sexual assault

Amid the debt ceiling debacle, Norway shooting, and fears about Europe's next default, a news story broke about Oregon Representative David Wu allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman. I'm calling it simply a news story because as we'll see, the reporting frames it strangely: "an unwanted sexual encounter," a "sex scandal," an "aggressive sexual encounter." Major journalism outlets like CBS, the Washington Post, and CNN all used similar language, and I began to wonder: Why aren't they calling it rape?

Highlights from this week on the web.

• The Root recognizes 15 years of the WNBA. Here's to tall women!
• Despite the endurance and growth of women's professional sports, Feministing reports on Wimbledon's contest to choose the best looking female player. One ace forward, two unforced errors back.
• xoJane endorses the My Body Gallery. What do you think of this body acceptance project?
• Philadelphia Weekly reports on Broad Street Review editor and Douchebag Decree nominee Dan Rottenberg's recent opinion article blaming CBS correspondent Lara Logan for her sexual assault in Egypt.
• Did you know that Geraldo Rivera called Casey Anthony a slut on Fox News last month? Mediaite asks why did he get away with it?
• Tiger Beatdown's Flavia Dzodan exposes Tumblr as the "White, kyriarchical, status-quo upholding, oppressive medium" that it is. In other news, my addiction to Beyoncé-themed Tumblrs continues to grow unchecked.
• At Jezebel Irin Carmon explores what effect the Wal-Mart case will have on female Costco employees' own class action suit. For some context, check out EvMaroon's Political InQueery from earlier this week.
• SPARK discusses new research on the sexualization of girls. Soon after Jezebel reports on the AMA's new stance on Photoshop in advertising.
• Thirteen's Riff City wonders Where Are the Lady Rappers? at this year's BET Awards.
• The Daily Beast asks whether or not Bristol Palin's account of losing her virginity in her new memoir constitutes date rape. What do you think?
• Calling all writers, Professor Jessie Daniels is looking for essays for "Aint I a Woman: Race, Feminism, and Social Media."
• We're really bummed we're not at the Allied Media Conference in Detroit right now! You can keep up with the goings-on by checking out their LiveStream, following the #AMC2011 hashtag on Twitter, or by browsing their conference guide for more online interaction.

And you? What are your reactions? What have you been reading?

Time for a link exchange! Here's a glimpse into what we've been reading:

• Hopping mad about the misleadingly-named Independent Women's Forum's misinformation about the pay gap? Feministing tells it like it is.
• Also at Feministing, check out this report from the 2011 Civil Liberties and Public Policy Conference with video and quotes from the Transfeminisms panel.
• Bitch contributor Chally Kacelnik finishes her series in response to the question "Where are you from?" on Feministe.
• Shark-Fu at AngryBlackBitch powerfully responds to the streak of racist billboards attacking black women. (via Bitch Flicks)
• AfterEllen's Dorothy Snarker cheers on Sundance's acquisition of feminist favorite My So-Called Life!
• Bitch contributor Emily Manuel opines on what the term "pro-life" should actually mean at Tiger Beatdown.
• Speaking of Tiger Beatdown, their founder Sady Doyle (who is also a Bitch contributor) writes about convicted assaultant Jeffrey Gray, who was elected to office despite his crimes against women. (Trigger warning for domestic abuse and rape.)
• The Huffington Post reports on the discovery that middle and high schools in New Jersey were filtering QUILTBAG-related content from school computers. The filter is being removed thanks to the ACLU.
• Amanda Marcotte has a new recording up at RH Reality Check about the Slutwalk, the claim that "uterus" is a dirty word and more!
• Jill does a hilarious takedown of Dove soap's advertising on I Blame the Patriarchy.
• Ms.' blog interviews the women behind the feminist play The Panza [Spanish for "belly"] Monologues!
• In the WTF category, Queerty shares the U.K.'s new, but still bizarre and revealing, rules about gay men giving blood.
• ColorLines addresses the Grammy Awards' recent decision to cut some of their awards categories and how this may affect artists of color.
• The annual Austin queer music day party GayBiGayGay is releasing a book! That comes with a free CD of bands that play! Check it out or pre-order your copy today!
• Also check out the environmental documentary Vanishing of the Bees, likely headed to a theatre or classroom near you!

Another week, another bunch of thought-provoking articles. Here's some of what we've been reading:

• ColorLines celebrates the U.S.' first integrated all-female band.
• Also at ColorLines, Kai Wright reflects movingly on the still-far-off mountaintop MLK described.
• Jessica Valenti talks about the glorification of basic fathering in The Daily.
• Ms. and NPR each report and discuss Joe Biden's address of sexual assault in schools; what did YOU think?
• Bitch contributor Sady Doyle manages to write smartly (while being, as she puts it, "not-just-totally-mean") about Phyllis Schlafly's influence at Global Comment.
• Bitch Flicks lends their feminist snark to an analysis of Total Film's so-called "40 Greatest Movie Posters" list.
• Futrelle unpacks comic artist Scott Adams' recent douchery—and his bizarre attempts to fix the situation—at Feministe and man boobz.
• Bitch contributor s.e. smith blogs at this ain't livin' about the ageist implications of a younger Miss Marple.
• Vulture goes over the vitriol around Spider Man: Turn Off the Dark and actor Harry Lennix's piece asking why only Julie Taymor is trashed for a show many hands put together.
• In the same vein, 90s Woman looks at the pop phenomenon "Friday" and wonders "WTF is so scary about an ambitious thirteen-year-old girl?" (via feministified)
• Chloe at Feministing speaks out about last week's Slutwalk and the victim-blaming such events protest.
• Greenier at RH Reality Check talks about "Why Insurance Coverage for Abortion Matters;" the piece was then picked up for AlterNet.
• Bad news: Canadian blog Gender Focus is shutting down. At least we'll have Jarrah's upcoming board game projects to follow!
• Liz at Our Turn comments on documentaries about masculinity.
• At Racialicious and Muslimah Media Watch, Diana shares her feelings on the CNN special Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door.
• On HuffPo, Payne explores how derogatory language feeds classism.
• Miss the queer teen drama South of Nowhere? Heaven knows I do! AfterEllen interviews star Mandy Musgrave about playing lesbians and her new webseries, Cowgirl Up.
• In the <3 files: "Family Dog Keeps Missing Baby Alive Overnight," from Jezebel.

Your turn to share!

Now that word’s spread about the assault she endured, Logan is being re-victimized by those who say that an attractive white woman with blonde hair should’ve known better than to make her way through a mob of brown, Muslim men. Why didn’t Logan realize that all Arab men are misogynistic beasts who haven’t the slightest respect for their own women, let alone Western women—all of whom they regard as whores? Yeah, that about sums up the message on sites from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Times to Salon.

When a jury basically says "you were asking for it" in legalese, you know it's bad. That's what Jane Doe heard when last week a St. Louis court that decided that "playing to the camera" meant revoking her right to privacy.

Yesterday Lisa from A Woman's Ecdysis sent me a call for submissions to an anthology she is editing, called Dear Sister: Letters to Survivors of Sexual Violence.

Lisa wrote:

I encourage you all to submit and forward this call widely. As we know the prevailing silence around sexual assault, it is my hope and request that you take a moment to contribute to this outreach and forward this to any and all allies and survivors of sexual violence. If you know of any coalitions, agencies, shelters, or organizations, feel more than free to offer this to them.

This is a long time vision of mine to build something for survivors and, I hope, this is just the beginning of community healing and radical memoir.

 

If Sinead O’Connor can rip up a picture of the Pope, then I can certainly call him a douchebag! (See Mom and Dad, I can still make LSAT approved if/then statements). With the recent (read: this wave of crisis) sexual abuse scandal rocking the Catholic church, there is no other choice than to demand more of Pope Benedict XVI and unless he wants to keep being branded a big old doucher, we’re going to need some big old action and soon!

*Please be warned that this post and the links included may be triggering as they contain graphic imagery and details of sexual violence.*