"Infanticide is the ultimate forfeiture of our humanity,"

Michael Rowe posted an amazing article in the Huffington Post, sparked by the tragic story of Roy Jones. But Rowe doesn't stop at merely pointing out one extremely sad detail about the case, that the 17-month-old child was beaten to death for being too feminine.

He goes on to explore several examples of "society's discomfort with gender variance" from music videos, advertising, questionnaires amongst some other far more troubling examples.

The article is well worth the read for anyone who thinks gender stereotypes either don't exist, aren't important enough to regard critically or are simply the way things should be.

I would like to add the recent "shocker" from US Magazine regarding Shiloh Jolie-Pitt's "boy shorts." The fact that a girl wearing swim trunks is not only newsworthy, but that it is newsworthy because she is a girl acting like a boy, and nothing being said about the crassness and pseudo-legal posting of a picture of a topless 4-year old girl.
 

Based on the comments section (which are incredibly hard to read... what is up with that font??) gender stereotypes continue to be heralded as "the way people are supposed to behave."

That is far more shocking than any pair of "boy shorts."

Teaching Girls & Boys: The Disney Method

[Via BoingBoing]

For the girls:

(click to enlarge)

And for the boys:

(click to enlarge)

As newly minted father of a daughter I have to laugh, and then cry at the two images above.  And then go and delete all my Disney downloads.

Jimmy Carter Speaks Out Against Gender Inequality.

Perhaps one of the bravest things a man can do is speak out against violence against women, especially when doing so against an organization/group/policy that one once held dear to their heart.

Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States, often derided as being a 'wimp' in the face of the United States' adversaries during his term in office, has done just that by severing his ties with the Southern Baptist Convention for what he sees as injustices against women.

His full article, in the Guradian, can be read here.

Ew! A Girl!

If you aren't convinced that gender inequality and gender prejudice doesn't exist in these enlightened days of the 21st century, look no further than the insane reasons the punditry of the American Media have for discrediting Sonia Sotomayor as a worthy nomination to the Supreme Court of the United States (current membership: 8 males, 1 female).

Sonia Sotomayor is:

Too feminine

Too fat & stupid (did i mention stupid?)

Eats the wrong kind of food

Doesn't pronounce her name the way white men want her to.

Is racist and a socialist.

Seriously? The American MSM is grade 3. I'm waiting for someone to tell us all about her cooties.

Via Gawker and Jezebel.