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If you think men can’t control themselves in front of a short skirt, who’s the real misandrist?
[TW FOR CHILD SEXUAL ASSAULT/RAPE/MOLESTATION ETC] If you are a survivor, closer than heaven is doing a zine project and wants your input.
Hey! Would you help me out by reblogging this post:http://closer-than-heaven.tumblr.com/post/20768000808/call-for-submissions ? I’m working on this for a University project. Thanks!
[TW FOR RAPE] Cop Avoided Rape Conviction Thanks to Really Unreasonable Doubt
Because the victim couldn’t remember the colour of the car parked across the street where she was forced to her knees.
5 Ways the GOP’s War on Women Is Fueling Rape Culture
It’s been an explosively successful year for anti-choice legislators, lobbyists, and supporters. It seems every day there’s news of a new abortion (or birth control) restriction being introduced or passed in some state legislature, each story containing painfully ignorant quotations from the legislator who authored the bill. Here are five ways that recently introduced and enacted GOP policies have nothing to do with life, and everything to do with rape culture.
- Most anti-choice activists, lobbying groups, and politicians don’t support exceptions for rape and incest. That means that anyone who happens to be impregnated by the same person who rapes them is out of luck – or rights, more accurately – when it comes to reclaiming their body should they want to do that through not having to carry their pregnancy to term. According to some politicians, bills that exist without rape exceptions need to remain draconian in order to weed out the liars from the truly assaulted. This unfounded claim that victims of rape and incest are likely to lie – as well as the creation of a hierarchy of victims – sure looks like rape culture. But give Indiana Republican Eric Turner a break – he was trying to be careful to not “disparage in any way someone who has gone through the experience of a rape or incest”. He was just voting in favor of a bill that strips them of their right to bodily autonomy. At least he was nice about it!
- The GOP is dehumanizing an entire class of people in the same way rapists do. If there’s one thing anti-choicers are ironically good at, it’s completely dehumanizing a particular class of people – folks capable of becoming pregnant. You might recall the recent comparison of women to livestock, as made by Georgia Republican Terry England – livestock farmer?, legislator, and human rights aficionado – during a debate on a bill that would have restricted abortion access in the state to before 20 weeks gestation. It really breaks Mr. England’s heart to see baby cows and pigs not make it. So why can’t we legislate that human livestock be forced to use their bodies against their will to make sure all human babies make it? This type of comparison is literal dehumanization, and as most folks know, it’s much easier to commit human rights abuses on folks when they’re not considered human. For further examples, Rush Limbaugh’s recent foray into the world of calling young women “sluts” for wanting birth control.
- Anti-choice politicians are completely unconcerned with consent.What’s interesting about anti-choice politicians is that, as much as they like to think of pregnant folks as piggies on the farm about to pop with a new profitable litter, they still like to paint themselves as ultra-concerned with informed consent. This claim is made – ironically – as they continue to push through forced-ultrasound, mandatory waiting periods for obtaining a legal abortion, and fetal pain bills. Apparently, the only consent that matters is that which these (predominantly male and white) legislators deem important.
The basis for these bills aimed at providing “informed consent” to women seeking abortions is not scientifically informed itself. Take, for example, the fetal pain bill fad that’s these wily kids are trying to bring into vogue this season. These bills are passed on the basis that a fetus is capable of feeling pain at 20 weeks, even though medical experts have repeatedly proven that to be false. It seems that the strategy for fetal pain legislation includes the “lying for the Lord” tactic that the religious right has become so fond of.
And speaking of informed consent, where do Republicans stand on allowing doctors to lie to pregnant women about birth defects and genetic disorders their fetus may have? They’re perfectly fine with that – as long as it’s all in the name of preventing abortions.
Transvaginal ultrasounds are another anti-choice flavor of the month. Virginia’s controversial law requires these ultrasounds before any pregnant person can obtain an abortion. Several other states require other forms of ultrasounds before getting an abortion, and Texas has implemented the transvaginal ultrasound requirement for 45 days now. These unnecessary procedures are performed regardless of whether the person in question is a victim of rape or incest. They are another invasion of the patient’s body, and if the patient looks away, they must still be subjected to the spoken description of the fetus whether they want to be or not. All of these attacks are a blatant disrespect for the concept of consent – outrageously under the very guise of “informed consent”!
- Shame and misinformation is central in the GOP’s discussion of sex.Another favorite facet of the anti-choice movement is the spectacular failure that is abstinence-only education. The basis of abstinence only sex ed is that there are zero choices regarding sexuality outside of “NO” and “BABIES”. Incredibly, the same people who are so adamant about saying “no” don’t seem to understand – or perhaps care – that there are other people out there who simply won’t take that response for an answer. Sharing lollipops as a means of demonstrating that people (with an emphasis on girls) who have sex before marriage are used up and covered in spit is also no way of training young people on assertiveness and sexual negotiation.
Not only does abstinence-only education completely erase and forget about people who become pregnant as a result of rape, but they don’t even shed any light on sexual assault as a thing that exists in the real world, or something that can possibly be assuaged by clear, concise, and assertive sexual communication. Essentially, they are helping to create a culture of sexual ignorance – something that is a huge contributor to rape culture. If a person is never taught about sex, consent, and communication beyond “no” or “yes”, they are more likely to commit sexual assault.
- The GOP has no regard for bodily autonomy. Forcing someone to carry a pregnancy against their will is a violation of their right to exist as a self-contained and self-realized entity. It is literally forced organ donation. In the same way that a rapist uses their victim’s body for their own ends, so does the state when it seeks to restrict access to legal abortions. The GOP has an agenda that includes all pregnancies being carried to term. They have devoted the last two years to exert force to achieve that end. When the state can use and violate the bodies of its citizens at will, is there even a question that the legislators in favor of such laws are perpetuating rape culture? Restricting abortion devalues the agency of the pregnancy-capable person and thus fosters a culture in which personal agency is devalued on a macro and micro level.
Unfortunately, rape culture is pervasive and multi-faceted. It can be difficult to tackle all of the aspects of it as a means of eradicating rape and other forms of sexual abuse. However, an easy and instantly beneficial way is to curb the anti-choice enthusiasm that’s been bursting onto the political scene ever since Republicans got voted into office on the promise of job creation. The fight for reproductive rights is not just about abortion and access to it. This is about what our culture is going to look like, what is going to be permissible within it, and how it is going to be structured. As long as attacks on reproductive freedom are a major tenet of the Republican platform, every Republican in office is an emblem of the negative effects anti-choice policies and rhetoric wreak on both US culture at large, and for the individuals made victim to it.
[TW FOR RAPE APOLOGY/JOKES] Belvedere Vodka Makes Ad Joking About Rape, Pulls It After Outrage Ensues
I’m convinced some companies don’t have women OR minorities on their marketing teams because the offensive ads just keep coming.
Today, high-end vodka company Belvedere posted an ad to its Facebook page which depicted a man grabbing an unwilling woman from behind and the tagline, “Unlike some people, Belvedere always goes down smoothly.”
Really?!?
Belvedere quickly pulled the ad after many chimed in on its Facebook and Twitter pages about its offensive nature, but the fact that it was made in the first place speaks volumes about the company.
Belvedere quickly issued a half-hearted apology, tweeting, “We apologize to any of our fans who were offended by our recent tweet. We continue to be an advocate of safe and responsible drinking.”
Oh…that’s SO much better, and by better I mean…are you kidding me?! But I do know one thing: I know what type of vodka not to buy next I’m ordering my gimlet.
UPDATE
Late this afternoon, I received an email from the folks over on Belvedere Vodka apologizing, again, for the offensive ad. This updated apology seems a bit more thought out.
Check it:
“I am Jason Lundy, SVP of Global Marketing for Belvedere.
Unfortunately a Facebook & Twitter posting was made today that has offended many of our fans and followers — and indeed the people who work here at Belvedere. The post is absolutely inconsistent with our values and beliefs and in addition to removing the offensive post we are committed to making sure that something like this doesn’t happen again. As an expression of our deep disappointment and regret, we are making a charitable donation to a women’s support cause. We deeply apologize to our fans & followers.”
You do not empower women by blaming the victim.
[TW FOR RAPE, RAPE CULTURE, VICTIM BLAMING ETC]
So some coworkers of mine today at work got into a discussion of Kobe Bryant allegedly raping a woman. One coworker thought it was suspicious that the charges were dropped. Another thought it was interesting that there was no settlement. Another argued that he wouldn’t have done that and risk his career, especially if he has so much sex available to him with the amounts of women “throwing themselves” at him. And then another said that as women, we can empower ourselves and control the situation.
Let me make something very clear. You CANNOT empower women by blaming the victim. Controlling the situation, calling the shots, can be empowering. But if you think that controlling the situation and calling the shots will prevent you from getting raped, I have news for you; it won’t. Rape is about control, so it doesn’t matter how you steer the conversation or try to call the shots. The rapist has taken control. That’s what rape does. And this whole idea that if you had somehow changed YOUR course of action, as a victim, then maybe things would have turned out differently, that is false. Doesn’t matter what you said to the rapist. It doesn’t matter what you did. If they want to take control of the situation and rape you, that’s what’s going to happen. If you think that you could have somehow prevented it by doing or saying something differently, you’re wrong. That’s putting more blame on the victim and less on the rapist. Reducing rapists again, to nothing more than animals who are slaves to their hormones. The more an attitude like that continues to perpetuate that sense of entitlement to rapists, the more rape will happen. Unless we start putting the blame where the blame should be, with the rapist, then we will continue to live in the vicious cycle. That’s why it’s so important to call out rape apology, victim blaming and rape jokes. People need to stop their line of thinking in their tracks, because it’s dangerous.
Why Santorum aka Frothy, needs to stfu and stfd and gtfo and diaf.
Santorum To Rape Victims: ‘Make The Best Out Of A Bad Situation’
[TW FOR RAPE, FORCED PREGNANCY AND THE ASSHOLERY THAT IS SANTORUM]
Standing steadfast as the most socially right-wing candidate in the GOP presidential field, Rick Santorum has repeatedly touted his extreme anti-choice position, which dictates that abortion should be uniformly illegal, even in cases of rape or incest. He even suggested that physicians who provide abortions to such victims should be criminally charged.
Last Friday, CNN’s Piers Morgan asked Santorum to clarify his reasoning behind such a callous position. Insisting that “it’s not a matter of religious values,” Santorum explained that sexual assault victims should “accept this horribly created” pregnancy because it is “nevertheless a gift in a very broken way” and that, when it comes down to it, a victim just has “to make the best out of a bad situation“:
SANTORUM: Well, you can make the argument that if she doesn’t have this baby, if she kills her child, that that, too, could ruin her life. And this is not an easy choice. I understand that. As horrible as the way that that son or daughter and son was created, it still is her child. And whether she has that child or doesn’t, it will always be her child. And she will always know that. And so to embrace her and to love her and to support her and get her through this very difficult time, I’ve always, you know, I believe and I think the right approach is to accept this horribly created — in the sense of rape — but nevertheless a gift in a very broken way, the gift of human life, and accept what God has given to you. As you know, we have to, in lots of different aspects of our life. We have horrible things happen. I can’t think of anything more horrible. But, nevertheless, we have to make the best out of a bad situation.
Watch it:[CLICK LINK]
The problem with Santorum’s sense of humanity is that it doesn’t seem to extend to the victim. The emotional and physical trauma endured during and after a sexual assault often leaves a woman feeling robbed of any control over her own body and welfare. Robbing a woman of the choice to decide what to do with such “horribly created” consequences only contributes to the victim’s trauma.
What’s more, Santorum’s argument forces a woman in these circumstances to share his religious beliefs and “accept what God has given to [her.]” A woman may very well share his belief and decide to carry the pregnancy to the term, but the fundamental point is that that should be her choice — not the government’s, and certainly not Santorum’s.
Brazil’s Big Brother May Have Broadcast a Sexual Assault
[TW FOR MENTIONS OF RAPE, SEXUAL ASSAULT]
This weekend’s episode of Big Brother Brasil featured a disturbing scene: a female contestant apparently being touched by a costar while she slept. Now she thinks she may have been raped, and many are criticizing the show’s producers for quite literally standing by and watching it happen.
According to a Change.org petition, the episode in question showed contestant Monique Amin passed out drunk in bed, with male costar Daniel Echaniz moving on top of her (both were under a blanket). Brazilian site Veja offers a similar account, and notes that the footage has already been pulled from the website of TV network Globo, which produces Big Brother Brasil. When Amin confronted Echaniz, he said he had only kissed and hugged her, but Amin and her family aren’t convinced — her mom told Ego, another Brazilian site, “It is clear that there was abuse.” The Change.org petition reads, in part,
It is inadmissible that Globo Network did not send anyone to check out on the unconscious woman and to see what the man was doing to her. It is inadmissible that Globo Network did not send anyone to break them apart as soon as they realized (because no one here is naive enough to believe the fact went by unnoticed) that the woman could not consent nor participate in the act.
I’ve contacted a representative from Globo International to see what the network has to say about this — in the meantime, it’s sadly not too hard to imagine reality show producers letting a sexual assault play out for the sake of ratings. If that’s indeed what happened, then Globo needs to not only turn over their tapes to law enforcement and to Amin, but also seriously examine whether a show that filmed and broadcast assault without intervening deserves to still be on the air.
Globo Network: Take responsability for covering the rape aired in one of their shows [Change.org]
Half of women blame the victims of sexual assault
[TW FOR RAPE, VICTIM BLAMING, RAPE CULTURE]
One in ten thought that dancing provocatively, flirting or wearing revealing clothing made them partly to blame.
Haven, the sexual assault clinics that commissioned the survey of 1,000 people of both sexes, said this prevailing attitude deterred victims from reporting the crime.
The study found that women were less forgiving of the victim than men with those aged between 18 and 24 most likely to judge.
Some 71 per cent of women surveyed thought a person should accept responsibility when getting into bed with someone, compared with 57 per cent of men.
One in ten said they were unsure whether they would report a rape to the police with 2 per cent reporting that they definitely would not.
The Wake Up To Rape report disclosed that 14 per cent of women believe that most rape claims are fabricated.
Elizabeth Harrison, manager of the Whitechapel Haven, one of three Havens centres in London, said: “Women look at court cases and think she was drunk, she wore a short skirt, I don’t do that so it won’t happen to me. But rape can happen to anyone in any circumstances. It’s particularly worrying that younger women are more likely to hold people responsible for what happens to them.
“The 18-24 group were more likely to say that engaging in conversation in a bar or accepting a drink makes them partially responsible. But it is this age group that are more likely to be going out doing that. We need to get the message out in schools tat rape is never your fault.”
Meanwhile one in three men polled said that didn’t think it was rape if they made their partner have sex when they didn’t want to and 13 per cent admitted having sex with someone who was too drunk to know what was happening.
Britain has the lowest conviction rate for sex attackers in Europe with only one in 14 rape complaints resulting in conviction.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Yexley from the Metropolitan Police, said: “Although the majority of women surveyed said they would contact the police, we understand that not everyone will feel comfortable approaching us in the first instance.
“The Havens offers invaluable help and support for people who may otherwise try to cope with the immediate effects of rape and sexual assault alone.”
CHESHIRE THEME BY
