Author Archives: admin

The Voice of the Valley: Erlea Maneros Zabala Rebukes Franco’s Brutalization of the Female Figure with Feminist Basque Art

Grapple with American novelist and ArtForum writer Dodie Bellamy’s revelatory feature of Los Angeles-based Basque multimedia artist, Erlea Maneros Zabala in her piece, “Erlea Maneros Zabala: A feminist reimagining of Spain’s fascist past,” (July 25, 2022).   Read the excerpts below … Continue reading

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A Guide to Gender-Inclusive Legal Writing

Read the British Columbia Law Institute’s newly published guide, “Gender Diversity in Legal Writing: Pronouns, Honorifics, and Gender-Inclusive Techniques,” (June 27, 2022), which urges legal scholars to make a conscious shift to inclusive and expansive language, particularly regarding gender and … Continue reading

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UK Government Excludes Migrant Women from Protections in Key Anti-Gender Violence Treaty

As reported in the recent Human Rights Watch piece, “UK: Tackling Violence against Some Women, But Not All,” (July 22, 2022), although the United Kingdom government has just sworn to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating … Continue reading

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Buenos Aires Bans Gender-Neutral Language

Read World Politics Review writer Graciela Monteagudo’s piece, “Argentina’s Feminist Backlash Takes Aim at Inclusive Spanish,” (July 19, 2022), which tackles the ongoing struggle for Latin American educators to adopt gender neutral language within the restrictive masculine/feminine designations that Spanish … Continue reading

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Bolivian social groups push government to reinforce gender violence protections

Read La Prensa Latina’s piece, “Bolivia moves reform bill to strengthen gender violence law” (July 20, 2022) which touches on community leaders’ efforts to legally curb rising numbers of femicides and sexual violence. Here is an excerpt below: The Bolivian … Continue reading

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Gender, Journeys and Liberation in Cristina Rivera Garza’s Writings

Read The New Yorker writer’s Merve Emre’s wrestling with gender, journeys and Latin American liberation in Mexican author Cristina Rivera Garza’s latest oeuvre of works within her piece, “Cristina Rivera Garza’s Bodies Politic,” (July 4, 2022). Read the excerpts from … Continue reading

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A Houston Clinic Responds to the Overturn of Roe v. Wade

Read the perspectives of the staff at a Houston abortion clinic after the Supreme Court ruled to end the constitutional right to abortion in The New Yorker writer Stephania Taladrid’s article, “Roe’s Final Hours in One of America’s Largest Abortion … Continue reading

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Dandara Rudsan: Amazonian Lawyer/Activist Spotlight

Look to the work of Amazonian lawyer and activist Dandara Rudsan to understand the importance of arm-in-arm organizing in marginalized environments and bodies: “Dandara Rudsan is a Black and trans activist from Altamira, in the Brazilian state of Pará. She … Continue reading

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Reproductive Violence in America & the Justice the Relf Sisters are Due

Read journalist Linda Villarosa’s New York Times piece, “The Long Shadow of Eugenics in America” (June 8, 2022) to learn the story of the forced sterilization of the Welf sisters, as well as thousands of other victims of the deep-rooted … Continue reading

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How Safe are “Safe Haven States” in a Post-Roe Medical World?

Amid a post-Roe political and healthcare landscape, University of Connecticut School of Law Professor Carleen Zubrzycki’s is considering the repercussions of misleadingly naming states abortion “safe havens” without addressing the presence of pre-existing inter-state medical records in her recently published … Continue reading

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“Bigotry is a Close Cousin of Prudence:” the Overlapping Racial Ramifications of Prohibition and Abortion Restrictions

Read New York Times opinion columnist Charles M. Blow’s comparison of the racial manifestations of both abortion and prohibition in the U.S in his piece, “Abortion, Like Prohibition, Has a Clear Racial Dimension,” (July 3, 2022). Read excerpts from Blow’s … Continue reading

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A Photo Essay Remembering Victims of Femicide/Transfemicide in Argentina

Read and witness the chilling testimonies of loved ones of victims of femicide and transfemicide in NPR writer Estefania Mitre’s photo story, “Families of murdered women and trans Argentinians ensure their voices are not silenced,” (Jun 30, 2022). Read Mitre’s … Continue reading

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Sandy Rodriguez: Narrative Cartography as an Act of Contemporary Resistance

The exhibits, “Mixpantli: Space, Time, and the Indigenous Origins of Mexico” and “Mixpantli: Contemporary Echoes,” showcased at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art from December 12, 2021–June 12, 2022, commemorate the 500th anniversary of the fall of the Aztec … Continue reading

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Belgium’s Historic Decriminalization of Sex Work

In her Reuters article, “How COVID-19 helped sex workers in Belgium make history,” (May 31, 2022) writer Joanna Gill accounts for the Belgian Parliament’s groundbreaking decriminalization of sex work. With the law’s recent implementation, Belgium became the first country in … Continue reading

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HBO’s “The Janes:” A Past and Future Vision for Collective & Compassionate Care

HBO’s newly-released documentary “The Janes” (on air as of June 8, 2022) covers the story of the Jane Collective, an underground abortion network in Chicago that despite legal barriers “helped women obtain safe, affordable abortions in the late ’60s and … Continue reading

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“In Dedication”- British Artists’ Tribute to Trans Life

The “In Dedication” exhibit on display at The Koppel Project Hive in London includes the work of 28 trans and non-binary artists with “pieces themselves [that] explore themes of memory, community, the body, history, ancestors, desire, longing, future, ritual, healing, … Continue reading

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The Relentless State of Gender Violence in Mexico — And its Resistance

While May 10th is Mother’s Day in Mexico, in Juarez, Mexico City, Veracruz and other Mexican cities, mothers gathered to grieve more so than celebrate. These guardians of young women murdered or disappeared demanded government action amidst a resurgence of … Continue reading

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Motherhood & Forced Climate Migration in Marathwada, India

As the number of climate migrants rises exponentially due to the dire state of the climate crisis and warming planet, drought-prone areas like the Indian state of Maharashtra are most at risk of displacing their population. In Maharashtra, millions of … Continue reading

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Period Tracking and Privacy in the Post-Roe Age

Just as many of our calendars have become digitized in the last decade, millions use apps like Flo and Clue to track their menstrual cycles. Yet in light of the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion on Roe v. … Continue reading

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President of Chile Publicly Apologizes to Woman who was Sterilized Without Her Consent

On May 26, the President of Chile Gabriel Boric publicly apologized to Francisca, a Chilean woman with HIV who was sterilized without her consent in 2002 while giving birth. Soon after becoming pregnant, Francisca had tested positive for HIV, then … Continue reading

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Race, Gender & Class & “Intersecting Inequalities” within Filipina Care Work

Read scholars Jennifer Nazareno, Cynthia Cranford, Lolita Lledo, Valerie Damasco and Patricia Roach’s newly published article in Vol. 36 of the Gender & Society journal entitled, Between Women of Color: The New Social Organization of Reproductive Labor. Together these sociologists … Continue reading

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Faith Ringgold: “You asked me why I wanted to become an artist and I said I didn’t know. Well I know now. It is because it’s the only way I know of feeling free.”

The retrospective “Faith Ringgold: American People” leaves the New Museum of Contemporary Art on June 5, 2022.  The exhibit reveals how multi-media artist, activist, feminist, academic and writer Ringgold has made an indelible mark on the Black feminist movement within … Continue reading

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Queer History in New York’s “House of D”

NPR’s Fresh Air recently aired a segment called The Queer History of the Women’s House of Detention (May 16, 2022). Terry Gross interviewed Hugh Ryan, the author of  The Women’s House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison. … Continue reading

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Don’t Leave Students Questioning How and Why We Use the Socratic Method

As our Feminist Law Prof community finalizes syllabi for 2022 in a rapidly-changing COVID-19 teaching environment, it is time again to reflect on the robust literature critiquing the Socratic method. We can all continue to modernize this technique to better … Continue reading

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13 Short Symposium Essays in Connection with “Are You There, Law? It’s Me, Menstruation?” @ColumbiaJGL

On April 9/10, 2021, the Columbia Journal of Gender & Law will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Judy Blume’s book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and the 30th anniversary of the journal with a symposium … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Workplace, Feminist Legal History, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Law Teaching, Race and Racism, Sisters In Other Nations, Socioeconomic Class, Upcoming Conferences, Women and Economics, Women's Health | Comments Off on 13 Short Symposium Essays in Connection with “Are You There, Law? It’s Me, Menstruation?” @ColumbiaJGL

Battling Trolls, Goblins and Structural Sexism: How the Period Emoji Ended up on your Phone

Guest post by Carmen Barlow and Lucy Russell If you have a smartphone, it’s pretty likely you’ve used an emoji. These tiny images have become a language of their own and whether it’s a goblin mask, a sad cat or … Continue reading

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Signatories Sought for Letter Urging NCBEX to Require All States to Permit Test-Takers to Bring Menstrual Products to Bar Exam

We recently have been made aware that certain state bar examiners – including some administering the exam next week – prohibit people from bringing their own menstrual products to the bar exam.  For the reasons explained below and in the … Continue reading

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A Letter to Law Review Editors and Promotion and Tenure Committees at Law Schools

  The open letter to law reviews, administration, and promotion and tenure committees seeks to raise awareness of the gendered effects of COVID on women faculty. The letter is open for colleagues to join by signing via the link https://forms.gle/LPuZ3e9safLwMPfg9   … Continue reading

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Is Betsy DeVos Our Current Generation’s Phyllis Schlafly?

The following is a guest post by Rachel Cohen. Ms. Cohen is a 2020 graduate of NYU School of Law. Earlier this month, the Department of Education under Betsy DeVos issued final regulations on Title IX, which, among other things, … Continue reading

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Same-Sex Voting and Phallocentric Legislation—Toward Next Era Democracy?

The present battle over reproductive rights is an attempted coup by conservatives, who see an opportune moment. Ushered in by the election of Donald Trump as well as the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, … Continue reading

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Hearing Women: Reflections on the Anniversary of Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony

by Stephanie M. Wildman September 27 marks the anniversary of a skirmish that ranks in the pantheon of modern civilian conflicts over what kind of society America will be. Many believed Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony one year ago about … Continue reading

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Why The Gender Pay Gap Took Center Stage In Michelle Wiliams’s Emmy Speech by @NaomiCahn

When Michelle Williams accepted a 2019 Emmy for best actress in a limited series or TV movie for her role as the Broadway dancer and actress Gwen Verdon in FX’s “Fosse/Verdon,” she started with the normal thank yous, and ended … Continue reading

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Reflecting on Twenty-Five Years of Duke Journal of Gender & Law

In 1994, Professor Katharine Bartlett founded the Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy to solidify gender law as an intellectually disciplined and complex field of legal scholarship. Despite women’s ongoing struggle to achieve equal rights and treatment in nearly … Continue reading

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CFP: Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion & Equity in the Law School Classroom

Dear Colleagues, We are writing to invite you to consider submitting contributions to a new book we are editing. It is tentatively titled Integrating Doctrine and Diversity: Inclusion & Equity in the Law School Classroom. This book will be published … Continue reading

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New Bibliographic Resource on Gender and the Law in Japan

I’ve posted two two working papers up on the Social Science Research Network.  The first, developed with one of my students, Kallista Hiraoka, aims to present a comprehensive bibliography of English language scholarship on the subject.  The bibliography contains approximately 140 … Continue reading

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Perspectives on Touching

Humans are tactile creatures.  It is one of the senses on which we depend for physical, emotional and spiritual health and safety.  It is a sense particularly important to communication, connection, growth and development.  Our body integrity and sense of … Continue reading

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The Senate Responds to Kavanaugh’s Accusers

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusation that Judge Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both in high school has turned Kavanaugh’s judicial confirmation into an extremely polarizing political issue. In the midst of the #metoo movement, Dr. Ford’s accusation … Continue reading

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New Children’s Book: “My Mom Has Two Jobs”

I recently took a break from writing law review articles to publish my first children’s picture book, which celebrates working moms — including lawyer moms. The book is titled, My Mom Has Two Jobs. I had the idea for this … Continue reading

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Shaming and Blaming Mothers Under the Law: It’s Time We Stop Expecting Mothers to Be Perfect

The perfect mother is a ubiquitous, if impossible, part of American life. We see her in spandex at the gym, working out—self-care!—a week after delivering twins. She’s at center-stage when internet experts opine about how mothers can prevent teenagers’ opioid … Continue reading

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Of Mosquitoes and “Moral Convictions”: How Rolling Back the Affordable Care Act’s Contraceptive Mandate Jeopardizes Women’s and Children’s Health

December 5 is the deadline to submit comments on the Trump Administration’s recent action to gut the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate, which requires employer-sponsored health plans to ensure women’s access to free, effective contraception.  This decision, announced in October … Continue reading

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Posted in Women's Health | 1 Comment

Shayara Bano v. Union of India: A Watershed Moment in the Battle for Women’s Rights in India

The following is a guest post by Malcolm Katrak. Mr. Katrak is a Law Clerk to Justice (Retd.) S. N. Variava, Former Judge, Supreme Court of India. In the past, he has worked with Mr. Darius Khambata, Former Vice-President, London … Continue reading

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Guest Blogger Vasujith Ram on Taxes on Sanitary Napkins in India

The Constitution of India was recently amended to introduce the ‘Goods and Services Tax’ (GST). The GST subsumes almost all the existing indirect taxes in India (such as Excise Duty and Service Tax, levied and collected by the Federal Government, … Continue reading

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Neil Gorsuch, Hobby Lobby, and the Question of Complicity

Neil Gorsuch may be a soft-spoken and gentlemanly Harvard-educated lawyer’s lawyer.  But his decision in the Hobby Lobby case, 723 F.3d 1114 (10th Cir. 2013), apparently overlooked by most commentators, demonstrates just how much American women have to fear if … Continue reading

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Posted in Courts and the Judiciary, Feminism and Religion, Reproductive Rights | 1 Comment

Guest Blogger Emily Gillingham, “This is Inconsistent with What She’s Been Telling Us”: Why the Criticism of Hillary’s Record on Women Matters

There has been quite a hubbub lately over Hillary Clinton’s criminal defense of an alleged child rapist in 1975, when she was 27 years old and just starting out as a legal aid attorney. (See, e.g., here.) Her client was … Continue reading

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Faith Stevelman on the Credibility Gap for Women in Teaching Business Law

The following was posted by Faith Stevelman (NYLS, Visiting Professor at University of Washington) to the Section on Women in Legal Education’s listserv and is reprinted with permission: Yes indeed, as the enrollment and jobs crises roll along, there will … Continue reading

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Sex-Positive Law

Sexual pleasure is a good thing. It’s not just moral philosophy that supports the value of pleasure (although much of it does); it’s common sense. We value pleasure simply because it is pleasurable. People devote significant time and money to … Continue reading

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Rubenfeld’s Big Step Backward in Rape Law

Earlier this year Jed Rubenfeld authored, in the Yale Law Journal, one of the strangest articles about rape law that has ever been written. While it is often a mistake to draw unneeded attention to dangerous ideas, a response to … Continue reading

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Posted in Academia, Law Schools | 1 Comment

Israel Faces a New Front of Segregation

Two female soldiers were recently punished because one was braiding the other’s hair outside of the tent. A religious soldier complained that this was an immodest behavior, and the two were disciplined. The public uproar made the military reverse their … Continue reading

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Parade of Male Dean Candidates

As a soon-to-be-tenured female faculty member, I have been watching the news of recent law school dean appointments at Connecticut, UNLV, IU-Indy, and Northern Kentucky with interest. Three points stand out among all the announcements. First, these candidates are all … Continue reading

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Student Reflection: Obstacles to Gender Equality at Work and Home, in Reaction to Rosenblum

The following is a guest post by Margaret Serrano, a student at Pace University School of Law (JD expected 2013). Pace Law School Professor Darren Rosenblum posted yesterday to his Huffington Post Blog (here) to criticize Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In … Continue reading

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