Category Archives: rape and sexual assault
Does Provocative Dress Ever Cause Rape?
Some friends were discussing the “Slut Walks” that keep popping up, and someone asked whether provocative clothing ever plays a role in rape. Interesting that “provocative” is used to describe a style of dress, suggesting that clothes actually provoke something. Attention? Desire? Rape? Read the rest of this entry
Back to School, I Mean Rape Culture
As college women returned to school this fall, some were welcomed back to rape culture.
A few college boys who haven’t yet grown into man-sized shoes unravelled banners shouting:
Freshman Daughter Drop-Off
Hope your baby girl is ready for a good time
Go ahead and drop mom off too Read the rest of this entry
High School “Salute” Spurs Sexism
Owen Labrie is charged with raping a fifteen year old while trying to “score” in a high school game dubbed “the Senior Salute.”
Whether or not he is guilty, the game institutionalizes sexism. And it’s the sort of thing that can spur assault. Read the rest of this entry
ISIL Rape Theology: When “God” Erases Conscience
ISIL leadership has deemed rape to be spiritually beneficial.
Including child rape:
It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty, if she is fit for intercourse.
Obedience to God can cause people to lose their conscience. Read the rest of this entry
Past Life
by Joy Farber @ littletreefarber
The scene though far removed remains vivid in my mind.
Images pulse in front of me like morse code.
A little girl– afraid– watches mute as acts that will shape her identity, and behavior for much of her life are committed. Read the rest of this entry
Your Privates Are Public
A 61-year-old man takes a picture up the skirt of a 13-year-old girl while she shops at Target. And gets away with it.
Yes, it’s lewd and appalling, but the girl was in a public place so it’s not against the law,
Hooking Up Is Fun. Or Dull. Or Painful
Some people like hooking up.
But it can be dull, or even painful – when it’s used to create male superiority.
Hooking up is painful
Kristy was making out with a guy, debating how far she wanted to go, when he stood up and ordered, “Get down on your knees.”
She froze. Read the rest of this entry
Why Are Men Surprised About Rape?
How could it be that a smart, worldly journalist knew so little about sexual assault?
When Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post reviewed Jon Krakauer’s new book, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, she wondered why men are so often surprised by the trauma of rape, and the difficulties victims face gaining justice.
Why, she wondered, did it take a personal experience of a young friend he was close to for him to “get it”? Read the rest of this entry
Catcalled Men Don’t Like It, Either
If women catcalled men:
- Damn boy! You look mo-no-ga-mous!
- Hey baby! Hey baby! You hear me? Yeah, because you’re a good listener!
- Oooooooo!! You look so emotionally stable!!!!
- What you got under that shirt, sweetie? Bet it’s a good heart.
- You look like a real mess. Let me fix you!
You can see the live version here: Read the rest of this entry
Frat-Boy Rapists Are Okay?
Why do we blame victims of brutal violence and shield — or even reward — their attackers?
Maybe you’ve heard about 18-year-old Jackie who met “Drew” when they worked as lifeguards at a University of Virginia swimming pool. Drew invited Jackie to dinner and a “date function” at his upper tier fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi.
Jackie was excited, and spent hours getting ready for the date. At the frat party she sipped some spiked punch and discreetly poured the rest onto the sticky floor. And then Drew suggested they go upstairs, “Where it’s quieter.” Read the rest of this entry







