photo by damopabe

So despite the fact that Plan B (which is NOT an abortion pill, but a form of emergency contraception) is completely legal, the U.S. military is not required to supply it for its 200,00 female military personnel. You know, the same military personnel who have been reportedly subject to at LEAST 2,688 sexual assault cases in 2007 alone? Yep, those women.

According to Nancy Northrup of the Center for Reproductive Rights:

In 2002, the Department of Defense, relying on its technical experts, initially approved emergency contraception for its Basic Care Formulary, which would have required that it be stocked at all military treatment facilities. That approval was quickly rescinded when it reached the radar of political appointees. Sounds like what was going on at the FDA: scientists support access to emergency contraception, political pressure shuts it down. Now, it’s available only at those military health facilities that decide to make it available. In the meantime, the lack of the contraceptive doubly victimizes servicewomen – some of whom suffer from trauma serious enough to impair their military careers.

So this is clearly a hold-over of the Bush administration, but under Robert Gates’s lead of the Defense Department, who knows if anything will actually come of this.

Perhaps you might want to send good old Barry your thoughts on this matter…

**Trigger Warning**

Three guys were charged with a gang rape of a 28-year-old lesbian, who was attacked last month when they spotted her coming out of her car. How’d they identify her? The rainbow bumper sticker on the back of her vehicle.

One of the more sickening points about this story is the fact that two of the suspects were only 15 and 16 years old. The latter will be tried as an adult, the former is currently being considered.

For the gruesome deets, check out the full story here.

Sure we have a hate crime law here in California that includes LGBT people (federal law does not), but if this was to happen in many other states, there would be very little weighted on the fact that this woman is a lesbian, and seemingly targeted for being so.

Is there a hate crime law where you live? Does it protect victims on the basis of sexual orientation/ gender identity?

Photo by duponddupont

Does anyone else find it kinda awesome that three of the major foreign policy/ national security posts in the country are being headed up by three well-qualified women?

We’ve got Janet Napolitano in Homeland Security, Susan Rice over at the NSA, and of course, Hillary Clinton taking on State.

Take that, stupid countries that don’t let women do simple things like own property or drive.

Photo by Army.mil

Army Lieutenant General Anne Dunwoody became the first woman to earn four stars after her 33-year career in the military.

At an emotional promotion ceremony, standing room only, Dunwoody said that no one was more surprised that she.

“Thirty-three years after I took the oath as a second lieutenant, I have to tell you this is not exactly how I envisioned my life unfolding. Even as a young kid, all I ever wanted to do was teach physical education and raise a family.”

And yeah, she was a SUNY grad, like yours truly :D

President Bush nominated her for promotion to the 4-star ranking in June.

There are currently 21 female generals in the army (didn’t know that!), and all by four are at the one-star ranking of brigadier. The first female one-star was Anna Mae Hays, chief of the Army Nurse Corps.

Sorry, I’m an Army brat, and once considered going to West Point before I realized I’m a lover, not a fighter. But this kind of news is still really interesting, and a great step forward for the ladies.

Photo by Army.mil

24-year-old Afghan student/ part time journalist Parwez Kambakhsh was sentenced to 20 years in prison for circulating an article about women’s rights. Kambakhsh, a man, was circulating the article about how Afghanistan has adapted a more conservative interpretation of Islam.

Kambakhsh’s supporters have said the case should be thrown out because the previous trial was held in secret and he was denied legal representation, not uncommon occurrences in Afghan courts. Reformers say the case exemplifies the continuing failure of the Afghan government to establish a free and independent judiciary.

Family members have said Kambakhsh was beaten and threatened with death until he signed a confession and that local journalists who expressed support for him were warned they would be arrested if they persisted.

Kambakhsh said he will appeal the court’s decision.

“I think that women often face these kinds of challenges, of course, in our society. But I think that she did an amazing job in changing that, as I think Senator Obama and Bill Richardson, where Hispanics are concerned, also made it possible for our country to move on into the 21st century and say, ‘Wait a minute, these old things that held us down in the past, we’re now within sight of a time when we can move beyond that.’”

– Al Gore, Meet the Press, July 20.

And he’s absolutely right. Even though I’m quite tuckered out from the Oppression Olympics that emerged from this primary campaign, The fact that we had a woman, an African-American, and a Latino simply in the running as serious candidates for a major party is proof that we’re moving forward as a nation.

How do you think this particular primary has changed the way we view the Democratic electorate? The general electorate?