Attack of the 5-foot woman

Boys can now get HPV vaccine

The HPV vaccine has been approved for young men (9 to 26).

The vaccine, Gardasil, has been available to young women for years, but was just recently approved by Health Canada for young men.      

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can cause cervical cancer in women. But men are carriers and the virus can also cause anal cancer.

While the vaccine is still relatively new and the long-term effect unclear, that’s not what stirred up controversy when the shot was first approved by Health Canada.

A large part of the backlash against the drug was from people who were concerned that vaccinating young girls against an STI was going to turn them into vapid whores (I’m paraphrasing here). Because cervical cancer is God’s punishment for not keeping your legs shut... or maybe it’s that young girls are too dumb to realize the shot does not make them completely invulnerable to STIs.

Let’s just wait for the same outcry about how the HPV vaccine will make young men promiscuous and careless  - but maybe don’t hold your breath. 

While I understand the general concern about new vaccines, if we want to use the shot to protect girls from HPV (at least girls who happen to be heterosexual), it makes sense to offer the vaccine to boys too.

Standing on guard for thee

The BBC has a great article on the first female deputy commanding officer of a combat arms unit in the Canadian military, Lt Col Jennie Carignan who is stationed in Afghanistan.

The sidebars include some fascinating info on the evolving role of women in the military. I had no idea it was only a little more than 20 years ago that the Canadian Forces was ordered by tribunal to fully integrate women into the forces.    

Now women make up 13 per cent of the Canadian Armed Forces and are fighting alongside the men in prolonged missions like Afghanistan.

With more women willing to risk their lives to serve their country, the least we can do is make sure gender isn’t inhibiting their ability to rise through the ranks.

Count your lucky stars?

This week the community, and it seems the entire country, was shocked after the CFB Trenton base commander was arrested and charged with murdering two women and sexually assaulting two others.

The matter is working it’s way through the justice system, and I want to stress that none of the allegations have been proven in court.

But this blog isn’t really about Colonel Russ Williams, it’s about the women.

More than once this week, I’ve heard the two Tweed women who were sexually assaulted in September but not killed, described as “lucky”.

If a man broke into my house in the middle of the night, bound me to a chair and sexually assaulted me - I think I’d have a hard time feeling lucky.

It’s a truly monstrous situation when a woman is considered lucky because a man helped himself to her body but not her life.

I know I keep talking about this idyllic world I want for my daughters. I’d like to add to wish list that they can live alone and not run the risk of being raped and murdered.

Friday tidbits

It’s been one of those weeks that just got away from me. But I can’t leave for the weekend without throwing up a few interesting links.

First the bad news:

Famous 9 year-olds are being used to peddle a scary concept - kiddie lingerie. I’m fondly remembering the days of footy pajamas and nightshirts so long I tripped on it while climbing the stairs to bed. But I’m not okay with the way this celebrity blog attacks these little girls as if they are solely responsible for the tarting up of pre-teens. Why aren’t the people making money off them worth mentioning?

Also a VERY old - make that ancient - dating concept is being dusted off in a new book “Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough”. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with expanding your view of who’s worth getting to know. But that’s called maturity, not settling. We can support ourselves and build exactly the life we want, with or without men, so why marry if you’re not a starry-eyed fool-in-love being treated well? With the complications of a wedding (and the very real possibility of divorce and child custody agreements) you’d have to be crazy to marry anyone you’re not crazy about.

And sometimes someone else puts together the pieces in ways that had not even occurred to me and I have to give a nod to her brilliance. Go read this.