we are queer feminists, hear us... politely object

Call for research Participants via http://polytical.org follows:

As was suggested at Polyday, we’ve been keeping an eye out for non-monogamy research requests in the UK and here is our first one!

Hi, I’m Dr Christine Campbell, from St Mary’s University College, Twickenham and I’m about to begin a piece of research on consensual non-monogamy along with a colleague – Jane Adlard from Southampton Solent University. We’re looking for participants who are, or have been, in consensually non-monogamous relationships. What do I mean by that? – you might identify yourself as in an open-relationship or a swinger or polyamorous or you might not like labels at all, but that’s the kind of thing we’re talking about. There’s no money I’m afraid, but it will only take about 40 minutes and should be quite fun and interesting. I’ll come to you, there will be a few questionnaires, but mostly I’ll be asking you to talk about your relationship(s) in the form of a semi-structured interview (i.e. I’ll have some questions but we can go off topic).

I think it’s a really exciting time for consensually non-monogamous people, it’s becoming more mainstream and yet there’s hardly any serious academic research on this type of lifestyle. As a result there’s an unspoken assumption of monogamy in almost all the literature on relationships. I’m hoping to redress the balance slightly and am in the process of publishing one study in a mainstream psychology journal, this research will hopefully be the second.

The legal bit: You can refuse to take part, you can withdraw your participation at any time, you can ask for your data to be removed from the study with absolutely no consequences. Any information you give me is anonymised and stored securely, if it is used in any publications I guarantee you personally won’t be identifiable. I operate under strict ethical guidelines as laid down by my university and the British Psychological Society.

We’re hoping to begin data collection in October and carry on till Christmas, if you think that you, or anyone else you know, might be interested then please send us an email (with absolutely no obligation) with your contact details, any questions and maybe a bit about yourself to relationships.research@hotmail.co.uk

You can either contact Dr. Campbell yourself or, if you would prefer, you can drop us an email at research@polytical.org and we’ll pass your details on for you.

Call for Participants follows:

Here at betty, a leading tv production company, we’re making a new documentary about LGBT young people.  The working title is ‘The Coming Out Diaries’ and we’re hoping to follow the highs, lows, dilemmas and sometimes life-changing decisions that our LGBT young people go through.

We want to make a big-hearted, fresh, exciting and youthful film that brings a greater understanding about LGBT young people’s lives. 

We’d like to talk to young people about their LGBT journey for our research so if you can help with this that would be fantastic.  This might include:

· Coming out to family or friends and how hard this can be.

· Being unsure / making decisions about your sexuality or gender.

· Bullying / prejudice – how you deal with this.

Whatever your story, we’d love to hear from you! 

Please get in touch with Saskia on 0771 5111997, 0207 290 0660 or saskia.wilson@betty.co.uk 

For more information about ‘betty’ please see www.betty.co.uk

Dear Nadine Dorries,

As Zoe points out, you appear to be interested in other people’s uteruses. So I’m writing to tell you about mine. That’s right, it might not look like I should, but I have a uterus.

My uterus hasn’t really done much recently. I wonder if maybe it’s getting bored.  It worked pretty much like uteruses are supposed to for ten years and one month. I had my first period when I was exactly fourteen and a half, the same day as my first ATC meeting, and my last one some time in June or July 2009, shortly after starting fortnightly injections of testosterone.  During that time, my cycle ranged from 26 to 40-odd days long. I used towels, then tampons, then (after a short-lived attempt with sponges), settled on the Mooncup.  I went on the pill for a couple of years, both for contraceptive reasons and so I had control over my cycle. As is apparently quite common, I didn’t have bad cramps until I hit my 20s.  When I lived with groups of women, our cycles synced.

A few weeks ago a slightly rude health professional stuck an ultrasound device in my vagina to check my uterus was healthy after two years doing nothing. It wasn’t a particularly fun experience, because the doctor seemed confused both by the existence of a boy with a vagina, uterus and ovaries, and by why I was there to see her and have them looked at. But it seems I’m all present and correct, with no un-welcome additions, so that’s good news.

Zoe suggested other women tell you about their wombs, because you seem to have quite an interest in them. I’m not a woman, but I hope you still enjoy my letter. Zoe puts it better than me, but the thing is, my uterus isn’t any of your business, nor is my fiancée’s, nor my mother’s, nor my colleagues’ and friends’ (of any gender). To be honest, I think it’s kinda weird how obsessed you are with other people’s wombs, how much you want control over them, and how willing you are to use lies and misinformation to get it.  And (as Zoe agrees), my letter isn’t going to stop you acting out your obsession with other people’s uteruses in destructive and dangerous and unfair ways. But this is *my* uterus and for now I’m lucky enough to have control over it. In this, I have a choice, and I chose to tell you about it. Enjoy.

Sincerely,

Harri.

Hannah says smart stuff about gender and work

The Prettiest Boy in the World

Andrej Pejic has some really smart and interesting things to say about gender

People using ‘Slut’ or ‘Whore’ as insults or as negative things they don’t want to associate themselves with.

this started before I’d even had my coffee this morning, when I logged on to twitter :(

If you feel like getting angry (about people being wrong about polyamory)

• Man: Hello, I'd like to report a mugging.
• Officer: A mugging, eh? Where did it take place?
• Man: I was walking by 21st and Dundritch Street and a man pulled out a gun and said, "Give me all your money."
• Officer: And did you?
• Man: Yes, I co-operated.
• Officer: So you willingly gave the man your money without fighting back, calling for help or trying to escape?
• Man: Well, yes, but I was terrified. I thought he was going to kill me!
• Officer: Mmm. But you did co-operate with him. And I've been informed that you're quite a philanthropist, too.
• Man: I give to charity, yes.
• Officer: So you like to give money away. You make a habit of giving money away.
• Man: What does that have to do with this situation?
• Officer: You knowingly walked down Dundritch Street in your suit when everyone knows you like to give away money, and then you didn't fight back. It sounds like you gave money to someone, but now you're having after-donation regret. Tell me, do you really want to ruin his life because of your mistake?
• Man: This is ridiculous!
• Officer: This is a rape analogy. This is what women face every single day when they try to bring their rapists to justice.
• Man: Fuck the patriarchy.
• Officer: Word.

firstly, I love this clip.

Secondly, and much more importantly, it’s the best way i know to visually explain my reaction to this: What Queerness Means To Me