Randall Terry endorsed Rand Paul, Kentucky’s Republican candidate for the Senate. Randall Terry [...]]]> We’re sorry to have been away so long, and we’re working on some ways to keep updates more frequent around here. [Stay tuned!] With that said, here’s the news on abortion, sex and politics, gay rights, sexual health, sex ed, porn, and more!

Randall Terry endorsed Rand Paul, Kentucky’s Republican candidate for the Senate. Randall Terry heads Operation Rescue, a terroristic anti-choice organization. If it isn’t obvious by now, PAPER wholeheartedly endorses Jack Conway. Please have a look at his site–he’s been a good civil servant for Kentucky, and consider donating time or resources to his campaign.

Honoring Dr. Tiller, a year after his murder. And his murderer, Scott Roeder, was no lone wolf.

Abortion has become more concentrated among poor women.

On anti-choice maneuvering at the state level, with more here and here.

Webcams increase abortion access.

Britain has aired an abortion ad on the telly, while American teachers distribute plastic fetuses in public schools and an American nun is excommunicated for authorizing a medically necessary abortion at a Catholic hospital.

Speaking of Catholic misdeeds, Kentuckians have a lawsuit underway and Louisville’s Archbishop Kurtz is doing more homophobic meddling.

In California, evangelicals end a school’s anti-bullying program, since it promoted acceptance of gays. Also, a longtime target of anti-pornsters, Movie Gallery, has shut down, to their delight–though as a former MG employee, I gotta say it has more to do with bad bankruptcy issues than stocking a little softcore porn.

Meanwhile, the American Family Association has opined that Hitler’s SS comprised only gays, since they were the only recruits “savage and brutal enough” for the job, and that Hitler was gay. Never mind that Hitler actively imprisoned and killed gays and that no evidence exists that Hitler or the SS was gay. The AFA has outdone itself with this.

The SCOTUS rules that sex offenders can be imprisoned “indefinitely.”

After appointing a “proud homophobe” and subsequent outcry, Obama revoked the appointment. Yay!

A tally of Obama’s GLBTQ accomplishments. [Not a glowing review.]

Indiana’s own Mark Souder has resigned after an affair with a staffer. The following is an abstinence-only plug featuring Souder and his mistress–just rich, huh?

… and here’s Souder crying and apologizing. He hopes to be remembered as “an evangelical”–well, no problem there! Another evangelical hypocrite for the long, long list.

Sarah Palin’s been dropping the f-bomb a lot lately–that is, claiming to be a feminist. This is absurd, and you can read other takedowns here and here.

Domestic partners are about to receive new federal benefits.

In Malawi, a married gay couple was set to get 14 years in jail before a presidential pardon, after international pressure. Also interesting: one of the men is Another day, another hate crime. This one highlights the stupidity of the assailants.

Constance McMillen, the lesbian trying to go to prom with her girlfriend, got ran out of town, after all.

Gay men may soon be able to donate blood.

The Family Research Council, closely affiliated with the AFA, was caught supporting Uganda’s kill the gays bill. The drama continues here.

Civil disobedience and the LGBTQ community.

By presidential proclamation, it’s LGBT Pride Month!

After years of real sex ed, Canada’s teen pregnancy rate has dropped. Same deal in California. And Obama has paid attention and given more federal dollars to real sex ed.

When feminists argue about porn. And there’s a Facebook page. And this illuminating video:

Declaring porn at customs.

Why does porn matter?–a pro-porn perspective.

The world’s oldest sex toy has been found! And it did double-duty as a striking stone.

More porn use stats. Mormons are still paying for the most porn, and Sunday is the most popular day for porn-browsing.

Turns out bat fellatio can cause quite a ruckus.

Sex research and fears of lube.

Is free birth control on the way? Maybe, thanks to Planned Parenthood.

A new Diva Cup-like menstrual product can collect stem cells!

UTIs are getting harder to treat. Drink your cranberry juice, ladies.

A cure for herpes may be on the way.

New CDC report says American women’s favorite contraceptive methods are the Pill, condoms, and sterilization, in that order.

Rest in peace: Rue McClanahan, best known for her Blanche Deveraux on The Golden Girls.

1. Is this actually a problem? 2. Does criminalizing sexting send a healthy, sex-positive message to youth? 3. Does criminalizing sexting open up free speech issues and add to [...]]]> Just what we need: proposed Indiana legislation making sexting a juvenile offense has been sent to a study commission. One might ask a few questions about the sexting panic.

1. Is this actually a problem?
2. Does criminalizing sexting send a healthy, sex-positive message to youth?
3. Does criminalizing sexting open up free speech issues and add to government spending?

The answer to the first two would be an emphatic NO, and the answer to #3 would be an emphatic YES. Let’s hope the study commission reaches a smart conclusion.

From The Courier-Journal: supporting the Fairness Ordinance and a veteran’s response to repealing DADT.

Did you know that to join the EU, a country must protect gay rights? Good policy.

Rick Santorum is spouting off more homophobic nonsense. Google “santorum,” if you don’t already know what it means as a slang term; we’re going to have a hilarious election cycle if Santorum, as the rumors have it, does run for president.

A leader in ex-gay ministry is a convicted felon and con man. How utterly unsurprising.

What to expect when you’re aborting.

A black woman’s response to the lie that the pro-choice is racist.

The Forty Days for Life harrass-a-thon begins again. Do consider escorting at our own EMW!

Virginia anti-choicers are working to divert proceeds from a pro-choice license plate.

More from pro-choice Catholics.

Two sides of sexual anxiety: resizing condoms for male egos, and how much bleeding is normal with first intercourse? And, two sides of desire: debunking the myth that men always want sex, and… new hope for a female Viagra.

On some notable feminists: lessons from Margaret Sanger, the brave life of abortion provider Susan Hill, and remembering Jody Howard.

Remember how no federal dollars can go to abortion? This includes military hospitals. More here.

Takes on the [necessary for the 60th vote] abortion clause in the healthcare bill from Feministe, Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards, Cynthia Nixon, and a participant in the National Day of Action opposing Stupak-Pitts. Unsurprisingly on all [...]]]> … and it’s a big one.

Remember how no federal dollars can go to abortion? This includes military hospitals. More here.

Takes on the [necessary for the 60th vote] abortion clause in the healthcare bill from Feministe, Planned Parenthood’s Cecile Richards, Cynthia Nixon, and a participant in the National Day of Action opposing Stupak-Pitts. Unsurprisingly on all fronts, the bill limits abortions where they are most common—red states. Speaking of red state nonsensicality, Chuck Norris thinks that if the Virgin Mary had abortion access, Jesus would have never been born. *headdesk* is about all we can say for that one. Also, what about healthcare reform’s impact on STI diagnosis?

And here’s a guide to discussing healthcare reform and reproductive rights. Updated guide here.

On the lie of “pro-life” and anti-choicers’ sensitive consciences.

Update on Oklahoma abortion rights. More here.

Hillary Clinton affirms US stance FOR reproductive health. Meanwhile, Spain is making progress. Lastly in the abortion section, something cool: a pro-choice license plate in Virginia!

Embarrassingly, Louisville’s Archbishop Kurtz is fighting hard against gay rights. Courier editorial here, letters to the editor here, and political cartoon here [all have comments, some of which are true reminders of the red state in which we live]. Meanwhile, more churches threaten to cut homeless charity to stand tall for homophobia. Disgusting.

The NY Times profiled the evangelical “big thinker”, Robert P. George. We’d feel bad for someone so sexually repressed if he weren’t working so hard to make sure everyone else is. George’s bullshit debunked here.

Happily, Mexico City is moving to legalize gay marriage, but elsewhere around the world gay rights continue to be horrifyingly nonexistent. Here’s a story about a Ugandan lesbian fighting back against the Kill the Gays Bill.

The awesome poster for season two of RuPaul’s drag race:

Did you know there’s a National Porn Sunday? We bet it was nice and sex-negative.

Dealing with porn in relationships, and from a feminist stance.

Fun: design NYC condom wrappers!

This week saw the International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. More here. Over in India, a male movement seeks to save lady sex workers by marrying them.

A provocative church-sponsored ad in New Zealand.

Is sex addiction real? We tend to think anything in life can be abused, sex included, and real treatment gets at the underlying problem. Here’s the story of a man fresh from Dr. Drew’s sex rehab show.

A new study says sexting isn’t that common, while another says casual sex won’t ruin your life. Big surprise…

Fetish art objects, and ballistic duck penises. Duck genitals are more interesting than you think!

Lastly, something optimistic: we are making progress, and we’ll probably win the war… it’s just taking longer than we’d like, is all.

Here’s an interesting piece about biology, religion, and rights.

Over in Uganda, the fundie bigot who proposed the Kill [...]]]> It’s been a relatively good week for gay rights in the US: a gay marriage vote passed the DC Council, and Houston elected an openly gay mayor. In California, however, it’s big business to oppose gay rights.

Here’s an interesting piece about biology, religion, and rights.

Over in Uganda, the fundie bigot who proposed the Kill the Gays Bill promises not to back down about the death penalty. We can only hope the other Ugandan legislators will vote this travesty down. Ironically, in the midst of the controversy, they have passed a law banning female genital mutilation.

On the conflict of psychology, profits, and transgendered people.

Congress just passed a remarkably progressive and sane appropriations bill, which ends abstinence-only funding, allots money for sexual health research and teen pregnancy prevention, and improves abortion access, among other very good things. Also, the healthcare reform bill can do much good for sex ed.

Lois Capps [D-CA] responds to Stupak.

On the power of pro-choice men as allies.

Egypt is moving progressively on abortion.

Make love, not porn: a sex-positive site reminding people that porno sex isn’t all that realistic. You can email suggestions—go on, we all have our little porn gripes.

See classism, sexism, and sex-negativity intertwine here, where no one believes a prosititute would know what hypocrisy is. But, in happy sex work news, Nevada now allows male prostitutes.

A new study says casual sex doesn’t bother young people, but many young people have been left with misconceptions and ignorance after abstinence-only education. It’s worse than we feared, including widespread beliefs that birth control causes cancer.

Did you know adultery is still illegal in New Hampshire?

Unfortunate: vaginal gel does not block HIV.

Girl-bashing and its very real consequences.

Something fun indeed: Fleshbot’s top ten sex toys of 2009. I’m sure there are still some adult stores having xmas sales!

What is wrong with a country when beating women is more acceptable than men kissing men?

Destigmatizing female sexuality, and more on the problems with studying female desire. Meanwhile, this essay digs into “hookup culture” and related misogyny. And, really, vagina mints? Crap like this [...]]]> Your intrepid webmistress apologizes for the delay. And here we go.

What is wrong with a country when beating women is more acceptable than men kissing men?

Destigmatizing female sexuality, and more on the problems with studying female desire. Meanwhile, this essay digs into “hookup culture” and related misogyny. And, really, vagina mints? Crap like this wouldn’t make it to production if women hadn’t been made insecure about their genitals.

The Swedes have renamed the hymen the “vaginal corona.” Read more here.

Abortion in media: first, a new abortion “dramumentary” is out and it doesn’t seem so fair and balanced, and unfortunately, Lila Rose is lying on tape again [link is to a nice debunking].

Abortion news across the country and abroad: Dr. Carhart, now the only late-term abortion provider since Dr. Tiller’s murder, is now being targeted, abortion and emergency contraception access are improving in Europe, especially in Ireland. Our own Congress just ended an effort to permanently repeal the global gag rule. Let’s hope the 2012 President doesn’t reverse Obama’s executive order, huh? For the religious readers, here’s more on religious support for abortion rights.

Abortion and healthcare: first, awesome news! Nelson’s Senate amendment to ban insurance from covering abortions FAILED! [More on that amendment here, here, and here.] Now we just have to see that Stupak doesn’t get through when the healthcare bill goes back to the House. Sign a new petition here, and refresh your rage [and learn something about political action] here. Also, here’s some anti-choice stupidity shown for what it is and here’s more on the ever-present personal-is-political reality.

Let’s get to something a bit saucier: porn! Porn star Sasha Gray gives an interesting interview, Phillip Toledano documents phone sex workers, and sex workers consider their profession and feminism. Meanwhile, has porn has porn made men bad at sex? Does porn change men’s views of women? Are there any more porn virgins? [Depends on the porn, is our answer.] There’s drama in the Flynt family, and according to at least one escort, prosititutes save marriages. [We're going to say that depends on the marriage, too.]

In religious bigotry news, Baltimore fundies are getting time to present a case for hate in court [and other rabid fundies say condoms prevent the Rapture---just precious!]. Thankfully sane Christians are have put forth an Affirmation Declaration.

Here’s Rachel Maddow with more on the Kill the Gays Bill and “ex-gay therapy.”

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

[Transcript here.]

While international leaders and the Holy See condemned the bill, American fundies were reluctant to do so. [More here.] Perhaps most notable among the suddenly reticent fundies was Rick Warren, who tried to wash his hands of the matter despite being connected to it until he was, essentially, shamed into saying something. The bill may well have killed many, but after the outcry, the death penalty and life imprisonment clauses have been dropped. A victory, though, hilariously, in the new draft of the bill, Uganda will be offering ex-gay therapy.

This ties in neatly with The Family, by Jeff Sharlet. This book, a truly terrifying book, exposes the fundies in the thick of American politics and where the Jesus-and-capitalism brand of Christianity came from.

In good news, DC has okayed gay marriage! Unfortunately, New York did not. Cynthia Nixon responded to the defeat here, in a wonderful essay. Also wonderful is this helpful flowchart of the gay marriage debate.

Odds and ends: hot gay elf sex in a video game, on same sex schools for boys, and condom sabotage.

Utterly awful: supporters of Scott Roeder, the murderer of abortion provider Dr. Tiller, tried to raise money with eBay auctions. Link includes pictures of Roeder’s drawings, which are [...]]]> More on the sex offender ruling. This is an ongoing story—let’s continue to hope for policy that differentiates between violent offenders, pedophiles, and people who made stupid mistakes.

Utterly awful: supporters of Scott Roeder, the murderer of abortion provider Dr. Tiller, tried to raise money with eBay auctions. Link includes pictures of Roeder’s drawings, which are just ghastly. Thankfully eBay has removed all the auctions!

Sigh… Planned Parenthood director becomes anti-abortion activist. Unsurprisingly, more and more details just aren’t making sense. We too smell a right-wing ploy.

More on Mexico’s abortion wars.

A visual history of birth control. Pretty neat!

Colbert on gay rights:

Houston may get its first gay mayor.

New study says that larger foreskins may increase risk of AIDS contraction. This is part of a continuing move to increase circumcision, particularly in hard-hit places in Africa.

Good news: Obama lifted the ban on HIV+ people coming into the US.

Oklahoma continues to crack down on teen sexting, and warns teens there are consequences—i.e., the consequences a stupid law creates. Come on, Oklahoma.

Do you suffer from restless vagina syndrome? On women’s sexual dysfunction and profiting from it.

Criminalizing prostitution will be very bad for Rhode Island. Yup.

Story on runaways and underage prostitution. All the more reason to put strong protections in for sex workers and write better sex trafficking laws.

Outrageous: a sixteen year old girl gets life without parole for killing her abusive pimp. Two SCOTUS cases on the docket could keep this kind of nonsense from happening—let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Reproductive justice recommendations from an international panel.

Yet again conservatives move further right: moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava forced out of NY race, essentially by a Conservative candidate. Scozzafave has since endorsed the Democrat—this is going to be interesting. Also in big election news today are two big gay rights initiatives, one in Maine to repeal gay marriage and one in Washington to allow gay partnerships. Tonight’s news will be big, however these turn out.

More on abstinence only and how it does NOT belong in healthcare reform. And here’s some nauseating abstinence-promoting, patriarchy-glorifying young adult “literature.”

The sad plight and oppression of Somalian women. Unsurprisingly, fundies are to blame.

From the animal world: teacher suspended for having his students read about gay animal behavior, the oral sex lives of bats, and four animals with interesting sex lives.

Lastly, the abortion link page and blog list have new additions.

Here’s something gleeful: check out the ROCK-mocking in this C-J article. ROCK’s radio show continues, and ROCK prez Bryan Wickens got more free press from the Southeast [...]]]> And your intrepid webmistress has news, action alerts, and adventures for you. First off, TOMORROW, 10/28, is National Comprehensive Sex Education Call-In Day. Learn more from the organizers here.

Here’s something gleeful: check out the ROCK-mocking in this C-J article. ROCK’s radio show continues, and ROCK prez Bryan Wickens got more free press from the Southeast Outlook. The radio show is essentially an hour-long advertisement for ROCK—the other “practical solution” Wickens has offered on the show is going into school libraries and asking for books to be removed. Charming. In the SECC article, Wickens reminds us that “‘liberty’ is at the heart of everything,” which is funny, since censorship doesn’t seem much like liberty. Wickens adds that without Judeo-Christian principles this country will be torn apart, and that the country’s “moral decay” is shown by “the need for greater government control.” The article does not seem to be online, but it is nothing more than the usual back-patting incoherence one expects from ROCK. Also, Thursday, 10/29, ROCK will be having an event at Kye’s. Email us at paperkyanaATgmailDOTcom if you want to be involved in counter-activities.

And on to more dumb things: SuperFreakonomics asks why all women don’t become prostitutes. While PAPER wholeheartedly supports sex workers and believes it can be a great career choice, to wonder why all women don’t wander into the field at any level smacks of bad econ, attention-grabbing, and a misogynistic undertone. More here.

About the online prostitution subculture. Rather sex-negative in tone, but a look into how the internet is affecting the world’s oldest profession.

Utter crap: a new documentary says HIV and AIDS aren’t connected.

How do we like our contraception? Well, condoms now rival the Pill.

Snarking sexist shite from Details, Jezebel style.

Excellent and informative: The Pro-Life Pretense, which debunks “pro-life” legislators. This article was heavy on my mind Saturday when I escorted at the abortion clinic; and, I’m pleased to say, your intrepid webmistress’ take on Saturday morning is an editor’s pick at Open Salon.

More abortion links: study on abortion and mental health, and anti-choice FAIL from Law and Order. Seriously, cut the shit, TV shows.

Out of state homophobes again threaten gay marriage. Maine, don’t do another Prop 8!

In better news, hate crimes against gays are now federally prohibited. About time.

Lamda Legal has a new documentary out about getting anti-sodomy laws repealed. More good legal news: ruling eases transgender name change process.

Awesome: William & Mary students have elected a transgender homecoming queen.

Lastly in news: a gallery of photos from the Loveland Park in Korea. Very interesting—we hope to see more!

Lastly: we’ve added links to the blogroll, to the feminism page, and the abortion page.

And a very happy Halloween to you all.

Interview with Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah. It’s a must-read for understanding what’s behind the nonsense social conservatives want to inflict on us.

Some thoughts on sex and morality, especially considering Alabama’s absurd dildo ban. And here’s more on just how common [...]]]> Housekeeping: PAPER will now be updating on Tuesdays. And now, on to the links:

Interview with Max Blumenthal, author of Republican Gomorrah. It’s a must-read for understanding what’s behind the nonsense social conservatives want to inflict on us.

Some thoughts on sex and morality, especially considering Alabama’s absurd dildo ban. And here’s more on just how common sex toy use is.

A new study zipping through the blogosphere postulates that the Pill makes women prefer less masculine men. That’s the study in a nutshell; there’s some interesting stuff here, and the scientists are wise to conclude with wishing for more research to be done.

HPV vaccines could wipe out cervical cancer within 50 years. Remember, though, that we all have to get the vaccine for this to happen.

Guttmacher’s in the news, for a study on the costs of unsafe abortions in developing countries and by showing that abortion restriction does NOT reduce abortion. And in horrifying abortion news, Oklahoma now mandates that personal details of all abortions be shown online. Thankfully the constitutionality of this measure is being challenged—but it’s more proof that anti-choicers will sink to any low.

Speaking of low, here’s some debunking of anti-choice starlet Lila Rose.

No surprise: women’s genital self-esteem affects their sex lives.

A new book studies why women have sex. This book takes an evolutionary psychology bent, and the author interviewed in the linked article seems… reasonable. But isn’t there something horribly wrong when this question is being seriously asked?

About Outrage, the new HBO documentary chronicling how repressed gay lawmakers have hurt GLBTQ Americans. Incidentally, Republican Gomorrah discusses this to an extent, too.

Good news for gays in California: Schwarzenegger signs two important GLBTQ rights measures into law.

And here’s some more on DADT. As in, some real nonsense that tries to defend the policy. Read it and get your bile up.

Think your kid is getting sex ed? You may be mistaken, like New Yorkers are.

Speaking of nonsense, Egypt is now freaking out about fake hymen kits, saying it will promote promiscuity in women. Yo, drop the patriarchy already.

Florida schools are banning freak dancing. Hm. Meanwhile, here in our own fair city, a pedophile has just been ordained as a minister at a Pentecostal church. We guess they learned nothing from the ongoing Catholic example.

Speaking of sex offenders, doesn’t it make sense to differentiate between violent and nonviolent? The Courier-Journal thinks so. Read the comments at your own risk.

Weird: bestiality is going to the SCOTUS. Well, for the record, PAPER does not approve of bestiality.

Yay Al Franken! His amendment barring companies that discourage female employees from filing sexual harrassment suits from sweet government contracts passed. Awesome. And, eat it, Halliburton.

Finally, on a fun very NSFW note: http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/rasputins-foot-long-preserved-penis”>Rasputin’s preserved penis is a star exhibit at the Russian sex and erotica museum.