Today’s Lady News
Women In The News, Women's Issues, Feminism & More
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Wednesday March 17th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Exotic dancer Quansa Thompson is suing her former employer, a D.C. strip club called The House, for unpaid wages under the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Thompson says the club only paid dancers $20 per day and they are allowed to keep whatever was left of their tips after giving the DJ and bartender a share. Plus, dancers had to pay the owner $80 for missing a shift, even if they were sick. After missing work one day, Thompson said she was banned from the club when she spoke to a union and threatened to sue her boss. Her lawyer says the strip club gets away with it by classifying dancers as independent contractors and said their practices amount to “exploitation.” [Washington Post]
- Remember we told you about a store selling black Barbie dolls on sale while white Barbie dolls were full price? The Root imagines what the discount black Barbie would say if she could talk. [The Root]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Tuesday March 16th 2010 Filed in:
news
- A British expat has been acknowledged as the world’s first “gender-less” person — on paper, at least. Norrie May-Welby, 48, of Australia, was born a man but had a sex change operation at age 28. These days May-Welby prefers to be called a “neuter” and the British birth certificate does not officially acknowledge a gender. “The concepts of man or woman don’t fit me,” May-Welby said. “The simplest solution is not to have any sex identification.” [Telegraph UK]
- Anti-abortion protesters have arrived at spring break in West Palm Beach, Florida. Personhood FL Spring Break Tour 2010 has parked two “truth trucks,” showing photographs of aborted fetuses, in Port St. Lucie today. It is still headed to Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and other cities. [TCpalm.com]
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About Today’s Lady News
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Monday March 15th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications company in Europe, said it will double its number of female managers in the next five years by establishing a quota. The company plans to increase the number of women in middle- and upper-management from 12 percent today to 30 percent in 2015. [New York Times]
- As a lesbian in the military, Jene Newsome of South Dakota abided by the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. But when police arrived at her home with an arrest warrant for her partner and found a marriage certificate on Newsome’s kitchen table (the couple had married in Iowa, where same-sex marriage is legal), they informed the military and the 28-year-old Air Force sergeant was honorably discharged. [Essence]
- A reader of The Sexist snapped a pic of an anti-binge drinking sign at the University of Waterloo in Ontario that warns you shouldn’t drink too much because you might “get raped.” Uh, last time I checked, you don’t “get raped”; rapists rape you. [The Sexist]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Friday March 12th 2010 Filed in:
news
- In a historic move, Natalie Randolph, 29, a teacher at Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C., was introduced as the school’s head football coach this morning. As a former women’s professional football player, Randolph was a wide receiver for the D.C. Divas team. In 1985 a woman was named head football coach for a different D.C. high school, but was removed from the position one day later. [CNN]
- Four women, including superstar Danica Patrick, will be racing this weekend in Sao Paulo, Brazil. This will be the first time ever that four women have started an IndyCar Series race. [USA Today]
- A study of over 46,000 has found that women who took birth control pills beginning in the late 1960s lived longer than women who never went on the pill; the pill also, apparently, cut the risk of death from bowel cancer by almost 40 percent. [AP]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Thursday March 11th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Sara Hurwitz made history last month when she was made the first Orthodox “rabba,” or female rabbi. After complaints from others in the Orthodox Jewish community, the rabbi who ordained her, Rabbi Avi Weiss, has promised he will not give the title of “rabba” to other women. When asked about the controversy, Hurwitz said, “You know, there’s certain language that people have been using for centuries. Any traditional language being associated with something new is difficult for people. And having women as spiritual leaders is a new phenomenon, and so we’re all trying to figure out what the right language is.” [Heeb]
- Disney is apparently rejiggering their script for a movie about Rapunzel over concerns that it would not appeal to boys after disappointing numbers for their last flick, “The Princess & The Frog.” The title will be changed from “Rapunzel” to “Tangled.” [San Francisco Chronicle]
- Representative Eric Massa recently stepped down after a male staffer complained of workplace harassment. But after reading Massa’s quote on the incident in question, Bust magazine has quite rightly pointed out there is a sexual double standard going on when it comes to men and women being sexually harassed. [Bust]
- In related news, aides to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi allegedly had concerns about former Rep. Massa’s inappropriate behavior as far back as October. Pelosi has said her staff only heard about Massa in February. Assuming this is true, it just goes to show men aren’t the only ones guilty of mishandling sexual harassment accusations. [Wall Street Journal]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Wednesday March 10th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Guess who is coming to spring break, guys? An anti-abortion group with two “truth trucks,” featuring huge photos of aborted fetuses. The Personhood FL Spring Break Tour 2010 will head to West Palm Beach and other beaches starting next week, where it plans to distribute 30,000 petitions to challenge the constitutionality of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal. Talk about a buzzkill. [WPTV]
- After discovering parole records for John Albert Gardner III, the man accused of murdering 17-year-old Chelsea King, had been destroyed, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has ordered law enforcement to retain all records on sex offenders. It boggles my mind that sex offenders’ criminal records were being destroyed. [AP]
- This morning 200 Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, who flew military planes during World War II, received Congressional Gold Medals at the Capitol. [AP]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Tuesday March 09th 2010 Filed in:
news
- A group of Muslim women at the Islamic Center in Washington, D.C., risked arrest on Sunday when they staged a “pray-in” in the main area of the mosque, which is usually reserved for men. The all-female group of Muslims first tried to share the main area at a “pray-in” in February and this Sunday, they once again pushed themselves into the men-only prayer area. The mosque’s imam interrupted the prayer and police arrived minutes later. [AFP]
- Gay and lesbian couples are at last allowed to legally marry in Washington, D.C. The District began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples last Tuesday. [Washington Post]
- Blogger Dayo Olopade at The Root asks: Why are there so few black women politicians? [The Root]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Monday March 08th 2010 Filed in:
news
- For International Women’s Day, The New York Times questions which countries worldwide are the best for women and discovers the United States isn’t listed in the top 10 on four different lists! [New York Times]
- For the first time ever, Washington, D.C., will distribute 500,000 female condoms for free in areas of the city with high rates of HIV. [Washington Post]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Friday March 05th 2010 Filed in:
news
- The Utah legislator who introduced a bill to state government that would punish a woman for a miscarriage due to a “reckless act” has withdrawn the bill. The bill was intended to punish women for illegally aborting fetuses, based on the case of a 17-year-old girl who was seven months pregnant and paid a man to beat her up so she would miscarrying. Carl Wimmer (R) said he will rewrite the bill to make it narrower in scope. [New York Times]
- The Chicago Tribune published an article called “How To Lose Up To 10 Pounds Before Prom,” because that’s an awesome message to send high school-aged girls, of course. [Chicago Tribune]
- The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a media watchdog group, has weighed in on Life & Style‘s stupid cover about Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s “boy” haircut. (Shiloh’s a girl, FYI.) Unsurprisingly, they are not amused. [Fashion Indie]
- After winning a match with a male competitor, high school senior Paige Nemec of Columbus, Ohio, will be the state’s first female competitor at a statewide wrestling tournament. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Thursday March 04th 2010 Filed in:
news
- A Saudi Arabian woman named Sawsam Salim has been sentenced to 300 lashes and one and a half years in jail for appearing in court without a male chaperone and filing complaints against government officials who harassed her for doing so. Salim first appeared in court unchaperoned in 2004 requesting to get her husband, who could have been such a chaperone, out of prison. In Saudi Arabia, all women and girls must be accompanied by a male guardian to conduct public business. [Ms. Magazine]
- Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) appeared on “Good Morning America” today and announced that he and 11 other House Democrats will not vote for Obama’s health care reform bill unless more restrictions are put on abortion coverage. Stupak is a sponsor of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which was attached to the House version of the health care bill and is explained in full here. [Mediaite]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Wednesday March 03rd 2010 Filed in:
news
- A lesbian couple was the first couple to file for a same-sex marriage license in today in Washington, D.C. Angelisa Young and Sinjolya Townsend have been together for 12 years and plan to marry next week. Aww, reading the post about this is making my eyes tear up! [DCist]
- A topless bar on Long Island has been accused of firing a 29-year-old employee for getting pregnant. Jennifer Paviglianiti has filed a discrimination charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against Cafe Royale and claims she was told by her boss customers are “not coming in to see sexy bartenders that are pregnant and bulging out.” [Nerve.com]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Tuesday March 02nd 2010 Filed in:
news
- American Apparel’s prestigious “Best Bottom In The World” contest has wrapped up, naming a lady (er, we think that’s lady booty) called “Boom Boom” from Santo Domingo the winner. Too bad the “Best Bottom” contest is over, because The Frisky quite enjoyed prank-calling American Apparel stores about the contest. And, you know, entering it. [Jezebel]
- Women have fared better than men in the recent economic downturn, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. One key example? In August 2009, the unemployment rate for men hit 11 percent while hitting only 8.3 percent for women. [Reuters]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Monday March 01st 2010 Filed in:
news
- The cable channel TLC has announced its three-year contract to air the Miss America beauty pageant is complete and there won’t be a renewal. Could it be that beauty pageants are finally no longer relevant? [Variety]
- Warning, people who live in Bristol, Tennessee: some random person might walk up to you on the street and hand you a pamphlet that says:
“You may have been given this leaflet because of the way you are dressed. Have you thought about standing before the true and living God to be judged? Scripture tells us that when a man looks on a woman to lust for her he has already committed adultery in his heart. If you are dressed in a way that tempts a men to do this secret (or not so secret) sin, you are a participant in the sin. By the way, some rape victims would not have been raped if they had dressed properly. So can we really say they were innocent victims?”
If this happens to you, you’ll have a lot in common with 19-year-old Keshia Cantor, who received such a pamphlet from a lady at the drive-thru window at the Hi-Lo Burger where she works. Area religious groups say they have no idea who is responsible for distributing the disturbing pamphlets. [Tricities.com]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:00PM, Friday February 26th 2010 Filed in:
news
- On Thursday night, France‘s government approved a proposal to add “psychological violence” to a law that intends to help domestic abuse victims. The proposal does not allow a husband or wife to “act or repeatedly say things that could damage the victim’s life conditions, affect his/her rights and his/her dignity or damage his/her physical or mental health.” Punishment for breaking the “psychological violence” law could be three years in prison or a fine of around $100,000. Some are skeptical that the law will be applicable, but the sponsors say it will help victims by taking into account non-physical acts of intimidation, like aggressive text messages or emails. [New York Times]
- Nineteen-year-old Hani Khan, who is of Indian and Pakistani descent, said she lost her job at the mall clothing store Hollister because her Muslim headscarf violated the “look policy.” Khan’s manager had told her, in accordance with the “look policy,” she had to wear a scarf that was white, gray or navy blue. Khan consented and worked in the stockroom without any problems for six months. Then the store manager popped in for a visit and six days later when Khan came to work, she was put on the phone with Abercrombie & Fitch‘s human resources. (A&F owns Hollister.) The HR person told Khan her headscarf violated the “look policy” and when Khan refused to remove it, she was taken off the work schedule. A&F declined to comment. [AOL News]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Thursday February 25th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Utah’s House of Representatives and Senate have approved a bill which would criminalize miscarriage caused by an “intentional, knowing, or reckless” act, such as drinking while pregnant. The bill is in response to a 17-year-old Utah girl who, while seven months pregnant, paid a man $150 to beat her up and induce a miscarriage. The girl was not successful and gave the child up for adoption. The Utah bill, which would not criminalize abortions obtained legally, is presently awaiting the governor’s signature. [Salt Lake Tribune, Cleveland Leader]
- Former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin will headline the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, this May. [CNN]
- Oh no! Girl Scout Cookie recall! It’s the Lemon Chalet Cremes, I am sorry to report. The cookies are not thought to be dangerous, but have an unusual taste and smell. [Louisville Business First]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:00PM, Wednesday February 24th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Defense Secretary Robert Gates sent Congress a letter on Friday in which he announced he will repeal the ban on female soldiers in submarines and going forward, all the subs owned by the U.S. military will have to be retrofitted to add sleeping quarters for women. Women have only been allowed on the Navy’s surface ships, such as aircraft carriers, since 1993. [Los Angeles Times]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Tuesday February 23rd 2010 Filed in:
news
- In response to cigar sales lagging, Cuba is trying to interest women smokers in “the Julieta,” a milder version of its “Romeo y Julieta” cigar. The marketing director for Habaneros, the worldwide distributor of Cuban cigars, said they hope “the Julieta” dispels the myth that cigars contain “only strong tobacco for men.” [Reuters]
- Taking a cue from France, which has voiced concerns about how Photoshopped ads affect self-image, the U.K.‘s Royal College of Psychiatrists has called for airbrushed photos of celebs and models to come with warning labels. [Daily Mail UK]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Monday February 22nd 2010 Filed in:
news
- Disabled children are God’s punishment to women who have aborted their first pregnancy, Virginia Assemblyman Bob Marshall said in a press conference on Thursday. “The number of children who are born subsequent to a first abortion with handicaps has increased dramatically,” Marshall told reporters. “Why? Because when you abort the first born of any, nature takes its vengeance on the subsequent children.” We’re not even going to dignify that with a response. [WTOP]
- A new law in Saudi Arabia will allow women lawyers to argue court cases for the first time. Women will only be able to argue family law-related cases, like divorce and child custody, however. [BBC]
- Kathryn Bigelow took home Best Film and Best Director awards for “The Hurt Locker” at the BAFTAs this weekend, beating out her ex-husband James Cameron and his flick, “Avatar.” [MTV]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:00PM, Friday February 19th 2010 Filed in:
news
- This is terribly sad: Three Malaysian women, who were caned under the country’s Islamic laws, said the punishment was good for them. The 17-year-old who was caned for having sex out of wedlock has been quoted in a Malaysian newspaper saying, “I deeply regret my actions as I should have married before having sex.” [MSNBC]
- Surprise, surprise: young women at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this week in Washington, D.C., have a lot of the same criticisms of how women in politics are treated as liberals do. One woman, Andrea Tantaros, said she can’t stand when people comment on female politicans’ looks. “Guess what? Barack Obama is looking pretty darn tired these days too but I don’t see anyone analyzing his bags,” Tantaros said. Agreed! [CBS News]
- According to a study on women in the workplace released by the nonprofit Catalyst, female M.B.A.-holders lag behind men in pay, positions and promotions. The study of 9,000 respondents also found women received an average $4,600 less at their first job, despite comparable experience. [Wall Street Journal]
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Posted by: Jessica Wakeman 5:30PM, Thursday February 18th 2010 Filed in:
news
- Tina Fey is guest hosting “Saturday Night Live” in April, which probably means another Sarah Palin impersonation! “It’s inevitable that we’ll try it, at least,” Fey told the AP. “We’ll see if it makes it to air.” Now, if they could just get Amy Poehler back to do Hillary Clinton. [AP]
- Happy 88th birthday, Helen Gurley Brown, the former editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan! Brown is also the author of the bestselling book Sex and the Single Girl, an essential piece of literature in the ‘60s and ‘70s sexual revolution. [Wikipedia]
- London’s Globe Theater has commissioned its first play written by a woman, “Bedlam” by Nell Leyshon. The Globe, where William Shakespeare staged his plays, was closed from 1642 until 1997. Not until now has a female playwright had her work performed there.
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