stillness is a lie, my dear
The CW’s Reign must, first of all, be established as a show that is not true to history in any way, shape, or form. At best, it’s ‘inspired by.’ There is a woman named Mary who is theoretically the Queen of Scotland, though she lives in the French court with her husband, Francis, King of France. And […]
One in five women is assaulted during her time on a college campus. The college rape epidemic is finally capturing headlines after years of relative silence on the issue, and some of the worst offenders are feeling pressured to take action. Colleges and universities, just like everywhere else, should be safe places for women, and […]
This spring, I was sucked into Game of Thrones with a peculiar vengeance, despite the fact that it’s not exactly the most untroubling piece of media I’ve ever encountered. It’s filled with sexual violence, rape culture, extreme physical violence, and a world of danger and misery. That said, it’s also a well-built world, with complex worldbuilding and […]
I’ve written here before about the very specific brand of sex-positivity I loathe, in which people seem bound and determined to press their sexuality on other people, insisting that sex is fantastic for everyone and everyone enjoys sex, creating a hypersexual, charged environment that refuses to acknowledge the complexities of human sexuality. Sex is awesome, […]
The Midwestern region of the United States is experiencing an oil and gas boom as companies flood to the region to take advantage of oil deposits. The explosion of interest in the region’s natural resources mimics that of other resource booms throughout history as oil and gas workers, mostly men, turn up in droves, compete […]
In the wake of every rape accusation, a prosecutor has to carefully weigh the available evidence and a variety of other factors and then make a decision about whether to take the case to trial. Prosecutors know that rape cases can be grueling and they’re often quite difficult to successfully prosecute, thanks to certain cultural […]
I’ve been thinking about Cherice Morales a lot lately. Perhaps it would be better to say that she, and her case, are haunting me. This bright, promising, talented Latina committed suicide at just 14 in the aftermath of a rape; a rape committed by her 49-year-old teacher. He was sentenced to just 30 days for […]
Over a year ago, I wrote about the problem of rape in progressive communities, and the harsh fact that anyone can be a rapist, even someone you like and respect, someone you look up to, someone you don’t think could possibly be ‘that kind of person.’ This post is sort of the logical extension of […]
In evaluating the exploding teen paranormal romance genre, a lot of adults are making the mistake of writing it off as garbage, and believing that anyone who reads it isn’t educated or isn’t seriously interested in books or reading. The assumption is that all books in the genre are identical, that it represents a cookie-cutter […]
They’re found along the US-Mexican border. Trees decorated in bras and underwear in varying colours and sizes, fluttering in the breeze. You might think it’s absurd or even funny, looking at a tree decorated in underpants, except that these trees are much more sinister. They are the ‘rape trees’ used to commemorate conquests, decorated with […]