Category Archives: gender

Media sexism

Posted on January 25, 2012 | 14 Comments

Not all media sexism is as overt and in your face as the examples given by women’s groups during their awesome testimony to the Leveson Inquiry yesterday. Media sexism, (or #mediasexism if you want to do a Twitter search for coverage of Tuesday’s morning’s hearing) isn’t always about Page 3 ‘girls’, victim blaming, sexual objectification or downright misogyny: often it’s a lot more subtle than that.

Take the erasure of women from the MSM for example. The way women are ignored or marginalised, treated as though we don’t exist or as though our issues are unimportant in the grand scale of things, that’s also media sexism.

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Posted in blogging, campaigning, churnalism, cynical? what me?, Daily Mail shite, feminism, FFS!, gender, misogyny, sexism, the Internet, the meeja

Petition UK government to sign convention

Posted on November 29, 2011 | 2 Comments

From the Council of Europe website:

“On 7 April 2011, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted of a landmark new Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Convention CETS No. 210).

This Convention is the first legally binding instrument in the world creating a comprehensive legal framework to prevent violence, to protect victims and to end with the impunity of perpetrators. It defines and criminalises various forms of violence against women (including forced marriage, female genital mutilation, stalking, physical and psychological violence and sexual violence).

It also foresees the establishment of an international group of independent experts to monitor its implementation at national level.

The Convention was opened for signature in Istanbul on 11 May 2011 and was signed by 13 countries.”

The convention (CAHVIO) has now been signed by 17 countries. But guess which country still hasn’t signed…..

Yep. The UK government has not signed the landmark new convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

Here’s a link to the convention – Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence

And here’s the explanatory report – Explanatory report

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Posted in 16 days of blogging, a bit of politics, campaigning, ConDems, crime, domestic violence, feminism, FFS!, gender, misogyny, rape, stalking, the cuts, trafficking, violence against women, what?

16 days of blogging

Posted on November 25, 2011 | 7 Comments

It’s November 25th, which means it’s the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign.

Now my original intention was to support the campaign by posting something relating to violence against women and girls every day for the next 16 days; a kind of 16 days of blogging against gender violence campaign if you like. But as some of you may know, I’ve got some personal stuff going on at the moment, so I’m not sure how much I’m going to be around during the next couple of weeks. (In fact truth be told, I’m not around now, I’m away visiting my mum who’s due to have major surgery on Monday, but such is the awesomeness of WordPress I’ve been able to schedule this piece to be posted in my absence. I know! It’s amazing!)

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Posted in 16 days of blogging, blogging, campaigning, crime, domestic violence, femicide, feminism, gender, misogyny, poetry, violence against women

It even has “a snorgasm® function”

Posted on November 14, 2011 | 12 Comments

Sometimes I get sent press releases: today is one of those days.

PRESS RELEASE:  Launch of World’s First Erotic Alarm Clock
 
DATE:  14th November 2011
 
Luxury gift company Gallus et Mulier has launched the world’s first erotic alarm – designed exclusively for ladies who like to wake up with pleasure.
 
The Little Rooster Alarm Clock Vibrator will be launched at the Erotica show in the Grand Hall Olympia, London from 18th – 20th November 2011
 
The Little Rooster is worn inside your knickers but outside your body. It starts very gently and then slowly increases in power until you…wake up.
 
“Most of us hate the sound of our alarms, so I thought why not make an alarm clock people actually will look forward to?” explains Inventor Tony Maggs, from London.
 
The Little Rooster is the ideal luxury gift for the modern woman – it comes beautifully and discreetly packaged, with its own silky carry case. It has a snooze function, a snorgasm® function, a play mode, dual motors and an internally sealed rechargable battery.
 
What makes the Little Rooster really special is that delicious semi-conscious state when you’re not yet quite awake. Other alarms tear those precious moments from you. The Little Rooster not only lets you savour them, it makes them even dreamier.  Whether you leap straight out of bed or let it run its lazy course, no other clock will wake you with this joyful secret thrill.
 
The Little Rooster is the perfect way to start each day with a smile on your face!
 
The Little Rooster is available from www.littleroosterstore.com and retails at £69 (including shipping). To celebrate the launch there is £20 off during November.

This is one of those rare occasions when I genuinely can’t think of anything to say!

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Posted in fun, gender, the world's gone mad, what?, You couldn't make it up

Tom Martin, the LSE, and the Missing Minister

Posted on September 17, 2011 | 72 Comments

Some of you may remember a piece I wrote at the end of December where I mentioned that I was being followed on Twitter by someone calling themselves The Missing Minister. Here’s a link to the piece – So much for the season of goodwill

Now at the time I thought that Twitter account had something to do with Reece Wilkes, or if it wasn’t him, someone who was allied to the same MRAs as him. You know the ones I’m talking about, those men’s rights activists who are constantly bleating on about how white men are the only real oppressed group in society and how women have all the privilege and yada yada yada….

Well anyway, it turns out it isn’t young Reece behind the @MIN4MEN Twitter account, but Tom Martin. That’s the same Tom Martin who’s currently in the process of suing the LSE for sexism after allegedly ‘suffering’ “systemic anti-male discrimination” while studying for a masters in Gender, Media and Culture there. The same Tom Martin who’s also behind the @sexismbusters Twitter account.

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Posted in blogging, campaigning, everyone point and laugh at the MRAs, feminism, gender, I read crap so you don't have to, misogyny, sexism, the Internet, what?, you really couldn't make this shit up