"How many unfunny rape jokes lead to rape?"

I cannot tell you how often, from both men and women, I get called "uptight" or a "femi-nazi" or some equally disparaging comment for holding the belief that rape jokes (or "wife-beating" or whatever the sensitive issue is) are just not funny. No exception. When anyone steps back and realizes that to be able to make a joke about these issues is based in a disrespect for the severity of the issue/CRIME, it basically kills the humor. As far as I know, anyone well versed in sexual assault issues, who has been assaulted, or who knows someone that has been, never finds a joke about rape or assault funny--the difference between them and someone else who does probably exists in having the issue hit home. When I hear issues about wife-beating, I don't think about the joke-I think about all the bruised faces I have seen, I see victims and survivors--not objects of humor.

Moreover, as I have mentioned before, if one takes a look back on history--the issues that we have made fun of in the past often reflect society's prejudices. For example, there was a time when African-Americans were made fun of in mainstream newspapers and media and it was "only a joke" because of societal attitudes--that doesn't make it okay, and it wasn't funny then to many people and its even less funny now to most. So to me, yes, rape jokes are not jokes--they are insults to survivors of rape, victims of rape, and all women, they are indicative of the fact that crimes against woman are still not given equal weight or attention.

So, what spurred this post was my googling of an amazing woman--Sonia Ossorio, the President of NOW-NYC. I googled her and came across this video where she was debating the severity of two remarks made by radio hosts concerning raping Condoleeza Rice--how upsetting that anyone could believe that we could ever make light of that issue!...Patrice O'Neal, the comedian defending the comments asks, "how many unfunny rape jokes lead to rape?" Let me say this at the very least: its not necessarily that a rape joke directly causes a person to commit the crime. It is truth, however, that a rape joke is indicative of a societal culture and attitude that doesn't do enough to say that raping someone IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE. NEVER. and, sorry Patrice O'Neal--its NEVER FUNNY either...and, yes, I do have a sense of humor.

Women-only hours at Harvard's gym; Follow-up to MacDonald

Harvard has instituted a new policy of women-only hours at the gym, which particularly benefits Muslim women. The blogosphere has been especially critical of this policy (a lot of it has a very islamophobic slant, however), and I am wondering what you all think. From my perspective, it seems that having this sort of segregated time may only further gender and religious stereotypes and keep diverse individuals from interacting with one another. What do you think?

On another note, here's a great response to the Heather MacDonald op-ed in the LA Times.

Misogynist men and the women they kill

It is very frustrating for me to write about the issue of violence against women and how the social system fails to protect them again and again, and again, and again.

This article I was reading tells another awful story.

College rape overestimated?

LiJia mentioned Heather MacDonald's piece about the fact that college rape statistics are over-estimated. If anything, they have to be under-reported. But one of the questions that came up for me was the fact that MacDonald cited a 1980 study and blamed this over-estimate on the survey questions. Do you think such a study should be done since it has been 20 years, and my belief is that we would find many more cases of rape in college than a study 20 years ago. But then again, I'm sure Ms. MacDonald would find another argument to blame those "drunken college girls" who do this to themselves.

Is the blogosphere gendered?

I just read an article titled "The Gendered Blogosphere" by Dustin Harp and Mark Tremayne which states that according to their research, only 10% of top bloggers are women. Why do you think that is? Does it have to do with the networking that happens in the blogosphere? Or how about the way we value political blogs and personal blogs?

What do you think?

The dude vote

Here we go again! Another article, another testimony of how sexist this election is and how much more we are going to see!



Source: Salon.com

The media and girls

I came across this article that is a good follow-up to a previous post about the much more scrutinizing treatment that girls get in the media.

What a way to go

We all know that the feminist community and the gay community have had a rough relationship from the start. However, as someone who believes all oppressed peoples should stand in solidarity with each other, I would like to post the following message from Paula Ettelbrick, the Executive Director of International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

Roc Weiland was an activist during his lifetime, and left an amazing legacy after his death. His monetary gift is impressive, but it is even more impressive that he will continue funding imperative work around the world. Please take a moment to read the following excerpt and celebrate the life of someone who fought for change.

INTERNATIONAL GAY AND LESBIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION

IGLHRC Member Update: Ric Weiland's Bequest

To all of you who so generously support IGLHRC:

I want to let you know personally of a very generous bequest made both to the LGBTI community in general and to IGLHRC by Ric Weiland. As you can see from the attached articles published today in the Chronicle of Philanthropy and yesterday in the Seattle Times, IGLHRC is honored to be one of the designated beneficiaries of the single largest bequest ever made to the LGBT community: $65 million dollars that will be given in differing amounts to 11 LGBT groups, including the Pride Foundation in Seattle which will administer the funds.

Ric Weiland, a long time IGLHRC supporter, died in June 2006 at the age of 53. Under the provisions of Ric's will, IGLHRC will receive approximately $198,000 per year over the next 8 years, for a total bequest of just under $1.6 million dollars.

Needless to say, this is an unprecedented gift for IGLHRC, and one that could not have come at a better time for the organization. As was clear from my conversations with him, Ric understood that organizations need to be able to plan multi-year strategies. His gifts to IGLHRC, when he was alive, had evolved into 2-year pledges that allowed us the freedom to plan and strategize with our partners around the world over a period longer than a single fiscal year. He knew that decriminalizing homosexuality or fighting police violence requires that we adopt long-term strategies in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and all of the places that IGLHRC's work reaches. His approach encouraged me to ask many of you to pledge your support over the course of several years as well.

Thus, with Ric's example in mind, IGLHRC will be using this unexpected funding in two primary ways. First, to build the next five-year vision and strategy for IGLHRC's work around the world and at the United Nations. That strategy will incorporate a plan for building multi-year support from our individual supporters through our Global Dignity Fund (GDF). As with Ric's bequest, which will be paid out quarterly, having GDF monthly funds to rely on increases our capacity to sustain ongoing work with grassroots groups and respond to human rights emergencies as they occur.

Second, in light of Ric's specific desire to help build strong community groups, IGLHRC will use a portion of the bequest to establish a paid annual fellowship program in one of our regional offices. The program will allow LGBT activists in Africa, Asia, Latin America or the Caribbean to apply for a fellowship to work with our staff on a project to promote LGBTI human rights advocacy in her/his home country.

Ric's death was a painful and difficult loss for so many. There is nothing any of us would have preferred than to have him with us, working in his very gentle way and witnessing the successes that his generosity has provided to our entire movement in the United States for so many years. Yet, in death he acts as he did in life - encouraging long-term vision, trusting our groups' leadership to know how to do that, and contributing to a grassroots-based movement. There is no individual in the world who has given as generously to the goal of global equality for LGBTI people as Ric Weiland. The lives and work of LGBTI activists in Kenya, Thailand, Chile, China and elsewhere around the world will benefit from Ric's generosity to IGLHRC, and we are truly honored.

We thank you, too, for your extraordinary commitment to fighting for the rights of LGBTI people where ever they live and for your faith in IGLHRC. By building on Ric's generosity, we move closer each day to a world that understands that human rights are the entitlement of all people.

Sincerely,

Paula L. Ettelbrick
Executive Director

Why we should settle?????

Have any of you read the piece by Lori Gottlieb titled "Marry Him?" The piece says that despite the fact that we call ourselves feminists we still need a man - otherwise sudden panic and desperation ensues as we age. So basically, instead of searching for Mr. Perfect or even being self-reliant, Ms. Gottlieb suggest we settle for Mr. Good Enough because otherwise our lives will be incomplete come 30 years and over. I have issues with this piece, first because of the obvious implication that our own personal security rests on the fact that we need a man in our lives, but also because of the concept of "settling." What does this mean and what do you think?

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200803/single-marry

Women deserve to be raped?

I found out about this outrageous article via Feministing that was posted in the LA Times. It reminds me so much of the woman-blaming that occurs when it comes to rape. Over the summer, I overheard a conversation between three male students at Georgetown that made me sick to my stomach. The Georgetown student who dominated the conversation was recounting the story of a murder of a girl at Texas A & M that was committed by her boyfriend. He commented that "you know, she was probably one of those girls that loves to date sketchy guys. She probably deserved it." He continued by stating that, "you know what, it's the same with girls that go to sketchy frat parties and get raped. I don't even feel bad for them. They deserve to be raped."

It is incredulous to me that ANYONE, much less a student at my own university, could believe that ANYONE DESERVES TO BE RAPED OR KILLED. Why is he blaming the victims in these situations instead of the perpetrators? Why didn't he blame the person who committed the murder or individuals who commit rape instead?

Let's think about this logically. So, we make the assumption that women who go to sketchy frat parties have some awareness of the risk they are exposing themselves to. We can also make the assumption that soldiers going to Iraq are aware of the risks they are exposing themselves to. Or people that decide to go into surgery. Or people who are walking alone late at night. Do those people deserve to be killed in battle, die on an operating table, or be mugged? Why is it that these women "deserve to be raped" then?