Action: Sign Petition to Make Sexual and Reproductive Health a Priority!!!

Do you support the motto "My body, My Choice"??? Help tell world leaders to make sexual and reproductive health [of women] a priority. Click here to sign the petition and spread the word!!!



#mybodymychoice

UPDATE: California SB967

And we have great news...California legislature passes YES Means YES Sexual Consent Bill!!!

The Senate unanimously passed SB967 as states and universities across the U.S. are below pressure to alter how they manage rape allegations. The bill now goes to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has not indicated his stance on the bill. Sen. Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, stated his bill would start a paradigm shift in how California campuses avoid and investigate sexual assault. Rather than utilizing the refrain no signifies no,the definition of consent below the bill needs affirmative, unambiguous and conscious choice by each celebration to engage in sexual activity.

Advocates for victims of sexual assault supported the alter as a single that will supply consistency across campuses and challenge the notion that victims have to have resisted assault in order to have valid complaints. Some critics say the legislation is overreaching and sends universities into murky, unfamiliar legal waters. The bill would apply to all California post-secondary schools, public and private, that obtain state money for student economic aid. The California State University and University of California systems are backing the legislation after adopting comparable consent standards this year.

The bill also requires colleges and universities to adopt victim-centered sexual-assault response policies and implement complete applications to avoid assault. The bill passed the state Assembly on Monday by a 52-16 vote. The 23-campus Cal State University endorsed the legislation in an Aug. 25 letter to de Leon.
Read the full article here...



Source: Daily News

Yes Means Yes and No Means No

California Senate Bill 967

What Does It Mean???

This bill requires the governing boards of post-secondary institutions in the state to adopt policies concerning campus sexual violence, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. The governing boards must adopt detailed and victim-centered sexual assault policies and protocols based on best practices and current professional standards including an affirmative consent standard in the determination of whether consent was given by a complainant. At a minimum, the policies and protocols must include: a policy statement on how the institution will protect the confidentiality of victims, an initial officer response to a report of sexual assault, a preliminary victim interview and followup interview, an interview with the accused, medical forensic examinations and coordination with the forensic examiner, participation of victim advocates, and procedures for anonymous reporting of sexual assault. The bill requires these governing boards to adopt certain sexual assault policies and protocols, and requires the governing boards, to the extent feasible, to enter into memoranda of understanding or other agreements with on-campus and community-based organizations to make services available to victims. The bill also requires the governing boards to implement comprehensive prevention programs addressing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. A comprehensive prevention program includes a range of prevention strategies, including, but not limited to, women’s empowerment programming, awareness raising campaigns, primary prevention, bystander intervention, and risk reduction.



Source: ALICE Law

Women's Equality Day 2014

Source: Twitter

What Is Women's Equality Day???

What is Women’s Equality Day?

At the behest of Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY), in 1971 the U.S. Congress designated August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day.”

The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world’s first women’s rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York.

The observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality. Workplaces, libraries, organizations, and public facilities now participate with Women’s Equality Day programs, displays, video showings, or other activities.

Joint Resolution of Congress, 1971
Designating August 26 of each year as Women’s Equality Day

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have been treated as second-class citizens and have not been entitled the full rights and privileges, public or private, legal or institutional, which are available to male citizens of the United States; and WHEREAS, the women of the United States have united to assure that these rights and privileges are available to all citizens equally regardless of sex; and

WHEREAS, the women of the United States have designated August 26, the anniversary date of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, as symbol of the continued fight for equal rights: and

WHEREAS, the women of United States are to be commended and supported in their organizations and activities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, that August 26th of each year is designated as Women’s Equality Day, and the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote, and that day in 1970, on which a nationwide demonstration for women’s rights took place.


Source: National Women's History Project

Wendy Davis Wants to End Statute of Limitations on Sexual Assault & Rape

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis proposed ending the state’s statute of limitations on sexual assault at a press conference on Wednesday, during which she criticized opponent Greg Abbott for failing to advocate for rape victims. Davis presented the proposal as an expansion of her past legislative efforts on behalf of sexual assault survivors, following up on a recent statewide attack ad on Abbott accusing him of “siding with a corporation over a rape victim.”

"To turn around and make survivors pay the price for our failure ... is almost criminal in itself" says Davis.

Read the full article here...

New Birth Control Rules for Non-Profits

The new accommodation will allow religious nonprofits, such as Catholic schools and hospitals, to opt out of covering birth control by notifying the Department of Health and Human Services of their objections. HHS and the Department of Labor will then arrange for a third-party insurer to pay for and administer the coverage for the nonprofits' employees so that women still receive the contraceptive coverage guaranteed to them by the Affordable Care Act.

“Women across the country deserve access to recommended preventive services that are important to their health, no matter where they work,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. “Today’s announcement reinforces our commitment to providing women with access to coverage for contraception, while respecting religious considerations raised by non-profit organizations and closely held for-profit companies."

The original accommodation required religious nonprofits to directly ask a third-party insurer to pay for and administer the contraception coverage if the nonprofit objected to covering it. But several nonprofits sued the administration over the rule, claiming that the act of filling out a form violated their religious beliefs by serving as a "permission slip" for its employees to use contraceptives.

The administration developed the new accommodation to pre-empt those lawsuits, which legal experts expected the Supreme Court to take up next year. The court already ruled in June against the administration's contraception coverage rule, which requires most employers to cover the full range of 20 contraceptives approved by the Food and Drug Administration at no out-of-pocket cost to women. The court decided that closely-held for-profit corporations like Hobby Lobby, a craft-supply store owned by a family of Christians, should be able to opt out of covering birth control for religious reasons.

Read the full article here...

Video: Hobyy Lobby Protest (San Francisco)

This video is from the Hobby Lobby protest on 7/3/14 at Union Square in San Francisco, California organized by W.O.R.D and also features our very own Kesha Johnson-Clark. Thank you to all who marched there and continue to support the movement!!!

Speaker Series: Sexual Assault Awareness Part 1

Kesha Johnson-Clark, August 2014
Kesha is the founder of SisterHood, Inc (a grassroots organization), a Business professional, a writer, poet and spoken word artist (Independent Grrl Recordings)


When is rape[1] justified? Is there such a case where the rapist is given just cause for their violent actions? First, let's be clear rape is a crime. There are more than 80,000[a] rape cases in the U.S. reported each year yet 3.4 million[b] more go unreported while 18% of those reported get convictions which may be a direct result to defective rape kits[c].

Classified as a major crime or a felony[d], rape as sexual assault[2] is the UNWANTED, UNSOLICITED, NON-CONSENTED, horrific and violent act of forced sexual intercourse including penal to vaginal penetration, penal to anus penetration as some cases may also include UNWANTED, UNSOLICITED, NON-CONSENTED oral, finger penetration or oral, vaginal and anus penetration by various objects with or without protection from disease and unwanted pregnancies. The "aggressor" can be male or female. The "victim" can be male or female. The "rape act" can be male to male, female to female, adult[3] to child[4], child to child, adult to adult. Those self identified as straight, gay or bisexual can be an aggressor or a victim. Those who self identified as transgender can be an aggressor or a victim.

Those who were previously, currently or who have never been sexually active can be victims or an aggressor. A person of any race/ethnic background can be an aggressor or victim. A person of any financial or socio-economical status can be an aggressor or a victim. A person with or without mental or physical impairments (aka disability[5] or slower functionality than) can be an aggressor or a victim. A person who is celibate[6], single, married, a parent with several or a newly expecting parent or dating be it casually or serious, long tern relationship can be either. A person of any age can be a victim while in some cases the aggressor may be younger than the victim.

Rape can happen at night, early morning or midday afternoon. Rape can happen to a person when they wear a dress, a skirt, shorts or a pair of jeans. Rape can happen when a person has long silky hair, dread locs or a bald head, with or without make-up on. Rape can take place at home, school, work, church or a designated place of worship, a friend or relatives house, a party or concert venue, when a person is alone or in close proximity to other people. Rape can happen on a date, in a car, at a park or in a back alley.

The rapist can be short or tall, overweight or slim, very attractive or not too good looking at all, pale or dark skinned, socially popular and well liked or a loner and social outcast just as the victim. Either can be a known drug addict, a closet junkie or clean and sober, a person with a degree of any kind or without a high school diploma or GED, working in any field or totally unemployed. They can be of any faith, religion or political affiliation. Regardless of the actions of family members or relative history or neighborhood reputations and gossip, they can also be either. And both can be someone you know or a complete stranger.

During the 1970s the first rape crisis center was established in San Francisco. In a two-year period, 1.1 million women were raped[7] with 21.6% of those cases, the victim was the age 12 or younger[8]


Part 1 of When is Rape Justified is complete. This series will continue shortly...


Reference
1. RAINN
a. Rape Statistics
b. Rape and Sexual Assault, Bureau of Justice Statistics
c. Rape Kits
d. Felonies
2. UCSC Title IX/Sexual Harrassment Offcie
3. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition
4. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition
5. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition
6. Word Reference definitiona and usage
7. Rape and Sexual Assault
8. Rape and Sexual Assault



Related Research
Marital Rape, 1978
Rape and Sexual Assault, Medical University of South Carolina
Rape Is Grossly Underreported in the U.S., Huffington Post 2013
If We Want to Take Sexual Assault Seriously, We Need to Test Thousands of Rape Kits First, 2013

Alert: Justice for Jada

Watch 16 year old Jada speak about her rape and how she was mocked on Twitter once photos of her were viciously posted online with the hashtag #JADAPOSE...

The Houston teen, identified only as Jada, said she went to a party with friends where the host gave her a drink she now believes was spiked with a drug. She passed out, and doesn’t remember anything from when she was unconscious. It wasn’t until Jada saw disturbing pictures and tweets on social media, that she believed she’d been raped. “Everybody knows,” Jada told KHOU 11. “And everybody’s texting me are you OK? You’re going to be OK, and I was like alright.” (TIME doesn’t usually identify rape victims, but we are making an exception in this instance because Jada wanted to come forward.)

It’s not immediately clear who originally tweeted the photos, because the photos have been mostly removed and some Twitter handles of people close to the incident have been de-activated. But the pictures soon went viral under the hashtag #jadapose, allegedly referring to the position of her body in the photographs. The alleged rapist was reportedly denouncing Jada and her story before his Twitter account was deactivated, including one tweet that said “HOW ITS RAPE? YOU HAD 2 MONTHS TO SAY SOMETHING BUT YOU AINT SAY [SH*T] TILL YOU GET EXPOSED?”

The circumstances of Jada’s decision to come forward are truly horrific and no teenager should have to endure the double violation of a rape and then a social media maelstrom at her expense, and no victim should feel she has to identify herself in order to stop abuse. But maybe there’s a silver lining in this strategy for survivors. By coming forward, Jada traded her anonymity for a face and a voice, and with identity comes a certain kind of power.

Source: TIME Magazine

Pics: Hobby Lobby Protest 7/3/14

Please click here to view more photos from the San Francisco, California location. A special thank you to W.O.R.D, Stop Patriarchy, NOW and all the supporters who attended on Thursday, July 3rd.

Action: Protest the Hobby Lobby Decision & Attacks on Women's Rights!!!

In light of the Burwell v Hobby Lobby decision, we will be joining our commrads at WORD in protest of the attack on women's rights and reproductive freedom!!!

Below are the national locations that will hosts speak-outs during the week of July 3rd thru the 13th, should your area not be listed, reach out to WORD and/or create an event along with other women's organizations for a greater impact. Thank you!!!



Los Angeles, Calif.
Date/Time/Location TBD
Info: la@defendwomensrights.org or 323-394-3611

San Francisco, Calif.
Thurs. July 3, 5:30 p.m.
Powell and Market Sts. (near Cable Car)
Info: sf@defendwomensrights.org or 415-375-9502

Sat. July 5, 10:00 a.m.
Info: ct@defendwomensrights.org or 203-787-8232

Washington D.C. area: Laurel, Maryland
Meet across the parking lot from Hobby Lobby (near Chik-fil-A)
3333 Corridor Marketplace, Laurel, Maryland
We will walk to Hobby Lobby as a group after we assemble
Info: dc@defendwomensrights.org or 240-487-WORD (9673)

Albuquerque, N.M.
Mon. July 7, 4:00 p.m.
Hobby Lobby, 4315 Wyoming Blvd NE
Info: abq@defendwomensrights.org or 505-249-1768

New York City, N.Y.
Date/Time/Location TBD
Info: nyc@defendwomensrights.org or 347-292-WORD (9673)

Seattle, Wash.
Sun. July 13, 5:00 p.m.
Future Hobby Lobby site, Aurora Ave N at N. 130th
Info: seattle@defendwomensrights.org or 206-568-1661

Action: Sign Petition to Drop Charges Against Marissa Alexander!!!

Marissa Alexander is an African American working mother and a survivor of domestic violence. On August 1, 2010, she was attacked by her abusive ex-partner, Rico Gray, just days after giving birth to their child. Trapped in the home, Marissa fired a single warning shot toward the ceiling to protect herself. Now she faces criminal charges, and the State of Florida is trying to imprison her for at least 60 years. Marissa injured no one–she had the right to self-defense and to be free from abuse.

The State of Florida calls Gray the victim, but he is the culprit. Gray had a history of violence against her and other women, both psychological and physical. Gray was under a court order to refrain from further violence against Marissa. The prosecution of Marissa Alexander is taking place under the same laws that allowed George Zimmerman to run free without arrest for nearly a month and a half. Zimmerman, the confessed murderer of 17-year-old African American Trayvon Martin, was charged with second degree murder rather than first degree murder. He was acquitted and set free.

If the Stand Your Ground law used to delay Zimmerman’s arrest were not racist to the core, it would have been used to protect Marissa on the day of the attack. Yet the State of Florida has continued to abuse and prosecute Marissa for nearly four years.

Marissa Alexander’s case is not an isolated one. Women around the country are facing similar conditions. Domestic violence is lethal – approximately one-third of all female murder victims were killed by partners or ex-partners. Since the expansion of mandatory-arrest laws in domestic violence cases, more and more women survivors are being arrested. Approximately 12,000 women have been murdered in the United States alone since 2001 as a result of domestic violence. Marissa’s imprisonment and prosecution are symptoms of these broader problems of sexism and racism against African American women who fight back!!!

With Marissa Alexander's new trial now just months away, it is increasingly urgent to take to the streets demanding that her case be dismissed.

Racist and sexist Duval County State Attorney Angela Corey has moved full speed ahead with Marissa’s prosecution. Marissa was convicted after a bogus trial in which the prosecution mischaracterized the law to influence the jury. Through the growing movement to free her, she won a second trial on appeal. But the State has thrown the book at Marissa, seeking the maximum term of imprisonment—60 years!—for defending her own life and the lives of her children.

Women around the world will not sit silent as Marissa is prosecuted for a second time. Marissa is not guilty of anything, and should not have served one day behind bars. She should not be facing a retrial. She should be free!!!

Sign the petition to Free Marissa Alexander in support of women's rights. Click here to find out where supporters are meeting to speak out and call to action for change Friday, June 20th and Saturday, June 21st!!!

Kesha Johnson-Clark Speaks at SF City Hall

Kesha Johnson-Clark, 34 made public comments/questions at the 4-14-14 Land Use & Economic Development Committee meeting for Late Night Transportation SAFETY concerns...agenda item 3 [140079] Supervisors: Kim, Cohen and Wiener in attendance hearing with the Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), Alameda-Contra Consta County Transit District, Transportation Network Companies, the Taxi Industry, the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Entertainment Commission, to discuss the city's late night transportation needs and progress towards developing a Late Night Transportation Plan, with specific areas of focus, including ease of access, speed and safety.

Kesha: "Hi and good afternoon to all in attendance, my name is Kesha Johnson-Clark and i'm speaking today as a resident, a working person and one who utilizes public transportation on a regular basis. My comment/question is in regards to safety, what percentage of crimes are captured on public transportation video such as taxi, BART and MUNI...and is there any research to support the correlation between crimes such as robberies, hate crimes, sexual assaults, rapes during late night transportation that would justify having an emergency transportation division option in the city if there isn't one in place already and if so, who is the contact person??? Thank you."

Follow Up: off camera...Dillon Auyoung, SFMTA Manager, Local Government Affairs


Source: Facebook