Sex gender body

A friend of mine sent me a link to http://sexgenderbody.com/

"a direct, honest and respectful conversation about sex, gender & body".

There are some really great articles to read. Check it out!

Vulvae vary!

Firstly, the correct name for the "female" genitalia is the vulva. The vagina is only a very small part. It is the hole just below the urethra where menstrual blood and other fluids are excreted... where fingers, penises, toys etc. can be inserted... etc. Now that this is settled I can move on to the main course.

Vulvae vary in shape, size and colour. A friend of mine sent me a link to scarleteen.com where I found the following pictures of various vulvae. Click here to see more pictures drawn by Betty Dodson.


Here's a labelled diagragram of a vulva. Unfortunately I can't remember the site where I found it.

Guard Your Diamond

Here's a post on femininsting.com called "Why Glorifying Virginity is Bad for Women".

Please don't interpret this as a form of "virgin" or "chastity" bashing. Choosing to abstain from sex (in its various forms) is not necessarily a bad thing. However, the sexual double standard (virgin/whore) that women face when it comes to having/not having sex is an issue that must be taken seriously.

- Alice

HollaBack Toronto!

Check out hollabackto.blogspot.com.

"HollabackTO.com is a place for Toronto to sound off on street harassers. Because you have the right to walk down the street, go to work, and go about your day without worrying what some perv is gonna say or do."

This blog is amazing! Making the perpetrators of sexual assault/harassment/rape visible is the first step towards prevention!


- Alice

:-( Economy = More Vasectomies?

Here's an article from the New York Times online which has made a connection between the economic crisis and the rise in men seeking vasectomies.

Here's a discussion on the article from femininisting.com

Whether or not there is a connection between the economy and vasectomies, some individuals on feministing.com seem pleased to see a form of gender parity occurring in the realm of birth control. Let's hope that this trend continues!

- Alice

Don't Rape

I was weeding out old emails from my inbox today when I came across this. I received the following message in an email last year amidst the numerous reports of violence against women at the York U Keele Campus:


Open letter from Graduate Women’s Studies Students Association to the York Community.
Re: sexual assaults on campus.

We’re writing this letter because we’re angry.
Why?

First, because women at York are being attacked, sexually assaulted and raped. Like everyone, we have the right to study and work without fear of violence.

Second, we’re angry because instead of hearing a loud and repeated condemnation of sexual assault, we’re told how to avoid being raped. York administration’s security bulletin calls on us to be “vigilant” about our safety. Women have heard this before: don’t make the same mistakes as ‘those’ women; don’t go out alone at night; don’t be in the wrong place at the wrong time; basically, don’t get raped.

We’re angry because this is about our bodies, our lives, our dignity. But our anger about York’s official response does not stop with administrators: when they imply the perpetrators are strangers with no ties to York, no one has to take responsibility. Rape is a public relations nightmare, but denying its rootedness in the York community will not protect us.

Sexual assault and rape at York is done by people from York. We’re angry because we want to trust the people we live, work and study with. We want to be in a community that does not tell us, tacitly or officially, “don’t get raped,” but instead, values women enough to say, “don’t rape.” Rape is not accidental, and it is not isolated. It thrives in a culture that is tolerant of violence, especially violence against women. Currently, it thrives here, at York.

We want this culture to change, and that takes work. Security cameras and extra lighting are not the kind of “vigilance” we need.

We want to feel safe and respected. So you be vigilant: don’t rape.

The GWSSA


- Alice

February 2009: Artist of the Month

Evy Hareven is a Toronto based photography student whose work focuses on sex, gender and feminist politics.

Check out some of her work here

- Vivian

Call for papers

FORWARDED:

The Gender & Ecology Papers

We are excited to announce the launch of The Gender & Ecology Papers, a
new online paper series of the National Network on Environments and
Women's Health.

The Gender & Ecology Papers is a student-generated paper series,
designed to facilitate discussions of gendered environmental health and
engage students in applied ecology research. This paper series is
committed to supporting and publishing academic research that
contributes to a greater awareness of the interrelatedness of gender and
ecology. We encourage creative and thought-provoking submissions from
all academic disciplines, including environmental studies, women's
studies, anthropology, chemistry, biology, geography and sociology.

The Gender & Ecology Papers is a refereed paper series that is produced
by the National Network for Environments and Women's Health at York
University. The series will be published 3 times a year during the
winter, summer and fall semesters and each issue will be available to be
downloaded free from our website in PDF format.

Stephanie Peleshok
Administrative Assistant.
National Network on Environments and Women's Health
5021 TEL Building, York University
4700 Keele Street
North York, ON M3J 1P3
tel: 416-736-2100 Ext. 55772
fax: 416-736-5986
steph83@yorku.ca
www.nnewh.org


************************************************************************


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Winter 2009 Issue


Abstract Deadline: January 30th, 2009


Gender, Food and Agriculture

The Gender & Ecology Papers series is seeking submissions for its Winter
2009 issue on Gender, Food and Agriculture, which will feature academic
works that contribute various data, analysis and perspectives on
subjects related to farming and food using a gendered lens. In recent
years, both academic and public concern has grown over issues related to
agricultural practice, food safety and human health. Scholarly research
can contribute significantly to this discourse by highlighting the role
of gender in these relationships, as well as the social, physical,
biological and environmental factors that influence how food and farming
are understood and managed. Possible topics include, but are not
limited to:

· Pesticides and women's health

· Developmental/health effects from agricultural chemical exposure

· Gender and reproduction as they relate to agricultural chemicals

· Food additives and men's health

· Organic food and women's health

· The reproductive health of male farmers using industrial
farming techniques

· Bio-tech/GMO foods and gendered health

Papers on virtually all related topics and themes will be considered,
and submissions are encouraged from both undergraduate and graduate
contributors. Theoretical and applied works are welcome and should be
accessible to a wide range of readership. Paper submissions should be no
more than 2500 words (approximately 10 pages). The Gender & Ecology
Papers will also accept submissions of visual art (video length 5-10
minutes), poetry and photography for online publication. It is through
these multiple forms of expression that we wish to promote creative
thought and discourse surrounding this issue's topic of gender, food and
agriculture.

Deadline: Article abstracts are due by January 30th, 2009. Final
submissions are due by February 28th, 2009.
***********************************************************************


CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Summer 2009 Issue


Abstract Deadline: January 30th, 2009


Gender, Health and Chemical Consumption

The Gender & Ecology Papers series is seeking submissions for its Summer
2009 issue on Gender, Health and Chemical Consumption, which will
feature academic works that examine various aspects of the relationship
between gender, health and chemical consumption through various pathways
and routes of exposure. The growing discourse surrounding food additives
and toxic cosmetic ingredients has raised interesting questions about
chemical consumption and its implications for gendered health. Academic
analysis and discussion can play an important role in contributing to a
greater awareness of the gendered health consequences of chemical
consumption. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

· Women and cosmetic use

· Household products and gendered health

· Chemical consumption through personal care products

· Maternal health and pesticide exposure

· Artificial food colouring and children's health

· Chemical additives in the food choices of teenagers

Papers on virtually all related topics and themes will be considered,
and submissions are encouraged from both undergraduate and graduate
contributors. Theoretical and applied works are welcome and should be
accessible to a wide range of readership. Paper submissions should be no
more than 2500 words (approximately 10 pages). The Gender & Ecology
Papers will also accept submissions of visual art (video length 5-10
minutes), poetry and photography for online publication. It is through
these multiple forms of expression that we wish to promote creative
thought and discourse surrounding this issue's topic of gender, health
and chemical consumption.

Deadline: Article abstracts are due by January 30th, 2009. Final
submissions are due by February 28th, 2009.