If you grew up in the ‘90s, you’ve probably belted out R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” on more than one occasion. Or perhaps you remember blasting “Ignition (Remix)” in your friend’s car as a teenager. Whatever your relationship to R. Kelly and his music, it probably wasn’t all that complicated. But I’m willing […]
Author: Stephanie Hallett
Stephanie hails from Toronto, Canada. She is a Ms. writer, a master of journalism candidate and a hip hop dancer/instructor/choreographer. She got her start in feminist journalism at the age of 16 when she was a member of the first editorial collective at Shameless magazine—and she has never looked back.
DNA Evidence CAN Stop Serial Rapists
It was an ordinary day in October, 2002. Julie Weil and her infant son were picking up Julie’s daughter, three-year-old Emily, from her Florida preschool at noon. As Julie buckled her daughter into her car seat, she felt a sudden blow to the head. That day, Julie was raped four times in front of her […]
British Judges Free Child Rapists, Say 12-Year-Old Girls “Wanted” Sex
In March, six British soccer players confessed to gang-raping two 12-year-old girls and were sentenced to two years behind bars. But last week, an Appeal Court overturned the sentence, and all of the men were freed. The reasoning? “The girls wanted to have sex,” said Lord Justice Moses, who was among the deciding judges. “And […]
N.Y. Cops Acquitted of Rape. But Why?
Yesterday, two New York City police officers were acquitted of raping an intoxicated woman. They had been called by a taxi driver who said she was too drunk to get out of his cab and needed help into her apartment. Despite an admission in court by Kenneth Moreno, the officer accused of committing the rape, […]
If a Woman Isn’t Bruised and Bleeding, Will Her Rape Be Counted?
In late January, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) sparked outrage when he introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 3), which sought to further restrict abortion funding for all women. But what also angered feminists was that, in drafting an exception to allow abortion funding for survivors of rape, the bill defined “real” […]
Does the Reaction to IMF Rape Charges Show Progress?
International Monetary Fund leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn is being held without bail in Manhattan today on charges of attempted rape, sexual assault and unlawful imprisonment. The powerful French politician is accused of confining a maid in an upscale New York hotel and sexually abusing her on Saturday afternoon. Theories of a plot to defame the beloved […]
25 Facts About Rape in America
The FBI’s definition of “forcible rape” in their Uniform Crime Report (UCR): “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” [PDF] What that definition leaves out: anal, oral and statutory rape; incest; rape with an object, finger or fist; rape of men Number of men raped in any year, according to the UCR: […]
To the FBI, Lara Logan Wasn’t Raped
Less than three months ago, CBS News correspondent Lara Logan was brutally gang-raped in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. She was covering the Egyptian uprising on Feb. 11 when a group of 200 to 300 men suddenly snatched her away from her team. Then, “For an extended period of time, they raped me with their hands,” she […]
Aung San Suu Kyi Speaks to Feminists
On Tuesday evening, Nobel Peace Prize-winner Aung San Suu Kyi spoke, via video, to guests at the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Global Women’s Rights Awards. Suu Kyi was given the Eleanor Roosevelt award for her tireless work for democracy and human rights in Burma, her home country. In her acceptance, the pro-democracy icon, who was released […]
Trans Inmate Asks Calif. Prisons to Pay for Sex-Reassignment Surgery
Lyralisa Stevens, a transgender inmate in Vacaville, Calif., faces the daily threat of sexual violence behind bars. As a transwoman prisoner, she’s 13 times more likely to be assaulted than a non-trans inmate–and she’s asking the state of California to protect her. In a landmark lawsuit, Stevens wants the state to provide sex-reassignment surgeries for […]