As campaigning continues for the November elections, women’s issues have taken the spotlight.
At UF, a panel plans to discuss the subject — as well as family issues — with students and members of the community at 6:30 p.m. today in Room 180 of the UF Levin College of Law. The panel will consist of UF faculty members and Florida politicians.
The Alachua County League of Women Voters and Trysh Travis, associate professor of women’s studies and associate director of the UF Center for Women Studies and Gender Research, organized the event.
Topics addressed will include the role of gender and sexuality in the election and women’s reproductive rights. The panel will talk about U.S. Senate candidate Todd Akin’s recent comments about rape, according to a news release.
“I find it frightening that someone whose ideas about reproduction and the violent crime of rape are so out-of-step with reality,” Travis said.
In February, Limbaugh called a Georgetown University law student a “slut” on air after she declared her support for President Barack Obama’s plan for contraception coverage.
Travis said female contraceptives should be legal and widely available.
“It is shocking to me that there are people in politics today who believe that women’s access to legal birth control should be restricted,” Travis said.
Panelist and UF College of Liberal Arts and Sciences senior lecturer Lynn Leverty said Limbaugh’s comments were “highly inappropriate” but not unusual for him.
At today’s event, Leverty will speak as an expert on women voting.
“Students are rather surprised to find out that one of the most significant voting groups is actually older women,” she said.
The Alachua County League of Women Voters will register voters at the event.
“I hope the panel will give people better information about what’s at stake for the election this fall,” Travis said.
