Category: things i read this week

Hello everyone. I read things. Here are some things I read this week that I found interesting.

Put a Rainbow on It– Excellent documentary on recuperation and pinkwashing.

Sochi 2014- So far, So Gay (A Thousand Flowers)- Round-up of the bullshit surrounding Sochi from “allies” so far.

I Did Not Sign On For the #Outrage (Alexander Chee)- Ignore the subeditor stuff, this is something about Twitter written by someone who gets it.

9 Ways To Be In Solidarity With Sex Workers (small time hooker)- Some simple things we can all do to support sex workers.

Sara Ahmed on attacks on women of colour being disguised as critique of identity politics and intersectionality– A storify of some excellent analysis.

“You can’t do that! Stories have to be about White people” (Hip Hop Teacher)- On white supremacy and a way of getting through it.

The significance of plot without conflict (still eating oranges)- Conflict in plots is actually quite a Western idea.

Class Consciouness (sometimes, it’s just a cigar)- On class and enjoyment of sex.

A Peaceful Death (Phoebe Day Danziger)- A thoughtful and moving piece on abortion as end of life care.

I could pick a side… but I won’t (yetanotherlefty)- Blistering response to a common biphobic trope.

Hugs, if wanted. (sometimes, it’s just a cigar)- On consent for non-sexual touching.

Fragments on Intersectionality, Anger & the Left (Automatic Writing)- This is really good.

Valentine’s Day Isn’t to Be ‘Survived’ (Feminista Jones)- Takedown of patent media nonsense relating to Valentine’s Day.

And finally, animals with their babies.

Hey hey, readers. I read too. Here are some things I read this week that I found interesting. I hope you will, too.

What Would Make You Believe a Survivor of Childhood Sexual Abuse? (Andrea Grimes)- A heartbreaking piece on the absurd standards of proof levelled at survivors. 

My Open Letter to White People or Why I Hate ‘White people’ (terarroni)- Make sure you read this, it’s important. 

Yes I’m afraid of cis people. (ami-angelwings)- …also, this.

The shift of trans narratives on TV (Ryan Sallans)- Ryan documents a slow change in the tides, and is optimistic for better in future.

My Tone Isn’t The Problem. Abusive Mainstream Feminists Are. (Gradient Lair)- An excellent piece on that ongoing and vexing “toxicity” rhetoric.

6 harmful media myths about sex and Latinas (Erika L. Sanchez)- Busting through some tropes used against Latinas.

Not Guilty means nothing in a Rape Culture (Sam Ambreen)- Sam takes down a particular legal stick used to beat us. 

EUSA passes motion to support sex workers (The Journal)- This is excellent news. Read all about it. 

4 Ways to Push Back Against Your Privilege (Mia McKenzie)- Moving beyond privilege checking into concrete action.

In Defense of Twitter Feminism (Suey Park)- You know those pieces that inspire standing ovation? This is one of them.

And finally, your nightmares, illustrated. 

 

Hi everyone. I am actually not dead of hangover for once while posting the links roundup. So here’s how it goes: I read things. I share them. You can drop me links that I might enjoy in the comments.

Toxic, online and feminist. Really? (No Place For Sheep)- Busting the myth of toxicity of online feminism.

“Misogofeminists” and the white men who profit from silencing critiques (Flavia Dzodan)- Flavia examines a potential ulterior motive for some current discourse.

Bigotry, not Twitter, makes feminism toxic (Gradient Lair)- Another important perspective on the “toxicity” of Twitter bollocks.

On Gay Male Privilege (rohin)- Very good piece on gay men and misogyny.

Postpublication “Cyberbullying” and the Professional Self (Neuroskeptic)- On the interpretation of criticism of work as a personal attack.

BOW DOWN, MACKLEMORE: Why ‘Same Love’ is NOT My Queer Anthem (Kelly Fox)- A takedown of Macklemore’s white crappiness.

A word to white women (Reni Eddo-Lodge)- Reni throws down a very simple challenge.

This is What it’s Like to Be a Woman at a Bitcoin Meetup (Arianna Simpson)- There’s an awful lot of bro-behaviour at cryptocurrency meetups.

Excerpted from An Open Letter to the XOJane Writer Who Cried About a Black Woman in Her Yoga Class (Erika Nicole Kendall)- A comprehensive takedown of *that* article. 

Trans rights are reproductive rights (Katherine Cross)- A fact often forgotten by feminist campaigns, stated well.

Balancing Without a Net (Chris Stokel-Walker)- How social media provides a lifeline to disabled people.

How Anti-violence Activism Taught Me to Become a Prison Abolitionist (Beth E. Richie)- Locating prison abolition within an anti-violence framework.

And finally, want to learn all about bisexuals? Here’s a handy guide to their care and feeding.

 

Good morning everyone. I am of course hungover. But I read some things this week and I found them interesting. Perhaps you will too.

10 seriously easy things cis people can do… (CN Lester)- A must-read for all cis people.

The politics of skin lightening (Reni Eddo-Lodge)- Excellent analysis of a current feminist issue not getting enough attention.

Imaginary Funerals (Joe McDaldno and others)- This project is super-cool, talking about games and immersion and queer stuff. It’s less than a week old, but it’s already stuffed with awesome.

All I want for Christmas is an abortion (Grounded Parents)- A perspective often missing in abortion discourse: actually really wanting an abortion.

Outlawing Sex Behind Bars (Feminista Jones)- An examination of the politics of sex in prison.

A Step By Step Guide through Jared Leto’s Trans Ignorance. (transhollywood)- Jared Leto is getting praised a lot, but here’s why he has been ignorant.

Why the Term ‘Psychopath’ is Racist and Ableist (Lydia Brown)- A lot of us use this word, and we shouldn’t.

Whiteness as social disease and ableism (Flavia Dzodan)- Flavia also tackles this topic.

Here’s what’s wrong with hijab tourism and your cutesy “modesty experiments” (The Hijabinist)- Why women who aren’t Muslims but wear hijab for a bit to “see what it’s like” will never get it.

CeCe McDonald on her time in prison: “I felt like they wanted me to hate myself as a trans woman” (Salon)- CeCe is out of prison. Hear what she has to say.

The Self-Esteem Myth (or “why it’s the fatphobia not my outlook on life, asshole”) (Virgie Tovar)- On locating structural fatphobia as a problem of individual self-esteem.

Woman Takes Short Half-Hour Break From Being Feminist To Enjoy TV Show (The Onion)- I think a lot of us can relate to this.

Gang Rape and Consent; An open letter to Mary Honeyball (sometimes it’s just a cigar)- On consent and sex work.

Interview with Roz Kaveney (The Heroines of My Life)- Roz is a truly amazing woman.

Beyoncé’s ***Flawless Feminism: A Womanist Perspective (Gradient Lair)- Thorough analysis. The Ur-Post on this.

Within and Against (Kitty Stryker)- Really good post on what ethical porn means.

Playing Around (Charlie Hale)- A short introduction to BDSM for the curious, available as a free e-book.

And finally, I’m going to go ahead and declare 2014 the year of the capybara. Proof and more proof.

Considering renaming this “hungover Stavvers says hi and dumps some links”.

The Names They Gave Me (Tasbeeh Herwees)- Deeply moving. I challenge you to read this without shedding a tear.

Is It OK for a Journalist to Reveal the Birth Gender of a Trans Person? (Paris Lees)- Paris explains a big pile of nope nope and fope.

Rare color film shows what London looked like in 1927 (deathandtaxes)- This video is really fucking cool.

Don’t Judge Me Because I Smell: my own piece of privilege checking (lucybottomface)- An important piece on hygiene and disability.

Why does the man behind ‘Doctor Who’ and ‘Sherlock’ still have a job? (Aia Romano)- Upon reading this, the only sensible answer is “fuck knows”.

Play requires consent (Mary Hamilton)- Applying principles of consent culture to tabletop gaming.

5 Things More Likely To Happen To You Than Being Falsely Accused Of Rape (charlesclymer)- Some numbers for you.

“Unpacking Gossip” – a Public Conversation (Flavia Dzodan)- A discussion of sexism in constructions of gossip.

Is Sadness Shaming A Thing? I Just Want People To Stop… (Pia Glenn)- Things not to say to people with depression.

Russell Brand’s hollow conversion from sexist to feminist (Brooke Magnanti)- Brooke ain’t buying it either.

An open letter to Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: like it or not, the niqab ban is racist  (Lifting The Veil)- Really really important reading for any would-be white saviours.

And finally, have a comic about pussy.

This week, like every other week, I read some things and found them interesting. Some of them weren’t even written this week, I just read them this week. And found them interesting. Perhaps you will, too.

When Some Of The Cis White Women Who Are Abused Online Are Also Abusers (Gradient Lair)- An excellent analysis of misogynoir and online abuse.

Side eyeing feminism and undoing the harm (Flavia Dzodan)- Flavia makes the case for the side eye as feminist praxis.

Female characters, trauma and you (Feminist TV)-Exposing misogyny in fan reactions to women who experience trauma.

How Life Can Improve for Lesbian, Gay, Bi and Trans People in 2014 (Paris Lees)- Paris looks to the future.

A Year in Review: The Top 10 Most Racist/Privileged Things White Feminists Did in 2013 (The Coloured Fountain)- A 2013 countdown worth reading.

Twice Betrayed, Survivors of Military Sexual Trauma Face Discrimination at the VA (Zoe Carpenter)- A rather harrowing read on military handling of rape.

Rubbish, mice and mould: good enough for young mums without money (Kate Belgrave)- Kate exposes the living conditions deemed suitable for working class mothers.

Why Marketers Fear The Female Geek (anjinanhut)- Interesting analysis of how marketing works and why games are usually targeted at men.

On friendzoning someone (Emma Quite Frankly)- A short poem.

Brought to You by the Letter I: Why Intersex Politics Matters to LGBT Activism (Autostraddle)- Useful article on why intersex issues matter.

Not your rescue project (Pandora Blake)- Pandora collates tweets by sex workers about interventions they don’t want.

Four Myths About the Sex Industry (Jes Richardson)- Busting a few myths.

Sex trafficking in Sweden, according to the Swedish police (Feminist Ire)- Another takedown of the “Swedish model” for policing sex work.

While Wearing Their Pretty Dresses, They Ruined Lives: 12 Years A Slave & the Role of White Women In Slavery (Olivia A. Cole)- Examining the complicity of white women in slavery.

Metaphorically Speaking: Ableist Metaphors in Feminist Writing (Sami Schalk)- An academic analysis of problematic language in feminist writing.

The absolutely, ultimate, best ever, guide to sex! (sometimes it’s just a cigar)- Read this and your sex will be better.

And finally, kittens smash biphobia. And, if you’re a biphobic dog person who won’t click that link, have some dinner.

 

Happy first week of 2014, everyone. Let’s hope this is the year everyone realises you can’t polish a turd. Here’s some things I read this week that I found interesting.

2013 – The year Intersectionality gave WoC their own voice (Sam Ambreen and guests)- Women of colour discuss the highs and lows of 2013.

On the fallout from Women’s Hour (Reni Eddo-Lodge)- Reni expresses her right to reply with grace.

Louise Mensch and the grotesque spectacle of white privilege (Ally Fogg)- Unfortunately, Reni’s right to reply provoked more shit. Ally reports on the fallout of the fallout.

“I can’t think of any high profile white UK feminist who has “rejected” intersectionality” (Flavia Dzodan)- Flavia spots a troubling new trope in mainstream feminist discourse and pops it.

Whovian Feminism Reviews “The Time of the Doctor” (Whovian Feminism)- A feminist review of the Doctor Who Christmas special, covering what it got wrong.

Living the consequences (Feministkilljoys)- Beautiful post on the impact of whiteness in feminism.

Intellectual gaslighting or “Feminism needs a new intellectual voice” (Flavia Dzodan)- Flavia again, being awesome, again.

And finally, have a gratuitous selfie.

 

 

This week has been Christmas so I haven’t really read much at all. But here’s some things.

Filter firms are destroying the gay and trans internet (Jane Fae)- Jane looks at the impact of internet filtering.

A year in Black Feminism (Reni Eddo-Lodge)- Black feminism has achieved a lot this year, read all about it.

And finally (yes, I really did read that little this week, it’s been Christmas) let’s reflect on the important questions Richard Dawkins has been asking this year.

Hello everyone! It’s nearly Christmas, and there’s an end-of-term vibe in the air. Here are some things I read this week that I found interesting. Perhaps you’ll find them interesting, too.

Why do some feminists want to burn the Jane Austen banknotes? (Helena Horton)- A conversation on the rejection of a high-profile feminist campaign.

“Help, my eyeball is bigger than my wrist!”: gender dimorphism in “Frozen” (Sociological Images)- Some weird freaky anatomy in Disney.

Put THIS on a banknote: young mothers without money abandoned by the chattering classes (Kate Belgrave)- Kate draws our attention to a project which is ignored within media feminism.

An Open Letter to Caitlin Moran (fireplum)- The latest in a long line of shitty behaviour from La Moran.

The Starvation Army: Twelve reasons to reject the Salvation Army (Reddebrek)- You’ll see the Salvation Army about a lot this Christmas. Here’s why you shouldn’t give them a penny.

When “Life Hacking” Is Really White Privilege (jendziura)- On a set of tips that aren’t actually tips at all.

Rochdale and the stain of sex work (sometimes it’s just a cigar)- Rochdale dismissed victims of abuse, here’s how.

‘FREE CECE’ – Laverne Cox’s documentary to free CeCe McDonald (GLAAD)- This is an important project.

And finally, 2013 was a vintage year for awkward cats. Here’s 40 of them. And also, since it’s Christmas, enjoy some rude food.

Greetings everybody. Have you been listening to the new Beyonce album? Isn’t it amazing? Anyway, in between that and all the drama of this week, I managed to read some things and find them interesting. Here they are.

As a black feminist, I see how the wider movement fails women like my mother (Lola Okolosie)- Amazing piece celebrating the largely invisible achievements of black feminism.

Does talking about race fuel racism (End Racism)- A must-watch video conversation.

A Storify about consent within feminism and who it applies to (Flavia Dzodan)- Important points about where feminist rhetoric is failing. Very much worth reading.

Soho police raids show why sex workers live in fear of being ‘rescued’ (Molly Smith)- The impact of anti sex work laws has horrific consequences for workers. Read all about them.

fair (Taking Steps)- Heartbreaking post on growing up trans under patriarchy.

5 Reasons I’m Here for Beyonce’, the Feminist (crunkfeministcollective)- Short and sweet explanation of why Beyonce is amazing.

Why White Feminists Are Mad At Beyonce (Julia Sonenshein)- An overview of white feminism versus Beyonce.

Beyonce’s new album should silence her feminist critics (Mikki Kendall)- Truth.

The everyday microaggressions I experience as a black woman in Berlin (Bim Adewunmi)- Bim gives some examples of everyday racism.

21 Racial Microaggressions You Hear On A Daily Basis (buzzfeed)- The issue of microaggressions is visible this week, which is vital for this to change.

Can a feminist wear high heels? Is the Pope a Catholic? (The Life and Times of Jude)- Jude drops some truth bombs that shouldn’t need dropping.

Myths About Gender Confirmation Surgery (Brynn Tannehill)- Busting myths about GCS.

And finally, the best feminist music videos of 2013. Sadly, published before Beyonce dropped her new album, so missing 17 of them, but there’s still some amazing stuff in here.