The feminist label
Actress Maisie Williams explained why she doesn't understand the use of the label "feminist" in a 2016 "Entertainment Weekly" article. It is circulating as a Facebook meme.
Transgender case settled
As reported in "I Am a Girl" (February 2017, MWP), the Edwards family filed a legal complaint against the City of St. Paul, indicating Nova Classical Academy of St. Paul was in violation of the city's Human Rights Ordinance that protects against discrimination in education on the basis of gender identity and expression.

In a settlement, Nova has agreed to pay damages of $120,000, and will immediately establish clear policies and practices that fully support transgender and gender diverse students. In a thank you note to the community of support, parents Hannah and Dave Edwards said, "We know that the acceptance and support our beautiful daughter receives in the community is possible because of the battles you have fought, and the victories you won, decades before she was born. We feel blessed that she can be lifted up onto the shoulders of such amazing role models!"
Source: GenderJustice.US

Simulating rape
Sex dolls shipped worldwide since the 1990s now include those designed to simulate rape, allowing "everyone to realize their most private sexual dreams." Programmable personalities include "Frigid Farrah," described as being unable to offer consent, and "Young Yoko," described as "barely 18 and waiting for you to teach her."

Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, responded: "Rape is not an act of sexual passion. It is a violent crime. We should no more be encouraging rapists to find a supposedly safe outlet for it than we should facilitate murderers by giving them realistic, blood-spurting dummies to stab."
Source: Independent


What's in a name?
It is generally taboo for Afghan men to refer to the women in their lives by name. Some members of government and artists have come forward to publicly declare the names of mothers, sisters, daughters. For others, it is a long-engrained custom. Says one Afghan sociologist, "According to tribal logic, the body of a woman belongs to a man, and other people should not even use her body indirectly, such as looking at her. Based on this logic, the body, face and name of the woman belong to the man."

A social media campaign by young women (#WhereIsMyName) aims to change that. "This is just a spark - the posing of a question mostly to the Afghan women about why their identity is denied," said one of them. "Are there any logical roots to this at all?"
Source: The New York Times

Rwanda vs. U.S.: gender equality
Rwanda has an Equal Rights Amendment in their constitution and ranks fifth on the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Index. What does that mean compared to the United States - which has not ratified an Equal Rights Amendment into its constitution?

Rwanda became the first country in the world with a female majority parliament in 2008, expanding the lead to 64 percent during the 2013 elections. Currently, the U.S. federal government is 19 percent women, one of the world's lowest percentages of females in civil service. Rwandan women now benefit from three months of paid maternity leave. The United States is the only developed country to not mandate paid maternity leave.
Source: Women's e-News

London LGBTQ etiquette
After a 19-year-old transgender woman was mocked by a transportation hotline employee, Mayor Sadiq Khan apologized and announced that the Transport for London network would work with the LGBTQ community to improve its service. First step: gender-neutral language. Instead of the familiar greeting "Ladies and gentlemen," on trains and buses and in public announcements, people are now greeted by, "Hello, everyone."
Source: Upworthy