vaginapagina | Links Round Up: Week Ending 27 December 2013 (Reply)

Happy holidays to all who are celebrating!

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.

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: Gardasil and side effects; the most iconic feminist moments of 2013; the mom confession; 10 amazing women who led rebellions; and disability binarism.

STD Awareness: Does Gardasil Have Side Effects? by Anna C. at Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona Blog (Keywords: science, HPV, cervical cancer, vaccines, Gardasil)
Despite this, a lot of people are curious about Gardasil’s side effects. If you enter a few key search terms into Google, you can easily find all kinds of websites warning you of Gardasil’s alleged dangers. So, you might be wondering: Is Gardasil safe?

28 Most Iconic Feminist Moments of 2013 by Elizabeth Plank at PolicyMic (Keywords: feminism, misogyny, sexual violence, rape culture, politics, reproductive rights, body shaming, trans* rights, entertainment)
The year 2013 was a heck of a year for feminism. Because we're often primed to focus on how far we've got to go, I wanted to give us a reason to celebrate how far we've come. We've had some amazing victories this year, so let's take a minute to soak it all in and celebrate the greatest moments! Check out our conversation on MSNBC in the clip below!

The Mom Confession by Rachel M. Martin at Huffington Post (Keywords: parenting, motherhood, gender expectations, perfection)
I make boxed macaroni and cheese for lunch with the little packets of powdered cheese.

We don't eat organic apples.

I buy my kids Fruit Roll-Ups.

Sometimes, my kids play too much media.

I skip words (OK, paragraphs) in long books at bedtime.

I don't fold all the little boys' clothes because they just dump them out, anyway.

10 Amazing Women Who Led Rebellions by Mark Pygas at Listverse (Keywords: history, rebellion, imperialism, violence, democracy, slavery)
Male revolutionaries such as Che Guevara have gone down as heroes for leading rebellions against “the Man.” But forgotten by history are the women who took on far greater powers than Fulgencio Batista. Throughout the ages, women have led rebellions and revolutions which took on the might of the Roman Empire and the vast wealth of the British East India Company.

This Is What Disability Binarism Looks Like at That Crazy Crippled Chick (Keywords: disability, ableism, stigma)
I exist on the grey area of disability, the part where things are neither black nor white. I am neither wholly visibly disabled, nor wholly invisibly disabled. I walk on my own, and yet, I use a wheelchair. More people are with me in the grey area than you think. Not everything is black and white. And that is the core of disability binarism - the concept that things are all or nothing - you are either low-functioning or high functioning. You're either "wheelchair bound" or you can walk. You're either totally deaf, or you hear fine. Get the picture?

Thoughts on any of these stories (minus the SSM candidate announcement; questions and such about that are best directed to that post)? Also, please don't hesitate to share anything I -- among other VP readers -- may have missed! What have you been reading or writing this week?

And stay tuned for New Year's Eve when we bring you our special "Best of 2013" edition!