Sgt. Maj. Gene C. McKinney, the Army’s former top enlisted man, was acquitted of 18 counts of sexual misconduct by a military jury. McKinney was convicted on one count of obstructing justice in lieu of a telephone conversation in which he told an accuser to testify that no wrong-doing had taken place. The women who […]
U.S. Supreme Court Hiring Practices Reflects “Old-Boys Club”
A survey issued by USA Today found that women totaled only one-fourth of law clerks hired by the U.S. Supreme Court, around 5% of clerks were Asian, less than 2% were African-American, and even less were Hispanic. Investigators found an ‘old-boys club’ system of hiring law clerks, including hiring only Harvard, Yale or other elite […]
Methodist Jury Permits Same-Sex Marriage Ceremonies
A jury of 13 United Methodist clerics found Rev. Jimmy Creech not guilty of violating church rules when he performed a marriage ceremony for two lesbian parishioners. Creech has been reinstated as minister of the First United Methodist Church in Omaha. Although the Methodist church’s “Social Principles” includes a 1996 order that ministers should not […]
FDA Approves Cheaper Osteoporosis Test
The Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of an ultrasound machine that tests for osteoporosis. Women can place their foot into the Hologic Inc.’s Sahara Bone Sonometer. The sonometer then measures the density of the heel by sending high-frequency sound waves through the bones, and comparing the speed of the sound waves through the […]
Delta Burke Launches Clothes Line for Real Women
Actress Delta Burke will be in D.C.’s Dupont Circle Crown Books on Wednesday to sign her new book, Delta Style: Eve Wasn’t a Size Six and Neither Am I. Burke is also launching a line of clothing for women sizes 14 to 26. The average woman in the United States is 5 feet 4 inches […]
Poverty in U.S. Strikes Women, Working Families
A survey released by the VanAmburg Group, Inc. concluded that the majority of hungry people in the United States are white, female, very old or very young and working. Director of Tufts University Center on Hunger, Poverty and Nutrition Policy J. Larry Brown said, “The data run counter to almost every stereotype we have of […]
Kenya Women Suffer Most During Conflicts
The Kenya chapter of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA-Kenya) found that women suffer the most during ethnic conflicts. A fact-finding mission revealed that women living in and around areas of repeated civil conflicts experience increased violence, poverty and health and hygiene problems. FIDA-Kenya member Njoki Ndung’u reported, “There are many internally displaced people […]
Minister On Trial for Performing Lesbian Marriage Ceremony
A jury of United Methodist Church ministers will rule on charges that the Rev. Jimmy Creech disobeyed United Methodist Church rules when he performed a unity ceremony for two of his female parishioners. Rev. Loren Ekdahl said that the ceremony was an “unauthorized ritual conducted as if it were an official rite of the church.” […]
British Prisons Release 150 Sex Offenders Without Supervision
British prisons will release up to 150 sex offenders, including rapists and pedophiles, without supervision in the next two years. The release comes as a result of a loophole created by the British Criminal Justice Act of 1991, which requires people convicted of sex crimes after 1992 to be supervised after their release. Sex offenders […]
Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Celebrates 20th Anniversary
Residents of Sydney, Australia attended the annual Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras this week. This year marked the festival’s 20th anniversary. Sydney lawyer and journalist David Marr said, “behind the frivolity of the parade, the message is that there is unfinished business. In its outrageous, flamboyant way Mardi Gras is a reminder that the campaign […]
Clintons Protest Violence Against Women in Afghanistan, Worldwide
In a White House ceremony marking International Women’s Day First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton condemned the Taliban militia group for its violations of women’s human rights in Afghanistan. She said, “We must give voice to women in Afghanistan, where women are brutalized and silenced by the Taliban — where girls are barred from school, where […]
Mail-Order Brides Risk Domestic Violence Abuse
Western companies are making millions in a booming mail-order bride and “romance tour” industry that not only degrades women but also exposes many to domestic abuse. Mail- order bride companies feature women from Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America in catalogues and on Web sites. Many of the women are portrayed as “traditional, family-oriented” […]
DC Metro Female Mechanics Make Mark
Five of the six female mechanics working for the Washington, D.C. Metro are applying for six manager’s positions in the male-dominated rail maintenance division. Metro is trying to increase the number of women in higher-up positions. Currently there are 1,446 women out of 8,173 employees. The mechanics’ supervisor, Lemuel Proctor, says he would like to […]
Same-Sex Classes Improve Girls’ Confidence But Not Test Scores
The American Association of University Women issued a report stating that girls-only math and science math classes did not improve test scores, but did improve girls’ confidence levels and attitudes towards science and math. Executive director of the AAUW Janice Weinman said, “We went in with an open mind, and what the research shows is […]
Gore Urges Congress to End Health Industry’s Sex Discrimination
Vice-President Al Gore called on Congress to pass laws that would end discrimination against women in the health care industry. Gore said that the President’s health care quality commission had recently reported “very strong evidence of the unequal treatment of women in our health care system.” For example, Gore said, women are less likely to […]
San Francisco Mayor Performs Same-Sex Marriage Ceremony for 50
San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown will perform a marriage ceremony for 50 same-sex couples at City Hall. The ceremony is open to the first 50 couples to pay the city’s $35 registration free to be recognized as domestic partners and $30 for the ceremony. Brown said, “On March 25th, we will put a human face […]
President Expected to Veto Anti-Abortion IMF Legislation
Senate Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) said that President Clinton has vowed to veto any IMF funding legislation that includes abortion restrictions. Daschle said, “We’re just not going to be blackmailed into accepting language that is totally unacceptable.” White House spokesman Michael McCurry said that President Clinton is “certainly moving” towards a veto. House […]
Military Rebuts Sex Segregation
Army, Navy and Air Force officials are rejecting a suggestion by an advisory panel of academics and retired military officers to separate men and women in basic training. A senior military official said, “We want to train as we fight … We are not going to gender segregate.” The panel, led by former Kansas Sen. […]
Democrat Lois Capps Wins House Seat
Democrat Lois Capps was elected to the House of Representatives in a bid for her late husband’s seat against Republican Tom Bordonaro. At 3 a.m., Capps had 66,424 votes and Bordonaro had 54,635, with 257 out of 356 precincts reporting. Capps won despite a vicious campaign initiated by extreme anti-abortion groups. The Campaign for Working […]
Vatican Will Not Consider Female Deacons
Vatican officials declared that they would not consider allowing women to apply for deaconships. The head of the congregation for Catholic education, Italian Cardinal Pio Laghi, and the head of the congregation for the clergy, Colombian Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos, said that the church has no reason to change its tradition. When reporters pointed out […]