Coming from a college town, I’ve encountered my fair share of guys who think it’s just A-OK to yell out their car windows, across the street, and from their porches at me about my appearance. As a freshman, I took it to be a minor annoyance, but as my super awesome women’s studies education continued, I was able to call it for what it was - a way for them to be able to make perfectly clear to me that they had the right to pass judgment on my appearance.

This led to me responding in ways that, looking back, may not have been the most safe, or the most intelligent, but I won’t deny the utter thrill I got when I flipped them off, or screamed back and saw their total look of surprise. Like, “Uh, what? She doesn’t just LOVE it when we yell at her from our car?” or “She actually had the nerve to respond?” I mean, I’ll be honest. It totally pleased me.

Now CNN’s got this story out, and the title says it all “Catcalling: creepy or a compliment?” I’m not really entirely sure on what planet having some random dude yelling at you about how sexy you are, or how hot, or how he would just love to take you home and [fill in the blank] is complimentary. But okay, whatever, I guess this is in the name of objectivity.

One of the quotes in the article is from a woman who is a health-care educator in LA:

“Yeah, it’s objectifying and all, but you know, if I walked down the street and didn’t have men looking me up and down and catcalling, I’d think, ‘Boy, I must really be getting old and dumpy,’ ” she said.

She’s gotten catcalls just walking her parents’ dog in baggy sweats. “I thought it was hysterical, like, ‘Boy, doesn’t take much to impress you, does it?’”

Trust me. They aren’t impressed. They aren’t so taken away by your beauty that they absolutely cannot control themselves. It’s not about what you’re wearing, or about what you’re NOT wearing. It’s about power, plain and simple. And I don’t buy the reason the article gave me about why they do it - “A lot of men have no idea that women don’t like being talked to in this way,”. Uh, what? You mean guys have no clue that women don’t like being treated like body parts rather than a whole person? They think that yelling something like “Shit girl, I’d love to be inside you!” is complimentary? (And yes, I personally heard that one when walking to the bar one night.) Bullshit. I’m pretty sure they know.

“I’m thrilled that the California supreme court overturned the ban on gay marriage. I can’t wait to get married. We all deserve the same rights, and I believe that someday we’ll look back on this and not allowing gays to marry will seem as absurd as not allowing women to vote.

P.S. I’m registered at Crate & Barrel.”
– Ellen DeGeneres

Thanks to the California Supreme Court decision Ellen and Portia are finally able to tie the knot! Ellen will announce the joyous decision on her show today. With recent violence against gays in California this is one step closer to justice, equality, and human dignity for all.

Here are some other quotes (yanked from Perez Hilton which were yanked from The Advocate) about the decision:

T.R. Knight:
Our ‘certain inalienable rights’ are protected today. It makes me proud to live in a country that works to correct its sins.”

Melissa Etheridge:
“I feel they have made an honest woman of me. What a wonderful blessing for us and the gay community. We’re moving forward. It makes me feel happy for the whole human race that we are finally getting out of our differences and coming together and we are putting this all behind us. It really is going to be the thing that we talk to our kids and our grandkids and say, ‘That was the olden days — wasn’t that ridiculous?’”

Marc Jacobs:
“Who to love and how to love should be up to the individual or the couple. Enough said!”

Margaret Cho:
“I am overwhelmed. I can’t believe it. I am so thrilled. I am proud of my home state of California and so happy for all the soon-to-be-married gay and lesbian couples!!”

This is joyous news! California just became the second state (following Massachusetts) in the union to allow same-sex marriages. The state’s supreme court overturned a sixty-year ban that prohibited homosexuals from tying the knot. The decision will become effective in thirty days (fingers crossed), assuming the court doesn’t grant a stay.

This landmark decision represents a huge step forward, and not just for the LGBTQ community; personally I believe that LGBTQ rights and reproductive rights have much in common. In both instances, our rights are being infringed or restricted by a patriarchal government. Whether it is by restricting a woman’s access to birth control or preventing two women from getting married, the key is control, namely preventing us from controlling our own bodies and lives. Way to be California, for trusting your citizens to make the decisions that are best for their families!

This is a strange little news piece I stumbled across. Apparently a high school in Texas wants to ban a German text book because there are some naked ladies in the background of one photo. Heaven forbid we teach our kids about other cultures that don’t have an eerily repressive view of sexuality!

There was so much uproar from parents who are upset that their kids saw a tiny image of… what? a nipple? maybe the mons pubis? that the school board is considering banning the book. If they decide to keep the German texts in circulation, they will cover the offending photos with stickers in order to censor the naughty bits. Seriously.

There are so many problems with this bizarre little piece, I don’t even know where to begin! A few thoughts:

1. If any of these Texan high school students haven’t seen a naked woman (at least in pictures), we should be worried. The human body is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about- especially naked women.
2. What kind of message is this sending to female students? That their bodies are dirty and should be hidden. There’s a healthy message for today’s young women!
3. Do parents and school officials really believe that this tiny little text book photo is going to inspire their teens to go out and have lots of unprotected sex? I think the repercussions of censoring this image are far less healthy than allowing teen-aged people to see some side boob.
4. When a class of German students discovered the image in class, they began giggling uncomfortably. Methinks the school board should be worrying more about health class (read: comprehensive sex education) and less about German class.

Via Jezebel
*Cross-posted on Progressive Straight Talk

FINALLY a normal sized woman wins the competition.

While she may need a little tact… she still has some amazing things to say:
“I represent a healthy American woman, which should be the ideal American woman.”

I’m happy someone of a normal size, a healthy body image, and a lot of confidence won! Congratulations Whitney!

Starting next year across the country, rape victims can undergo an anonymous emergency-room forensic rap exam (using “Jane Doe rape kits”) and the evidence will be stored in case they decide to press charges.

The new federal requirement that states pay for “Jane Doe rape kits” is aimed at removing one of the biggest obstacles to prosecuting rape cases: Some women are so traumatized they don’t come forward until it is too late to collect hair, semen or other samples.

Beginning in 2009, states will have to pay for Jane Doe rape kits to continue receiving funding under the federal Violence Against Women Act, which provides tax dollars for women’s shelters and law enforcement training. States will decide how many locations will offer anonymous rape exams and how long the evidence should be kept.

Currently victims of rape have to cover the cost of the $800 forensic rape exam unless the victim files a police report. “According to the U.S. Justice Department, 272,350 sexual assaults were reported in 2006. The same survey estimated that only 41 percent of rapes and other sexual assaults are reported to police.” This is a big step and long overdue.

Thanks Feministing for the link.

Hannah weighs in:
It’s pretty much equal to “would i be born if my mom had never ________” which could have led to a totally different set of choices for her or “would i be born if my mom didn’t choose to attend ___ college where she met my dad.”

Maybe not, but it didn’t happen, so there’s almost no point in asking because you’ll never know.

It has been a long run and it looks like the MP’s in England are going to decide on the embryology and fertilization bill. The Guardian polled 109 decision makers regarding the push to lower the limit of 24 weeks to 20.

The Guardian asked about four aspects of the bill:
1. Should the age limit for abortion be reduced?
2. Should creation of hybrid human/animal embryos be allowed?
3. Should there be a provision of IVF treatment for lesbian couples?
4. Should restrictions for the creation of “savior siblings” in order to allow people to provide matched tissue for children with genetic diseases?

Those interviewed were from a mixture of parties. On abortion issue, majority in favor of not changing the 24-week limit. 57 were against changing the limit. 56 MPs were in favor of removing father figure wording in IVF bill allowing lesbian couples to receive IVF treatments.

Trojan Condoms is doing this really awesome campaign called the Trojan Evolve Tour, “Raising awareness and stimulating dialogue about America’s Sexual Health in towns and campuses across the country.”

As a refreshing (and life-saving, might I add) alternative to “virginity pledges” , Trojan is offering a different kind of pledge; one that empowers people to live a sexually healthy lifestyle through embracing and advocating for the use of condoms.

As if a pledge isn’t cool enough, you can also sign this petition, which will be shared with media, educators and policymakers to demonstrate support for having access to fact-based information about condoms and sexual health:

I want America to be a more sexually healthy nation. I believe that for our nation’s sexual health to evolve, our attitudes, communications and policies regarding sex and sexual health need to be more open, positive and fact based. Therefore, I petition for greater access to sexual health information, options, services and products such as condoms. This includes comprehensive sex education in schools. It is not only our right, it’s a necessity for making informed, important life decisions. I want America to evolve.

Oh my god, I want America to evolve too!

While the images in this video warrant an entirely different conversation around race, the lyrics of “A-tisket, A-tasket” are compelling to me as well.

We are living in a world where human eggs are becoming a commodity.

“She took my yellow basket
And if she doesn’t bring it back
I think that I shall die”

A new fertility test wants to help you get an accurate read of how many eggs you’ve got left in your basket. Bonaventura came out with a new test, that according to PlanAhead’s website will help you with your future family planning.

One thing’s for certain, your biological clock is ticking and you can’t turn it back. But you can begin to understand more about your body’s ability to conceive a child. One key component to your ability to conceive is the quantity of eggs remaining in your ovaries. The common medical term for this is your ovarian reserve.

Uhm, right so does that language make anyone feel a little panicky? While it is great that this technology exists and allows women to decide when they want to become mothers and allows women to take hold of their own fertility what about creating an equivalent for men?

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the market. Who can afford it? Will insurance cover it? What will this mean for the fertility industry and the worth they are already putting on women able to conceive?