[Trigger Warning: rape]

In case you missed it, I got to bring a bit of The Sin City Siren spirit into the pages of Vegas Seven (my day job) this week.

Here’s a taste:

When Lady Gaga sang The Hunting Groundanthem, “’Til It Happens to You,” at the Oscars—flanked by sexual assault survivors onstage who had words such as “unbreakable” written on their arms—it was a seminal moment for anyone whose life has been touched by sexual violence. The song (and Gaga’s own story of sexual assault) has been a powerful source of solidarity for fellow survivors and a cultural touchstone on which to build the foundation of a meaningful dialogue about our society’s continued silence about rape.

It was a powerful moment. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t the only story about rape in our collective consciousness in recent weeks.

On February 19, New York Supreme Court Justice Shirley Kornreich ruled that pop star Kesha Rose Sebert would have to fulfill her contract with her alleged rapist and producer Dr. Luke, born Lukasz Gottwald. In her ruling, the judge said, “You’re asking the court to decimate a contract that was heavily negotiated and typical for the industry.” This means that Kesha will have to complete her contract with Dr. Luke’s Kemosabe Records—working directly with him as he produces her music.

In a social media heartbeat, millions of Kesha fans, rape survivors and feminists rallied behind the #FreeKesha hashtag in solidarity and righteous indignation. Even Lady Gaga said she’d be thinking of Kesha during her Oscar performance.How can a business deal be worth more than a person getting raped, people demanded to know. Remember, kids, the first rule of Rape Club is that nobody talks about getting raped. The second rule, apparently, is that snitches get forced to work with their rapist—or end their careers.

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Click here to read the rest.

And to read more of my thoughts on rape culture, try these posts:

• Rape culture means rapists never have to say they’re sorry
• Why we can’t stop talking about rape culture (Stuebenville)
• The rape kit backlog

Check back next week for a new column, read more of my work at Vegas Seven, follow me @TheSinCitySiren and get daily news on Facebook.