100 reasons we need International Women's Day in 2015

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      International Women's Day is on Sunday (March 8), which apparently means it's the start of "What about the men?" season.

      Not convinced? Check the chart below from Google Trends, which shows that people only seem to care about International Men’s Day when it's International Women’s Day.

      When do people search for International Men's Day? Only when we start talking about women.
      Google Trends

      In 2013 and 2014, I offered up 50 reasons why International Women’s Day is still relevant. This year, I give you a full 100.

      A little housekeeping before we get started: this list is not exhaustive by any means and tends to focus on examples from the last 12 months. As I am a cisgendered, heterosexual white woman, my examples undoubtedly reflect that.

      Also, here’s a hearty “hello!” for all those Red Pillers, gamerbros, MGTOWers, misogynists, anti-feminists, trolls, and other general dullards who’ll be stopping by in the next few days to let me know exactly what they think of my opinion. Before you leave a comment, please remember I am a human being with feelings. 

      By the way, International Men’s Day is November 19. Looking forward to reading your lists, men.

      100 reasons we need International Women's Day

      svennevenn

      1. Because of the culture of silence surrounding abusive men and their actions

      2. Because 22-year-old Elliot Rodger killed six people and injured 13 last summer in Isla Vista, California, after posting misogynistic screeds about how he wanted to murder women

      3. Because 18-year-old Ben Moynihan randomly attacked three women in the street, allegedly because he was distraught over being a virgin

      4. Because even after 44-year-old religious studies teacher Stuart Kerner was found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student, the judge overseeing the case gave him an 18-month suspended sentence, then proceeded to accuse the teenaged victim of manipulating and grooming her teacher for sex

      5. Because after getting raped by a stranger in New York City, a 31-year-old woman was sexually assaulted by a different man she had asked for help after her initial assault.

      6. Because of Bill Cosby

      7. Because of Jian Ghomeshi

      8. Because an Orlando Uber driver who was arrested and charged after groping a female passenger told the police that the woman was asking for it by wearing a low-cut shirt

      9. Because CeeLo Green doesn’t think a woman can be raped if she’s unconscious

      10. Because one-third of college men admit they would rape a woman as long as no one found out

      11. Because after Rolling Stone published a story about an alleged 2012 gang rape at the University of Virginia, media outlets began a witch hunt against the main source and the reporter

      12. Because a conservative blogger tried to dox the anonymous woman at the centre of the UVA story

      13. Because sorority sisters at UVA were ordered by their national chapters not to go to any fraternity events during bid week in January to avoid getting raped; the men received no such instructions

      14. Because Clueless conservative actor Stacey Dash had the nerve to blame “naughty” women for their own rapes

      15. Because anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafy thinks the only reason sexual assaults occur on campuses is because too many women go to college. (One of her solutions? Stop giving student loans to women!)

      16. Because pickup artist/generally horrible person Roosh V published a blog post saying that the way to end rape is to “make rape legal if done on private property”. (In his words: “Without daddy government to protect her, a girl would absolutely not enter a private room with a man she doesn’t know or trust unless she is absolutely sure she is ready to sleep with him.”)

      17. Because too many people think that consent laws ruin sex

      18. Because hundreds of thousands of rape kits in the U.S. have gone unprocessed

      19. Because 74 percent of British Columbians who were killed by a current or former intimate partner over the past decade were women

      20. Because a recent Angus Reid poll found that 24 percent of respondents think it’s possible that domestic violence victims “bring abuse upon themselves”

      21. Because 33 percent of the men who responded to the same poll blamed victims for the abuse they suffer

      22. Because after arresting an intoxicated woman in northern Manitoba, RCMP officer Kevin Theriault returned in plainclothes six hours later and took the woman home to “pursue a personal relationship”, which I’m assuming is a euphemism for sex

      23. Because Columbia University refused to kick Emma Sulkowicz’s alleged rapist off campus, even after two other victims came forward; in protest, Sulkowicz began carrying a mattress around the university’s campus, promising she will continue this action until the man is no longer at Columbia

      Emma Sulkowicz discusses Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight) with Roberta Smith, co-chief art critic for the New York Times. 

      24. Because Columbia University fined a group of students $471 after they left mattresses on the steps of the university president’s house in solidarity with Sulkowicz

      25. Because Forbes magazine contributor Bill Frezza wrote a victim-blaming piece claiming drunk women are the “gravest threat” to fraternities

      26. Because 41 percent of four-year U.S. colleges haven’t investigated a single sexual assault case in the last five years even though statistically one in five female undergraduates will be sexually assaulted while attending school

      27. Because a New York University student set fire to a woman’s bedding (as a prank?) while she slept, then filmed himself singing to her as she awoke and tried to put out the flames

      28. Because one in five American men thinks it’s okay to hit their wives and girlfriends

      29. Because a U.K. domestic abuse victim is facing jail time if she doesn’t write letters to her incarcerated ex-partner—who beat her for seven hours in front of their two children before slitting her throat

      30. Because Mary “Unique” Spears, a Detroit mother of three, was shot and killed by a man after rejecting his advances

      31. Because at least seven transwomen have been killed in the United States in the first seven weeks of 2015

      32. Because of the passage of Canada’s Bill C-36, which many researchers and sex-worker advocates say will increase, not decrease, the risks for sex workers in this country

      33. Because sex workers are routinely talked about and not to

      34. Because the predominant narrative around sex work states that every single woman in the industry is being exploited, which negates the lived experiences of many sex workers

      David P. Lewis / Shutterstock.com

      35. Because too many people think that sex workers don’t deserve the same rights as other workers

      36. Because women still get fired for being pregnant

      37. Because an Alaskan state senator thinks only irresponsible people women use birth control; this is the same man also thought providing free pregnancy tests in bar washrooms was a brilliant idea

      38. Because the only abortion clinics in Newfoundland—a whopping two—are both in St. John’s.

      39. Because in 2014, Missouri enacted a law requiring any woman seeking an abortion to undergo a mandatory 72-hour waiting period

      40. Because there’s only one place to even get a surgical abortion in Missouri. (And there is still no place to get a safe, legal surgical abortion in Prince Edward Island.)

      41. Because a Missouri state representative Rick Brattin introduced a bill that would require women seeking abortions to get written, notarized consent from the man who impregnated them; the only exception would be in a case of incest or “legitimate rape”, which Brattin defines as a rape that has been reported to the police

      42. Because Wisconsin governor Scott Walker said he will sign a bill prohibiting abortions after 20 weeks

      43. Because a new bill introduced in Ohio would outlaw abortion as early as six weeks

      44. Because over 200 anti-choice laws have been enacted in the United States since 2011

      45. Because National Review writer Kevin Williamson thinks any woman who has an abortion should be hanged to death

      46. Because while abortion is legal in certain circumstances in Kenya, many health-care providers refuse to perform them due to police harassment and extortion

      47. Because last year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a corporation's right to religious freedom trumps the rights of women, allowing companies like Hobby Lobby to strip contraception from employer-based health plans

      48. Because Arizona state senator Russell Pearce said women on Medicaid should be sterilized (he later resigned)

      49. Because people got their knickers in a twist over the fact that Miss America 2015 Kira Kazantsev once interned for a Planned Parenthood affiliate

      Whew, still with me? You deserve an adorable animal break.

      Shutterstock

      Okay, let's get back to it.

      50. Because of Eron Gjoni, who wrote and widely disseminated an angry Internet screed against his ex-girlfriend and game developer Zoe Quinn, which included accusing Quinn of sleeping with journalists for good reviews

      51. Because the above-mentioned screed turned into Gamergate, a months-long campaign of harassment, doxing, and death threats against anyone—but particularly women—who disagreed with their stance

      52. Because Anita Sarkeesian, a media critic who has examined sexist tropes in video games, had to cancel an appearance at Utah State University after receiving death threats

      53. Because when actor Felicia Day spoke out about how she had become afraid of being targeted by Gamergate supporters, a subhuman form of life immediately retaliated by posting Day’s home address and contact information in the article’s comment section

       

       

      54. Because any time I post about Gamergate on Twitter, I am inundated by dudes harassing me about what Gamergate is, calling me names, or simply mansplaining my own thoughts and feelings to me

      55. Because the “men’s rights movement” spends the majority of its time bashing women for all of the world’s problems instead of, you know, helping men

      Leslie Knope, feminist hero.

      56. Because the manosphere exists

      57. Because some men don’t seem to be able to recognize their privilege

      58. Because the hashtag #WomenAgainstFeminism exists

      59. Because of misogynistic men’s rights groups like A Voice For Men, which is headed up by deadbeat father Paul Elam—a man who once accused his ex-wife of cheating on him after she was raped

      60. Because Elam once told feminists that, "The idea of fucking your shit up gives me an erection"

      61. Because of individuals like Julien Blanc, a pickup artist who uses emotional abuse and physical violence, including choking, to get women; Blanc has been denied visas and has had to cancel many appearances in several countries

      Just say no to pickup artists.
      Miranda Nelson

      62. Because of women like Janet Bloomfield, an anti-feminist who really likes calling women cunts and whores and was booted off Twitter after her serial harassment of feminist writer Jessica Valenti

      63. Because in a recent GQ article, Albert Calabrese, who was once arrested for felony sexual misconduct with a minor, is quoted as saying he’s in favour of lowering the age of sexual consent for girls to 12. His reasoning? "I would rather err on the side of 12-year-olds having sex than on the side of ruining men's lives."

      64. Because women are overwhelmingly made to feel unsafe online

      65. Because Twitter has repeatedly failed to protect women from online abuse

      66. Because when I blogged about that sunny afternoon when I got sexually harassed, I was told I was too sensitive, that I was exaggerating, that my biological clock had run out, that it wasn’t really harassment if I didn’t file a police report, that men have the right to issue creepy compliments to women whenever they want, and even though I did not mention my harasser’s appearance, many commenters speculated that I would have welcomed this unwanted attention if the man had been tall and handsome

      67. Because too many men tell victims of street harassment that the only time and reason we don’t like getting catcalled is when ugly men do it

      68. Because when women don’t accept compliments online, they are called horrible names

      69. Because even when a woman does accept a compliment online, they are still called horrible names

      70. Because of the Dalhousie dentist program’s sexist "Class of DDS 2015" Facebook group, wherein men talked about such scintillating topics like which one of their female program members they would like to hate fuck

      A post that appeared on the Dalhousie "Class of DDS2015 Gentlemen" group.

      71. Because writer George Will thinks women are being taught that “victimhood [is] a coveted status that confers privileges”

      72. Because Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker thinks it’s okay to call a professional adult reporter “sweetheart”

      73. Because when you’re the first female cosmonaut headed into space in 17 years, reporters will ask you questions about your hairdo and whether you’ll miss your kid

      74. Because a male reporter asked Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard—ranked seventh in the world at the time—to give him a twirl and talk about her outfit (anyone else want to see a reporter ask that to John McEnroe in his prime?)

      75. Because Chicago photographer Jonathan Fin called a reporter "cunty" after she did not, in his opinion, write fairly about his terribly sexist photography series of half-naked women on subway trains (read it for yourself)

      76. Because despite innumerable women talking about the sexism in STEM fields, many men don’t believe sexism is a problem in science

      77. Because Rosetta mission scientist Dr. Matt Taylor thought it was appropriate to wear a shirt covered in half-naked women while discussing the successful landing of a probe on a comet

      78. Because when described the difficultly of the mission, Taylor described it thusly: “She’s sexy, but I never said she was easy.”

      79. Because when Jolene Creighton, co-managing editor of science site From Quarks to Quasars, sent a job rejection email to an unqualified male writer, he accused her of not reading his cover letter, argued with her about his qualifications, and called her staff a group of "imperious little girls whose feelings are hurt"

      80. Because Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella—while at the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing , no less—told women they shouldn’t ask for raises and instead have “faith in the system”

      This is Grace Hopper by the way, a United States Navy rear admiral, computer scientist, inventor of the first computer programming language compiler, and the person who popularized the term "debugging".

      82. Because sexism in economics is so prevalent that the female co-author of this article about sexism in economics elected to remain anonymous to avoid a backlash from angry men

      83. Because the 114th session of the U.S. Congress is 80 percent male

      84. Because almost four in 10 Americans think women are “not ready” to be in power

      85. Because every actress now gets asked if she’s a feminist, which is just about as obnoxious as asking women how they have it all

      86. Because Time magazine ran a poll asking its readership if it should ban the word feminist from its pages

      I CAN'T EVEN WITH THIS.
      Time.com

      87. Because men don’t seem to be able to acknowledge sexism is a problem unless they have wives or daughters (see also here, here, here)

      88. Because of continued sexism in the film industry

      89. Because only 14 percent of TV directors are women

      90. Because Russell Crowe thinks older actresses should “act their age”

      91. Because women are still battling for pay equity in 2015 

      92. Because even if you’ve just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, tabloids will run articles about you with headlines like “Patricia Arquette Flashes Underwear In Wacky Wardrobe Malfunction”

      93. Because Trish Kelly got booted off the Vision Vancouver city council slate after a local blog publicized a video of her performing a monologue about masturbation

      94. Because playing “Fuck, Marry, Kill” with women in Canadian politics as the subjects is still a favourite of morning radio hosts

      95. Because of old white dudes like Rex Murphy and their antiquated ideas about women and feminism

      96. Because NFL cheerleaders are often forced to work without pay, auctioned off in charity events to lecherous men (events for which they are again not paid), and must pass humiliating “jiggle tests” in order to be permitted to perform.

      97. Because 43 percent of Canadian women report being sexually harassed while at work

      98. Because even multi-award winning musician Bjork has to defer to dudes in her work life; as she told Pitchfork, “I learned what a lot of women have to do is make the guys in the room think it was their idea, and then you back them up.”

      99. Because I have to steel myself against the abuse that I’m going to get as soon as I hit “publish” on this post

      But really, here’s the only reason anyone should care about International Women’s Day:

      100. BECAUSE WOMEN ARE HUMANS AND HUMANS HAVE RIGHTS 

      Deal with it.
      Rich Anderson

      Comments

      45 Comments

      heyyou

      Mar 5, 2015 at 2:59pm

      Excellent post. Please continue to post!

      Blergh

      Mar 5, 2015 at 3:33pm

      Some recent genetic studies suggest far more women have contributed to the human genome, that is, passed on their DNA, than men. We really need a social program to redistribute that privilege.

      J.M.T.

      Mar 5, 2015 at 3:34pm

      When is International Men's Day?

      Christina A

      Mar 5, 2015 at 3:41pm

      Plus you have learning how to hit on women, all taught by an "instructor", apparently here in Vancouver (I think it was reported in VancityBuzz if I'm not mistaken).

      Anonymous

      Mar 5, 2015 at 3:47pm

      Can we have another 'adorable animal break?' Maybe, less reading, more adorable animals.

      Anonymous

      Mar 5, 2015 at 4:05pm

      Standing behind this author, we have a lot of power in society and it is time for women to stand together and make the world a better place for our children.

      Leesa

      Mar 5, 2015 at 6:04pm

      Great article. Hearing the stories throughout the year seemed bearable. Reading as one giant list made me want to hurl. I'm unsure why the word "feminism" makes so many people cringe. Equality for all. Keep up the good work and keep fighting the good fight.

      Haha

      Mar 5, 2015 at 6:05pm

      "please remember I am a human being with feelings."

      Oh really? I thought you were a bot, spewing feminist propaganda!

      RosieJpoppinfresh

      Mar 5, 2015 at 6:18pm

      Awesome article! I hope the Straight keeps posting on this topic and by this author.

      So glad there aren't too many boring comments from misogynists on here. One small step aha!

      Miss Nomer

      Mar 5, 2015 at 7:11pm

      This article is clear proof that women obviously don't think. THEY FEEL.