person:katie mcdonough

  • http://www.salon.com/2014/10/01/women_respond_to_sexist_category_on_jeopardy_this_is_what_we_really_want

    Women respond to sexist category on “Jeopardy!”: This is what we really want
    The category name itself reduces half the population into a very ridiculous “Jeopardy!” category, full of trite stereotypes. Yet, somehow this category slipped through the censors, and it was allowed out of the 1950s and into 2014.

    “A pair of jeans that fit well, like the 525s from this brand,” was one of the clues. It came came in toe with the answer, “What is Levi’s?” Other clues would lead viewers to believe that all women want is to sip tea, attend Pilates classes and to have our husbands help us with the vacuuming. Yep, this happened.

    To respond, some of the lovely women of Salon.com have replied with their individual “wants” from fixing large societal problems, to the simple pleasures in life. These are representative of each of us as individual women — and the lists are hardly complete! We hope you’ll share your own. Without further ado, the women of Salon:
    Prachi Gupta:

    A Viagra-like drug for women.
    For people to stop asking women CEOs if they can have it all.
    A woman-led fake news show.
    More Female Late Night Show hosts.
    More unsexy halloween costume options.
    For women of color to have a more prominent role in these discussions.
    For men to not stop me on the street to give me advice or tell me ANYTHING like: asking me about India, telling me to smile.
    Eliminate the words “slut” and “whore” and “bitch” from our vocabulary.
    Down with sexist traditions of marriage. (Ok this might be too radical for the list but I stand by it.)
    Standard, non inflated sizes for women’s clothing.
    National retailers that make more Bra sizes.

    Jenny Kutner:

    Unimpeded access to abortion, contraception and other basic healthcare for everyone always, without stigma.
    More female [insert professional role here] Legos.
    Comprehensive sex education in public schools.
    Paid parental leave.
    No sexual assault on college campuses (or anywhere).
    Equal pay.
    Long-acting male birth control.
    For strange men not to call me “Jen” and/or a “just a snot-nosed girl who needs to get back in the kitchen” when they email me.
    Oh I would also like to see the concept of “women’s fiction” obliterated.
    I would also like someone to make me tacos every morning when I wake up.
    I would love for Fox News to stop talking about feminism, unless (of course) they’re going to talk about feminism respectfully and accurately.

    Katie McDonough (at this moment)

    For Tennessee to accept the Medicaid expansion and to repeal its law criminalizing women for their pregnancy outcomes.
    High-waisted jeans made of dark, sturdy denim that is kind of stretchy but not too stretchy.
    To have someone other than me repaint my living room.
    Full reproductive freedom for all women — whether that means the ability to terminate a pregnancy or to carry that pregnancy to term with the knowledge that you can care for and support your child.
    For assholes who write for major media outlets to stop getting praised for being “truth tellers” when they are actually just repackaging vile and boring bullshit that blames women for any violence or harassment they experience.
    A living wage for all workers, particularly since two out of every three minimum wage workers is a woman.

    Joanna Rothkopf:

    Female late-night/talk show hosts on a channel other than E! & more female comics in general.
    For women to not be perceived as speaking/acting on behalf of their own sex anytime they do anything.
    I also want my metabolism to be better, but most of all I want not to want that because body image issues.
    I second and third and fourth male birth control.
    To not be told to smile.
    Mandatory paid maternity & paternity leave.
    To not be told that I’m an “innocent girl who needn’t concern herself” with disturbing topics.
    To not see women competing to crack 24 eggs fastest on daytime TV.
    To be able to walk back from the subway at night on the sidewalk, not the middle of the street for better lighting/visibility.
    I want Seamless to be free for Joannas.
    I want to be able to own a lot of cats without being called a cat lady.
    I want more women in STEM too!
    I want prominent female atheists.
    I want people to stop mistaking sexism for religion.

    Lindsay Abrams:

    Yes to male birth control!
    Also, more non-hormonal birth control options for women
    I’d also like more sleep.
    Not to get weird looks when I lift weights at the gym.
    A shower/bike rack at work so I could bike commute.
    For strange men not to write condescending emails in response to my articles. Those interested in respectful debate are welcome!
    Affordable child care (thinking ahead).
    To only need headphones for music, not blocking out men on the street.

    Sarah Gray

    I want a kitten named Beatrice S’mores The Cat.
    I want chocolate milkshakes to have no calories. (and like Joanna I want to not care about body image.)
    I want equal pay! And more women CEOs and mandatory, paid paternity and maternity leave.
    I want less violence against women depicted in TV, movies, video games and other media.
    I want more women in STEM, and more women in Silicon Valley, and so many more women in politics.
    I’d love to see an end to abstinence only sex-education.
    I want feminism to be more inclusive of all races, sexual orientations and income levels.
    I’d love free abortions and birth control for all who want them.
    I’d also like “assault on a woman with a deadly weapon” to not be a mere misdemeanor in some states.
    Good, safe, stigma free, CONSENSUAL sex for all who want to have it.
    I want an end to rape and sexual assault, an end to victim blaming and fear of stigma.
    Like Katie, I want a livable wage for all.

  • South Carolina mayor fires town’s first openly gay police chief, says being gay is a “questionable” “lifestyle” - Salon.com
    http://www.salon.com/2014/04/18/south_carolina_mayor_fires_towns_first_openly_gay_police_chief_says_being_gay

    South Carolina mayor fires town’s first openly gay police chief, says being gay is a “questionable” “lifestyle”
    Residents of a small South Carolina town are raising questions about the sudden firing of an openly gay official
    Katie Mcdonough Follow

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    Topics: lgbtq rights, Gay Rights, anti-lgbtq discrimination, South Carolina, enda, employer discrimination, Life News, News
    South Carolina mayor fires town’s first openly gay police chief, says being gay is a “questionable” "lifestyle"

    Residents of Latta, S.C., are raising questions about the sudden firing of the town’s first female and openly gay police chief.

    Latta Mayor Earl Bullard fired Police Chief Crystal Moore after giving her seven reprimands in a single day, which a member of the city council says is more reprimands than Crystal received during her 20 years with the police department. ”I looked at the reasons, some of them are questionable,” Brian Mason, a Latta council member, told WBTW.

    According to WBTW, the reprimands include running “unauthorized” background checks, “questioning authority of supervisor,” “questioning authority of mayor,” “failure to maintain order” and “contacting the news media.”

    Some on the council believe Bullard fired Moore after she began an investigation into one of his appointees, but others believe he was motivated by anti-LGBTQ sentiment, a claim they say is supported by a recorded conversation in which Bullard says he “doesn’t agree with some lifestyles.”

    Councilman Jared Taylor recorded the conversation:
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    “I would much rather have.. and I will say this to anybody’s face… somebody who drank and drank too much taking care of my child than I had somebody whose lifestyle is questionable around children.

    Because that ain’t the damn way it’s supposed to be. You know.. you got people out there — I’m telling you buddy — I don’t agree with some of the lifestyles that I see portrayed and I don’t say anything because that is the way they want to live, but I am not going to let my child be around. ”

    I’m not going to let 2 women stand up there and hold hands and let my child be aware of it. And I’m not going to see them do it with 2 men neither.”

    I’m not going to do it. Because that ain’t the way the world works. ”

    Now, all these people showering down and saying ‘Oh it’s a different lifestyle they can have it.’ Ok, fine and dandy, but I don’t have to look at it and I don’t want my child around it.”

    Many Latta residents have rallied around Moore. ”This woman has been a veteran of the department and a pillar of this community for years,” Latta resident Kevin told WBTW.

    South Carolina is one of 29 states where it is legal to fire someone for being gay.

    Katie McDonough is an assistant editor for Salon, focusing on lifestyle. Follow her on Twitter @kmcdonovgh or email her at kmcdonough@salon.com.