The nominations for the 87th Academy Awards came out last week. Amongst the deserving successes for films like Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Boyhood, there is a certain noticeable pattern emerging from the nominees in the major categories. For the first time in almost 20 years every single person nominated in the acting categories…
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New Zealand radio host, Rachel Smalley was caught offensively referring to women as ‘lardos’ and ‘heiffers’ while she thought she was off-air earlier this morning. The presenter for Newstalk ZB was previously discussing a story on the emergency contraceptive pill, where it was mentioned that the average New Zealand woman weighed 72kg. The show then…
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A Muslim woman claims that gym chain, Planet Fitness asked her to leave for wearing a headscarf in the gym, which apparently did not fit their dress code policy. The incident involves New Mexico resident Tarainia McDaniel, originally occurring in 2011, and detailed in a new lawsuit, according to the Albuquerque Journal. ‘McDaniel alleges in a lawsuit filed…
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Good things come to those who wait. For intersex Australians, the months and months it has taken the Federal Senate to compile a report into the involuntary or coerced sterilisation of intersex people has come to fruition. The senate was compelled to investigate the issue following a report into the forced sterilisation of girls and…
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Workplace discrimination on the basis of pregnancy is now the most common complaint to the Fair Work Ombudsman. Of the 235 complaints to Fair Work over the last financial year, 28% were from pregnant women experiencing issues with their employer, with a further 11% of complaints from employees claiming unfair outcomes at work due to…
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The interview had been taking its predicted turns. What were my strongest attributes? What did I think needed a bit more work? Where did I see myself professionally in five years? I gave all the expected answers: ‘I really want to learn and take this opportunity to grow within the company… I genuinely feel this…
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The Australian Defence Force Academy is improving in its attitudes towards women, an Australian Human Rights Commission audit has found, but progress may be hindered by budget cuts. The training institution is reportedly making steady strides towards becoming more inclusive to female members. This includes the introduction of programs to better supervise cadets, and…
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So you’re tired of your job, you’re well qualified and have bags of experience. You should be able to chuck it in and get a new one pretty quickly based on your impressive CV, right? Well, one Australian man had a completely different experience, with his CV leading to workplace discrimination rather than a fantastic…
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Before I moved out of home, we would take my car to a local guy to get it serviced, and whenever we’d pick it up, the mechanic would always address my Dad when reporting on his progress with the car that was in my name – that I drove. This same guy would not let…
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I blame Kochie. I blame Kochie for perpetuating what I like to think of as the “myth of choice” when it comes to breastfeeding, because it seems that somewhere along the line, ordinary people (people with breasts, people without breasts; people with babies, people without babies) got super distracted about breastfeeding. Distracted by strange concepts…
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A Catholic high school in Columbus, Ohio fired physical education teacher Carla Hale last month, days after her mother’s obituary “outed” her. Hale had been teaching for 19 years. An anonymous parent identified Hale’s partner as a woman (Julie) mentioned in the obituary. Within days, Hale was fired. She told reporters: ‘Bishop Watterson [High School]…
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By now you’ve probably heard of Julie Burchill’s column and the subsequent outrage it provoked. The piece, which was published in print and online, attracted more than 2000 comments before it was removed from The Guardian’s website. In essence, Burchill—a freelance writer and feminist—outright attacked transgender people in her article ‘Transsexuals should just cut it…
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Shawnee McPhail and her wife, Arielle, were the targets of a quiet but nauseating act of homophobia last month in the US state of North Carolina. The couple had just finished lunch at The Sting Ray Cafe, and were holding hands on their way to the car, when the restaurant owner, Ed McGovern, approached them…
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Delhi Charter School, an American high school in Louisiana, could be facing a lawsuit after claims students had been forced into homeschooling when the administration found out they were pregnant. The action was part of the school’s behaviour policy, and is laid out in their student guidebook. Under Delhi Chart School’s policy, any student who…
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