Feb
7
“Get Social!” – TAASA’s 2012 Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Packet
Filed Under Announcement, Motivating Moments, News, Prevention, Resource | By Rose Luna | Leave a Comment
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?
Jan
11
Law Professor Will Ask U.S. Supreme Court To Reverse Decision That A Woman Can Be Fired For Being Stalked
Filed Under Announcement, Guest Post, News, Powerful Women, Stalking | By Dawn Martin | 1 Comment
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
Jan
4
Slut Walk Revisited: A Perspective Missing from the Conversation
Filed Under Announcement, Diversity, Motivating Moments, Powerful Women | By Rose Luna | Leave a Comment
Since its inception the “Slut Walk” events have carried a storm of controversy and have been met with both acceptance and resistance. TAASA responded with talking points and also created a space for staff to openly discuss their thoughts on the Slut Walk events. The results were featured in Soapbox-SlutWalk-Summer2011. A viewpoint missing from the national and international conversation is that of women of color. Below please find the collective response in the “Open Letter from Black Women to the Slut Walk”
______________________________________________________________
We the undersigned women of African descent and anti-violence advocates, activists, scholars, organizational and spiritual leaders wish to address the SlutWalk. First, we commend the organizers on their bold and vast mobilization to end the shaming and blaming of sexual assault victims for violence committed against them by other members of society. We are proud to be living in this moment in time where girls and boys have the opportunity to witness the acts of extraordinary women resisting oppression and challenging the myths that feed rape culture everywhere.
The police officer’s comments in Toronto that ignited the organizing of the first SlutWalk and served to trivialize, omit and dismiss women’s continuous experiences of sexual exploitation, assault, and oppression are an attack upon our collective spirits. Whether the dismissal of rape and other violations of a woman’s body be driven by her mode of dress, line of work, level of intoxication, her class, and in cases of Black and brown bodies—her race, we are in full agreement that no one deserves to be raped.
The Issue At Hand
We are deeply concerned. As Black women and girls we find no space in SlutWalk, no space for participation and to unequivocally denounce rape and sexual assault as we have experienced it. We are perplexed by the use of the term “slut” and by any implication that this word, much like the word “Ho” or the “N” word should be re-appropriated. The way in which we are perceived and what happens to us before, during and after sexual assault crosses the boundaries of our mode of dress. Much of this is tied to our particular history. In the United States, where slavery constructed Black female sexualities, Jim Crow kidnappings, rape and lynchings, gender misrepresentations, and more recently, where the Black female immigrant struggle combine, “slut” has different associations for Black women. We do not recognize ourselves nor do we see our lived experiences reflected within SlutWalk and especially not in its brand and its label.
As Black women, we do not have the privilege or the space to call ourselves “slut” without validating the already historically entrenched ideology and recurring messages about what and who the Black woman is. We don’t have the privilege Read more
Nov
30
Legal Access Granted: Sexual Assault Survivors in Texas
Filed Under Announcement, Guest Post, Legal Servivces, Resource, sexual assault laws | By Robert A. Brothers | Leave a Comment
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
Robert is a staff attorney with VICARS (The Victim Initiative for Counseling Advocacy & Restoration of the Southwest) a project of the Texas Legal Services Center.
When we see a sexual assault crime portrayed in the media, we are always presented with the dramatic criminal trial. There, at the conclusion of the criminal proceedings the judge renders the guilty verdict and justice is served; the survivor can now begin to move on with their lives, vindicated and on the road to recovery.
Of course, the reality of a sexual assault is much different.
In fact, sexual assault cases rarely make it through to a criminal trial. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network) Only 6% of rapists will ever spend a day in jail. The emphasis that people place on the importance of the criminal trial is disingenuous and overshadows the immediate needs and safety issues a sexual assault survivor faces.
There is also an issue with reporting. According to the “Health Survey of Texans: A focus on sexual assault” In Texas, only eighteen percent of victims reported their sexual assault to the police. Often, the reporting of the crime functions as the gateway to services for survivors. What about the eighty two percent of survivors in Texas who do not report the sexual assault to the police? Simply because they didn’t report their assault to authorities doesn’t mean that they do not have those same immediate needs.
Let’s look at some of those immediate needs in the aftermath of a sexual assault in Texas. The following is not legal advice and a survivor or advocate is strongly urged to consult with an attorney on all of Read more
Nov
16
Personally Speaking…..
Filed Under child sexul assault, Diversity, Guest Post, Motivating Moments, Powerful Women, Resource, sexual harrassment | By Rose Luna | Leave a Comment
The topics of child sexual assault and sexual harassment have ushered onto the national spotlight. As the Presidential nomination process continues and the Penn State scandal unfolds, advocates across the country cautiously watch as sensitive matters are frivolously discussed across media outlets. Local, state and national sexual assault organizations have garnered words of encouragement and official position statements. In addition, we gathered the personal thoughts weighing heavily on the minds of TAASA staff.
A trilogy of blogs authored by TAASA staff as events unfolded.
PART I of 3
I AM WOMAN hear me ROAR!
By Rose Luna
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
Sexual harassment has been the topic of the month since the claims against a current Presidential candidate surfaced. On my drive in this morning I haphazardly listened to the radio when the following comment caught my attention: “Well women just need to distinguish between someone ‘making a pass’ at work and sexual harassment” the other (a woman I might add)said this “Well this last woman has no credibility, she didn’t file a claim like the others”. I jammed the radio button to silence the absurdity and quell my rage.
The flippancy in the discussion of sexual harassment was disheartening. And the lack of media critique on the dismissal of these claims as a “distraction” to “real issues” (in my opinion) undermines years of social change attained by the women’s movement of the past. Throughout history sexualized violence against women has been met with conspicuous suspicion. The focus remains on the victim’s behavior, dress and/or choices as opposed to the criminal acts of the offender. Sexual harassment in the workplace is also met resistance and doubt. Many of the victims primarily women, suffer in silence for fear of losing their job.
A 2008 telephone poll by Louis Harris and Associates on 782 U.S. workers revealed:
* 31% of the female workers reported they had been harassed at work
* 7% of the male workers reported they had been harassed at work
* 62% of targets took no action
* 100% of women reported the harasser was a man
* 59% of men reported the harasser was a woman
* 41% of men reported the harasser was another man
Of the women who had been harassed:
* 43% were harassed by a supervisor
* 27% were harassed by an employee senior to them
* 19% were harassed by a coworker at their level
* 8% were harassed by a junior employee
The stark parallels on the realities of sexual assault and sexual harassment paint a bleak picture for women in contemporary society. In 2011 the thought of powerful independent women is still met with skepticism. According to a 2009 sexual harassment study at the University of Minnesota,Researcher Heather McLaughlin reported “This study provides the strongest evidence to date supporting the theory that sexual harassment is less about sexual desire than about control and domination….Male co-workers, clients and supervisors seem to be using harassment as an equalizer against women in power.”
Hillary Clinton’s bid for the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination may have “cracked the glass ceiling” however the indifferent characterization of sexual harassment victims this past month exposes a renovation project far from over.
PART 2 of 3
Sexual Harassment is a voting issue
Annette Burrhus Clay- TAASA Executive Director (our fearless leader!)
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
Annette has been in the movement for over 30 years and is a nationally renowned authority on sexual assault issues.
I have been absolutely flabbergasted with the general disinterest by the public in Herman Cain’s sexual harassment allegations. Some media has kept the story out in the public but it doesn’t really seem to be getting any traction. When Cain publicly and unapologetically all but dared reporters to ask any more questions about it and then bragged that his donations have actually increased since the story broke, made me very sad for our country.
Why is it in this primary season we are much more interested in Mitt Romney’s religion or Rick Perry’s debating skills than we are of the blatant disregard and disrespect of half of the electorate? This does matter! First I hear this is gossip fueled by two disgruntled women and then two more victims surface. Next is the claim that the accusations are completely baseless, not even worthy of remembering they actually occurred. And then we find out a considerable settlement was paid. That was followed by the outrage that the victims were anonymous so couldn’t be trusted. Finally, two victim identities are revealed (through both a press conference and an outing) and the victim’s character and motivations became the headline. Is it any wonder that most women never report their victimization?
I have seen sexual harassment downplayed and joked about for years, so under normal circumstances I might not be so surprised by this reaction, but this is the primaries where candidates are under a microscope and their every word and action scrutinized. So why have so many people given Herman Cain a pass? Why is the treatment of women such a low priority? I wonder if it’s not the same reason why it’s so much harder to find Congressional co-sponsors for the Violence Against Women Act this session. Are we so concerned about the economy and jobs that we’ve collectively decided women can be the sacrificial lamb? I hope that’s not the case but I can assure you, women are watching and we are voting.
PART 3 of 3
Unthinkable complacency
By Lyn Williams
Credit: Free photos from acobox.com
Lyn is TAASA’s training director. He is a father, husband and an avid LSU fan.
I will soon be 62 years of age and I have been a college football fan as long as I can remember. I follow professional sports to a degree but because it has become nothing more than a business it does not have the same luster as college sports. For many years college football was basically pure in its approach to the game. Read more
Oct
25
Politics on a Personal Level
Filed Under Public Policy, Resource | By Rose Luna | 2 Comments
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
The three subjects never to bring up in polite dinner conversation are politics, religion and salary. Some of us are so steadfast about this rule, that we never discuss these subjects, even to our own detriment. We can choose to participate in the political process or sit on the sidelines and pray (or meditate if prayer isn’t for you) for no cuts in funding and more supportive laws for survivors. And since 501(c)(3) organizations cannot endorse a candidate, each of us individually must do more. The purpose of this blog is not to focus on an agency’s role in public policy. IRS rules dictate how organizations (including 501(c)(3) non-profits) can interact with candidates, campaigns and elected officials. A guidebook created by the Alliance for Justice is available to give non-profits a better understanding of the laws that govern their participation in the policy process. Instead, the purpose of this blog is to encourage advocates as independent, civic minded citizens to consider the plight of survivors when contemplating candidates for local, state and national office.
It is essential that we completely analyze and critique each candidate as they vie for our vote during the next political season. This is even more critical as the landmark decision on January 21, 2011 by the United States Supreme Court (citizens united v federal election commission) now allows for individuals and corporations to anonymously contribute unlimited amounts of financial support in favor or against particular candidates. As an advocate, I argue it’s our obligation to vet the candidate’s position on sexual assault issues i.e. discern lip service from action.
Read more
Oct
12
Sexual Assault on College Campuses: What you Need to Know
Filed Under Guest Post, Resource | By Amy Reynolds | 1 Comment
Credit: Free images from acobox.com If you are a young woman who has just gone off to college, it can be a very thrilling time in your life. You are away from home, making all sorts of new friends, gaining new knowledge, and experiencing a variety of other things for the first time—you are on your own.
However, with all the excitement that college brings, it can be easy to get caught up and neglect some important issues. One of the most important issues is the issue of your safety. Being a new college student, you might not know how widespread sexual assault has become on campuses across the nation. Since it is such an epidemic, here are some things that you as a smart, brilliant young woman should know.
The scary truth. The following statistics were gathered by the American Association of University Women and need to be thoughtfully considered by all college students so that we can do our part in fighting against sexual assault:
• 20-25 percent of college women are raped during their time at school—equating to one in five women.
• Approximately one-third of these sexual assault cases are first year students between the ages of 17 and 19 years old.
• Less than 5% of sexual assaults are reported to law enforcement.
• The main factor in these attacks is alcohol—it is involved in 75% of them.
• One in 12 college men admitted to committing acts that meet the legal definition of rape.
• 80-90% of sexual assaults are committed by people known to the victim…most being fellow classmates, friends, boyfriends or exes.
• 60% of rapes occur in college residence halls.
• 52% of rapes/sexual assaults that are reported occur after midnight.
No one deserves to be raped. Unfortunately, many women tend to blame themselves if they were involved in a night of drinking, wearing revealing clothes, or maybe put themselves in a questionable situation. What needs to be understood, however, is that no situation warrants rape or sexual assault. Perpetrators are responsible for their own actions. Survivors are never to blame. Read more
Oct
4
I’m too pretty to …
Filed Under Guest Post, Motivating Moments, Powerful Women, Prevention | By Tim Love | Leave a Comment
Credit: Free photos from acobox.com Back in August, J.C. Penney was selling a shirt in their stores that had the following text written across the front of it, “I’m too pretty to do homework so my brother has to do it for me.” (Brief pause for everyone to get their screams out.) Okay, so obviously the message behind the t-shirt is, let’s say, problematic. The message to young women is clear – don’t bother getting your learn on and don’t be smart, because all it is really about is being attractive so you can get men to do things for you. And this message fits in with a whole cacophony of similar messaging that exists throughout our society. As a human being, and as a father of two daughters, this message is unacceptable, demeaning and limiting. Thankfully, there was swift outrage and J.C. Penney pulled the t-shirt from their stores. If you’d like to read one of the blog stories out there about this t-shirt, you can click here.
I have written before about media and fashion messaging about masculinity and femininity, so I’m not looking to go through a more thorough explanation of the problem with this t-shirt. What I did find interesting was that shortly after stories about the t-shirt broke, one website challenged people to complete the following statement, “I’m too _____ to do my homework, so my _____ had to do it for me.” You can imagine a whole range of possible responses, but one from a friend stood out to me. Deborah completed the statement in the follow way.
I’m too manipulated by a patriarchal-capitalist system that tells me my entire self worth is dictated by how ‘pretty’ (determined by who again?) I am to do my homework, so my brother has to do it for me, which is fine because he’s going to end up getting paid more and promoted above me anyway, although if I bring this tidbit up, I’ll just be called a feminazi and possibly a lesbian.
Thank you Deborah. I laughed so hard I couldn’t see straight, and you reminded me that sometimes humor and sarcasm are particularly useful strategies when dealing with inequity.
Anyone else want to take a crack at completing the sentence above? It’s time to tap into that funny bone and let the sarcasm fly. Come on, it will feel good.
Sep
30
Lost in Translation
Filed Under Uncategorized | By Wende Hilsenrod | Leave a Comment
Credit: Free images from acobox.com
Last weekend I watched two foreign films, one from Peru and one from Brazil. I was baffled by the Peruvian film because I could not understand the “Spanish” they were speaking – I was tired, the actors were speaking quickly, and since they were also playing characters who were drunk, they were slurring and “eating their words”. The Brazilian film also baffled me. I was losing threads of the conversation (even when I read the subtitles in English) until I realized they were ‘mixing’ Yiddish and Portuguese and only Portuguese was translated! I lost interest in both films: it was a lot of work to keep up with the code switching. It also required that I stop paying attention in order to translate for the monolingual English speakers in the room. I found myself making up what I thought I heard the characters say. Everyone was left with a poor opinion of both movies.
I woke up this morning with a horrible and chilling thought: How many times, because I was tired, in a hurry, thought I understood the slang, did I mistranslate? Not just in Spanish or Portuguese, but in English as well. I will never forget the horror I felt when, years ago, my niece said the visit to Grandma’s was “the bomb”. I assumed she witnessed an explosion!
Which brings me to another point; I have my own lexicon, as does everyone else. When stressed, tired, anxious or just plain in a bad mood, I sling words around and expect to be understood! People in crisis expect and deserve to be understood by those who are there to advocate for them. Figuring out ways to check for understanding without screwing my face up and going “HUNNM?” “Excuse me is not only kinder, it opens up the flow of communication giving the providers more accurate information
Which brings me back to waking up in a cold sweat – how many times have we, as advocates, missed the sublties of language usage by our clients? What opportunities were lost? More importantly, how many clients walked away discourage and never came back?
Sep
26
Sexual Assault is NOT a Partisan Issue
Filed Under Guest Post, Motivating Moments, Powerful Women | By Rose Luna | Leave a Comment
It’s no secret Texas Governor Rick Perry is running for President and the First Lady’s work with TAASA has been the focus of several news articles. Mica Mosbacher responds to those reports with a genuine and personal account of how she became an avid supporter of TAASA. Below please read Mica’s courageous editorial in defense of Anita Perry’s work on behalf of sexual assault survivors.
(Published Austin American Statesman: 6:32 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011)
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I survived sexual assault at the innocent age of 19. It occurred in London while on a holiday during the summer break before my junior year at the University of Texas.
I had been out to dinner with a large group of friends at a respectable restaurant. This guy came to our table and bought me a drink, but I did not ask him to join us. I did sip on the drink, and feeling quite drunk, I took a cab back to the hotel. I barely made it to my room. Soon someone knocked on the door and I opened it. That’s all I remember until I woke up.
I did not report it to British authorities. I was ashamed, humiliated and too afraid of being judged or labeled to tell anyone about the attack.
I cut my European tour short and refused to meet my dad as planned in France. Upon returning home, I became despondent. Still, I tried to soldier on. My studies were affected and I was suddenly world weary — but I functioned well on the surface.
I kept this secret for 30 years, until I was introduced to first lady Anita Perry and the fine work she was doing to help assault victims through Texas Association against Sexual Assault.
She was so compassionate and understanding when I quietly admitted that I was a survivor. I agreed to host an inaugural luncheon in Houston to help raise money for the association. It would mean that I would have to step forward and tell my story. I wasn’t sure I could do so, but I was moved by the first lady’s advocacy and willingness to work for a non-glamorous charity that I agreed to help others and perhaps help myself.
I believe there are no coincidences. While planning the lunch, my son’s girlfriend, now wife, told me about a friend who had been raped while on a trip to New Braunfels. I took the risk of being vulnerable and shared with Lauren my experience. Lauren was looking for a way to tell her story to others and to offer hope and a path for healing. Lauren went on to speak at the luncheon and to tell her compelling story in front of a large audience of classmates, family members, school officials and strangers. She went on to be part of the association’s “Speak Up, Speak Out Campaign,” whereby survivors share their stories in ads for TV, radio and Read more