racism

Good morning Bitch readers!  Here's what we've been reading today.

• In light of the recent Boston Marathon Bombing, there have been countless racist responses and unfounded finger-pointing. Here's why David Sirota hopes the bomber is a white American, and how white male privilege could dramatically shape the course the U.S. will take. [Salon]
• There's lots of coverage about the sadistic and sloppy abortion-performing doctor Kermit Gosnell. Here's a rundown seperating the truth from the false info in the gruesome case and a commentary on how the situation shows the lack of access to healthcare among poor people of color [RH Reality Check]. 
• One year since three Black trans-women were murdered, we remember them. [TransGriot]
• Folks are celebrating the release of "Trans 100," a list of 100 great trans* activists. [Autostraddle]  
• Breaking the cycle: In Afghanistan, it's taboo for women to ride bikes. But a group of women have semi-secretly formed a national biking team and are getting new gear from American cyclists. [New York Times] 
• Maintaining a heritage language can be difficult enough when you live in an English-speaking country, but coupled with thehuge stigma against foreign languages results in the overwhelming loss of an ability to speak them by the second-generations of immigrants. [Racialicious]
• While there are plenty of YA novels that are a source of empowerment for girls, the focus on "beauty" is still very prevalent. [This Ain't Livin']
• Although we've seen this done before, here's a new take on recreating the all-too-common sexist advertisements using role-reversal to replace the female models with males. [The F Bomb]
• Yay for progress!  New Zealand has officially approved its bill for marriage equality. [Huffington Post]
• North Dakota lawmakers are confident that the newest in a slew of anti-abortion bills will deter women from getting abortions, when in reality, they will only be making it more difficult and, therefore, unsafe. [NY Mag]

 

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.

Happy almost-the-weekend, everybody! Here's what's been blowing up the Interwebs.

• At the Guardian's Comment is Free, Jill Filipovic wrote about straight women who change their names upon marriage, asking, modest-proposal–like, that men be expected to do the same. Twitter freaked out. [The Guardian]

• An anonymous mother wrote about outsourcing the diaper-changing of her youngest child to her older children. Mommyish readers freaked out. [Mommyish]

• The first video in Anita Sarkeesian's now-notorious Kickstarter-funded "Tropes Vs. Women: Video Games" series is up at Sarkeesian's site, Feminist Frequency. Zillions of trolls are freaking out right this very minute. [Feminist Frequency]

• Jezebel offered its own special take on the time-honored journalistic tradition known as False Feminist Death Syndrome, asking whether feminism is "nearing her expiration date." Let's not freak out, because seriously? Oldest trick in the book. [Jezebel]

• Forest Whitaker was recently frisked and accused of shoplifting at a New York City delicatessen. Are you surprised by this blatantly racist treatment of an Oscar-winning actor? Perhaps you shouldn't be, says Ta-Nehisi Coates. [New York Times]

• Happy International Women's Day! At PolicyMic, Roxanne Kristalli writes about the crucial need to look deeply at gender—not simply "women" and "men"—in global advocacy work. [PolicyMic]

• At the Root, Nsenga K. Burton writes about the disturbing uptick in public policing of women's clothing, whether on the red carpet or on the streets of their home cities. [The Root]

• And speaking of clothes, fashion legend Vivienne Westwood is not feeling Michelle Obama's fashion choices. Bold talk from a woman who made her name with studded dog collars and unwalk-inable platforms. Your move, FLOTUS. [New York Times]

• Finally, Joss Whedon has adapted Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, and everyone seems psyched about it. [AtlanticWire]

Have a great weekend, all! And be sure to note anything we missed in the comments.

Women’s colleges were born out of institutionalized sexism. So, do we still need women’s colleges?

In mid-December the Huffington Post published a guest editorial by Elizabeth Pfeiffer titled, “Don't Like the Gender Gap? Women's Colleges Might Just Be the Answer.” In her post, Pfeiffer defends the all-female Scripps College. She argues that a school should be defined by “the richness of the community…and the possibilities this kind of environment offers.”

I agree: Schools should be defined by the richness of their community. But that goes beyond a gender binary. How about those whose identity does not fit within this heteronormative binary of man or woman? 

Pfeiffer asks,  “Why is Scripps, or any women's college, still relevant?” Pfeiffer believes one reason is because of the leadership roles she was able to take on, as well as the idea that women’s colleges instill a sense of leadership. She cites the fact that women's college graduates make up “more than 20 percent of women in Congress and 30 percent of a Businessweek list of rising women in corporate America.”

The same way that evolutionary psychology (or at least, bad reporting on evolutionary research) often conveniently reinforces sexist stereotypes about the role of men and women in the 21st society, genetic explanations for alcoholism tend to reinforce preexisting stereotypes about certain ethnic groups and races

Back in 1994, Sister, Sister captured my only-child heart by portraying one of my deepest wishes: teen girls bump into each other while shopping for clothes, discover they’re long-lost twins, and become instant best friends.

Sister, Sister is also still one of very few shows to feature a single father of color. In comparison to today’s whitewashed TV landscape, there were a lot more sitcoms with a predominantly black cast in the '90s (A Different World, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Moesha, and the two seasons of The Cosby Show, for starters.) But shows that were family-centric tended to feature traditional, upper middle class families, even Republicans, like Ray (Tim Reid) in Sister, Sister. This may be to counteract erroneous stereotypes as well as to transcend issues that often intersect with race — such as discrimination and poverty — in order to appeal to a wider/whiter audience.

Lena Dunham tells Esquire she doesn't listen to the haters, including those who say she's whitewashing Brooklyn.

Like a pap smear or tax season, it happens every year: People wear racist and sexist costumes on Halloween. Hell, maybe you’ve done it yourself! You didn't know what to be for that one party so you jammed some feathers in a headband and called yourself Pocahontas. Or you grabbed a toy donkey and a poncho and went as a cartoonish Mexican. We’ve all made mistakes and hopefully learned something from them, like how not to be the offensive asshole hanging out by the pumpkin keg. Because seriously, you really shouldn’t wear that stuff.

Another week has gone by, and this one was my last (official) week at Bitch! Wanna be the (newest) new media intern? Check out the job description here!

• Seriously? I said it last week, and I'll say it again, racism is racism, whether casual or not. This matters. Stop it, Lena Dunham. [Feministing]
• Did you read that problematic piece on gender-fluid youth last week? I did, and I cringed the whole way through. Here's a spot on critique. [New York Times Magazine/Love Isn't Enough]
• Genderplay is also life play; it’s a chance to explore who you are and who you want to be. [This Ain't Livin']
• Check out this great piece on Asian students and the lack of visibility within the larger immigration movement. [Hyphen]
• Feminist Ryan Gosling has been released as a book a few days ago! Wait, can they release a feminist flashcard deck too? [Ms. Blog]
• The Pussy Riot story continues to unfold—the women were officially sentenced two two years in prison. [Slate]
• Femme Conference 2012 happened last weekend in Baltimore! Did you go? Did you watch the livestream?
• Speaking of conferences (and Baltimore), registration for Facing Race 2012 is open! Author and badass Junot Diaz is the keynote, and trust me, you don't want to miss him.
• In case you didn't catch this in our interview with Cristy C. Road, POC Zine Project is going on tour in the fall! Catch them when they roll through a city near you!

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!