Culture

This Father’s Day, More Than 1 Million Fathers Are in Prison

Many kids will spend this morning hanging out with their fathers. But 1 in 7 African American children will have a hard time seeing a parent today—they’re in prison. Read more »

For Transgender Folks, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" Still Exists.

Navy Seal Kris Beck deployed 13 times during her more than 20 years in service and earned both a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. However, if she tried to join the military today, Beck would be swiftly rejected. Beck is transgender—and the military has made it clear that though gay and lesbian... Read more »

Pay Attention to These Women-Hosted Comedy Podcasts

If you'd told me ten years ago, “I have a really great mp3 for you—it's a recording of two people you don't know discussing their lives,” I would have been very confused, and then probably would have told you to go to hell. But that was then, and this now. Read more »

Veronica Franco, History's Favorite Renaissance Prostitute Poet

In a time when prostitution and female education were both considered unwholesome, professional courtesan Veronica Franco established herself a leader in the 16th Century literary arts. Although initially known among the Venetian literati for her iconic beauty and razor-sharp wit, Franco... Read more »

Why Do People Keep Calling my Sexuality "Noble"?

When I was 12, I was in an abstinence-only sex-ed program where I learned that I should only have sex with someone to whom I was married. Then, in high school, some of my friends and I decided that premarital sex might be okay as long as it was with someone we were really, really in love with. Now... Read more »

"Queer is Hardly Just Who You Sleep With": Q&A with Masha Tupitsyn

Masha Tupitsyn writes about film, feminism, love, and being human in a media-drenched culture. Her new book, Love Dog, is a multimedia print version of a ... Read more »

The Rise (and Periodic Decline) of Women in American Comedy

Though the media seems to “discover” women in comedy once every few years, the truth is that they’ve been there from the beginning. From early stand-ups like Phyllis Diller and improv pioneers like Elaine May, through today’s breakout television stars like Mindy Kaling, women... Read more »

Oh Joy Sex Toy: Profile of a Stripper

This week for my comic, I interviewed one of my favorite dancers: Piper, a stripper at Devil’s Point in Portland.  Read more »

Ms. Opinionated: I Don't Know How To Get "Back Out There" After My Divorce

Welcome to the latest installment of Ms. Opinionated, in which readers have questions about the pesky day-to-day choices we all face, and I give advice about how to make ones that (hopefully) best reflect our shared commitment to feminist... Read more »

Pages

One-Sentence Reviews of the Lesbian Netflix Canon

Lez face it: when you’re a ladygay like myself, cruising the internet for something to watch, you realize very quickly that there are a whole... Read more »

The Feminist Power of Female Ghosts

The female ghost is an enduringly fascinating figure. Read more »

Eat, Pray, Spend: Priv-Lit and the New, Enlightened American Dream

Even as reports on joblessness, economic recovery, and home foreclosures suggest that no one is immune to risk during this recession, the popularity of women’s wellness media has persisted and, indeed, grown stronger.  Read more »

Why You Should Pay for Porn

If you’re a progressive middle-class individual, chances are you think about where your food comes from. Maybe you try to buy shoes that are... Read more »