riding in the same douchebaggy boat with their new "no is the new yes" campaign. Really, Domino's? Must we shout it from the top of our lungs? "NO" MEANS "NO." [Feministing]
• Janet Mock explores why "trapped in the wrong body" is a convenient and lazy explanation that victimizes trans individuals. [Fish Food For Thought]
• An exploration of the fetishization of race, and how your assumptions based on ethnic background aren't gonna get you any dates with people of color. [Feministe]
• LPAC–the first ever Lesbian Political Action Committee–launched this Wednesday! Jane Lynch approves. [Autostraddle]
• As if we weren't already psyched by the new Smart Girls at the Party show Meow Meow Music, the channel launched a new web series this week, Ask Amy, where Amy Poehler gives advice to girls. Can someone ask Amy if she'll be our BFF?
• The racial dynamics of street harrassment, and how catcalling has reached an all-time high. [Oshun Returns]
• As a follow up to Julia Bluhm's petition against using photoshop to alter bodies in Seventeen magazine, a group of young women petitioned for Teen Vogue to feature more diverse and relatable bodies, but had their concerns dismissed by the the editor-in-chief. Put down your Teen Vogue, there are quality magazines out there–with friendly staff who will actually listen to you! We promise. [Ms. Blog/Jezebel]
• A town in Germany has designated certain tricky parking spaces "Men Only." Um, what? [AP]
• Mitt Romney responded to being booed at the NAACP conference. Not such a people pleaser, but he's still under the assumption that he'll get the black vote. Dude, seriously? [Colorlines]
• Are you in the New York Metropolitan area? Have you been under a box for the last few weeks and need some excitement, i.e., a weekend full of queer and feminist bands and workshops? Well, here's a reminder that C.L.I.T. Fest is tonight, tomorrow, and the next day. Seriously though. Get your butt on NJ Transit. I know you hate it, but it'll be worth it. Go. For me.
• Portland update: In Other Words is hosting its last Dirty Queer X-rated open mic event of the summer TONIGHT at 6:30pm. Come down and celebrate Friday the 13th with some dirty Portland queer cuties. After that, head up to The Know to see Forever, Swearin', and Waxahatchee. Yeah, that's right, Katie Crutchfield from P.S. Eliot has some new heartbreaking tunes for you. 

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

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!

Here's what we've been thinking about this week that isn't the TomKat divorce announcement.

• A fourth edition of Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands/La Frontera is to be published, but it can't happen without your help! [Kickstarter]
• Jay Smooth tells us why "don't feed the trolls" is a stupid piece of internet advice. Feed them or relinquish your position on the internet forever! [Ill Doctrine]
• We all know (or at least we all should know) that the myth of the "model minority" is super problematic! Here are some solid reasons why it hurts not only the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, but why it hurts everyone. [Colorlines/Feministing]
• Sexual harassment isn't a joke. This mall in New Jersey doesn't seem to agree. [TDN]
• Speaking of things that aren't jokes, abuse against women, and abuse IN GENERAL is not something to make a "funny" t-shirt design out of. It's not funny. Stop that. [Open File]
• Jos Truitt explores cissexism, the undermining of trans identities, and unexamined privilege and oppression within queer communities. [Feministing]
• Remember the Bechdel Test? Well here's the Roberts Test for trans people of color in film and television. [Transgriot]
• Flavia Dzodan responds to the Anne-Marie Slaughter piece on feminism's "failures." [Tiger Beatdown]
• Wanna be a "reverse racist" and learn how to oppress white people? Check out this step by step guide. Wait, you don't think I'm serious, right? That's not how oppression works. But get a kick out of this hilarious racial satire. [Black Girl Dangerous]
• The Allied Media Conference is this weekend in Detroit! Browse the schedule here, and follow #AMC2012 on Twitter. [AMP]
• Anne Helen Peterson discusses the female gaze, desire, and Magic Mike! Stay tuned for our review (via Popaganda–back by popular demand!) of Channing Tatum's fantastic acting skills naked bod later today! [Anne Helen Peterson]
• Check out this piece on Nora Ephron's early years when she was a feminist New Journalism pioneer. [Salon]
• Portland update: For Bitch Media's second installment of CineBitch, we'll be screening 9 to 5 at Mississippi Studios on Monday, July 2nd at 7pm!

This has been a week! Here's what we've been thinking about.

• After the giant mess around Rep. Lisa Brown's oh so horrifying use of the word "vagina" (GOD FORBID!), thousands of people watched in delight in Lansing, Michigan, as women legislators enacted The Vagina Monologues on the steps of the state Capitol in response to the passing of HB 5711. [Ms. Blog]
• Where do you wanna be when 20,000 dykes take over New York City? At the 20th annual NYC Dyke March, of course. It's happening this Saturday – there's an after party too! [NYC Dyke March]
• Listen to this great conversation with our very own Andi Zeisler on gains and setbacks for working women, family policy, women's status in developing countries, and the path of women's progress in the last fifteen years. [Chicago Policy Radio]
• C.L.I.T. (Combatting Latent Inequality Together) Fest, an awesome three-day DIY, music, and arts festival is happening in New Brunswick, NJ in July (previously in DC, PDX, LA, Chicago, etc.), and they need your help to get things done! [C.L.I.T. Fest NB]
• Super queer, super feminist, super rad, Sourpatch is on tour, and they're playing in Portland with Joyride and Forever on Monday! [PC-PDX]
• Skills vs. Luck – The Olympics prove their blatant sexism once again! Because clearly, females can't have skills, especially not athletic skills. [Feministing]
• Check out Jay Smooth's video about those terrible Adidas "shackle shoes," a criticism of thoughts about intentionality, and how racism doesn't come just from overtly racist intent. [Animal New York]
• Alyssa Rosenberg wrote an open letter to the creators of Tomb Raider for their horrific insensitivity and perpetuation of rape culture. [Think Progress]
• In Palestinian solidarity, Alice Walker declined a request to publish an Israeli edition of The Color Purple. [The Guardian]
• Oy gevalt, True Blood! There are respectful ways to tap into Jewish culture and religion, and this is definitely not one of them. [Tablet]
• Here's what went down at the End Stop-and-Frisk silent march against racial profiling. [Colorlines]
• Portland update: Bitch's own Kelsey Wallace is a judge at this year's Offkey Karaoke (a benefit for the YWCA). Come help her cheer on (or heckle, if need be) the contestants this Saturday!

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

Well, this has been another week.

• Misogyny is still kickin', but Anita Sarkeesian of Feminist Frequency is kickin' right back. With over $100k to fund her project, she is pretty much unstoppable. Kate or Die! and Catiemonster sum it up in some awesome comics. [Feminist Frequency/Geek Feminism]
• More in misogyny and gaming, the creators of the popular videogame, Tomb Raider seem to think that watching Lara Croft experience sexual assault makes the character more "likeable," and that it makes game players want to "protect her." Wait, what? Because clearly, misogynists are having trouble feeling self-righteous or heroic. Or whatever. [Salon]
• Radical, feminist, nuns? Certainly not what I had in high school. These super sisters will be setting off on bus tour to promote and support Obama's Affordable Care Act and its no co-pay contraception mandate. [Ms. Blog]
• ABC Family's Bunheads (because clearly, we need more shows made by white people about white people, right? RIGHT?) received some criticism from Shonda Rhimes for its lack of diversity. What else is new? Here's what's wrong and how/why we could do better. [XO Jane]
• Remember the giant mess around whether or not Caster Semenya should be able to compete in the Olympics or not? Well, the Olympics are still obsessed with policing femininity, masking their obsession by saying this is just about hormone levels, and the "truth" of the binary. Stop that. [Feministing]
• Read up on some super great insight on feminine standards, privileged notions of seeing, and smashing normative ideals of femme. [Femmetech]
• And more on experiencing the world as a femme/femme of color! Militant resistance of weakness and coming to new understandings of femininity! [Elixher]
• Are you in the New York Metropolitan area? End Stop and Frisk, a silent march to protest racial profiling, is happening this Sunday, June 17th, in New York City, and you should go. [Feministing]
• Coverage of the Jerry Sandusky case(s), sugarcoated sexual assault, and rape apologists abound. [Shakesville]
• Professor Maria Cotera has an exciting and very ambitious plan to build an online Chicana feminist archive, Chicana por mi raza. One step closer to filling in the gaps of social movement history. [The Clayman Institute for Gender Research]
• San Francisco's Castro Theatre hosted the Asian Pacific American Vagina Monologues last month. Why didn't anyone tell me about this sooner? Will they do this again?? Because they totally should. Visibility, y'all. Then maybe we'll have less people pretending they're Asian (*cough* Dita Von Teese *cough*). Asians are real, did you know? Check out this awesome conversation with the show's executive producer Julia Rhee! [Hyphen]

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

Well, this has been a week. Are you outraged yet?

• Can you smell the transphobia in the air? Developments in the CeCe McDonald case state that she is to be housed in a male prison, and to top that off, the media continues to ignore assaults on transgender women. [Colorlines/The Daily Beast]
• Dita Von Teese is nothing short of a hot mess with her brand spankin' new, orientalist burlesque show, now with extra cultural appropriation! [Racialicious]
• Speaking of Yellowface, has anyone seen that new terrible video by Coldplay, featuring Rihanna? Nothing like hypersexualized ambiguously "Asian" bodies. And y'all thought Nicki Minaj and R. Kelly were as bad as it could get. Nope! Rihanna and Chris Martin take the cake. [YouTube]
• Is the effectivity of single-sex schooling a myth? Scientifically, maybe, but socially, couldn't it be a great thing? Was my high school education a lie? [Jezebel]
• Check out the trans feminist bloggers roundtable on transfeminism(s). [Ms. Blog]
• Leslie Feinberg was arrested in solidarity with CeCe McDonald, and charged with property damage. Not such a sweet start to Pride Month. [Original Plumbing]
• War on drugs, or war on women? Gender-based violence in on the rise in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala. Increased militarization certainly isn't helping the matter. [Feministing]
• Sexual libertines don't understand the nature and purpose of sex? Because they don't understand religious liberty??? Chill out, Helene Alvare. We want our contraceptives, and we don't want to pay for them, so back off! [Salon]
• Looking beyond the Western World, defending the relevance of feminism(s). [fbomb]
• D-List male celebrities looking for dates, faceless female voices, spinning chairs, and dramatic button pushing? Is this for real? That doesn't sound like something I want to watch either. [Feminists For Choice]
• Mainstream cinema, female action heroes, and why they're not good role models. [IndieWire]
• Wayne Coyne is being a jerk. Erykah Badu is disgusted. We're not surprised. [Vulture]
• Um, what? Some men are secretly filming women breast pumping at work. Is this really a thing? Can it not be?  [Mommyish]

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