The Round-Up: Nov. 15, 2011
In no particular order, here are links to some interesting stories we missed this past week:
- Monica at TransGriot reminds us that trans Americans are still not permitted to serve openly in the military, asking how many more Veterans Days will pass before they can?
- On a more positive note, The Advocate reports the Central Asian nation of Kyrgrzstan has taken a big leap towards making it easier for trans people to change their gender on official documents, putting it ahead of many Western countries.
- As Shakira makes it to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Colorlines points out the huge lack of diversity that still exists among those awarded stars.
- Blerg. Ms. Magazine has found that in absence of a firm anti-rape joke page policy from Facebook, several more horrendously offensive pages have cropped off since a feminist campaign convinced FB to remove one batch. Some new ones are a series of “You know she’s playing hard to get when…” pages, including: “You know she’s playing hard to get when she tries to break out of your van.”
- A new group has formed in Prince Edward Island. to remind the provincial government of its responsibility to fund abortion services under the Canada Health Act. Janice Kennedy has a column in the Ottawa Citizen describing the issues and problems faced by women seeking reproductive health services in P.E.I.
- Eve Ensler, creator of the Vagina Monologues and V-Day has published a new call to action in the Huffington Post leading up to next year’s V-Day for one billion women to rise up to end rape.
- The Mary Sue reports on a new Google Chrome plugin that will swap the genders in your e-books. Looks like fun!
- Towleroad shares a really useful new video from the ACLU on how to start a Gay-Straight Alliance at your public school. The stats and legal frameworks are US-specific but most of the tips are applicable in Canada. If you’re looking for more Canadian-specific info, check out this guide from Egale or this list of Canadian resources from the Safe Schools Coalition.