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The climate in our society over the past few months has been unusual to say the least. The issue of women’s health, contraception and the reauthorization of the once unanimously bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) are unfortunately at the center of a political firestorm. Also front and center is the untimely shooting death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

The parallel of interpersonal violence and victim blaming are evident.  “I am urging the parents of black and Latino youngsters particularly to not let their children go out wearing hoodies,” Geraldo Rivera said. “I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin’s death as George Zimmerman was.” The focus on victim behavior, attire, and history are ubiquitous in sexual assault cases.  The issue of victim blaming has extraordinarily become central in the media’s coverage of the tragic shooting death of Trayvon Martin. This polarization is unfortunate. April 1^st marks the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM). It is imperative that our efforts during this important month break through the political smokescreen.  We must not allow politics to relegate the issue of sexual assault and violence as a whole.  TAASA’s Executive Director, Annette Burrhus Clay, vehemently challenged legislators to keep election year political rhetoric out of the issue of violence against women, in “Toning Down the Political Rhetoric on Women”.  Because of this distraction it is particularly important to provide the facts, dispel the misinformation about sexual assault, and articulate the vital role of rape crisis centers in the community.

Social change work is also an important component of SAAPM efforts.  We must underscore the community’s obligation and responsibility to and of its people.  Addressing the underpinnings of violence is vital in creating a safe and healthy community for all to enjoy regardless of what we wear.  Together we can provide a unified and strong message during the month of April. TAASA will host a variety of webinars, blogs and social media initiatives. Let us know what you are doing for SAAPM.  Look forward to hearing from you.

For more information on TAASA’s 2012 “Get Social” SAAPM toolkit click here. For up to date SAAPM events during April visit TAASA’s  blog or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Okay we need to ratchet down the political rhetoric on the reauthorization of The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and fast. Not to be overly dramatic, but lives depend on it.  I understand that election years can be particularly contentious and ugly but when an issue that previously garnered broad bi-partisan support becomes a hot potato I think it’s time for members of both parties to step back and self-reflect on their motives, tactics, and the realization that there are some things in this world more important than winning a vote or an election.

I have read news stories in the past few days regarding VAWA that have alternately sickened and saddened me. Phyllis Schlafly was quoted as referring to VAWA as a “feminist slush fund.” Another representative of a conservative think tank spoke of VAWA as “man-hating and divorce promoting.”  Some Democratic legislators are implying that Republicans that “no” vote for the current version of VAWA are in a “war against women.” A Doonesbury cartoon equated a trans-vaginal sonogram in Texas’ Sonogram Bill as “rape.” There are many aspects of this bill I do not personally support but calling a fairly common and safe medical procedure “rape” is ludicrous even in a political cartoon.

There are comments from both the Left and the Right that are lacking common-sense, civility, and fairness. These types of inflammatory statements might be the bread and butter of pundit-entertainers such as Rush Limbaugh or Bill Maher but we expect and deserve better of our elected officials.

In the past few days there have been several incidents in Texas that blatantly illustrate why VAWA is so crucial. We have seen a shooting at a courthouse in Beaumont where a man on trial for the sexual assault of his daughter  shot and killed an elderly bystander, critically wounded his daughter and shot and wounded 2 others, including his ex-wife. Several media outlets referred to this trial as “an emotional family dispute” rather than a child rape trial.

Earlier this week a female middle school teacher from Lexington was arrested for sexually assaulting both a 13 year old and 14 year old male student. The local media consistently referred to this crime as “having sex with her students” rather than calling it what it is, rape! And yesterday the news reported a story of a teenage runaway who was hitchhiking in the Austin area who was raped, stabbed several times in the chest and thrown on the side of the road. Miraculously she survived. All of these stories illustrate the critical need for victim services and the continuing need to educate the public.

The point in sharing these recent stories is my sincere belief that no member of Congress wants to see atrocities like this continue in this country. They may have some genuine differences in strategies and scope and in other instances may be toting the party line, but regardless the mud-slinging and digging in of the heels is unwise and unproductive. I implore each member of Congress to rededicate themselves to working through these differences and passing a comprehensive VAWA bill soon. Let your better nature and concern for humanity guide you.  Victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking can ill-afford to be caught in another cross-fire.

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month is near! During the month of April agencies and organizations across the country will engage in a national effort to create awareness and change during Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM). This creates a great opportunity for Texas agencies and organizations to localize a national effort. Your agency’s SAAPM activities will represent a ripple in the national wave of sexual assault awareness and prevention efforts. There is a saying about our great state: “Everything’s bigger in Texas” so as we begin planning our Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention activities, think BIG in our reach to marginalized populations, think BIG on building and sustaining relationships with various segments of our community and institutions and think BIG on creating sustainable awareness and change for the betterment of our community and it’s response to survivors of sexual assault.
The theme of TAASA’s 2012 SAAPM packet is “Get Social”. The intention behind this theme is to emphasize the connection between community, it’s stakeholders and our agency. It also represents the importance of collaboration and building of relationships in creating awareness and change. This packet will provide tools that employ both traditional and non-traditional methods through the use of social media, social marketing and social change.
Click here to view the packet and “Get Social!!” What are your agency plans for sexual assault awareness and prevention month?

During Stalking Awareness Month, Supreme Court will Decide whether Stalking Victims are Protected against Employment Discrimination

Washington, D.C. – On January 13, 2012, the Supreme Court will decide whether to hear the case of Martin v. Howard University. The National Organization for Women (NOW) Foundation and civil rights attorney Dawn V. Martin, want the high Court to hold that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects a woman from being stalked in her workplace and from being terminated for reporting it. NOW Foundation has filed an Amicus (friend of the Court) Brief in support of Ms. Martin. This case is particularly timely in light of recent attention to the failure of universities to respond to resports of sexual attacks on campuses and because January is Stalking Awareness Month. Howard, specifically, still fails to take complaints of sexual harassment seriously. See Bello. v. Howard University, 1:11-cv-02106-CKK; http://www.wusa9.com/news/article/177504/158/Lawsuit-Howard-University-Negligent-In-Sexual-Assault-Harassment-Case. Howard opposes the participation of NOW Foundation in the case.

78% of stalking victims are women. 54% of female murder victims reported their stalkers to the police before being killed by them. In a 2009 documentary about the case, Kim Gandy, then, the President of NOW, said: “We’ve had situations like this, where women, stalked in the workplace, were fired, or let go, because they were stalked.” Ms. Martin said, “No woman should have to choose between her job and her safety.”

Law Professor Dawn Martin was stalked on the campus of Read more

Emiliano is a Primary Prevention Specialist with TAASA
As kids, we said that “sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us.” As adults, we know better. Words can shake us to our very core. One word in particular – SLUT – has shaken people across our country into action.

Since January 2011, SlutWalks have been organized internationally, each one garnering both praise and criticism, forcing men and women alike to engage in a difficult dialogue in order to confront the rape-culture that has permeated our communities. Regardless of people’s views of the use of the word “slut,” most can agree that SlutWalks have been effective in bringing attention to the issue of sexual violence. The organizers of each walk have been able to mobilize hundreds and, in some cases, thousands to take to the streets to demand an end to victim-blaming.

Similar to many of the other walks, SlutWalk Austin began as a buzz in social networks and culminated with a diverse group of people joining together to let their voices be heard, their presence be felt, and their demands be known. On Saturday, June 11, 2011 SlutWalk Austin got off to a shaky start with a few technical difficulties, but the message of each speaker remained clear – a woman’s clothing does NOT determine her worth and does NOT justify an attack. Victim-blaming will not be tolerated in the state of Texas, and in order to bring this message to others, the hundreds of participants from around Central Texas who had gathered marched down Congress with their signs and protest clothing, reclaiming their bodies and their streets.

SlutWalk Austin, like those before it, continues to peak interest and spark both conversation and action. A SlutWalk is scheduled for next month in Houston and more are being organized globally in small and large communities alike. Do you want to help put an end to victim-blaming? Think about joining this movement and organizing a SlutWalk in your community.
Check out video footage from the Slut Walk event in Austin:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/p0eWDtkG-i4

Texas Senate Bill 9 known as the sanctuary city bill gives police officers broader powers to ask people they detain about citizenship status. The bill passed the Texas Senate June 15th and is slated for a vote in the House this week.

Many years ago when I was working at a DV shelter, for a period of two weeks monolingual Spanish victims were reporting abuse because their husbands had been robbed of their paychecks. “Yea”, I thought, ”right”, until I took some clients to a medical clinic where the social worker reported a large number of monolingual Spanish male victims with defensive wounds. The story ends with a successful coalition of Law Enforcement, IRS, Banking Institutions, Social Services and the Mexican Consulate, each with a different perspective on how to solve the problem and a common value – community organizations are here to serve and protect everyone in the community so a vibrantly rich community
can thrive in safety.

I learned three important lessons:
1. Perpetrators have one status – perpetrators. As perpetrators they need to be prosecuted under the law.
2. Victims have one status – victims. As victims they have the legal right to services.
3. When a community operates “in the shadows” and is afraid to speak up, perpetrators will perpetrate on that community with impunity.

SB 9, though well intentioned, inadvertently results in a disconnection between safety and well- being for immigrant communities. Disenfranchising communities begs the question of who is defining safety and who has the right to safe. As advocates we support survivors unequivocally, link them to services (their right under law) and help them to obtain safety. It is imperative we consider the impact SB 9 and similar laws have on the work we do and the victims we serve.

In recent months, SlutWalks held in various locations have garnered national attention. Recently called the “most successful feminist action of the past 20 years”, they started in early April 2011 and are still happening all across the country. As a result, your agency may see an increase in calls and media activity. In response to that, we have prepared the attached talking points to help you and your staff not only know a bit more about the event, but also have a consistent message to share in support of both survivors and sexual assault activists.
History
On January 4, 2011 a member of Toronto’s law enforcement commented on a sexual assault incident with the following quote “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized”.
In response to the comment, enraged community members organized an event titled “slut walk” to highlight the term that both enraged and inspired them to join together with a message that victims are never to blame for their sexual assault.
Currently
TAASA works on behalf of sexual assault victims in many capacities. The blatant comment by the officer is a stark reminder of the societal views most often associated with victims of sexual assault . Confronting victim blaming statements is a vital component of TAASA’s mission.
SLUT Walk has taken the world by storm. Since the initial walk in Toronto other walks have occurred across the globe including here in Texas.
Consequences and Benefits
The term “slut” carries with it many negative connotations and may incite judgment and/or anger from an unassuming community member. Connecting the message to its original intent may proactively neutralize reactions.
SLUT Walk can be used as an opportunity to engage the public, create new local partnerships and create awareness about rape myths ubiquitous in our communities. The enthusiasm behind the movement has successfully activated communities around the world to unite in support of sexual assault victims while challenging the negative stereotypes that hinder justice for victims of sexual assault here in Texas and around the world.
SLUT walks are working to draw attention to societal norms about women and about sexuality that create an environment where sexual violence is more likely to occur. By bringing awareness to these norms and starting community conversations around them, we can all work to change these same norms and ultimately prevent violence from happening in the first place.

Here is an excellent blog post that offers new details on the case of Hillaire (pronounced Hillary),  a cheerleader in Silsbee, Texas, who was kicked off the squad after refusing to cheer “two, four, six, eight, ten, come on Rakheem, put it in” for her rapist: http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/05/27/a-cheerleaders-rape-in-a-small-texas-town/

A petition was also established to:

Tell Silsbee officials that this is no way to treat rape victims, and insist that they publicly issue an apology to H.S. immediately. Furthermore, tell them to instate a policy outlining appropriate treatment of sexual assault survivors, which does not put the onus on the victim to ensure smooth interactions at the school, and to instate prevention programs that have been suggested by H.S.’s father.

Update: H.S.’s family lost a First Amendment lawsuit, with the court deciding that cheerleaders are only a “mouthpiece” for their schools, with no right to refuse their to cheer their rapists. The court further declared the lawsuit “frivolous” and has ordered the family to pay more than $35,000 in legal fees. For the school to take money from a rape victim over their clear misconduct — even if it’s not for free speech reasons — is beyond the pale. Demand that Silsbee refuse to take money from the victim’s family.

If you haven’t done so already, please sign the petition today!

Additionally, if you’d like to contribute financially, a State Bar IOLTA Trust Account at Bank of Texas has been established to receive donations for Hillaire and her parents for court assessed costs, her legal fees and expenses.

Contributions can be sent to:

Watts Associates
IOLTA  Routing Number 111014325
Account No. 2902216304.

While the recent headlines detailing both a hotel maid’s account and past allegations of sexual assault by IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn came as a shock to some, for those who work with victims of sexual assault – and victims of workplace sexual violence in particular – these facts are nothing new.  Sexual violence in the workplace is an all too common occurrence. It happens with alarming regularity across our country and is perpetrated by employers, supervisors, co-workers and third parties, such as hotel guests and other business clientele.  Many victims are met with skepticism, blatant indifference, or with a myriad of victim-blaming excuses or accusations.  Abuse of power in the workplace can manifest itself through cheating shareholders, harassing subordinates, and yes, sometimes by sexually violating someone with less power. In fact, tragically, far too often women who clean hotel rooms fall victim to sexual violence in the very rooms that they are paid to clean, just like the woman, an immigrant from Africa, who has reported Strauss-Kahn for sexual assault. Immigrant women are especially vulnerable to such abuses of power, whether working in hotels, agriculture, factories, homes or offices. Because they are immigrants and may have limited English language proficiency, fear of law enforcement, and are often isolated, few of these victims ever report the crimes that they suffer to law enforcement.

If we want to end sexual violence we must assure that weak or nonexistent sanctions are not the norm.  Law enforcement officials must be willing to believe victims when they make a report.  We commend the New York City Police Department’s swift and diligent response in this case.  Sadly, the NYPD’s response is all too often not the typical response of a law enforcement agency.  Victims of sexual violence must have information about and access to existing civil and criminal legal remedies so that they may have the opportunity to seek justice for what they have suffered.

We must also hold the media accountable for their reliance on innuendo and salacious details in lieu of objective journalism.  Finally, we must confront the thinly-veiled smear campaigns of reported victims at the same time we rush to the defense of the accused.

Constant speculation about the motives of those who report these devastating crimes is damaging to the victims in those cases, to anyone who ever finds themselves in a similar position, and to our social understanding of and response to sexual violence as a whole. It is no wonder that the reporting rate for sexual assault is so dismally low.

Unfortunately, Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s recent arrest has brought out the typical responses we’ve come to expect when a wealthy or high-profile man is accused of such a crime. We hear things like, “Why would a successful, powerful, and rich man NEED to rape anyone? He could have almost any woman he chose, or at the very least he could pay for the services of someone.” This logic seems to conveniently and consistently miss the point:  Sexual violence is about dominance and abuse of power.

Why is it easier to believe in the intrinsic dishonesty, vindictiveness, and opportunistic nature of alleged rape victims than to believe in a sense of entitlement, and lack of respect and judgment among alleged rapists?  In the Strauss-Kahn scenario some are even willing to accept an elaborate conspiracy theory (that this was a set-up by supporters of French President Sarkozy) rather than embrace the possibility that a self-professed womanizer with a documented history of sexual coercion, exploitation and – according to recent reports – prior sexual assaults could possibly attack a woman with very little power or status.

Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn deserves the presumption of innocence afforded to all alleged criminals in this country. We long for the day, however, when we show equal restraint before labeling alleged victims as liars and swindlers.  So yes, we are willing to suspend judgment on Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s guilt or innocence. By the same token, we are willing to look at the mounting number of accounts from women who speak of their own exploitation or abuse by Strauss-Kahn over the years. We hope the truth prevails and the public can stop being influenced by the far too common knee jerk reaction that disbelieves victims before the case proceeds.

Signatories:

CounterQuo
The National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
Legal Momentum
Victim Rights Law Center
National Sexual Violence Resource Center
The Voices and Faces Project
End Violence Against Women International
Rape Victim Advocates
Oregon Sexual Assault Task Force
Catharsis Productions
Hollywood NOW
Women in Media and News
Women, Action & the Media
Women’s Media Center
Leslie Thomas, ART WORKS Projects
Anne Munch Consulting
The Feminist Wire
Monica Ramirez
Mia Goldman
Chaitra Shenoy
Gillian Chadwick
Erin Scheick
Roseline Guest

For more information, please contact: Terri Poore, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence.

In fact there’s a lot that makes me angry enough to scream, throw the closest object I can get my hands on or want to punch a hole in the nearest wall.  But I’ve learned the last one hurts longer than the satisfying release of emotion it brings, so after enough pain (physical and emotional)  and cleaning up the messes (of all sorts) afterwards, I found I could use some of that same energy to write whatever and however I want. (I save that for a journal mostly, not the blog.) Physical and emotional release and no crap to clean up.  Eureka!

And that works most of the time.  But when I read about some of the stupid cards (and more than a few fit that classification) available on the Etsy website, my first reaction was to literally shout obscenities. (I was alone thankfully and didn’t have to monitor my mouth at work.)

You may have heard about them.  If not, wonderful. At this point, I’ll just say that one is titled, “Congratulations. You got bad touched!”  The person selling the card chooses to be identified as “youstupidbitch” (not a bad choice I think) and includes this pitch to grab buyers: “Get creeped on, go through a heavy pat down at the airport, go through a colonoscopy and embarrassed? Know someone that has? Then this card could be for them.”

Not a word about sexual assault.  But the graphic is a drawing of a naked woman huddled in a shower.  Maybe it’s just survivors and those who work in the sexual assault field who would see the graphic and think “sexual assault.”  Don’t know.

After my initial reaction I thought, “We (TAASA) need to draw attention to this stuff. It’s just wrong, hurtful, disgusting, on and on.   We can put it on Facebook.  Get people to mount a campaign to stop it from being sold.”  I’d seen others taking action on the issue.

Then came the question I often ask after my initial gut reaction to something I find offensive or outright hurtful.  Is drawing more attention to (fill in the blank with latest issue) the best action here?  Or will that serve to increase attention and sales? Is this an issue or policy or trend where we advocate for change?   Not simple questions to answer.

Of course getting more information helps make the decision, but usually isn’t my first response.  Thank you to Narissa Johnson for a tweet leading to more questions about the whole card drama.

• “Youstupidbitch” began offering cards for sale on the Etsy site Oct. 26, 2010.
• There are 32 different cards offered. A total of 31 sales have been made.
• The “You got bad touched” card has been viewed 35,524 times (over 6,000 more views than the next most viewed card.)
• Four, that’s 4, “You got bad touched” cards have been sold.

You can draw your own conclusions from those bits of info.  I thought “Wow, only four cards sold.” Thankfully, I am surprised. I wonder about the total of views. Maybe most of them were sexual assault advocates/activists checking out the offensive cards. I do know if I were the seller, I probably wouldn’t put any more effort into similar cards.

If you decide that taking action to remove the card from the Etsy site is the best choice, you can sign a petition at Change.org.  If you decide to contact the seller (who says s/he has received several thousand angry emails about the card), you can add to the list, though it looks like appeals other than anger may have a more beneficial effect.

Personally, I’m choosing to not take action—other than raising questions to you.  I welcome your responses and decisions.

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