Solstice reflections: Women as Victims of Violence and as Peace Agents

Winter solstice eve, 2011. The darkest day of the year, and yet presaging the return to light.  The stars and planets continue to wheel overhead, taking little notice of all the sturm und drang here on Earth. Tonight there is one image that keeps calling out to me for comment.  It goes by the Web [...]

Sex 101: From Plan B to Pleasure

I have mixed feelings about the decision of Secretary of Health Kathleen Sebelius to overrule the FDA’s recommendation to allow over-the-counter sales of Plan B, without any age restrictions. On the one hand, the knee-jerk liberal in me says wait a minute–access to contraception in any form should not be restricted. On the other hand, [...]

Challenging rape culture

In my Gender Studies class this week, we’ve been talking about “rape culture.”  It’s a term that’s bandied about somewhat cavalierly on college campuses, and is probably much less familiar out in the ordinary workaday world. Well, wake up world.  Rape culture is here.  And it doesn’t need the ironic scare quotes.  It’s real, and [...]