Random recommended reading

From Bitch: Here’s why you should know about the case of CeCe McDonald

At Salon: Biblical birth control – the surprisingly contraception-friendly Old Testament (in case you needed another reminder that Christian religious extremists aren’t even in line with their own faith’s teachings)

At lip: Victoria becomes the first Australian state to erase the criminal records of gay men.  Bloody good move.

A sex worker’s open letter to the Australian media at Tits and Sass:

I have never had anyone adequately explain to me how abolishing my occupation helps me in any way. I will never believe it could make me safer. More importantly, I did not ask and do not wish for non-sex workers, those who would see my right to work abolished, to speak on my behalf. Allowing abolitionist groups or non-sex workers to speak for sex workers does two things: It misinforms the message. Those speaking out on sex work must be sex workers because we speak from the lived experience of sex work. It also takes up space. Sex workers are a marginalized group who have to fight for space to get their message heard. Stop giving sex worker space away.

My Milk Spilt on Parenting through obesity panic.

At the same time as the media tells women we are all ugly, all too huge, all in need of expensive ‘treatments’, it directs mothers to model good self esteem for daughters. Body image advocates stress that mothers should avoid ‘fat talk’ around their kids, lest they pass on their hatred of their minor body ‘flaws’ to impressionable youth. There is no space to talk about what happens when mums are fat, when their bodies are unmentionable.

San Pablo, California, had zero murders last year.

New housing and retail, top-notch after-school programs, and improved parks and schools have all helped. But much of the credit goes to the Police Department, Morris said.

Brain cleanser for the week: visualize just how excited the team at NASA got when a doughnut-sized rock suddenly appeared on Mars.