Blog Archives

ISIL Rape Theology: When “God” Erases Conscience

conscience 3ISIL 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

Sexual assaultby 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

Why Are Men Surprised About Rape?

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town

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

Women catcalling men

Women catcalling men

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?

University of Virginia protesters

University of Virginia protesters

Note: Rolling Stone issued a statement saying there are some discrepancies in Jackie’s story. (See note below).

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

Chimp Study: Assault Aids Procreation?

Mean chimps

Mean chimps

Violence against women may aid procreation?

Some evolutionary psychologists actually think so.

After all, mean male chimps sire more offspring than their friendlier brothers, an Arizona State study findsRead the rest of this entry

Yes means Yes: Consent is Sexy

consent is sexySuppose someone you know slightly arrives at your home, baggage and all, and just barges in and stays overnight. When you protest, the response is, “Well, you didn’t say no.”

Or imagine that a man breaks into your home while you sleep off a night of drunken revelry, and robs you blind. Did your drinking imply consent?

No.

Yet a lot of people think it’s okay to enter a woman’s body when she hasn’t said she would like that.  Read the rest of this entry

Yes Means Yes: There Oughta be a Law

Yes Means Yes

Yes Means Yes

Should “no means no” be upgraded to “yes means yes”?

The California Legislature says state-funded colleges should do just that when determining whether a complaint constitutes rape. By a 52-16 vote in the State Assembly and unanimously in the Senate.

Because:

  • Rape is rampant on college campuses, where 1/5 of women are assaulted
  • Rape charges on campus almost always involve alcohol
  • When people are drunk, they often can’t say anything

Read the rest of this entry

Blaming Victims of the Powerful

There is no honor in killing innocent victims

There is no honor in killing innocent victims

Trigger Warning: May be triggering for rape victims

Ten-year-old “G” was attacked in a rape so violent that it made a hole between her vagina and rectum.

She bled so heavily that she nearly lost her life.

In the hospital, G’s mother and aunt fretted over community pressure to kill her to retain family honor.

Little G felt homesick at the hospital, but no one had the heart to tell her that her family was conspiring to kill her.  Read the rest of this entry

Must I Give Sex To Get Love?

The Pink Lady

The Pink Lady

By The Pink Lady @ Scratch Paper

Let’s talk about sex.

In all honesty it’s never been a very comfortable subject for me, and it’s taken a long time to figure out why. It wasn’t until my women’s studies class in college that the pieces started coming together, and I really started to figure out why I relate to sexuality the way that I do.

Trigger Warning: May be triggering for victims of sexual assault.

When I was younger (early teens) I was assaulted a number of times on my middle school campus, at my church, on various church events, and even in my own home by people who until these acts were committed I was pretty convinced were interested in me as a person.  Read the rest of this entry