Awareness | Posted by Vicki S on 08/14/2017
Ending The Victimization Of Alleged Perpetrators Of Assault
Emma Sulkowicz performing ‘Mattress Project’
In July of this year, Columbia University settled alleged rapist Paul Nungesser’s lawsuit against the school for gender-based discrimination. Nungesser was accused of raping then-fellow Columbia student Emma Sulkowicz, who gained attention for her 2014 performance-art piece Mattress Performance (Carry That Weight).
Although Sulkowicz’s project itself gained a lot of media attention, the story behind it and her motivations for doing it were less popularized. Sulkowicz created Mattress Performance following Columbia University’s decision to not hold Nungesser responsible for sexually assaulting her. Sulkowicz had first gone to Columbia’s Office of Gender-Based and Sexual Misconduct and reported her assault on April 13, 2013 after learning that two other women had also allegedly been assaulted by the same person who she said raped her on the …
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Awareness | Posted by Julie Graves on 08/10/2017
On Trump’s Transgender Military Ban
The ban is discriminatory.
Historically, changes in military policies have been indicative of broader fights for social change in America. For example, the military’s desegregation in 1948 reflected the Civil Rights movement’s progress made around racial discrimination against African Americans, and the 2011 repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell,” a policy that banned openly gay citizens from serving in the military, reflected the progress the LGBT movement had made (in fact, gay marriage was legalized soon after). So in the wake of this progress, it was all the more upsetting when Trump declared a ban on transgender people serving in the military last Wednesday.
Though Trump claimed to have consulted with top military officials about this ban, General Joseph Dunford stated that he would not remove transgender people from the …
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Awareness | Posted by Shauna Gold on 06/21/2017
Destigmatizing HPV and Cervical Cancer
No shame in learning about sexual health
The most obvious reason why abstinence-only education is terrible is the unintended pregnancies that frequently occur as a result from it. But there are actually even more serious potential consequences of denying people information about how to take care of their sexual health: When people aren’t taught how to protect themselves against easily preventable diseases, like cervical cancer, their lives are threatened, the health care system is strained, and we socially regress.
President Trump’s proposed 2018 budget includes $277 million for abstinence-only sex ed. If it passes, students will be even less likely than they already are to learn about things like their risk of contracting STIs. Instead, they’ll primarily be inundated with warnings about how dangerous and terrible sex is (spoiler: …
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Awareness | Posted by Kadin Burnett on 05/4/2017
How One Formerly Incarcerated Youth Is Taking On The System
Hernan Carvente
Hernan Carvente was born into an unstable home environment, rife with alcohol and domestic abuse and devoid of any resources that could help him and his family escape these cycles of violence. Carvente was drinking by the age of eight, gang affiliated by 13, and just 16 years old when he was convicted of a violent crime that resulted in four years of incarceration in a maximum-security juvenile facility.
Hernan, like most youths in juvenile detention, had to rely on the facility itself for rehabilitation—a service that would supposedly present the opportunity for incarcerated teens to find the tools and take the measures necessary to remedy the trajectory of their lives. But Brookwood Detention Center, two hours north of New York City, didn’t facilitate an environment for development.…
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Awareness, Feminism | Posted by Marina Preciado on 01/19/2017
Why I Organized A Walkout At My High School
Our walkout.
Donald Trump announced the launch of his presidential campaign two years ago. At the time, many Americans laughed at the idea that a reality TV star and multi-billionaire businessman with no political experience was running for the highest position of political leadership in the country.
On January 20, 2017, no one will be laughing. We will swallow the large pill of Donald Trump’s presidency as he is sworn into office. We will watch him place his hand on the Bible and promise to honor a Constitution it’s doubtful that he has even read let alone one which plans to interpret with fair and honorable intentions.
The night of the election, my family sat in front of the television trying to hide our shared nervousness from each other. Our …
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Awareness | Posted by Danielle P on 04/20/2016
The Truth About Helping A Mentally Ill Friend
It’s always best to offer help.
Depression is a living breathing monster that stalks America’s youth. It devours confidence, ruins relationships, and even ends lives. I’ve met this beast and seen the damage it inflicts firsthand. I’ve watched it dig its claws into someone I love, riddle holes in their mind, and pick them apart until there was nothing left.
When I think about her now, though, I see only the good. I don’t remember her cries for help — I hear her laughter instead. I don’t wish I could turn back time to linger on the “what ifs,” but to concentrate on her smile and the beautiful friendship we shared. But I can’t overlook that there was also a time when her pain was crippling. If only I had …
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Awareness | Posted by Julie Z on 06/5/2015
How Teens Are Using Technology To Combat Mental Illness
TalkLife
There are plenty of reasons why far too many of the 1 in 5 teens who have mental health disorders don’t receive treatment. The stigma and shame that surround the disorder — especially as it pertains to gender stereotypes about mental health — is certainly a major factor. So are various cultural beliefs about mental illness: In fact, minorities are less likely to use mental health services than their white counterparts. Then there are the myriad personal factors, such as complex relationships with parents or other authority figures. The list goes on.
But no matter the reason, there’s an emerging alternative treatment that harnesses the power of connectivity and community to addresses these under-discussed causes. It’s called “peer support” and medical professionals and teens alike are embracing …
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Awareness, Feminism | Posted by Trip E on 09/15/2014
#WhyIStayed: Understanding Domestic Violence
Janay and Ray Rice
On March 27th, 2014, former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was arrested and indicted for third-degree aggravated assault. He had punched his fiancee, Janay Palmer, in the face, knocking her unconscious. Shortly afterward the assault in February, a video of Ray Rice dragging Palmer out of an elevator was released by TMZ. I have not watched this video, or the one released on Monday, because of a tweet I was lucky enough to see on my feed:
Rice was suspended for the first two games of the 2014 season, and the criminal …
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