Jun
30
Sexual Assault News
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | Leave a Comment
Dallas Morning News
Letter Re: “Death rejected for child rape – 5 states, including Texas, affected as Jessica’s Law provision unconstitutional”
Seguin Gazette-Enterprise – by Ron Maloney
Locals react on death penalty ruling
Austin American Statesman – by Jason Embry
Lamar Smith, other Republicans want to amend Constitution on child rape
The Associated Press – by Deborah Hastings
Unbowed, politicians vow to execute child rapists
Houston Chronicle – by Janet Elliot
Most aspects of Jessica’s Law are untouched
Fort Worth Star Telegram – by Max B Baker
Christian Methodist Episcopal bishop in Arlington indicted in sex-assault case
Beaumont Enterprise – by Ryan Meyers and Margaret Toal
Vidor assistant principal stays on paid leave amid sex assault charges
CBS 10 Amarillo – by the Associated Press
Former West Texas lawman faces sex charge
Austin American Statesman
Air Force colonel acquitted of rape
Washington Post – by Alison Mutler
11-year-old Romanian will get abortion in Britain
Jun
26
The problem with “colorblind”
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | Leave a Comment
I think it’s a pretty common experience for those of us who do social justice work to hear from friends, acquaintances, family, etc. that racism is a problem of the past. Sure, some individual people are still racist, but this type of institutional oppression has been eliminated.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote a recent Washington Post article addressing how these attitudes have personally affected her life. She explains the different ways people minimize racism:
Diminishers have a subtle intellectual superiority and depend on the word “ignorant.” They believe that black people still encounter unpleasantness related to blackness but in benign forms and from unhappy people or crazy people or people with good intentions that are bungled in execution. Diminishers think that people can be “ignorant” but not “racist” because these people have black friends, supported the civil rights movements or had abolitionist forebears.
Deniers believe that black people stopped encountering unpleasantness related to their blackness when Martin Luther King Jr. died. They are “colorblind” and use expressions like “white, black or purple, we’re all the same” — as though race were a biological rather than a social identity. Incidents that black people attribute to blackness are really about other factors, such as having too many children or driving too fast, but if deniers are compelled to accept that an incident was indeed about blackness, they launch into stories of Irish or Native American oppression, as though to deny the legitimacy of one story by generalizing about others. Deniers use “racist” as one would use “dinosaur,” to refer to a phenomenon that no longer exists.
Whenever we ignore or minimize any kind of oppression, we actually support and empower it. Attempting to be “colorblind” in a world where the color of one’s skin still greatly influences all aspects of life supports the status quo and allows the racism to continue to fester.
Adichie says that “The myth of blackness is this: ‘Once upon a time, black towns were destroyed, black Americans were massacred and barred from voting, etc. All this happened because of racists. Today, these things no longer happen, and therefore racists no longer exist.’ ” This myth is just as harmful as the myths surrounding rape that acknowledge only the most physically violent stranger rapes committed against “innocent” victims as “real” rapes. These types of myths allow sexual violence to flourish just as myths about race and racism allow racism to flourish.
Jun
26
If you didn’t want it…
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | 1 Comment
Via Feministing, I saw this ad for the FX TV series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I have never watched the show, so maybe I’m missing something, but this is pretty appalling.
Jun
26
TAASA Issues Updated Statement Regarding Kennedy Case
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Karen Amacker | Leave a Comment
This will be posted to the recent news on our website shortly…
Updated TAASA Statement on Kennedy v. Louisiana
“The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) supports the Supreme Court’s decision, released this morning to overturn the death penalty for child sexual assault cases. Victim advocates have long been concerned that the death penalty for child sexual assault cases could backfire and result in lower reporting rates and fewer convictions of sex offenders.
“The issue of child sexual abuse is complex. Most child sexual abuse victims are abused by a family member or close family friend. The reality is that, child victims and their families may feel greater reluctance to come forward, knowing that doing so could effectively send a grandparent, cousin or long time family friend to death row. In addition, capital punishment trials are notoriously stressful for the witnesses involved, and typically face a lengthy appeals process. This forces the child witness to relive these painful events over and over again, severely disrupting their healing process.
“Today we join sexual assault coalitions across the country in concurring with the Supreme Court’s step toward ensuring that prosecutions of child sexual assault across our nation remain victim-centered and child-friendly in their approach. Our work, however, is not yet complete. We remain dedicated to finding effective ways to increase reporting rates, support victims, and keep Texas communities and children safe.”
The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA)
The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) is the statewide organization committed to ending sexual violence in Texas. A non-profit educational and advocacy organization based in Austin, TAASA member agencies comprise a statewide network of more than 80 crisis centers that serve rural as well as metropolitan areas. Founded in 1982, the agency has a strong record of success in community education, youth outreach, law enforcement training, legislative advocacy, and curricula and materials development. Additional information about TAASA can be found at www.taasa.org.
Jun
25
More judges ban “rape”
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | Leave a Comment
I’m sure you recall Tory Bowen, the woman who was banned from using the words “rape” and “sexual assault” when testifying against the man accused of raping her. Well, it looks like judges around the country are following in Judge Cheuvront’s footsteps.
From the Kansas City Star:
Bowen’s case is part of what some prosecutors and victim advocates see as a national trend in sexual assault cases.
“It’s a topic that’s coming up more and more,” said Joshua Marquis, an Oregon prosecutor and a vice president of the National District Attorneys Association. “You’re moving away from what a criminal trial is really about.”
In Jackson County, Senior Judge Gene Martin recently issued a similar order for the trial of a Kansas City man charged with raping a teenager in 2000. Despite the semantic restrictions, the Jackson County jury last week found Ray Slaughter guilty of forcible rape and two counts of forcible sodomy.
Jun
25
Sexual Assault News
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | Leave a Comment
Washington Post – by Robert Barnes
Supreme Court Rejects Death Penalty in Child Rape Cases
In a 5 to 4 decision, the court struck down a Louisiana law that had authorized the death penalty for anyone who rapes a child under the age of 12. Of 3,300 inmates on death row across the country, only two face capital punishment for a crime other than murder. Both were convicted under Louisiana’s law, the broadest in the land. There has not been an execution for rape in the United States since 1964.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy joined the court’s more liberal members in continuing the court’s trend of narrowing the number of criminals eligible for death. He wrote that the harm caused a child who is raped is “grave,” but “cannot be quantified in the same way as death of the victim.”
Dallas Morning News – by Brian Whitley
Man charged with kidnapping and rape of 66-year-old Arlington woman
ABC 7 El Paso – by the Associated Press
Prosecution rests in rape court-martial at Texas air base
Dallas Morning News – by Michelle Roberts
Teen is key to criminal case against polygamist group
Jun
25
TAASA Statement on Kennedy v. Louisiana Decision
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | 3 Comments
“The Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) supports the Supreme Court’s decision, released this morning to overturn the death penalty for child sexual assault cases. Victim advocates have long been concerned that the death penalty for child sexual assault cases could backfire and result in fewer convictions of sex offenders. The issue of child sexual abuse is complex. Most child sexual abuse victims are abused by a family member or close family friend. The reality is that child victims and their families don’t want to be responsible for sending a grandparent, cousin or long time family friend to death row.
“Today we join sexual assault coalitions across the country in applauding the Supreme Court’s step toward ensuring that prosecutions of child sexual assault across our nation remain victim-centered and child-friendly in their approach. Our work, however, is not yet complete. We remain dedicated to finding effective ways to increase reporting rates, support victims, and keep Texas communities and children safe.”
Jun
24
Sexual Assault News
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | Leave a Comment
Beaumont Enterprise
Vidor ISD fights Texas AG to withhold documents about alleged sexual assault
KLBJ Austin
Alleged ringleaders arrested in prostitution sting
Washington Post – by Paul J. Weber
Texas town reels from horrific abuse in its midst
KXAN- NBC Austin
Judge rejects ex-Georgetown sergeant’s plea bargain
WFAA Dallas – by Chris Hawes
FW pastor arrested after dad overhears ’sexual’ call
Tyler Morning Telegraph – by Casey Knaupp
28-Year-Old Gets 50 Years In Rape Of Teenage Girl
CBS 4 El Paso
Jury seated in Air Force rape trial at base in Wichita Falls
Dallas Morning News
How to get help
Washington Post – by Joby Warrick
Exams Back Up Reports of Detainee Abuse, Group Says
Jun
23
Support our colleagues in Iowa
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Karen Amacker | Leave a Comment
As I’m sure anyone not living under a rock knows by now, the northern midwest, and Iowa in particular, has struggled with widesperead flooding over the past weeks due to torrential rains and the subsequent swelling of rivers. Many rape crisis centers in the state have suffered great losses, which, without financial support, may greatly impact the services they can offer their community.
In response, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV), the National Organization of Sisters of Color Ending Sexual Assault (SCESA), the National Sexual Assault Coalition Resource Sharing Project (RSP), the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) and the Rape Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) have come together to raise funds to support the rape crisis centers impacted by the flooding.
The sponsoring agencies are administering the funds without any fee, so 100 percent of the funds raised will go directly toward getting the affected crisis centers up and running as soon as possible.
For more information or to donate online, please visit http://relieffundforsexualassaultvictims.org/.
Jun
19
Sexual Assault News
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Melissa Heald | Leave a Comment
The New York Times
Letter to the Editor- Rape as an Act of War: An Issue for the U.N.
Austin American Statesman – by Isadora Vail
Police chief wants Florence to adopt sex offender ordinance
Dallas Morning News
Man cleared in quadruple slaying is convicted in separate rape case
Tyler Morning Telegraph – by Casey Knaupp
Man, 28, Gets 50 Years for Raping 15-year-old Girl
Austin American Statesman – by Steven Kreytak
Austin man convicted of trying to assault escort gets 15 years