sexual assault

 

This past year, rape has dominated the headlines. From front-page coverage of the Penn State trials to Todd Akin’s “legitimate rape” comment to international outcry about gang rape in India to national focus on Steubenville, talking about rape—a long-silenced topic—is finally a mainstream conversation. We are in a unique cultural moment where the ever-present epidemic of sexual violence is being recognized.

We need to not only recognize the reality of rape, but work to end it. We need a platform to honor survivors that will forever change the way the American public responds to their experiences. We need to create a national monument to survivors of rape and abuse.  

 

You’d think that kids these days would know better than to read what's inside of a book bound by human skin, especially if those kids are taking shelter in a cabin in the middle of the woods. 

Good morning! Here's all the feminist news on our radar today. 

• Before South African Reeva Steenkamp died—allegedly shot by Olympian Oscar Pistorius—she planned to give a big speech about violence against women. [New York Times] 

• Students at Occidental College in California are filing a federal complaint about the way their school deals with sexual assault. [Oxy Sexual Assault Coalition] 

• Undocumented immigrant farmworkers can be major targets for sexual abuse and harassment. [RH Reality Check] 

• There is a campaign to end rape jokes and general misogyny in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. [UFC Respect Women]  

• Determining which countries have the highest instances of rape is next to impossible. [Foreign Policy] 

• What's the legacy of Hugo Chavez on the people of Venezuela? [Slate] 

• The artist hired to draw DC Comic's new Superman quit after a furor over hiring anti-gay campaigner Orson Scott Card to writer the series. [Guardian] 

• How to get elected in America, as someone who's LGB or T. [The Advocate] 

• A female meterologist is fired after responding politely on Facebook to racist comments about her looks. [Women's Media Center] 

• The model featured on a billboard in the opening credits for Mad Men sues the show for using her image without permission. [Salon] 

What did I miss? Add important stories to the comments. 

It's hard to talk about and even harder to film. In this exclusive Bitch Q&A, feminist poet and writer Katha Pollitt talks with filmmaker Jennifer Baumgardner about her powerful new film, It Was Rape. 

KATHA POLLITT: Your new film "It Was Rape" consists almost entirely of 8 women, telling the story of their rape and its aftermath in great detail. I found it simultaneously compelling and unbearable to watch.  How did you find women willing to identify themselves as rape survivors?

JENNIFER BAUMGARDNER: Sadly, it was incredibly easy finding people who had been raped. I lecture frequently on college campuses and each time I mentioned that I was working on this film and project, at least two people would approach me after the talk to tell me about their story. I somewhat randomly chose the stories that ended up in the film. Going into the interviews, I didn't know the stories beyond the barest sketch. 

Most of the women in the film were not out in public about being raped—often they had discussed it with just a few people in their lives—but they were hungry for a venue in which they could talk about this really huge, life-altering event and be listened to respectfully and openly. I had no problem getting people to talk. That said, many were scared to see their interviews when the film was finished. The prospect of being in the public opened up the possibility of being not believed (again) or blamed (again). 

 

This tepid installation of the longest-running movie franchise in history still peddles woman's bodies as disposable, continues the tradition of white-valued imperialism, and features a mark of homophobia. Shocked? You shouldn't be.

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.