Because there are always reasons to smile–and cry (the good kind of tears)

(via Dear Author)

Misogyny and whorephobia: sanctioned by law (Texas, US law, at least)

3 and a half years ago, on Christmas 2009, Ezekiel Gilbert–white male–agreed to meet with escort Lenora Ivie Frago through a Craiglist add.

Gilbert invited Frago over to his house and paid her $150. Frago declined to have sex with Gilbert and refused to refund the money–the only record of exactly how these two things came to pass comes to us through Gilbert, who as a direct consequence of them,used an AK47 to paint Frago’s car with bullets.

Frago didn’t die on the spot. Brain damaged and paralyzed, she survived for a few months.

Yesterday Last week, a jury acquitted this murderer.

Babysitting demanding, fickle strangers.

As some of you may know, I work in hospitality. It’s a food franchise and while I don’t ask people whether they’d like fries with that, I do spend an awful lot of my time apologizing to customers for things that are utterly out of my control.

Today Yesterday was already not going well¹ when a customer raised his voice at me, as I was trying to explain that he could use some of his rewards on what he was ordering, because we dare charge him for (item). “It’s a disgrace!” he ranted and stalked off, mid-order. He came back a minute later, started to bark at me some more, so I had to raise my voice to ask whether or not he wanted to use his (fucking) rewards on what he was, in fact, ordering.

This, most absolutely, this!

I found this comment by Elizabeth Moon to Ann Aguirre’s post on the SFWA sexism bullshit to be amazing and so on the spot:

I take mild issue with “SFWA is the original old boys club.” No. EVERYTHING but childbearing, childrearing, elementary level teaching, and nursing used to be the original old boys’ club. The military, law, medicine, accounting, finance, engineering, sciences, even (in some countries even now) all education.

Sexism isn’t an SF/F problem. It’s an international, worldwide, all cultures, all religions, all social classes, all occupations problem…for every girl and woman on the planet. Those in privileged positions who think they don’t have a problem…just never tested the glass ceiling or walls within which they’re comfortable.

Go, read the full comment.