: Sit Down Girlie

Alternative Law Journal

Sit Down Girlie

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The journal's most popular column is ‘Sit down Girlie’ which presents snippets on legal issues from a feminist viewpoint — with a touch of humour. Acknowledgments are due to a certain Registrar of the Family Court of Australia for the title of this column. A solicitor who was appearing before him was waiting patiently for her male colleague to finish addressing the JR. Assuming he had completed his submission, she rose to her feet — prematurely it appears — and the JR roared ‘Sit down girlie’!

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Girlie races into the new legal 
year with a hop, step and jump

Fanny First

Abortion inaction

Roe v Wade, the famous United States Supreme Court decision on abortion, is now 40 years old. But what a messy 40 years it has been for women. Many US States NOW have the most repressive anti-abortion laws in their history.  Miriam Claire published The Abortion Dilemma: Personal Views on a Public Issue in 1995, and a 2013 updated version notes that in some US states ‘abortion is now not an option … because threats and legal penalties against doctors who perform abortions have made the business of providing safe, legal abortions to women unsafe for medical practitioners and their support staff.’ (See also Miriam Claire, ‘A Woman’s Right to Choose Still a Public Battlefield’, The Age, 22 January 2013.)

(2013) 38(1) AltLJ 53
Category: Sit Down Girlie

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Girlie wraps up 2012

Hannah Kah, Mary Christmas and Issie Lamb

At last

Saudi female lawyers will finally be allowed to obtain practise licences. A Saudi newspaper has reported that on 8 October 2012 the Saudi Ministry of Justice gave its approval. The approval followed a series of discussions and consultations with experts and relevant bodies, both legal and religious, according to the Saudi al-Riyadh daily. Women with law degrees in Saudi Arabia have been allowed to work as legal consultants in companies or banks, but could not officially represent clients in court. They were, however, permitted to act as ‘representatives’ but were still not considered lawyers. The absence of a law licence also meant women could not open law firms in their own names.

(2012) 37(4) AltLJ 281
Category: Sit Down Girlie

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Girlie Advocates for Choice

Ada Vocate

Hanky Panky No Thank Ye

Mexico’s unsuccessful presidential candidate Josefina Vazquez Mota sounds like a most interesting woman. Not only was she game enough to stand for office in Mexico where drug-related murders are as common as cactus, she has also urged women to withhold ‘hanky panky’ from their partners for a month if they fail to vote in the elections on 1 July 2012 (The Age, 17 June 2012). Josefina is the first woman to represent a major party in Mexican presidential elections.

(2012) 37(3) AltLJ 200
Category: Sit Down Girlie

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Girlie Stands Up for an End to Violence against Women

Maree Mee, Freda Om and Dee Vorse

Home Truths

A series of articles in The Sunday Age has highlighted the issue of violence against women. Mary Crooks, Executive Director of the Victorian Women’s Trust, published an opinion piece discussing men’s role in preventing violence against women (The Sunday Age, 18 March 2012) and Nicole Brady published The Home Truth About Violence (4 March 2012) and four other relevant pieces (11 March 2012). These can be viewed on the Victorian Women’s Trust website at http://www.vwt.org.au/initiatives-26-128.html.

(2012) 37(2) AltLJ 131
Category: Sit Down Girlie

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Girlie greets 2012 and asks 
how far have we come?

Anna List, Lexi Cog-Raffer and Pam Flateer

Prominent Purveyors of Porn Pack Up

In January 2012 the Los Angeles City Council voted 9 to 1 to approve an ordinance denying permits to porn makers whose actors do not wear condoms. There are, however, some interesting enforcement issues that have to be nutted out. LA is the porn capital of the US and film makers like Vivid and Evil Angel are threatening to spit the dummy and shoot elsewhere. They say the industry is already heavily regulated and current health laws provide protection for actors who have to be tested for STDs every 30 days while working. AIDS activists argue condoms are needed because the industry ignores state health regulations. Veteran porn actor/producer Tabitha Stevens says, of condoms, ‘If you want to wear them, wear them. If you don’t, don’t. That’s up to the talent to decide. 
It shouldn’t be up to the government to decide.’ (Source: John Rogers, Associated Press, 17 January 2012).

(2012) 37(1) AltLJ 58
Category: Sit Down Girlie

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