Article here. Excerpt:

'A female doctor in Kenya wants female genital mutilation to be decriminalized.

Tatu Kamau is asking Kenya's courts to allow women above the age of 18 to be able to practice female genital mutilation (FGM), saying they have a right to choose what they do to their bodies at that age.

She wants the Kenyan government to annul the Prohibition of Female Genital Mutilation Act 2011 and the board set up to enforce the law disbanded.

FGM is widely condemned in the country and across parts of Africa but Kamau argues in a 2017 petition filed against the government, that it is an age-old Kenyan tradition and that an outright ban infringes on a woman's right to exercise her cultural beliefs.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A person accused of rape in NSW could be convicted if their alleged victim said "yes" to sex but changed their mind without saying so, under proposed new laws.

The NSW Law Reform Commission has proposed expanding the circumstances in which sexual consent is withdrawn, including when a person "freezes" and can't say "no".

The commission has called for legislation to allow a person to withdraw consent "by words or conduct".

"A person may, for example, indicate withdrawal of consent with body language even if consent was previously given verbally," it said in draft proposals for a review of laws around consent.

Currently, the Crimes Act provides that consent is given if the person freely and voluntarily agrees to sexual intercourse.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Lawrance's defence barrister David Emanuel QC compared his client's lie about the vasectomy to a woman lying about being on the contraceptive pill. He argued that if Lawrance were convicted of rape for lying about being infertile, then a woman could arguably be convicted of a sexual offence for a similar act of deceit.

Under current law in England and Wales, a woman cannot be prosecuted for raping a man because rape is defined under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 as an offence of penetration committed with a penis. Legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland also specifies that rape is committed with a penis.
...
Ms Russell has a problem with the vasectomy and contraceptive pill comparison. "With issues around contraception and pregnancy, it's the woman whose body and life and health is affected by that kind of lie," she said. "That is not in any way comparing like for like, because it's a woman who has to deal with the consequences of pregnancy and termination, and, in the example given, the impacts on the man are not of a comparable kind."

Article here. Excerpt:

'The House Ethics Committee is investigating Southern California Rep. Katie Hill over allegations that she engaged in a sexual relationship with a member of her congressional staff — and #MeToo advocates who helped push through reforms in response to high-profile incidents of harassment say it’s time to let the new processes play out.

It’s largely conservatives who are calling for action now against Hill, a Democrat from Santa Clarita (Los Angeles County) who ousted a Republican congressman in 2018. Advocates of sex harassment victims are emphasizing the need for investigation and avoiding focusing on the salacious details of the case, including nude photographs of Hill with a campaign aide that found their way to media sites.

“I’m an advocate for a process. And the process isn’t done in the media,” said Amy Oppenheimer, an attorney who was hired by the Legislature to investigate harassment complaints in Sacramento during the #MeToo scandals.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Last month, a jury awarded former Boston College student John Doe $100,000 for how the college mishandled sexual assault allegations against him. The case, Doe v. Trustees of Boston College, is the first of its kind to reach a jury since 2011, when Obama-era rules began to govern campus sexual misconduct claims. It joins a long line of other such cases claiming that Title IX offices are breaking the law.
...
Title IX officials rarely have formal legal training, however, and frequently abridge basic principles of justice, including those informing due process. Those principles include the accused’s presumption of innocence, the right of all parties to call and cross-examine witnesses, and — particularly relevant for this case — the right of all parties to see evidence, especially evidence that exonerates the accused or points to another suspect. In the case of John Doe at Boston College, the college not only ignored the obvious other suspect, but seemed not to care if it had the wrong guy.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'That #MeToo brings genuine abusers to light is, of course, to be applauded.

However, allegations soon became rumour and hearsay.

And Twitter’s group dynamic, — where users often gang up on others — ensured that often only one response was acceptable: to believe, without question or criticism, the accuser.

Forget about delivering justice — in the world of #MeToo, the accused are always guilty until proven innocent. That’s if any attempt at relying on the law is made at all.

As we in Britain know all too well, assuming that anyone accused of sexual offences is guilty before they have been able to defend themselves can have awful consequences.

In November 2017, a month after Milano’s tweet, Welsh Government minister Carl Sargeant was found dead at home. He had been accused of inappropriate conduct towards women and, after being hounded by activists without ever being told the specific details of the claims, took his own life.

Article here. Excerpt:

'America is in the middle of an epidemic of sexually transmitted infections, and when it comes to heterosexual transmission, it's hitting women the hardest.

Why is that?

Simply put, because "STDs are biologically and psycho-socially sexist at all levels," said Dr. Hunter Handsfield, a professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD who has studied sexually transmitted diseases for 40 years.
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One reason STDs are sexist: In heterosexual pairings, they are more readily transmitted from the man to the woman than from the woman to the man.

"So at any one exposure, a susceptible woman is more likely to catch it than a susceptible man," Handsfield said. That's because the lining of the vagina is thinner and more delicate than the skin on a penis, so it's easier for bacteria and viruses to penetrate and take hold. Once there, the moist environment of the vagina is perfect for growth.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Rep. Katie Hill (D-CA) admitted Wednesday to having had an affair with a staffer on her congressional campaign.

Her admission seemed to contradict her denial the day before of an affair with a male member of her congressional staff, though the admission Wednesday may concern a different, female staffer who worked on her campaign but not in her Capitol Hill office.

The House adopted new ethics rules this year (by voice vote, not roll call vote) banning romantic relationships between members of Congress and their staffers, in response to the #metoo movement.
...
In fact, Hill repeatedly made the fight against sexual harassment a central theme of her congressional campaign, arguing that electing more female leaders to Congress would be part of the solution to the ongoing problem.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'As the country watches in horror a Texas father’s legal battle to prevent his ex-wife from “transitioning” their seven-year-old son into a faux girl, a growing chorus of Americans is demanding state and federal leaders intervene to save James Younger.

On Monday, a Dallas jury ruled 11-1 against father Jeffrey Younger in his fight against his ex-wife, Dr. Anna Georgulas, who wants to subject young James to puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones as well as legally force his father to treat him as a girl. Mr. Younger contends that all of this is being pursued against his son’s will.

The case has sparked intense national outrage even as the mainstream press largely ignores it, with experts warning that not only is affirming a child’s gender confusion psychologically unhealthy in the long run, but exposure to sex-change hormones carries serious physical risks including infertility, impairment of adult sex function, and reduced life expectancy.'

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Article here. Excerpt:

'A jury in Texas returned a verdict on Monday that will prevent a Texas dad from intervening in the gender transition of his 7-year-old son.

Jeffrey Younger had petitioned a court in Texas to grant him sole custody of his twin sons, James and Jude, in part to avoid a plan to infuse James with female hormones. James, who would like to be called Luna, has been the center of controversy in the heated debate among his parents and others.

Anne Georgulas, the mother of the two boys, has advocated for James to transition into Luna and has strongly backed the idea of chemically castrating her son and beginning hormone replacement therapy. The ruling on Wednesday will prevent Jeffrey from having sole custody of his children and paves the way for Georgulas to proceed with the procedure.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The continuing saga over the issue of Yale fraternities having to admit women hit the courts last week as motions to dismiss the case, and oppositions to those motions, were heard by a district court.

Almost three years ago, a group called Engender, which advocates “for a more inclusive social environment on campus,” demanded Yale officials sanction fraternities for gender discrimination because they don’t allow women and “non-binary” individuals to become members.

Engender had worked out an agreement with the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity to allow “non-males” to rush; when none of those who rushed were admitted, however, that’s when the group looked to utilize Title IX and “Yale’s policies on gender discrimination” to force the issue.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A 'sexist' chippy boss rejected a male jobseeker because he is only looking for female staff as 'women are better and work harder'.

Unemployed Jorge Gorman had applied for an order taker role at The Anchor Fish and Chips in Nottingham last week when he received the 'shocking' reply refusing to give him a chance.

The 33-year-old, who has more than 15 years' experience in the food and drinks sector, was told he would not be considered because 'women are better' for the job.

Jorge has been looking for jobs for three months to move closer to his partner, Emma, 26.

The acting manager of Anchor Fish and Chips defended his comments, claiming that it was not discrimination but only his opinion that women were better at this particular role than men.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A year ago, a California judge ordered the University of Southern California to pay a student nearly $112,000 in attorney’s fees for depriving him a “fair, thorough, reliable, neutral and impartial” Title IX investigation.

Title IX officials had called him a “motherfucker” – and the student who accused him of sexual assault, “a catch” – after they forgot to hang up on a phone call with the accused student and his advisor.

Last week USC was hit with an even steeper penalty after subjecting a different male student to a deficient Title IX investigation.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff awarded $142,000 in attorney’s fees to “John Doe.” Part of the judge’s justification for fees: USC’s failure to revise its policies even after the Trump administration rescinded “guidance” documents from its predecessor on Title IX investigations'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Freshman Democratic Rep. Katie Hill (Calif.) is denying allegations that she had an improper relationship with a congressional staffer, and blamed the controversy on an "abusive husband" that she is in the midst of divorcing.

The 32-year-old Hill has reached out to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to deny the allegations, according to multiple Democratic sources.
...
The allegations against Hill were first raised in the conservative publication RedState.org. The publication reported that Hill had an affair with her legislative director, Graham Kelly. The relationship was purportedly uncovered by Hill's husband, Kenny Heslep. The couple is in the midst of an acrimonious divorce, and there is no proof that an improper relationship with Kelly — who also worked on Hill's campaign — occurred.

Neither Kelly nor Heslep responded to requests for comment.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Nearly three out of four adults agree: Society is better off if couples are sexually faithful.

People say this even if they themselves are not interested in being faithful – among people, married or not, who say they are not always faithful to their sexual partners, 47 percent still agree that society overall benefits from sexual fidelity.
...
For example, 49 percent of men and 53 percent of women said they would tell a male cheater, “You made a marriage commitment that you have broken and should feel sorry.” In contrast, only 39 percent of men and 37 percent of women would say this to a female cheater. The circumstances were identical, but men and women were both more likely to tell a male cheater he broke his commitment and should feel sorry.'