Wednesday Femilinks, 25/06/08

"Trans people can wreak havoc on such taken-for-granted concepts as feminine and masculine, homosexual and hetero-sexual, because these words are rendered virtually meaningless when a person’s biological sex and lived sex are not the same."
Julia Serano, Writer, Scientist and Trans Rights Activist

Apologies for the delay... I really wish I didn't have a full-time job. Dublin Pride '08 was awesome! This article in indymedia Ireland has photos and a video, in which I am in for three seconds.

'Wanted' review (@ The Guardian) - Peter Bradshaw breaks the film down and denounces its mysoginist presentation. Of particular note is the casual size-ism the film presents, as well as its convoluted, adolescent-het-male plot, according to Bradshaw.

Off-limits humour (@ Shakesville) - Melissa McEwan carefully analyses what humour counts as off-limits, from a general perspective. She presents why we should consider some aspects of humour off-limits, such as the big wave of oh-so-progressive racism and misogynist humour. On the other hand, she posits that 'fair game' topics may revolve around choices rather than intrinsic nature (which isn't unproblematic, of course).

Excuses why some people don't believe in male privilege (@ Screaming into the Void) - Does exactly what it says on the tin, and namechecks the awesome Male Privilege Checklist.

Sexy blue space women of Mass Effect (@ Girl in the Machine) - Bombergirl dissects the presentation of the Asari, the all-female race of hit sci-fi videogame Mass Effect. She analyses the pros and cons of their characterisation, as well as the fact that they are all eternally youthful and physically 'perfect'.

Transgender people and the prison system (@ Curvature) - Cara writes about the horrifying experience of trans people in U.S. prison, with all kinds of abuse are prevalent such as denial of hormone treatment despite being prescribed it, sexual assault from both inmates and guards, and murder.

Friday flickr (@ The F Word blog) - A collection of amazing feminist snaps from around the world.