Blog Archives

Dear Daughter, Have Lots of Great Sex

tumblr_lhpj4ofBpn1qbhh33o1_500[1]Maybe you’ve seen this “rule for dating my daughter”:

I’m sure you’ve been told that in today’s world, sex without utilizing some kind of ‘barrier method’ can kill you. Let me elaborate: when it comes to sex, I am the barrier, and I will kill you.”

That guideline, along with nine others, went viral a while back.

Sounds par for the course, as they say. That’s part of the problem.

In other times and places dads may literally kill someone when their kids have sex – usually their own daughters. In these honor killings honor lies in hateful murder, not in loving (or at least fun-loving) sex.

On the other hand how does this sentiment strike you?

Dear daughter, I hope you have some awesome sex.

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Men Fight For Women’s Rights

1381765742000-SaudiThumbsupFrom Saudi Arabia to Egypt to Iran to India to America – and points between – men are supporting women’s rights.

Over in Saudi Arabia, women are taking to the streets to drive. It’s actually not illegal for women to operate vehicles in the Kingdom. The country just won’t issue driver’s licenses to them. So these “women drivers” simply get licenses elsewhere.

And some Saudi men give two thumbs-up. Video here.

Or, see this parody of Bob Marley’s classic, “No Woman, No Cry” renamed, No Woman, No Drive,” from Alaa Wardi on YouTube

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On Burqas and Being Subordinate

1By Zaineb Alkhaleef

Last Halloween I saw a white teenage boy dressed as an Arab man. His friend wore a burqa — and a rope around (his/her?) neck, which the “Arab man” held as a leash. He kept pulling “her” around and shouting orders. I was shocked and wondered what their motive could be.

It got me thinking about women and rights.

I am a devout Muslim woman who wears hijab, a scarf to cover my hair.

Why do I do this? Because I am inferior and subordinate? Because it is my job to control men’s sexuality?

No.

I grew up hearing that men are sexual predators who are incapable of looking at a woman who isn’t covered from head to toe without wanting to rape them, or “mentally rape” them.

But that’s not why I cover my hair.

In fact, while some say women must dress modestly to keep uncontrollable men from sinning, I don’t buy it.

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Assaulting Daisy to Create “Male Superiority”

Daisy Coleman, Matthew Barnett

Daisy Coleman, Matthew Barnett

Trigger Warning: May be triggering for rape victims.

Plenty of people think rape is perpetrated by men who are sick in the head, or men who can’t control their lust for scantily clad women – especially women walking around late at night.

But as most know, rape primarily revolves around power issues. And relatedly, sexual assault is often used to create a sense of manhood and male superiority. The case of Daisy Coleman, who I wrote about recently, helps unveil the evil phenomenon.

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Why Maryville Citizens Defend Rapists

Screen Shot 2013-10-17 at 10.39.36 AMFourteen-year-old Daisy Coleman was raped and left for dead in freezing temperatures. Despite strong evidence, charges were dropped. And, large parts of her community bullied her. Some told her to apologize to men involved in the attack.

What’s wrong with these folks?

I’ll get to that question in a moment. First her story:

Nearly two years ago, Daisy went to spend the night at her 13-year-old friend’s house. The two were sneaking booze and watching scary movies when Daisy texted a 17-year-old friend of her brother’s – a guy her brother had warned her about. She says,

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Seeing Women as Magic and Evil

mSKsG2PXF2ch9xn2tDi7JawBy Ocelot

Some men see women as both magic and evil.

This occurred to me as I read a post on the lure of overeating:

Food was both magic and evil. That’s a noxious combination, known to create obsessions and addictions.

Sounds a lot like the men who hate pretty women.

Obsessed and addicted? Sounds about right. How else to explain the enduring idea that seeing a woman leads to attraction, which leads to rape, complete with horrible analogies comparing men to beasts and women to (wait for it) food?

Men who hate pretty women wouldn’t hate them so much if they didn’t love them, too.

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Rapists Echo “Blurred Lines” Lyrics

tumblr_m3eo9bPCzZ1r65rllo1_1280by  (Originally published at Ms.)

TRIGGER WARNING: Graphic descriptions of sexual assault.

Robin Thicke’s summer hit “Blurred Lines” addresses what he considers to be sounds like a grey area between consensual sex and assault. The images in this post place the song into a real-life context. They are from Project Unbreakable, an online photo essay exhibit, and feature women and men holding signs with sentences that their rapist said before, during or after their assault. Let’s begin going through the lyrics:

I know you want it.

Thicke sings “I know you want it,” a phrase that many sexual assault survivors report their rapists saying to justify their actions, as demonstrated over and over in the Project Unbreakable testimonials.  Read the rest of this entry

Men Who Wear Frocks

Some guys wear dresses. Why? 

"Vivienne"

“Vivienne”

“Vivienne” is what one cross-dressing man calls himself when he’s in drag. Vivienne also blogs on her cross-dressing experience over at BluestockingBlue, where she seeks to understand why she does it.

Before delving into Vivienne’s musings, let’s do a little Transvestite 101.

First, you might be surprised to learn that most cross-dressers, a.k.a. transvestites, are straight men.

Straight men?

While biological males who are transgendered or transsexual don’t see themselves as men, transvestites do. They are men who are trying to express something of the feminine within, which is so often submerged. And, cross-dressing often holds a sexual appeal for them.

That appeal helps explain why they’re usually straight. These guys are turned-on by women, and for them, dressing like one can be arousing.

Now back to Vivienne, who wrote a four-part series on a documentary called “Why Men Wear Frocks.” The film was produced by British artist, and tranny,  Grayson Perry. To read more, start with Part 1 on her site.

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From Being Bullied to Being a Star

126b979840ed6dc2c6bc37ef9db24320Young Brittany Mason was bullied relentlessly. And then she grew up to become a star. And an anti-bullying advocate.

Her torment began her first year of high school. Kids teased her, slashed her tires, and threw Barbie doll heads, or red paint, all over her yard.

Homecoming week was the worst. Some students created a giant poster with her picture on it, took it to a pep rally and chanted, “You are ugly.” Afterwards, they chased her from the bleachers and drenched her with water guns.

Britney tried to kill herself, but failed. Thinking back, she adds, “Thank God.”

After the suicide attempt she chose to do home schooling.

She says the experience was scarring and still haunts her.

But since then she has worked to make the best of her life, and that experience.

Kids said she was ugly?

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How To Suppress A Woman’s Desire

Man As Object, Karen Zack

Man As Object, Karen Zack

Women typically have lower sexual desire and drive than men in our society, according to both sex surveys and statistics on sexual dysfunction. Our culture may be largely to blame. Consider this:

We are bombarded by “sexy women” but not “sexy men”

Whether on billboards, TV ads, Dancing With The Stars, Olympic ice skating, or professional football, women are half-dressed and men are fully-clothed. The camera hones in on women’s breasts and butts and ignores men. Sure, we are seeing more hot men these days thanks to Taylor Lautner and Ryan Gosling. But People’s “Sexiest Men” typically portrays gorgeous faces, loose T-shirts and few bods. Even the clothing that women and men walk around in show off women’s bodies and, more often, hide men’s

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