A golden Buddha sits cross-legged in front of a mold of the vagina of Japanese artist Rokudenashiko. In Japan, her genitalia themed works are considered obscene and in 2014 they landed her in jail for a week. But feminist, artist and San Francisco State University associate professor Tanya Augsburg said the vagina mold captures the essence of a dialogue...
For many of the Mission’s homeless and marginally housed women, Ladies’ Night at the Mission Neighborhood Resource Center are where it’s at. “It” being hot dinner, good company, conversation, and the occasional game. It’s a tradition that’s been upheld at the center for 14 years. These are fixtures of any evening gathering, but in this case ladies’ night also offers...
At a rally for women’s rights to mark International Women’s Day, a few passerby shouted “bitch” and “shut up” at speakers who assembled in the rain on Saturday afternoon at the 24th Street BART Plaza. “You’re a bitch,” one man shouted at Frank Lara, a teacher at Buena Vista Horace Mann school nearby and one of a handful of men to attend the...
Women and girls from Mission nonprofits met at the Women’s Building Friday evening to join in the international movement “One Billion Rising,” and to accept a proclamation honoring local organizations from state senator Mark Leno. The name “One Billion Rising” is drawn from the statistic that one in three women will be beaten or raped in her lifetime, an estimate...
After Margot Kenney was followed to her home and groped last year, she immediately called the police. And then, she waited. It took weeks, she said, to finally hear from the investigator assigned to her case. When he spoke with her, she offered suggestions of where to look for video footage. Weeks later, he still had not collected new footage or...
Two women were sexually assaulted this weekend, within two blocks and about an hour of one another. Their cases are exceptions in the narrative of sexual assault: Both women were accosted from behind by strangers with whom they had had no contact before. But more importantly, both women chose to speak out about their experience. Margot Kenney, the first of...
Veronica Belmont looks like any ordinary 31-year-old, sipping her cappuccino at Four Barrel Coffee. Her bangs are coiffed (she trims them herself) and her nails shine with a purple-glitter manicure. And then she opens her mouth. “Maybe it’s not 50-50 in ‘Call of Duty,'” she says referring to the split between male and female users of a video game that...
Crystal Gonzalez says that when people see her comic books, they often assume a man created them. “From an early age, I would draw imaginary that is considered not female,” Gonzalez said, referring to the dark, disturbing and mutilated creatures that she would cast in horrific, profane and sometimes uncomfortable stories. “[People think] it’s OK if you’re a boy, but...
Come and celebrate the love of all dykes and women. The festivities of the San Francisco Dyke March will begin at 12pm on Saturday June 23rd at Dolores Park with DJs playing all afternoon. The rally will begin at 5pm on the intersection of 18th and Dolores with speakers and entertainment. Followed by the march beginning at 6pm. All women are...
It’s official, holiday season is in full swing! The city is teeming with bubbles, baubles, bunnies and elves. Check out the events listing below, as well as SFKids’ copious holiday events flyer and best bets of this week. Kids re-enact the first Thanksgiving on video, in a more accurate portrayal of race relations, warm fuzzies and all. Nancy López reports...
