Written By: - Date published: 7:02 am, May 1st, 2015 - 29 comments
Key dodges women’s rights issues in Saudi Arabia. For obvious reasons really. In other media coverage of ponytail fallout…
(Image from Emmerson in The Herald)
Written By: - Date published: 9:05 am, April 28th, 2015 - 89 comments
It was all a bit of fun. Have we become so casual about harassment?
Written By: - Date published: 12:49 pm, March 17th, 2015 - 332 comments
Did commenters on the recent Julian Assange post overstep the mark in their defence of the Wikileaks founder? Are they really rape apologists?
Written By: - Date published: 12:18 pm, March 7th, 2015 - 42 comments
Tomorrow is International Women’s Day. In New Zealand the gender pay gap is growing – perhaps because National abolished the Department of Labour’s Pay and Employment Equity Unit.
Written By: - Date published: 1:43 pm, December 19th, 2014 - 70 comments
Feminism is a reaction. A position. A belief that women should, by right, be entitled to all the same ‘privileges’ as men: fair pay, high quality free education, control of their own money (and bodies), freedom to choose who to love and how to act. Freedom of movement, association, dress, beliefs. Respect as an equal. Opportunity. Equity in decision-making. A voice.
Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, July 14th, 2014 - 71 comments
This past week has seen both mainstream media and political blogs of all persuasions, opine with fact-free ranting on the reversal of the burden of proof in sexual offence cases.
A bit of a plea . Sexual Violence is a sensitive issue. The least that ought be done, by those releasing policy around it; the media reporting it; the bloggers opining on it; and us, the individual’s commenting on it; the least we can do is try and make sure we have our facts in order first. Please?
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, July 10th, 2014 - 224 comments
It’s headline news again: Labour is trying to take away men’s rights and exile you all to a desert island. If you believe David Farrar, that is.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, July 2nd, 2014 - 56 comments
In its handling of the case of the Malaysian diplomat accused of attempted rape in NZ, the government has marginalised the concerns and sensitivities of the victim. Their own arse covering was given a higher priority. Jan Logie argued for the victim in the House today – government MP’s attacked her for it. [Update#2: the survivor of the attempted rape, spoke to Jan Logie]
Written By: - Date published: 10:05 am, February 3rd, 2014 - 20 comments
A draft UN report on human rights shows NZ has been slacking off. The government is glossing over its failings: eg on domestic violence, child protection, poverty, ethnic inequalities, discrimination, disability rights, government abuse of urgency. Collins focuses on punishment, surveillance.
Written By: - Date published: 6:12 pm, February 1st, 2014 - 121 comments
John Key says that the Greens make personal attacks: calling for ministers to be sacked. This is hardly a diversionary personal attack unlike the nastiest of Key’s cheap point scoring . The Greens “go hard” in focusing on relevant issues: public transport, environment, poverty & inequality gap.
Written By: - Date published: 12:32 pm, November 19th, 2013 - 132 comments
In our highly gendered socio-economic system that has institutionalised poverty, gendered violence, sexual violence and rape culture, low income women are multiply disadvantaged. Trigger warning: This post addresses some difficult and sensitive issues about poverty, women and rape culture. Subsequent comments will be tightly moderated.
Written By: - Date published: 5:01 pm, November 18th, 2013 - 340 comments
You don’t have to be white and male and financially wealthy to assume a prominent position within systems of patriarchy, but it helps. And you don’t have to be financially strapped and black and female to feel the full weight of patriarchy always pressing down on you, but it helps.
Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, November 16th, 2013 - 13 comments
Today there are actions planned around the country in protest about the rape culture that is part of our mainstream culture. This post and comments are in support of the day of action. Have a good day everyone. [Update: impact on/silencing of survivors]
Written By: - Date published: 9:27 am, November 15th, 2013 - 197 comments
Tomorrow is A Day of Action Against Rape Culture. There are a couple of actions starting today. Actions listed here, plus the reasons for the actions & demands/proposed solutions. Will update with info on any further actions as they become available. [Update: warning – the discussion under this post contains some challenges to the day of action]
Written By: - Date published: 4:17 pm, November 5th, 2013 - 282 comments
The attitudes put on display by the young men calling themselves the ‘Roast Busters’ aren’t a glitch or the product of some unsavoury sub-culture. Those young men and the attitudes they hold are the product of very long and complex processes whereby some very fucked up shit has become normalised.
Written By: - Date published: 7:59 pm, November 4th, 2013 - 310 comments
The reports of the Roast Busters are chilling. Watching 3 News tonight was very upsetting. Reported responses by the police, John Key and Judith Collins are inadequate. Key & Collins seem to be shifting the focus to cyber-bullying and away from the brutality of the physical acts. [Update: Scuba Nurse – positive steps to make a difference]
Written By: - Date published: 8:11 am, September 27th, 2013 - 34 comments
The other day, I wrote a piece on Poto Williams’ selection to be Labour’s candidate in the Christchurch East by-election. I promptly had to ban a commenter who assumed her selection was due to a quota – ie. a woman Cook Islander can’t possibly win on her own merit. Unfortunately, it seems The Standard sets higher, um, standards than The Herald, which published a similar argument by Damien Rogers today.
Written By: - Date published: 2:51 pm, August 10th, 2013 - 68 comments
My colleague Eddie had a go at Phil Goff this morning for dickish remarks, and fair enough too. But in the interests of keeping things in perspective, just a reminder as to which is the sexist party here…
Written By: - Date published: 7:54 am, August 10th, 2013 - 128 comments
The stupidity of Phil Goff’s misogynist taunting of Chris Finlayson has been compounded by his refusal to apologise.
Written By: - Date published: 6:00 pm, July 14th, 2013 - 63 comments
The ability of doctors to refuse to provide proper healthcare if God says it’s bad is again in the spotlight, with a Blenheim GP refusing to prescribe the Pill to a patient because he decided she needed to have babies, and her views on the matter don’t mean shit. But are we seriously going to label that as an act of “conscience”?
Written By: - Date published: 8:01 am, July 7th, 2013 - 121 comments
The MSM coverage of the Labour Party remit, led by right wing propagandists, is riddled with sexism and the same traditional masculinist values that marginalise the poor and those with least power. I repeat my post that critiques a speech on gender & politics at the 2012 Labour Party Conference.
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, July 6th, 2013 - 221 comments
Would it kill our journalists to add just the tiniest bit of fact into their Labour-scandal-obsessed feeding frenzy?
Written By: - Date published: 9:15 am, July 5th, 2013 - 38 comments
The dynamic duo of right-wing blogging are the modern day incarnation of the likes of Henry Wright and his 1902 “Notice to Epicene Women”…
Written By: - Date published: 8:27 am, July 5th, 2013 - 126 comments
National’s using Labour proposed gender balance proposals to take the media’s eye of the GCSB. It’s all in the game. But what about the seeming inability of Key to appoint women ministers? You know, something that’s actually happening, rather than a party’s proposed rule change? John Key has appointed just 8 women out of 28 ministers.
Written By: - Date published: 6:33 pm, July 4th, 2013 - 323 comments
Labour should be congratulated for facing up to the lack of women’s representation in our Parliament.
They could sit around waiting for society to eliminate all structural barriers and usher in full gender equality, but frankly I’d rather they did something about it now. It’s a messy debate, but that’s democracy.
Written By: - Date published: 7:00 pm, June 26th, 2013 - 18 comments
Today in Texas, a small victory was won for reproductive rights, thanks to this kickass senator.
Written By: - Date published: 8:05 am, June 13th, 2013 - 41 comments
A classic case of classy right wing politics from Australia is currently in the news. Reminds me of a similar example here last year.
Written By: - Date published: 8:52 am, June 5th, 2013 - 36 comments
This speech follows Metiria Turei’s (previous post). In which John Banks (facilitated by Eric Roy) indulges in some good old fashioned Parliamentary sexism (first 2 minutes).
Written By: - Date published: 11:15 am, May 11th, 2013 - 127 comments
The story this morning of a hotelier in Whangarei causing a lesbian couple to seek another place to sleep. That she was worried about them doing “sodomy” under her roof might be amusing. However the coprolalia syndrome that it displays has been tiresomely endemic amongst the self-ordained fuckwits in recent months. When will they take time to educate themselves so they don’t look like they just have brain defects?
Written By: - Date published: 10:00 am, April 17th, 2013 - 117 comments
The marriage equality law will pass it’s final reading in the House tonight. It is a measure of how things have changed. The passing of the law will not bring an end to all prejudices, inequalities and debilitating practices. But, today is a day for celebrating. [Update: Louisa Wall’s speech added.]
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