feminist news round-up 21.01.16

Jada Pinkett-Smith calls for boycott of white-led Oscars
With this year’s Oscar nominations consisting of 20 white actors and actresses for the second year in a row, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith has boycotted the awards. In a video shared on Facebook, she stated that ‘begging for acknowledgement… diminishes dignity… We are powerful, and let’s not forget it’.This has been backed up by other Hollywood heavyweights, including directors Spike Lee, who called the ceremony ‘lily white, and Michael Moore, as well as producer Mike Schur.

Bowie’s history with underage groupies cannot be ignored – Keane
In the wake of David Bowie’s death, Erin Keane of Salon contends that we need to remember that his sleeping with 15-year-old Lori Mattix in the 1970s was wrong, should not be imitated and needs to be spoken out against. Keane notes that many cannot accept the simple fact that Bowie could be both a ‘sensitive genius’ who gave so much to misunderstood people as well as a human being who did wrong and should be held accountable. Further, the guilt that some harbour for talking about the issue in the wake of his death should be examined.

Gender equality in power fosters respect for women – Clark
The Guardian’s Lucy Clark writes that having an equal number of women inpositions of power is the only way tocultivate respect for women in society. Clark theorises that if men accused of sexual harassment, such as minister Jamie Briggs and NSW Labor boss Jamie Clements, had worked alongside more women in their positions, they would have been less likely to feel entitled to treat women with disrespect. ‘Equality first, then respect’.

UltraTune criticised for latest objectifying ad campaign
Car service company UltraTune have done it again, releasing yet another sexist ad campaign. The ads feature women dressed in rubber catsuits, with the male voiceover saying ‘we’re into rubber’. One commercial features a violent accident at a level crossing, with the woman walking from the wreckage at the end. The commercials have sparked outrage amongst viewers, with Facebook users accusing the company of deleting their posts. Similar previous ads by the company were investigated and cleared by the Advertising Standards Board.

SA Premier promises to reissue British man’s death certificate with acknowledgement of his husband
South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has promised a grieving British man that his husband’s death certificate will be reissued with the acknowledgement of their marriage. The British couple, who were married last year, were honeymooning in Adelaide when David Bulmer-Rizzi was killed in an accident. However, due to South Australian laws that do not acknowledge overseas same-sex marriages as legitimate, Bulmer-Rizzi’s death certificate read ‘never married’ and, as a result, his partner Marco was unable to be noted as next-of-kin. Weatherill will introduce a bill to Parliament this year reversing this law, along with other laws that are discriminatory against the LGBT community.