Consent must be expanded in its conceptualization and teaching. Consent education for all is vital, it is not political fodder—it is the foundation for civility, human dignity, decency, and the creation and retention of a safe and equitable society.
Tag: Rape Culture
To the Parents of My Daughter’s Rapist
“Your son raped my daughter. As a mother, my life is now consumed with a new kind of worry for my precious daughter. (And myself.) … Our anonymity is for our emotional protection—not because of any shame on our part. You, parents of the rapist, you are the ones who should feel the shame.”
The Crime Hidden in Plain Sight: An Interview with Amy Ziering, Director of ‘Allen v. Farrow’
We’ve grown accustomed to the premise underpinning the HBOMax series ‘Allen v. Farrow,’ directed by Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick. Yet another heralded male celebrity, this time Woody Allen, is exposed by accusations of sexual assault. Yet, what’s most disturbing about the details uncovered by the investigative work in ‘Allen v. Farrow’ is just how much hid in plain sight—for nearly 30 years.
#MeTooK12 Case Study: A High School Sexual Abuse Scandal
I embarked upon a three-year mission to advocate for myself and the dozens of victims of childhood sexual abuse. This article provides a #MeTooK12 case study in advocacy and activism and offers suggestions on ways to confront a sexual abuse scandal at a K-12 school, much of which would apply to both public and private schools.
No Shame On You: Is Humiliation Gendered?
More women are refusing to stay silently embalmed in shame for what has happened to them personally and professionally, while many men are declaring they are immune to feeling shame about their own acts.
“Promising Young Woman”: A Modern-Day Take on Rape-Revenge
“Promising Young Woman” is an allegory that reflects back to us a deeply disturbing culture that talks up female empowerment while complicit men—and women—exploit, demean, and silence women.
Evan Rachel Wood Is Helping Other Survivors Get Their Day in Court
For the past several years, Evan Rachel Wood has been championing the Phoenix Act—a bill which, if passed, would allow for special considerations in cases of sexual assault to extend the statute of limitations for victims to file charges.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Instagram Live Could Have an Impact on Assault Survivors
In an Instagram Live, Ocasio-Cortez revealed that she is a survivor of sexual assault and what happened to her during the Capitol riots. Advocates and experts say this could help other trauma survivors who suffer in silence.
Execution of Lisa Montgomery Delayed—the Only Woman on Death Row
Lisa Montgomery is the only woman currently on federal death row. The accelerated timeline of Montgomery’s case, and the Justice Department’s determination to proceed despite an election loss and her lawyers’ incapacity due to COVID-19, is an example of the dangerous consequences of its misplaced priorities.
80 Million No’s Mean No
The defeat of Donald J. Trump feels like emerging from a misogyny-trauma-hangover. The fact that he was ever elected and, as of this writing, has received over nine million more votes than his first run, is a massive global metaphor for rape culture.
For survivors of abuse and those who care for them, it was traumatic to watch his first ascendance to power, horrific to live through, and dehumanizing to have the prospect of a second term dangled in front of us. From the perspective of a women’s studies professor and life-long-feminist, one who is closer to sexual assault than anyone likes to be, the whole process felt traumatic.