I agree completely that questions about bodies and surgeries need to end, but Mock's book is titled, in part, "My Path to Womanhood." The official book jacket says it is a book about growing up as a trans girl.

When you write a book explicitly about your experience growing up trans and transitioning to womanhood,…

So, they shouldn't even bother to rectify this historical problem? Also, this list looks like suggested starting points for those who want to help, not the firm "making white employees talk to POC." A problem with POC moving up through the corporate world is a lack of connections/networking due to historically having…

As a European living in Uganda, I agree with you (mostly. I don't hope he has to suffer under Ugandan law).

As an African living in America, this annoys me to no end. I understand the call for gay-rights here and must say I have been exposed to the culture of homosexuality of which I was I familiar until I moved here. I'm supportive of their rights as campaigned for by the majority of the nation.

so much going on in the comments! and lots of really good commentary about the reductive aspects of western NGOs and human rights advocacy. however, just a quick note on the discussion about white US evangelical involvement: i think that discussion has become *just* as reductive. yes, white american evangelicals and…

The issue here isn't "cultural relativism." The issue here is that his action may do more harm than good. The issue here is that his action may have been motivated by self-promotion, not by actually helping Ugandans. The issue here is the media is now reporting about the issue from a white American's perspective,…

Your post sounds a lot like the "White Man's Burden."

I applaud the intention behind this move, but worry that a white American enacting a publicity stunt like this will will fuel the existing narrative among anti-gay Ugandan groups that homosexuality is "imported" and that being gay is "un-African." I wonder whether he was aware of this rhetoric before planning this. …

Pretty meaningless and privileged gesture. He is a rich white guy, he won't experience any retribution for this and he has the option of leaving the country immediately should he be in any danger. I just wonder about the position he has put his tour guide, people who carry his gear, etc in. They are the ones likely to…

I watched the video several times and thought it was meant to be more of an amalgam of all the people overreacting. For fuck's sake, it involved "shooting" the person with a hairdryer. Really? It wasn't graphic in the slightest and was just plain silly.

You know she's not saying, "I can perfectly picture what those women went through as though it had happened to me". She's saying "I know" to mean "I am aware".

Oppression olympics!!! Oppression olympics!!!

But the joke wasn't at the expense of the victims. It was a self-depricating joke about her living conditions. Her living conditions were so terrible, that they were like those of the victims. You can say it wasn't funny, but to say that her attempt at a joke trivializes the plight of the victims is just stupid. The…

Even worse? I'd say The History Channel/TLC's fall has been harder.

I think her confusion (staged or real) about the underground railroad was far more embarrassing for her than pulling someone's hair.

I cracked up when it was just hanging out as she was trying to get out of the way. She had no idea. My worst nightmare come true. Poor, Cynthia always in the crossfire that one.

She and her right tit were innocent bystanders.

There will be a lot of comments about the slap/hair pulling, so I will leave that to others. I'll just say that I feel sorry for Cynthia, who was unfortunately between these two and ended up with her breast out on television when the shit storm hit.

Afghan custom is that the bride's family must be paid a dowry in order for the woman to be eligible for marriage. While Hazaras are looked down upon as an ethnicity, the Shi'a aspect is not as objectionable as much as the fact that Hazaras are looked at as servants, or lesser. Marriages are known to cross ethnic…

This is not religion, this is fucking tribalism pure and simple. It's the moronic belief that we are so great that we are willing to kill lest something else taint our delusions of perfection.