Carla Hale, a teacher at a Catholic high school in Ohio, made news last week when she was fired after her mother’s obituary revealed that she was gay. But in just days, her students have helped gather 40,000 signatures on an online petition to support her.
Hale told The Columbus Dispatch that when she returned to work following her mother’s funeral last month, school administrators showed her a letter a parent, “appalled” that Hale’s name was listed next to another woman’s in the obit, had written to the Roman Catholic diocese of Columbus. The Diocese of Columbus fired her a few days later on Holy Thursday, according to a release from Change.org.
“To see The Church, which is rooted on love and acceptance, show such intolerance is extremely disheartening,” said Hope Vacarro, a senior at Bishop Watterson, according to Change.org. “Ms. Hale is a woman who has dedicated her life to the education of children, and she deserves immense respect for that. She is a moral and ethical educator who has done nothing but bring friendship and guidance to Watterson students.”
People are amazing sometimes.
Since this story went viral, the school has been targeted by threatening phone calls. Don’t do that. There are more productive ways to handle this situation.
There’s no reason not to sign this. If you don’t sign this, you hate America.
Most important petition ever
Officially endorsed by the man who made the gun control petition, just an FYI.
Important! There is an official White House petition to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday. You know what to do, America.
(via @noahchestnut)
Best part: A fantasy football site started it.
When we launched We the People, none of us knew how popular it would be, but it’s exceeded our wildest expectations. Through the past year, interest in We the People exploded and we’re closing in on 10 million signatures.
When we first raised the threshold — from 5,000 to 25,000 — we called it “a good problem to have.” Turns out that “good problem” is only getting better, so we’re making another adjustment to ensure we’re able to continue to give the most popular ideas the time they deserve.
Starting today, as we move into a second term, petitions must receive 100,000 signatures in 30 days in order to receive an official response from the Obama Administration. This new threshold applies only to petitions created from this point forward and is not retroactively applied to ones that already exist.
In the last two months of 2012, use of We the People more than doubled. In just that time roughly 2.4 million new users joined the system, 73,000 petitions were created and 4.9 million signatures were registered.
Note: Petitions that have already hit the lower mark will still get responded to, but new petitions have to reach the higher standard.
It is doubtless that such a technological terror in the hands of so primitive a world would be used to upset the peace and sanctity of the citizens of the Galactic Empire. Such destructive power can only be wielded to protect and defend by so enlightened a leader as Emperor Palpatine.Governor Wilhuff Tarkin of the Outer Rim Territories • In response to the White House’s official statement on a We The People petition which urged President Obama to authorize the construction of a Death Star. A response from the “Galactic Empire” has been posted on StarWars.com, and you’ll definitely want to take a minute to check it out. Today’s been a pretty great day for parodies, don’t you think? source
Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?The official White House response to the Death Star petition is pure comedy.
“President Barack Obama issued a video response Friday to a petition on the White House website calling for the stricter gun control measures in the wake of last week’s mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.
“Like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms,” Obama said in the video. “It’s encouraging that many gun owners have stepped up this week to say there are steps we can take to prevent more tragedies like the one in Newtown.”
Obama continued: “Here’s what I think we should do. This week I called on Congress to take up and pass common-sense legislation that has the support of the majority of the American people, including banning the sale of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, and making sure criminals can’t take advantage of legal loopholes to get their hands on a gun.”
The gun control petition, which had close to 200,000 signatures as of Friday morning, is the most popular effort ever championed on the White House’s “We The People” platform.”
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Way to go to tumblr! This never would have happened without everyone pitching in.
Heed the President’s words though: “If we’re going to succeed, it’s going to take a sustained effort from mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, law enforcement, and responsible gun owners. Organizing, speaking up, calling their members of congress as many times as it takes, standing up and saying enough on behalf of all our kids. That’s how change happens.”
Major props to perzadook for the petition, and bringing the issue to the forefront in a way where Obama responded directly.
It’s a banner week for White House petitions which deserve support. This one, which encourages the White House to classify the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group, has the backing of Anonymous, which is actively trying to stop the church from picketing the funerals of Sandy Hook shooting victims. It’s already topped the 25,000 signature mark requiring the White House to formally respond.
Here’s the conservative response to the prior, more successful, petition. No comment. (Side note: Hey, did you know you can create your own petition on Whitehouse.gov, and if it gets enough signatures, The White House must respond? That’s the fun part of democracy. You get both sides involved.)
115k signatories petitioned the White House to ask that Texas be allowed to secede from the United States
24k signatories petitioned the White House to demand deportation for Americans who sign secession petitions
(Source: forbes.com)
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#@#$%!.tumblr.com
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![Seventeen Magazine and the Body Peace Treaty: Building on a victory
Here’s the second entry in our weekly post series, “The Pitch.” This post, written by our very own Sami Main, analyzes the broader impact of Seventeen Magazine’s recent “Body Peace Treaty.” Find her on Twitter over here.
It happened once. Can it happen again? It’s the stuff of really great TV shows: A few months ago, 14-year-old Julia Bluhm led a petition against Seventeen, a magazine whose audience is primarily young girls. She wanted editors at the magazine to adopt healthier Photoshopping habits and to use models that look more “realistic” to actual people. What happened next (hint: look at the picture above) has some wondering if Bluhm may have started a real trend. ShortFormBlog’s Sami Main analyzes the cultural impact of Bluhm’s simple idea with a wide reach. Read more after the jump.
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A simple petition, a big impact
84,000 signatures on Bluhm’s petition
» The end result: The magazine’s editor-in-chief Ann Shoket effectively gave into the petition — while claiming “we never alter the way the girls on our pages really look,” the person in charge of the magazine made a promise to her readers. “Our Body Peace Project is one of the cornerstones of our mission,” she wrote in a note responding to the petition. “We want every girl to stop obsessing about what her body looks like and start appreciating it for what it can do! And while we work hard behind the scenes to make sure we’re being authentic, your notes made me realize that it was time for us to be more public about our commitment.”
The reaction to the message
Now, it’s great that Seventeen has come forward, after some pressure, in order to be more open and honest about its policies. (It’s also a big victory for an activist group, SPARK, which has been fighting to limiting sexualized images of young girls in mainstream culture.) Magazines that have a younger audience have more of a responsibility to their readers who are still developing their self-image. Overall, reaction to the message has been positive, though some cultural commentators disagree with the motivations behind the idea. “If you want to use ‘real girls,’ Shoket, go for it,” argues Slate writer Hanna Rosin, citing the model used in the photo accompanying the “Body Peace Treaty” image. ”That might make for a really cool photo shoot. But this is not it.”
Previous cultural context, in Barbie form
While Barbie’s trademark nipple-less, mountainous, hard-plastic breasts are being cut down to size and that itty-bitty waist is getting bigger, her hips are also set to slim down with the new model, making her not so much more healthy and realistic as simply pubescent.
Mother Jones writer Lisa Jervis • Discussing a 1997 change to Mattel’s iconic Barbie dolls, which changed their waists and bust size. But the changes Mattel made didn’t come from the same motivations as Seventeen Magazine’s recent changes: Mattel’s change to conform to the “reality of fashion,” where Seventeen’s change came more from a place of compassion and understanding. source
The next target: Teen Vogue
Next up? Another magazine: With one victory past them, another petition was started by Carina Cruz and Emma Stydahar, two of Bluhm’s friends, against Teen Vogue. “It’s time for an end to the digitally enhanced, unrealistic ‘beauty’ we see in the pages of magazines,” reads the petition. “We are demanding that teen magazines stop altering natural bodies and faces so that real girls can be the new standard of beauty.” Teen Vogue, however, might be a tougher nut to crack.
32,000 signatures on the newest petition source
» The magazine’s reaction: It looks like Teen Vogue might be a tougher nut to crack. “Teen Vogue makes a conscious and continuous effort to promote a positive body image among our readers. We feature healthy models on the pages of our magazine and shoot dozens of non-models and readers every year and do not retouch them to alter their body size,” Erin Kaplan, the magazine’s PR rep, said to AdWeek. Some media outlets, like Gawker’s female-oriented Jezebel, reacted to the magazine’s statement negatively.
So what’s the next step, anyway?
One step forward, one step back. It seemed like there was a good amount of momentum toward a healthier age of magazines when Seventeen announced its support. Teen Vogue may not be as body conscious as other publications, but young readers still look to its pages for advice and guidance; that’s something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The fact that it has ignored such a request from its readers is a little disheartening. Maybe once it sees the effects of the positive press Seventeen received, Teen Vogue will change its tune. Beyond the magazine world, is there something popular culture can learn from Seventeen?
Sami Main is a ShortFormBlog staff writer who’s big on BuzzFeed. Contact her @samimain.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m79jx0Yn7U1qas8z9o1_500.jpg)
Here’s the second entry in our weekly post series, “The Pitch.” This post, written by our very own Sami Main, analyzes the broader impact of Seventeen Magazine’s recent “Body Peace Treaty.” Find her on Twitter over here.
It happened once. Can it happen again? It’s the stuff of really great TV shows: A few months ago, 14-year-old Julia Bluhm led a petition against Seventeen, a magazine whose audience is primarily young girls. She wanted editors at the magazine to adopt healthier Photoshopping habits and to use models that look more “realistic” to actual people. What happened next (hint: look at the picture above) has some wondering if Bluhm may have started a real trend. ShortFormBlog’s Sami Main analyzes the cultural impact of Bluhm’s simple idea with a wide reach. Read more after the jump.
They must’ve reserved them during the offseason, thinking it was going to be another season that the Lions still sucked. Unfortunately, they’re good this year, and now it’s like inviting a bad omen to play at your game.
Simply put, [marijuana] is not a benign drug.Gil Kerlikowske, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy • In the official White House response to a number of petitions calling for weed legalization. This is part of the Obama administration’s “We The People” program: Anybody can submit a petition on a topic of their choosing, and if it gathers enough signatures, the White House will issue an official response. It’s cool that they’re actually following up on the promise to address the petitions, though we imagine proponents of medical marijuana won’t be pleased at the response. source (via • follow)
The article is a relentless, transphobic and disrespectful attack against Chaz Bono that reflect’s Fox News’ support for Dr. Ablow’s stream of heteronormative and offensive articles. Coupled with his earlier (removed) post about Bono and his tirade against J. Crew’s Jenna Lyons, Fox News has repeatedly demonstrated that they have no problem publishing and backing Ablow’s hateful words as reflective of their news organization.
Fox News has previously removed an article Ablow wrote about Bono, following criticism from blogs and other news outlets. The current article, called “Don’t Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono on Dancing With The Stars,” promotes the idea that Chaz Bono is dangerous for children, likens sexual reassignment surgery to willingly amputating both of your arms or changing your species, discounts Bono’s transition as someone who “thinks she is a man,” and calls supporting transgender surgery a “tragic celebration.”
Sign our petition and tell Fox News that their continual support for Dr. Ablow - Fox News’ resident psychiatrist, is unacceptable. Transphobia should be and cannot be supported by a national news network.
If you don’t sign it, please send it around.
As we pointed out in our piece about the article, what Dr. Ablow wrote was beyond the pale. It’s a damaging article as a whole, and if you feel that it should be removed, you should probably sign this.
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