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It's Not About Jeffrey Epstein.

Jul 16, 2019

It's Not About Jeffrey Epstein.

Last week, billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on charges that he trafficked dozens of minors for the purposes of sex between 2002 and 2005. The news of his arrest made international headlines, as Epstein previously received a lenient sentence for similar charges in Florida after making a sweetheart deal with then-prosecutor Alexander Acosta (who recently resigned from his position as the Secretary of the United States Department of Labor). His arrest also l

This Is What We Mean By Rape Culture

May 15, 2019

This Is What We Mean By Rape Culture

On one day in early May, two stories caused outrage across social media and beyond. In the first, a New York bus driver pled guilty to raping a 14 year old girl who he met through his job. He also provided her with alcohol. Despite admitting to these crimes, he received no jail time for the offense. According to the judge, the sentence of 10 years of probation, and a total of $1,375 in fees is appropriate because the defendant had no prior arrests and there was only one victi

Details of Cosby Juror Deliberations Show We Have a Long Way to Go

Jul 12, 2017

Details of Cosby Juror Deliberations Show We Have a Long Way to Go

Recently, the sexual assault trial against Bill Cosby ended in a mistrial, with the prosecutor vowing to seek a retrial. After a judge released the names of the jurors in the Cosby case, several spoke to the media about the case, giving anonymous accounts of the deliberations and their thoughts about the evidence. One juror’s views on the evidence in the case were particularly troubling — and show exactly what we mean when we say that we are living in a rape culture. Recall

Why Are Judges Giving Light Sentences to Rapists?

Sep 21, 2016

Why Are Judges Giving Light Sentences to Rapists?

Over the past months, the internet has been abuzz with the news that a judge has — once again — given a convicted rapist an incredibly lenient sentence. This has happened far too often in recent history, including: Judge Aaron Persky giving Brock Turner just 6 months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman because a longer sentence would have a “severe impact” on him. Turner was recently released after spending just 3 months in prison. Judge Todd Baugh gave 47

On Kesha + Justice for Victims of Sexual Assault

Feb 24, 2016

On Kesha + Justice for Victims of Sexual Assault

In 2014, recording artist Kesha (also known as Ke$ha) publicly accused her producer, Dr. Luke (Lukasz Gottwald), of drugging and raping her. She filed a civil lawsuit against him, alleging that he bullied her, drugged and raped her and held her to an unfair contract. In addition to damages, Kesha asked the Court to allow her to terminate her contract with Dr. Luke (negotiated when she was still a teenager) and work with other producers. Last week, a judge denied her motion

Stop Calling It Sex

Nov 11, 2015

Stop Calling It Sex

At least once a week, we see a headline in the local or national news discussing the latest case of child sexual assault (or rape). Invariably, these articles will refer to the accused “having sex with” the minor. This sort of story is seen routinely in newspapers and online media across the country, from reports about Jared Fogle to local stories about teachers raping students. When media outlets use this phrase, they are implicitly calling into question whether the child

Sep 16, 2015

We’re Protesting The Wrong People

In August, news broke that the Pittsburgh Steelers had signed Michael Vick as a backup quarterback. The backlash was immediate: animal lovers across the region sprang into action to denounce Vick (who served two years in prison for his role in a dogfighting ring), holding protests and launching social media campaigns against him and the decision made by the Steelers. While we agree that animal abuse is horrific and stand firmly in opposition to it, we can’t help but wonder

Jul 29, 2015

Rape Culture Is When...

In recent weeks, it’s become apparent to just about everybody that Bill Cosby is a serial rapist. The first known rape occurred in the 1960’s. By 2015, 46 women had publicly accused him of rape. Many people didn’t want to believe that any of this could be true until 3 weeks ago, when Cosby’s deposition in a 2005 case became public — including his shocking admission that he obtained drugs to give to women that — in his words — he wanted to have sex with (the reality is that a

Blackburn 101: What Is Rape Culture?

Jan 14, 2015

Blackburn 101: What Is Rape Culture?

If you follow us on social media or read our blog, you’ve seen that phrase hundreds of times: “rape culture.” It’s become a shorthand term in modern culture for any number of societal issues involving violence against women…but what exactly does it mean? In the first of our Blackburn 101 series, we set out to define this term to help all of our readers better understand exactly what rape culture is ... because if you don’t know what rape culture is or how to recognize it, y

Dec 10, 2014

We Must Believe Victims

Last month, Rolling Stone printed an explosive story of a gang rape at a University of Virginia fraternity, which quickly became the focus of national outrage. This weekend, Rolling Stone retracted their story, citing discrepancies between the victim’s story and facts later unearthed by other news organizations. The retraction set off a wave of commentary, with many questioning whether the woman featured in the story, “Jackie,” had even been raped. Without a doubt, the fail

Nov 28, 2014

Why Victims Wait to Report

This originally was published in LNP on Sunday, November 23, 2014 As allegations against Bill Cosby resurface and new alleged victims come forward, it is important to remember why victims of sexual assault, especially when victimized by celebrities, wait to report, if they choose to report at all. Sexual assault can cause intense feelings of humiliation. Denial, shame and self-doubt are all typical psychological byproducts of being abused by someone you trusted. Victims often

Nov 18, 2014

It’s Time to End Pick Up Artist Culture

If you follow pop culture, you may have heard of a community of men known as pick up artists — or PUAs — who give advice in books, online and on TV shows on how to “score” with women. While they may claim to just want to help lonely men be more successful in relationships, the reality of their advice is far more sinister. Recently, a PUA named Julien Blanc made international news when — thanks to pressure from activists — Australia revoked his visa and he was forced to leave

What Exactly Is Sexual Assault, Anyway?

Nov 12, 2014

What Exactly Is Sexual Assault, Anyway?

Campus sexual assault has been a hot topic in the news over the past year, between student protests, high profile cases and the formation of a White House special commission to address the issue. Across the country, colleges and universities are revamping their sexual assault policies, holding forums on sexual assault, and encouraging bystander intervention programs. But for all of the publicity surrounding this subject, it appears that many young adults’ attitudes about se

Sep 25, 2014

Using Peer Pressure for Good

Campus sexual assault is a hot issue right now, with a Presidential task force dedicated to the problem and stories of college students taking extreme measures to bring attention to their schools’ failure to take action against their rapists. Much of the focus has been devoted to how colleges and universities handle allegations of sexual assault — or how young female college students should bear the burden of not being raped. But what about preventing sexual assaults in the

Memory Does Not Define Rape

Sep 4, 2014

Memory Does Not Define Rape

Singer Cee-Lo Green recently made headlines after pleading no contest to supplying a woman with Ecstasy; these charges arose from an incident where the same woman claimed that he spiked her drink, and that she woke up naked in his room. She immediately went to the police, and recorded a phone call with the singer where he admitted giving her the drug. Green maintains that the sex was consensual. But it was what Cee-Lo did after his plea deal that really raised eyebrows: he

Aug 8, 2014

This Is Rape Culture.

If you follow current events (or our social media pages), you have probably have seen the term “rape culture” used to describe a variety of things, from campus culture to catcalling to rape itself. This term has become part of our vernacular — but what does it mean? According to Marshall University, Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is