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Frozen II empower little girls to be leaders and powerful by showing brave female role models

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Sisters Elsa and Anna are back for a new adventure - but who will they save this time? Disney

The brooding, dramatic trailer for Frozen II generated a lot of excitement on its release last week when it was watched 116.4m times in just 24 hours. In the two-minute teaser, Elsa stands alone on a stormy shore before running at the towering waves and turning them to ice. By the end of the trailer, which also features her sister Anna and friends Kristoff and Olaf, the younger sibling has drawn Kristoff's sword and is leaping towards an unknown assailant hidden from view.

Disney has been much criticised in the past for peddling gender stereotypes to the most impressionable of audiences: children. The female protagonists have traditionally been depicted as sexualised, objectified princesses hobbled by tight, glamorous, (often revealing) pastel-coloured outfits. Pretty, humble and invariably white, they often awaited a handsome, chiselled, invariably white suitor to seduce, tame, save and fall in love with them.

Us too, Disney

But things have been slowly changing at Disney over the past decade. The company has introduced a diversity into its films that reflects the changing environment, and the experience and voices of women in the 21st century. These include The Princess and the Frog (2009), Tangled (2010), Brave (2012), Frozen (2013), and Moana (2016), and each explored the journey of smart, strong, funny, independent female characters.

Still, there is a shortage of confident female role models for young girls more generally, and the reason is age-old and banal: the industry is run by men, as Brave's co-creator Brenda Chapman has frequently pointed out.

Male executives, directors and writers simply tend to create fictional worlds from their own point of view - worlds that explore issues relevant to them. This paucity of fair representation is detrimental to generations of young women and their vision of themselves - their ambitions, motivations, goals, and their place in society.

The #metoo movement highlighted not just the way actresses and women creatives were treated in Hollywood, but also the dearth of stories with self-sufficient, determined female characters - women protagonists with agency and vision.

Back in 2013, Frozen did break a few stereotypes and raise a few eyebrows. A tale of two sisters, one of whom possesses the magical power to turn everything she touches into ice, it explores female power, creativity and the way in which society traditionally perceives both.

Forced to wear gloves in order to protect herself and her younger sister, Elsa is led to believe that her power, as well as her touch, are deadly, and need to be concealed. A female protagonist with an unusual gift is already a departure from the male superhero canon.

Another is the deliberate refusal to fixate female characters on a male saviour - neither Elsa nor her younger sister Anna find salvation in a romantic heterosexual bond by the end of the film, despite the fact that two males are available to fall in love with.

There has also been a rather rigorous internet discussion about Elsa's sexuality and calls for Disney to give her a girlfriend in the second film. This kind of narrative move would, in fact, be quite in line with the portrayal of Elsa and the winter metaphor associated with her; she is perceived as cold by men, but perhaps the reality is that she simply hasn't found her true love, who may well be a woman.

Importantly, Frozen is inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen - a tale about an evil queen living in a remote kingdom, capable of freezing hearts of human beings which only other human beings can thaw with love. The Snow Queen is an archetypal Terrible Mother who, in a rather Freudian twist, abducts a boy named Kay, steals his heart and keeps him in her ice castle while his resourceful and resilient friend Gerda spends most of the tale looking for her lost mate.

In the end, Gerda wins the boy's heart and repels the evil queen. The boy is presented as precious and special while the two female characters of the original story fight over a male who has no feelings - not exactly a narrative triumph for feminism.

Rewriting fairytales

Frozen takes the elements of The Snow Queen - female creativity, energy, resilience and power - and explores them further by replacing the Snow Queen with Elsa, and Gerda with Anna. The male characters are sidelined, and it is Elsa's heart Anna has to win instead. The pain and sacrifice Anna goes through help redeem her sister's special gift.

Yet the magical power Elsa possesses in the first film still has connotations of harm as she has no mastery over it - it just happens in her, and she is afraid of it. The teaser trailer for Frozen II (scheduled for release in November 2019), promises to remedy this situation as Elsa is shown to use her powers to tame the waves and extinguish fire with jets of ice. Meanwhile, a different Anna - less knockabout, more serious - is also revealed as she determinedly wields a man's sword to protect those around her.

Disney

Other than creating a sense of menace and urgency, the trailer gives no hint as to what is going on, but Elsa is centre stage, directing her power and creativity to achieve goals. Both Elsa and Anna appear to be on a wild adventure whereas in the original film, Elsa spends her time locked up in two different castles which serve as a metaphor for her inability to be true to herself.

Anticipation is already building for Frozen II. Let's hope it builds fruitfully on the original, helping young girls to feel empowered by role models who are brave, determined, focused and decisive. Who doesn't want to see female characters acting with real agency in stories that look beyond marriage, motherhood and traditionally perceived happy-ever-afters?

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Frozen II: return of the strong female characters that little girls need to see

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The brooding, dramatic trailer for Frozen II generated a lot of excitement on its release last week when it was watched 116.4m times in just 24 hours. In the two-minute teaser, Elsa stands alone on a stormy shore before running at the towering waves and turning them to ice.

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Firing an explosive filled with colored powder for a gender reveal set 47,000 acres in fire, costing $8.2 million in extinguish.

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A year after a fire caused more than $8 million in damages, the man who caused the blaze pleaded guilty and agreed to a $200,000 fine. He started the fire by firing at an explosive filled with colored powder meant to reveal the sex of his child.

An off-duty Border Patrol agent was holding a gender-reveal celebration for his wife's pregnancy last year when he accidentally started a 47,000-acre wildfire, his attorney said.

The incident will cost Dennis Dickey $220,000 in restitution after he pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to a misdemeanor charge of causing a fire without a permit.

Nearly 800 firefighters from various agencies battled the Sawmill Fire for about a week in April 2017, at a cost of about $8.2 million.

The wildfire began when Dickey shot a target that contained Tannerite, an explosive substance designed to detonate when shot by a high-velocity firearm, U.S. Forest Service Special Agent Brent Robinson wrote in an affidavit filed Sept. 20 in U.S. District Court. The explosion was caught on film by a witness.

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possibly and accidentally the most expensive gender reveal ever!!

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Possibly And Accidentally The Most Expensive GENDER Reveal EVER!! | Terry J | Power 96.1

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A year after a fire caused more than $8 million in damages, the man who caused the blaze pleaded guilty and agreed to a $200,000 fine. He started the fire by firing at an explosive filled with colored powder meant to reveal the sex of his child.

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Gender biases challenge Kenyan women to pursuing a career in STEM disciplines.

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Kenya needs policies that aim to draw women into STEM and retain them. Pablo Calvog/Shutterstock

Globally, the percentage of women pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is small. In Africa, the numbers are even more dismal. The greatest imbalance is in engineering. In 2010 only one in four engineering students was a woman. Guinea had the lowest percentage of women in science (5.8%). That's equivalent to one in 17.

Two countries did extremely well on gender parity in STEM disciplines: Lesotho (55.7%) and Cape Verde (52.3%).

In Kenya STEM participation shows a clear gender disparity ranging from 30%-35%. Fewer women participate and even fewer complete their studies. In addition, their graduation scores are low compared to those of males. This is a situation true of both developed and developing countries.

The number of women earning university STEM degrees declines as they move through the educational ladder, a phenomenon referred to as the "leaky pipeline". This can be attributed to the masculinity of the disciplines, stereotypes and associated prejudices.

In Kenya, the female participation rate at public universities is less than 30% in spite of existing educational gender policies and interventions. My study sought to document female participation in STEM disciplines at Kenyan public universities between 2009 and 2013 and the factors at play.

The findings revealed that institutional and socio-cultural barriers contributed to poor performance of female students in these disciplines. These included gender stereotyping, sexual harassment and family responsibilities. Gender biases were not only revealed in inequality in enrolment and completion but also in policies that favoured male students in STEM disciplines.

Gender biases

Three public universities were selected for my study on the basis of their strong STEM orientation. Interviews were carried out with third-year female students and teaching faculty in STEM disciplines. Senior administrators in charge of gender policies were also interviewed to ensure fairness.

The study established that female students faced numerous challenges. Female students who became pregnant were subjected to penalties such as losing on-campus boarding privileges. This is significant because STEM disciplines are highly interactive and require students to spend more time on campus doing practicals and laboratory work.

None of the institutions have policies for ensuring nursing female students are retained within campus residence. They also do not offer child care programmes for nursing mothers who are students. This forms a barrier for female students who take longer to complete their courses compared to male students. Others are forced to drop out.

Over 50% of STEM female respondents indicated that female students have to balance their studies with family chores and childbearing. A majority (56%) of the female respondents agreed that venturing into STEM disciplines would negatively affect their job prospects whereas 13.0% disagreed. A higher number (58%) believed that pursuing STEM disciplines would hinder progression at work because of the perceived stereotypes related to STEM careers.

The sentiments were confirmed during the interviews and focus groups. There, six out of eight discussants concurred that venturing into STEM disciplines negatively affected their future life in terms of job opportunities, promotion at work, getting a spouse and family life.

The respondents agreed with the sentiment that stereotypes are transmitted through verbal language, content of curriculum and the general organisation of teaching space.

Most societies see female STEM students as intruders into a male domain. They are treated like outsiders, seen as masculine, misplaced and face rejection by family and friends. Yet there are rewards for those who dare: high ability women have more options than high ability men do. As authors Stephen J. Ceci and Wendy M. Williams write in their book The Mathematics of Sex: How Biology and Society Conspire to Limit Talented Women and Girls,

Women are far more likely to be equally talented in both math and verbal domains simultaneously, giving them more options to enter non-math fields than are available to men.

Women's right to science

Equal access to scientific and technological knowledge and skills by women is first a rights issue, in as much as education is a basic human right. Knowledge and skills gained through the study of STEM facilitate efforts to eradicate poverty, achieve food security, fight diseases, improve education and respond to the challenges of society.

Empowering women can widen the pool of human resources available to drive development. So it is important that universities strengthen mentoring and role modelling for female students pursuing STEM disciplines. The government should also complement existing policy interventions, which begins with gender responsive mathematics and science policies at basic levels of education.

In collaboration with universities, the government should enhance specific financial aid programmes with clear policies that support female students from poor families. In addition to academic financial expenses, nursing mothers may require assistance to cope with non-academic pressures.

It is also time that targets were set to achieve a proportional increase of STEM female lecturers in universities and female mathematics and science teachers in lower levels of education. Female mathematics and science teachers would act as invaluable role models and mentors in a male dominated universe.

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Why fewer Kenyan women are choosing or completing STEM courses

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Globally, the percentage of women pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is small. In Africa, the numbers are even more dismal. The greatest imbalance is in engineering. In 2010 only one in four engineering students was a woman. Guinea had the lowest percentage of women in science (5.8%).

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Nike acknowledgment to female athletes who receive unfair criticism.

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"If we show emotion, we're dramatic. If we want to play against men, we're nuts. And if we dream of equal opportunity, delusional. When we stand for something, we're unhinged."

The effect that these inspirational words have as videos of iconic female athletes flash through is undescribable. These are not just female athletes.

They have made history, defied the norms, proved their critics wrong and most importantly, they haven't let the naysayers discourage them. Instead, they have used their criticism to make themselves stronger.

The best example of this is the woman that Nike commissioned to narrate the : none other than Serena Williams herself. Throughout her career, Williams has garnered much criticism for the way she acts on the tennis court.

Most of these incidents occur because the media tends to promote the "angry black woman" narrative when reporting on Williams' emotional on-court moments. Though Williams has been seen losing her temper on the court, it is almost certain that if a man acted like this, no one would bat an eye.

The point is, female athletes have always been held to an unfair standard compared to male athletes. As the ad points out, showing emotion during a game is seen as a weakness instead of a strength.

They don't realize how strong most female athletes have to be throughout all aspects of their life. Again, take Williams as an example. When she gave birth to her first daughter back in September of 2017, she almost died from a blood clot.

Jump to 2018, and she's right back on the court. Does the media comment on this? No. Instead, they choose to focus on the catsuit she wore because of this complication.

Or look at Simone Biles, an award winning gymnast who was also featured in the ad, who called out the very industry she works in for covering up her sexual abuse. Instead of being afraid, she took a chance and stood up to her oppressors while risking her career.

All the things that men are celebrated for (aggressiveness, passion, standing up for what they believe in) are things that are discouraged in female athletes.

Instead of focusing on the negatives of these implications, Nike chose to celebrate what these women have done to combat these stereotypes. Instead of resenting being called crazy, they turn it around and remind women to dream crazier, especially in the clip where the woman runner keeps running in the marathon, despite officials trying to hold her back.

This sentiment does not only apply to female athletes, it applies to women as a whole. These things happen to women no matter what occupation they are in. Besides, before they are athletes, they are first and foremost, women.

In a time when it seems like a new news story about women being degraded or put down pops up almost everyday, it is heartening to see a big brand like Nike standing behind women and empowering us to reach for more.

Now more than ever, we need more moments like this. Moments that celebrate the power of women. Moments that acknowledge female achievement. And, most importantly, moments that encourage female dreams to flourish.

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Nike's new powerful ad focuses on unfair criticism female athletes constantly receive

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"If we show emotion, we're dramatic. If we want to play against men, we're nuts. And if we dream of equal opportunity, delusional. When we stand for something, we're unhinged." The effect that these inspirational words have as videos of iconic female athletes flash through is undescribable. These are not just female athletes.

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In Australia bestselling kids picture books display male characters, which viewed as gendered/sexist.

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In recent years, there has been a surge in "female empowerment" stories in the Australian picture book market. This long-overdue movement was largely inspired by the success of the crowdfunded book Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, spawning many imitations since its publication in 2016.

In April 2019, I examined the 100 bestselling picture books at Australian book retailer Dymocks: an almost 50/50 mix of modern and classic stories (the majority being published in the past five years). I discovered that despite the promising evolution of the rebel girl trend, the numbers tell us that picture books as a whole remain highly gendered and highly sexist. Worse - female protagonists remain largely invisible.

Ballerinas and princesses

In the Dymocks bestsellers list, 46% of books had male protagonists, while only 17% had female protagonists (in 32% of books there was no lead character). There were only seven female led books in the top 50, compared to 26 male led books.

Sixteen books in the list showed characters in specific occupations (outside of parenthood). In the female-led stories, protagonists only showed ambition for traditional feminine pursuits. There were three ballerinas, three princesses and one fashion designer - Claris, a mouse, who "dreamed about clothes" and "read about handbags in Vanity Fair". (In this story, a misbehaving girl is also chastised for being "neither proper nor prim!")

In comparison, the male-led stories showed protagonists in roles ranging from farmers and chefs to zookeepers and scientists.

Not much has changed in the past 20 years. A 1998 study found there were four primary occupations for female characters in picture books - scullery maid, daughter, princess and mother, while there were ten for males - which included detective, aircraft inventor and knight.

Goodreads

Zog and the Flying Doctors (2016), one of the books from the Dymock's bestsellers list, attempts to rectify this gender imbalance, but doesn't quite manage it.

Consider the first line: "Meet the flying doctors - a dragon, knight and girl, their names are Gadabout the Great, and Zog, and Princess Pearl." Both Zog (the dragon) and the knight are male characters. The human characters are both doctors, and it is later shown that Pearl bemoans traditional princess duties. However, the male lead is a "great" knight, while our female lead is first introduced as a "girl" and then identified as a princess.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with ballerinas and princesses, nor with celebrating femininity. What is problematic, however, is the lack of other roles presented to young girls. When there is little variety in female-led stories, and female ambition is restricted, picture books become part of a bigger problem.

Read more: Friday essay: the feminist picture book revolution

Mothers and fathers

Parental roles are also represented in largely conventional ways in picture books. In a 2005 study of 200 picture books not a single father was shown kissing or feeding a baby. While mothers were always shown as active parents (feeding, holding and caring for baby), fathers were rarely shown performing parenting duties.

In my study, mothers were similarly shown as much more active parents, but also much more cautious and serious than fathers. No One Likes a Fart (2017) is a good example of this: a mother sits daintily on the couch next to a stack of books, drinking tea. The father stands with the remote control in his hand when he farts. "Do you have to?" the mother asks crossly, as he laughs.

Fathers are portrayed as sillier and more easy-going than mothers - but fathers are also often shown to be less engaged with raising their children. For example, in the classic Australian picture book Edwina the Emu, part of the comedy is meant to come from Edwina's partner Edward's reluctance to be a parent ("You must be joking!") and subsequent difficulty and annoyance in caring for his eggs ("'You're late,' muttered Edward, 'and I need a rest'").

Goodreads

Where are the girls?

Perhaps most worrying of all is how little female characters are represented - male protagonists are far more common. A recent study showed that of the top 100 Australian picture books published in 2017, it was more common for a book to have no lead character than a female lead character. Characters with speaking parts were also much more likely to be male, and 31 of the books had all male characters while only six had all female characters.

Male protagonists have long been the default in picture books. Consider favourite protagonists like Max from Where the Wild Things Are, Spot the Dog, Peter Rabbit and Hairy MacLary - even the Very Hungry Caterpillar is a "he". This is common throughout picture books: a character may be an animal or creature and not even have a name, but will most likely be referred to as a "he".

Of the books in the Dymocks bestseller list, 24.6% had either all male characters or used all male pronouns - even when characters weren't human and had no discernible gender. Conversely, only one used all female pronouns and there were no books with all female characters.

How we tackle gender in picture books is important, as they help inform children's understanding of the world and themselves.

Courageous girls and loving fathers should not be radical concepts, nor do we need to continue dividing gender so severely: girls can be sweet and brave with scientific minds, boys can be adventurous and kind with a penchant for tea parties.

None of these traits are defined by gender. It's time we stopped limiting the things that kids can be.

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I looked at 100 best-selling picture books: female protagonists were largely invisible

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In recent years, there has been a surge in "female empowerment" stories in the Australian picture book market. This long-overdue movement was largely inspired by the success of the crowdfunded book Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls, spawning many imitations since its publication in 2016.

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Black student face institutional racism in UK college campuses

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In March 2019, student officers and activists from varying backgrounds and cities across the UK sat in a room for an important discussion. We were all people of colour.

Why can't the EHRC, supposedly responsible for the enforcement of equality, understand that racism is about power?

We'd been asked to participate in an Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) consultation into racial harassment on campuses, which is now the subject of a new report. I remember feeling exhausted, either owing to finishing an essay late the night before, or at the prospect that I and other people of colour would be once again detailing and reliving the racial trauma we face - though at least this time it wasn't another student union survey with the promise of a £5 Amazon voucher. This time it was a large legislative body with statutory powers finally taking an interest in the experiences we had all grown used to. So imagine my surprise when one of the facilitators casually mentioned "anti-white prejudice". We had just spent an hour collectively explaining our experiences of institutional racism and, looking across the room, I saw confused faces.

We probed and challenged: isn't this a report focused on racial harassment? Haven't we all just been explaining, at length, the larger link between racial harassment and institutional racism? The facilitator's discomfort was palpable, even more so when he hurriedly pushed on with further questions. So when I saw that the report had been published last week with the inclusion of anti-white and anti-English discrimination, it was no surprise to me.

The report itself acknowledges that black students face the most racial harassment on campuses (the reported figure is 29%), but it couldn't draw the logical conclusion that it is fundamentally different to the negative experiences of white students.

According to the report, 9% of white British students have felt they were victims of racial harassment evidenced by the presence of "anti-English", "anti-Welsh" or "anti-Scottish" sentiment, and by its own admission the definition of "ethnic minority" included anyone who wasn't white British. By conflating xenophobia, anti-English sentiment and prejudice with the racism faced by students and academics of colour, the EHRC has done a disservice to the work currently being done on race equity in the UK.

What this all revealed to me is that there is still a widespread fundamental misunderstanding of what racism is, and how it manifests itself in this country - even, or perhaps especially, among the leading voices on equality in the law.

Racism isn't just about dislike or prejudice - it's structural disadvantage present in our everyday lives, from politics to the public sector, from housing to education. It's discrimination that is fuelled by historical and systemic power, not just isolated events of extreme hatred. It's embedded in the language we use and the faces we see represented - it's the cause of the BAME attainment gap, where BAME students are 13% less likely to receive a 2:1 or a first in comparison to our white counterparts - even though we start at the same entry point. It's the reason why we are only allowed to see ourselves, our heritages and our countries on the curriculum if it is through the lens of colonial violence and genocide.

Twenty years ago, the Macpherson report was published in the wake of Stephen Lawrence's murder. This brought the term "institutional racism" into the British lexicon - defined as "the collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture, or ethnic origin". So why can't the EHRC, a public body supposedly responsible for the enforcement of equality, now understand that racism is about power?

"Racial harassment", as the EHRC and many universities describe it, is simply a symptom of a larger and deeply institutional problem. It is exhausting that we still cannot have a frank discussion about experiences of structural racism without positioning white people as equal victims of racial discrimination - and it shows the limitations of the language our legislative bodies are using. This approach does nothing to dismantle or disrupt institutional racism, and a broad-brush definition risks hindering efforts to truly change campus culture. We see the ineffectiveness of this approach when safe spaces created by students and academics of colour are branded as segregationist or discriminatory when, in actuality, they are vital support spaces.
When I look at Extinction Rebellion, all I see is white faces. That has to change | Athian Akec
Although the term "reverse racism" is waning in popularity, its rhetoric is still rife. Many people are still reluctant to truly understand what racism is, confining themselves to dictionary definitions, which speak abstractly about "prejudice" rather than discussing what that looks like in the real world. This is paradoxical considering the ever-changing and evolving nature of language, even more paradoxical if we acknowledge which demographics have historically dictated the definitions of our language. To refuse to acknowledge the power relations and structures inherent in racialised harassment is at best naive, and at worst deliberate.

One thing that is glaringly apparent from the EHRC's report is that all language used in race equity needs to be interrogated for its failings, flaws and uses. We urgently need to tackle the institutional racism that is so prevalent on our university campuses and in the lives of people of colour. But to do this in any meaningful way, first we must show we understand the root causes that enable racism to manifest in the first place.

* Fope Olaleye is the NUS black students' officer and anti-oppression educator
Topics

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equality and human rights commission (ehrc)

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Talk of 'anti-white sentiment' distracts from the fight against institutional racism | Fope Olaleye

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In March 2019, student officers and activists from varying backgrounds and cities across the UK sat in a room for an important discussion. We were all people of colour. Why can't the EHRC, supposedly responsible for the enforcement of equality, understand that racism is about power?

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President trump uses his privilege to attack non-white congresswomen on twitter.

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President Donald Trump spent much of the weekend practicing the politics of grievance, and one of his tirades prompted critics to charge him with xenophobia and racism.

What triggered the most outrage was Trump's lashing out Sunday at four non-white Democratic women members of Congress. He wrote on Twitter that they should leave the United States and go back to the countries "from which they came." The four legislators have tangled with Trump before. Trump did not name them specifically but it seemed clear he was talking about freshman Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts. All are American citizens and only one, Omar, was born outside the United States, in Somalia. The other three were born in the United States.

Trump wrote, "So interesting to see 'Progressive' Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.... Why don't they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came?"

The Best Cartoons on Donald Trump

Hours later, the president went on the attack again, writing, "So sad to see the Democrats sticking up for people who speak so badly of our Country and who, in addition, hate Israel with a true and unbridled passion. Whenever confronted, they call their adversaries, including (House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi, 'RACIST!' Their disgusting language....and the many terrible things they say about the United States must not be allowed to go unchallenged."

Pelosi wrote on Twitter that when Trump "tells four American Congresswomen to go back to their countries, he reaffirms his plan to 'Make America Great Again" has always been about making America white again. Our diversity is our strength and our unity is our power." Pelosi also said she rejects Trump's "xenophobic comments meant to divide our nation."

Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a Democratic presidential candidate, wrote on Twitter: "Let's be clear about what this vile comment is: A racist and xenophobic attack on Democratic congresswomen. This is their country, regardless of whether or not Trump realizes it. They should be treated with respect."

Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of those whom Trump attacked, wrote on Twitter: "Mr. President, as Members of Congress, the only country we swear an oath to is the United States. Which is why we are fighting to protect it from the worst, most corrupt and inept president we have ever seen... You are stoking white nationalism bc you are angry that people like us are serving in Congress and fighting against your hate-filled agenda."

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., another Democratic presidential candidate, wrote on Twitter: "Let's call the president's racist attack exactly what it is: unAmerican."

Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, a Trump critic who recently said he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent, said, "To tell these American citizens (most of whom were born here) to 'go back' to the 'crime infested places from which they came' is racist and disgusting."

Tags: Donald Trump, Congress, racism, race, discrimination, Twitter, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Democratic Party, President, United States

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Trump Tweet Branded 'Racist' by Democrats

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President appears to single out Congressional women of color in Sunday tweets.

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Scotland universities call on government action to tackle the issue of racism and islamophobia in their institutions.

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Researchers at Edinburgh University have called for more government action to tackle racial prejudice.

They said levels of discrimination against black and ethnic minority (BAME) Scots were persisting.

The Scottish government introduced a Race Equality Framework in 2016 to tackle racial discrimination.

However, a survey published on Wednesday suggested fewer people from the BAME community believed the current anti-discrimination laws were working.

The polling company Survation questioned more than 500 members of the BAME community on their experiences since the last survey was conducted in 2017.

More than a third (34%) of those questioned said they had experienced discrimination in the past two years.

Of these more than a quarter (27%) felt it was becoming more frequent.

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Lead researcher Professor Nasar Meer, of the Edinburgh University's School of Social and Political Science said: "This survey builds on others in previous years and points to a persistent trend of racial discrimination black and ethnic minority Scots.

"It is encouraging that black and ethnic minority Scots still have faith in Scottish institutions to tackle racism, but this trust has decreased over time.

"Although levels of non-reporting have improved, they still remain high so more targeted support is needed to help overcome this."

Name calling

Researchers found 49% of those who had experienced discrimination did not report it - down from more than 60% in previous years, which they said suggested a greater willingness to register complaints.

A total of 42% agreed the Scottish government was doing enough to tackle racial discrimination - down from more than 50% in previous surveys.

A similar pattern was true of reported confidence in the laws (60%), which was lower than in previous years.

Instances of discrimination included;

name calling

the use of inappropriate language

incidents on public transport

and prejudice in the workplace.

Of those who had experienced discrimination at work, 25% said it had happened when applying for a job, 18% said it had affected their promotion chances and a further 18% their attempts to seek equal pay.

A Scottish government spokesperson said racism and discrimination have no place in Scotland and it was continuing to take decisive action, including a campaign with Police Scotland to tackle hate crime, explicitly targeting racists.

The statement added: "In addition to our Race Equality Framework, which sets out our long-term goals, our Race Equality Action Plan outlines more than 120 actions we are taking over the course of this Parliament to secure better outcomes for minority ethnic communities in Scotland."

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Researchers urge action over BAME discrimination

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Researchers at Edinburgh University have called for more government action to tackle racial prejudice. They said levels of discrimination against black and ethnic minority (BAME) Scots were persisting. The Scottish government introduced a Race Equality Framework in 2016 to tackle racial discrimination.

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In Egypt 8 in 10 women suffer sexual harassments on daily basis. The victims are blamed for their revealing clothes

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Egypt: violence against women, gang rape - rights groups ask 'is this Islamist morality'?

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Steve Harvey's rules to success are an example of the bootstrap myth concept

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Steve Harvey - 5 Best Rules for Success In Life (Law Of Attraction)

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Wedding videographer refuse services to same-sex customers

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A St. Cloud couple will not be able to refuse wedding videography services for same-sex couples after a federal judge on Wednesday dismissed their lawsuit challenging Minnesota's human rights laws.

In a 63-page ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge John Tunheim wrote that a provision of the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) prohibiting discrimination by businesses was not unconstitutional. Tunheim rejected the couple's argument that the law amounted to "a state effort to stamp out expression opposing same-sex marriage."

Carl and Angel Larsen sued the state's commissioner of human rights and attorney general in December in an pre-emptive effort to avoid penalties for turning away same-sex customers.

The Larsens, who use their Telescope Media Group to promote their Christian beliefs, want to go into the wedding film business, but serve only heterosexual couples.

Earlier this year, the Larsens asked Tunheim for a preliminary injunction shielding their business from potential penalties under the MHRA. On Wednesday, Tunheim sided with the state's request that the suit be tossed.

In a statement Wednesday, Kevin Lindsey, the state's commissioner of human rights, said the Larsens were unable to demonstrate any infringement of their First Amendment rights.

"In the event an appeal is filed, the Dayton-Smith Administration will remain steadfast in ensuring that all people in Minnesota continue to be treated fairly by business owners," Lindsey said.

The Larsens have said that they want to post a notice on their website of their intent to deny services to same-sex couples.

On Wednesday, Tunheim described that as "conduct akin to a 'White Applicants Only' sign" that may be outlawed without infringing on First Amendment rights.

"Posting language on a website telling potential customers that a business will discriminate based on sexual orientation is part of the act of sexual orientation discrimination itself," Tunheim wrote. "As conduct carried out through language, this act is not protected by the First Amendment."

Tunheim concluded that the MHRA forbids discrimination in the basic terms of an agreement, such as charging a higher price or declining services based on sexual orientation.

The Larsens must offer services to couples of all sexual orientation, but Tunheim wrote that they are not required to publish each video online and he suggested that they could even post language on their site expressing opposition to same-sex marriage.

"The Larsens have an obvious, easy way to avoid hardship - the terms of their contracts are within their control, and state law does not compel them to contractually obligate themselves to post videos of same-sex weddings online," Tunheim wrote Wednesday.

The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a national conservative Christian legal group, has represented the couple. Jeremy Tedesco, an attorney for the Larsens, confirmed that the ADF planned to appeal to the Eighth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals while also continuing to seek a preliminary injunction.

Tunheim disagreed with the Larsens' claim that the MHRA would require all public accommodations offering "speech-for-hire" services to create work even if they disagreed with the message conveyed, concluding that the MHRA is content-neutral.

Tedesco, meanwhile, said Tunheim's suggestion that the Larsens could publish a disclaimer on their site that they disagreed with same-sex marriage merely opens the door to government compelling people to say "whatever it wanted" while adding personal disclaimers.

"People can be for same-sex marriage and at the same time support our clients' right to create films consistent with their beliefs about marriage," Tedesco said. "When we allow the government to have the power to compel Carl and Angel Larsen to create and promote expression that violates their beliefs there is no limit on that power."

The lawsuit was one of the first challenges since Minnesota legalized same-sex marriage in 2013 and since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2015 that there is a fundamental right to marriage for all. Minnesota doesn't compel religious organizations to perform same-sex weddings but does prohibit "individuals, nonprofits or secular business activities of religious entities" from denying wedding services.

The Larsens maintain that the state's human rights law excludes them from the marketplace because they cannot "in good conscience" produce speech communicating the message that marriage is anything other than the union of one man and one woman.

The case has drawn parallels to an impending Supreme Court showdown this fall involving a Colorado baker's refusal to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple in the Denver area. The ADF is also representing the baker, Jack Phillips.

On Wednesday, Minneapolis joined an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case. The city said that the brief, being prepared by lawyers in California, will support the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and point to "long-standing legal precedent that businesses cannot discriminate in public services or accommodations" regardless of religious beliefs.

A city spokesperson said the outcome of the Supreme Court showdown will likely have a significant effect on cities and counties nationwide that "seek to ensure that no members of their communities are subjected to discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation or any other protected status."

Twitter: @smontemayor

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Federal judge dismisses lawsuit by Minn. wedding videographers who sued to refuse same-sex customers

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A St. Cloud couple will not be able to refuse wedding videography services for same-sex couples after a federal judge on Wednesday dismissed their lawsuit challenging Minnesota's human rights laws. In a 63-page ruling, Chief U.S. District Judge John Tunheim wrote that a provision of the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA) prohibiting discrimination by businesses was not unconstitutional.

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US Muslim teen disqualified in Ohio race over wearing hijab

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A Muslim high school student from Ohio was disqualified from a cross country race earlier this month for wearing a hijab. The 16-year-old, Noor Alexandria Abukaram, posted about the surprise disqualification via her cousin's Facebook on Wednesday.

Officials at the race were checking the team's uniforms and took issue with one runner's shorts that did not match the rest of the team's, Abukaram writes. The official allowed this teammate to change her shorts and compete. "Immediately, I began to wonder if they were going to call on me next since I was wearing all black pants and hijab," she writes.

Cross country student athlete disqualified because of her HIJAB. Noor Alexandria Abukaram My 16 year old cousin Noor...
Posted by Zobaida S Falah on Wednesday, October 23, 2019

"I have been a student athlete my entire life, and every time we compete, the thought crosses my mind during uniform checks," the post continues. "At this point, the girl on my team changed her shorts and I was relieved that they had not said anything to me."

However, Abukaram began to fear something was wrong when she saw her coach speaking with officials. She ran anyway, and photos show her wearing a Nike athletic hijab during the race. But after the race, she realized her time was not up on the board.

"At this point, I'm confused and was confident that this was a mistake so I walk over to the rest of my team and say to them, 'Hey guys my name isn't on the list.' They all stared at me blankly and finally they said, 'you got disqualified,'" she writes.

She soon learned she had been disqualified because of her hijab. "Immediately my heart drops, I become nauseous and feel like I got punched in the gut," she wrote. "This is something that I had always feared which has now become a reality. I just walked away and my teammates didn't say anything else."

The teen said she began crying to her dad on the phone, feeling "humiliated, disappointed, rejected and in denial." Abukaram's coach later explained that in order to race with her hijab on, she needed to fill out a waiver ahead of the competition. "He assured me that he will get this waiver signed and I will race at the regional invitational the following weekend which is this coming weekend," she wrote.

Abukaram said she has been running for Sylvania Northview High School the whole season and officials have never mentioned a uniform violation or need for a waiver. Her coach did learn of the disqualification at check-in before the race, but did not want to disrespect her religious views, so he did not ask her to remove her hijab, a rep for the school confirmed to CBS News.

Abukaram feels the race official did not give her the same respect he gave her teammate, letting her know of the violation before the race and giving her a chance to fix it.

"I wasn't given the chance to explain myself to them because they didn't have the decency to tell me what the issue was," she wrote. "I feel like my rights as an athlete were violated this weekend because this rule does NOT exist in writing. I should not have to get a waiver signed and approved by OSAA to allow me to race due to my religious head covering. Hijabs are not specifically prohibited by OSAA rulings."

OHSAA 2019 Cross Country Manual does mention that "religious and medical alert medals are now legal," however, "a competitor who requires an exception to the uniform rules because of religious restrictions or otherwise, must submit a request for a variance from the OHSAA via e-mail."

"If the variance is granted, a written, signed approval of the variance must be presented to the referee prior to competition," the policy continues.

In a statement to CBS News, OHSAA said cross country runners may participate while wearing religious headwear, provided they have obtained a waiver and submit it to the head official before the race.

"The official was simply enforcing this rule since a waiver had not been submitted," OHSAA's statement reads. "After the race, the OHSAA communicated with the school, which then submitted a waiver request. The request was approved immediately, which will permit the student-athlete to compete this weekend at regional competition."

OHSAA said it is looking into this regulation and may "modify it in the future, so that religious headwear does not require a waiver," the statement reads.

The Sylvania Northview High School coaching staff has been in contact with OHSAA to ensure Abukaram is now eligible to run with her hijab, and she will be competing in a race this coming weekend, a rep for the school confirmed to CBS News.

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Muslim teen disqualified from cross country race for wearing a hijab

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A Muslim high school student from Ohio was disqualified from a cross country race earlier this month for wearing a hijab. The 16-year-old, Noor Alexandria Abukaram, posted about the surprise disqualification via her cousin's Facebook on Wednesday.

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Canadian transgender face social media backlash after winning cycling world championship

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Do transgender athletes have an unfair advantage in sport?

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Kim K. changed the concept of beauty, from thin to slim thick

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Women of all races now have a new beauty standard: Kim Kardashian. But that doesn't mean it's any less alienating
According to new research, there is a growing trend among teenagers that is by no means new (or news) to most black women. A study, by the University of Birmingham, showed this week that British youth are feeling pressured to acquire the popular "slim thick" body shape - an impossibly small waist, paired with a bum as large as it is pert.

"Slim thickness" was previously popularised within the black community, and then brought into the mainstream by the pop-culture juggernaut that is Kim Kardashian.

Kardashian and, subsequently, her family have quite literally changed the face of beauty. Thanks to them, the prevailing eurocentric standard of beauty - blonde, busty, blue-eyed - has simply been replaced with another one. And, this time, it has been adorned with the best bits of those lower on the "pretty" pecking order. Tina Fey puts it perfectly in her book, Bossypants: "Now every girl is expected to have Caucasian blue eyes, full Spanish lips, a classic button nose, hairless Asian skin with a California tan, a Jamaican dance hall ass, long Swedish legs, small Japanese feet, the abs of a lesbian gym owner, the hips of a nine-year-old boy, the arms of Michelle Obama, and doll tits. The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes."

The deviation, from the blonde bombshell of the nineties to the ethnically ambiguous enchantress of today, is viewed by some as the broadening of a rigid standard, and therefore more inclusive. It's the amalgamation of all peoples, in one bronzed, bootylicious demigoddess. Black, Asian, Latina and white beauty influencers on Instagram now often blur into one, doing identical tutorials for the same type of face, with different shades of contour.

We balk at stories of women spending thousands to resemble Kim, but barely blink at the army of us spending a decent amount to do the same thing on a smaller scale. The mainstream beauty standard has converged into something that almost everyone buys into. But this diversification hasn't made it any less exclusionary.

Black, Asian, Latina and white beauty influencers on Instagram now often blur into one, doing identical tutorials for the same type of face, with different shades of contour

Kim Kardashian's ubiquity hasn't occurred because of its inclusive nature. It remains a standard as unattainable as Baywatch's Pamela Anderson. The difference is that very few black women even bothered trying to look like Pamela Anderson. We have sat through every exclusionary beauty phase the Western world has gone through, from Twiggy's svelte frame to "the Rachel" of the nineties, and we sat so far outside of it that the black community created its own (albeit still informed by wider society). While white people sought blonde hair and blue eyes, the black community fawned after women who had light skin, loose curls and were "slick thick".

But the sudden popularity of a handful of the features lauded within the black community - caramel coloured skin and big bums - leaves the majority of black women as alienated as they were before. And, since Kim is racially ambiguous, black women feel that hers is a standard they must also adhere to, as do many women of colour.

Major brand models are often simply Kim clones, and are able to pat themselves on the back in the name of diversity. And it's not just her - Fashion Nova, PrettyLittleThing, Boohoo and hundreds of other e-tailers would rather cast several dopplegangers of her younger sister Kylie Jenner than opt for real inclusion. The Kardashians may have rendered blondes redundant, and shifted the implants from the boobs to the buttocks, but it's business as usual for those who have never come close to fitting the ideal. They aren't any closer - the new standard is brown(er) and curvy(er), but there are limits, of course, to how dark and curvy you can be.

On one level, things may have perhaps been democratised by the rise of Kardashian-face - everyone is now aspiring to be the exact same person, as opposed to standards set both within and outside of a community. But a standard remains just that - and true freedom will only come when they don't exist at all.
Originally published on The Pool, 25 January 2018

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Kim Kardashian has changed the face of beauty - and that's not a good thing

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Women of all races now have a new beauty standard: Kim Kardashian. But that doesn't mean it's any less alienating According to new research, there is a growing trend among teenagers that is by no means new (or news) to most black women.

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People with white names on resumes get more job interviews than those who have foreign names.

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Minority job applicants are "whitening" their resumes by deleting references to their race with the hope of boosting their shot at jobs, and research shows the strategy is paying off.

In fact, companies are more than twice as likely to call minority applicants for interviews if they submit whitened resumes than candidates who reveal their race-and this discriminatory practice is just as strong for businesses that claim to value diversity as those that don't.

These research findings should provide a startling wakeup call for business executives: A bias against minorities runs rampant through the resume screening process at companies throughout the United States, says Katherine A. DeCelles, the James M. Collins Visiting Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School.

"Discrimination still exists in the workplace," DeCelles says. "Organizations now have an opportunity to recognize this issue as a pinch point, so they can do something about it."

DeCelles co-authored a September 2016 article about the two-year study in Administrative Science Quarterly called Whitened Resumes: Race and Self-Presentation in the Labor Market with Sonia K. Kang, assistant professor of organizational behavior and human resource management at the University of Toronto Mississauga; András Tilcsik, assistant professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto; and Sora Jun, a doctoral candidate at Stanford University.

"Discrimination still exists in the workplace. Organizations now have an opportunity to recognize this issue as a pinch point, so they can do something about it."

In one study, the researchers created resumes for black and Asian applicants and sent them out for 1,600 entry-level jobs posted on job search websites in 16 metropolitan sections of the United States. Some of the resumes included information that clearly pointed out the applicants' minority status, while others were whitened, or scrubbed of racial clues. The researchers then created email accounts and phone numbers for the applicants and observed how many were invited for interviews.

'Whitened' resumes produce more job call-backs for African Americans

Employer callbacks for resumes that were whitened fared much better in the application pile than those that included ethnic information, even though the qualifications listed were identical. Twenty-five percent of black candidates received callbacks from their whitened resumes, while only 10 percent got calls when they left ethnic details intact. Among Asians, 21 percent got calls if they used whitened resumes, whereas only 11.5 percent heard back if they sent resumes with racial references.

'Pro-diversity' employers discriminate, too

What's worse for minority applicants: When an employer says it values diversity in its job posting by including words like "equal opportunity employer" or "minorities are strongly encouraged to apply," many minority applicants get the false impression that it's safe to reveal their race on their resumes-only to be rejected later.

In one study to test whether minorities whiten less often when they apply for jobs with employers that seem diversity-friendly, the researchers asked some participants to craft resumes for jobs that included pro-diversity statements and others to write resumes for jobs that didn't mention diversity.

They found minorities were half as likely to whiten their resumes when applying for jobs with employers who said they care about diversity. One black student explained in an interview that with each resume she sent out, she weighed whether to include her involvement in a black student organization: "If the employer is known for like trying to employ more people of color and having like a diversity outreach program, then I would include it because in that sense they're trying to broaden their employees, but if they're not actively trying to reach out to other people of other races, then no, I wouldn't include it."

But these applicants who let their guard down about their race ended up inadvertently hurting their chances of being considered: Employers claiming to be pro-diversity discriminated against resumes with racial references just as much as employers who didn't mention diversity at all in their job ads.

"This is a major point of our research-that you are at an even greater risk for discrimination when applying with a pro-diversity employer because you're being more transparent," DeCelles says. "Those companies have the same rate of discrimination, which makes you more vulnerable when you expose yourself to those companies."

DeCelles sees an obvious disconnect between the companies' pro-diversity messages and the actual acceptance of diverse applicants, yet she doesn't believe employers are using these messages as a way to trap and weed out minorities that do apply.

"I don't think it's intended to be a setup," she says. "These organizations are not necessarily all talk when they say they're pro-diversity. Maybe the diversity values are there, but they just haven't been translated from the person who writes the job ad to the person who is screening resumes."

But clearly the findings reinforce an assumption many minorities already have: that the resume screening game is stacked against them and that they need to hide their race to level the playing field.

The researchers interviewed 59 Asian and African American students between the ages of 18 and 25 who were seeking jobs and internships. More than a third, 36 percent, said they whiten their resumes, and two-thirds knew friends or family members who had done so, all because they were afraid their resumes could be unfairly tossed aside if their race became obvious.

"The primary concern is that were trying to avoid a negative group-based stereotype that they felt could occur in a quick scan of a resume," DeCelles says. "They whitened their resumes because they wanted to appear more mainstream."

Different minority groups use different whitening techniques

Asian applicants often changed foreign-sounding names to something American-sounding-like substituting "Luke" for "Lei"-and they also "Americanized" their interests by adding outdoorsy activities like hiking, snowboarding, and kayaking that are common in white western culture.

One Asian applicant said she put her "very Chinese-sounding" name on her resume in her freshman year, but only got noticed after subbing in her American nickname later: "Before I changed it, I didn't really get any interviews, but after that I got interviews," she said.

Some Asians covered up their race because they worried employers might be concerned about a possible language barrier. "You can't prove your English is good in a resume scan, but you can if you can get to the interview," DeCelles says.

Meanwhile, African Americans toned down mentions of race from black organizations they belonged to, such as dropping the word "black" from a membership in a professional society for black engineers. Others omitted impressive achievements altogether, including one black college senior who nixed a prestigious scholarship from his resume because he feared it would reveal his race.

"Some applicants were willing to lose what could be seen as valuable pieces of human capital because they were more worried about giving away their race," DeCelles says.

Some black students bleached out this information because they were concerned they might come across as politically radical or tied to racially controversial causes in a way that could turn off an employer.

"People ... want to have like an awesome black worker but they want one who they feel like fits within a certain box and like very much will conform and like lay low and just kind of do what's expected of them, and they're not necessarily looking for the outspoken like political radical person," a black college senior said. "I feel like race is just one of the many aspects where you try to just like buff the surface smooth ... and pretend like there's nothing sticking out."

"I wouldn't consider whitening my resume because if they don't accept my racial identity, I don't see how I would fit in that job"

Other interviewed students were staunchly opposed to resume whitening. Some even said they purposely left in racial references as a way of sniffing out employers that might not welcome minorities. One student said, "If blackness put a shadow over all (my resume), then it probably isn't the job I want to be in," while another said, "I wouldn't consider whitening my resume because if they don't accept my racial identity, I don't see how I would fit in that job."

How to address discriminatory hiring practices

It's time for employers to acknowledge that bias is hardwired into the hiring system and that prejudice is clouding the screening of qualified applicants, says DeCelles, whose research focuses on the intersection of organizational behavior and criminology.

Business leaders should start by taking a closer look at their resume screening processes. Blind recruitment is one possible solution, where information about race, age, gender, or social class are removed from resumes before hiring managers see them.

Companies can also perform regular checks for discrimination in the screening process, for example by measuring how many minorities applied for a position and comparing that with the percentage of those applicants who made the first cut.

"Organizations can now see very clearly that this is why they are not meeting their diversity goals," DeCelles says. "They can't just put a message on recruitment ads and be done. They need to follow through with a clear structure and staff training. They need to make goals and then continually evaluate the outcome in order to meet those goals."

The bottom line for business leaders who are hiring, she says: "Once you receive applications, you need to make sure they are evaluated fairly."

Related Reading:

Black Business Leaders Series: Putting Diversity to Work
6 Steps to Building a Better Workplace for Black Employees
Pro Basketball Coaches Display Racial Bias When Selecting Lineups

Your Insight Needed!

According to this research, racism in hiring is still alive and well. What's the solution? Add your comment below.

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Minorities Who 'Whiten' Job Resumes Get More Interviews

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Minority job applicants are "whitening" their resumes by deleting references to their race with the hope of boosting their shot at jobs, and research shows the strategy is paying off.

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This article talks about the Erin's Law that was passed in the state of Oregon teaching sexual awareness lessons from grade K-12

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Schools across Oregon are changing their sex education curriculum in response to a state law aimed at preventing child sex abuse.

Oregon passed a version of "Erin's Law" in 2015, as part of a national movement involving new laws in 36 states.

In addition to Erin's law, Oregon adopted new state standards requiring schools to teach students about consent, gender expression and sexually transmitted diseases starting in kindergarten.

But the lessons aren't the same at 5 as they are at 15.

Learning Consent In the Classroom

Rock Creek Elementary teacher Evelyn Hinds is acting out a scenario with one of her kindergarteners, Akanksha. The rest of the class is seated on a colorful alphabet carpet, watching.

"I'm a person Akanksha's never seen before," Hinds explains, telling Akanksha and the students to pretend a soccer game has just ended.

The lesson is scripted, part of an Erin's Law lesson on stranger safety.

"Hey, you know that shirt looks really sweaty from that soccer game, let me just help you get that shirt off," Hinds said, acting. Akanksha reacts immediately.

"No!" Akanksha replied. "Stop!"

Hinds leaves her creepy character behind and congratulates Akanksha, giving her a high-five.

Teachers all over Oregon are using scenarios like these to teach students the "Protect Yourself" rules. Rules called "Safe Touch, Unsafe Touch" and "Shout, Run, Tell" help students learn how to protect themselves against abuse.

The curriculum is being implemented at a time when the #MeToo movement highlights the need for consent and awareness around issues of sexual assault.

Erin's Law lessons are built around scripted scenarios and age-appropriate videos.

After Hinds plays a video on "Stranger Safety," the kids talk to each other about strangers and recite the rules they've learned. They color booklets featuring screenshots from the video.

Hinds has taught lessons on stranger safety before, but she says using videos after Erin's Law has been completely different.

She says the videos are informative without being scary.

"The kids are going to get that this is important, and this is something I need to take seriously, but I don't have to be terrified," said Hinds. "I don't have to be afraid because these 'protect yourself' rules are what's going to empower me."

She's also heard her students talking about the lessons beyond the initial videos, like after she taught the students to "Shout, Run, Tell" in unsafe situations.

"They started having conversations with each other and asking really hard questions," said Hinds. "[They asked] What if it's my uncle? What if it's my mom, the person that I should trust?"

This is Beaverton's first year teaching the new sexual awareness lessons from kindergarten through high school.

By 11th grade, a lesson on stranger safety and "Safe Touch, Unsafe Touch" has turned into a lesson about consent and relationships.

During class at Mountainside High School, students in small groups talk about what consent means.

"Just because someone said 'yes' last week doesn't mean it's still a 'yes' this week," says junior Vivian Knudsen.

Sitting next to her, junior Katie Lee replies. "It's just about being on the same page and making sure they know," Lee said.

Teacher Jenn Hicks talks through different scenarios with her students. She asks them to indicate with a thumbs up or thumbs down whether each situation is consensual.

There aren't any Erin's Law videos for high school, so Hicks found a video on YouTube.

And instead of coloring booklets, students write out answers to reflection questions.

More Than Consent

In 2016, Oregon adopted new health education standards. Beginning in kindergarten, students should be learning about media influence on health and ways to prevent diseases.

Students should also be learning that there are many ways to express gender - and how to communicate respectfully with people of all sexual orientations.

Without lessons on sexual orientation or gender identity before, Hicks said teachers could define the terms, but didn't teach about the topics.

"Now we have specific lessons to just address what each of those areas are - that they're not necessarily related, they often are very separate in people's lives, and that there are spectrums," said Hicks.

She says the lessons bring awareness to the LGBTQ community. And her students have noticed.

Hicks recalls a moment last year, when she was piloting the new program.

"One of my students who prefers the pronouns them/they came up to me after class, literally in tears, saying this is the first time they ever felt recognized in a health classroom," said Hicks. "That was such a powerful experience."

But there have also been negative reactions, both in and outside the classroom.

Backlash From Parents and Students

At meetings and public hearings early on, as the curriculum was being developed, there was very little concern, Hicks said.

"Now that it's being implemented, these new standards and targets, we're starting to see some concern over the content of what's being taught," said Hicks.

At an April school board meeting, parents and community members packed the room. With the district facing millions of dollars in budget cuts, some people were there to advocate for more school funding. But there were more comments about the curriculum.

Some parents talked about the scenarios being presented in middle and high school classes, calling them overly sexual.

"There seems to be a pervasive ethos in the name of sexual health being taught to lead children in imagining and visualizing and acting themselves in potentially very dangerous sexual situations," said Russell Rutledge. "Oftentimes situations that are far beyond normal conversations and activity that would be expected at their age."

Others took exception to the lessons on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Clete Werts has four children in Beaverton schools. He told the Beaverton School Board he wants to choose what his children learn.

"What I'm asking for is that you teach fact," said Wertz. "Teach biology, teach how do you procreate, and let the rest us as parents teach."

Beaverton provides opt-out options to parents.

Administrator for Secondary Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment Brian Sica responded to the comments he heard at the board meeting.

"They're giving us feedback, they're staying involved in their children's education," said Sica. "We need to make sure we're giving them all the information, all the materials, anything we can do to give to them to make sure they partner with us and make informed decisions about their children's education."

Hicks says she's had students express concern, too. She has told students that even if they don't agree with something, they still have to respect others.

"It is more being respectful and to help reduce the amount of violence and abuse that a lot of times, especially our LGBTQ community experiences," said Hicks.

Making Room

With the new program, schools had to make room in their busy schedules to squeeze in lessons. High school students pack their schedules with graduation requirements, advanced courses and elective classes they want to take.

Beaverton administrators are using advisory periods scheduled during the day, to provide the sex ed content. Hicks says that means health teachers aren't the only ones teaching lessons on consent and relationships.

"Our science, our lit comp, our drama teacher, I mean everybody's helping to create this climate," said Hicks.

All Oregon school districts will be required to adhere to these new standards, but the state may not know who is complying until 2020. The results of a 2017 survey show only a few school districts had created comprehensive sexuality education plans.

In the advisory classes, Hicks sees an opportunity to create safe spaces for students all over the school and with other teachers.

But if teachers do not feel comfortable with a lesson, counseling staff is available to help.

"The overall goal is just healthy, happy kids who become healthy, happy adults, and having a community that's stronger and more respectful," said Hicks.

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Oregon's New Sex Ed Curriculum Has More Than Just Birds And Bees

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Schools across Oregon are changing their sex ed curriculum in response to a state law from a few years ago, aimed at preventing child sex abuse. In Beaverton, students learn about consent, gender expression, and sexually transmitted diseases starting in kindergarten. But the lessons aren't the same at 5 as they are at 15.

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#NoNutNovember is an online movement that encourages men to give up ejaculating for the month of November as a form of solidarity with testicular cancer patients.

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If you happened to be on social media on November 1st, you likely noticed an influx of bizarre tweets about No Nut November. Now officially on its third year, No Nut November-often abbreviated as NNN-is a challenge to withhold masturbating (or as the British call it, fapping) for the entirety of November.

According to Urban Dictionary, the rules are as follows:

You cannot have sex, masturbate, or "nut" in any way, shape, or form.

Watching pornography and having boners are both allowed, but you can't nut.

You are only allowed one wet dream. If you have more than one, then consider yourself out.

Where did No Nut November even come from?

The exact origin of NNN is a little unclear, but according to KnowYourMeme-the trusted encyclopedia of all things internet-it can be traced back to an Urban Dictionary entry submitted by "bicboi6969696969" on November 3, 2011, defining " No Nut November " as a challenge in which "an individual must not masturbate for the month of November."

It's possible that the person behind bicboi6969696969 was also a member of the NoFap sub-Reddit-formed on June 20, 2011, shortly before the Urban Dictionary entry appeared-which encouraged men to give up masturbation and practice the questionable habit of "semen retention". Followers claim that not masturbating is a miracle cure that helps with a host of physical and mental problems, including fatigue, laziness, gastrointestinal issues, anxiety, depression, and more. (More on the accuracy of these claims later.) The NoFap sub-Reddit has become immensely popular, amassing over half-a-million members since its inception.

The Urban Dictionary entry for NNN was published in 2011, but the tradition didn't really gain traction until six years later. On November 1, 2017, Twitter user @I_H8THOTS tweeted: "Not even a day into No Nut November and I've already beat my meat like it owes me money."

Even though that tweet didn't go viral-even now, it only has 104 retweets and 162 likes-it was posted to the subreddit BlackPeopleTwitter, where it gathered upwards of 33,100 points (88% upvoted) and 1,200 comments over the next week.

From there, NNN took off. The growing coalition of NoFappers used it as a platform to push their no-nutting agenda, and to indoctrinate more men who were seeking drastic life changes to their "brotherhood."

On Nov. 4, one Redditor wrote a lengthy post describing how to get through the month. It reads like a general commanding his troops on the frontline of Normandy. The post reads almost like satire-in fact, all of NNN feels like something someone started doing ironically, but then after talking about it too long, it actually became a thing:

"There have been minimal casualties so far. But now, the 4th day into the next week, is what will separate the boys from the men. I don't care were you are, or what you're doing when the urges hit: they're going to hit HARD. And you can't wait until that moment happens to respond or you're going to fall like the rest of them after it gets worse. You have to identify your problem areas, and make WAR on them now.

"Throw any lotion in the house away and take it to the garbage can. Take the bar of soap out of the shower and toss it. Plan your day to minimize alone time, maximize productivity, and spend time at the gym. Tell yourself how you will respond to a dozen different scenarios so that they won't catch you with your pants down, literally.

This war is only just beginning, but you are not alone. Stand strong and fight like hell for your brothers and sisters beside you and your own future."

Still, many Redditors say they feel immense shame for being unable to to control their urges to masturbate. One Redditor wrote on Nov. 4: "I couldn't go even 24 hours without fapping. I had a really, really bad day. I sifted through 10 porn videos before finding 'the one' to fap to. Wasted an hour. I fapped to 'stop feeling bad' but I ended up feeling worse.

"I'm gonna try harder this time," the user concluded.

Others in the NNN brotherhood came to support their fallen comrade. "Focus on the smallest goal that's impossible for you to fail so that you can make it to a month," one person replied. "If a week is to much, focus on a day. If you're feeling the urge right but, focus on just getting through an hour, and if the urge is still there then focus on the next hour. The small goals lead to large goals."

Many boast of their success, like this 28-year-old man who says he hasn't jerked off in nearly two months. In a post called "The power of 'No,'" he writes about how his life has changed for the better since he quit masturbating: "I'm a different man. I'm far more confident. I'm kinder, smarter and stronger in every aspect. This thing. It's given me a clarity in my life. When shit needs done I do it. I'm working out, I'm studying. I've massively increased my social circle. I went from a loser who couldn't get a date to actively going on dates.

"Why?" he asked. "Because I've learned to say no to myself and others. I've learned to decide, not just think about what I want and what I'll stand for."

But is there any science to support the alleged benefits of No Nut November?

As Christopher Carrubba, MD, a physician and medical education consultant, previously told Men's Health: "To date, there has been no research that I could find documenting any psychological benefit to semen retention. As such, any reported benefits are purely anecdotal and could also be the result of a placebo effect."

Justin Lehmiller, Ph.D., a research fellow at the Kinsey Institute and author of Tell Me What You Want, notes that there are not only zero scientific benefits to not masturbating, there are actually studies that have shown health benefits to masturbating.

"There isn't any scientific evidence that giving up masturbation (or ejaculation) will enhance your health-in fact, if anything, research suggests that there are more potential health benefits to be had by indulging in self-pleasure than by abstaining," Lehmiller wrote. "For example, among men, frequent orgasm and ejaculation are linked not just to a lower risk of prostate cancer, but also to a longer life."

Regardless, it seems like the army of NoFappers will continue encouraging their brothers to abstain from carnal release. And many will continue reporting positive psychological and physical benefits.

So, should you try out No Nut November?

"There are really no significant risks associated with semen retention," Carrubba said previously. "As such, my stance would be that if you think there is a benefit, then have at it."

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Guys Are Going a Month Without Masturbating for the Sake of 'Health'

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If you happened to be on social media on November 1st, you likely noticed an influx of bizarre tweets about No Nut November. Now officially on its third year, No Nut November-often abbreviated as NNN-is a challenge to withhold masturbating (or as the British call it, fapping) for the entirety of November.

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This article shares tweets of celebrities lash out on social media to Alabama's controversial abortion law.

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Celebrities are speaking out on social media in the wake of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signing a controversial law that bans most abortions in the state.

The law will make performing an abortion in Alabama a felony, punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison unless the mother's health is at risk, with no exceptions for women impregnated by rape or incest.

Following a similar law being passed in Georgia, celebrities like Jameela Jamil, Milla Jovovich and Busy Philipps have been taking to social media to share their thoughts on the matter as well as their story of having an abortion when they were younger.
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After Alabama's bill was signed by the governor, celebrities far and wide took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with the state.

"Of those 25 men who voted to ban abortion in Alabama, I'd like to know how many of them have ever been pregnant. Or have gotten pregnant as a result of rape. I'd like to know how many of those men know exactly what it is like to be a woman. The answer is zero," wrote comedian Chelsea Handler.

"These statehouses are waging all-out war on women and their right to control their reproductive decisions. This is awful," John Legend wrote.

"THE GOAL IS TO CONTROL WOMEN," wrote "Glee" star Jane Lynch.

"SHAME ON ANYONE INVOLVED IN THIS. #Alabama" added Michael Rapaport.

"Again. Misogyny is the reptilian brain stem of right wing ideology. It is not a bug. It is the feature. Wake. The. F---. Up," Bradley Whitford shared.
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"The news about Alabama tonight is horrifying. See below for a good local place to donate to fight this. My God what a nightmare. Ladies (and men) we are with you in this fight for rationality and compassion and autonomy over sheer insanity," comedian Billy Eichner wrote.

"The retrograde Alabama criminalizes abortion even in the case of rape and incest. Voted for overwhelmingly by GOP men. Handmaid's Tale from the GOP," said Barbra Streisand, noting the Hulu series.

"Don't move forward after reading this like everything is normal. Don't shake your head at Alabama and then keep going about your day. Realize that this is a warning. It's Alabama and abortion today. It's you and your rights tomorrow. Your silence will not save you. So speak up," director Ava DuVernay shared.

"I love you Alabama prayers to all women and young girls here are my thoughts," Lady Gaga captioned a lengthier statement that read: "It is an outrage to ban abortion in Alabama period, and all the more heinous that it excludes those have been raped or are experiencing incest non-consensual or not. So there's a higher penalty for doctors who perform these operations than for most rapists? This is a travesty and I pray for all these women and young girls who will suffer at the hands of this system."

"1 in 4 women have had an abortion. Many people think they don't know someone who has, but #youknowme. So let's do this: if you are also the 1 in 4, let's share it and start to end the shame. Use #youknowme and share your truth," Busy Philipps shared.

"Do what the Alabama government refuses to do: help women by donating to the yellowhammerfund.org. Donating is as easy as flicking an embryo out of a uterus should be," wrote comedian Michelle Wolf.

"I never thought anyone would disappoint me as much as Donald Trump but then these 25 white male a--holes came along. #AlabamaAbortionBan." wrote "Modern Family" star Jesse Tyler Ferguson.

"Good grief. Women should have the same autonomy over our bodies that men do. If we don't have autonomy we don't have equal rights. This is devolution," Sarah Silverman wrote.

"This is absolutely unbelievable. If you're not worried about roe v wade, you're not paying attention. This is why voting matters!!" wrote "Avengers: Endgame" star Chris Evans.

"This is awful. Outrageous. Unconstitutional," Kerry Washington wrote.

"Every single State senator who voted to restrict reproductive rights for women, was a man," Mia Farrow wrote over an image of the Senators that voted for the bill.

"Good morning, women. Make no mistake. This is war," wrote Amber Tamblyn.

"You're right to be horrified. Your life and your body are your own. Now we find ways to help those most impacted. Let's go," Lin-Manuel Miranda shared over DuVernay's quote.

"There have been nearly 30 bans on abortion introduced, passed, or signed into law in statehouses around the country this year alone. This is Trump's anti-choice agenda and part of the GOP's war on women," wrote Alyssa Milano, taking a direct shot at Donald Trump.

"This only ends with impeachment - and people in the streets," w rote John Cusack.

Michael Moore simply wrote, "Talibama."

"Yes, the news out of Alabama tonight is HORRIFYING. Rapists are facing less jail time than a doctor who performs an abortion on a rape victim. See below for where you can donate to help fight and hopefully reverse this sheer evil," Patton Oswalt treated.
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"The fact that this insane piece of legislation was decided entirely by a group of men is just one more nauseating gut punch. Whatever the f--- this "Handmaid's Tale" cosplay competition that's going on in the South right now is, it's beyond disturbing," Josh Gad shared.

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Celebrities react to Alabama's controversial abortion law: 'This is war'

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Celebrities are speaking out on social media in the wake of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signing a controversial law that bans most abortions in the state. The law will make performing an abortion in Alabama a felony, punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison unless the mother's health is at risk, with no exceptions for women impregnated by rape or incest.

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The Me Too Movement twitter page is to provide emotional support to victims of sexual harassment / assault as well as a source for people to share their story to let other victims know they're not alone.