Historic data suggests that the first shelter for abused women was in Istanbul - in the late 1600s. Women escaping abusive husbands or fathers were allowed sanctuary at the Hatuniye convents (otherwise known as the Karılar dervish convent) on the grounds of a religious complex that included a mosque. The convent… Read more
Megan Carpentier
megan-carpentier-old
Pornography is a complex issue for feminists, coming as it does [heh] at the intersection of sexuality,…
If you ever wanted a step-by-step description of how a rape exam is conducted in California (your state may vary - mine does), Sarah Tofte's OpEd in the LA Times is a good place to start. It's also a good place to start wondering why some women even bother - as Tofte points out, at least 400,000 collected rape kits in… Read more
This is Private First Class LaVena Johnson of Missouri. An honors student who nonetheless didn't quite know what she…
Moe is on the (supposedly) WiFi-enabled bus from Virginia, taking in the greatness of America (or at least that…
Now playing
In the wake of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller (i.e., the D.C. gun ban case), Mega…
The world is not a fair place, I think we all know that. And in this not-fair world, on the average, American women…
The six weeks since Cynthia Ruccia announced that sexism would force her to support John McCain in the general…
For a candidate who's trying to woo women voters, John McCain sure acts like a sexist piece of crap sometimes. In an …
It's fairly well-established that having a close relationship with your kids (or, if you're a kid, with your…
It used to be that insurance companies justified charging women more for health insurance because they could get…
Robert M. Baum of the University of Missouri has been conducting research on the Diola people of (what is now) Senegal for nearly 30 years. Despite his many visits and increasing status level within the Diola communities (and his access to male religious leaders and male religious shrines), he continued to be stymied… Read more
With the U.S. State Department keeping our borders safe from such prominent evildoers such as Lily Allen and Amy…
The enduring image of the last Pope is of him in simple, white vestments and a white skullcap, but that ain't how…
Harriet Harman is the Equality Minister in the UK and, as such, is pushing legislation to force government agencies…
With only 209 days left until the inauguration of the next President of the United States, it's not quite time yet…
In Emily Yoffe's Human Guinea Pigs column today, the Slate writer tries out being a day care worker in D.C.'s Gap…
A new study out shows that children whose mothers drink "to escape" think alcohol is a terrible smell. In a study of 145 children between 5 and 8, the 35 whose mothers were classified as "escape" drinkers liked the smell of pyridine (rotten eggs) and cigarette smoke better to that of beer. To be classified as escapist… Read more
Patrick Kennedy is a bad man. He was convicted in 2003 of the brutal rape of his 8-year-old stepdaughter in 1998 — a rape so brutal that it required the services of a cleaning company to remove the blood from the carpets and extensive surgery to repair the little girl's internal injuries. For his crime, the state of… Read more
Do you like Maureen Dowd? Do you think she accurately represents your views or, even, some views of women other than…