by Rebecca Halff
What We’ve Been Reading
The U.S. Supreme Court decided Monday not to hear appeals that favor upholding bans on same-sex marriage:
A state-by-state breakdown of what the decision really means. [The Guardian]
“Tax Advice for Newlyweds,” from Curve magazine. Curve asks, “What does the Supreme Court same-sex marriage appeal denial mean for same-sex couple tax filers?” and details some of the ways in which same-sex couples are discriminated against in the tax-filing process.
California now requires universities receiving state funding to use an “’affirmative consent standard’ for determining whether consent was given by both parties to sexual activity. This move represents a paradigm shift away from women as victims and potential victims encouraged to shout “no” a bit louder to women as agents who have the positive right to engage or refrain from engaging in sexual relations.” [Our Bodies, Ourselves Blog]
A North Dakota High School bans yoga pants, leggings, and skinny jeans because they “pose a threat” to male students, effectively teaching their female students body-shame, and their male students that “their inability to respect others is acceptable.” Oh, and the school’s principal compared his female students to sex workers, too. [Salon]
As the severe drought in California continues, Jewish environmental groups push for conservation. [JTA]
Chanel head designer Karl Lagerfeld staged a “feminist rally” runway show in Paris last week. Sesali Bowen at Feministing explains why this was “creative, fun, and thoughtful”: [Feministing] And Meredith Graves at The Hairpin explains why this was “possibly the worst political and aesthetic decision”: [The Hairpin]
Why are Israel’s Top Models All Blonde? Read about the under-representation of dark-skinned women in Israeli advertising, Ashkenazi/Mizrachi identity politics, and the effort by some to combat ethnic inequality by validating and celebrating Mizrachi (Mediterranean) beauty and culture through media. [The Sisterhood]