Does title IX protection taken from Trans Gender students!

“On February 23 the U.S department of education and U.S department of justice rescinded the guidance issued by Obama’s administration on accommodating transgender and gender nonconforming students under title IX.”

The guidance was had helped secure equal protection for transgender students and having their pronouns, names and gender identities respected. The largest controversy with the guidance is that it requires federally funded schools to give said students appropriate access to facilities depending on their gender. Despite approval of the guidance it last very long under Trump’s leadership. Where does this tie in with campus sexual assault? Title IX states:  “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” However as we know the law was not extended to Trans gender students. Without the guidance it opens up discrimination and encourages criminal acts towards transgender students. This will not only lessen the consequence for things such as assault but it will also make it harder for the crimes to be deemed as hate crimes.

Records show that trans students encounter high levels of discrimination on college campuses. They not only experience greater rates of intimate partner violence but also sexual assault and sexual harassment.  76% of transgender students feel unsafe on college campuses. Despite these facts Trump still choose to rescind the one of the only laws protecting transgender students on college campuses. Many organizations are expressing their disapproval of the rescind. In recent news nearly 2,500 religious figures declare support for equal protection of transgender teens. Yet as the citizens opinion changes are laws are still stagnant. The refusal to extend laws that have never explicitly excluded Transgenders is the biggest example of it.

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-Alicia

Collision Course 101: Rape Culture and Politics

Okay so here’s the thing the fact that are able to write so many post about how rape is politically advanced and accepted is ridiculous. I mean how many times must the definition of rape and its consequences be rewritten. I’m guessing a lot because today’s article was written by Azadeh Aalai showing us just how often politicians make an ass out of themselves.

Starting off with how she’s relieved by her abundance of nephews and lack of nieces. Some may say this is politically irrelevant but she’s clearly perturbed by the lack of safety for average females these days. Frankly that just goes to show how little weight our government has behind the promises of protection and justice for women of all ages. Not to nitpick but one key part lacking in the article is males! Men and women are both potential victims of sexual assault.

Aalai was sure to state the definition of rape culture which contrary to what many believe isn’t restricted to just rape.

“For those of you unfamiliar with the term, rape culture is not exclusive to rape. It is a more general term to describe a system of oppression against women where they are targeted on a continuum of violence, from the more “minor” infractions of being harassed on the streets with catcalls to being targeted unfairly at the workplace due to their gender to being sexually objectified by the media and other cultural institutions to the more severe acts of violence such as sexual assault, rape, and/or murder.”

Aalai is arguable liberal when it comes down to dealing with rape culture. From demanding the government actively take part in ending it to wanting harsher punishments rather. But one hot topic is how rape victims are treated in court. On average liberals tend to believe that it shouldn’t be such a triggering process when proving rape occurred. While many repubs tend to believe that it’s only right to guarantee innocent men aren’t falsely convicted. We can’t ever seem to find a middle ground but in current news we have the definitions of consent varying from state to state. That definitely creates a barrier. On the other hand we have the FBI changing their definition of rape to finally include men. This is an ongoing issue that may worsen following the inauguration of our new president. Yes yet another article mentions Trump. Honestly I agree with both the liberal and conservative approach to dealing with accusations of rape. Victims shouldn’t have to be ridiculed and strung along just to prove it happened but they also shouldn’t be able to simply say it and subsequently ruin the reputation and life of the accused. I’ll leave you with this.

-Alicia

 

 

 

 

Should Women Be Worried About Our President or His V.P?

Emily Picket sets it straight in her article stating that in fact having Pence lead office is just as bad or maybe even worse than Trump. Following the release of Trump’s “prize worthy” video expressing his apparently socially acceptable opinions of females, Emily trashes Trump but not without destroying Pence in the process. Let’s be honest Trump’s inability to see how such comments coming from a former presidential candidate now elect is asinine. But what we have here is a man honest about his sexist opinions and a far greater danger: the man who hides his offenses. Pence has an entire timeline filled with his extreme views of women’s health. Scariest part is as Emily said he also has been very effective in making them a “political reality”.

Trump’s ability to normalize sexual harassment is quite impressive. Or at least that’s what you’d think if their hasn’t been institutionalized sexism since the beginning of time! Fact is it’ll only lead to an increase in violence towards women.While Trump’s offenses are arguably immoral in most citizens eyes, Pence’s is hidden behind his attempts to “better” the nation. Pence’s obsession with defunding planned parenthood is one of the most prevalent examples of it.  Frankly planned parenthood supporting not only women as a whole but especially low income families leads me to questions why conservatives seem so opposed to it. Let’s be honest the amount of federal funding planned parenthood gets is massive (I mean 528.4M!) but completely demolishing the program is counterproductive. What’s a “small loan” of millions of dollars right? Let’s just say that Pence is the father of said campaign beginning.

Lets go back to 2007, when Pence first step foot in congress. Not only did he practically give republicans the idea of shutting down planned parenthood but he practically led to the governmental shut down in 2011. Emily goes further in describing how Pence played a leading roll in that development. Frankly what I’ve written is more than enough. I’ll just end with saying America remember to properly research our candidates because we may not live in the past but the past sure as hell makes the person.

Signing out- Alicia 

…Because He’s a boy

Most women if not all are raised to believe that the reason a brother, male cousin or male friend is exempt from being punished because “he’s a boy”. While many women disagree with the statement it’s still an opinion largely spread in society today. This issue goes far beyond not being allowed to go the party Jacob has permission to go to. I.E rape it’s an societal norm to believe a man for one can’t be raped by a women and that somehow their masculinity is questioned. Today I came across an article by Sarah LeTrent retelling a story that shows exactly why the excuse “because he’s a boy” is outdated. Sarah retells Jame Landrith’s story of the night he was sexually assaulted. Sad to say that the outrage of such events is usually over the fact that a man was raped by a woman. As opposed to it being over the fact that James inability to recognize that he was raped is the result of societies downplay and outright disbelief of it happening. The article states that “according to a 2010 report by Center for Disease Control and Prevention 1 in 5 women and 1 and 1 in 71 men in the United States have been raped”. Sarah following up with how the data is no doubt skewed because of the fact that male rape is largely kept in the dark. The article states that in 2012 the FBI’s uniform crime report redefined rape “as penetration no matter how slight…or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person”. With such a sensible definition you’d be surprised that it replaced the previous definition being “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will”. Somebody scream double standards. Now how does this play politically? Well being a nation that recently elected the most openly sexist president it’s safe to say that their would be a spike in the amount of men coming out about their sexual abuse.  A recent study stating that after the age of 18 the percentage of sexual offenders is strikingly similar in male (52%) and females (48%). And if the stats aren’t enough lets talk about how more men who’ve accused someone of rape is asked “we’re they sexually aroused” as though its a determining factor for the assault. Society may be opening it’s arms wider as a safe haven for those who’ve been sexually abused as of 2016. But are we truly seeking to end rape culture if our sign says women in need welcome with men only mention in the fine print at the bottom of the board?

-Alicia

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/09/living/chris-brown-female-on-male-rape/

“The 6 Most Offensive Political Rape Comments of 2012.” Which one will offend you the most?

December 22, 2016

This eye catching article was published on Policy Mic’s website December 20th, 2012 by Lilly O’Donnell. The article is centered around the most absurd comments about rape made by politician. The article was striving to bring awareness to such comments and prevent their reelection the following terms. The results have lead to many of the politicians mentioned having their names “dragged in the mud”. Sadly it isn’t very surprising that rape culture was and still is being spread through politics. However this statement written by Rep. Todd Akin: “If it’s a legitimate rape,” he said, “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Being a female myself, I must say I had no idea we had an automatic “shut down” system. Aside from the blatant ignorance of the article the only real benefit could be it’s use to strengthening the argument of the government actively supporting the end of rape culture. The main argument opposing such a proposal being the belief the politics took no part in the creation of rape culture. The article itself was party neutral however it’s clear that Lilly intended to expose political involvement in rape culture and take the power away from those politician who’ve actively participated in it. Her message being quite clear: “A lot of politicians said a lot of really ignorant, offensive things about rape this year. But before you put the whole “war on women” 2012 campaign season out of your mind forever, take a minute to reflect. Now that 2012 is coming to an end, and most of these idiots lost their reelection bids, we can laugh at the absurdity.” This article could serve as a strong evidence of the active support in ending rape culture. This is because if things such as “Grab them by the *BLEEP*” is still being acceptably used within politics there won’t be much else protecting victims of these crimes which are constantly watered down as “issues”. As Sen. Chuck Winder beautifully put “I would hope that when a woman goes into a physician, with a rape issue, that the physician will indeed ask her about perhaps her marriage, was this pregnancy caused by normal relations in a marriage, or was it truly caused by a rape.”

Source: https://mic.com/articles/21173/the-6-most-offensive-political-rape-comments-of-2012#.ueiipyG7j

Alicia