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Meredith Ralston

Professor of Women's Studies and Political Studies, Mount Saint Vincent University
My research work has been mainly in the areas of women and politics, slut-shaming and sex work in Canada and the Philippines.

In my new book, Slut-Shaming, Whorephobia, and the Unfinished Sexual Revolution published by McGill-Queen's University Press in June, I examine the common denominators between the #MeToo movement, the myths of rape culture, and the pleasure gap between men and women to reveal the ways that sexually liberated women threaten the traditional patriarchy. Weaving in history, pop culture, philosophy, interviews with sex workers, and anecdotes, I show how women will achieve sexual equality only when the sexual double standard and good girl/bad girl binary are eliminated and women viewed by society as “whores” are destigmatized. Illustrating how women’s sexuality is policed by both men and women, I argue that women must be allowed the same personal autonomy as men: the freedom to make sexual decisions for themselves, to obtain orgasm equality, and to insist on their own sexual pleasure. Dispelling the myth that all sex workers are victims and all clients are violent, the book calls out Western society’s hypocrisy about sex and shows how stigma and the marginalization of sex workers harms all women.

Kamala Harris’s run for president is getting ugly, but Republican misogyny may backfire this time

Jul 27, 2024 12:51 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

United States Vice President Kamala Harris is making a bid for the Oval Office, replacing President Joe Biden to square off against Republican Donald Trump. She may become the first woman and second racialized person to...

Sex workers' rights: Governments should not decide what constitutes good or bad sex

Sep 28, 2023 02:59 am UTC| Health

An Ontario Superior Court justice has dismissed a constitutional challenge to Canadas sex work laws, saying that the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) does not violate sex workers Charter...

Economy

US-Led Coalition Targets Global Factory Overcapacity

Trade ministers from 12 G20 nations, the European Union and Poland have backed a US-led initiative aimed at tackling structural excess factory capacity and trade-distorting policies that contribute to global...

Mike Rogers Calls for End to US-Canada Tariff War

Michigan Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers is calling for an immediate end to the US-Canada tariff dispute, distancing himself from President Donald Trump on another major policy issue ahead of next months election....

Bangladesh GDP Growth Accelerates to 4.6% on Industrial Rebound

Bangladeshs economy recorded a sharp acceleration in growth during the April-June quarter, supported by a strong recovery in industrial activity and steady expansion in the services sector, even as agriculture lost...

France to Release 10 Million Barrels of Diesel to Ease Fuel Prices

France will release 10 million barrels of diesel from its strategic reserves as the government moves to ease tight fuel supplies and rising energy prices driven by the wars in Iran and Ukraine, Prime Minister Sebastien...

Oil Prices Rise as Hormuz Risks Offset IEA Stock Release

Oil prices climbed in volatile trading Wednesday as renewed Middle East supply concerns outweighed pressure from plans to accelerate releases from global emergency reserves. Brent crude futures for December rose 0.7% to...

Politics

Trump Backs Florida Golf Course as Presidential Retreat

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday endorsed a proposal to transform part of his West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course into a secure presidential retreat similar to Camp David. Its a great idea, and it will be used a...

Saudi Airport Attacks Kill Three as Yemen Fighting Escalates

Three people were killed and dozens wounded in attacks on airports in Saudi Arabia as escalating fighting between Yemens Iran-aligned Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces threatens regional aviation and key shipping...

Maduro, Wife May Face New US Torture Charges

Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, could face additional criminal charges in the United States over allegations involving the torture of Americans detained in Venezuela, according to a...

Trump Weighs FBI Probe Into Nolan Wells’ Death

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is considering asking the FBI to investigate the death of Nolan Wells, an 18-year-old Black man whose body was discovered on a Mississippi barrier island...

Saudi Arabia Probes Flydubai Cockpit Attack

Saudi Arabia has opened an aviation safety investigation into last weeks cockpit attack aboard a flydubai Boeing 737 MAX, while the United Arab Emirates conducts a separate criminal probe into the incident, according to...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Broadcom, Oracle and SpaceX Seek Billions in Private Debt for AI Expansion

Major artificial intelligence companies are increasingly turning to private debt markets to finance tens of billions of dollars in AI chips and data center infrastructure, as traditional funding sources struggle to keep...

TikTok Accused of Testing Fake Safety Tools on Users

TikTok allegedly gave thousands of users, including children and teenagers, non-functional versions of safety features as part of experiments on its platform, according to newly unsealed claims in a New York lawsuit. New...

Micron Shares Rise 4% Despite Taiwan Strike Risk

Micron Technology shares reversed early losses on Wednesday, climbing nearly 4% as investors appeared to shrug off concerns about a potential worker strike at one of the chipmakers major manufacturing operations in Taiwan....

San Francisco Halts New Data Center Construction With 45-Day Moratorium

San Francisco has imposed a 45-day moratorium on new data center construction as city officials consider tighter rules for facilities that support the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry. The San Francisco...

Florida Seeks Tougher Meta Rules to Protect Young Users

Florida is asking a state judge to impose stricter protections for young Instagram and Facebook users as it moves forward with its lawsuit against Meta Platforms, rejecting a broader settlement accepted by dozens of other...