Link Roundup May 2016

Better late than never.

Remembering Japan’s badass 70s schoolgirl gangs

But despite the reputation for crime, sukeban culture was centred in a belief system that above all else brought girls to the front. The long skirts can be seen as a reaction against the sexual revolution of the 60s, a means of protection by which girls could show that their existence wasn’t defined by the desires of male onlookers. Fast forward to the 90s, and this trend had completely reversed itself: by then, the “bad girl” was the one wearing gallons of make-up who had rolled up her skirt’s waistband to turn it into a ultra-short mini skirt.

Nine years of censorship

“It was not a good time for journalists. It was not a good time for scientists. It was not a good time for morale in the federal community, and it was not a good time for Canadian citizens,” says Paul Dufour, a science-policy analyst at the University of Ottawa.

Hot Allostatic Load

Feminist/queer spaces are more willing to criticize people than abusive systems because they want to reserve the right to use those systems for their own purposes. At least attacking people can be politically viable, especially in a token system where you benefit directly by their absence, or where your status as a good feminist is dependent on constantly rooting out evil.

Pretty Soldier: Gendering Manga, Anime, and JRPGs in the West

When I was growing up, I felt that any inkling of femininity in a main character was a sign that a series was intended “for girls only.” To some extent, that’s what my family and classmates thought, too.

Inside Superstar Machine, Which Ex-Members Say Is a Cult Preying on New York’s Creative Women

“The way he sold everything is that women are the leaders of the world, but, like, ‘They don’t know how powerful they are, that’s my job. The Divine speaks through me. No one connects with the Divine like I do.’”

Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students

Each person is unique, so the needs of individual transgender students vary. But a school policy setting forth general principles for supporting transgender students can help set clear expectations for students and staff and avoid unnecessary confusion, invasions of privacy, and other harms.

A Response To The Yellowstone Bison Incident From An Actual Wildlife Biologist

I spend a lot of time as a biologist talking about how wildlife don’t actually need our help. They don’t need to be saved from nature, and even when they do, it’s not our job to save them.

What Happened to All the Black Games?

Nearly every game marketed towards black people during this time was about black bodies being beaten, broken and bruised, all while backed with hip hop.

“The Nail That Sticks Out Gets Hammered Down”

The normalcy of bullying is reinforced when teachers take part in the abuses, which, Yoneyama observes, can happen when a teacher “uses the bullying as a method of classroom management by siding with this powerful group of students.” In a school system that has been critiqued for aggressively promoting conformity, researchers have observed that social control in junior high school and high school settings can be meted out via peer pressure—including bullying. As Yoneyama states, “Although students themselves may not be aware of it, bullying serves as an illegitimate, ‘school-floor’ peer-surveillance system, which helps to perfect the enforcement of school rules.”

National Women’s Health Week 2016: Indigenous Women at the Forefront of the Fight for Health Equity

In their work with local communities, Fundaeco found it impossible to separate reproductive and environmental rights. In particular, women are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, and they are also key to successful conservation and sustainable development. And the grassroots work of Fundaeco brought them face-to-face with a terrible reality: Women were dying in environmentally sensitive areas. What’s worse, they were dying from wholly preventable causes including pregnancy complications.