by GUTS
- DC and Marvel announced two new female superheroes this week. DC’s unnamed character is actually inspired by young Cree activist Shannen Koostachin from the Attawapiskat First Nation. We are hopeful that, by consulting the actual people he is borrowing these “cultural strengths” from and by following up on the histories that influenced Kootachin’s short life , Toronto cartoonist Jeff Lemire will create a kick ass superhero that “captures some of that heart and some of that essence” of Koostachin’s work.
- Sign Lynn Gehl Gii-Zhigaate-Mnidoo-Kwe’s petition to fight sex discrimination in the Indian Status Registration.
- Anger is swelling as Michigan police wait to press charges against Renisha McBride’s shooter. The unnamed shooter has stated that he thought McBride was an intruder when he “‘accidentally’ shot her in the face”
- Neko Case’s hand-picked playlist and recent interview is really great.
- Kelly Macias on the racial and sexual politics of peace.
- While it is hard to believe that Pussy Riot is still in jail, the recent news is even more upsetting: Missing Pussy Riot member Nadezhda Tolokonnikova may be sent to Siberia colony
- In an effort to draw attention to how rare it is for two women to talk to each other about something other than a man (on the big screen, that is), four Swedish movie theatres are introducing a new rating system based on Alison Bechdel’s test
- Despite witty attempts to address recent allegations of exclusion, these smart responses to SNL’s reluctance to hire black female cast members make it clear that this problem is bigger than determining who plays Beyoncé, Oprah, and Michelle Obama: See Brittney Cooper’s America’s grotesque amusement: the joke is on black women again and Jason Zinoman’s For ‘SNL’ Cast, being diverse may be better than being ‘ready’
- The limitations of choice: Anna March argues for a man’s right to choose to support a child.
- “Even though many advocates of feminist politics are angered by Sandberg’s message, the truth is that alone, individually she was no threat to the feminist movement. Had the conservative white male dominated world of mass media and advertising not chosen to hype her image, this influential woman would not be known to most folks. It is this patriarchal male dominated re-framing of feminism, which uses the body and personal success of Sheryl Sandberg, that is most disturbing and yes threatening to the future of visionary feminist movement.” bell hooks responds to faux feminism and Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In: Dig Deep
- Noah Berlatsky on Joss Whedon’s claim that equality is the natural order: “‘Feminist’ is a movement, a history, a faith, and a hope for change—as Firestone says, ‘if there were another word more all-encompassing than revolution we would use it.’”
- The secret history of CIA women
- “Of course sex workers, like other characters, are neither victims nor villains nor heroes, but rather complicated people leading complicated lives. Why are we so rarely portrayed this way—even when we portray ourselves? To an extent, many online or magazine stories must conform to a dominant narrative in order to exist publicly.” Melissa Petro on struggle to find both relief through from trauma through writing finding an audience to listen.
- And Laurie Penny on Brand, iconoclasm, and a woman’s place in the revolution
