A Louisiana Justice of the Peace refused to grant an interracial couple a marriage license yesterday on the grounds that their children might suffer from lack of acceptance. Justice of the Peace Keith Bardwell told the Daily Star of Hammond that during his 34 years as a Justice of the Peace, he has always refused […]
The US House of Representatives passed the National Women’s History Museum act of 2009, which will authorize the construction of a National Women’s History Museum near the National Mall in Washington DC. The move involves sale of federal property, which is why congressional approval is necessary, the National Women’s History Museum reports. Representative Carolyn Maloney […]
US District Judge Vaughn Walker rejected a petition Wednesday that sought the dismissal of a pending constitutional challenge to Proposition 8, the November 2008 ballot initiative that overturned the right of same-sex marriage in the state. Representatives of the Proposition 8 campaign argued that the measure should stand on the basis of historical precedent of […]
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nan Robertson died of heart failure on October 13 at a nursing home in Rockville, Maryland. She was 83. Robertson, a reporter for the New York Times, won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize in feature writing for “Toxic Shock,” an account of her sudden battle with Toxic Shock Syndrome at the age of […]
Early in October, the UN Human Rights council passed a resolution called Promoting Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms Through a Better Understanding of Traditional Values of Humankind, which will convene a workshop in 2010 to exchange views on how supporting traditional values can foster improved human rights. The “measure was adopted by a majority vote […]
A proposed ballot initiative seeking a California constitutional amendment requiring parental notification and a 48-hour waiting period before a minor can obtain an abortion was filed yesterday at the California Attorney General’s Office. The initiative (see PDF), called the “Parental Notification, Child and Teen Safety, and Stop Predators Act,” proposes that the state has “a […]
A Georgia transgender woman filed a lawsuit late in September because she was fired from her job as a legislative editor for the Georgia General Assembly because she announced her intent to transition from male to female. Vandy Beth Glen, formerly Glenn Morrison, filed her suit against the Georgia General Assembly in conjunction with Lambda […]
A new report from the Guttmacher Institute released this week found that, worldwide, legal restrictions on abortion have no effect on the rate of abortions, but that these restrictions force women to seek illegal abortions and put themselves at risk. An estimated 70,000 women die each year from unsafe and largely illegal abortions, according to […]
Rula Dashti, a female Kuwaiti lawmaker, proposed an amendment on Sunday to overturn an election law that requires women in parliament to follow sharia law. This requirement was codified in May 2005, when women were first granted the right to vote and hold office in the Kuwait’s National Assembly, according to the Kuwait Times. Dashti […]
Gay rights advocates are commending two bills signed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Sunday, one creating a state day of recognition for the late activist Harvey Milk and one granting the rights of marriage to same-sex couples who legally wed in other states. The bills, both introduced by state Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), […]
Over three hundred women of color and their allies gathered at the Third Annual Women of Color Conference at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia on October 9 and 10. Hosted by the Feminist Majority Foundation with co-sponsorship by the Spelman Women’s Research and Resource Center, the Spelman Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, Bennett College for Women, […]
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded last Thursday to a Republican press release criticizing her stance to scale back troops in Afghanistan. In a press release, the National Republic Congressional Committee (NRCC) stated, “If Nancy Pelosi’s failed economic policies are any indicator of the effect she may have on Afghanistan, taxpayers can only hope McChrystal is […]
Last week, the Chicago city council passed an ordinance mandating anti-choice protestors maintain a safe distance away from clinics and facilities that provide abortion services. The ordinance establishes a 50 foot buffer zone and authorizes fining any protestor who gets within 8 feet of a patient without their consent $500, NBC Chicago reports. Chicago’s Mayor, […]
Tens of thousands marched yesterday from the White House to the nation’s Capital at the National Equality March in Washington, DC, in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender rights. March spokesman Phil Siegal, estimated the crowd at “more than 150,000” according to the Los Angeles Times. Activist and blogger Corey Johnson told the the […]
Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics today, October 12, 2009. Ostrom, who is a professor at Indiana University, Bloomington, was awarded the prize “for her analysis of economic governance, especially the commons,” which the Wall Street Journal defines as the “way in which natural resources are managed […]
Department of Defense data obtained by the Palm Center at the University of California, Santa Barbara shows that proportionately more women were discharged from the military under the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy in 2008 than men. Women account for only 15 percent of the military, yet in 2008 one-third of the over 619 troops […]
The US House of Representatives passed a bill yesterday, October 8, 2009, on a 281 to 146 vote that will expand the definition of “hate crimes” under federal laws. The act expands federal hate crime laws to include crimes where the victims were targeted on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender and disability. […]
The head of Egypt’s top educational institution is facing criticism from fellow Islamic leaders after he declared his intention to bar women wearing face veils from attending class. Cleric Mohammed Sayyed Tantawi made the announcement last week after he ordered a student at a middle school he was visiting to remove her face veil, according […]
Brigitte, Germany’s most popular woman’s magazine, has announced that it will stop using photographs of professional models and will instead use only photographs of “real” women. According to Andreas Lebert, Brigitte’s editor in chief, the move was made in response to complaints from readers who said that they no longer feel a connection with women […]
A new Oklahoma law set to take effect on November 1, will require doctors to report extensive information about each abortion performed in the state, which will then be published on government websites. The questionnaire will ultimately be posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Health website and includes information as detailed as a woman’s […]
