May 17, International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia / Moscow marchers arrested. Appeal to boycott Eurovision

today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (“IDAHO”)

news from Russia: “Moscow marchers arrested on IDAHO. Appeal to boycott Eurovision”

Up to 80 people arrested as Moscow anti-riot police use violence to break up Slavic Pride march

Boycott Eurovision, say Pride organisers
Pride organiser Nicolai Alexseyev to be kept at least 2 days in jail

more

also, this year IDAHO highlights transphobia: below is an appeal that can be signed: add your voice!

“Join 300 organisations in 75 countries, 3 Nobel Prize Laureats and many more. Sign our International Appeal to Reject Transphobia and to Respect Gender Identity”

THE APPEAL: (SIGN IT HERE)

Reject Transphobia, Respect Gender Identity: An Appeal to the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the States of the World [PDF]

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fwd: Ziua V 2009 la Bucuresti

Asociaţia social culturală Baraka te invită marţi, 12 mai şi miercuri, 13 mai 2009, la orele 20.00, la două reprezentaţii ale piesei de teatru „O amintire, un monolog, un strigăt şi o rugăciune” la Orange Concept Store, Calea Victoriei 41 din Bucureşti. Reprezentaţiile inaugurează campania Ziua V 2009 la Bucureşti îndreptată împotriva violenței asupra femeilor.

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women in tech: RailsConf 09 panel

RailsConf 09: “Women in Rails”
Desi McAdam (Hashrocket, Inc. and DevChix, Inc.) Sarah Mei (LookSmart) Lori Olson (Dragon Sharp Consulting)

A general question like “How do we get more women into technology?” isn’t actually useful for our community. Discussion usually devolves into nature vs. nurture, then affirmative action, and it all goes south from there. So in this session we get down to brass tacks: How specifically can we bring more female programmers into the Rails community? How can we get them to come to RailsConf? Why aren’t they here already? You’ll hear from the folks whose voices are often not heard when this question is asked: the women themselves who are already here.

via anna, imc-women list

[about Ruby on Rails]

[DevChix]

tech books for mother’s day

a woman’s interesting initiative, resulting in a different kind of mother’s day promotion:

Women in Tech Rock! Join our Mother’s Day Celebration: Give a Tech Book & Get 40% Off

Twitterer HilaryP is a developer, a technical evangelist, and the pregnant mommy of a toddler. And though she likes girly things like yoga and beauty products as much as the next gal she was also looking for a Mother’s Day discount that appealed to her geeky desires. Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media agreed.

via anna, imc-women list

one can only hope that one day “girly” (“womanly”?) will mean as much “technical”/”tech book loving” as “yoga-loving” and “beauty-product loving”… and this type of thing may certainly help! though let’s hope that we’ll work on what “manly” (“boyish”?) means in people’s imaginations (and what we see around us), too.

Avortul, din nou o problema pentru femeile din Romania?

“ONG-urile despre Noul Cod Penal: Romania e singura tara din UE care interzice avortul terapeutic daca fatul are peste 24 de saptamani. Primul pas spre interzicerea avortului?” (Hotnews.ro)

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Comunicat de presa

5 mai 2009 – Romania este tara membra a Uniunii Europene cu un trecut dramatic in ceea ce priveste politica avortului. Astazi, din nou, drepturile femeilor, sanatatea sau chiar viata acestora risca sa fie puse in pericol prin adoptarea de catre Parlamentul Romaniei a unor modificari in Codul Penal, respectiv interzicerea avortului terapeutic efectuat dupa varsta de 24 de saptamani de la conceptie şi propunerea de recunoastere a fatului dupa 24 de saptamani ca persoana bucurandu-se de drepturi. Ca efect imediat al acestei initiative, Romania va deveni singurul stat membru al Uniunii Europene care interzice avortul în situatii in care viata femeii insarcinate este pusa in pericol.

Avortul terapeutic se efectueaza in situatii exceptionale, atunci cand viata sau sanatatea fizica sau mintala a femeii insarcinate este pusa in pericol de continuarea sarcinii. Necesitatea efectuarii unui avort terapeutic se stabileste de la caz la caz, in functie de gravitatea situatiei, exclusiv in relatia medic-pacient. Masurile legislative propuse de Parlament vor afecta actul medical bazat pe aceasta relatie cu pacientul, medicul putand fi pus in situatia de a refuza o intrerupere necesara de sarcina. Se incalca astfel etica actului medical prin care personalul medical trebuie sa acorde prioritate sanatatii si vietii femeii insarcinate. Femeia insarcinata este pacientul si prin urmare medicul are obligatia fata de pacienta de a face tot ce ii sta in putere pentru a-i salva viata sau sanatatea.
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