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Feminist Friday: Ken Cuccinelli Sucks and Blows It

Happy Coming Out Day!

This Week in Ladybits

You guys, I haven’t even been able to deal with this one in one complete burst-I’ve had to read the story in pieces. A Nebraska judge is forcing a 16-year-old girl to give birth because he doesn’t think she is “mature” enough to have an abortion. Nebraska has a parental consent law, but the girl’s biological parents were stripped of their parental rights because they were abusive. So the girl had no parents to consent-and a judge got to make the decision that she was mature enough to carry a child to term against her will, but not mature enough to make her own decision about her own body. And the state supreme court just upheld that.

That is a hell of a lot of government interference in a private decision. And it effectively bans abortions for girls in the foster care system. By the way, this Daily Kos diary makes a compelling case that the judge who made the original decision was not exactly objective.

Rachel Maddow, did you have anything to add?

There is, however, some good news in the land of ladybits. Gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli whiffed on his attempt to keep Virginia’s sodomy laws. Hahahahahahaha!

The Cooch is also getting some serious pushback on TRAP laws he supports that are designed to shut down abortion clinics in the state. Pro-choice activists held a rally to support the Falls Church Healthcare Center on Wednesday, which has filed a lawsuit to try to stop the draconian regulations. Look at these young activists and feel your heart swell with hope. Seriously: Nobody is pretending that Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe is a particularly dazzling political light. But Cuccinelli is straight-up nuts. He does not care for women’s health care, or women making their own medical choices, or even birth control. He does not care for The Gay. He will cause active harm to women and LGBT folks in the commonwealth if he gets elected. This is not a drill. If you have loved ones in Virginia, call them up and have as uncomfortable a conversation as you need to have to get them to the voting booth this November.

California, however, is not following the national trend of descending back into the dark ages. This week, the state expanded access for early-term abortions.

And American Apparel trolled the nation hard with a T-shirt featuring a menstruating vulva with a touch of masturbation thrown in. There’s nothing wrong with any of those things, but I don’t think that shirt is going on my wish list. It already seems to be off the AA site, but The Frisky had a couple of photos. Do I need to tell you they’re not safe for work? They are not safe for work.

This Week in Thinky Denmark’s progressive and woman-friendly society apparently robs pickup artists of women who are desperate enough to consider banging them. I don’t hear any weeping on that point from Denmark. (Hat tip to Happy Nice Time People.)

IndieWire is looking for college-age aspiring film critics to send to Sundance next year.

Twitter has zero women on their board, and they’re getting just a teeny bit defensive about it. Gosh, do you think the lack of women at the top might have anything to do with Twitter’s no-help-whatsoever policy when it comes to dealing with creeps?

This heated reaction to No Bra Day has been going around the net this week. Please discuss.

And Chaka Cumberbatch is calling for more black nerd girl representation.

This Week in Ugh

Pennsylvania’s Governor Tom Corbett compared gay marriage to incest. That’s funny-I’m comparing his re-election chances to a slug’s chance in the middle of a salt lick.

The government shutdown that supposedly doesn’t really affect anyone has (also) halted Department of Education college sexual assault investigations.

Anti-choice, anti-birth control GOP hopeful for the Texas governor’s race Greg Abbott says he is way more feminist than Wendy Davis. I’ll let you make your own call on that one.

Older LGBT folks are facing a new round of discrimination and abuse as they enter assisted living facilities. Since they are less likely than the average retiree to have a support network, the older members of our community are particularly vulnerable.

And actual, for-real-dear-god-how-did-this-happen Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia cannot handle ladies who swear. Ever since I read this fact, I have spent a minimum of three hours a day trying to think of foul and hilarious new swears just in case I’m ever in an elevator with him. It hasn’t happened yet. Oh, eeldicks.

This Week in Beacons Janet Yellen has been nominated to become the first female chair of the Federal Reserve.

Alice Munro won the Nobel Prize for literature.

Malala Yousafzai pleasantly stunned Jon Stewart on The Daily Show

On that note, here is a short piece on the importance of education in celebration of today, The International Day of the Girl.

…And if you’re ready to become a beacon yourself, check out Off the Sidelines and start shining.

This Week in Good Fantasy and SF writer Constance Cooper‘s eight-year-old daughter saw these sexist books and wasn’t having it, so she (the eight-year-old) alerted a bookstore staffer. That kid is turning out all right.

You know that Amy Poehler can make you laugh, but has she made you cry yet? Grab some tissues for her talk about working with the Worldwide Orphans Foundation at Variety‘s Power of Women Awards.

Nicole Kidman? Also no slouch at giving inspiring speeches.

This Week in Awesome

Penelope Cruz and Melissa McCarthy are two of the featured women in Elle‘s special Women in Hollywood issue for November. Prepare to love Katee Sackhoff and Jamie Bamber even more as they talk about sexism in the entertainment industry. (Via The Mary Sue)

Ada Lovelace Day is October 15! In her honor each year, Maia Weinstock and Anne Fausto-Sterling hold a mass Wikipedia edit to improve the way the site covers women scientists.

And NPR featured Arantxa Cedillo’s photographs of women who broke the rules in Nepal. I cannot recommend going to Cedillo’s website and seeing the full set highly enough. Have a great weekend and a great Coming Out Day. Here’s hoping you are coming out, rocking out, or making out.

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