Links Round Up: Week Ending 23 August 2013

[barrelofrain.livejournal.com]

For folks who don't know, the LRU is a compilation of items from the past week that may be of interest to VPers and is intended to broaden the kinds of conversations we have here. (We're experimenting with moving the LRU to Fridays at the moment.)

To submit articles for next week's round-up, e-mail vpteam@vaginapagina.com. If you have additional articles you'd like folks to know about this week, feel free to comment directly to this post.

As a reminder, in lieu of trigger warnings, I use keywords describing the themes of the piece. Please skim these before deciding to read the excerpt or click through for the full article. Outside sources are not safe spaces, and mainstream source's comments should almost always be avoided. The links I highlight don't necessarily reflect VP's views, or even my own, for that matter.

This week's round-up includes: third gender birth certificates in Germany, debunking hymen myths, sexual harassment in a university setting, the exotification of people of color, thin shaming, and how Chelsea Manning's story illuminates healthcare bias against trans* folks.

1. Germany to become first European state to allow ‘third gender’ birth certificates at RT (Keywords: Germany, gender, intersex, legal)
   

   German parents will no longer be legally obliged to register their newborn child as male or female, and will instead be officially allowed to assign the baby a “third gender” if the sex cannot be clearly identified at birth.
   

   
   



2. The Hymen is a Phallusy (Medically Speaking) by Chanelle Adams at Bluestockings Magazine - NOTE: NSFW image (Keywords: hymen, virginity, myths, anatomy, vaginal corona, sex, sexual assault)
   

   Just like every other part of the human body, hymens vary from person to person. They come elastic, rigid, thin, thick, honeycomb-like, ladder-like, narrow, stretched, small and large. It’s size and sensitivity is closely related to levels of estrogen receptivity, which vary from body to body over time. The way a hymen looks today, can look different tomorrow simply based on changing hormone levels, especially around puberty. The hymen differs so much in appearance, that most healthcare providers cannot tell the difference between a “virgin” and “non-virgin” hymen. Yes, you can even be pregnant from penetrative sex without evidencing a “popped cherry.”
   

   
   



3. How a perpetrator gets away with sexual harassment at CU Boulder at Scientific Femanomaly (Keywords: sexual harassment, sexism, sexual assault, STEM, university safety)
   

   It is a problem that only one single investigator listened to my story and made a decision about the outcome of the investigation. There were no precautions in place for situations where the investigator is biased towards one person based on their academic credentials, or the investigator does not take thorough notes during the interviews. It creates a frightening situation for victims who come forward about perpetrators who are successful in prestigious fields of study. Furthermore, it was also disturbing that my evidence was handed over to my assailant and his attorney without getting the police involved. In fact, university investigators do not notify the police in these investigations.
   

   
   



4. MMMMonday: Exotification of the POC community by Erika Harada for VaginaPagina (Keywords: exotification, fetishization, POC, dating, stereotypes)
   

   As much as that’s true, having a racial fetish is not exactly the same thing as being attracted to blondes or redheads. Preferences might attract someone to a potential mate, but is likely something that is negligible when it comes down to actually getting to know someone and forming a bond. Fetishes, on the other hand, are things that can override all other things that one is attracted to in a person -- a race fetishist would only ever pursue people of that certain race, and would not consider having a partner of any other race. The person is reduced to an object, like a high-heeled shoe or sexy stockings, and nothing more.
   

   
   



5. Thin Women: I've Got Your Back. Could You Get Mine? by Lindy West at Jezebel (Keywords: fat shaming, thin shaming, patriarchy, eating disorders, body acceptance)
   

   Thin-shaming and fat-shaming are not separate, opposing issues—they are stratifications of the same issue: Patriarchal culture's need to demoralize, distract, and pit women against one another. To keep women shackled by shame and hunger. To keep us obsessing over our flaws rather than our power and potential. To get our money.
   

   
   



6. Chelsea Manning & the Battle for Trans Inclusive Healthcare Without Bias
   by Janet Mock (Keywords: transgender, incarceration, healthcare, stigma, body autonomy)
   

   This essay is not about the WikiLeaks case, about Chelsea’s actions, about whether she is a hero or a traitor. Like Chelsea (who chose not to reveal she was a trans woman during her trial) I choose not to discuss the specifics of Chelsea’s trial as I feel it will “overshadow” the task at hand: the devaluing and disregard of trans people’s bodies. This post is about our health as trans people, about how we’re told daily that who we are is not “necessary,” and about how disposable we are to this government, which fails to extend healthcare coverage to all its citizens. Having access to quality, sensitive, knowledgeable healthcare without bias and stigma has been a lifelong personal battle of mine, mirroring that of the siblings who came before me and the ones I fight alongside today. The only reason I am here today and am able to write is because I traveled an underground railroad of resources that gave me access to all the things that were medically necessary and vital to my survival as a young trans woman.
   

   
   

Thoughts on any of these stories? Also, what have you been reading (or writing!) this week?