Bill Could Force IRS To Investigate Abortions

P.S. Sorry about double pic in my last post!

http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-bu...us-house-floor

Democrat chastised for saying 'uterus' on House floor
:seeingstars:

Women in the Middle East
 

The missing subject in Arab uprisings

Published Tuesday, Apr. 05, 2011


There is much about the Middle East that needs changing. It was always a matter of time, for example, before the people would rise up and demand freedom. But we have yet to see the leaders of the uprisings make a forceful case to address one of the most serious problems in the region: the routine abuse, harassment and even the brutalization of women.

The subject gained attention when CBS correspondent Lara Logan was hospitalized following a "sustained sexual assault and beating" while covering celebrations of the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Back then, some blame-the-victim observers said perhaps women should not cover such events, or maybe Logan was not dressed appropriately.

The incident brought to mind a mind-boggling conversation I had years ago while working in Cairo. My Egyptian colleague, normally a forward-looking man, insisted that a woman who doesn't dress modestly has only herself to blame if men rape her. I had not heard that outrageous argument in decades, and my Egyptian friend had never heard the view that nothing excuses rape. He ultimately agreed, leading me to conclude that a determined education campaign might change attitudes, at least among part of the population.

For now, reformers have not made the cause of women's rights prominent in their demands because the attitudes that cause the problem are endemic in the population, not just in the regimes they seek to change. But if progressive leaders want to improve life for everyone, women's rights should figure at the top of their agenda. Many throughout the region fervently hope conditions for women will improve.

How women dress, incidentally, has absolutely nothing to do with the problem. Studies in Egypt have shown that the overwhelming majority of Egyptian women have been harassed, and most of them were wearing Islamic headscarves at the time of the abuse. But sexual harassment is the least of it.

Even in the New Egypt, we hear reports of women being arrested, tortured and subjected to "virginity exams" in view of soldiers. The region is rife with honor killings of the victims of sexual crimes. Genital mutilation continues and, to different degrees, discrimination against women is the order of the day in every single Arab country.

Women are in for "special" treatment in every situation. When a team of New York Times journalists was detained in Libya, the woman photographer among them was repeatedly groped by her captors. And we still don't know the fate of Eman al-Obeidy, the Libyan woman who managed to tell foreign reporters she had been raped by 15 men while in custody, even as she struggled with security forces who pulled a black hood over her head and drove her away.

In Saudi Arabia, women have been told yet again that they will not be allowed to vote in upcoming municipal elections. It's no wonder. They are still banned from driving, working, or traveling without a man's permission. The mere suggestion of such rules would cause women to riot in other countries.

In the desert kingdom, courageous women inspired by actions in neighboring nations, have joined to form the Saudi Women's Revolution. They demand equality and are asking the rest of the world to support them.
The Arab Middle East - and Egypt in particular - act as a beacon that guides customs and beliefs in other Muslim countries, where mistreatment can reach horrifying, infuriating depths.

A few days ago, in Bangladesh, a 14-year-old girl named Hena was beaten and raped. As a result, she was accused and found guilty of adultery by the village Imam, who issued a fatwa, a religious ruling sentencing her to 100 lashes for her transgression, whatever that was.

Hena managed to withstand 70 lashes before collapsing and requiring hospitalization. She died of her injuries. An autopsy, incredibly, ruled her death a suicide.

Attitudes toward women have become infected by the social and political stagnation that the region now wants to shed. A spotlight on women's rights, at this moment, could have a powerful impact throughout the Muslim world.

Women are part of the movement that overthrew regimes in Egypt and Tunisia, and many of their male comrades-in-revolution share the urgency of their plight. Demands for democracy and efforts to institute liberal reforms should include a special focus on women. Democracy advocates, enlisting the support of moderate Muslims, could improve hundreds of millions of lives and move their countries forward by insisting, not a moment too soon, on full rights for women.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Frida Ghitis writes about global affairs for The Miami Herald. Readers may send her e-mail at fjghitis@gmail.com.


http://www.sacbee.com/2011/04/05/3528753/the-missing-subject-in-arab-uprisings.html#

Hillary Clinton Photoshopped Out of Situation Room Photo


Ultra Orthodox Hasidic newspaper Der Tzitung is telling its readers like it isn't- by editing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton from the now-iconic Bin Laden raid Situation Room photo. Oy vey.

The religious paper never publishes pictures of women, as they could be considered "sexually suggestive." Apparently the presence of a woman, any woman, being all womanly and sexy all over the United States' counterterrorism efforts was too much for the editors of Der Tzitung to handle.

While saving precious vulnerable men from being driven mad with desire over the image of a woman may be in line with Der Tzitung's editors' ideas of piety, Jewish Week's Rabbi Jason Miller points out that the altered image violates a central tenet of the faith,

Der Tzitung edited Hillary Clinton out of the photo, thereby changing history. To my mind, this act of censorship is actually a violation of the Jewish legal principle of g'neivat da'at (deceit).

Der Tzitung plans on printing the following retraction in its next edition: <--(not really sure what this means...couldn't find what/where retraction)


http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets...to-600x394.jpg

P.S.
 

This official photograph was released from the White House and includes the following disclaimer after the caption: "This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House."

http://www.thejewishweek.com/blogs/j...n_iconic_photo

I have deep respect for women in this region of the world that speak out about this. They are subject to such brutality, including death.

My grandmother was a suffrigist- crossing both US, UK and western European borders with her fight. She was not an educated woman, actually she could not read or write. I have no idea how she got into the middle-class group of women that led the "First Wave." Yet, I know she did not have the kind of brutal, sadistic, sociopathological kinds of oppression thrown at her like these women. She knew of this- and once said to me- "Maybe someday they will fight back." This was when she was much older and I was the first in our family to attend college and had taken up with those "Bra-Burners." OK, Grandma- they are!! I hope you cane see this.

Besides Hilary, there was a woman staffer who was removed from the picture.....she was standing in the back

I really wish fundamentalists could understand how damamging this kind of thing is to boys and men. It tells boys/men they have no control over their own sexuality....the mere picture of a fully clothed woman (with no cleavage or arms showing) makes their dicks hard and they have go out and find a woman right now..........that is an ugly messages for boys and men.....

Thanks Greyson for posting the April 2011 article
 

Hi Greyson!

Thanks for posting this article last month! I just came across this forum thread today and it reminded me of the hot forum topic from last summer on Misogyny/Sexism in Butch/Femme & LGBTQ communities

(LINK)

I want to author a book on this subject alone... If you (and others here) don't mind, I will excerpt a portion of my forum post on what the above article (authored by Frida Ghitis, from the Miami Herald). I think it is important to keep issues that target female beings in social settings front and center; because dismantling ideological frames that perpetuate these types of institutionalized practices can only lead to a healing of social practices and ideas pertaining to women - locally, nationally & globally.

Excerpting my former statement from last summer:

That's disgusting.

I agree. It also erases women from history- in this case the erasure of the Secretary of State and other woman staffer who indeed were there and part of the mission.

they must not post many pictures of world events. i am thinking i'd find it more acceptable if they said in the caption that Hillary was there, but they photoshopped her out for religious reasons. What annoys me is not the religious prohibition against images of women, but erasing women from history -- and letting hasidic women believe that only men rule the world outside theirs. i am sure they know better. They live in cities, but . . .

hmm...it really DOES annoy me that they photoshopped her (and, apparently, another woman...nods to Toughy) out b/c of religious prohibitions against images of women AND, thereby, erasing women from history.

I am not a cultural relativist, though. (not saying you are)

Um, Ok.
 

INVISIBLE

Hasidic Newspaper Explains Why It Airbrushed Out Hillary Clinton

Irin Carmon — Di Tzeitung, the Hasidic newspaper that Photoshopically removed Hillary Clinton and Audrey Tomason from the famous situation room photo, has explained its actions as follows:

Our photo editor realized the significance of this historic moment, and published the picture, but in his haste he did not read the "fine print" that accompanied the picture, forbidding any changes. We should not have published the altered picture, and we have conveyed our regrets and apologies to the White House and to the State Department.

The allegations that religious Jews denigrate women or do not respect women in public office, is a malicious slander and libel. The current Secretary of State, the Honorable Hillary R. Clinton, was a Senator representing New York State with great distinction 8 years. She won overwhelming majorities in the Orthodox Jewish communities in her initial campaign in '00, and when she was re-elected in '06, because the religious community appreciated her unique capabilities and compassion to all communities. The Jewish religion does not allow for discrimination based on gender, race, etc. We respect all government officials. We even have special prayers for the welfare of our Government and the government leaders, and there is no mention of gender in such prayers.

In accord with our religious beliefs, we do not publish photos of women, which in no way relegates them to a lower status. Publishing a newspaper is a big responsibility, and our policies are guided by a Rabbinical Board. Because of laws of modesty, we are not allowed to publish pictures of women, and we regret if this gives an impression of disparaging to women, which is certainly never our intention. We apologize if this was seen as offensive.

It's not only this paper that is consistent on this front; in Israel, ultra-Orthodox papers don't publish photos of Kadima party leader Tzipi Livi, nor use her first name. In one newspaper photo, the two out of 30 cabinet ministers that happened to be female were replaced with a black hole.

God, a black hole. If that's not symbolic. . .

But i think that's better than photoshopping. i mean, say the Secy of State was there, say that whatever her name was there, and you have just removed their images. That's at least better than what seems like a lie, like pretending they weren't there.

WTF??

They respect women SO MUCH, they can't actually discuss their achievements in the local media! *Head spin*

i am not sure they can't. In fact i bet they do discuss Hillary's work and did particularly when she was the U.S. Senator for New York. Didn't something we read say they had done this once before to Hillary when she was meeting with some Hasidic rabbis?

The point is the article probably talked about the Senator meeting with Rabbi So and So, etc. They just didn't show her picture.

The pic without Hilary Clinton in it has a big, gaping hole. I guess that laptop is just sitting there for a ghost.

WTF does modesty have to do with reporting news. If you can't report news accurately then don't report it at all.

Small newspapers are ways that communities maintain themselves. They do not report all the same news or from the same perspective. i do think that photoshopping women out without making sure that their presence is noted is rewriting history without women, which is misrepresenting it. i don't defend their right to do that.

But i think that if they don't want images of women because of their religious beliefs, then they don't have to put them in. Perhaps they should just not include pictures that origninally had women. But they have to struggle with that and the criticism they receive.

i do think it's a freedom of religion issue. It's one of the things i am proudest of about the U.S. If we didn't protect freedom of religion, we would suffer because fundamentalist Christianity would overwhelm parts of our public culture, especially in some regions.

In any case, it's an important basic freedom. Way more important than the fact that you or i might be offended by what they do.

“Corrective Rape” in South Africa: Not Getting Better

I am sorry that I said this a little while ago, when South African LGBTQ activists met with government leaders to talk about corrective rape, a widespread practice in that region:

There’s no word yet on the outcome of the meeting; it may be too much to hope that all activists’ demands were met. But it’s not too much to hope that with the government finally meeting with LGBT activists, the road may be paved for further efforts to stop corrective rape and diminish its commonality.

I am sorry because things in South Africa have not improved since then. In fact,a recent update shows that the corrective rape problem there is growing, in both numbers and ferocity. This is all occurring in a nation where laws about gay people are a fantasy compared to ours – so it’s part of a heavy societal, and not legislative, backlash against the gay community – and the lesbian community in particular. And it’s an incredibly violent manifestation. The homophobia that’s being experienced is complex: other regions in Africa have had more widespread movements against the gay community, and they appear to be a big influence on this one.

South Africa has a complicated history with respect to homophobia, and colonial rule brought about institutionalized homophobia in the form of laws and gay sex bans. This might be ancient history for the progressive laws of South Africa now, but it sets a tone for anti-gay violence and it is where it originated for the region.

The stories are truly chilling. The contempt, and rage, felt toward the lesbian community in South Africa is pretty devastating:

In South Africa, more than 30 lesbians have been killed in “corrective rape” cases since 1998, yet only one case has resulted in a conviction. By some estimates, at least 10 lesbians are raped or assaulted every week in the Cape Town area alone. In one of the most notorious cases, a gang of men raped and murdered 31-year-old Eudy Simelane, a lesbian who played on South Africa’s national women’s soccer team. She was stabbed 25 times in the face, legs and chest.

According to survivors, the attackers often shout that they are “teaching a lesson” to their lesbian victims, or showing them “how to be a real woman.” Many victims never report the attacks to the police, fearing that they will be mocked or abused.

Even in schools, many young boys believe that lesbians need to be raped to “correct” their sexual orientation, according to the South African Human Rights Commission. “A culture of rape is being passed down to younger generations of South African men,” said a report by ActionAid, an international rights group. “Women are forced to conform to gender stereotypes or suffer the consequences.” [...]

The South African courts and police have been slow to respond to the attacks on lesbians. One court case, involving the murder of 19-year-old Zoliswa Nkonyana by a gang of about 20 men who wanted to “correct” her sexuality, has been postponed 33 times and has dragged on for five years without a resolution.

One case has finally sparked global attention. Millicent Gaika, a 30-year-old lesbian in a township near Cape Town, was raped and beaten for five hours by a man who tried to strangle her with barbed wire. “I know you are a lesbian,” the man told her. “You are not a man. You think you are, but I am going to show you. You are a woman.”

These stories are a reminder, and are proof, that identifying corrective rape as a hate crime would be no understatement. And that’s exactly what the

LGBTQ activists in South Africa are trying to do.
Ndumie Funda is leading the challenge against corrective rape, inspired to do so by the practice’s impact on her fiancee. She herself is in extreme danger, and has faced a brunt of verbal threats. When she formed a human rights organization, she was forced into hiding. But she has not stopped:

While the threat of violence and prison is forcing many African gays to go underground, the war is not over. In a few South African black townships, lesbian volunteers are going door-to-door to raise awareness of their issues. A growing coalition of rights groups is fighting against “corrective rape.” And after the global petition produced so many thousands of e-mails that the government pleaded for it to stop, Ms. Funda and other activists were granted a two-hour meeting with senior Justice Ministry officials on March 14.

The officials promised Ms. Funda that they would take action on the corrective-rape issue, including setting up a meeting with top police commanders. “The meeting was exciting,” she said. “It was great.”

I may have been too hopeful about that meeting, but I stand my ground that these activists are some of the most amazing women in the world. Corrective rape cannot continue, in any region of the world, and these activists have the fire to keep fighting. (All of my heart is with them.)

http://www.alternet.org/news/150878/..._to_be_a_woman

NEWS & POLITICS AlterNet / By Amanda Marcotte

10 Worst States To Be a Woman

State Republicans have introduced nearly 1,000 laws restricting women's reproductive health access. Here are 10 of the worst states to be a woman between puberty and menopause.
1. Mississippi
2. Texas
3. South Dakota
4. Indiana
5. Oklahoma
6. Kansas
7. Minnesota
8. Georgia
9. Arizona
10. Louisiana

Read about each of the states in the article. It will make your blood boil. Minnesota is the one state that surprised me.

And this is part of why I will never relent butting heads with religion.

Religious freedom is all fine and dandy, but I do not think religious beliefs should ever take precedence over the rights of individual human beings to be acknowledged for the achievements, their right to go about their lives just like everyone else etc.

Religion, whether or not the religious like to admit it, is a choice as well as a cultural issue (being raised a certain religion, f.ex.) Women, men, those in between, various races and ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities, disabilities and so on...these are things people have no choice in. They are born as they are born and does not determine their own opinions and perspectives. A religious choice should not take precedence over a woman's right to be acknowledged for her own achievements. Misogynist religious beliefs should not be permitted to simply write women out of the public sphere or politics out of convenience or in the name of "religious freedom" without legal repercussions. Personally, I think every nation should have media laws put in place to prevent this sort of thing from happening. The press should not be permitted to knowingly mislead the public.

It does make my blood boil!!

The mid-term elections in the US and the RebubliCon/Tea Party zealots used the debt and economy as a huge ruse to simply widen their fight to over turn Roe v Wade. The tactics were centered in gaining as many legislative seats and govenorships in the STATES to build on this goal.

So, how many bills have been introduced to create JOBS?

I find Maddow's analysis lately about how the "big" vs. "small" government and getting government out of our personal lives on point about these "states rights" issues.

The backlash gaining momentum about the Ryan assault on MediCare might prove to be a very lucky, indeed. It could push independents as well as some senior GOP voters more to the middle and vote Democrat.

I thought this was particularly gross:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_861331.html

Shut up about my body, Glenn Beck.
by Meghan McCain

Wonder why Faux has finally decided to get rid of him....

Wtf...:blink:

for a different perspective on the issue
 

CITING MODESTY CONCERNS, HIPSTER WEBSITE REMOVES “SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE” MALE IMAGES FROM SIT ROOM PHOTO

http://cdn.theatlanticwire.com/img/u...2/hillary2.jpg

Yes, exactly! We don't want the women (or men ;)) to get overheated while reading the news!

It really is amazing the different takes you get from the edited pics.

Texas law requires sonograms, explanations before abortions
 

Humiliation, sexism and eugenics all rolled into one disturbing new law.

Women seeking an abortion in Texas will have to view a picture of the embryo or fetus and hear a description of its development before having the procedure, under a law that takes effect September 1.

The bill stirred some controversy in Texas, but it easily passed through the state House and Senate, both of which are controlled by Republicans. It was signed into law Thursday by Republican Gov. Rick Perry.

The law says that at least 24 hours before an abortion is performed, women must undergo a sonogram, a procedure that uses ultrasound to create an image.

The doctor, then, is required to give, "in a manner understandable to a layperson, a verbal explanation of the results of the sonogram images, including a medical description of the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, the presence of cardiac activity, and the presence of external members and internal organs," the law states.

There are some exceptions, including pregnancies that resulted from sexual assault, incest or other violations of law.

Women seeking abortions also are exempt if the fetus has been found to have an irreversible medical condition that will cause a disability.

. . .

"What no one is focusing on is that this is a mandate to humiliate women who want an abortion," said Yvonne Gutierrez, vice president for public affairs at the Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas.

French Women 'Stunned' By Public Misogyny Following DSK's Arrest
 

When will it stop?!
 

House Refuses To Vote On Abortion Coverage For Military Rape Victims


The House Committee on Rules blocked an amendment from going to vote on Wednesday that would have allowed military rape victims to access abortion care through their government-provided health plans.

Earlier this week, Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) and five other House Democrats submitted an amendment to the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that would reverse the current policy of denying abortion coverage to military women who are raped and become pregnant during their service. As the bill currently stands, servicewomen have to pay out of pocket for an expensive abortion procedure unless they can prove that their lives are in danger.

By contrast, other federal bans on abortion coverage, including those for Medicaid recipients, federal employees, and women in federal prisons, all include exceptions for victims of rape and incest. The ban on abortion coverage for military rape victims is actually more extreme than the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited federally-funded abortions for the past 30 years except in the cases of rape, incest and life endangerment.

"I think it's outrageous that we have young women who are serving our country and sacrificing their lives, and if they are raped and a pregnancy happens then they cannot utilize federal resources in order to have an abortion," Rep. Davis told HuffPost. "How can we tell a servicewoman that we would provide funding for her if she were sitting in a safe office in Washington, DC, but because she's fighting for our freedom in Afghanistan we tell her no? It's just not acceptable."

Instances of rape in the armed services are alarmingly common: The Pentagon reported more than 3,000 cases in FY 2009, and the Department of Defense estimates that reported incidents only account for a small fraction of the sexual assaults that actually occur.

Davis said it is unclear exactly why the House Committee on Rules, led by Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), decided that the amendment did not deserve to be debated or get a vote.

"I think they just don't want this to come up," she told HuffPost, "so they used a rule to block it."

ADVERTISEMENT
Dreier's office did not return calls for comment.

NARAL Pro-Choice America said it was outraged by the House leadership's ongoing campaign to limit women's access to abortion care.

"Apparently Speaker John Boehner and his allies believe that women who put their lives on the line for their country should face more obstacles than women stateside when it comes to making personal, private decisions," said Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL. "It is unconscionable."

Turkish Women Advised To "Stay Home" If They Don’t Want To Be Sexually Harassed

“Do not walk around, sit in your homes,” 71-year-old Justice and Development Party, or AKP, Mayor Necmittin Dede recently told Muş representatives of the Women’s Center, or KAMER, when they told authorities that high employment in the city had resulted in men spilling out of the overcrowded teahouses in the area to verbally harass female passersby.

Badminton’s New Dress Code Is Being Criticized as Sexist

In an attempt to revive flagging interest in women’s badminton as the 2012 London Olympics approach, officials governing the sport have decided that its female athletes need to appear more, how to put it, womanly.

To create a more “attractive presentation,” the Badminton World Federation has decreed that women must wear skirts or dresses to play at the elite level, beginning Wednesday. Many now compete in shorts or tracksuit pants. The dress code would make female players appear more feminine and appealing to fans and corporate sponsors, officials said.

The rule has been roundly criticized as sexist, a hindrance to performance and offensive to Muslim women who play the sport in large numbers in Asian countries. Implementation has already been delayed by a month. Athletes’ representatives said they would seek to have the dress code scrapped, possibly as early as Saturday at a meeting of the world’s badminton-playing nations in Qingdao, China.

“This is a blatant attempt to sexualize women,” said Janice Forsyth, director of the International Centre for Olympic Studies at the University of Western Ontario. “It is amazing. You’d think at some point, somebody would have said: ‘Wait a minute. What are we doing?’ ”

Women will still be allowed to wear shorts or long pants for cultural and religious reasons. But these garments must be worn beneath a dress or skirt, which could be cumbersome.

“You sweat a lot doing badminton at a really high level,” Forsyth said. “Sometimes clothing sticks to you. Adding another layer does not enhance performance. It detracts. It counters the basic argument that they’re trying to generate more interest in women.”

Women wear more revealing outfits than men in a number of Olympic sports like gymnastics, track and field, volleyball and beach volleyball. Even the bikinis in beach volleyball can be somewhat justified on grounds of functionality (it is easier to clear sand from a two-piece outfit than a one-piece).

Yet the badminton rule seems to have been devised strictly for reasons of appearance. It was formulated in consultation with Octagon, an international marketing firm, which did not respond to requests for comment.

“When you dictate apparel for reasons of sexuality, it should be offensive,” said Donna Lopiano, a former chief executive of the Women’s Sports Foundation.

Badminton’s world governing body now finds itself on the defensive, accused of trying to sell a sport by showing more leg and skin. Male players are required only to dress in “proper attire,” officials said.

“We’re not trying to use sex to promote the sport,” said Paisan Rangsikitpho, an American who is deputy president of the Badminton World Federation, which is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “We just want them to look feminine and have a nice presentation so women will be more popular.”

Interest is declining, Rangsikitpho said, adding that some women compete in oversize shorts and long pants and appear “baggy, almost like men.”

“Hardly anybody is watching,” he said. “TV ratings are down. We want to build them up to where they should be. They play quite well. We want them to look nicer on the court and have more marketing value for themselves. I’m surprised we got a lot of criticism.”

Some women have embraced the dress rule. Nora Perry, a former world doubles champion from England who is on the council of the world governing body, said in a statement, “We need to be able to differentiate the women’s game to create the attention the game deserves.”

Cee Ketpura, 17, a rising American star, said she always wore skirts in competition because “I think they look more professional.”

Yet many others have said that while they supported attempts to popularize women’s badminton, like offering equal prize money, they considered it an affront to be told to wear a dress or a skirt.

Mesinee Mangkalakiri, 28, who competed for the United States in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is known as May, said that she preferred shorts. Skirts made her feel self-conscious earlier in her career, she said.

“It doesn’t matter what Kobe Bryant wears,” Mangkalakiri said, referring to the N.B.A. star. “People like his skills on the court. You’d hope they come to watch you because you are their favorite player and you have ability and style, not because you’re wearing someone’s favorite skirt.”

Kaveh Mehrabi, an Iranian who is president of the Badminton Players Federation, which gives voice to the concerns of athletes, said his group would seek to have the rule abolished.

“I believe the intention is good to raise the profile of the sport, but it takes freedom of choice away from female athletes,” Mehrabi said. “I think we should work on promoting personalities. When people watch tennis, they like the stories around the rivalries and personal lives. Whether you wear a dress or not doesn’t make much difference.”

Pakistan’s badminton federation said in April that its female players would not adhere to the new rule because “our religious beliefs and norms do not allow our lady players to wear skirts.” Presumably, Pakistani women would be permitted to wear skirts over long pants.

Some players have said the size of the skirts obstructed movement, while others have said that badminton fashion lags behind tennis apparel. Others find it unfair to have different rules for women and men.

“It is sexist to demand the women wear skirts while the men can wear short shorts, baggy shorts, whatever they want,” said Imogen Bankier, 23, a Scottish doubles player.

Writing in The Hindu, an English-language newspaper in India, the columnist Kalpana Sharma noted that while badminton took its cue from the glamour of tennis, female tennis players have greater input in the way their sport is operated.

“Thus what women wear is decided by women players and not imposed by a male club,” Sharma wrote. “If women tennis players choose to be seen as fashion statements, it is their choice.”

Others are struck by how outdated the dress rule seems. Hugh Robertson, the British sports minister, told The Evening Standard of London, “This is not a very 21st-century approach.”

Yet the badminton federation, like many international sports governing bodies, continues to be run largely by men. Of the 25 members of the federation’s council and executive board, only two are women.

Female athletes have long faced obstacles to competition. They were barred from some sports for decades; restricted from certain events because they supposedly lacked stamina or would become masculinized; subjected to gender testing; and had their athleticism suppressed in attempts to feminize them.

As recently as 2004, Sepp Blatter, the president of FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, suggested that women wear tighter shorts to promote “a more female aesthetic.” Only last month, women’s ski jumping was added to the Winter Olympics after concerns that female athletes lacked the strength to compete safely.

“As soon as women got involved in the Olympic Games, the focus for many decades was on beauty and femininity, and then athleticism,” Forsyth said. “What you are seeing in badminton is a modern, hyped-up version of that.”


Dan Frosch and Sarah Lyall contributed reporting.

Planned Parenthood Defunded In New Hampshire

Until July 1, a low-income New Hampshire woman paid an average of $5 to fill a birth control pill prescription at any of the state's six Planned Parenthood clinics. She might have even gotten the birth control for free, depending on her poverty level.

But since the New Hampshire Executive Council voted to cancel the state's contract with Planned Parenthood, a woman now has to pay anywhere from $40 to over $100 for birth control pills at a regular pharmacy.

The Council, a constitutionally empowered group of elected officials, rejected up to $1.8 million in state funding for the family planning-provider -- about 20 percent of its total annual funding -- and stripped its authority to dispense low-cost birth control and antibiotics to uninsured patients.

"We can't even provide patients with antibiotics for urinary tract infections or STDs anymore," said Jennifer Frizzell, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. She said Planned Parenthood has had to turn away 20 to 30 patients a day who are showing up to refill their prescriptions.

"We have to send them away with a prescription knowing that without insurance, they have to pay the full cost of that at a local pharmacy, and many patients have told us they're not gonna have the money in their budget to afford to fill those prescriptions."

New Hampshire lawmakers rejected multiple attempts to defund Planned Parenthood during the 2011 legislative session, voting repeatedly in favor of continuing to fund PPNNE using the state's federal family planning money. But the Executive Council, which oversees state contracting and generally stays out of hot-button political issues, overturned the decisions of both the state legislature and the Department of Health and Human Services with its 3-2 vote against Planned Parenthood.

Oh the insanity! Every time I think I have read it all and heard it all, I am again speechless.

this article made my eyeballs leak.... argh :rant::watereyes::seconddoh:

I know! It has been what, 20 years since women (Martina) started wearing shorts in women's tennis? Now you see some in shorts and some in skirts. The two can coincide! Talk about going backwards!

I have been reading this thread. And wow, to say my eyeballs are bleeding is an understatement. It's good to celebrate progress but it is dangerous to forget there is a lot of work left to be done!