Archive for the ‘Discrimination’ Category

“God says No” vs “God is Love” – Gay Marriage in NY


21 Jun

Take God out of it. We aren’t deciding church policy, we’re deciding a state law in theUS-a place that clearly spells out in it’s founding documents a distinct separation of Church and State. God doesn’t matter when it comes to our laws.

As for the “religious exemptions” the Republicans are supposedly asking for, do they not know how the law works? A church already has the right to refuse to marry anyone. The only thing they can’t do is refuse to rent their church out for a gay marriage if they rent it out for other random marriages.

Follow Up: Wal-Mart discrimination case


20 Jun

I am saddened, but sadly, not surprised, by the Supreme Court’s decision in favor of Wal-Mart in the huge class action case for gender discrimination that was brought against them. The court decided that these women did not deserve the protection of a class action, that the interests of Wal-Mart outweighed the interests of millions of women.

But it is a decision that makes sense for a court that has decided corporations are citizens, and that in most cases, they are more equal than the rest of us, or at least more equal than those of us with less money.

Bonus Current Events Content: Just because you’re gay…


15 Jun

Why do some people seem to think that the historically most prejudiced people out there (straight white males) are the only ones capable of being impartial?

Given the legal precedents, I did not really expect this ruling to come out any differently. Still, it’s nice to hear our legal system affirm being gay does not invalidate Judge Vauhgn Walker’s ruling in the California Prop 8 case. It was treated by reviewing Judge James Ware just like any other discrimination case. Women are capable of presiding over gender discrimination cases; blacks and Hispanics are capable of presiding over racial discrimination cases.

DOMA is about Discrimination, not Dollars


26 Apr

Personally, I’m thrilled that political pressure can lead a large law firm to deciding to back away from the defense of DOMA. Nor am I the least bit surprised that the lawyer who is working so hard to defend it (now at a new firm) is a former solicitor general under George W Bush.

But don’t try and make this a budget issue. It’s not. Pelosi’s quote that Boehmer needs to think about this $500,000 contract is ridiculous. Its 6 figures when our debt is 13 figures. If 1 trillion were $1.00, half a million would be 1/20,000 of $0.01

In South Dakota


30 Mar

In South Dakota, there’s a 48 hour waiting period before purchasing a handgun. No permit is required. Police record who buys the gun.

In South Dakota, there’s a 72 hour waiting period before receiving an abortion. Anti-abortion counseling is required before the waiting period starts. Religious groups, who are not bound by privacy laws, record all the women who come in for counseling.

I’m not against real counseling, but it should be done by healthcare professionals who are bound to protect their patients’ personal information. And I don’t think it should be easier to obtain a gun than an abortion.

Bonus Science Content: Math is for Boys


29 Mar

I’m not certain if I find this funny or sad.

This is an article about a new study from the University of Washington which tells us that children as young as second grade have absorbed the stereotype that girls aren’t good at math, that math is for boys. It contains some useful hints for helping your daughters overcome this stereotype, while at the same time, falling prey to it.

“…if she works at [math], she CAN be good at it.” The line assumes that all girls are naturally not good at math. And they wonder where the stereotype comes from.

Wal-Mart at the Supreme Court


29 Mar

Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Wal-Mart discrimination suit. Today will not be about whether or not Wal-Mart actually discriminated against women, but about whether the women can file suit in a single, nationwide class-action.

I’ve written about this before. Today, I am focused on the judges. The conservative majority has a history of siding with big business, but doing so in this case would mean ignoring 45 years of precedent.

I’m encouraged by the three women on the bench. It’s harder to pretend discrimination doesn’t really exist when you’re sitting next to people who’ve faced it.

 

The Pay Gap


04 Mar

Threads on the pay gap between men and women (and whose fault it is) pop up pretty regularly over at Your Money. Truth be told, I think we regulars all make close to the same arguments every time. I’m good with that.

I believe the only way we fix underlying gender discrimination in our society is by talking about it, by making people aware. Even for people who disagree with the way I see things, I believe they will be more conscious of their own actions in situations where gender discrimination might come up, if they’ve thought about it recently.

We Have a Right to Free Speech, Even When We Don’t Want to Hear it


03 Mar

I hate the Westboro Baptist Church, and all it stands for, but the Supreme Court made the right decision, in their ruling that the church can not be sued for protesting outside military funerals.

No matter how much I dislike what you’re saying, our soldiers are fighting and dying for your right to say it. And while I think you’re discrediting their sacrifice through these protests, I think it would be even more greatly discredited if we took that right away.

This was as close to no win situation as the court gets. I think they went the right way.

Why Geek Girl Con is Important


02 Mar

As a society have built up attitudes regarding what girls and boys are supposed to be good at. This article details a study that shows just how important it is for girls to have female role models in math and science. Girls are more actively engaged, try harder, and honestly believe they can do the math when they see other women do math. This is true even when the girls are better at math than the boys. If they only see men, it does not matter how skilled the girls actually are, they don’t believe they can do the math.

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