This seems like a good time to be reading up on how to survive the anti-feminist backlash. It’s painful to contemplate what might have been:
Policies for paid family leave, more affordable college, and a strikingly ambitious plan to cap child-care costs at 10 percent of a family’s income were all on the table in Hillary Clinton’s administration. She had also vowed to fight restrictions on abortion, defended late-term abortion, and had committed to overturning the Hyde Amendment, which prevents poor women from accessing federal funds for abortion and thus puts it out of reach for many poor women.
Trump’s gender policy is still taking shape, but the early signs—he’s affirmed a commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, and made moves to forbid single parents from filing as “head of household”—are that we will not just stall out on advancing these agendas but rapidly move backward. That means that defensive activism is the only activism left.
As always, thanks to ramara, NoBlinkers, Besame, and the whole WOW team for links, behind-the-scene discussion, and keeping that fighting spirit we’re all going to need.
Reproductive rights:
Texas may soon be joining Indiana on the “fetus funerals” bandwagon. Note that most miscarriages occur before the woman knew she was pregnant. Does an unusually heavy period require burial or cremation?
Utah law proposed that would require doctors to falsely tell women that medication abortions can be reversed.
Even without overturning Roe v. Wade, Trump can still be a nightmare for reproductive rights.
An abortion doctor in the South contemplates the future.
Tom Price, Trump’s choice for Secretary of Health & Human Services, is a member of the American Association of Physicians & Surgeons, an innocuous-sounding name for a group that supports “fetal personhood,” and pushes unscientific claims about abortion and vaccines. Price opposed contraception coverage in the Affordable Care Act, and sneered that “there’s not one” woman who can’t afford to pay for birth control. Women say otherwise. And this is really disturbing:
Last year, the Republican lawmaker (who is also a former orthopedic surgeon) voted against legislation that would protect employees from being fired for using contraception or seeking an abortion.
Violence:
Athletics Director Ian McCaw resigned from Baylor University after being sanctioned for helping cover up a gang rape by football players. He has now been hired by Liberty University. The same Liberty University whose president, Jerry Falwell Jr., responded to Trump’s “grab ‘em by the pussy“ by saying he’d support Trump even if all the sexual assault allegations against him were shown to be true.
CRTV, a new conservative TV channel, plans to air a “documentary” claiming that Daniel Holtzclaw was innocent. Holtzclaw was the Oklahoma City cop who was convicted of raping multiple women, all African-American, using the threat of arrest to intimidate his victims.
An Arkansas cop has been arrested for raping and abusing a domestic violence victim who had called the police for help.
Ruhingya women fleeing Myanmar report many rapes among other horrors.
Large-scale study finds that 27% of Europeans believe rape is justified under some circumstances, such as when the victim was drunk or wore revealing clothing.
Congress says “Enough” to harassment of female firefighters at the US Forest Service.
After a Canadian judge told a rape victim she should “keep her knees together,” among other things, the acquittal was overturned and a new trial ordered. As for Judge Camp, the judicial committee investigating has recommended he be fired. The Minister of Justice has not yet made a decision about him.
Saudi woman receives death threats for posting a picture of herself without hijab.
In Zimbabwe, Melania Chiponda fights for land rights and against sexual abuse by security forces.
Workplace:
More law degrees for women, but fewer good jobs.
Media:
In the top 100 films of 2014, women were 12% of protagonists, 29% of major characters, and 30% of speaking characters. And only 30% of women characters (ie, 9% of all characters) were women over 40.
Uncategorizable:
President Obama voiced support for women registering for the draft. Mother Jones makes the case for getting rid of draft registration for anyone.
A Saudi prince is arguing that women should be allowed to drive….because restricting the mobility of half the population interferes with productivity. Saudi Arabia remain the only country where it is illegal for women to drive.
Good News and Action Items:
The largest ever all-women expedition is heading to Antarctica.
The F-Word, a British feminist blog, is looking for guest writers.
Wasn’t able to find a link, but here’s an excerpt from the National Women’s Studies Association’s statement on the US election:
We recognize that none of us are entirely safe. Intellectuals and teachers have been, and continue to be, the victims of authoritarian regimes around the world and over time. Although critical thinking and transgressive pedagogy are often perceived as dangerous to certain political agendas, NWSA embraces these features of our work and calls on members to use our collective energies to push back against the climate of fear, xenophobia and anti-intellectualism that have become so prevalent. We must do what we do best which is to provide alternative ways of thinking, expose myths and lies through our research and writing, engage a broader public, and insist upon critical and dissident inquiry that interrogate unsubstantiated claims, and build bridges of unity and understanding. In our ongoing efforts to democratize and decolonize colleges, universities and academic scholarship, we must teach to the urgency of the moment, and in doing so reach out beyond our campuses and beyond national borders.
We encourage our NWSA members to stand with, defend and provide sanctuary for our students and colleagues who are most vulnerable. In these challenging times we must embrace and reclaim the activist roots that carved out a place for women’s and gender studies and other interdisciplinary, critical areas of study within the Academy over forty years ago. In addition to recognizing the continued importance of the rigorous and clarifying scholarship that has been the hallmark of NWSA members, we also encourage members to organize teach-ins and vigils, and to explore ever more creative forms of learning, sharing, and mobilizing. Speak out loudly and consistently through letters, petitions and collective statements. We cannot accept the skewed argument that it is not our place, or it is somehow unprofessional, to speak out. On the contrary, speak out we must. It is our ethical obligation to do so. And in doing so we are inspired and empowered by our collective effort.
Here’s a little extra motivation: