It’s my first day back and I’m still feeling as high as I felt when I was carried into the air on this chair!

Before anything, I wish to extend heartfelt thanks to everyone who kept GWP going while I was gone, and particularly Kristen, blog steward extraordinaire. The wedding was bliss, the honeymoon was delicious, and coming back to a blog in full swing was a gift like none other.

Going away gives one a sense of perspective and, upon return, I feel we’ve really created something here, this lil GWP community. I love the plethora of voices these past few weeks and would so hate to give that up. I LOVED the content our guest bloggers posted (and will be contacting you one by one to follow up and express more personal gratitude)!

Speaking of which, I feel us naturally evolving into more of a group forum — possibly even a group blog. Do you agree? Please let me know what you think of the idea of turning GWP into a group blog in comments here — and also if you would be interested in being considered as a regular contributing blogger (you can also email me at girlwpen@gmail.com)! And soon, I’ll post a survey to get more of a sense of your feelings.

Meanwhile, a hearty welcome to new readers (traffic and subscription were both UP UP UP while I was away!!), and to you loyal standbys, thank you for being here!

I’m off to catch up on a thousand emails and will be back posting GWPish content tomorrow, but wanted to leave you with my gratitude — which, as I learned while putting together a wedding toast to our guests, has been called by someone or other “happiness mixed with wonder.” That’s absolutely what I’m feeling right now, post-wedding/honeymoon high, and returning to a virtual community that has become so very meaningful to me and so very, very real.

Well, I am off on a much-needed vacation, as you can see by the picture of me in my traveling hat, and Deborah will be back next week, but I wanted to leave you with one last post for the weekend. Existing in the feminist blogosphere, one inevitably comes across the unpleasant, the misinformed, the spouters of inanities, the ignorant, bigoted, misogynistic and the more than slightly unhinged. In a world of internet anonymity, it is well known, seemingly mild-mannered humans will give free reign to all that is most crass in them. And it is up to the blogger or website master to decide how much they will stomach.

There are various options. Some allow everything and anything to be said—in the name of free speech or notoriety. Some screen all comments before they post, or any comments from new commenters. For example the policy at Bitch PhD is “Comments are great; obnoxious comments get deleted. Deal.” Others, like Feministing, “don’t feed the troll”: i.e. they ask their commenters not to respond to comments that are intellectually prehistoric. The feminist blogosphere, constantly dealing with the misogynistic, are lucky to have a site such as Finally, A Feminism 101 Blog where they can send such misogynists for an elementary education. Needless to say, those sent to reform school are rarely pleased with the offering.

Ryan Singel at Wired Magazine recently wrote about a lawsuit against a number of commenters/posters and the administrator of the web forum, AutoAdmit.com. One commenter, charmingly named “AK-47” targeted two women Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, who had been admitted to one of the country’s top law school, Yale Law. Here’s what happened:

The AutoAdmit controversy began even before one of the women, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe I,” started classes in the fall of 2005, the lawsuit alleges. Doe I was alerted in the summer to an AutoAdmit comment thread entitled “Stupid Bitch to Attend Law School.” The thread included messages such as, “I think I will sodomize her. Repeatedly” and a reply claiming “she has herpes.” The second woman, Jane Doe II, was similarly attacked beginning in January 2007.

Both women tried in vain to persuade the administrators of the AutoAdmit.com site to remove the threads, according to the lawsuit. But then the story of the cyber-harassment hit the front page of The Washington Post, and the law school trolls became fodder for cable news shows. Soon after, the female law students, with help from Stanford and Yale law professors, filed the federal lawsuit in June 2007 seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages.

The Jane Doe plaintiffs contend that the postings about them became etched into the first page of search engine results on their names, costing them prestigious jobs, infecting their relationships with friends and family, and even forcing one to stop going to the gym for fear of stalkers.

While the women asked the administrator, Anthony Ciolli, to take the comment thread down, Ciolli refused. He has since been removed from the lawsuit. I have various reactions to this, as I imagine you all do as well. In reality, internet “free speech” is a very different beast from real world “free speech.” Until now, the internet been an essentially anonymous forum with little chance that one will be held responsible or incriminated by one’s words, as long as one remains behind the mask of the moniker. This has spawned good things, such as Bitch PhD. But it also allows for maximum impact with minimal responsibility. Here’s what I mean by maximum impact: the postings about Jane Doe I and II became so attached to their names that they showed up on the front page of search engines, which would inevitably be seen by future employers trying to dig up all the information they could on their potential law associates. AK-47, however, remained nothing more than AK-47.

I have been raised in a generation that understands that everything one writes or says may become fodder for the front page of a Google search devoted strictly to their life. Lucky are the Emily Smiths and Mark Cohens among us. Some would argue that our norms have changed as a result—we hardly bat an eye on learning that Obama tried coke, whereas just a decade ago it was a scandale whether Clinton had inhaled or not. The Chronicle of Higher Education and Inside Higher Ed has documented how the Academy views professors blogging for public consumption. And I am aware that the above silly picture might just be viewed someday by someone who wants to take my work very seriously. Alas.

But there is still an imbalance between the complete anonymity of some commenters who can drag a person’s name through the mud at will, the lack of consequences, and the inability of that person to erase the link from the Google frontpage. Should webmasters be required to reveal commenter’s identities in egregious circumstances? Should there be more lawsuits such as this one? In the future, will we become more permissive toward embarrassing photographs, blog posts, and stories from the past?

–Kristen

Here’s a news round-up from the beginning of this week, courtesy of Rebekah Spicuglia and Women’s Media Center Daily News Brief. Any other stories you think we should be reading? Post them in the comments below, please! –Kristen

In Study, Evidence Of Liberal-Bias Bias
7/27/08
LA Times: Cable talking heads accuse broadcast networks of liberal bias — but a think tank finds that ABC, NBC and CBS were tougher on Barack Obama than on John McCain in recent weeks.

Military Women Fight Sexual Assault
7/27/08
AP via Chicago Tribune: Sexual assault and harassment involving female military personnel is not a new consequence of war. But the sheer number of women serving today – more than 190,000 so far in Iraq and Afghanistan – is forcing the military and the Department of Veterans Affairs to more aggressively address the issue.

McCain Backs Ban On Quotas
7/28/08
Boston Globe: John McCain said yesterday that he supports a proposed ballot initiative in his home state that would prohibit affirmative action policies in state and local governments.

Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?
7/27/08
NY Times: Internet-addicted children like Nadia lie at the heart of a passionate debate about just what it means to read in the digital age. The discussion is playing out among educational policy makers and reading experts around the world, and within groups like the National Council of Teachers of English and the International Reading Association.

Couric to Lead CBS News’ Convention Coverage
7/29/08
Broadcasting & Cable: As expected, Katie Couric will lead CBS News’ coverage of the political conventions later this summer.

Sexuality Bias Seen At Justice Department
7/29/08
LA Times: On Monday, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog hinted at perhaps the most sensational justification yet — perceived homosexuality. In a series of reports on the tenure of former Atty. Gen. Alberto R. Gonzales, the department’s inspector general found that two former Justice aides used sexual orientation as a litmus test in deciding whom they would hire or fire.

Nancy Pelosi Airs Some Clean Laundry in ‘Power’
7/28/08
Washington Post: In her new book “Know Your Power,” Nancy Pelosi explores the route to becoming the first female speaker of the House, including growing up in Baltimore (where her father and brother both served as mayor), her years organizing in Democratic politics in California and her decision to run for Congress at 47.

Filmmakers’ Point: Putting Women In Charge
7/29/08
SF Chronicle: Filmmakers Amy Sewell (“Mad Hot Ballroom”) and Susan Toffler decided to make Wilson and six other smart, ambitious young women the focus of their new film, “What’s Your Point, Honey?” A feminist film, it looks at the political gender gap through the lives of these ethnically diverse women.

Slate writer, Jack Shafer, wrote a provocative article last week on a “double standard” at play in the media’s treatment of scandalous love affairs. Now, I think it is easy to pinpoint that double standard at work for women versus men: just look at the flack over CBS chief foreign affairs correspondent, Lara Logan’s relationships in Iraq, which spread to the front page of the New York Post. And she’s not even a nationally-recognized figure.

But Shafer claims, in light of the new “scandal,” or lack thereof, over John Edwards’ alleged affair, we need to pinpoint another double standard in media treatment: that of Larry Craig, of the infamous wide stance, versus John Edwards. Questioning why the media hasn’t jumped all over the potential affair and love child of a man who campaigned for president on the strength of his family values, Shafer asks:

So why hasn’t the press commented on the story yet? Is it because it broke too late yesterday afternoon, and news organizations want to investigate it for themselves before writing about it? Or are they observing a double standard that says homo-hypocrisy is indefensible but that hetero-hypocrisy deserves an automatic bye?

Shafer does point out some of the differences between the two cases (notably, a police blotter in one), and I have never really looked to the National Enquirer, which broke the Edwards story, as a news authority– but it is impossible to deny that a story, either to verify or debunk, is there, simmering, with everyone too afraid? skeptical? uninterested? to look into it.

But no matter what Edwards actually did or did not do, it seems to me that Shafer has something on the double standards. News media love salacious stories, and in America, here is what is salacious: 1) a beautiful woman with lovers (promiscuous!), 2) a gay senator (gay!). Here is what is run-of-the-mill: a male politician with a mistress on the side.

–Kristen

Image Credit

Last week, the New York Times published an article on how the slowing economy is affecting women equally to men, which claimed that:

After moving into virtually every occupation, women are being afflicted on a large scale by the same troubles as men: downturns, layoffs, outsourcing, stagnant wages or the discouraging prospect of an outright pay cut. And they are responding as men have, by dropping out or disappearing for a while.

The discussion continued on Girl with Pen, where Virginia Rutter’s detailed the research behind the, gasp, realization that women workers may not be choosing to “opt out,” as the anecdotes go, but instead leave work for the same reasons men do: because of downturns in the economy.

I wanted to post a few remarks from our commenters, who had their own angles on the “opt out” question.

Marjorie noted: I’d also be interested in seeing if the researchers accounted for women who “opted out” of the labor force in order to start their own businesses. I left traditional paid employment for good earlier this year to pursue a career as a freelance writer, for example.

I wonder if there are any statistics on the percentage of women versus men in the nontraditional, freelance workplace– does anyone have any idea?

And anniegirl1138 had the following insight: I am curious though about what impact the rising costs or child and elder care might play and the fact that in a down employment cycle men might be taking jobs in service sectors that typically went to women.

Which was a very keen observation. In a letter to the editor yesterday, Sara K. Gould, President and Chief Executive of the Ms. Foundation for Women, made a similar point: women are not the “equals” of men in the poor economy, but instead:

Today, despite decades of struggle for job access and pay equity, women are paid 77 cents for each dollar a man makes; the disparity is worse for African-American women, who earn 62 cents, and Latinas, who earn 53 cents.

Nearly 10.5 million women are single parents (as compared with 2.5 million single fathers). For them, opting out for any reason — like motherhood or education — is not viable.

Already disadvantaged by years of workplace and legislative failures, women and their families face an increasingly insecure future if policies are not adjusted to meet their ever more pressing needs.

Am I naive to be surprised that a long article giving a vast overview of women’s place in the American economy, failed to make the very basic, and in light of the article’s argument, primary point that women and men cannot be “equally” affected by the economy if women begin 23 to 47 cents behind?

–Kristen

Image Credit

Yes, it has been a week since I returned from San Francisco. I will be the first to admit it has taken me longer to recover from the two-conferences-in-a-row experience than I anticipated. Hence the crickets chirping over here. Seeing Kara Jesella’s piece on the BlogHer conference in the New York Times today reminded me that there is still a lot more I want to say about my experience.

One session in particular has been on my mind since I returned: “Beautiful Blogging and Positive Posting.” The title initially set off my snark alarm, but I forged ahead because I knew Alyssa Royse from Just Cause It and Off the Rocks (a new blog she’s writing with her husband, following his arrest for a DUI–“because we’re not pathetic and destitute, we’re just dealing with the worst f*ing situation of our lives”) would be speaking, and I think she’s doing some amazing work. Also on the bill were Lucrecer Braxton from Art Slam, Krystyn Heide from HopeRevo, Jen of oneplustwo, and Kyran Pittman of Notes to Self.

Alyssa mentioned that her young daughter recently came to her and asked, “Mommy, is there any good news in the world?” Ouch. The short answer to that question is yes, there is. And that’s ultimately what positive posting is all about. As many of the panelists pointed out, the topics we post about don’t have to fluffy and cute (although I personally enjoy some fluffy cuteness here and there). We don’t have to ignore that injustice, suffering, and media b.s. exist–and we don’t have to hold back our anger about it either. The point is that we need to start talking about the difference between a snark-filled rant and a post that inspires something positive in our readers. Here are a few key tenets of “positive posting” that came up:

Positive: A blog or post that serves as a catalyst for social change in the real world
Positive: A blog or post that aims to break through a taboo topic and overcome social stigma
Positive: A blog or post that builds connections through honesty

Magali and I try our best to make 5 Resolutions a combination of all three of these. We started talking publicly about our eating disorders and body image issues because we wanted to break through the silence and misconceptions surrounding these issues. We launched a blog and a network to build connections and bring about change. At the end of the day, positive posting isn’t so much a particular approach to blogging as it is what naturally happens when you have a hopeful approach to life. That said, I think it’s important to remind ourselves of what makes a positive post as we’re writing (and reading other blogs for that matter). We might not hit the mark every time, but we think it’s important to try.

Cross posted at 5 Resolutions.

I am very excited to be able to start your week off with a guest post from Gloria Feldt, who last week wrote about barriers that still stand in the way of American women’s search for equality. This week, Gloria is back with a wonderful post on a woman who’s run for the presidency has helped to strip some of those barriers down. –Kristen

The Importance of Being Hillary

by Gloria Feldt

Like Kristen said in her post “Now That the Dust Has (Sort of) Settled,” Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for president is still fascinating to ponder. I was recently asked to write an article on the topic for the ILF Digest, the journal of a think tank I’ve been a fellow of (I find this terminology amusing, but have never come up with an acceptable alternative—can you?) for some years. It won’t be published for a few weeks but I’d like to share an excerpt here because it takes up where Kristen’s questions were leading:

Despite many problems with sexism in the culture and media that made themselves self-evident during Hillary Clinton’s campaign, there are even more reasons to be optimistic that Clinton’s presidential run will be a net plus in motivating women to enter politics. I predict a sea change in women’s participation in politics up and down the ticket and in non-elective political roles as well, for these reasons:

1. Seeing gives the potential for being. The message chanted at Clinton’s rallies: “Yes she can!” has clearly been delivered to younger generations. All young girls hereafter will grow up knowing it is possible for a woman to be president. And Clinton’s willingness to stay in the race despite all the challenges, despite constant calls for her to bow out, despite what must have been intense exhaustion and disappointment, is exactly what women of all ages with political aspirations need to see. In her speeches, she often mentioned “two groups who move me: women in their 80’s and 90’s who come out in walkers and wheelchairs and say they just want to live long enough to see a woman elected president, and families who bring their children and lean over and whisper in their daughter’s ear, ‘Honey you can be anything you want to be.’” Now they know they can.

2. Women were energized as never before. Rep. Carolyn Maloney said at a recent event sponsored by Lifetime Television, which along with three major women’s magazines has spearheaded a massive multimedia campaign called “Every Woman Counts”, that even though Clinton lost the primary campaign to Obama, “I think she lifted up the self esteem of women across the country, across the world.” Observing that Clinton raised $190 million in the primary race, Maloney said. “I think she helped all of us.” One measure of how much she has helped women become more engaged in politics is that in past races, women’s financial contributions amounted to less than 30% of the total. For the first time, fueled by excitement over Clinton’s candidacy, half of the contributions to a presidential candidate came from women. And, in fact, over 40% of Obama’s contributions came from women as well, demonstrating women’s importance to the Democratic party and women’s understanding about the strategic importance of giving their fair share of the proverbial mother’s milk of politics in order to get their fair share of influence on the public policies they want. As North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Bev Perdue pointed out, “Everybody is involved in politics whether they realize it or not.” Since men have little motivation to change the power structure, women have little choice but to become the change we want to see. Clinton’s willingness to put herself out there will motivate more of us to try.

3. Media sexism has been called out, and that roots it out. Rep. Maloney went on to say at the Lifetime event that there was “a big undercurrent of sexism, misogyny and stereotyping” against Hillary Clinton during her campaign for president. But the point here is Maloney made her claims at a public, mainstream media-sponsored event. That would not have happened in the past. The nonprofit Women’s Media Center mounted a campaign called “Sexism Sells, but We’re not Buying It” in collaboration with several media justice organizations They got the attention and the responses of major media executives and producers, as well as on-air apologies from Chris Matthews, David Schuster, and others. Even Katie Couric—too late, sadly, to make a difference in this year’s primary reporting but with luck influential enough to change the way women candidates are treated in the future—finally had enough and spoke out publicly on the subject. Change will be slow and imperfect, but it will happen.

4. Hillary’s post-primary awakening led her to embrace her leadership role as a woman and on behalf of other women. Throughout the campaign, she downplayed the importance of her gender, saying as she did at her Beacon Theater birthday bash early in the campaign when she was still considered the front runner, “For me it is a great honor and humbling experience to be the first woman president. But I’m not running because I am a woman but because I am the most qualified. “ Since the campaign, she has been much quicker to champion women’s rights. For example, she led the charge to challenge the Bush administration’s proposed new regulations that would redefine many birth control methods as abortion and allow medical providers to refuse to provide them. She seems to have learned a lesson about being her true self; other women will take courage from that.

At Hillary’s birthday event almost a year ago now, Elvis Costello performed to a standing ovation. Then the Wallflowers joined Elvis onstage; the decibel level elevated ten-fold, whipping this audience of aging rockers into frothy enthusiasm.

When comedian Billy Crystal came up to close the evening, little did he know just how prescient he was when he said, “Hillary is making this campaign not so much for the old rockers but for the new ones.”

Cross posted at Gloria’s Heartfeldt Politics Blog.

Image credit.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, and welcome to the second week of Girl with Pen sans your usual Girl with Pen (Deborah Siegel), who is away on her honeymoon (felicitations!). But don’t worry, she’ll be back next week and we’ll all hold down the fort until then. There are few organizations that work to bridge the gaps between “feminist research, popular reality, and the public” as surely as Our Bodies Ourselves, and so I wanted to bring you this announcement: they are seeking a new Associate Director. Forward it on to anyone who might be interested– or apply yourself! And thanks to Virginia Rutter for sending this over!
–Kristen

New Position of Associate Director, Our Bodies Ourselves

Our Bodies Ourselves (also known as the Boston Women’s Health Book
Collective, Inc.), a nonprofit women’s health education, advocacy, and
consulting organization, is seeking an Associate Director. This person
would work closely with the current Executive Director, other senior
staff, and selected Board members to assume key leadership
responsibilities as the organization approaches its 40th year.

Our Bodies Ourselves provides accessible, research-based information
about women’s health and sexuality and advances health and human rights
within a framework of values shaped by women’s voices and a commitment
to self-determination and equality. For some time, the organization has
maintained a consistent profile, both in terms of visibility and
financial size. A focus for the next few years is to grow the
organization’s annual revenues and budget while stabilizing its
fundraising capabilities and diversifying its funding sources.

Responsibilities (to be phased in over a period of time):

MANAGEMENT AND OPERATIONS

* Supervise the day-to-day operations of the organization
* Ensure accuracy & compliance of routine financial operations,
working with financial consultants and/or staff, including:
– Review financial management system and make recommendations
for strengthening, as appropriate
– Oversee preparation of annual audit and review monthly
financial statements
– Develop and monitor annual and quarterly budgets for the
organization and its specific programs
– Ensure timely and accurate completion of necessary state
and federal government filings
* Lead strategic planning for the organization, in collaboration
with the Board and other senior staff, and monitor/oversee
implementation of strategic plans
* Principal staff liaison with the Board of Directors; attend all
Board meetings
* Manage the human resources function and supervise staff
* Prepare annual report

PROGRAM

* Provide overall program leadership
* Increase visibility of the organization through various modes
and media
– Act as spokesperson for OBOS
– Write op eds and other advocacy pieces
* Conduct policy/advocacy campaigns
* Develop and maintain relationships with other community-oriented
organizations

FUNDRAISING

* Supervise research, writing, and submission of grant proposals
and grant reports
* Lead donor relations
* Develop and implement short and long-term fundraising plans,
created in collaboration with the Board and staff

Required Skills/Qualifications

* Nonprofit management/administrative experience, including direct
supervision and management of employees.
* Knowledge of, skills, and proven experience in financial
management of an organization with an annual operating budget of over
$500,000 (including experience with budget management and financial
reporting).
* Familiarity with and commitment to the content and philosophy of
OBOS (the book)
* Good knowledge base and experience with women’s health,
including reproductive health and gender equity issues
* Excellent oral and written communications skills
* Experience interacting with the media
* Some fundraising experience
* Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to
organize resources, manage multiple projects, and establish priorities
* Demonstrated relevant experience of 8-10 years, including
expertise gained in a growing nonprofit (or other relevant setting)
* Expertise and experience working with diverse communities
* Ability to think strategically and to develop and implement
strategic plans
* Experience/comfort with a collegial model of management
(participatory leadership style that recognizes people’s skills and
fosters leadership in others)

OTHER QUALITIES SOUGHT

* Self-starter (dynamic, highly motivated)
* Entrepreneurial and forward thinking

To apply, please submit preferably VIA EMAIL a resume and cover letter,
to: office@bwhbc.org. The organization mailing address is OBOS, 34
Plympton St, Boston, MA 02118. Fax: 617 451 3664.

Deadline: AUGUST 20, 2008

OBOS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

Image credit.

Today I’m pleased to bring you first time guest poster (and frequent Girl with Pen commenter!) Marjorie Asturias, who encourages all of us women to start getting our voices out on the opinion page. Marjorie is a weekly columnist at the Grand Junction Free Press, and maintains her own blog, Interior Designs, where she dishes out more advice on the writer’s life– so go check it out! –Kristen

Girl with Newspaper Column by Marjorie Asturias

Landing a newspaper column gig isn’t easy, but neither is it impossible, and it’s about time that more women put themselves out there and make a bid for one of their own.

A few months after moving to Grand Junction, Colorado, where I now live, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Grand Junction Free Press criticizing the slant a reporter had taken on an article about a local woman doing humanitarian work in Africa. The editor wrote within hours letting me know how much he liked my writing and that he hopes that I submit again in the future.

I immediately wrote back and asked him if he would be interested in hiring me on as a columnist. He was and quickly signed me on, warning me that he couldn’t pay me for columns, but he did encourage me to submit regular features in addition to columns, as those news-y type pieces are paid.

I’m now a weekly paid columnist and special contributor to the paper, and while the compensation won’t buy me any Birkin bags, the assignments have opened up a number of opportunities for me. Yes, I’ve received my share of hate mail. Yes, I have had my moments where I’m two hours from deadline, and I’ve yet to write a single word.

On the other hand, I’ve also had a few of my columns reach a national readership, including one about the loss of Generation X that was picked up and distributed by an online news aggregator. Another column I wrote about Ralph Nader’s entry into the 2008 election was linked from the front page of Mr. Nader’s site and generated tons of hits from around the world. Not only did I get my own name and work out in the public eye, the Free Press also saw a hefty spike in its own site statistics, garnering valuable publicity for the paper itself.

Writing the column turned out to be much harder and more rewarding than I dreamed it would be. Not only am I faced with a weekly deadline, I’m also dealing with the fact that I’m writing primarily to a conservative, small-town readership.

My columns frequently touch on issues that ignite heated debate in the community: immigration, abortion, gay marriage, and religion and prayer in public institutions. I’m also proudly feminist and have written about mail-order brides, sexism in the 2008 presidential election coverage and why being child-free can be a liberating choice. Since much of the paper’s audience receives its news primarily from local sources, I’m offering them a viewpoint rarely found outside of the national media outlets, i.e., that of a minority woman who sees the world through the a lens that is both gendered and “colorized.”

I have my days when I cringe even as I write some of my more potentially controversial piece, or when I get yet another racist or sexist rant in my Inbox. But I’ve found that the more I write, the more confident I become. Now, although I also occasionally write about “lighter” topics, I find that the columns that make my readers think are the ones that I find most rewarding. To me that’s a sign that I’m doing my job. Equally important is that even among the most offensive emails, I often learn something new about the issue that I hadn’t considered before.

I strongly encourage women in any community, no matter what the size, to submit their opinion pieces to their local papers. Don’t just aim for the big guns like the New York Times. Every media outlet needs to hear our voices. Carol Jenkins recently wrote in the Christian Science Monitor that part of the responsibility for the dearth of women commentators lies not just with the women who aren’t submitting, but also with the top-level decision-makers who aren’t actively creating op-ed pages that reflect their commitment to diversity.

Let’s do our part and make sure that the supply part of the equation is taken care of. The decision-makers won’t have any excuse not to publish us.

I had to post Jill from Feministe‘s comments below on the passing of Estelle Getty, who played the tenacious and hilarious Sophia on Golden Girls. Writes Jill on the meaning of Golden Girls for her:

I’m a huge Golden Girls fan, and I maintain that it’s one of the best feminist shows ever created: It’s got an all-female cast; they women are all older and therefore outside of traditional beauty norms; the women have independent lives that involve men but don’t revolve around them; and the characters are funny and smart (with the possible exception of Rose, but she’s smart in her own little way). Where else have you seen a popular sitcom (or any show) that revolves around women who actually kind of look like average women, who aren’t young and fabulous and beautiful, who have interests other than finding male companionship, who put their female friendships first, and who have sex after menopause? More to the point, where can you find a TV show or movie that revolves around women like that, and those women aren’t the butt of the joke?

It’s certainly a rarity, and Golden Girls remains a bright spot in TV history. Estelle Getty was a class act.

I have to second that statement. Sure I’ve sat around with friends debating which Sex and the City character each of us is, but I’ve also sat around and talked about which Golden Girls character we are, or will be, or hope to be. I’m banking on being a decided Dorothy.

–Kristen