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On Sexual Harassment And The Trumps

Aug 10, 2016

On Sexual Harassment And The Trumps

Last week, in response to the news that multiple female employees of Fox News had accused Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, Donald Trump told USA Today that if his daughter Ivanka were sexually harassed at work, she would “find another career or another company.” His son Eric then commented that Ivanka is “strong” and “powerful” and wouldn’t “allow herself” to be sexually harassed. These statements are both preposterous and offensive. As with all gender-based forms of ab

Mar 2, 2016

Culture Change Begins At The Top

During the World Economic Forum several weeks ago in Davos, Switzerland, Vice President Joe Biden made a strong statement in support of something that we have long known to be true: that cultural change is required to end gender violence. Speaking on economic progress for women, Vice President Biden firmly reminded the group of business leaders and politicians that we have to end gender violence to allow women to have economic freedom: “Folks, all the opportunity and entrepr

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

Dear CDC...

Feb 17, 2016

Dear CDC...

Dear CDC… Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released recommendations for women of childbearing age, which immediately drew backlash for its advice that women of childbearing age who are not on birth control should not consume alcohol. That particular suggestion has drawn quite a bit of anger, and rightfully so: treating all woman of childbearing age as potentially pregnant is incredibly paternalistic. However, it was another piece of information from

Why Risk Reduction Isn't Enough

Jan 13, 2016

Why Risk Reduction Isn't Enough

Almost without fail, if an article about rape is posted on the internet, there will be at least one comment listing what steps potential victims (usually women) should take to stay safe. These strategies range from not consuming alcohol or drugs to dressing conservatively to having a buddy system so you are not out alone. This line of thinking was perpetuated by a German mayor, who — in response to mass sexual assaults in her town on New Year’s Eve — suggested that women sh

Sep 2, 2015

We're Anti Anti-Rape Underwear

In November 2013, a campaign was launched to fund the manufacture of a new type of garment designed to prevent rape. Recently, the videos promoting this “anti-rape underwear” have begun to recirculate on social media, with many people proclaiming it to be an excellent idea. The underwear consists of webbing and cut-resistant straps to prevent an attacker from removing the garment, and looks like tiny workout shorts. But while the inventors may have great skill and ingenuity

Aug 12, 2015

Viral Victim-Blaming

Last week, we posted a graphic on our Facebook page that quickly went viral — at the time of this writing, it had been viewed by over 840,000 people. With so many people seeing this picture, it was almost inevitable that we would get a wide range of opinions in the comments….and we did. Many were fantastic, and spot-on in their assessment of what this meme meant. Others completely missed the point, and did exactly what the photo was telling them not to do — blame the victi

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