Governor Tom Vilsack has felt the heat from conservative forces since a Washington DC-based gay publication praised his month-old executive order prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Although the order received little attention at the time of its signing, it has been at the center of controversy in Des Moines since the […]
For the first time in South Africa’s history, two women have been appointed to the rank of divisional commissioner in the country’s police service, the largest in the world. Magda Stander is the new Commissioner of Personnel Services and Dr. Mala Singh is the new Commissioner of Career Management. The appointments came following pressure from […]
Fourteen female foreign ministers this week wrote to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for an end to the trafficking of women and children worldwide. “On the edge of the 21st century, it is unacceptable that human beings around the world are bought and sold into situations such as sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and debt bondage […]
A high-profile case involving the conviction of 15 former policemen on charges of kidnapping and rape in Mexico City has focused public attention on the lack of protection for rape victims in Mexico. In this case, two girls, aged 13 and 15, were abducted and raped by the police officers, then publicly harangued by the […]
Model Magali Amadei and director of the American Anorexia Bulimia Association, Claire Mysko, spoke out on CBS News This Morning about the continuing problem of anorexia and bulimia in American women. Amadei said that bulimia is rampant in the modeling business, with agents even encouraging the young women to throw up. The problem of bulimia […]
Mavis Leno, wife of comedian Jay Leno, was interviewed this morning by Katie Couric of NBC’s Today show about FMF’s Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan. The interview was held in preparation for an educational event being held tonight, October 18, at 7:30pm at 541 Lexington Avenue in New York City. The fundraiser will […]
Hundreds of thousands of Afghans that have been forced to flee their homes by the Taliban militia’s reign of terror face a long cold winter that UN officials predict could be “as much a killer as the actual fighting.” In the Panjshir Valley, one of the few places in Afghanistan that the Taliban militia does […]
Afghanistan’s Taliban regime this weekend refused UN demands to extradite suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden. The refusal came in response to a UN threat of sanctions against flights by “planes owned, operated or leased by the Taliban,” and against Taliban-owned bank accounts and property in UN member states. Unless bin Laden is extradited, the U.N. […]
Najma Heptualla was elected the first woman president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization of legislators from around the world. Bringing much experience from Indian and international politics, Heptualla is currently the deputy head of the upper house of India’s parliament. Heptualla promised to use her new position to advance the role of women legislators […]
California, New York and Florida, state courts have ruled within the past 18 months that lesbian ex-partners are not entitled to visitation rights with children they helped raise, regardless of the established parenting relationship, or even whether the child was conceived by artificial insemination as a joint decision of the couple. Massachusetts, by contrast, recently […]
Jeans for Justice”: Women Protest Italian Rape Ruling Yesterday, Italian women protested an appeal court’s ruling that stated raping a woman wearing jeans is impossible. The court’s ruling in the case of a 45-year-old driving instructor accused of raping his 18-year-old student during a lesson provoked outrage among Italian feminists. The man was convicted of […]
The Advocate Health Care Network in Chicago announced a new policy limiting abortions to cases of rape or incest, to save the woman’s life or health, or when the fetus has a fatal birth defect. Anti-abortion proponents in the Chicago area argue that the policy is not enough(Chicago Tribune; Kaiser Daily Health Report). Chris Mahler, […]
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force released a statement on Monday announcing that, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, at least 20 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered (GLBT) people have been murdered in the United States over the past year. NGTLF executive director Kerry Lobel called for renewed dedication to the pasage […]
Antiabortion lawmakers failed in their attempt to attach an amendment preventing the FDA from approving mifepristone (RU486) or other abortifacients. The Fiscal Year 2000 Agriculture Appropriations bill has passed both the House and the Senate, and is not expected to be vetoed by President Clinton.
Wednesday the French National Assembly passed a law allowing unmarried couples, including those of the same-sex, access to the same tax and legal benefits as married couples. Under the new law, couples can register with local courthouses after “three years of stated fidelity.” Couples registered under the new law can file joint tax forms, take […]
Justice Margaret Marshall was confirmed Wednesday as the new chief justice of Massachusetts’ highest court, the nation’s oldest appellate court. A native of South Africa, Marshall has a history of anti-apartheid and pro-choice activism. She is the former chief counsel at Harvard University. Marshall nearly lost the appointment because of her pro-choice position. The Roman […]
This week the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would tighten federal control over two “date-rape drugs.” According to the bill, GHB, gamma hydorxybutyric acid, and Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer (which have been widely available over the Internet) would be placed in the same regulatory class as other strictly controlled narcotics. Rep. Sheila […]
Senior US officials today expressed concern that Tuesday’s military coup may be the next step in the “Talibanization” of the Pakistani government. They linked the coup to growing fundamentalism within the army since US military aid was cut off in the early 1990s. Deepa Ollapally of the US Institute of Peace shared their concern that […]
CGU Insurance of South Africa this week launched its new Rape Survivor policy, an insurance plan aimed at survivors of sexual abuse. The plan will offer a toll-free hotline, counseling, support groups and assistance filing charges against the attacker. The policy also covers anti-retroviral treatment, prophylactic treatment and HIV testing. Reactions to the new policy […]
A study released Tuesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta showed that women who experience “frequent physical abuse” are 1.5 times more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy than women who are not abused. Women who experience psychological abuse are 1.4 times more likely to have an unplanned first pregnancy. The […]
