courts

North Carolina and Withdrawal of Consent: UPDATES

by Cara September 28, 2010

Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions of rape and discussions of rape apologism. Last week, I wrote about a disturbing news story out of North Carolina, in which a rape case was dismissed by the district attorney on the basis of a 1979 court ruling that stated a person cannot withdraw consent to sex once it [...]

17 comments Read the full article →

North Carolina: Consent to Sex Cannot Be Withdrawn

by Cara September 23, 2010

Trigger Warning for rape apologism, specifically within a legal context, and descriptions of rape. Today I came across a story about rape charges being dropped against a high school student and star football player in Charlotte, NC. Stories about rape charges being dropped always interest me, not because the reasons for dropping charges are always [...]

13 comments Read the full article →

Indianapolis Woman Alleges Brutal Police Beating That Caused Miscarriage

by Cara August 31, 2010

Trigger Warning for descriptions of police violence and forcible miscarriage, as well as discussions of racism and victim-blaming. LaDonna Dixon claims that last June, an Indianapolis police officer beat her severely after she argued with him — even though she was in handcuffs, and even though she says that she told him she was pregnant [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Disabled Student Assaulted on School Bus; Bus Driver Watches and Doesn’t Respond

by Cara August 6, 2010

Trigger Warning for graphic descriptions of violence against people with disabilities, school violence, and victim-blaming. As evidenced by a recent post, violence of all kinds is a major problem in schools, and school administrations not only frequently fail to respond appropriately to said violence, they’re also often a direct part and/or cause of the problem. [...]

8 comments Read the full article →

Lawsuit Claims School Used Rape Victim as “Bait”

by Cara August 2, 2010

Trigger Warning for rape apologism/denialism and discussions of sexual violence and rape culture. School is supposed to be a safe place for students to learn and interact with their peers. But as far too marginalized persons know, schools frequently present an environment that is the exact opposite, from being sites of sexualized gender-based violence, to [...]

21 comments Read the full article →

President Obama to Sign Law Targeting Sexual Violence Against Native American Women

by Cara July 29, 2010

I’m incredibly pleased to be able to pass along some great news for a change — the Tribal Law and Order Act, which I  had previously urged all of you to support, and which the infinitely awesome Pretty Bird Woman House vocally approves, has passed both houses of Congress and it set to be signed [...]

6 comments Read the full article →

Age Old Victim-Blaming Myths Win Court Case for Girls Gone Wild

by Cara July 24, 2010

Trigger Warning for descriptions of sexual assault and explicit victim-blaming and sexual assault apologism. Earlier this week, a jury ruled against a woman who sued the Girls Gone Wild franchise on the grounds that they damaged her reputation when they included footage of her being forcibly disrobed in one of their DVDs (h/t). The woman, [...]

43 comments Read the full article →

Dead Firefighter’s Family Sues His Widow Because She is Trans

by Cara July 23, 2010

Warning: quoted text and linked articles contain transphobic language. This story is enraging and heartbreaking all at once. A woman named Nikki Araguz recently lost her husband Thomas, when he died while working as a firefighter on July 3. Instead of being allowed to mourn this horrific and sudden loss of her life partner, Nikki [...]

13 comments Read the full article →

Alabama Expands Abuse Protection Law to Cover Dating Relationships

by Cara July 9, 2010

Yesterday, a new domestic violence law went into effect in Alabama. The changes provide greater privacy to victims filing protection orders, and expand the definition of abuse to include a wider range of relationships — namely, dating relationships. Changes to Alabama’s abuse protection law will now cover more people when it comes to domestic violence. [...]

3 comments Read the full article →

Experts Believe Arizona Immigration Law Will Harm Domestic Abuse Victims

by Cara July 6, 2010

By now, most of you have probably heard of SB 1070 — the abhorrent Arizona immigration law that is soon to take effect. For those who haven’t heard of the law or who need a refresher, SB 1070 not only has the effect of legalizing racial profiling, it requires it of police. Once in effect, [...]

1 comment Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →