The Purity Myth (36 page)

national coalition against domestic violence

This national organization working to end violence against women not only lobbies for efforts opposing domestic violence, but also offers financial educa- tion programs for women and houses the only direct-service program that of- fers reconstructive surgery to domestic-violence survivors. (www.ncadv.org)

national council for research on women

The council comprises a network of more than one hundred U.S. research, advocacy, and policy centers; part of its mission is to ensure “fully informed debate, policies, and practices to build a more inclusive and equitable world for women and girls.” (www.ncrw.org)

national indian women’s health resource center

NIWHRC is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to help American Indian and Alaska Native women achieve optimal health and well- being throughout their lives. (www.niwhrc.org)

national institute for reProductive health

The National Institute for Reproductive Health offers breakthrough educa- tion programs and encourages advocacy strategies proven to expand access to quality reproductive healthcare. (www.nirhealth.org)

national latina institute for reProductive health

The mission of NLIRH is to secure the fundamental human right to repro- ductive health and justice for Latinas, their families, and their communities through public education, community mobilization, and policy advocacy. (www.latinainstitute.org)

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national networK to end domestic violence

NNEDV is a membership and advocacy organization of state domestic- violence coalitions; it makes sure that national policymakers hear and under- stand those coalitions’ needs. (www.nnedv.org)

national PartnershiP for women & families

Formerly the Women’s Legal Defense Fund, the National Partnership was founded in 1971 and uses public education and advocacy to push for work- place equality, healthcare, and policies that help people meet work and family demands. (www.nationalpartnership.org)

national sexual violence resource center

The center serves as the nation’s principal information and resource center regarding all aspects of sexual violence. (www.nsvrc.org)

national women’s Political caucus

The National Women’s Political Caucus is a bipartisan, multicultural grass- roots organization dedicated to increasing women’s participation in the po- litical field and creating a political power base designed to achieve equality for all women. (www.nwpc.org)

Planned Parenthood federation of america

PPFA is the nation’s leading women’s healthcare provider, educator, and ad- vocate, serving women, men, teens, and families. Planned Parenthood pro- vides quality healthcare and services, offers medically accurate information, and advances effective health policies. (www.plannedparenthood.org)

raPe, abuse & incest national networK

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network is the nation’s largest anti– sexual assault organization. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE and the National Sexual Assault Online Hotline; publicizes the hotlines’ free, confidential services; and educates the public about sexual assault. (www.rainn.org)

safe horiZon

Safe Horizon is the nation’s leading victim-assistance organization. Based in NYC, the group provides support, addresses violence, and promotes justice for victims of crime and abuse, their families, and their communities. (
www. safehorizon.org)

sistersong women of color reProductive health collective

SisterSong is a network of local, regional, and national grassroots agencies representing women of color in the United States. The collective works to educate women of color and policymakers on reproductive and sexual health and rights, and advocates access to health services, information, and resourc- es that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. (www.sistersong.net)

the white house Project

The White House Project aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors—including the U.S. presidency—by filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse critical mass of women. (
www. thewhitehouseproject.org)

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women’s sPorts foundation

The Women’s Sports Foundation—the leading authority on women’s and girls’ participation in athletics—advocates for equality, educates the public, conducts research, and offers grants to endorse sports and physical activity for girls and women. (www.womenssportsfoundation.org)

women’s voices. women vote

Women’s Voices. Women Vote started with one goal in mind: to increase un- married women’s participation in the electorate and policymaking process. (www.wvwv.org)

younger women’s tasK force

A project of the National Council of Women’s Organizations, YWTF is a nationwide, grassroots movement that focuses on issues affecting younger women; it’s also an amazing resource for women who want to organize lo- cally. YWTF has youth-led chapters across the country. (www.ywtf.org)

A note about local organizations: The organizations and groups listed here work overwhelmingly at the national level. But I can’t stress enough how im- portant finding
local, grassroots groups
in your community is.

magazines

Finding progressive news sources isn’t always easy; these magazines are a great place to start.

The American Prospect
(www.prospect.org)
Bitch
magazine (www.bitchmagazine.com)
ColorLines
(www.colorlines.com)

In These Times
(www.inthesetimes.com)
make/shift
(www.makeshiftmag.com)
Ms.
magazine (www.msmagazine.com)
New Moon
(www.newmoon.com)

Salon
(www.salon.com)

Shameless
magazine (www.shamelessmag.com)

The Nation
(www.thenation.com)
Tint Magazine
(www.tintmag.com)
WireTap
(www.wiretapmag.org)

Women’s eNews (http://womensenews.org)

Women’s Media Center (www.womensmediacenter.com)

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blogs

Alas, a Blog (www.amptoons.com/blog)

AngryBlackBitch (http://angryblackbitch.blogspot.com) AngryBrownButch (www.angrybrownbutch.com)

Bitch Ph.D. (http://bitchphd.blogspot.com)

Black and Missing but not Forgotten (http://blackandmissing.blogspot.com) Broadsheet (www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/index.html)

Change Happens: the SAFER Blog (http://safercampus.org/bl
og) Echidne of the Snakes (www.echidneofthesnakes.blogspot.com) Economic Woman (http://economicwoman.com)

Feminist Law Professors (http://feministlawprofs.law.sc.edu) Feministe (http://feministe.us/blog)

Finally, a Feminism 101 Blog (http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com) Global Voices Online (www.globalvoicesonline.org)

I Blame the Patriarchy (http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com) Lynne d Johnson (www.lynnedjohnson.com/diary)

Muslimah Media Watch (http://muslimahmediawatch.blogspot.com)

Our Bodies, Our Blog (www.ourbodiesourblog.org) Pam’s HouseBlend (www.pamshouseblend.com) Pandagon (www.pandagon.net)

PopPolitics (www.poppolitics.com) Racewire (www.racewire.org) Racialicious (www.racialicious.com)

Radical Doula (http://radicaldoula.wordpress.com) RH RealityCheck (www.rhrealitycheck.org) Shakespeare’s Sister (www.shakesville.com) Shapely Prose (http://kateharding.net)

The Curvature (http://thecurvature.com)

Trans Group Blog (http://transgroupblog.blogspot.com)

WIMN’s Voices (www.wimnonline.org/WIMNsVoicesBlog
) Women and Hollywood (http://womenandhollywood.blogspot.com) Women of Color Blog (http://brownfemipower.com)

Women’s Health News (http://womenshealthnews.wordpress.com)

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books

How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America

by Cristina Page

Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty

by Dorothy Roberts

Promiscuities: The Secret Struggle for Womanhood

by Naomi Wolf

Rapture Ready!: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture

by Daniel Radosh

Righting Feminism: Conservative Women and American Politics

by Ronnee Schreiber

Sex in Crisis: The New Sexual Revolution and the Future of American Politics

by Dagmar Herzog

The War on Choice: The Right-Wing Attack on Women’s Rights and How to Fight Back

by Gloria Feldt

Virgin: The Untouched History

by Hanne Blank

Virginity Lost: An Intimate Portrait of First Sexual Experiences

by Laura Carpenter

index
‌
‌

a

abortion: campaigns against 114; difficulty obtaining 125; false links to breast cancer 134; federal funding against 111–112; Hyde Amendment 200; “informed consent” laws 132–133; measures against
Roe
124; misinformation on 105; as personal choice 199–200; precedent banning 141–142; punishment for 142; requiring ultrasounds for 133; women as victims of 134, 135; written male consent for 137–138

Abortion Access Project: 239

abstinence: defined 109; in pop culture 10; as strength 25; venerating 24–25, 28

Abstinence Awareness Week: 32

Abstinence Clearinghouse: 31, 41, 43, 110, 113
Abstinence Comes to Albuquerque
: 116 abstinence-only education: 101–120;

activism against 116–118, 206; anti- empowering 106; commodifying virginity 31; funding for 111–113; ineffectiveness

of 119–120; mainstreaming 206–207;

misinformation in 32–34, 103–105, 218; recent changes to 110–111; results of 9–10, 38–39, 102; state refusal of 118

abuse, sexual: of children 108; of dolls 88; gender stereotyping in 170–172; by moral order “guardians” 69; pornographic 86; by sex traffickers 76–78; shaming women for 108–109; statistics 217–218; victims as blamed for 147–151, 155–157; of women of color 157–158; women’s excuses for 164;
see also
rape

ACLU: 112, 207

activism: 203–211

Adam Walsh Child Safety and Protection Act (2007): 97

Administration for Children and Families (ACF): 109

Adolescent Family Life Act (1981): 111

adoption: 114

advocacy, for the sexually exploited: 77 Advocates for Youth: 119, 192

aggression: 172

A-H guidelines: 112–113 Allen, Charlotte: 71

Alpha Center: 114

American Association of University Women: 240

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: 73

American Psychological Association (APA): 64, 218

Angier, Natalie: 199 anti-aging, vaginal: 74

anti-choice legislation: 124, 218

antifeminism: 56–57 anti-obscenity laws: 93

A Return to Modesty: Discovering Lost Virtue

(Shalit): 37

Arnet, Heather: 50 AskMen.com: 172 athletes, female: 90

Axe commercials: 181

b

Badgley Enterprises: 115

Baumgardner, Jennifer: 67, 197–198 beauty: indoctrination on physical 64;

obsession with 91; pathologizing aging 74; queens 28

Betito, Laurie: 74
‌

Binge
: 163

birth control.
See
contraception birth rates: 192

Bitch
magazine: 86

Biting Beaver: 121–122

Black Women’s Health Imperative: 240 blame, of rape victims: 146

Blank, Hanne: 19–20, 22–23, 75

blogs: 204, 205, 208, 248–249

Blustain, Sarah: 132

bodies, womens’: pathologizing 42–43; removing personal control over 123, 137

books, progressive: 250

born-again virginity: 34–36 Bradley, Katelyn: 103 bralettes: 61, 62

Bratz: 61, 70

breast cancer: 134

Bringing Up Boys
(Dobson): 176, 177 Brownback, Sam: 133

Brownmiller, Susan: 197 Bruen, Melissa: 170–171

Bush, George W.: 124, 138

c

Carder, Angela: 141 Carpenter, Laura: 21 Carr, Mary Alice: 114 celebrity: 89–90

Center for American Women and Politics: 240

Center for Reproductive Rights: 240 Center for Women Policy Studies: 240 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC): 59, 127

cervical cancer vaccine: 129–130 cesarean sections: 140

chastity: as alternative to porn 95–96; as “empowerment” 51; idealized 50; as innate

48–49; legislating 122–123; publications

47–48; womanhood via 55 Chaudhry, Lakshmi: 95 children, moral: 189

child “supermodels”: 78

choice, sex as a: 193–194 Choice USA: 241
Choosing the Best Path
: 101 Churchill, Jolene: 43

Clare Boothe Luce Policy Institute: 57, 94, 185–186

Collins, Patricia Hill: 45

Community-Based Abstinence Education Program (CBAE): 112, 206

compassion: 203

comprehensive sex education: 119 Concerned Women for America: 23, 91–93,

178, 185

Conner, Tara: 28

contraception: abstinence-taught teens against 119–120; banning education on 103, 113; and birth rate drops 192;

education 60, 116; emergency 128–129,

136–137, 219; misinformation on 104, 116, 218; pharmacists’ refusal to dispense 136–137; as provoking promiscuity 130;

refusing emergency 121–122; statistics 59; use by secondary virgins 36–37

control: 127–128

Corinna, Heather: 19

Cosgrove, John: 208

Cosmopolitan
: 161 criminalizing abuse victims: 77 crisis centers: 206

Crouse, Janice Shaw: 178, 185

Cytotec: 137

d

d’Addario, John: 98 “damaged goods”: 23 dancing, dirty: 46–47 date rape: 150