Amina & The Topless Protest

In 2013 a young Tunisian woman named Amina Tyler protested topless as a part of the FEMEN organization, which sparked outrage across the world Amina posted pictures of herself topless on her facebook declaring “Fuck Your Morals,” and “My Body Belongs to Me,” before traveling to Paris to study journalism.

In support of Tyler’s fight, FEMEN labeled April 4 “International Topless Jihad Day” and organized protests across Europe. Amina was imprisoned for her actions and released after protests emerged across several countries, and released shortly afterwards and was allowed to go study in Paris.

Parisian woman supports the Free Amina movement.

 

Young women protest for Amina’s release.

I know I’ve done a previous post about topless protests, but I think this warrants attention. Women’s bodies are still seen as things that need to be covered up – something that we need to be ashamed of. If we really want change we have to change the way we think about women, including their breasts. Because our bodies are our own, and no one has the right to make us feel inferior about them, for any reason. Restrictions on women are felt everywhere, but are particularly harsh in the Middle East and other regions, which is why they need our support.

Don’t forget to love your body, and don’t let anyone put you down because of it.

Full articles found here and here.

Criminal Intent

 

Some women need to think twice before they support catcalling.

Carry That Weight – Making Change at Columbia

Early last year a student at Columbia University – Emma Sulkowicz – was raped by a fellow student. When she went to the disciplinary panel she received appalling treatment and was forced to relive and recreate her attack for a board of supposed professionals. She wasn’t given the proper care, time, or attention in her case and received no justice – she still is forced to go to college alongside her rapist.

So she decided to take action. A visual art student, Emma created the performance piece “Carry that Weight,” in which she carries around a dorm mattress every day, where ever she goes, as long as she goes to the same college as her rapist.

And she does. Below you’ll find her a video explaining her piece, but she carries a mattress to class, to the gym, to the studio. Everywhere. It shows how survivors of rape and sexual assault don’t get to go back to their normal lives – the weight of their attack will be with them forever. And when we allow for rapists to go free, we’re condoning their violence and conditioning them to think that it’s ok to sexually assault and rape, because they know they can get away with it.

Every one should watch the video below about Emma’s story and her piece, because it really is very moving. And if you or someone you know was a victim of sexual assault or rape, please help yourself and help them. Especially if you’re on a college campus. Since our own administration won’t look out for us, we’ll just have to look out for ourselves.

The full articles can be found here and here.

An Amazing Woman – A Positive Post

I know a lot of the posts lately have been about rape and injustices connected with it, so I wanted to post a positive story here to remind us that the world isn’t only bad, and that there are some amazing women (and men) out there making a difference in the world.

Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, physician and Greenpeace activist, moved her medical clinic to the middle of the ocean so that all women could receive safe, legal medical abortions – especially in countries where abortions are completely illegal. This is a part of her organization Women on Waves, which uses offshore locations to further abortion access.

“How could we create a space in which the only permission a woman needs is her own?”

Gomperts uses misoprostol, a safe (and in some places, legal), abortion-inducing drug to assist her patients. Her goal is to not only provide this service to women, but also educate them about the issues of abortion and the concerns of the drug, so that her patients can be informed and safe for the future.

Abortion is a very controversial topic when it comes to feminism, but the truth is, is that it should be a woman’s choice of what she wants to do with her body. And when women turn to various “shady” methods of abortion they’re endangering their lives. Gomperts is providing a service for these women, and is empowering them to take back control of their own bodies.

Full article here.

Sports over Rape?

 

 

So this popped up on my dash a few months ago, and I think it’s something that needs to be addressed. It’s a similar situation to what happened at UVA (which I posted about here) and is part of a deeper problem that we have here in America. Even though I don’t necessarily have a “team” that I follow or cheer for, I understand that sports are fun, they bring people together, they have their own sub-culture that has a place in societies across the globe.

But when we’re willing to let rapists go free because we don’t want to lose a basketball game, then we have a problem. These rapists admitted to their crime, but they were let go. It seems that college administration can’t be trusted to take our lives (our our daughters’ lives) seriously. If anyone wants to say that a game is more important than a woman’s freedom, sense of security, life – then we have failed. As parents, educators, friends, and administrators.

It kills me to have to say this, but if you have been raped or sexually assaulted, don’t just go to your school administration. Go to the police. Call RAINN for help, support or advice. (This is their website, it has all their information). If you know someone who has been raped or sexually assaulted, help them make this decision. I know it’s hard and exhausting and emotional but you need to do this for yourself. I know that some victims worry about “ruining someone’s life,” but if your attacker wasn’t worrying about ruining your life, you don’t need to bother yourself with ruining his.

Send a message to your college. Let them know that we’re not going to let rapists wander – studies have shown that a man who rapes once is more likely to do it again and again and again. Whether it’s a letter-writing campaign, a petition, or a protest – we have to show them that we’re not going to take this lying down. A life is more important than any game.

You can do it. We’re here to help you.

Rest in Peace Leelah Alcorn

Just a few days ago a young transgender woman Leelah Alcorn committed suicide in Ohio, leaving a tragic note on tumblr. I want to take a moment to recognize her death – no one should ever feel so excluded and hated that they feel they have no other options than to kill themselves. Feminism does not exclude transgender women, and I think it’s important that we give them our support, because of all the opposition they face.

No one has any right to tell you who you are, what your sexuality, gender, or lifestyle should be. Leelah’s parents didn’t want to face the reality of what was going on with their child, and it ended in tragedy. Even if you don’t quite understand why someone is transgender or lives their life the way they day – the best thing you can give them is your support. I wish I could tell everyone that you are important, your life is important, and you will find people who unconditionally love and support you.

If you’d like to know more please check this link.

American Education and the “Rape Culture”

As a college student in Virginia, this Rolling Stones article really hit me hard. For those of you who don’t know the story, it’s about a young woman named Jackie who was gang-raped at a UVA frat party, and later endured a whole new kind of abuse as her school administrators and campus police tried to ignore the issue and cajole her into sweeping it under the rug. I don’t care if UVA is your alma-mater, or if you had a great time there, or whatever – you cannot tell me that this is ok.

When a woman, or girl in this case, is raped, it needs our attention because it is against the law. Whether or not UVA’s reputation will be affected is irrelevant – justice should not be sacrified for vanity and profit. If UVA doesn’t want to be known as the “rape school” (directly quoted from their Dean Eramo), then they should support a culture where rape is not tolerated. If we, as a society, ignore rape and let the guilty go free, then we are only rewarding this kind of behavior. And at UVA, it runs deep. This is a quote from one of their most beloved fraternity fight songs:

All you girls from Mary Washington
and RMWC, never let a Cavalier an inch above your knee.
He’ll take you to his fraternity house and fill you full of beer.
And soon you’ll be the mother  of a bastard Cavalier!
“Rugby Road”

I’m not saying we should ban parties, or fun, but we’re losing respect for women on a very instinctual level here. For some reason we are teaching our children that women are inherently liars. After this article was released a lot of people had negative reactions towards Jackie, claiming that she was lying, or wanted attention and other such bullshit. Plus we shouldn’t teach our children that because their parents are wealthy, connected, or privileged that it means they are excused from the laws. No one is above the law.

Blaming the victim doesn’t solve the problem – it only blinds us to the truth so we can continue to live our comfortable lives where heinous acts like this don’t happen “in our neighborhood.” If anyone truly loved UVA, they wouldn’t want to see it change for the better, not continue in a descent of rape and forced ignorance. Women and men need to be more supportive of rape victims, and more aggressive in the fight for justice here. I think everyone should check out this article – I know it can get very heated so please remember to check yourself before you comment something you might regret later.

Is catcalling a crime?

Today we’re going to talk about an issue that’s been hot in the news lately: catcalling. There are a lot of mixed feelings in the media about how we should react to it, or whether or not it’s a bad thing. To many men it seems like a small issue, probably because they’ve never experienced it in their lives. So before we talk about it, let’s take a moment and consider how it makes women feel.

In the best-case scenario, catcalling makes us feel uncomfortable. In the worst-case scenario, it makes us afraid to walk down the street alone. So in reality, regardless of what kind of issue it is, if it’s appropriate, how much is appropriate, etc., it really comes down to this: it makes us uncomfortable, we don’t like it, you should respect us and stop. But for some people this simplicity is too overwhelming, and it becomes a much bigger issue.

Let’s take one sentence that I think encapsulates the absolute hypocrisy of this man’s argument. “Then carry a gun.” He spends a significant amount of time arguing that catcalling isn’t a problem and that women are overreacting, yet one of his final points is to carry a gun, perhaps the definition of an overreaction. And I think it’s crucial that we recognize that this is a huge part of the problem. Catcalling: instead of men changing their behavior, women should carry firearms. Why are we, as women, responsible for the inappropriate actions of men? We see this with rape too. In order to avoid being raped, I’m supposed to: never go out at night, always walk with a buddy, carry mace, have a rape whistle, learn some form of martial arts, and never wear anything that reveals my chest, thighs or ass. Why don’t we just teach people that rape is bad? And we shouldn’t do it? We as a society are approaching these issues all wrong. Instead of being proactive, we’re being reactive. Women (and men) get raped, so we have to change how we live our entire lives, instead of passing legislation and supporting a society where cases of rape are better handled.

Catcalling is the same principle – we’re approaching it the wrong way. Instead of finding solutions we’re choosing to put all the responsibility on the victims, rather than the oppressors. So I’d like to encourage everyone to look at the issues in a different light, where instead of punishing victims we actually hold society to a higher standard to help prevent these issues in the first place.

 

The Dating Game

So if you keep up with some of the seedier corners of the news world, you probably know about Julien Blanc. This self-proclaimed “dating coach” was actually kicked out of Australia because he was so offensive to the general public that they asked him to leave.

His misogynistic approach towards “dating” is infinitely closer to rape than romance, and it’s absolutely disgusting. As we addressed earlier, feminism does not mean that we are against men, but this is a man who is completely out of control. Not only does he violate women’s rights, but basic human rights and simply common decency. He incites men to commit acts of violence towards women, and is known for coining moves such as the “choke opener” and forcing women’s faces into his crotch. The co-founder of his company, Real Social Dynamics, even committed a rape and publicly showed the video on Youtube

This type of bigoted and violent behavior is unacceptable. Blanc even posts on his twitter and instagram with the hashtag #ChokingGirlsAroundTheWorld, featuring pictures of himself choking women around the globe. And yet, there are people that defend him and even started a petition in his defense.

I completely understand how difficult it is in the dating world (or the casual sex world, as it may be), and that sometimes nice guys need a little push. But that does not mean that condoning violence against women is suddenly appropriate or even legal. So you’re shy? Maybe try talking to a girl before you choke her. Or maybe just stop telling her about your mother (or whatever).

People with attitudes like Julien Blanc – that women are inferior, disposable and that it’s ok to do them harm if it’s “all in good fun” – are the problem. They perpetuate negative gender roles and stereotypes that chauvinists use as an excuse to commit heinous acts against women. It doesn’t matter if she’s a stripper, or an escort, or if she’s mean and rejected you in high school – this is not an excuse for violence. If a woman’s not interested in you, that’s her right. Get over it.

Sources for this article can be found here, here, here and here.

The Burden of Proof

At the end of October the Washington State Supreme Court gave a ruling stating that the burden of proof cannot be put on rape defendants to prove that their victims gave consent. (An article with more details can be found here.)

The state laws previous required that defendants charged with rape had to prove with a preponderance of evidence that consent was given in order to escape conviction. In response to their new ruling they stated that it was the prosecutor’s responsibility to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that a crime had take place, not the other way around.

Originally Washington law forced rape victims to prove they had not consented – which discouraged victims from reporting, and led to the change shifted the burden of proof regarding consent to the defendant. Only now the supreme court is claiming that this is a misinterpretation of the law.

While I understand that in the letter of our laws traditionally places the burden of proof on the prosecution, there’s seems something strange about it all. If the victim doesn’t have to prove they didn’t consent and now the assailant doesn’t have to prove that they did, where does the burden of proof lie? This decision seems to make it even more unclear, and critics think it will make it harder to prosecute sex offenders.

I think it’s difficult to maintain a balance of fairness and equity in the court systems – you want to make sure that true criminals are convicted, but also that innocent people don’t get sent to prison for crimes they didn’t commit. I know that this is no easy task, but I’m also not sure that this reformed legislation will make it any easier.