Mar

18

Judge Rules Daughters Must Have Overnight Visits with Sex Offender Father

Filed Under Australia, International, courts, misogyny, paternalism, patriarchy, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | 10 Comments

Trigger Warning for discussions of child pornography and child sexual abuse.

In Hobart, Australia, a family court has made a truly confounding and infuriating decision to require two girls to visit their father every other weekend, including an overnight stay — even though the father has been convicted on child pornography charges, the ruling also acknowledges the need for a lock on the girls’ bedroom door, and at least one of the girls is very much unwilling to go on such visits:

A Family Court judge in Hobart has ruled that the girls must visit their father every second weekend provided another adult is present in the home overnight.

The father involved in the case has been convicted of accessing child pornography and possessing child abuse products. He will remain on the sexual offenders register for at least another year.

But the judge has declared that it is in the best interests of the girls, aged eight and 10, that they spend time with their father, who cannot be identified.

He says there needs to be a lock on the girls’ bedroom door as the “father acts impulsively from time to time and that the children need some protection from him, especially at night”.

The mind absolutely boggles.

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Nov

24

U.S. Sailor Acquitted of Rape, Despite Admission of Physical Force

Filed Under Australia, International, courts, misogyny, patriarchy, rape and sexual assault, sex work, violence against women and girls | 21 Comments

Trigger Warning for rape apologism and graphic descriptions of sexual violence

In Sydney, a U.S. sailor has been acquitted on charges of raping a sex worker who told him to stop — even though he admitted, in court, to using a “lock down maneuver” to pin her to the bed.

A New South Wales District Court jury cleared Petty Officer Timothy Davis, 25, of a charge of sexual intercourse without consent, with the aggravating factor of causing the woman actual bodily harm. The charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

Davis was one of 3,000 Marines and Navy personnel on shore leave in Sydney after the amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu and guided missile destroyer USS Halsey arrived in the port in October, 2008.

The woman told the court she had protected, consensual sex with Davis at the brothel where she worked, but said he became aggressive when she told him his time was up and forced her to have unprotected sex. The jury was shown police photographs of scratches on the woman.

Davis denied forcing the woman to have sex, but admitted in court that he used a “lock down maneuver” to pin her to the bed when she said she wanted to stop. He told the court he backed off when she kicked him, though he said he muffled her mouth with his hand when she began to scream after he demanded his money back.

Could we possibly be reading this correctly? Let’s try another source:

She said he “ripped” off his condom, telling her he had paid for sex and he was going to finish it off “like a real man”.

The slight woman said he pushed her head into the pillow, started suffocating her, and had unprotected sex for 30 seconds.

The jury was shown police photos depicting scratches on the woman, who described Petty Officer Davis as an “animal” during an angry outburst at the trial.

In his evidence, the sailor – who agreed his weight was more than double the woman’s – admitted using a “lock down manoeuvre” to pin her down to the bed when she said she wanted to stop.

He said he told her he was going to “finish”, but when she kicked him away, he backed off with his hands in the air.

So, she told him to stop. And even only as far as he admits, instead of stopping as he was told, he pinned her to the bed and told her he was going to continue anyway. I repeat: against her wishes. After she told him to stop.

Which means that as far as any reasonable definition goes — hell, even working off an antiquated and misogynistic definition of rape that requires physical violence to be present — he confessed to raping her.

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May

26

Serial Rapist Convicted of Raping His Daughter

Filed Under Australia, International, courts, disability, media, misogyny, patriarchy, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | 8 Comments

Strong Trigger Warning

Sometimes these stories are just too horrible to convey in words.  The rapist in the story below (h/t Lauredhel) had a long history of sexual abuse towards his vulnerable female family members:

At the time of the offences, the man had been out of jail for a year after serving 10 years for repeatedly raping his step daughter from the time she was 10 years old.

The court heard the man, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his victims, was in a relationship with a woman from 1979 to 1983 and they had a daughter in 1982.

He left that woman to begin a relationship with the woman’s 17-year old daughter from a previous relationship.

The 17-year old already had a three-year old daughter of her own, and when the little girl was nine, years old the man began a sexual relationship with her while living at a Sunshine Coast caravan park.

He raped the girl for the first time around her tenth birthday.

The abuse continued until 1997 when the girl was about 16 years old.

He also raped another 16-year old family member in 1996.

In 1997, the man was sent to jail for a total of 35 offences and was eventually released in 2007.

Let me first get the obvious out of the way, yet again: you cannot have a “sexual relationship” with a nine-year-old child. The correct terminology, by absolute necessity, is “the man began sexually abusing her.”

Secondly, rapists who show a history of repeated and continuous sexual offenses against those to whom they are close have a high rate of offending again.  Which is why it’s a bad idea to let a child rapist convicted on 35 counts out of jail after only ten years.  Because he just might rape his daughter when he gets out. Read more

May

11

Northern Territory Legislates Consensual Teen Sex

Filed Under Australia, International, assholes, bigotry, discrimination, human rights, legislation, race and racism, rape and sexual assault, reproductive justice, sex and sexuality, violence against women and girls, women’s health | 6 Comments

Via Queen Emily comes this story out of the Northern Territory, Australia.  The government has decided to enact a law that forces anyone — from doctors to parents — to report any any sexual activity taking place among those who are under the age of 16. Because that sex is always illegal.  Regardless of consent.  Emphasis mine:

The Northern Territory Government says its Care and Protection of Children Act is all about keeping kids safe.

But the AMA is warning the act’s mandatory reporting requirements go too far and Dr Paul Bauert from the AMA’s Northern Territory branch is deeply concerned.

Until now, NT laws were similar to what operates in the other states; it was mandatory to report suspected child sexual abuse.

But now health workers must report sexual activity among under-16s to a team that includes police and staff in the Territory’s department of health and families.

Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to around $20,000. And it is not just doctors who will have to report.

“This applies to everybody,” Dr Bauert said. “Parents, brothers and sisters, mates.”

The legislation has been in place for months but it was only late last week that the Northern Territory Health Department told staff to comply.

They were told to report anyone under 16 who is sexually active, even if that person’s sexual partner is also under 16 or of the same age, and regardless of consent.

“Any person who has sexual intercourse with someone under the age of 16 is guilty of a crime and liable to imprisonment for 16 years,” Dr Bauert said.

Yes, you read all of that correctly.  Teenagers who have sex with each other are now facing potential imprisonment of up to 16 years.  The thing is, we’re not even talking about where statutory rape laws ought to draw the line, and whether or not there should be “Romeo and Juliet” clauses, etc.

No, we’re talking about the possibility of two consenting 15-year-olds facing jail time for “raping” each other.  Way to trivialize actual fucking rape.  And we’re talking about parents facing huge fines if they know about that sexual activity and don’t report their own children.  And we’re talking doctors who can’t give out factual and needed sexual health care without having to report their patients to the police.

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Feb

26

Jim Beam Ad Remakes Even Worse Than Originals

Filed Under Australia, International, marketing, media, misogyny, objectification, patriarchy, pop culture, sexism | 12 Comments

You might have seen the extremely offensive and sexist Australian Jim Beam ad series last year at Hoyden About Town.

The Neighbours shows naked women sunbathing outside in their backyard, with men peeping on them.  The Girlfriend shows a doormat of a woman explaining how she likes when men neglect her.  The Tragedy shows a very attractive woman explaining how she’s sexually attracted to other women.

In all of these, the title of the ad is stated with the word “the” highly emphasized in order to indicate that a phrase like “the girlfriend” means “the ultimate, world’s best girlfriend.” And of course, what could be a bigger tragedy than a woman whose sexuality doesn’t revolve around men?

Now, Jim Beam is holding a video remake contest, where they encourage their “fans” to make their own versions of the commercials.  Obviously, with the ads so offensive in the first place, this was always going to be a disaster. But one particular remake of the Girlfriend is especially appalling.

The original ad:

And, the remake:

Get it? Because what’s better than a woman who doesn’t have any desires or feelings of her own, but only exists for men’s sexual pleasure without pesky little nuisances like consent getting in the way?

Thank fucking god I don’t drink bourbon.  Though, interestingly, I certainly could use a drink.  Perhaps this was their real marketing strategy all along?

Thanks to Jenny for the link.

Dec

17

Queensland Attorney-General: Some Rapes “Minor,” “Technical”

Filed Under Australia, International, assholes, courts, misogyny, patriarchy, rape and sexual assault, violence against women and girls | 12 Comments

Queensland Attorney-General Kerry Shine has defended the common practice of letting rapists out on the street with no jail time at all by saying that some rapes just aren’t all that serious.

New figures showed 23 out of 172 people sentenced over rape or attempted rape during the past financial year avoided prison time.

Mr Shine defended the court system and said there were different levels of rapes.

“You have to look at the various circumstance of each case,” Mr Shine told ABC Radio.

“Some rapes can be of minor effect on the victim. Some circumstances can be of minor, some can be of major, damage to the victim. They do vary in intensity from time to time.

“For example, a digital rape is a technical rape but that is far less serious than an aggravated form of rape.”

His comments sparked outrage among talkback callers and victims of sexual crime support groups.

You know, I’m almost almost thrilled that someone non-feminist has actually acknowledged that my rapes were in fact, you know, rape.  That is, until in the same breath it’s referred to as mere “technical rape” that does not deserve real punishment, even when a conviction is obtained.

Thank you, Mr. Shine, for letting me and countless other women know that our rapes are so “minor” as to be almost insignificant.  If only I’d been so properly informed, I could have stopped being traumatized a long time ago.  After all, who gets so upset over mere technicalities?

The problem is that this attitude is far too prevalent.  I’ve seen and suffered it first hand. We’re not looking at a fluke, or a single bad egg.  We’re looking at one huge system of rape apologism and misogynist excuses.  And with this guy literally being in charge of criminal prosecutions in the state, to say this is a “system” can’t be even remotely construed as exaggeration.

And the question here is, who decides what is “minor,” what is “technical”?  Who decides whether a victim is traumatized enough to warrant proper sentencing for the rapist, and who is to say that the next victim of that same rapist let back out on the street will not be more deeply affected?  What kind of male entitlement does Shine have to feel to think that he has the right interpret women’s experiences in this way?  Would this only be “technical,” Mr. Shine?  Is this why a gang rape of a 10-year-old girl in your state was not met with justice?  Why does a woman (or girl) have to fall completely to pieces before a grave violation of her body and autonomy is taken with any sense of seriousness?

The Premier of the state, Anna Bligh, has called out Shine on his bullshit, and he has since apologized for his statements.  But unfortunately — and it’s important we don’t overlook this –  his comments were much more than “insensitive.”  They’re deeply triggering, for a start.  And they’re also highly indicative of how women and rapists are being treated by the legal system.  Sadly, it’s not a phenomenon restricted only to Queensland.

h/t Lauredhel’s Twitter feed

Oct

9

Only Two Questions

Filed Under Australia, International, LGBTQ, assholes, bigotry, courts, discrimination, gender, trans, transphobia and trans misogyny, violence against women and girls | 10 Comments

From Australian newspaper the Daily Telegraph:

WHEN constable Tyrone Stacey heard that a man in custody, Garrick Jacobson, was romantically involved with a woman known by police to be transgender, he assumed Jacobson was aware his girlfriend used to be male, a court heard yesterday.

“Oh, you mean the tranny?” Stacey asked after Jacobson said his girlfriend’s name was Brigitte Fell.

But Jacobson was confused.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

This was the crucial moment on September 24, 2006, when Stacey realised he had made “a genuine and honest mistake” in divulging personal information about Ms Fell to her lover of three weeks, barrister Joe Klarica told Downing Centre Local Court.

To ensure they were talking about the same person, Stacey then accessed the police database, printed out a mug shot of Ms Fell and showed it to Jacobson “in the hope that it was a different person”.

But Crown Prosecutor Sheridan Goodwin argued that Stacey and his colleague Brendan Ritson used the information to “humiliate and embarrass” Jacobson, who had been detained after stealing a case of beer.

She said Ritson taunted Jacobson, telling him: “You’re r. . .ing a bloke . . . see it’s a man.” The court heard just hours after he was released on bail, Jacobson broke into Fell’s home and assaulted her after yelling: “You didn’t tell me you were actually a man . . . I’m going to smash you.”

1. Why is everyone only talking about the “humiliation” suffered by Jacobson and not what was suffered by the woman whose privacy was actually violated, and who was in fact put into danger as a result? (Oh, right, she’s trans, and clearly the “humiliation” of a cis man finding out his girlfriend is trans is much more noteworthy and prosecutable than the danger and violation suffered by the woman in question.)

2. What charges, exactly, is Jacobson facing? Because it says pretty clearly in the article here that he assaulted Fell and in fact broke into her home, but nothing is noted about how he is being prosecuted for those crimes. I’m afraid to find out whether the Daily Telegraph just didn’t think that part was worth mentioning, or if it actually turns out that the poor victim Jacobson isn’t being prosecuted for his violence at all.

Sep

10

When a Man is The Victim: A Study in Rape Apology

Filed Under Australia, International, courts, gender, media, rape and sexual assault | 14 Comments

I’ve been asked by several people at this point to comment on the case of of an Australian female stripper who allegedly raped a man during a bachelor’s party through use of a strap on dildo.  I’m not sure what exactly those people were expecting, but here we go.

A FEMALE stripper whispered into the ear of the best man at a Melbourne bucks night, “Don’t worry, only you and I know”, after she allegedly raped him in front of his cheering mates.

Stripper Linda Naggs also allegedly told the man — who cannot be identified for legal reasons — that she did not mean to penetrate him with a sex toy during her show and that it was “only a joke”.

Ms Naggs yesterday pleaded not guilty to one count of rape after being committed to stand trial, following the party at a rented bayside suburb house on September 23 last year. Documents tendered to the Melbourne Magistrates Court reveal the best man told police he felt violated and that his “manhood had dropped a bit” since the alleged rape.

The man said he took part in Ms Naggs’s strip show after his mates called his name and egged him on.

He told police Ms Naggs took his top off, pushed down his jeans and asked him to “get down on all fours” before she strapped on a dildo.

The best man said he asked Ms Naggs not to penetrate him and that the stripper replied, “Not a problem, relax, it’s only fun, I won’t go there”, but she did it anyway.

My immediate observation is that if the same circumstances existed with genders reversed, we probably wouldn’t even be hearing about this case at all.  But the media loves a story where a woman — the prettier, the better — is the perpetrator of violence against men. They love it both because it’s so significantly less likely to happen and therefore of interest, and because their sharp focus on the case can exaggerate the social perception of the rate at which such instances of violence are committed.

But nothing in that observation is intended to indicate that this case is less serious than any other rape case.  It’s not. Instead, it’s a simple comment how I often see cases of rapes perpetrated against men and women treated differently by society and the media.

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Mar

1

Sydney Gay Pride Parade Celebrates a Landmark

Filed Under Australia, International, LGBTQ, pop culture | Leave a Comment

Sydney Australia celebrated its 30th Gay Mardi Gras last night! The Mardi Gras Parade is quite the huge event, and draws up to half a million people, both residents and tourists, each year. It is, without a doubt, one of the largest LGBT pride events in the world. The original 1978 march took place when homosexuality was illegal and resulted in police violence. Now, it’s one of the city’s biggest tourism draws.

I went one year while living in Australia — 2003, I believe. It is quite the blast. The floats in the parade mock everything imaginable, particularly those who would like to see them go away, like the Australian government and Catholic Church. They also promote social justice. This year, they focused largely on same-sex marriage rights and the environmental crisis. Oh, and they also had Rupert Everett lead the parade and a float with 250 men dressed up as Aussie pop star and gay icon Kylie Minogue. And I can only assume that the shirtless Dykes on Bikes made their usual appearance.

Of course, the Christian groups like to whine every year about the existence of the parade, and handful turn out to hand out pamphlets. But they don’t get a lot of airtime. The religious fundies have a lot less political power in Australia than in the U.S. I remember being awed and thrilled every year by the open promotion and acceptance of the event by the mainstream media and the dismissive (or outright lack of) attention given to those who want the event stopped.

Is this partially motivated by the huge amount of money that the event brings in for the city? Of course. Does it mean that Australia is some kind of hugely-accepting gay haven? Absolutely not — I ran into a lot of homophobia myself, particularly regarding one professor at uni who was openly gay, proud and, as he liked to say, camp (he was also brilliant, the best teacher I’ve ever had in my life, and a big reason why I’m a feminist). But the fact remains that we’re many years away from this kind of general public acceptance of sexual pride and flamboyance in the U.S.

So happy 30th, Mardi Gras! Did anyone reading this attend? If so, let us know about it in the comments!

(Thanks to Patrick for the head’s up.)

Feb

19

Reasons to Take the Bus

Filed Under Africa, Australia, Europe, International, misogyny, patriarchy, rape and sexual assault, sex work, violence against women and girls | 4 Comments

A man in London has just been arrested on charges of drugging and raping women he picked up in his taxi cab. Though there are countless published stories about the case, the information is exceedingly limited in all of them. Here is the gist:

Up to 35 women may have been drugged and raped by a London taxi driver, police said on Monday.

Thirty women have come forward after a man was arrested last Friday in southeast London on suspicion of rape.

Police were initially investigating five attacks in which victims were picked up in a black cab near Oxford Street, King’s Road or London Bridge.

The suspect is accused of attacking his passengers after offering them spiked glasses of champagne which he said were to help him celebrate a lottery win.

The most recent reported attack took place on February 5 after a 33-year-old woman was picked up near London Bridge Station.

“Every case is being linked,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said.

Knowing full well that the Mirror is about as far from a reputable news source as you can get (don’t worry, the facts are the same in every story), I chose to use their article particularly because of the confounding nature of the first sentence. “Up to 35 women.” Well, 35 women in total have come forward. And instead of reaching what I would deem to be the logical conclusion — that if 35 have already come forward, just think of how many others there are — the Mirror has apparently determined that when 35 women come forward with rape allegations, that’s the definitive total, and at least a few have to be liars.

It’s funny, because it seems to be a theme recently. No, not just calling rape victims liars, since that’s pretty much a theme of living in the world as a woman. I’m talking about women being raped in cabs — and then having it implied that they are liars or to blame for the assaults.

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