People who oppose sensible things like anti-harassment policies at conferences keep bringing up the same tired myths about dating, sex, and romance: that it’s very important to have “mystery” and that making things clear and explicit “takes away the fun” and, worst of all, that asking for consent “would ruin the moment.” I encounter this …
Tag Archive: sexual assault
Aug 24 2012
[Guest Post] Thank You, Todd Akin
One of my blog’s readers, who wishes to use the pseudonym Dubs, asked me to publish this guest post. Trigger warning for sexual assault. I can’t keep quiet any more. Thank you, Todd Akin. And less sarcastically, for inspiring me to finally write my first public piece, thank you Eve Ensler, quoted from her response …
Aug 20 2012
"Legitimate" Rape Does Cause Pregnancy
…and so do all those other kinds of rape. It amazes me what lengths pro-lifers will go to when trying to justify imposing their version of morality upon the rest of the country. Senate nominee Todd Akin (R-AR) thinks that, even in the case of rape, abortion shouldn’t be necessary. Why? “First of all, from …
Aug 16 2012
Occasional Link Roundup
This is my occasional link roundup, in which I occasionally post links to things I like. Feel free to link to something you’ve written recently in the comments! 1. Ever wondered what the manic phase of bipolar disorder feels like? Read this. 2. Attachment parenting might be harmful to mothers’ mental health. It always gave …
Jul 28 2012
Inside the Mind of a Serial Rapist
In case it’s not obvious, MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING for this entire post and all outgoing links. Even if you’re not a survivor, you’re going to find a lot of this extremely uncomfortable and upsetting so please take care of yourself. r/AskReddit, a section of Reddit in which people can ask each other questions, recently had …
Jul 11 2012
In Case You Haven't Heard, Rape Isn't Funny
Some comedian I’ve never even heard of before–but now have–is under fire right now for a “joke” he made in one of his shows. I use the word “joke” (just as I will use the word “humor”) broadly here. In the words of a woman who attended a show by comedian Daniel Tosh, this is …
May 27 2012
Sunday Link Roundup
1. On corrective rape on the radio. This is a response to a radio DJ who told a man concerned that his daughter might be a lesbian to get one of his friends to “screw her straight.” C. Kendrick writes, “Dieter’s vile statement also points to the mythical notion that all a lesbian needs is …
Dec 03 2011
Why I Oppose the Greek System
This is a post I’ve wanted to write for years now but never have. I thought that writing it would result in my ostracism from society at Northwestern. I no longer think that that’s the case, though even if it were, I don’t really care. So here it finally goes. First, here are some premises …







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