Last week, news of another mass shooting at an American high school broke, this time at Santa Fe High School in Texas. 10 people died in the attack, and the gunman was taken into custody. According to the mother of one of the victims, her daughter had recently rejected the shooter after he had stalked her and refused to accept no for an answer for 4 months. A week later, he killed her, 7 of her classmates, and two teachers. 13 others were wounded in the attack. Many news o

America, we have a problem when it comes to our media — and it isn’t just the spread of fake news. In 2017 and throughout modern history, American pop culture has used abusive behavior as a shortcut for romance. The prevalence of this type of relationship dynamic is as startling as it is damaging. A new hit movie, Passengers, is just the latest in a long line of movies, books and television shows that glamorize unhealthy, abusive relationships. In the movie, the male lead (

When people think of gender violence, they may think of crimes involving physical violence, such as sexual assault or domestic abuse. While stalking may not immediately spring to mind, it is a serious crime that can absolutely devastate its victims — even if it does not involve a single instance of physical violence. Stalking can take many forms, but at its heart, it’s a pattern of behavior that makes you feel scared, anxious, harassed, or as though you’re in danger. It inc

Recently, there has been quite a lot of attention focused on the 50 Shades of Gray movie and books, with bloggers, activists, pundits and religious leaders decrying the clearly abusive and degrading relationship portrayed between the lead characters. One of our favorite posts highlighted how certain aspects of the story didn’t show love or romance — they showed abuse. For example, “If he monitors your phone calls and threatens you with physical harm because another man calls