Archive | September, 2012

Quick Hit: World Contraception Day

26 Sep contraception

On this World Contraception Day, I’d like to give a shout-out to birth control in all its forms. It gives me freedoms to and freedoms from, all of which I appreciate on a daily basis: freedom to determine the size and spacing of my family (one 9-week-old is enough right now, thankyouverymuch), freedom to follow a career trajectory of my choosing, freedom to enjoy sex without worry, freedom from horrendous menstrual cramps (this may seem like a minor inconvenience to some, but please believe it is not), freedom from being perpetually pregnant, freedom from STIs, and freedom from limited social and economic opportunities. Really, the list goes on and on. I owe my independence in large part to birth control.

What does birth control mean to you? Please add your thoughts in the comments section below, and hop on over to Population Council’s website to contribute to their word cloud.

Also be sure to check out these great posts in honor of World Contraception Day:

 

Action Alert: Strike Out Rape Culture, NYC!

16 Sep

There’s nothing to pull me out from my maternity break like a little rape culture. Check out this gem I found on NOW-NYC’s Not Cool Tumblr:

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This Bowlmor Lanes advertisement is currently posted throughout New York City subways and reads, “Getting jumped in an alley has never been this much fun.”

Really?! Not that it needs to be said, but ENOUGH WITH THE RAPE CULTURE, ALREADY! And frankly, not only is it offensive as a woman and a rape survivor, it’s offensive as a consumer. Do the asshats at Bowlmor think so little of New Yorkers that they believe this rape-y campaign will draw us to their over-priced lanes like moths to a flame?

Bowlmor Lanes and NYC’s Metro Transit Authority (MTA) need to hear from us. They need to know that perpetuating rape culture and making light of sexual assault is unacceptable. Take action! Tell the MTA to remove the ad and call out Bowlmor CEO Tom Shannon on this disgrace: tshannon@bowlmor.com, 212-777-2214.

 

UPDATE: Tom Shannon responded to NOW-NYC’s call to remove the ad with the following:

“Our ad has nothing to do with rape and no reasonable person could interpret it in that way. No woman in this city of 15 million people has registered any problem with the ad except for the leadership of your organization. The ad is humorous and flirtatious and was conceptualized and written by two young women to whom it never occurred that the ad could be interpreted in such a twisted way.”
 
“NOW’s position on this is extreme and laughable…”
Wow. Extreme and laughable?
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