Rise in Pop-Up Brothels Inspires Ham-fisted Push Against Sex Work in the U.K.

23rd May 2018 ~ mcequality

A new report has found that women are increasingly being sexually exploited in the United Kingdom in so-called “pop-up brothels.” The nonpartisan group of UK politicians behind the study is using the alarming findings to call for the criminalization of the purchase of sex and a crackdown on classified-style websites that host adult ads. These recommendations fly in the face of Amnesty International’s recent call for an end to the “Nordic model”—in which the purchase of sex is criminalized, but sex workers themselves are often punished as a result.

via Rise in Pop-Up Brothels Inspires Ham-fisted Push Against Sex Work in the U.K.

The Filmmaker Behind ‘The Tale’ Explains What We Don’t Understand About Sexual-Abuse Survivors

23rd May 2018 ~ mcequality

In January at the Sundance Film Festival, Fox unveiled the result of that inner exploration. The Tale is a remarkable drama starring Laura Dern as Jennifer Fox, a successful documentarian who receives an anxious phone call from her mother (Ellen Burstyn), who discovers a short story her daughter wrote as a 13-year-old about having an affair with an older man, Bill (Jason Ritter). Jennifer hasn’t thought about the affair in years, but she’s compelled to reexamine that time in her life, having conversations with her younger self (Isabelle Nélisse), who we see in flashbacks as she enters into the relationship. In The Tale, Fox’s present and past selves are engaged in a debate about what this sexual assault meant and how it affected her for years to come.

via The Filmmaker Behind ‘The Tale’ Explains What We Don’t Understand About Sexual-Abuse Survivors

Belarus slams UK embassy over rainbow flag on day against homophobia – BBC News

23rd May 2018 ~ mcequality

Belarus has slammed the UK embassy in Minsk for flying a rainbow flag on the International Day Against Homophobia, calling LGBT relationships “fake”.
In a lengthy statement, the Interior Ministry said the UK was challenging the country’s “traditional values”.
“The LGBT community, and all this fight for ‘their rights’, and the very day of the community are just a fake!”
A spokeswoman for the embassy said it would not comment. Homosexuality is not illegal in Belarus but it is a taboo.

via Belarus slams UK embassy over rainbow flag on day against homophobia – BBC News

10 Women Just Filed Sexual Harassment Complaints Against McDonald’s

23rd May 2018 ~ mcequality

he Fight for $15, which campaigns around pay increases for low-wage workers, and the TIMES UP Legal Defense Fund, which grew out of #MeToo, are joining forces on behalf of 10 women who say they’ve been subjected to indecent exposure, sexual comments by supervisors, and propositions for sex while working at McDonald’s restaurants. The women behind the harassment suits work at franchises across the country, and one of the complainants is just 15 years old. “McDonald’s advertises all over television saying it’s ‘America’s best first job,’ but my experience has been a nightmare,” said the teen, Breauna Morrow, in a press release emailed to Jezebel.

via 10 Women Just Filed Sexual Harassment Complaints Against McDonald’s

Gender inequality: Stars tell world leaders poverty is sexist – BBC News

21st May 2018 ~ mcequality

Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep are among the big names putting political leaders “on notice” in an open letter led by international charity ONE.

via Gender inequality: Stars tell world leaders poverty is sexist – BBC News

More Women Come Forward With Abuse Allegations Against Creepy USC Gyno

19th May 2018 ~ mcequality

On Wednesday, a harrowing report from the Los Angeles Times revealed that University of Southern California’s George Tyndall acted as the campus health center’s primary gynecologist following multiple complaints of misconduct dating back to the 1990s. Tyndall is accused of making sexualized comments about patients bodies (including referencing penetrative intercourse while giving exams), photographing some students’ genitals, racially targeting patients—and has argued that those who reported him are doing so because they wish they had tighter vaginas. Yup. This is the tip of the iceberg: On Friday, the New York Times spoke to a handful of women who’ve come forward with their own stories of abuse at the hands of Tyndall—according to the Times, when USC created a hotline and website to collect complaints about Tyndall this week, they received over 100 accusations of misconduct.

via More Women Come Forward With Abuse Allegations Against Creepy USC Gyno

Evangeline Lilly Accuses Lost Stunt Coordinator of Injuring Her

19th May 2018 ~ mcequality

While speaking on a panel about stuntwomen in Hollywood—held on Wednesday at the Fox lot in Los Angeles—Lilly claimed the skin on both her forearms was ripped off during a stunt she performed while filming Lost. Lilly, who stars as the Wasp in the upcoming Marvel film Ant-Man and the Wasp, appeared on the panel with her stunt double from that movie, Ingrid Kleinig, and several other stuntwomen.

via Evangeline Lilly Accuses Lost Stunt Coordinator of Injuring Her

Lee Daniels Is Confused by #MeToo, Asking ‘Is It Crazy Enough or Have We Gone Too Far?’

19th May 2018 ~ mcequality

On Thursday, director Lee Daniels was interviewed by Bevy Smith on her Radio Andy show Bevelations. The conversation eventually turned to the #MeToo movement, with Daniels asking the question all famous men (and women!) have been asking recently: “Is it crazy enough or have we gone too far? I don’t know, I’m all confused.”

Claiming that he’s never had a sexual relationship with one of his actors, Daniels was adamant in stating, “I never sleep where I shit, I never sleep where I eat.”

via Lee Daniels Is Confused by #MeToo, Asking ‘Is It Crazy Enough or Have We Gone Too Far?’