Every other Saturday we will post links relevant to survivors. Please feel free to discuss these links in the comments, or post more links! Trigger warnings appreciated, and self-promotion welcome.
Blanket trigger warning for all of these posts.
Tenure, She Wrote posted a step-by-step guide to filing a Title IX complaint.
On tumblr, we featured some tips for those who forget to eat due to PTSD and depression.
Queenie posted an Asexual Awareness Week Linkspam Challenge.
The United Nations Broadband Comission released a report saying that urgent action is needed to combat online violence against women and girls.
The antidepressant medication Paxil was declared to be unsafe for teenagers, and 13 people describe its effects on them as teens and young adults here. [tw: suicide ideation, incompetent doctors dismissing complaints from young patients, medical abuse]
NPR ran a story on how MDMA is being tested as a potential treatment for PTSD (as in, one or two doses in conjunction with therapy).
Ania Cebulla wrote about the false dichotomy between physical and mental illness, and how it is harmful.
Feminist Aspie wrote about how nobody has the right to police how someone identifies, including what terms they use to describe their disability.
The following articles may be extremely triggering and anxiety-provoking. Please click through with care!
[spoiler title=’Rape Culture & Abuse’ style=’default’ collapse_link=’true’]
Lady Gaga has a new music video dealing with sexual assault on campus. Warning for graphic depictions of rape/sexual assaults and the aftermath of such (including implied suicide attempts by overdose) in the video. A message from RAINN says:
“Lady Gaga is taking a stand against sexual assault on campus with the release of a new music video. The song, “Til It Happens to You,” was written for the documentary “The Hunting Ground,” which takes a closer look at sexual assault on campus and the importance of this crime on students.”
Ozy Frantz wrote about how identities are not arguments. [tw: brief but vivid descriptions of footbinding and female genital mutilation, discussion of abuse, transphobia]
The Advocate posted an article about helping queer youth affected by the school-to-prison pipeline [tw: police violence]
As a response to a proposed app called Peeple that Snopes considers a potential hoax, Miri wrote about the danger of believing that people are genuinely good. At Shakesville, Melissa McEwan also had some things to say. As of right now, I don’t see much evidence to suggest that this app could actually get off the ground (whether or not it’s a hoax), but it is nevertheless important to consider the impact of things like this on survivors of abuse and other marginalized people. This story had measurable negative psychological impact on LOTS of people, and whether it’s a result of privileged thoughtlessness or a deliberate social experiment, it was still needlessly cruel.
Salon posted a piece written by a pedophile (to which we will not link), which Melissa McEwan harshly criticized.
Kate Harding about Susan Brownmiller: When a Feminist Trailblazer Turns to Victim-Blaming, It’s Time to Let Go of a Hero
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[pedophilia cw]
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mmm oh dear. i deeply disagree with melissa mcewan’s criticism of salon’s piece.
mostly because: i know multiple queer/nb/ace survivors, who identify as attracted to children but would never ever act on it (or alternatively, as confusedly-maybe-what-is-attraction involving children, and again, would never ever act on it)
so saying “this hurts all survivors” is…well, false.
yes, it’s super hard to separate out grooming. but there’s also, studies i believe? that have shown that being able to talk about attraction to minors without getting insta-jailed, is the most effective treatment, decreases risk of action?
idk idk it’s massively complicated and loaded and triggering in a multiplicity of directions. i just — we routinely talk about the difference between attraction and behavior, but it doesn’t get to apply here, and i don’t understand why.
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Mod note: added a spoiler tag to this comment. This type of discussion may be very triggering to CSA survivors, so I think it’s best to at least add a buffer to it. Any commenters who want to reply to this, please use a spoiler tag as well, and mind our rules.
I’ll put this in the next linkspam, but: Lauren Chief Elk-Young Bear and Lucia Lorenzi had some really good criticism of the Lady Gaga video and the way it’s being received.