April 21, 2012
A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey

The link to the 2011 report is below.

http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/ntds_summary.pdf

“Key Findings

  • Discrimination was pervasive throughout the entire sample, yet the combination of anti-transgender bias and persistent, structural racism was especially devastating. People of color in general fare worse than white participants across the board, with African American transgender respondents faring far worse than all others in most areas examined. 
  • Respondents lived in extreme poverty. Our sample was nearly four times more likely to have a household income of less than $10,000/year compared to the general population.
  • A staggering 41% of respondents reported attempting suicide compared to 1.6% of the general population, with rates rising for those who lost a job due to bias (55%), were harassed/bullied in school (51%), had low household income, or were the victim of physical assault (61%) or sexual assault (64%)”

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April 4, 2012

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. At the meeting last night Paula came to discuss some of the events happening the last week of April on campus, including

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT (4/27)

CLOTHESLINE PROJECT (4/32 - 4/27)

ART EXHIBIT IN THE SILO (TBA)

SELF-DEFENSE CLASS TAUGHT BY A COP (4/26)

COFFEE TALK WITH THE VICTIMS ADVOCATE AT THE 4W (TBA)

We also discussed the possibility of doing a consent workshop and a timeline project on the overpass. If you’d like to help with any of these events, we’ll be needing tons of it - especially with putting up and taking down the shirts for the clotheslines and organizing the Take Back the Night. Also, if anyone has ideas, events, or speakers they’d like to see during the week definitely bring them forward. You can never have too much programming for an issue like this. 

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(Notes: 1)
  
March 29, 2012

“When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.”—Adrienne Rich

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March 28, 2012

The last post is particularly apt, since news just hit that Adrienne Rich has died at 82.

I won’t bother writing any kind of obituary. RIP. 

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March 28, 2012

Here is a link to Adrienne Rich’s “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence” which was the primary article discussed during Betty’s facilitation of the Feminist Alliance meeting two meetings ago. The article itself is incredible. If you have the time, take a look at it. Our next meeting will be next Tuesday at 7 PM in the GDC.

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March 28, 2012

Hello, check out this artist. Amazing work.

ohdearitsfatal:

Venus/Vanitas by Fernando Vicente

(Source: just-art, via joohyunkim)

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(Notes: 2,413)
  
March 1, 2012

Also, I should mention, the official meeting time this semester is 7pm in the GDC every Tuesday!

Our first meeting featured a special guest, critical theorist, activist, postcolonial feminist bell hooks. It was awesome. We discussed a poster project for this month, which is Women’s History Month. If you have any suggestions for badass historical women to go on a poster, shoot us an email. We also talked about the possibility of bringing Men Can Stop Rape to campus. They are an organization that explicitly addresses men in the fight to end rape and sexual assault. Too often do these sorts of campaigns/the rhetoric they use target only women, placing the responsibility of prevention on their shoulders. This often results in victim-blaming and promotes an anti-woman understanding of the issue. 

Next meeting, Betty will be leading us off with a discussion about lesbian separatist communities. Cool. 

To cap:

7pm

GDC

Tuesday

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March 1, 2012
Okay, so, I think this is really cool. The format with which Planned Parenthood frames the responses (you only have a limited number of options) keeps this from going over-the-top voyeuristic or too silly. The map gives a physical reality to the “just wear it” campaign, and the responses indicate that sex can still be great (or not) even while practicing safer sex! Also, it shows you that people of all genders can practice safer sex - that it is not just for a certain group of people, etc etc. http://www.wheredidyouwearit.com/ new-aesthetic: “Planned Parenthood gave out sixty thousand condoms with QR codes that lead you to a new and interesting site which asks you to check-in with information about how and where the condom was used.” Where Did You Wear Your Condom? Check-In With It

Okay, so, I think this is really cool. The format with which Planned Parenthood frames the responses (you only have a limited number of options) keeps this from going over-the-top voyeuristic or too silly. The map gives a physical reality to the “just wear it” campaign, and the responses indicate that sex can still be great (or not) even while practicing safer sex! Also, it shows you that people of all genders can practice safer sex - that it is not just for a certain group of people, etc etc.

http://www.wheredidyouwearit.com/

new-aesthetic:

“Planned Parenthood gave out sixty thousand condoms with QR codes that lead you to a new and interesting site which asks you to check-in with information about how and where the condom was used.”

Where Did You Wear Your Condom? Check-In With It

10:32am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZB9YdwHHqRvx
(Notes: 38)
  
February 24, 2012

One in ten victims of sexual assault is male, and usually his perpetrator is also male. I believe this statistic does not include prison rape, in which the statistics are generally much higher. Many men will not speak out about their abuse. Check out this awesome video from RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network).

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February 10, 2012

HELLO DEERS- 

Feminist Alliance will resume regular meetings shortly. In the meantime, all of you should come to the organizational meetings for the school SHUT DOWN & TEACH IN. Come help us smash racism, patriarchy and domination on our campus! The next meeting is TODAY AT 4PM IN THE GDC.

Hope to see all of you there,

AA 

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