#sexual violence
Last week, a NYTimes article by Kate Taylor entitled “Sex on Campus: She Can Play that Game Too” made its rounds throughout the Internet, and especially the University of Pennsylvania community, the backdrop setting for Taylor’s article.
Yesterday, Penn alumna Raja Jalabi published a powerful response in the UK Guardian called “College Culture? An Alcohol-fueled Frenzy of Sexual Harassment.”
I think both of these articles are necessary and important: necessary for dialogue, necessary for gaining perspective, and important in ushering change to create safer spaces for everyone both at Penn and nationwide.
Having read Jalabi’s piece, grateful for her publicly speaking up and out, I’ve decided to share a statement I wrote last week in response to Taylor’s initial article:
I found Kate Taylor’s article to be everything from triggering, disturbing, lacking sexual diversity, and deeply heterosexist, to necessary and important. I kept thinking about my own experience as an undergraduate at Penn, a four-year period I cherish, during which I built incredible and lasting friendships, learned from awe-inspiring mentors and educators, and solidified my personal and professional passions and dreams.
Yet, my time at Penn was also coated by both traumatizing and empowering sexual journeys. After my first month at Penn, I was date raped on my dorm room floor by a male stranger while I was drunk (a non-Penn student in town visiting a friend on campus); days before graduation, after a year and a half of chosen celibacy to heal from the aforementioned and other traumas, I had a positive and consensual one-night stand with a male Penn student, transitioning me into a sexual narrative that has since remained positive, consensual, and empowering.
Amongst the host of reasons I chose to attend Penn was their Classical Studies department and The Kelly Writer’s House. Others went for Wharton Business School, Penn’s Nursing School, to play basketball, to join an acclaimed performing arts group, or myriad other academic and extracurricular activities, taught and overseen by top notch educators offering world-renowned facilities.
Penn has spent billions of dollars on academic, research, financial aid, scholarship, scholarly, and creative endeavors. I hope that the Penn community - current students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumnae, and alumni - take this article as an opportunity to approach sexual experiences on campus, sexual identity on campus, sexual orientation on campus, heterosexism on campus, sexism on campus, sexual violence on campus, drinking on campus, drugs on campus, and student life on campus with the same care, funding, and seriousness that are given to matters of the mind.
Penn students, faculty, staff, alumnae, and alumni seek to be leaders in world thought, innovation, and change.
So let us.
Let this be an opportunity to embrace dialogue. To wear Kate Taylor’s article vulnerably on our sleeves. To pioneer a revolution awakening from the silence on these matters and the endless oppressions that jeopardize students’ safety and well-being. To ensure the next time someone writes a feature article in the New York Times about female student sexuality on Penn’s campus it lets go of anonymity and includes LGBTQ, male, and other gendered voices, and welcomes perspective from other campus spaces left entirely overlooked.
May we cease to shame others.
May we cease to harbor shame upon and within ourselves.
May we cease to feel threatened by sharing our stories.
May we ignite a dialogue through and with compassion and empathy.
May our bodies receive the same dignity we demand of and for our minds.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Warren Bernard
Email:[email protected]SPX Announces GoFundMe to Defend The 11 Bethesda, Maryland - September 14, 2018 Media Release
Last month, eleven members of the independent comics community and one publisher were served with a defamation lawsuit because of concerns they raised about a fellow creator’s alleged pattern of sexual misconduct.Whit Taylor, Laura Knetzger, Josh O’Neill, Tom Kaczynski, Hazel Newlevant, Emma Louthan, Ben Passmore, Emi Gennis, Jordan Shiveley, Morgan Pielli and Rob Clough, as well as the indie comics publisher Uncivilized Books, all need our help to defend themselves against these charges!
SPX has established the Defend The 11 legal aid fund to help these members of our creative community in their time of need. SPX is organizing this fund in consultation with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which brings legal and fundraising experience to the effort.
Of this next step in SPX’s fundraising support for the defendants, SPX Executive Director Warren Bernard said, “The response from our creative community about this case has been overwhelming. Now is the time to turn that rightful outrage into action. Contributing to this fundraiser, or helping us share it widely are steps that anyone can take to defend the eleven and in doing so, defend the kind of community we want to be a part of.”
Bernard continued, “Cases of this nature can continue for years, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When news of the lawsuit reached us, $20,000 was pledged to ensure these creators have immediate access to quality legal representation - but defending these charges of defamation is likely to be a long and expensive process. Most of that initial $20,000 SPX commitment from has already been spent to pay legal bills.”
SPXannounced its intent to establish a legal aid fund in a September 1, 2018 joint statement with the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund’s new President, Christina Merkler. SPX’s annual comic arts festival takes place this weekend in Bethesda, Maryland. In addition to the GoFundMe campaign, those wishing to donate to the #Defendthe11 legal aid fund can do so in-person at the festival.
Contribute to Help Defend The 11 Now!!!
Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501©3 nonprofit that brings together more than 650 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.
As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries. For more information on the Small Press Expo, please visit http://www.smallpressexpo.com.
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Planning the First @ReclaimYourVoice Event || For our first event, I decided to invite three speakers to share their stories. I planned to share my own story as well because I couldn’t ask anyone to do anything that I myself was unwilling to do. I approached three incredible women I knew who had each experienced some form of abuse. Although I strongly believed in this idea, my nerves began to kick in when it came time to ask if they’d be willing to share their stories publicly. I was worried that my proposition might come across as intrusive or insensitive, but all three of them caught me off guard by immediately agreeing to share their stories.
@cher.bear8 was one of the women I invited to speak. I knew her through my photography work and had photographed her many times over the course of 10 years. Her excitement about speaking at this event surprised me completely. When I asked her why she seemed so eager to share something so deeply personal with a room full of people, she said that the only opportunity she’d ever had to share her story was within the cold and unfeeling confines of a courtroom while a defense attorney picked apart every detail of her disclosure and did everything he could to make her doubt herself. At our event she would have the opportunity to share her story―her truth―in a room full of supportive people without being interrupted, questioned or contested. I had a lack of knowledge and experience in this field, but Cher’s enthusiastic response to this opportunity strengthened my confidence in this idea, and started to give me a sense of how complex and multifaceted trauma and healing was.
I recalled a quote from Mother Teresa that said, “I will never attend an anti-war rally; if you have a peace rally, invite me.” I’d been learning more and more about the importance of choosing words that focus on the outcome one hoped to achieve instead of on what one did not want, so I made the decision that this event was to be held not in the name of the war against abuse, but in the name of peace and healing for all.
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On average, every 6 days in Canada a woman is murdered by her intimate partner.
My ending is not so much a happy one as it is a lucky one. And that’s why I do what I do @reclaimyourvoice.
Yesterday during my meditation practice, in tearful gratitude I thanked the gods and the universe for this freedom, for this second chance at life, for these opportunities to become a better person, to love more, to give more, to grow more and for the glorious blessing of being able to heal underneath these palm trees. I thanked them for all the people they’ve sent to help me along my journey (you all and so many more), and said I will endure any storm they throw my way, but to just please keep sending these beautiful souls to help light the path.
Although in my recent post I shared how I escaped, my story is far from over. As most people who’ve been abused will tell you, the tough times don’t necessarily end just because we’ve been physically removed from the abuse.
So in the coming posts I will be speaking on what the aftermath of the abuse has looked like for me. May this and all the posts I have shared thus far be of benefit to those who need them most.
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Hillary’s Baby, Donald’s Maybe? Reproductive Injustice in the Era of Electoral Politricks
“Black death and trauma remains central to the campaign of the Democratic Party. At the July 2016 Democratic National Convention, black mothers whose children had been killed by either police or white vigilantes, in the “Mothers of the Movement,” encouraged the public to vote for Clinton and thereby promoted her path for restoration and change. The assemblage of women who attested to Clinton’s “compassion and understanding to support grieving mothers” offers a profound illustration of the use of black female grief and trauma as a political strategy in solidifying Clinton’s connection to Black communities in general, and to Black women voters in particular.” - Jallicia Jolly
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Important Japanese Women’s Rights Hashtags on Twitter happening NOW
(Please correct my translations if I’m wrong Btw)
#痴漢許さぬ漢の会
Romaji:chikan yurusanu han no kai
Translation: Molesters are not allowed in our society
#大丈夫ですかプロジェット
Romaji: daijoubu desuka purojecuto
Translation: Are you okay? project
Both of the following are reaching out to (mostly)women who are victims of sexual assault and are set to stop sexual violence
Today in my study abroad course on sex and culture in the Netherlands, we’re focusing on sex work, particularly the link between sex work and mental health.
Many studies have been conducted on the mental health of people (mostly women) who sell sex for a living. Most of this research has found that sex workers experience higher rates of depression, anxiety, and PTSD than the rest of the population. However, virtually of all of this research is based on studies of sex workers who live in countries where prostitution is illegal.
So what about places, such as the Netherlands, where sex work is permitted under the law? Do sex workers tend to have better mental health outcomes in these cultures? Research suggests that they do, but that working conditions matter a lot [1,2].
Women who work the streets, even in cultures where sex work is legal, experience high rates of mental health problems. This is due to the fact that those who work the streets tend to be in more dire financial situations (meaning they often enter prostitution as an option of last resort). They are also more likely to enter the profession to support drug habits and are at much higher risk of sexual violence due to the nature of this working environment.
By contrast, those who work in private studios tend to be much better off. In fact, in places where sex work is legal, sex workers’ rates of mental health disorders are no different from women in the general population [1]. Studios offer more protection from sexual violence and reduce the risk of sex workers being taken advantage of. For example, panic buttons are often installed in these rooms. Plus, others are often nearby to provide security and oversight. Those who work in studios (compared to those who work the streets) are far more likely to voluntarily enter the profession and to say they enjoy their work.
What all of this tells us is that it’s not necessarily the case that all sex workers are better off in cultures where prostitution is legal because working conditions and motivations for entering the job matter. They matter a lot. However, these results tell us that sex work is not inherently traumatizing. Many sex workers do enjoy their jobs and their mental health does not necessarily suffer because of it; however, this scenario is far more likely to be observed in places where sex work is legal than it is in countries where it’s illegal.
To get an inside perspective about what it’s like to be a sex worker in the Netherlands, my students and I are sitting down today with a Dutch sex worker at the Prostitution Information Center (PIC) for a seminar and Q&A (side note: the PIC is an organization dedicated to educating the public about the realities of prostitution–in other words, they’re ambassadors for sex work). If you’re ever in Amsterdam, I highly recommend stopping by the PIC and taking one of their tours because you’ll get information that you just won’t get anywhere else.
Follow the blog to keep up on what we’re learning during our study abroad trip, and follow our daily adventures or live vicariously through us on Instagram @JustinJLehmiller
Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click herefor more from the blog or here to listen to the podcast. Follow Sex and PsychologyonFacebook, Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTubeandInstagram.
[1]Rössler, W., Koch, U., Lauber, C., Hass, A. K., Altwegg, M., Ajdacic‐Gross, V., & Landolt, K. (2010). The mental health of female sex workers. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 122(2), 143-152.
[2] Krumrei-Mancuso, E. J. (2017). Sex work and mental health: a study of women in the Netherlands. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 46(6), 1843-1856.
Image Source: 123RF/Josep Curto
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Sex, dating, and relationships can do a lot of positive and wonderful things for us. But at the same time, there’s a very dark side to them as well when you think about issues like jealousy, lying, and abuse. So why do these things happen in the first place? And what can we do to prevent them?
For the latest episode of the Sex and Psychology Podcast, I interviewed Dr. David Buss, a Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He is considered the world’s leading scientific expert on strategies of human mating and is one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology. His latest book is titled When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault.
We talk all about his new book, which explores the evolutionary roots of conflict between the sexes. Some of the topics we get into include why lying and deception are so common in online dating, why people in long-term committed relationships often cultivate back-up mates, why we’re often attracted to people with antisocial personality traits, as well as why jealousy is the most dangerous emotion.
We also discuss whether and how evolutionary theory can help us to prevent or reduce things like sexual harassment and violence.
Clickhere to listen to the full show!
You can also listen to my podcast and stream all episodes on Apple,Spotify,Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes, and please rate and review the podcast!
Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click herefor more from the blog or here to listen to the podcast. Follow Sex and PsychologyonFacebook, Twitter (@JustinLehmiller), or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTubeandInstagram.
Credits:
Photo: David Buss
https://womensrightsny.com/revised-sexual-harassment-law-new-york/
Even if there is only one employee, one 1099 employee and that’s you, and you are being sexually harassed, you can fight back. Also under the same new revised law, effective July 2018, mandatory arbitration will no longer be mandatory for sexual harassment claims in New York.
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Hello all!
I’m back.
I wish I could say it’s good news but it isn’t… So life update: I just got out of a domestic violence relationship where I was not only strangled on multiple occasions but also raped again… and again… multiple times by him, I’ve also got repressed memories from my childhood coming back to me so that isn’t good.
However good news is the police seem to be taking this news more seriously then they did the prior case when I was 15 but we’ll see..
I feel like I failed at life. Oh may I add he’s on the run on 16 charges and I don’t feel safe at all.
But I’m here if anyone wishes to talk now
Women feel much safer at night in their own communities than they did 40 years ago — but they still feel much less safe than men.
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Restorative Justice Responses to Sexual Assault
If anyone’s interested the paper linked here (free to read and available as a pdf) is a good read especially if you’re new to the concept of restorative justice. It’s also relatively short (15 pages.)
The topic of restorative justice as it relates to sexual assault is a difficult one. I as a victim of multiple sexual assaults have a hard time wanting anything but like… painful death for my r*pists but like, being wholly committed to abolishing the prison system and our current punitive/carceral conception of justice, you can’t just pick and choose to who and what it applies. If we are to seriously consider restorative justice as an alternative to the current system - it’s got to include sexual assault too!
This spring, my Women’s and Gender Studies class at the University of Miami hosted an event called Canes Consent. The event was to raise awareness about sexual assault on campus with the aim of eradicating it, however one of our speakers told her story and we were all inspired to help her get justice. Angela (who has consented to having her name used for this cause) was violently raped by a fellow UM student to the extent that her vertebrae cracked, and the school only suspended her rapist for a semester. Because of this, he is currently back on campus endangering Angela and other students here. My class and I decided to help Angela get justice against her assailant and create a safer campus environment by getting her rapist expelled before he can graduate on May 8, 2015. We are also taking additional measures against him, however this is a priority. As a survivor of sexual assault myself, this is a very personal issue, so I ask that you sign this petition to support Angela and pass it on to whomever you can. This is a time for solidarity: together we can change the way the University of Miami, and other institutions like it, handle rape and sexual violence cases.
I am aware that this blog is primarily for telling personal stories, but at the moment I feel Angela’s story needs more attention than mine, because her cause can help make a change.
Thank you,
Anna Whelan
IWILLESV is looking for new blog contributors! We are looking for someone who is interested in creating posts (writings, pictures, etc.) for our blog who has a time commitment of about 1-2 hours a week, experience in the field, and a passion for spreading awareness for sexual assault! How? Simply send a resume to [email protected] about your experience and why YOU want to end sexual violence. For any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to email [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you!
-The IWILLESV Team
