Gender is a complex social construction that has been developed for centuries. Yet many people still do not understand the differences between sex and gender, or that gender is not as simple as whethe...
I was born and raised a Christian. From the time I came out of the womb, I was immersed in a highly religious family, and I lived most of my life with blinders on. I never really questioned anything a...
In Sudan, where tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes by fighting and destruction, where the lives of refugees have already been devastated by the loss of their homes and families, women bear a second, enduring pain. Because for many Darfuri women, the “crime” of falling victim to rapists and sexual attackers renders them valueless, “dishonored,” and rejected.
The House minority leader reflects on her battles to combat AIDS/HIV and improve women's health over the years, and on women's role in a polarized Congress.
I was lucky enough to have been raised by open minded women. Never once did the idea that girls are only supposed to be a certain way come up. Early on I learned that girls and boys are equals. I was ...
As the media continues to learn about reports of sexualized violence in Syria, CNN's Brooke Baldwin talks to WMC's Women Under Siege Director Lauren Wolfe about what we've documented so far.
Not every survivor wants to talk about rape. We know that many women and men choose to keep their stories private, be it to move past their abuse internally or, perhaps more often, to avoid being shunned or re-attacked. We also know that open conversation about sexualized violence is something whole societies still grapple with: From Sudan to the United States, it is only in the last few decades that a respectful public dialogue has begun. It is that much more important, then, to recognize historical examples—the few instances in which women did come forward despite a climate that was likely even more judgmental than today’s.
The author, herself a young athlete, wonders how the young Olympians can accomplish so much with everybody in the world looking on—and commenting on their every move.
One afternoon at the age of six years old Amanda Ply walked into a gift shop with her mother. There was a snow globe that caught her attention, playing Beethoven’s “Fur Elise”. After returning home, A...
Learn more about Hudson Taylor's organization, Athlete Ally, which is "a resource to encourage athletes, coaches, parents, fans and other members of the sports community to respect all individuals i...
Previously male-dominated pursuits relating to science and technology are increasingly the domain of proudly geeky women, who are gathering in Seattle for a one-of-a-kind convention.
Like many of you, I have spent the past week or so essentially glued to my television, watching the Olympics. I love sports—playing and watching—and I love this celebration of human spirit and achieve...
No one wants to go to war. Before we commit soldiers and societies to inevitable sacrifice and atrocities, we try to balance the inevitable harm against the potential good. We seek to make the wars we undertake “just” by applying defined criteria to a scale of moral weights and principled measures. Men are tortured and die, women are raped and murdered, children suffer and starve.
If you’re like me, your Facebook newsfeed, your Twitter stream and your local news is surprisingly loaded with stories about fast food purveyor, Chik-fil-a. All kinds of opinions about Christianity, t...
The author, secretary-general of Parliamentarians for Global Action, explains how pre-election timidity has caused the United States to stymie an international effort to regulate the dangerous arms trade industry.
In June, female students at the University of Khartoum held an impromptu demonstration against the dramatic rise in the cost of living in Sudan. Rising inflation, exacerbated by the secession of South Sudan in July 2011 and with it, a third of Khartoum’s revenue, has led to soaring costs in the country. Many people struggle to make ends meet, not least university students who find it difficult to cover even the most basic needs.
For the fourth time now Jaqee introduces herself to the World with her impressive voice and her unique attitude. Born in Kampala, the Capital of Uganda, she began her vagabond like life the moment she...
The folks over at Pathfinder, a great reproductive health organization, recently launched No Joke. #ChoiceMatters. Everywhere., a campaign to raise awareness about international reproductive health ca...
With partner Will McCormack, Rashida Jones writes a role for herself that defies the clichés of the genre, in Celeste and Jesse Forever, a film which opens today in New York and Los Angeles.
Dear Anthropologie (and all other stores pertaining to this issue),
I love your store. I love the scent when you walk in, the feel of the material, and the creative way everything is displayed. I lov...
After-rape is to be consumed by emptiness, isolation, fear, shame, and anger.
And after-rape at college is to be confronted by my rapist every day—on the quad, in the library, at breakfast. It is to ...