In February 2012, I started seeing a therapist for depression and suicidal thoughts. While things had been pretty bad emotionally the few months before, depression is something that has been a part of my life since middle school. It came and went in waves throughout the years, and instead of seeking help, I learned that it was something that [...]
Guest post by Nina K. Guzman, FSU student Women’s rights are under attack and are in serious danger of being lost. I work for a campaign to get the word out about voting NO on Amendment 6. For those who do not know, Amendment 6 states that it would prohibit public funds to be used [...]
As president of the University of Maryland’s Feminists for Sexual Health club and a soon-to-be campus sexual assault prevention peer educator, my senior year is going to be dominated by one question: What can I do to stop sexual assault on campus? I’ve been thinking about it a lot this summer and I’ve come to [...]
[TRIGGER WARNING for sexual assault survivors]
After-rape is to be consumed by emptiness, isolation, fear, shame and anger.
After-rape at college is to be confronted by my rapist every day—on the quad, in the library, at breakfast. It is to be ceaselessly reminded of the moments in which power and control were stripped from me, in which I had no option but to let go and resign myself to the fact that this was really happening.
Who said grrrl power is dead? Three high school sophomores from Montclair, N.J.—Emma Axelrod, Elena Tsemberis and Sammi Siegel—took their power to the next level when they created a Change.org petition calling for a woman moderator in the national presidential debates.
Measure provides protection for female violence victims Guest Post by Fatimah Waseem Student activists and university officials are pressuring Congress to swiftly renew legislation that provides protections for female victims of violence. The bill, which originally passed in 1994 and reauthorized in 2000 and 2005, has been at a standstill since late [...]
Guest Post by The Diamondback Online Staff Editorial Board A seemingly obvious protection went into effect when former President Bill Clinton signed the Violence Against Women Act in 1994. Although activists knew the law would periodically be up for reauthorization, it seemed unfathomable to them that members of Congress would try to reverse a law [...]
By Cindy Pearson, co-founder, National Women’s Health Network HERvotes is joining our voices together in a blog carnival to celebrate and defend women’s preventive services, including contraception. Starting August 1, all new insurance plans have to cover seven preventive services with no extra fees. That means women won’t have to put off their well-woman exam [...]
By Chelsea Feuchs, JWI Intern The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a previously bi-partisan bill used to advance services for victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, has itself become a victim of political contention. Two different versions of this legislation currently exist, one passed by the House of Representatives [...]
By Kim Gandy, VP and General Counsel, Feminist Majority Foundation HERvotes is joining our voices together in a blog carnival urging passage of the “real” Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization — the bi-partisan bill that has already passed the Senate. The House has passed a version of VAWA reauthorization that some have called “VAWA [...]
That’s What S(HE) Said…