The Sassy Sociologist

How One College Is Closing The Computer Science Gender Gap : NPR

Mon, 06 May 2013 12:05:55 -0500

How One College Is Closing The Computer Science Gender Gap : NPR:

At Harvey Mudd College in California, about 40 percent of the computer science majors are women. That’s far more than at any other co-ed school. And it’s thanks in large part to the school’s president, Maria Klawe. She has worked hard to keep women interested in computer science and empower them to succeed in the field.

LGBTQ-Inclusive School Cultures: What's Policy Got to Do With It?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:18:30 -0600

LGBTQ-Inclusive School Cultures: What's Policy Got to Do With It?

Viral Video Shows the Extent of U.S. Wealth Inequality

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:16:18 -0600

Viral Video Shows the Extent of U.S. Wealth Inequality:

The issue of wealth inequality across the United States is well known, but this video shows you the extent of that imbalance in dramatic and graphic fashion.

The video, which started going viral on Friday and whose traffic continues to climb on YouTube — reflects the facts as seen from many different sources. We present it without comment, letting you, our readers, be the judge.

Hyper-Masculinity Encouraged By Aggressive Advertising

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:15:02 -0600

Hyper-Masculinity Encouraged By Aggressive Advertising:

Does advertising influence society, or is it merely a reflection of society’s pre-existing norms? Where male attitudes are concerned, a new study* implicates magazine advertisements specifically aimed at men as helping to reinforce a certain set of views on masculinity termed “hyper-masculinity.” The article by Megan Vokey, a Ph.D. candidate from the University of Manitoba, and colleagues is published in Springer’s journal Sex Roles.*

Annual count of women’s bylines shows little progress

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:14:03 -0600

Annual count of women’s bylines shows little progress

Personhood Mississippi Set to Announce Filing of New Personhood Amendment

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:12:18 -0600

Personhood Mississippi Set to Announce Filing of New Personhood Amendment

She ++ Documentary on Women in CS Earns National Attention

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:11:05 -0600

She ++ Documentary on Women in CS Earns National Attention:

Ellora Israni ’14 (left) and Anya Agarwal ’14 are the founders of she++, an organization devoted to increasing the number of women studying computer science. The group recently released a documentary that has earned national attention. (Courtesy of Conrad Corpus).

South Panola waives dress code for transgendered student

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:32:05 -0600

South Panola waives dress code for transgendered student:

Small Victories…

STUDY: As Many As 6 Million Americans Have An LGBT Parent

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:53:48 -0600

STUDY: As Many As 6 Million Americans Have An LGBT Parent:

A new report released by the Williams Institute estimates that 37% of LGBT Americans have had a child, meaning that as many as 6 million children and adults have an LGBT parent.

“These analyses highlight the diversity and prevalence of LGBT parents and their children in the U.S.,” said the study’s lead scholar Gary J. Gates. “The data show that LGBT families are clearly part of modern American life.”

Other findings from LGBT Parenting in the United States include:

* About 39% of individuals in same-sex couples raising children under age 18 are non-white, as are half of their children —compared to to 36% of those in different-sex couples who are non-white.

* Among children under 18 living with same-sex couples, 50% are non-white compared to 41% of children living with different-sex couples.

*Same-sex couples raising children are four times more likely than their different-sex counterparts to be raising an adopted child. An estimated 16,000 same-sex couples are raising more than 22,000 adopted children in the US.

* States with the highest proportions of same-sex couples raising biological, adopted or step-children include Mississippi (26%), Wyoming (25%), Alaska (23%), Idaho (22%), and Montana (22%).

* Single LGBT adults raising children are three times more likely than their heterosexual counterparts to report household incomes near the poverty threshold. Married or partnered LGBT individuals living in two-adult households with children are twice as likely.

*More than 111,000 same-sex couples are raising an estimated 170,000 biological, step, or adopted children

*Same-sex couples are six times more likely than their different-sex counterparts to be raising foster children. Approximately 2,600 same-sex couples are raising an estimated 3,400 foster children in the US.

*The median annual household income of same-sex couples with children under age 18 in the home is lower than comparable different-sex couples ($63,900 versus $74,000, respectively).

The full report can be found here.

Mississippi mayoral candidate found dead; person taken into custody

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:48:31 -0600

Mississippi mayoral candidate found dead; person taken into custody

Transgender Triplet Banned From Her First-Grade Restroom

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:29:08 -0600

Transgender Triplet Banned From Her First-Grade Restroom

Incarceration Rates for Blacks Have Fallen Sharply, Report Shows

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:27:57 -0600

Incarceration Rates for Blacks Have Fallen Sharply, Report Shows

Trauma Sets Female Veterans Adrift Back Home

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 08:27:19 -0600

Trauma Sets Female Veterans Adrift Back Home

thenewwomensmovement: iamsexuallyvoracious: Ted Talk: Sexual...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:39:00 -0600

thenewwomensmovement:

iamsexuallyvoracious:

Ted Talk: Sexual Objectification.

Sexual objectification is the process of representing or treating a person like a sex object, one that serves another’s sexual pleasure.

Sex Object test: If any answer is Yes, the image shows a sex object.

Does the image show only part(s) of a sexualized person’s body?

Does the image present a sexualized person as a stand-in for an object?

Does the image show a sexualized person as interchangeable?

Does the image affirm the idea of violating the bodily integrity of a sexualized person that can’t consent?

Does the image suggest that sexual availability is the defining characteristic of the person?

Does the image show a sexualized person as a commodity (something that can be bought and sold?)

Does the image treat a sexualized body as a canvas?

Sexual objectification is not empowering because of the difference between being a subject and being an object. Subjects act, objects are acted upon. There is no power in limiting yourself to being acted upon.

x

Married straight couples are 'healthier than gay couples': Scientists back calls for same-sex marriage

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:37:11 -0600

Married straight couples are 'healthier than gay couples': Scientists back calls for same-sex marriage :

From a JHSB study: The scientists, from Michigan State University, believe that this could be down to a number of factors, including a lack of resources, such as partner health insurance, that come with marriage.

Community at odds over transgender transition at high school

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:42:03 -0600

Community at odds over transgender transition at high school:

Please consider going and liking the facebook page to show support of LGBTQ community.

Community at odds over transgender transition at high school
By Michael Clark

Controversy is brewing in North Mississippi over a student’s decision to come out as a transgender.

“It was a big topic in the classrooms, everywhere, everyone has their own opinion,” South Panola High student, Jabrea Joiner said.

Monday, South Panola High School students were buzzing about a transgender classmate who began what the ACLU called a ‘transition’.

“The first step in that is really to start dressing according to your gender and today was about going to school and being able to be the person that she is,” Mississippi ACLU Legal Director, Bear Atwood said.

Because the student is a minor, we’ve agreed to only identify her as Leah. On the first day of the transition, some classmates still referred to Leah as ‘HE.’

“He’s like any other student at South Panola, he minds his business, he’s not hurting anyone, he’s only wanting to be himself,” Joiner said.

Some parents had more concerns than the students.

“You a man you supposed to stay a man, you a woman, you supposed to stay a woman, and that’s my opinion that’s it,” Batesville resident Kenneth Smith said.

“It causes attention to yourself so you’ve got a bunch of students who have never been around this,” Batesville resident Alishia Smith added.

The ACLU is working with Leah’s family and the school district to ensure she has a safe and inclusive environment at school.

Monday, many of the students showed their support by wearing green and pink, a request Leah made on Facebook to friends.

“I know there was a lot going on, people had a lot to say in the classroom, but I just feel like it’s not my position to judge anyone,” Joiner said.

The interim superintendent was unavailable Monday, but it is district policy not to comment about specific students.

Action News 5 has been told that some parents plan to voice concerns at the next school board meeting in March.

The Lack Of Women Presenters At The PS4 Event Is Bigger Than Sony

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:34:32 -0600

The Lack Of Women Presenters At The PS4 Event Is Bigger Than Sony

In Child Development, Early Intervention Is Vital - NYTimes.com

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:29:12 -0600

In Child Development, Early Intervention Is Vital - NYTimes.com:

For more than 40 years since we wrote that law, the evidence has continued to pile up of the importance of early intervention in child development — what then-Senator Mondale, our colleagues in Congress and I well understood at the time.

And yet we as a country still fail to provide the resources to support working parents and ensure that their children have all the educational opportunities necessary for achievement in life.

Effects of Bullying Last Into Adulthood, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:28:41 -0600

Effects of Bullying Last Into Adulthood, Study Finds - NYTimes.com

From CNN: Transgender job seekers face uphill battle

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 10:28:20 -0600

From CNN: Transgender job seekers face uphill battle:

gaywrites:

This week, CNN Money published an impressive series of profiles of transgender people struggling to find work in America. Some are unemployed, others homeless or in debt.

In the opening article, Blake Ellis writes:

It’s hard to pin down a precise jobless rate since there’s so little transgender-specific data available. The most recent comprehensive study of more than 6,000 transgender individuals wasreleased in 2011 by the National Center for Transgender Equality. This report found the transgender jobless rate to be 14% — double the national rate — and as high as 28% for black respondents. And a recent online Prudential survey of 49 transgender individuals had similar findings.

The six profiles that follow are written as first-person narratives, with each person telling their own version of a universally heartbreaking, fundamentally unfair story. Writes Keisha Allen, a trans woman from Chicago:

I’ve interviewed for over 100 jobs — entry-level jobs like a server, cook, dishwasher, cashier — no jobs that require a school background. I’m lucky to get to the interview, and once I get to the interview and my name doesn’t match my ID and my body doesn’t match what it says on my ID, I never hear back. And I believe it’s because I’m a woman of color and a transgender woman of color.

Read through the series. The stories are compelling, and it’s kind of a big deal that CNN took the initiative to cover this issue.