victim-blaming

(This is the "mental health facility," by the way. Even if the sheriff's office hadn't fucked up the paperwork, the attorney's office failed this woman.)  Image: npr.org

Why Was This Rape Victim Imprisoned By A Texas Court For A Month?!?

In what might be the WTF-iest story in the history of WTF, a woman in Texas is suing the state for wrongly imprisoning her for a month, during which time she was subjected to physical and mental abuse at the hands of guards and other prisoners. What was her crime? Being a rape victim who suffered a mental collapse while testifying.

Read...
Our braveness doesn’t make us valuable. Image: Christopher Campbell/Unsplash.

I'm A Rape Survivor — But Please Don't Call Me Brave

My story isn’t meant to hold a mirror to society and say, “You, too, can be strong like me.” It’s meant to hold a mirror to society and say, “You, too, are complicit in rape culture. Let’s work on that.”

Read...
If our kids hear us excusing rape or sexual assault in any way, they will internalize that message. Image: Krewr Studio/Pexels.

6 Ways We (Accidentally) Teach Our Kids Rape Culture

As moms and dads, we probably don’t talk directly about rape to kids, at least not until they’re older. But we’re still sending messages about sex and consent all the time. Because of that, we need to make sure we’re not teaching them some very dangerous lessons, even if just by accident.

Read...
Um, yuck.

Take The Cake: 'This American Life' Is Really Bad At Talking About Fat

Though there was useful commentary, deeply personal stories, and some incisive observations, my problem with the episode is that it ultimately repeats a harmful framework:
Fat people (nearly all women) were on trial and up for observation (their privacy already considered non-existent) — not the fatphobic bias that had so clearly shaped their lives.

Read...
I feared that I’d remain a traumatized victim, but somehow, I had become a liberated survivor. Image: Thinkstock.

Masturbation Helped Me Heal From Sexual Assault

[CN: sexual assault] It happened to my mom, three of my best friends, and then it finally happened to me. Like so many women, I never imagined I’d face such a terrible violation, let alone that I would have to struggle to recover.

Read...
Victim-blaming is never OK — yet it’s a very serious, very real, very prevalent problem.

To The Therapist Who Thought It Was OK To Victim-Blame

As an adult, I’ve experienced more trauma than I ever knew possible. Between multiple sexual assaults, the unexpected death of my first child, the highly traumatic birth of my second child and his subsequent months spent in the NICU, I am often surprised that I am still standing.

Read...
Credit: Thinkstock

No, The Glass Ceiling Is Not Women's Fault

A new Business Insider piece blames women for the corporate-world gender gap. Why are we not surprised?

Read...