Sports Figures Who Stepped Up

Cultural critic Dave Zirin has just published "The John Carlos Story: The Sports Moment That Changed the World" See interview w Zirin by J.H. Tompkins. Made me think about other sports figures who rose to the occasion amid turbulent times ie Billie Jean King (women's rights, equal pay) Arthur Ashe (apartheid). And Sandy Koufax who gained Jewish "sainthood" by declining to pitch in the 1965 World Series game 1 because it was on Yom Kippur. And then there's the shame of Tiger Woods (BEFORE his car accident and domestic troubles), refusing to apply a morsel of his fame toward social progress. What a waste.

Tennis Affair

Yahoo published the poem I wrote following Djokovic-Federer semi-final.

Buried in the Back Pages - AIDS 30 Years Ago

Here's an article and podcast in the Harvard Public Health Review on what I have to say now about the NYTimes' coverage of the epidemic's early years.
As a metro reporter in 1982, I happened to have written the Times' first article that used the word "AIDS." My article, dear reader, was not placed by the editors on the front page -- as it surely should have been.

Domestic Blogger Power

At the BlogHer '11 Conference I've so far encountered a preponderance of 30-something women writing about what would traditionally be called domestic concerns -- motherhood, children, health and nutrition, "home economics", couponing, crafts, and personal growth journals. When I am asked what Girl in the Locker Room! is about, several women have commented "Oh, you have a SERIOUS blog." This is a disappointing POV, but after a tour of the vendors exhibition hall, I noted that major brand name companies are courting these bloggers -- especially the food and home items producers. The "swag" is outrageous in order to prompt word-of-mouth endorsement. Companies obviously believe these women are a powerful economic force. Now THAT'S serious.

Reviving the Girl in the Locker Room

At the BlogHer '11 Conference in San Diego. Estimated 3,000 female bloggers registered! Time to revive Girl in the Locker Room.
I started this blog in the year 2000 when Salon offered the only community "web-log" platform. Bloggers numbered in the hundreds on the site at the time. Many changes, many voices worldwide have joined the conversation now.
This blog will continue to champion women who challenge gender barriers in employment, sports, and society. The hope is that the younger generations will not allow us to slip back into the Mad Men era from which my generation escaped and will push for the fundamental human rights still denied many women across the globe.