Friday, June 26, 2015

You Learn A Lot of Lessons



A very powerful article from the Washington Post on June 12, 2015.  Like most stories about sexual violence on college campuses, this one slid below the radar nationally and fell through the cracks of public conversation outside a few, select circles.  It should have been front page news – instead it was lost nationally while we talked about Kylie Jenner, another Kardashian pregnancy, and the latest presidential bid by another GOP pretender to the throne (how many are we up to now – at least 30 or 40).

The poll - conducted by the Washington Post – Kaiser Family Foundation – found that while 20% of women on college campuses were sexually violated, the “circle of victims” is probably much larger.
Everything there is to say is found within the article, but there are a couple of key points worth emphasizing:

  • The poll found evidence that myths about sexual assault persist among students despite efforts in recent years to dispel them. Six in 10 women said it was a common attitude on their campuses that if a woman is sexually assaulted while drunk she is “at least somewhat responsible.”

  • Nearly 6 in 10 women also said it was commonly believed that when women go to parties wearing revealing clothes, they are “asking for trouble.”

  • One man’s quote when discussing a friend’s rape cuts to the heart of the collective attitude about sexual violence on campus:  “There’s a difference between having drunk, regrettable sex, and being raped.”
Please take the time to read.  Then make the time to do something.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/local/2015/06/12/1-in-5-women-say-they-were-violated/

Monday, June 15, 2015

The Curious Case of Hope Solo

I'm over at wrighterly.com this week with a guest column entitled, "The Curious Case of Hope Solo". The column is part of Stephanie Wright's "52 Mondays" in which she dissects, discusses, and examines domestic violence.  I've said this before and I'll keep saying it, if you care at all about stopping domestic violence and sexual violence, you need to check out her work. EVERY WEEK. And then you need to do something about changing the narrative on sexual violence and domestic violence in this country.

Stephanie Wright is one of those true heroes who makes a difference in her words and actions - Week after week she has consistently raised her voice and increased the level of dialogue on both subjects.

You can read the column here