Taking a look at this week’s headlines concerning women’s issues around the world, honoring our Feisty Aphrodite media activist of the week and featuring music by independent artists provided by the Podsafe Network.
Listen to the Podcast
This week’s featured Feisty Aphrodite: The Guerrilla Girls
Some of this week’s headlines:
Title IX Celebrates its 35th Anniversary
New Orleans Seeks Foreign Aid To Help Rebuild City
Navy Tackles Sexual Harassment
ACLU Sues for End to Drugging Immigrants Facing Deportation
Wife of Missing Soldier Won’t Be Deported
Study: Number of Uninsured Veterans Rises
Sub-Sahara Africa to Fall Short in Meeting UN’s Millennium Development Goals
Doctors Oppose Gender Testing Kits
Planned Parenthood Criticizes FOX and CBS Networks for Refusing to Broadcast Condom Ad
Exhibit Examines History Of Gay Vets
Nurses Call for End to Homophobia and Heterosexism in Health Care
This week’s news contributors:
Free Speech Radio News
Feminist Daily News Wire
Women’s ENews
365GayDotCom
GayWiredDotCom
Democracy Now!
Southern African News Features
Planned Parenthood
Capitol Hill
Title IX Celebrates its 35th Anniversary
Feminist Daily News Wire
In honor of the 35th anniversary of Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments on Saturday, June 23, the US House and Senate passed last week identical resolutions to celebrate the achievements of this landmark law. The resolution highlighted the success and role of Title IX in increasing opportunities for women and girls in all areas of education.
The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) commissioned a national survey of 1,000 adults to gauge support for Title IX three-and-a-half decades after its passage. The poll shows overwhelming support — with 82 percent in favor of preserving Title IX and 88 percent in favor of girls or their parents utilizing Title IX to legally challenge disparities of treatment of boys and girls. Still, a recently release report by the NWLC shows that discrimination and unfair treatment of girls is still widespread, particularly in athletic opportunities.
Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) issued a statement celebrating Title IX, but offered a stark reminder of how much more needs to be accomplished. “While Title IX has been a huge success, the battle for equality is not yet won,” Rep. Maloney stated. “In 2002, women made up 54 percent of college students, but they only comprised 43 percent of college athletes. Meanwhile, men received 36 percent more athletic scholarships than women. Women also receive only 20 percent of computer science and engineering-related technology bachelor’s degrees, and only 39 percent of all full professors at colleges and universities are women.”
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who co-sponsored the Senate’s resolution along with Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), emphasized the need to actively protect Title IX, saying, “the challenge for all of us, today, is to make sure those doors of opportunity stay open for our granddaughters and great-granddaughters,” according to the Yakima-Herald.
House Passes Bill to Fund Prosecution for Civil Rights Cold Cases
Free Speech Radio News
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed bill that would aggressively prosecute civil rights era murders. The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act aims to solve the more than 100 civil rights cold cases. The bill was crafted by Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers, but received broad support in a 422-to-2 vote. Listen to the rest of this story here.
CIA Legal Nominee Questioned on Torture Views
Democracy Now!
The Bush administration’s nominee for the top legal position at the CIA has revealed he supported the infamous 2002 Justice Department memo that said torture would not occur unless a prisoner experiences pain serious enough to cause organ failure or death. Speaking before the Senate Select Committee, John Rizzo also refused to publicly answer whether the CIA has transferred prisoners to countries using torture. Rizzo said he would answer the question in closed-session.
CIA to Release Documents on Illegal Operations
Democracy Now!
In other CIA news, the CIA is preparing to declassify hundreds of documents that detail some if its most infamous and illegal operations in a dossier known as the “family jewels”. The records are believed to cover the period from the 1950s to the 1970s. They include details on domestic spying, infiltrating leftist groups, drug tests on US citizens and assassination plots against foreign leaders. In advance of the release, the National Security Archive has published a new set of documents revealing the Ford administration was concerned about the documents’ eventual disclosure. In a memo to Ford, then-Secretary of State Henry Kissinger said a 1974 article by the investigative journalist Seymour Hersh on the CIA’s infiltration of anti-war groups was “just the tip of the iceberg.” Kissinger also warned that “blood will flow” if several other operations were exposed, including the Kennedy administration’s attempts to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro. Kissinger says former Attorney General Robert Kennedy personally managed the assassination plot. Announcing the release on Thursday, CIA Director Michael Hayden said, “Most of it is unflattering, but it is CIA’s history.”
House Approves Bill Giving Birth Control to Foreign Organizations
Feminist Daily News Wire
The House voted Thursday to approve a measure that would reverse a ban on donating contraceptives to foreign organizations that perform or promote abortion. In a 223-201 vote, the House added the measure as an amendment to the fiscal year 2008 foreign aid spending bill, which also passed the House on Thursday. New York Representative Nita Lowey (D) authored the amendment, saying it will “reduce unintended and high-risk pregnancies and abortions — and save the lives of mothers,” the Seattle Times reports.
Shortly after taking office, President Bush reinstated the global gag rule, originally adopted by former President Reagan in 1984 and removed by former President Clinton. The policy, also known as the “Mexico City Policy,” bars the US from funding overseas organizations that support abortion in any way — including direct services, counseling, or lobbying activities — even if the groups use their own monies for such activity. Supporters of the recently passed amendment say that the measure does not conflict with Bush’s foreign aid policy. Still, Bush has indicated that he would veto any legislation that would affect abortion-related policies and laws, and conservative lawmakers will likely be able to block a Congressional override of Bush’s veto.
Senate Committee Slashes Abstinence Ed. Funds
Feminist Daily News Wire
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved Thursday a $28 million cut for funding for community-based abstinence education (CBAE) programs. In 2007, $113 million was marked for sex education programs that promoted abstinence. In his budget for fiscal year 2008, President Bush asked to increase that amount to $141 million. The version of the bill moving through the Senate would keep CBAE funding at $113 million — the same amount as the past two years.
Earlier this month, the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations approved Bush’s increase, despite overwhelming evidence that abstinence-based sex education programs do not work. The full House Appropriations Committee has postponed its general mark-up of the bill until July 9. SIECUS Vice President for Public Policy William Smith noted that, in addition to promoting failed and impractical abstinence-only education, the House’s version “fails to fully fund HIV prevention, fails to fully fund the Minority AIDS Initiative, and fails to fully fund Title X family planning.”
Bush Administration Continues to Defend Abstinence-Only Sex Ed with New Report
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
However, the Bush administration is countering widespread critiques of abstinence-only sex education with a negative report on comprehensive education programs. The 40-page report from the Department of Health and Human Services concluded that nine popular sex education curricula used by schools contained inaccurate facts about condoms–for example, not mentioning that effectiveness depends on correct usage–and did not mention abstinence as an alternative to intercourse frequently enough.
The $77,000 study was conducted by two nonprofit groups–the Medical Institute for Sexual Health in Austin, Texas, and the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research in Indianapolis–that promote abstinence and lifelong monogamous relationships, the Post reported. A congressional report released in April found that abstinence-only curricula do not significantly dissuade teens from having sex nor does they increase condom use.
Bush Vetoes Stem Cell Research Legislation
Feminist Daily News Wire
Wednesday President Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (HR 810/S 471), which would have expanded federally funded embryonic stem cell research by allowing the study of cells from donated, frozen embryos that would have been destroyed at fertility clinics. After vetoing the bill, Bush issued an executive order to encourage federal agencies to support research of medically useful stem cells that already exist — a suggestion that many researches have rejected. President Bush stated that the legislation had crossed an ethical line, saying, “the Congress has sent me legislation that would compel American taxpayers, for the first time in our history, to support the deliberate destruction of human embryos.”
In response to his previous veto, Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), whose daughter has juvenile diabetes, authored legislation to repeal President Bush’s decision. She points out that the majority of Americans support stem cell research, and that the issue is no longer a debate between liberals and conservatives or Democrats and Republicans, but an issue that unites Americans towards a common goal of bringing a cure to millions of people. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) called the President’s decision another “example of how the president puts ideology before science, politics before the needs of our families — just one more example of how out of touch with reality he and his party have become,” according to the Washington Post.
This is just the third time Bush has exercised his veto power during his presidency. Bush’s first veto was in 2006, also to block stem cell research.
Senators Demand Probe of GOP “Caging” of Black Voters
Democracy Now!
U.S. Senators Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island are demanding a probe into allegations Republicans deliberately tried to prevent people of color from voting in the 2004 elections. Internal emails show Republicans including former Karl Rove aide Tom Griffin sent so-called voter “caging-lists” designed to challenge voters from casting ballots. The caging lists were skewed towards targeting people of color, predominantly African-Americans. Griffin announced his resignation as U.S. attorney in Arkansas earlier this month.
Administration Denies Pending Gitmo Closure
Democracy Now!
The Bush administration is denying a report its nearing a decision to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Anonymous officials told the Associated Press the White House is near agreement on a plan that would transfer prisoners to several Pentagon facilities across the United States. One of the proposed sites said to be under discussion is the US military base at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Meanwhile, Free Speech Radio News reported that White House spokesperson Dana Perino says the administration hopes to transfer several dozen prisoners back to Afghanistan in the near future. The US is helping to expand a prison there, but denies that it will serve as an alternative to the Guantanamo Bay prison camp.
House Holds Hearing on Violence in New Orleans
Karen Miller
Free Speech Radio News
It’s been almost two years since the levees broke after Hurricane Katrina, and devastated New Orleans. Housing, healthcare, schools and the right to return continue to be top issues for a city whose recovery has been incredibly slow. On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to take a look at the city’s latest challenge: the growing crisis of violent crime. Listen to the rest of this story here.
U.S. News
New Orleans Death Rate Up Nearly 50% Since Katrina
Democracy Now!
In other New Orleans news, a new study shows the city death rate has risen nearly fifty percent since Hurricane Katrina. The study is the first to track the mortality rate of both evacuees and remaining residents. Researchers attribute the increase to the lack of health care for low-income residents regardless of whether they left or stayed in New Orleans.
New Orleans Seeks Foreign Aid To Help Rebuild City
Democracy Now!
Meanwhile, New Orleans is turning to foreign aid to help rebuild the city nearly two years after Hurricane Katrina. The city is talking to more than five countries because the federal government in Washington has been so slow in sending assistance. As of last week, the city said it had received just over half of the $320 million FEMA has obligated for rebuilding the city.
Ex-Abu Ghraib Investigator: Rumsfeld Knew
Democracy Now!
The former Army General who led the Pentagon’s first investigation into the abuses at Abu Ghraib has revealed that he was forced to retire because his report was too critical of the U.S. military. In his first interview since then, Major General Antonio Taguba told investigative journalist Seymour Hersh that former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld mislead Congress about the Abu Ghraib investigation, minimizing how much he knew about the abuse and torture. Taguba also said the military has unpublished photographs and videos that show the abuse and torture was even worse than previously disclosed. Taguba said he saw a video of a male American soldier in uniform sodomizing a female detainee. Taguba said he was blocked from investigating who ordered the torture at Abu Ghraib. He said: “These M.P. troops were not that creative. Somebody was giving them guidance, but I was legally prevented from further investigation into higher authority. I was limited to a box.”
Navy Tackles Sexual Harassment
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
The U.S. Naval Academy’s new installment of a four-year sexual harassment awareness program for the incoming class of 2011 signals a change in how the institution handles sexual harassment cases involving its students. “That’s been shown to make a difference, so they are starting to experiment, so I’m optimistic on that level,” said Debby Tucker of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence. Tucker added that she hopes the program, which includes peer training, will do more to make the seriousness of sexual harassment clear to students.
Supporters of the program say the institution is seriously addressing recent harassment cases–which include a former medical officer taping students having sex and the conviction of two athletes in sex-related incidents in April–and historic incidents, such as the handcuffing of a female student to a urinal in 1990. The academy first admitted women 30 years ago; they are now 20 percent of the student body. Last year, Capt. Margaret Klein was appointed the first female commandant of the academy, which makes her second in command at the institution. Female students and recent graduates at the academy have noticed that, along with institutional changes, the overall atmosphere among students has been one of more respect, communication and sensitivity.
Giuliani Dropped out of Iraq Study Group for Paid Speaking Gigs
Democracy Now!
Newsday has revealed Giuliani dropped out of the Congress-backed Iraq Study Group last year after he failed to attend a single meeting. Giulani was given an ultimatum to either show up at the sessions or step down. Both of his absent meetings conflicted with scheduled speaking appearances where he collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees.
Judge Blocks Anti-Immigrant Housing Law
Democracy Now!
A federal judge has blocked a Dallas suburb from enforcing a sweeping anti-immigration law would have barred the rental of homes to most undocumented immigrants. Landlords in Farmers Branch would have been forced to check if renters are U.S. citizens or visa-approved immigrants before giving them a lease. U.S. District Judge Sam Lindsay ruled town officials were trying to regulate immigration separately from the federal government.
Chicago Suburb Police To Take On Immigration Enforcement
Free Speech Radio News
The city council of the Chicago suburb of Waukegan has approved a measure to allow local police to enforce federal immigration laws. The plan is part of a program overseen by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Under section 287(g) of federal immigration enforcement code, ICE can provide state and local law enforcement with training and authorization to identify, process, and detain suspected immigration offenders encountered during daily law-enforcement activity. Many urban police departments have been hesitant to take on immigration enforcement duties in order to leave lines of communication open with undocumented persons.
ACLU Sues for End to Drugging Immigrants Facing Deportation
Democracy Now!
And finally, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed a class-action suit on behalf of two immigrant males who say they were drugged against their will as U.S. officials tried to deport them. One of the men is an Indonesian national seeking asylum; the other a Senegalese married to a US citizen. Both say they were forcibly injected with psychotropic drugs. The ACLU wants a judge to block all drugging of immigrants facing deportation proceedings.
Iraq/Afghanistan News
Wife of Missing Soldier Won’t Be Deported
Democracy Now!
Immigration officials have announced they won’t deport the wife of a missing U.S. soldier in Iraq who has been facing deportation. Yaderlin Jimenez entered the U.S. from the Dominican Republic without a visa in 2001. Her husband, Army Specialist Alex Jimenez, is one of the soldiers who disappeared following an attack from insurgents last month. US forces found his ID tag last week. Authorities began investigating after he made a formal request for a green card and legal residence for his wife. The Department of Homeland Security says it will stop deportation proceedings for now but will not grant Yaderlin Jimenez a green card.
Clinton Booed for Iraq Remarks
Democracy Now!
In Washington, Senator Hillary Clinton was met with a hostile audience for the second year in a row in a speech at the “Take Back America” conference. Sen. Hillary Clinton said, “The American military has done its job. Look what they accomplished. They got rid of Saddam Hussein. They gave the Iraqis a chance for free and fair elections. They gave the Iraqi government the chance to begin to demonstrate that it understood its responsibilities to make the hard political decisions necessary to give the people of Iraq a better future. So the American military has succeeded. It is the Iraqi government which has failed to make the tough decisions which are important for their own people.”
At that point boos were heard from the crowd as Clinton supporters tried to out-cheer her critics. A spokesperson for the group CodePink said Clinton’s focus on the Iraqi government amounted to blaming the victim. Clinton was booed last year when she refused to support a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq.
Thousands Rally Against Al-Qaeda, US in Najaf
Democracy Now!
Thousands of people took to the streets of Najaf in a show of unity following last week’s attack on the Askariya mosque in Samarra. Demonstrators waved Iraqi flags and Shia banners with slogans including “Death to al-Qaeda.” Marchers also called for an end to the U.S.-led crackdown on Baghdad.
U.S. Values Iraqi Life At $2,500
Democracy Now!
A new government report has raised questions over a U.S. military program to offer financial payments to Iraqis affected by the war. The report found that the military offers a maximum of $2,500 to families of Iraqis civilians killed as a result of U.S. forces. The U.S. offers the same amount of money to Iraqis if their car is destroyed because of U.S. actions.
U.S.: Only 40 Percent of Baghdad is Under Control
Democracy Now!
Last Saturday a top U.S. general admitted security forces have full control over just 40 percent of Baghdad five months after the beginning of the so-called surge. Meanwhile this week about 10,000 U.S. soldiers have launched a major offensive in Baqouba targeting alleged Al-Qaida militants.
Iraq Ranked Second Most Unstable Nation In World
Democracy Now!
A new survey by Foreign Policy Magazine has determined Iraq is the second most unstable country in the world, behind Sudan. Afghanistan was ranked eighth in the annual Failed States Index.
Iraqi Red Crescent: Internal Displacements Quadruple in ‘07
Democracy Now!
Meanwhile Iraq’s largest aid group is warning a record number of civilians, mostly women and children, are fleeing their homes to avoid worsening violence. In a new report, the Iraqi Red Crescent says the number of internal refugees has quadrupled since January. An increasing number of pregnant women are being forced to obtain illegal abortions because of a lack of available medical care.
Afghani Women Facing Increased Discrimination From Mullahs
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Runa Tareen, Afghanistan’s new minister of women’s affairs, told CanWest News Service June 19 that mullahs, or religious leaders, are encouraging a culture of treating women as “a piece of meat.” Tareen said that about half of girls in the city of Kandahar attend school now and women have a better chance of finding work outside the home, but women fare far worse in rural areas of the province.
Quarter of Afghan Children Forced to Work
Feminist Daily News Wire
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) announced Monday, June 18th, that almost one quarter of Afghan children are forced to work. Girls are more likely to be working than boys, and the problem is worst in rural areas, UNICEF says, pointing to “poverty, lack of educational opportunities, and the demand for cheap labor” as the principal conditions contributing to child labor. Additionally, the low rate of registered births in the war-torn country makes it difficult to verify a child’s actual age.
Much of child labor can be detrimental to the mental, physical, and social development of children. They are employed to cheaply perform often-dangerous labor. Employers prefer young workers, because, as Noriko Izumi, head of child protection for UNICEF in Afghanistan, points out, “Children are cheaper to employ than adults and easier to manipulate.” UNICEF is urging the Afghan government to sign and ratify two conventions of the International Labor Organization: one concerns the minimum employment age and the other addresses hazardous work.
Still, many children are forced to work because of the lack of educational opportunities. Girls’ schools in particular have been targeted by Taliban insurgents. Teachers and parents who chose to educate girls have been targeted — including a girls’ school headmaster who was murdered in her home earlier this month — as well as students. Last week, two gunmen opened fire outside a girls’ school, killing two students and wounding six others.
U.S. Air Strike Kills 7 Children in Afghanistan
Democracy Now!
In eastern Afghanistan, at least seven children have died after a U.S-led air strike blew up a compound housing a mosque and a religious school. The U.S. blamed Al Qaeda for the deaths claiming that the children had been used as human shields.
35 Die in Afghan Bus Bombing, Deadliest Attack in Kabul Since 2001
Democracy Now!
The U.S. air strike came hours after 35 people died in Kabul in a bombing aboard a bus filled with Afghan police instructors. It was the deadliest bombing in the Afghan capital since the Taliban was ousted in 2001.
NATO Airstrike Kills 25 Afghan Civilians
Democracy Now!
On Friday Democracy Now! reported that at least twenty-five civilians have been killed in a NATO airstrike in southern Afghanistan. Nine women and three infants are among the dead. Afghan police say the attack came after insurgents opened fire from civilian homes. International aid groups including the Red Cross have recently accused the US-led NATO force of ignoring measures to prevent civilian deaths.
Study: Number of Uninsured Veterans Rises
Democracy Now!
A new Harvard Medical School study shows around 1.8 million U.S. veterans lack basic health insurance or access to care. The number of uninsured veterans has increased by nearly three hundred thousand since President Bush took office in 2000.
International News
Elections Put Moroccan Women at Crossroads
Leela Jacinto
Women’s eNews
After nearly two decades of brutal political and human rights repression, commonly referred to as “the years of lead,” during the 1960s and 1970s, Morocco has seen a slow, careful democratic transition instituted by former King Hassan II at the end of his reign. Human rights in this Arab nation have been vastly improved, parliament has seen a limited increase in its powers and the former king did succeed in reaching out to political parties to bring formerly hostile organizations into government. Today, the moderate Party of Justice and Development–so far the only Moroccan Islamist party to run in elections–is widely expected to win the largest number of votes in the polls.
Nadia Yassine is a loud voice at a crossroads for women in what is widely seen as one of the most liberal countries for women in the Arab world. Many devout women see her as an Islamic feminist. The Justice and Spirituality Movement has a “women’s section” that purports to “break the trilogy of ignorance, poverty and violence that prevents women from joining the process of development.” Through a network of literacy and secret solidarity meetings, Yassine says the group teaches women, “how to be actors of history and not subjects.” This, she adds, is done in an Islamic framework since “Islam has never said that women should only be beautiful, pregnant and shut up.”
But Yassine’s track record on women’s rights is bumpy and a deep distrust still separates secular Moroccan women’s rights activists from their Islamic counterparts. “Everyone says the Islamists will win,” says Aicha Ech-Channa, founder of Feminine Solidarity, a Casablanca-based group that helps single mothers survive the social taboos placed upon them. “On behalf of democracy, they (the Islamists) may get power. But I’m scared they will withdraw women’s rights.”
In 2000, the Moroccan parliament passed landmark, liberalizing reforms to Morocco’s conservative Family Code that ushered in a new era for women’s rights. In an astute political move, the king, as the spiritual head–or “Commander of the faithful” of the Moroccan people–proclaimed the reforms were under the rubric of “ijtihad,” or an Islamic
interpretation of the scriptures. Read the entire story here.
Bush, Olmert Vow Abbas Support, Gaza Blockade
Democracy Now!
In Washington, President Bush met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Tuesday to voice support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and back the continued isolation of the Gaza Strip. Abbas dismissed the democratically-elected Hamas-led government last week after Hamas forces seized control of Gaza. The U.S. has lifted the aid embargo on the West Bank while promising to tighten the blockade on Gaza. President Bush said he hopes Abbas will lead Palestinians in a “different direction.”
Hamas Offers Ceasefire With Israel
Democracy Now!
Meanwhile a top official said Hamas would enter a ceasefire with Israel if the Israeli military halted operations in Gaza and the West Bank. The offer came as Israel launched its first attacks in Gaza since the Hamas takeover. Israeli troops killed four militants after nine rockets were fired at the Israeli border town of Sderot.
Israeli Court Limits Entry of Wounded Gaza Residents
Democracy Now!
However, Israel’s High Court has rejected a motion for immediate entry of all Gaza residents in need of life-saving medical attention. Israel has allowed at least thirty-five Palestinians but some twenty-five remain stranded at Gaza’s crossing with Israel. Sari Bashi of the Israeli human rights group Gisha urged the Israeli government to allow them entry. “Since Thursday Israel has closed the borders of Gaza, no one can leave. These are patients who if the they don’t enter Israeli hospitals immediately their life is threatened. Because Israel continues to exercise control over Gaza’s borders it has an obligation to let patients receive life-saving treatment outside of Gaza.”
Report: Israel Planning Invasion of Gaza
Democracy Now!
Meanwhile the Times of London reports Israel’s new defense minister Ehud Barak is considering an attack on Gaza to crush Hamas. Citing unnamed Israeli military sources, the paper says Israel has drawn up plans to send 20,000 troops into Gaza within weeks if Hamas resumes attacks against Israel.
Carter: US-led Boycott of Palestinians “Criminal”
Democracy Now!
Former President Jimmy Carter has weighed in on the Bush administration’s role in the current crisis. Speaking in Ireland, Carter said the US, Israel and the European Union are trying to divide the Palestinian people. Carter also called the administration’s refusal to accept Hamas’ election win last year “criminal.” He said: “The United States and Israel decided to punish all the people in Palestine and did everything they could to deter a compromise between Hamas and Fatah.”
Sub-Sahara Africa to Fall Short in Meeting UN’s Millennium Development Goals
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Not a single country in sub-Saharan Africa is on target to meet the United Nations’ eight millennium development goals intended to reduce poverty and improve health, education and women’s status worldwide by 2015. The number of sub-Saharan Africans living on $1 a day has declined almost 5 percent since 1999, but AIDS deaths continue to mount, reaching 2 million in 2006. A woman in Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in childbirth or from complications in pregnancy, compared to the 1 in 3,800 chance in developed countries.
Oxfam Pulls Out of Darfur’s Largest Refugee Camp
Democracy Now!
The international aid group Oxfam has announced it’s pulling out of the largest refugee camp in Darfur. Oxfam says local authorities in Gereida have failed to prevent violence against aid workers. Gereida is under control of the Sudan Liberation Movement, which signed a peace agreement last year.
Ugandan Adultery Law Curbs Effects of Polygamy
Anna S. Sussman
Women’s ENews
Uganda’s Supreme Court recently nullified a law that made adultery criminal for women, but not men. The constitutional case also strengthened women’s rights on divorce and inheritance. In April, the Kampala-based group of women’s rights advocates, Law and Advocacy for Women in Uganda, brought a case before the Ugandan Supreme Court arguing that the 1995 national constitution ensures equal protection under the law. The court agreed and struck down criminal adultery, a profound victory for women’s rights here. Now, husbands and wives are equal before the laws of adultery. Sort of. While the laws now apply equally–adultery is decriminalized for both sexes–the real life consequences of adultery for women and men remain gravely different. Across Uganda, where polygamy for men is legal, adultery committed by husbands is widely tolerated (nearly 100 percent of men have done so), while adultery committed by wives results in shame and stigma, says Irene Mulyagonja, a family law lawyer in Kampala.
The ruling stirred plenty of outcry in this largely Christian East African nation. Many church-based groups argued that it promoted immorality, promiscuity and Western decadence. The decision headlined both of the country’s major newspapers and was followed for weeks with letters to the editor decrying it as the destruction of marriage and the decline of a morally upright culture. Until the adultery law was struck down, husbands estranged from their wives were permitted to have new relationships. But women would live alone for years or risk arrest if they saw other men, says Mulyagonja. Many of her clients charged with criminal adultery were estranged from their husbands and had lived apart for many years. Still, they were arrested and brought to court for their new relationships.
The demise of the criminal adultery law will also make divorces easier to obtain. Before the ruling, wives wishing to divorce their husbands had to prove adultery plus cruelty and desertion, while men had only to prove adultery. Now adultery is sufficient grounds for either party. “There are implications here for HIV-AIDS,” says Mulyagonja. “Before, a wife could not divorce her husband solely on the grounds of adultery. She was forced to endure whatever diseases he brought home. Now she is empowered to leave him when he sleeps around.” Embedded in the adultery ruling were a number of other decisions pertaining to inheritance. Laws that gave widowers the right to 100 percent of deceased wives’ property and widows only 15 percent were also nullified, as were laws that gave a deceased husband’s family full rights to a widow’s children. As of yet, no new succession laws have been drafted to replace them. Read the entire story here.
Nigerian Army Re-Takes Oil Platform; 15 Dead
Sam Olukoya
Free Speech Radio News
The Nigerian military said twelve suspected militants, two civilians, and a soldier died in the operation to recover an oil platform owned by the Italian oil company, Agip. A militant group in the region took over the facility on Sunday, June 17th, and had held 28 people hostage ever since. Most of the hostages were oil workers. The militants said their occupation of the facility was in response to the killing last week of eight local people by soldiers guarding the oil platform. Violence has been on the rise in the Niger Delta as local militants angry at the disproportionate distribution of wealth in the oil rich region and to intensify their campaign against private, foreign oil companies. Nigeria’s new president, Umaru Yar’Adua says one of his priorities is to peacefully end the crisis in the Niger Delta, but the use of military force to secure the oil platform may only escalate the situation.
Nightime Curfew For Mogadishu
Abdurrahman Warsameh
Free Speech Radio News
Somalia’s National Security Commission announced Thursday that a curfew will take effect in Mogadishu from 7 PM to 5 AM starting Friday night. Anyone seen on the streets will be subject to arrest. The aim of the curfew is to curb growing insurgent activity; the security situation in the capital remains unstable. A recent upsurge in bombings has killed civilians, Somali security forces, and foreign troops and gun battles are A daily occurrence. Regardless, many people in the capital say that the curfew is too restrictive and will prevent Muslims from attending obligatory late evening and early morning prayers. Officials did not say how long the curfew will remain in effect.
South Koreans Protest US Trade Deal
Democracy Now!
In South Korea, thousands of South Korean farmers gathered in Seoul Wednesday to protest a pending trade agreement with the United States. American negotiators went to South Korea to revise the deal according to environmental and labor standards in last month’s bi-partisan trade pact. Park Eui-Kyu of the Korea Advanced Farmers Federation said, “Free trade with the United States is like robbing our right to live. We will have no place to live after the free trade. We’re protesting to get our right to live back.”
New Anti-Rape Law in Thailand
Feminist Daily News Wire
The National Legislative Assembly of Thailand approved a new law last week that criminalizes marital rape. Previously, rape law could not be used to prosecute a husband who forced sex on his wife. This new law carries a monetary fine (40,000 baht, or $1,156) and up to 20 years in jail for offenders.
In addition, the definition of “victim” has been expanded so that man, too, can file rape charges against a woman or another man. This expansion has been applauded as a breakthrough by gay rights activists who have struggled to obtain rights and protection for gays, lesbians, and cross-dressers who are often targeted violently.
Gender and gay rights activists admit that although the new law is a significant first step, it will take many more changes — both social and political — before rape victims will be able to speak out freely. The fear of being rejected by the justice system and society is still very real, as is the fear of suffering further violence at the hands of aggressors determined to keep victims silent.
Indigenous Australians React to Officer Acquittal
Erica Vowles
Free Speech Radio News
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has announced a crackdown on remote indigenous communities, allegedly in response to a report on widespread sexual abuse of children. The government plans to limit welfare payments and override Northern Territory laws in order to ban alcohol and pornography. Meanwhile, many indigenous communities are reeling from this week’s acquittal of Australian police officer Chris Hurley, the first officer to go to trial over the death of an Aboriginal person in custody. Some are urging the victim’s family to take civil action, while the Indigenous community prepares to protest ongoing Aboriginal deaths in custody. Listen to the rest of this story here.
France Gets First Female Finance Minister
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
President Nicolas Sarkozy has appointed France’s first female finance minister in a cabinet reshuffle. Christine Lagarde, who spent 20 years in the United States, was head of the Chicago law firm Baker and McKenzie. Sarkozy named seven other women to the 16-member cabinet, fulfilling a campaign promise.
Black Women Face Little Representation in Latin America, Caribbean
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Fewer than 50 black women hold high-level, decision-making political positions in Latin America and the Caribbean, but over 75 million black women live in the region. Over 90 percent of Latin American people of African descent live in poverty and only have access to the lowest-paying jobs.
Doctors Oppose Gender Testing Kits
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Canadian obstetricians strongly condemned the use of gender testing kits for selective abortions. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada says early tests could be used by parents to decide whether to maintain the pregnancy or abort the fetus based on its gender, calling the practice unhealthy, discriminatory and unethical. Some prenatal tests can determine the sex of a fetus as early as five weeks.
Cuba’s First Lady Dies at Age 77
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Cuba’s ‘first lady’ Vilma Espin Guillois, founder and president of the Federation of Cuban Women for more than four decades, died June 18 at age 77 of an undisclosed illness. Espin, Fidel Castro’s sister-in-law, was a combatant of the Rebel Army alongside the Castro brothers during the Cuban revolution and held government positions in the Communist Party until 1991. Espin united Cuban women’s organizations to fight for full equality for women; today, more than 85 percent of females in Cuba are members of her federation. “Her name will be eternally bound up with most significant victories of Cuban women in the revolution and the most prominent strugglers for the emancipation of women in our country and in the world,” said a government statement following news of her death.
Reproductive Rights
Planned Parenthood Criticizes FOX and CBS Networks for Refusing to Broadcast Condom Ad
Planned Parenthood
In response to news reports on Monday that the FOX and CBS television networks have refused to broadcast condom advertisements, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), the nation’s leading reproductive health care advocate and provider, is calling on FOX, CBS and the other major networks to use their influence to promote responsible decision making, like using condoms to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Planned Parenthood is mobilizing activists nationwide to write to FOX and CBS demanding air time for messages that educate the public about safer sex and responsible choices. “For years, FOX and CBS have been taking sex to the bank. They have a responsibility to promote good public health practices, including using condoms to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections,” PPFA President Cecile Richards said. “It is the height of hypocrisy that FOX and CBS broadcast sex-saturated programming, but refuse to show condom ads.”
Television today is dominated by sexual content. In 2005, 70 percent of all shows and 77 percent of prime-time shows contained sexual content. FOX and CBS shows are no exception. Over the past several years, FOX has aired shows like Temptation Island, Paradise Hotel and The O.C. — a teen-targeted show that broadcast an average of 6.7 sex scenes an hour. The CBS network aired the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. In Monday’s New York Times, a FOX Television spokesperson claimed the network’s decision was based on its belief that condom ads “must stress health-related issues rather than the prevention of pregnancy.” Contrary to such claims, preventing unintended pregnancy is a major public health issue. Approximately half of all pregnancies in the United States are unintended. This year, more than 750,000 teens will become pregnant and four million will contract a sexually transmitted infection.
“When it comes to public health and preventing unintended pregnancy, major networks like FOX and CBS should be leading the charge to promote healthy behavior,” added Richards. “As the leading provider of reproductive health care, Planned Parenthood knows that, for sexually active people, condoms are the best way to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.” For sexually active people, condoms are an affordable birth control option, providing significant protection against unintended pregnancy. They also offer the best risk reduction for sexually transmitted infections among sexually active women and men.
Physicians to Sue to Block Law Allowing Midwifery in Missouri
Jacqueline Lee & Nouhad Moawad
Women’s ENews
Physicians’ groups say they will sue to block a new law allowing midwives to deliver babies in homes. The Missouri State Medical Association said midwifery is unsafe and fraught with liability problems. Previously, certified nurses could deliver babies at home, but only with a doctor present.
Kopp Sentenced to Life Plus 10 in Federal Court for Abortion Provider’s Murder
Feminist Daily News Wire
Anti-abortion extremist James Kopp was sentenced on Tuesday to a life term plus 10 years in prison by a federal judge. Kopp, who had already been convicted in a state court in 2003 of assassinating Dr. Barnett A. Slepian, an abortion provider, was found guilty of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Kopp’s violation of the FACE Act drew the life term; the additional 10 years were for using a firearm in a crime of violence.
“You served as prosecutor, judge, jury, and executioner,” US District Judge Richard J. Arcara told Kopp during the sentencing, the Buffalo News reports. “You decided that you know better than any law.”
In October 1998, Kopp, known as “Atomic Dog” in anti-abortion extremist circles, hid in the woods outside of Dr. Slepian’s house, shooting and killing Dr. Slepian through his kitchen window. Before his arrest by authorities in 2001, Kopp fled the country, hiding in Mexico, Ireland, and France. He is currently a suspect in four other non-fatal shootings of abortion providers and has been charged with the 1995 attempted murder of a doctor in Ontario, Canada.
Other Health/Environmental News
EPA Proposes Rule Change On Smog Levels
Free Speech Radio News
The Environmental Protection Agency has announced plans to revise rules regarding smog levels. The announcement comes after agency studies indicated that current standards are too lax to sufficiently protect public health. The public has ninety days to comment. Some environmentalists have criticized opening the rule change to public comment, saying that it leaves open the possibility for maintaining a status quo that the government’s own data has found to be unhealthy.
China Now Top Polluter
Free Speech Radio News
China has surpassed the United States in CO2 emissions, making it the world’s number one polluter. This, according to a report released Wednesday in the Netherlands. The report sites the increased use of fossil fuels and China’s cement production industry as the main causes for the increase. While overall CO2 levels are greater in China, Americans still emit four times more greenhouse gases per capita than their Chinese counterparts.
Michael Moore Stops in Denver for “SiCKO” Special Screening & Rally for Universal Healthcare
Feisty Aphrodite
Michael Moore led a rally on the capitol steps in Denver before a special screening of his new movie entitled “SiCKO.” 500 people convened to listen to Moore and other speakers rallying for universal healthcare here in America (and Colorado) as they shared their own personal horror stories while laying out the plans of attack in battling the broken system. The rally was co-sponsored by seven local organizations that included Health Care for All Colorado, Progressive Democrats of America, Colorado Consumer Health Initiative, Colorado Nurses Association, ProgressNow, The Wellness Initiative and the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. Currently a bill entitled HR-676, or The United States National Healthcare Insurance Act, has been introduced to Congress that would allow a “Medicare for all” model of health care for every U.S. citizen. Everyone is being encouraged to contact their members of Congress to tell them to support this bill and to see who has already supported HR-676 or to read the bill itself go to the article on our website. There we have also posted the first six minutes of Moore’s speech, along with the movie trailer for “SiCKO” in case some of you may not have heard about it yet.
LGBTI News
Semper Fi: LGBT Vets
Aaron Glantz
Free Speech Radio News
The drive to lift the ban on gays and lesbians serving openly in the military received a boost this week when Maine’s two Republican Senators said they thought it was time to reconsider the Pentagon’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Criticism of the policy is growing, especially after the Service members Legal Defense and Education Fund revealed this spring the Pentagon has dismissed 59 Arabic linguists since 1993. All told, more than 10,000 gay and lesbian service members have been kicked out of the military since then-President Bill Clinton implemented the policy 14 years ago. Listen to the rest of this story here.
Exhibit Examines History Of Gay Vets
365GayDotCom
Leonard Matlovich’s medals, uniform and other personal effects make up the centerpiece of “Out Ranks,” a new exhibit that documents the tortured relationship between gay troops and the U.S. military from World War II to the present. Matlovich, who died in 1988, was a decorated Air Force sergeant who came out to his commanding officer a month before the fall of Saigon, hoping to challenge the government’s ban on gay service members. In 1975, the idea of an openly gay combat veteran was incongruous enough to land him on the cover of Time magazine. The epitaph he chose to mark his grave is still as fresh as today’s headlines: “When I was in the military they gave me a medal for killing two men and a discharge for loving one.”
The goal of the show is to illustrate that gays have always served their country, often with honor and always under the threat of dishonorable discharge. It opened at the GLBT Historical Society on June 14, Flag Day, as momentum builds in Congress for repealing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy adopted under President Bill Clinton. Through memorabilia, government documents and oral histories, the exhibit traces the evolution of public policies on gays in the military. A panel on World War II, for instance, features an article on the psychiatric evaluations used to screen out suspected homosexuals, along with the blue dishonorable discharge papers given to an effete-looking soldier who spent his last days in the Army in a hospital psych ward.
More contemporary examples include a section from the current Uniform Code of Military Justice explaining that oral and anal sex, even among consenting adults of opposite genders, can be considered grounds for a court martial. The show also reflects the lives of individual soldiers and sailors who, even more than most, had to give up their personal identities when they put on uniforms - from a brigadier general who did not come out until after his retirement to lesbians who found a sense of belonging in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II. Read the entire story here.
Hate Charges Dropped In High School Anti-Gay Flier Case
by 365GayDotCom
In Illinois, under a plea agreement with prosecutors hate crime charges have been dropped against a 16-year-old girl in return for guilty pleas of disorderly conduct and resisting a peace officer. The charges stemmed from anti-gay fliers distributed at Crystal Lake South High School last month. The fliers were found scattered around the parking lot of Crystal Lake South High School. The leaflets contained a picture of a male student and stated “God hates fags,” authorities said.
The girl, who is not being named because of her age, will be sentenced August 15. The court has a wide range of sentencing option, ranging from court supervision to detention in the state’s juvenile corrections system. Prosecutor Thomas Carroll said that even though he agreed to drop the hate crime charge filing it had been justified. “We think the conduct was clearly inappropriate, clearly offensive and done with the intent to alarm and disturb, Carroll told the Daily Herald. “The defendant has admitted as much by her plea.” The girl’s classmate, also 16, is scheduled to appear in court on June 26. Her lawyers have filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the charge as an infringement on the girl’s free-speech rights. Read the entire story here.
New York Assembly Approves Same-Sex Marriage Legislation
Anthony Cuesta
GayWiredDotCom
Gay rights advocates in New York celebrated what they called a watershed victory Tuesday as the state Assembly approved legislation to legalize same-sex marriage with an 85-61 vote. Sponsored by the openly gay brother of entertainer Rosie O’Donnell and supported by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, the approval came after an often emotional three-hour debate. According to the Associated Press, despite the victory for supporters of the legislation, the bill is not expected to be acted on any time soon in the Republican-led state Senate. With Governor Spitzer, a Democrat, strongly in favor of legalizing gay marriage, the battle now shifts to the Senate, which has leaned leftward on a number of social issues in recent years but has shown little indication that it intends to follow the Assembly’s lead. Even if Democrats take control of the Senate, which has a slim Republican majority, gay rights advocates say it could take years before a gay marriage bill arrives on the governor’s desk. Read the entire article here.
California Supreme Court Wants Answers On Gay Marriage
365GayDotCom
The California Supreme Court has asked both sides in a lawsuit over same-sex marriage for more information on their positions. The Justices on Wednesday asked lawyers for gay and lesbian couples seeking the right to marry and the state which wants to maintain the status quo to answer three questions the court felt were unanswered in briefs submitted earlier this year.
First, the court asked for a detailed description of the differences between the legal rights accorded by domestic partnerships and those of marriage under California law. California has one of the nation’s most inclusive domestic partner laws providing many of the rights of marriage, but not all. The second question asked for the lawyers’ positions on what marriage rights, if any are enshrined in California’s constitution. The question is important because only a constitutional amendment could alter those - not the legislature nor a voter initiative.
That question led to the third, involving Proposition 22, an initiative passed by voters in 2000. “Do the terms ‘marriage’ or ‘marry’ themselves have constitutional significance under the California constitution,” the court asked. Opponents of same-sex marriage say Prop 22 amounts to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage but which LGBT rights groups maintain only bars the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed outside California. The court told the two sides to file their supplemental briefs answering the questions by July 18. Read the entire story here.
Japan: Lesbian Politician Speaks with Foreign Journalists
GayWiredDotCom
Kanako Otsuji, Japan’s first openly lesbian politician, who is running in the upcoming Upper House election, has spoken about the motivation to decide to run – and the process of getting an official party endorsement. Speaking at a press conference in the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan this week, she outlined the difficult situation faced in Japan by the LGBT community. While the Japanese media has paid attention almost only to Otsuji’s sexuality, foreign journalists are more interested in her campaign in itself as, if elected, she will be the first openly LGBT politician in parliament, which they think would accelerate Japan’s movement for LGBT equality. Foreign correspondents are also paying attention to society in the country, wondering whether Japanese people would accept a lesbian politician and LGBT issues as a political matter. She emphasized the importance of bias-free education and the need to establish anti-discrimination law, including gay and lesbian civil partnership act. After the conference, Otsuji told GayJapanNews that she is happy that foreign media has been paying attention to her campaign. She added she wanted to appeal to Japanese media that LGBT issues are political and rights issues.
In a question-and-answer session after her speech, Otsuji was asked about her chances of winning in the election. She said that if LGBT people voted for her, she would get the 150,000 votes and secure her victory in the proportional representation ballot, pointing out that the voices of the LGBT community are not heard in Japanese politics. Elsewhere, ‘out’ LGBT politicians are not rare. In the US Congress, Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin are totally open about their sexuality. According to Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, there are about 300 openly LGBT politicians in the U.S. Read the entire story here.
Nurses Call for End to Homophobia and Heterosexism in Health Care
GayWiredDotCom
As Toronto’s Pride Week marks a series of events across the province to celebrate diverse sexual and gender identities, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) is calling on nurses and health-care organizations to eliminate discriminatory attitudes and practices which create barriers to inclusive and appropriate health care. On Friday, RNAO released a position statement entitled “Respecting Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” to address homophobia and heterosexism in the health-care system which can limit access to health-care services and compromise health. Up to 1.25 million people in Ontario identify themselves as members of gender or sexual minority communities. A Health Canada survey found that the rates of unmet health-care needs among gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people were nearly double those of heterosexuals. Read the entire story here.
Man Armed with Bomb Detained at Jerusalem Gay Pride
Anthony Cuesta
GayWiredDotCom
An Orthodox Jewish man armed with a homemade bomb was detained by Israeli police Thursday just before Jerusalem’s gay pride demonstration. “Police stopped a 32-year-old religious Jew who was carrying a home-made explosive device,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, reports Reuters. According to Reuters, the event ended without major incident, but in all, 23 people were arrested in connection with protests against the march. Police officers far outnumbered the celebration’s marchers—7,000 to 2,000—and were deployed inside and around Jerusalem to protect marchers from threats of violence made by conservative Jews. Read the entire story here.
Media News
Media should give fair and adequate coverage for women
Southern African News Features
A gender minister has challenged Southern African Development Community (SADC) journalists to give women fair and adequate media coverage and thus contribute to the achievement of gender commitments in the region. She urged that, where progress has been made, this should be highlighted in the media to “motivate those who are working hard to make a change in people’s lives.” The Honorable Oppah Muchinguri, the Minister of Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development in Zimbabwe, made this appeal when opening a workshop of SADC journalists on Strengthening Media Capacity to Report on Gender Commitments in SADC. She also took the opportunity to commend the media in Zimbabwe for the supportive role they played during the campaign for the Domestic Violence Act, urging them to continue to play a role to ensure that the objectives of the Domestic Violence Act are realised. Read the entire story here.
Bi-Partisan Push for Low-Power FM
Free Speech Radio News
Representatives Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania and Lee Terry of Nebraska have introduced legislation to create hundreds of low power FM stations in urban areas across the U.S. LPFMs are non-commercial community radio stations with a limited broadcast range. Congress approved legislation in 2000 to allow the Federal Communications Commission to issue LPFM licenses. A rule added to that bill limited the licenses to rural area after large broadcasters raised concerns that the small stations would encroach on their signals. Government-funded studies have since proven otherwise. Independent music label owner, Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, says large stations should not oppose the LPFM legislation for fear of losing their market share: (sound) “I think it’ll help the larger stations as well because what’s happening is the people are just no listening to the radio as much as they should because they don’t find anything there for them. And I think when they find it to be a source of community information again and a source of a diversity of voices and they can hear themselves in that source, then they will start listening again and it will protect radio for the future and help keep it healthy.” Senators Maria Cantwell and John McCain have also introduced a companion bill in the upper house of Congress. The Local Community Radio Act of 2007 will allow the FCC to expand LPFM licenses to cities and towns.
This Week’s Featured Feisty Aphrodite
This week’s Feisty Aphrodite is the feminist activist group known as the Guerrilla Girls. In 1985 the group was formed by women artists who were tired of the blatant sexism of the art industry and decided to take action by adopting the names of dead artists as their aliases while concealing their faces with guerrilla masks. The outcome was the birth of one of the most creative and effective feminist media activist groups that that continues today to take the world by storm. But I will not try to sum them up in one skimpy little paragraph, for their own words do them much greater justice (the following is from their website):
We’re feminist masked avengers in the tradition of anonymous do-gooders like Robin Hood, Wonder Woman and Batman. How do we expose sexism, racism and corruption in politics, art, film and pop culture? With facts, humor and outrageous visuals. We reveal the understory, the subtext, the overlooked, the and the downright unfair….Our work has been passed around the world by our tireless supporters. In the last few years, we’ve appeared at over 90 universities and museums, as well as in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, Bitch, and Artforum; on NPR, the BBC and CBC; and in many art and feminist texts. We are authors of stickers, billboards, many, many posters and other projects, and several books including The Guerrilla Girls’ Bedside Companion to the History of Western Art and Bitches, Bimbos and Ballbreakers: The Guerrilla Girls’ Guide to Female Stereotypes. We’re part of Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women Campaign in the UK; we’re brainstorming with Greenpeace. In 2006, we unveiled our latest anti-film industry billboard in Hollywood just in time for the Oscars, and created large scale projects for Istanbul and Mexico City. In 2007 we dissed the Museum of Modern Art at its own Feminist Futures Symposium, examined the museums of Washington DC in a full page in the Washington Post, and exhibited large-scale posters and banners in Athens and Bilbao. WHAT’S NEXT? More creative complaining! More facts, humor and fake fur! More appearances, actions and artworks. We could be anyone; we are everywhere.
Make sure to check out their website and you can also watch a lecture they gave at the Feminist Future Symposium on our site by clicking here.
