Sexsomnia, not a threat?!?!

Man with sexsomnia not a threat

I don't think I will ever understand the massive lack in systems of accountability when it comes to cases of sexual assault.

- Vivian

On priorities

Something to think about....

Swine & Dandy: What if we did as much to prevent rape as we do to prevent H1N1?

- Vivian

Woman complains about being assaulted

I found this article on hollabacktoronto called Sex Assualt Charge Follows Subway Attack.

Did anyone else notice that the victim of assault was repeatedly refered to as the complainant? God forbid a woman should COMPLAIN about being sexually assaulted! I guess the writer of the article felt that a good woman knows her place, so to speak and so she should just keep quiet. It's as if they're likening the act of speaking up against sexual assault to a grumpy old neighbour complaining about the kids next door who always step on their grass. Sexual assault just doesn't seem to be taken seriously. Furthermore, it paints the actor of assault in a passive voice, as if he was doing something normal/natural and this woman was just being difficult.


It's amazing how the language one uses can alter how one perceives a situation.

HollaBack Toronto!

Check out hollabackto.blogspot.com.

"HollabackTO.com is a place for Toronto to sound off on street harassers. Because you have the right to walk down the street, go to work, and go about your day without worrying what some perv is gonna say or do."

This blog is amazing! Making the perpetrators of sexual assault/harassment/rape visible is the first step towards prevention!


- Alice

I need a bitch

Here's some mid-day sexism to chew on. Enjoy!

Click here to listen to Cherry Pie by ICP (Insane Clown Posse) on youtube.

Here are some lyrics that stood out to me:

I need a bitch, I need a slut
I need a bitch who like bananas in her butt
I need a bitch now more than ever
I need a bitch who gots a head that I can sever
I need my cherry pie

Baby I want you, baby I want my cherry pie
Baby I want you, baby I need my cherry pie
Baby I want you, baby gimme my cherry pie
Baby I want you, baby my cherry cherry pie

I found this part of the song particularly disturbing. I feel that it reinforces sexist and misogynist notions of women as disposable posessions who are ultimately reduced to their "cherry pies". Apparently, one's body should be made available upon request, and after it is used it should be disposed of (I presume by means of decapitation according to the lyrics). For the record, I'd just like to say that I am more than my vaginal opening, and my "cherry pie" belongs to me and no one else! This final statement is not intended as a puritan call for women to hold on to their sexualities. Rather, it is an attempt to resist the social acceptance of misogyny and to reclaim expressions of sexuality that are based on mutual respect for all parties involved.

- Alice

Don't Rape

I was weeding out old emails from my inbox today when I came across this. I received the following message in an email last year amidst the numerous reports of violence against women at the York U Keele Campus:


Open letter from Graduate Women’s Studies Students Association to the York Community.
Re: sexual assaults on campus.

We’re writing this letter because we’re angry.
Why?

First, because women at York are being attacked, sexually assaulted and raped. Like everyone, we have the right to study and work without fear of violence.

Second, we’re angry because instead of hearing a loud and repeated condemnation of sexual assault, we’re told how to avoid being raped. York administration’s security bulletin calls on us to be “vigilant” about our safety. Women have heard this before: don’t make the same mistakes as ‘those’ women; don’t go out alone at night; don’t be in the wrong place at the wrong time; basically, don’t get raped.

We’re angry because this is about our bodies, our lives, our dignity. But our anger about York’s official response does not stop with administrators: when they imply the perpetrators are strangers with no ties to York, no one has to take responsibility. Rape is a public relations nightmare, but denying its rootedness in the York community will not protect us.

Sexual assault and rape at York is done by people from York. We’re angry because we want to trust the people we live, work and study with. We want to be in a community that does not tell us, tacitly or officially, “don’t get raped,” but instead, values women enough to say, “don’t rape.” Rape is not accidental, and it is not isolated. It thrives in a culture that is tolerant of violence, especially violence against women. Currently, it thrives here, at York.

We want this culture to change, and that takes work. Security cameras and extra lighting are not the kind of “vigilance” we need.

We want to feel safe and respected. So you be vigilant: don’t rape.

The GWSSA


- Alice

Confidential Abortion Clinics in Toronto

Here is some general information about abortion procedures and abortion clinics in the city of Toronto from the hassle free clinic's website. Please feel free to contact us if you live outside of Toronto and we will help you find a clinic near you. The clinics listed on this page are confidential and do not require parental consent. They are covered by OHIP but will take women without health cards for a fee (depending on the procedure).

- Alice

Sexual Assault: Campus Resources

I volunteered with an organization called Sexual Assault Survivors Support Line (SASSL) in my 2nd year at York and I can definitely vouch for it as a wonderful organization that really reaches out within and outside of campus to promote awareness about sexual assault and to provide support and referrals to survivors of sexual assault. I figured I would try to find similar resources/information on other Toronto university websites (if you do not attend any of the three universities in Toronto let us know and we can help you find adequate resources).

Note: some of the resources available (i.e. on the Ryerson website/pamphlet) are not specific to sexual assault but are still useful to provide referrals and such.

SASSL at York

Safety Nets at Ryerson

- Vivian

Sexual Harassment Office at U of T