Article here. Excerpt:

'Scottish Labour is expected to introduce all-women shortlists to fight key target seats in a fast-track selection process to prepare for a second snap general election.

The party has identified 20 key Westminster target seats, including all seven Glasgow constituencies, after coming far closer than expected to winning back former seats in last June’s snap election.

The party’s Scottish executive will meet on Saturday to vote on plans backed by its new leader, Richard Leonard, to choose many candidates from all-women shortlists. Leonard told the Guardian in December he was “very open to ideas about positive action.”

Labour sources say a majority of the party’s MSPs at Holyrood, including senior women MSPs, oppose all-women shortlists because local parties would object to having that imposed on them by the central party.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Hollywood women have banded together like never before on issues including pay inequality and sexual harassment, declaring that women all over the world need to stick together and be supportive of one another. But experts say several stars aren't practicing what they preach when it comes to Donald Trump's press secretary, Sarah Sanders.

Self-proclaimed activist Chelsea Handler wrote in an op-ed for Thrive in Dec. 2016: "Let's stop it with the dialogue about how women look or what they wear, or if they've gained or lost weight. We are more guilty of this with each other than most men are."

Cher has often spoken out about the sexualization of women, declaring at the Women's March on Jan. 20 that she "believe[s] in this movement."

But both stars recently attacked Sanders solely over her looks.

Article here. Excerpt:

'The Rape Survivor Family Protection Act is a high-priority bill. It has the backing of the House Speaker and Senate president. Hogan said this should be considered emergency legislation and he wants it to land on his desk quickly.

"This is a great way to start the session, in a nonpartisan, bipartisan way, on a really important issue where we all agree," Hogan said.

The bill allows rape survivors who become pregnant by their attacker to petition the court to remove his parental rights, even if there is no conviction. Current law requires a felony rape conviction to remove those rights.

"No rapist should be allowed to maintain their right as a parent, and no victim should ever be forced to interact with their attacker," Hogan said.

Instead of the court using the yardstick of 'beyond a reasonable doubt,' the bill gives judges the authority to remove the parental rights of an accused rapist. This would not be a criminal proceeding and would have no impact on potential criminal cases.'

The author of this article sent me the link and it has a lot of good info. Excerpt:

'Protected sex and unwanted pregnancy are the two leading causes for why men and women use condoms. And when picking one out for yourself, it’s important to get the right kind. All the eight factors discussed below should be kept in mind if you’re genuinely concerned about having protected sex and avoiding unwanted pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
...
Condoms are considered to be the best methods of STD prevention and birth control. However, if you end up using one incorrectly, it can lead to a plethora of problems. These include erectile dysfunction, STDs, or unwanted pregnancy.

As a matter of fact, one of the leading causes of erectile dysfunction is associated with condoms. Sometimes broken condoms, ill-fitted condoms, or ones that you take off early during the intercourse might cause erectile problems.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A high school teacher in the Bronx was stony-faced Saturday as she denied allegations of sexual assault on her teenage student. 

Dori Myers scowled as prosecutors accused her of performing oral sex on a 14-year-old boy, according to the New York Post. 

The 29-year-old, who teaches social studies at The New School for Leadership and the Arts in Kingsbridge, was also seen massaging the victim, according to a witness statement. 

Myers was arrested Friday night and charged with criminal sexual act in the second degree and endangering the welfare of a child.
...
But Judge Laura Drager denied the request and released her on her own recognizance, according to the Post. Drager issued a 30-day order of protection which mandates Myers must stay away from the victim.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'2017 was the year of the woman. From the "Me Too" hashtag on social media to the "Times Up" movement, women stole headlines for speaking up about sexual harassment.

In the midst of this culture reckoning, two women in St. Petersburg started a company with a mission to create a safe work space for women.

The Doyenne Company offers a place for women to work, network, or socialize. Whether you work from home or need a break from your usual cubicle, everyone is welcome….as long as you're a woman.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Modern feminism often paints men as tools of the patriarchy who use their power and privilege to oppress women—so why do feminists tell women to be more like men?

If you’ve ever taken a gender studies course or read up on feminist literature, you may have encountered the term “toxic masculinity.” It refers to traditionally masculine behavioral traits that can become “toxic” or “problematic” if left unchecked—such as dominance, competitiveness, or sexual aggressiveness.

Yet in their quest for equality, feminists have decided that women should embrace some of the very behaviors that they often refer to as “toxic.”'

Article here. Excerpt:

'A new government report recommends the €90 fine for "behavior that is an infringement of the freedom of movement of women in public spaces and undermines self-esteem and the right to security."

The goal is to battle the long-standing problem of so-called "everyday sexism" on France's streets.

The politicians who worked on the report were tasked with defining what constitutes "sexual outrage" and how to punish it. 

Earlier reports suggested wolf-whistling would be subject to on-the-spot fines, but there is no mention of this in the new parliamentary report, according to La Croix newspaper.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Despite what you’ve read - or have been led to believe - not all men are evil or sex predators or racists or man-bun wearing whiney millennials.

The men I know and choose to associate with are mostly hard working family types who love and respect their wives and mothers and daughters.

And I’m willing to bet that description covers a lot of the men in this country regardless of color or geographic location.

Still, men are under attack from all angles at all times in America today – particularly from Hollywood, which, ironically, is home to the worst of the worst men around today.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Sweden is moving closer to making changes to its rape laws that would require people to get explicit consent before sexual contact.

The deputy prime minister, Isabella Lövin, said the recent #metoo anti-harassment campaign had “shown that there is a need” for the new legislation, which was expected to be approved on Thursday in parliament.

Under current Swedish law someone can be prosecuted for rape only if it has been proved that they used threats or violence. Under the proposal, rape could be proved if the accuser hadn’t given their explicit verbal agreement or clearly demonstrate their desire to engage in sexual activity.

The prime minister, Stefan Löfven, said his coalition had been preparing the “historic reform” since taking power in 2014.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'The anonymous attack on comedian Aziz Ansari, essentially for being a lousy date and inconsiderate sex partner, has led some to think that the spate of attacks on men for sexual harassment and assault might be slowing down. Although the account by “Grace,” the pseudonymous accuser, has been defended by many, others who have supported the outing of sexual assaulters have drawn the line at lumping bad dates in with more serious sexual malfeasance. Still others hope that the absurdity of Grace’s charges will force a rollback of the ever-escalating demonization of men guilty of nothing more than failing to fulfill a woman’s subjective expectations even when not made explicit.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Anita Erskine has disagreed with feminists who believe they are at war with men, arguing that feminism is more about empowering women than blaming men.

According to the celebrated TV & radio personality, feminism is a positive concept which centres more on a woman and their beliefs and abilities.

It is not about casting blames on men as the cause of everything wrong with women.

“I love being a feminist…a feminist is someone who understands the basis of her beliefs, who is eager to teach another generation of women the rights and wrongs. A feminist is someone who is not afraid to share no matter what,” she said.'

Wikipedia on Erskine here.

Article here. Excerpt:

'She said she has also noticed a "huge difference" in relationships with boys. Girls and boys used to feel afraid and ashamed to talk about difficult topics such as rape and consent, but #MeToo has "broken that barrier and made us feel more comfortable" discussing these issues, she said.

Boys also seem to be more comfortable asking questions they might have been afraid or reluctant to ask before, Allegra said. Questions such as, what is healthy masculinity?
...
They are also getting mixed messages in the classroom, Hurley said.

"We have this dichotomy where girls consistently outperform boys in the classroom, but boys consistently out-talk girls in the classroom," she said.
...
"Just as girls need to learn to stand up to behavior that silences them, boys need to learn how and when to stand down," Hurley said. "Teaching boys not only to respect their female peers, but to embrace what they have to offer, plays an integral role in shifting the current narrative that holds girls back."'

Article here. Excerpt:

'While several Hollywood men have publicly denied accusations of sexual harassment and assault, Brett Ratner is one of few who have sued over the claims — and he's asking a Hawaii judge to keep his defamation suit alive.

In November, the director sued Melanie Kohler for allegedly publishing false rape claims about him on Facebook.

The lawsuit followed an explosive Los Angeles Times report in which six women, not including Kohler, claimed they were sexually assaulted or harassed by Ratner. In her Facebook post, Kohler said Ratner "preyed" on her while she was drunk more than a decade ago.

Kohler earlier this month asked the court to toss the complaint, arguing it was "threadbare" and failed to demonstrate that she acted with malice. Her attorneys also asked the judge to consider whether California's anti-SLAPP statute, which brings an early end to suits arising from First Amendment protected activities, should apply — even though the suit was filed in Hawaii federal court.

Article here. Excerpt:

'A false allegation is an accusation that the complainant knows never actually occurred. But, as Professor Phil Rumney details, there may be false allegations that fall outside this definition, such as ‘non-malicious allegations from people with particular medical conditions who genuinely believe they are victims of rape or other sexual offences, but who are mistaken’. For some women, then, a false accusation may be founded upon a genuine belief that they were raped. Additionally, as Rumney points out, a person may allege rape without understanding what the legal definition of rape entails.

We are unlikely to know what drove the women making false accusations against Allan, Mears and Makele. But the #MeToo movement has brought to light a great deal of confusion around the meaning of rape. An Everyday Feminism article titled ‘How do I know if I’ve been raped?’ begins by stating: ‘There are a lot of lies out there that can make it hard to know if you were raped.’ But the difficulty of knowing whether or not you are a victim of a crime suggests the crime itself is now vaguely and subjectively defined.
...