Is the United States poised to become a refuge for domestic violence victims from other nations? If the Obama administration has its way, asylum in the U.S. could be granted to women who are victims of domestic violence and feel they need to flee their country to protect themselves.

Previously reserved for those who claim persecution by a government, political asylum in the U.S. is typically granted to those who demonstrate that their persecution is due to religious or political beliefs, race, nationality, or membership in a group.

Asylum for domestic violence victims would expand the guidelines to include women (and men) facing partner abuse.

Last week a Guatemalan woman, Rody Alvarado, who fled her native country in 1995 and applied for asylum in the U.S.,was granted her request by an immigration judge, opening up the possibility for others to follow suit.

The pressures of air travel may not bring out the best in people. Instead, it prompts gender-biased language to come flying out willy-nilly.

Or should I say charlie-snarly?

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) let loose the "B" word when a flight attendant asked him to turn off his cell phone. Although he didn't mouth it to her face, he did say it to his seatmate, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).

An aide told Politico.com, ""The senator made an off-the-cuff comment under his breath that he shouldn't have made, and he regrets it." Politico does not say what Gillibrand's response was when the "B" hit the fan.

Should she have spoken up and said, "Chuck, you can do better than resorting to gender slander"?

I spoke up when I heard a sexist comment on another plane on another flight, when the bon mot was delivered by a male flight attendant.

Is this another example of sexism in politics? Or nothing more than a mountain being made out of a molehill? Is the real story the bitter bipartisanship in Washington, since it was a Republican aide who ratted out Schumer to Politico?

Do you speak out when you hear the "B" word or other sexist language or comments?

Share your story: Why I Speak Out Against Sexist Language & Sexist Comments and see what readers have to say about it.

Related article:  Was I Wrong? Speaking Up About Sexist Comments

@amynluv recently messaged me via Twitter, asking for my thoughts on which feminist magazine she should subscribe to.

There are so many good ones, catering to a variety of perspectives, that there's no one-size-fits-all-women...or feminists.

But a really excellent deal just popped into my inbox from NOW (National Organization for Women) and Ms. magazine. It's so affordable that I'm passing it along to you.

If you join NOW with a $25 donation, you can get a year's subscription to Ms. for free. If you're already a NOW member, you can still take advantage of the subscription offer with a $25 donation. Here's the link for the $25 donation & free subscription.

As NOW president Terry O'Neill points out,  you can "be part of two feminist communities for one low contribution."

I don't know how long this offer will last so if it interests you, take a look sooner than later.

Earlier this year, a female director came out with a powerful film unanimously praised by critics but mostly unseen by the movie-going public. Now that we're entering awards season -- with "the best of 2009" lists being drawn up -- Kathryn Bigelow is finally getting the widespread notice she deserves for The Hurt Locker. And no, the title doesn't refer to a high school girl recounting her romantic woes to the metal cubby that stores her coat, books and makeup mirror. It's a film about men who disarm bombs, and it's being called "the first great film about the Iraq War."

What? It' a great film directed by a woman, and it's not a romantic comedy? This just goes to show you that Hollywood doesn't know what to make of Bigelow or other serious women directors, or female moviegoers in general. Generalized, sweeping summations of "what women like" abound in Ann Hornaday's "Women and Film" piece in the Washington Post -- and notably, most of these broad-brush statements were made by men. A no-holds-barred Jezebel interview with New York Times film critic Mahnola Dargis makes it clear Dargis takes issue with 'conventional wisdom' about women directors and female audiences:

Something like a woman winning best director for directing an action movie and not a romantic comedy is symbolically important. Whether it then leads to a lot of women doing things outside of the pathetic comfort zone of romantic comedy...we'll see. We know that because women are allowed to make romantic comedies that they can make romantic comedies. That's in everyone's comfort zone. The idea that a woman can be a great action director is not is everyone's comfort zone. That's [Bigelow's] exceptionalism....

There's a reason that women go to movies like Mamma Mia. It's a terrible movie... but women are starved for representation of themselves....

That's why [women] go to a movie like The Devil Wears Prada and make huge hits. They want to see women in movies. People in the trade press constantly frame that as a surprise. This, gee whiz, Sex and the City's a hit, Twilight, hmm, wonder what's going on here....In the trade press, women audiences are considered a niche. How is that even possible? We're 51 percent of the audience.

More on women and film in 2009:

• What Women Need at the Movies
• Let's See More Muffin-Top Heroines
• Seth Rogen's Date Rape Scene - Can Rape Ever be Funny?