CBC Radio Host Jian Ghomeshi Acquitted of Sexual Assault Charges

Jian Ghomeshi, former CBC Radio host, was acquitted this morning of sexual assault charges.

This morning, a Canadian court judge acquitted former CBC Radio host, Jian Ghomeshi, of four counts of sexual assault and one count of choking. Ghomeshi, a relatively large figure in the Canadian indie music scene, was charged in 2014 for these incidents, which occurred in 2002 and 2003.

The judge's main reasoning behind the acquittal was the "inconsistencies" in the accounts of the alleged victims. "At the end of this trial, a reasonable doubt exists because it is impossible to determine, with any acceptable degree of certainty or comfort, what is true and what is false." However, these "inconsistencies" seemed, at times, trivial and unassuming, such as "...whether she was wearing hair extensions of the kind of car that Ghomeshi drove." Other inconsistencies that were cited included how all of the women involved in the case contacted Ghomeshi after the sexual assaults had occurred, as well as one woman who engaged in consensual sex with Ghomeshi after her assault. With this disclosure, the judge remarked how he saw her as "playing chicken" with the justice system, and how "she was prepared tot tell half the truth for as long as she thought she might get away with it."

The judge did go on to remark that, while the evidence brings with it a reasonable doubt, "it is not the same as deciding in any positive way that these events never happened." However, I find beyond a reasonable doubt that this verdict, as well as a majority of the trial itself, was based on victim blaming, rape myths, and a lack of definition about what constitutes sexual assault. The inconsistencies that the judge brought forth are, in my opinion, negligible: not knowing a perpetrator's car should in no way make one's testimony questionable. Similarly, a justice of the peace, particularly one who is overseeing a relatively high-profile sexual assault trial, should have a clear definition of what constitutes sexual assault, and how consent at a later date is not applicable to earlier incidents. However, in a court of law where reasonable doubt drives the verdicts, inconsistencies in a case like this will, unfortunately, make for a quick trial.

Jian Ghomeshi still faces another charge of sexual assault, with that trial scheduled for June.

Sources: http://n.pr/1Roo87F; http://bit.ly/1PtxBsd

Disney Speaks Out Against Anti-LGBT Bill in Georgia

I came across an article titled, "Disney Threatens Bad News for Georgia If State Adopts Anti-LGBT Law," which talks about how the Walt Disney Company will nix all plans to film future movies in Georgia if Gov. Nathan Deal signs the deal. Gov. Deal has until May 3 to either veto or sign the bill, which will determine the actions of Disney. There are currently 2 films being shot in Georgia, "Ant-Man" and "Captain America: Civil War," but a Disney spokesperson has said that they have had great successes filming in Georgia but will take there business somewhere else because they are an inclusive company that will not tolerate discrimination. 

Disney is the first major Hollywood name to speak out against this anti-LGBT law, and they are urging other big corporations to do the same. It has also been reported that other Atlanta based companies such as Coca-Cola, Home Depot, the NFL, and UPS have also opposed the bill. You can find a news coverage video about it here.

Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL, has an openly gay brother and advocates gay rights. He strongly opposes this law that has been introduced in Georgia and they are trying to sack the law. It has been even said that football is practiced in Georgia "like a religion," so we will see if this has a big impact, because sports usually do. 

With huge companies advocating against this law, I think it will make a big impact in the Governor's choice, or at least we can hope. The entertainment industry has a huge impact in Georgia, and it has been reported that Gov. Deal is under huge pressure to make a decision. More than 400 local companies have also added their names to the list of opposing this bill. This kind of oppression reminds me of the struggles that African American's went through. I feel as if history is repeating itself, did our country not learn anything? We have made so many strides forward, but this issue is setting us back. We can only wait and see what Gov. Deal's decision will be. See below to see how Twitter is helping spread the word!

Men Who Don't Like Makeup and the Women They're Hurting

So over the last few days, Buzzfeed has been posting a variety of different articles making fun of men who tell women they shouldn't wear a lot of makeup. In these posts, Buzzfeed has been pointing out the many inconsistencies with men saying these things. The first is that most men seem to be unable to tell the difference between a woman with no makeup on and a woman with minimal or 'natural' makeup on. They poke fun at the fact when presented with three options (no makeup, minimal makeup, and full makeup), men believe that minimal makeup is actually no makeup, so that when a woman actually wears no makeup they believe she is feeling sick.

An example of some men's inability to tell the difference between no makeup and minimal makeup used in a recent Buzzfeed article.

A more recent Buzzfeed article, published just this morning, came out as a response to a GoogleFacts tweet, which said "Studies show men like women who wear less makeup." The article then went on to explain how women shouldn't have to make their makeup choices based on what men think because women can choose to wear makeup for a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with men and their male opinions. I completely agree with this statement but what stood out to me was the fact an article like this was needed. The fact that men's opinions on every aspect of a woman's life and body have become so ingrained in this society that men now feel comfortable commenting with authority on what a woman should and shouldn't put on her face is appalling. And I feel like it is almost an unconscious, consistent form of violence committed against women on a daily basis. Women are constantly taught to think about what they are doing from a perspective of whether or not men would like it. Would a man approve of that hairstyle, of that outfit, of that makeup? And for many women, this could lead to a state of anxiety and insecurity, which is an unfair and tumultuous way to live. It also puts an unreasonable amount of stress on a woman's life because she may or may not be aware of why she is laboring over the way she is presenting herself to the world. Men do not necessarily deal with these issues so it is not fair women have to.

Another humorous tweet used in a recent Buzzfeed article to illustrate the author's point about men not having opinions on what makeup a woman should wear.

I wish we didn't need articles like these, but I think this article and others like it are super important because they're reminding men they don't have authority over women and their bodies while also celebrating women for their choices, whatever they might be.

Gaming's Sexual Harassment Problem

Today I came upon this article and felt that it brought about a new and different aspect of a topic that we discussed this week: gaming.  As we talked about in class, the sexual objectification of women and the minute yet offensive roles they play in video games is disturbing and creates problems with attitudes and behaviors in men.  Dill et. al's study indicated that men "exposed to stereotypical content made judgements that were more tolerant of a real-life instance of sexual harassment compared to controls" (pg. 1402).  These judgements and behaviors are closer than we thought.  This article addresses the sexual harassment that female gamers face WHILE playing online versus other gamers.

The video game industry relies on their online platform that allows for players to talk to one another while playing the video game.  According to this article, women are not disturbed by the sheer competition and "trash talk" that happens while playing.  However, what does bother them is when the verbal abuse "stops focusing on women as players and targets them simply because of their gender."  The sexual harassment over gaming came in many forms such as intentionally sexist comments, jokes about rape, threats or being asked for sexual favors.

Because of this apparent abuse, women are pleading for the gaming industry to take a stance against this.  Some may argue that gaming is mostly for men and that this concern is far and few in between.  However, the article clarifies that many women do play video games, but decide to mask their identity as to avoid this sexual harassment.  By neglecting this harassment, the gaming industry is virtually (no pun intended) telling women that they are less important members of society.

http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/03/24/gaming-will-always-be-for-men-until-the-industry-addresses-its-sexual-harassment-problem/#gref

Dill, K. E., Brown, B. P., & Collins, M. A. (2008). Effects of exposure to sex-stereotyped video game characters on tolerance of sexual harassment. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44(5), 1402-1408. doi: 10.1016/j.jesp.2008.06.002 

Sexual Harassment in the Gaming World

Yesterday, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across a recent article shared by one of my childhood friends named Kate*. Growing up with three older brothers, Kate has always been infatuated by the world of gaming. As a lover of “Tekken Tag” and “Legend of Zelda,” I was surprised to find that the NEWSFACTOR article Kate shared was actually reprimanded the gaming industry for its perpetuation of sexual threats and abuse towards female players.  The news article focused on 33-year-old e-commerce specialist Nico Deyo who was an avid fan of “World of Warcraft”… that is, until she experienced sexual harassment and cyber-stalking by fellow male players. In an attempt to escape rape and murder threats, Deyo decided to stop playing “World of Warcraft” and now sticks to single-player games. 

Why do male gamers think it is okay to sexually harass female players? Since when did it become acceptable to ask gamers intimate questions about their bra size or the sex positions they like best?

            As I pondered these questions, I thought about the Dill, Brown, and Collins article we read in class last week regarding the effects of violent, sexual video games on tolerance towards sexual harassment. Interestingly, the researchers found a positive correlation between long-term exposure to video game violence and greater tolerance of sexual harassment and rape myth acceptance. While causality was not established, I could not help applying these research findings to Deyo’s story. It is possible that male gamers have become accustomed to the sexualized world of gaming. Seeing female characters crave sexual acts and enjoy being sexually abused in the virtual world can perpetuate the belief in rape myths like “she was asking for it…” and “women like being treated dirty.”  What is even worse is that muting other players during games completely destroys the “fun” and does absolutely nothing to stop the online perpetrator from abusing hundreds of other players.

             Deyo’s story also brings up the role of stalking in the cyber world.  As opposed to real life, cyber-stalking plays out differently since players can hide behind a console and completely alter their identity. Male gamers often times compliment female gamers on their appearances by searching them up on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites. One woman from Boston started receiving unwanted gifts in the mail and reported the player to the Xbox Live service, who in the end, did nothing to end the harassment.

            So is there any hope of creating a safe space for females within the gaming world? Unless there is a shift in the ways in which female characters are portrayed in video games, the future does not look to bright. However, there may be some hope in bringing forth anti-harassment measures, as displayed by the company RiotGames. They are working towards changing player culture by implementing artificial intelligence and player feedback to punish or reward players during gameplay based upon their behavior. While this type of monitoring is a step in the right direction, I feel that it is unlikely to solve the problem of sexual harassment on its own.

*Name changed for confidentiality 

Article (Published March 19, 2016): 

http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=10300BOX44QT

Mishandling of Sexual Assault Cases at Howard University

This past Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016, over 100 students protested at Howard University for the way that the University has been handling recent allegations of two rape cases. The first incident occurred in May of 2015 and the second occurred in February of this year. According to sources, both cases were committed by the same student and to this day he is still free to roam the campus which has female students fearing for their safety.

The perpetrator is a fellow student and a former residential advisor at the university. The article did not give the exact reason why he is no longer a residential advisor but I think it is safe to say that it is because of the allegations against him. One aspect of the case that is especially appalling is the fact that the alleged attacker has had previous experiences with sexual misconduct. He initially began his education at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) where he was banned by UCLA officials as a result of him distributing revenge porn depicting a female student. Despite his past and recent allegations justice has yet to be served which has brought students to the current protests and the distribution of a list of demands for the university.

One of the alleged victims and other students have taken to Twitter and other social media platforms to let their voices be heard. In response, the university issued a statement that appears to exist for the sole purpose of saving face.

What is also shocking is that many of the comments in response to the story were blaming the victim for the way she reported the incident and how she broke her silence (mostly written by men). Rather than being outraged by the rape people placed blame and responsibility on the victim, a trend we see all too often in sexual assault cases.

A specific aspect I noted was that in the majority of the limited coverage of the situation at Howard, sources made sure to include that Howard University is a member of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Washington, D.C.. As I read, I could not help but to think about other instances we have seen through the news involving sexual assault on college campuses in which the school is simply labeled as a university, with no additional explanation or racial context included. As we discussed earlier in class, it makes you wonder why they made it a point to include race and how that may impact the way in which people view this incident. 

The fact remains that two students at this university have been raped and deserve a proper investigation into their cases.  

Project Consent's Newest Video Campaign

Project Consent is a non-profit, volunteer based campaign that is dedicated to combating rape culture by teaching the general public about consent. According to their website, Project Consent "aims to combat and deconstruct rape culture by raising awareness of the harmful way with which it is regarded in society, educating our audience about the disparity of discussion of sexual assault, and promoting positive dialogue about the importance of consent." Project Consent was founded in 2014, and since then has gained global attention and has partnered with different publications and human rights organizations to bring out a conversation about rape culture and ultimately try to diminish it. The project believes that building a "consent culture" is the first step to battling sexual assault. Their view on consent is simple: if it's not a yes, it's a no. 

At the end of last month, Project Consent released a video campaign that has gotten the attention of many people. The three videos released feature animated body parts (breasts, vagina, penis, bottom and a hand) doing different things like dancing, whistling and laughing. At a point in each video, one of the body parts "gets a little too close" without consent, and when told "no", automatically backs off. Through these 30 second videos, Project Consent is trying to teach the public about the simplicity of consent. The videos were produced by an advertising company in Toronto, whose Chief Creative Officer said, "The goal of the campaign is to get people to see consent differently. It isn't a messy and complicated issue. Again, it's simple. If it's not yes, it's no." Project Consent's goal is to make it be known that "consent is always an established right, not a removable luxury" and teach people that the victim should not be blamed.

Not only does project consent deal with the matter of victim blaming which we've read about and talked about a lot in class, it also (obviously) focuses on the issue of consent, which is something else that we talk about a lot. The two go hand in hand oftentimes since rape cases and sexual assault cases are not so cut and dry, and many times the case is dismissed or the perpetrator doesn't get enough punishment because of the issue of consent and how blurred the lines can be. We spent a good amount of one class talking about if we think consent has to be a verbal "yes" and otherwise it is a "no" (which Project Consent preaches) or if it is sometimes more realistic to rely on physical cues for consent. We also touched on what consent means for couples who have been together for many years, or when there are substances involved, etc. The issue of consent is one that appears in every rape or sexual assault case. Although the videos are silly and might trivialize the very real issue of consent, rape and sexual assault, I think that what Project Consent does is awesome and I think the videos are a good way to get the message out to the general pubic in an entertaining way. 


Article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/let-this-cheerful-dancing-vagina-teach-you-about-consent_us_56d5afc5e4b03260bf78185e

Project Consent's Website: http://www.projectconsent.com

(Due to technical issues I could only upload two of them, but all three videos are in the article link):

North Carolina Legislature Passes Bill to Allow LGBT Discrimination

    

  As stated in a Buzzfeed article written by Dominic Holden, as Wednesday morning, March 23^rd, 2016, the Republican leaders of the North Carolina General Assembly passed a bill that is on its way to Governor Pat McCrory for veto or approval. The bill would repeal all local LGBT nondiscrimination ordinances in the state and ban transgender people from certain restrooms. The House voted 83-25 and the Senate voted 32-0. The Senate was a unanimous vote only because every Democratic senator walked out.

      The Republicans argued that they were only taking such drastic measures because they needed to protect women and portrayed transgender people as sex predators. They were trying to get rid of an ordinance in Charlotte that would protect LGBT people from discrimination in housing and public accommodations saying that it would create a safety risk because it allows transgender women (who they call “men”) to prey on women and girls.

     This would also lead to a ban on transgender students from school restrooms that correspond with their gender identity, which could posh a potential clash with the federal government—their civil rights laws ban transgender discrimination in schools.

    The Democratic lawmakers were not given a chance to read the bill Wednesday, which was introduced just an hour before its first committee vote. As the Republicans argument is to protect women from transgendered people, their argument is extremely weak. There are no known instances in 17 states and 225 cities with laws banning LGBT discrimination of the policies being used to promote or defend predatory behavior in bathrooms and locker rooms.

They targeted the LGBT population and  in the name of protection for women to cover their homophobic unwillingness to accept people of all backgrounds and identities. The fact that these issues are still being debated in the year 2016 is astounding. We have made leaps and bounds in reaching equality for minority LGBTQ populations, but this article simply proves that we have much farther to go. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/dominicholden/north-carolina-lgbt-discrimintion#.nw5DgxwqO

Michigan Prosecutor Charged with Hiring Prostitutes and Neglecting His Position

Earlier this month, Stuart Dunnings, a Michigan county prosecutor, was charged with Hiring prostitutes and Neglecting his position. According to the article, "Dunnings stands accused of paying for sex hundreds of times with many women between 2010 and 2015". The most concerning accusation comes from an Ingham county resident who claims that when she came to Dunnings to report that she had been a victim of domestic violence instead of offering appropriate prosecution advice and guidance he offered to "help with her financial problems by paying her for sex". Dunnings, who has been an Ingham county prosecutor for 20 years, was arrested two weeks ago. For years there have been rumors about Dunnings prostitution use but there was never sufficient evidence. 

(Prosecutor Stuart Dunnings)

EVE (ending violent encounter) a Lansing based non-profit sexual violence prevention group discussed the implication of the case. Erin Roberts, the executive director, says, "'It’s a combination of shock and distress and also the understanding that we know that these kinds of situations and these kinds of power differentials and the domestic and sexual violence that arise out of those kinds of situations happen every single day in every single community"'. Roberts expressed her satisfaction that the state and the county filed charges immediately and are taking full accountability for Prosecutor Dunning's actions. 

I learned about this case form a friend who writes for Michigan Radio. Although it will probably never obtain national recognition I think it's still important to acknowledge that not all gendered violence takes the form of rape. This prosecutor took advantage of his position of power and victimized the women that came to him for his help and advice. All of the details of this case have not been released and I would not be surprised if more women came forward with stories of his neglect and abuse. Politicians and government officials are responsible not only for fulfilling the responsibilities of their position but also setting an example for the community. Stuart Dunnings has failed and disappointed on both counts. 

You can find the article here: http://michiganradio.org/post/dunnings-prostitution-case-shocking-may-show-system-working#stream/0

Chef Michael Chiarello hit with double sexual harassment lawsuits

Two former employees of the celebrity chef Michael Chiarello have filed two lawsuits against Chiarello and his restaurant group, alleging sexual harassment and labor violations. Chiarello is a very well known chef who owns the restaurant group, Gruppo Chiarello, which include the restaurants Coqueta and Yountville. Katherine Page and Asja Sever, who former employees of Coqueta are suing Chiarello claiming that he and other important staff members at the restaurant created a sexually hostile and abusive environment.

The website EATER, shared this news on March 15^th and gave graphic examples of the horrendous things that Chiarello allegedly did and said. In addition to inappropriately touching and gesturing towards employees and customers, both male and female, Page and Sever claim Chiarello said vulgarities to his managers in regards to hiring employees such as, “If you don’t want to f*k them, don’t hire them.” The examples are extensive and can be viewed at the link to the article attached below.

One of Chiarello’s executive chefs, Dominick Maietta, has also been named in the suit as participating in such harassment with Chiarello, and he is listed as a defendant to Chiarello in this case. In addition to the sexual harassment claims, “the restaurant failed to pay wages and overtime, manipulated clocks and timesheets and forced front of the house employees to pool their tips with the kitchen staff.”

The article actually did not employ any rape myths initially, and remained very factual and unbiased. However, on March 16^th, the article was updated with a statemend from Chiarello’s publicist claiming that all of the allegations are false. His publicist further went on to paint the audience a picture of who Chiarello is, explaining how he “is the son of immigrant family, a true American success story, who became the acclaimed chef he is today by using the skills he learned from watching his mother cook when he was a young boy and caring about the people with whom he worked.” This is employing the rape myth that sexual offenders are only monsters with horror stories who prey on victims, and, since Chiarello is a hard-working, family man, he could not possibly have conducted himself in such an atrocious manner.

http://sf.eater.com/2016/3/15/11241146/michael-chiarello-sexual-harassment-lawsuit