Stream of Reading (Prepare to be Forwarded) – An Archive of What I'm Reading
Photo Credit Wesley Allsbrook IN 1997, I was sexually assaulted by a fellow student at the University of Virginia. At a closed hearing, the university’s committee on sexual assault found him responsible. His punishment? A letter in his file. It’s not clear how many women have won their cases through the university’s system since they…
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Last November, we published a story, ‘A Rape on Campus’ [RS 1223], that centered around a University of Virginia student’s horrifying account of her alleged gang rape at a campus fraternity house. Within days, commentators started to question the veracity of our narrative. Then, when The Washington Post uncovered details suggesting that the assault could…
Photo of American military boots via Creative Commons. There’s increasing recognition these days of the widespread problems of sexual assault in the military. But how does that culture of sexual violence spread out from the military to impact civilians? A new report by an independent Colombian commission on violence reveals a troubling pattern: the report says…
It was “rape week,” which is what law students across the country jokingly call the section of introductory criminal law class that covers sexual violence. Julia, a public defender who was then at George Washington University Law School, watched as her professor asked a male law student to answer questions from the perspective of a…
“Most girls aren’t into this kind of stuff.” No way, do you have the list? The list of things most girls are into? I’ve been trying to find that thing forever, can you forward it to me? You have my email. Thanks, man, you’re the best. “You got it! Clever girl!” Accolades I would prefer…
Thirty-one-year-old comic Trevor Noah was hired to replace Jon Stewart yesterday, and the backlash has already arrived with a vengeance. Noah has a large following in his native South Africa, and has toured extensively abroad, but he isn’t so well-known in the U.S. — to date, he has three “Daily Show” “correspondent” appearances under his…
A family-owned pizza shop in small-town Indiana has become one of the first businesses to publicly show support for the state’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act, by making sure everyone knows they would never, ever, ever — not in a million years! — agree to cater a same-sex wedding. Crystal O’Connor says her family’s restaurant,…
Just in time for Holy Week, the State of Indiana has passed a new Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law explicitly permits for-profit corporations from practicing the “free exercise of religion” and it allows them to use the “exercise of religion” as a defense against any lawsuits whether from the government or from private entities….
Photo Gov. Mike Pence held a news conference to discuss the Religious Freedom Restoration Act at the Indiana State Library in Indianapolis on Tuesday. “We want to make it clear that Hoosier hospitality is not a slogan but a way of life,” he said. Credit Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana said Tuesday…
Photo Demonstrators protested the religious freedom bill in Indianapolis on Saturday. Credit Nate Chute/Reuters Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, who last week signed a religious-freedom law driven by bigotry against gays and lesbians, has been complaining that the law’s opponents — which include top business leaders and civil-rights groups — are spreading “misinformation.” It is…