Dear Hannah Gadsby, Thank you. Thank you first and foremost for existing. Thank you for existing in the margins. Thank you for your jokes, your “lesbianing,” your non-binary gender in a binary world, for being a “quiet gay” who likes the sound a teacup makes on a saucer, your art history degree, for hating baby…
We need to talk about Kesha and her performance of “Praying” at the Grammys last night. A lot has already been said about how so many amazing female performers were snubbed at the Grammys last night. I think a strong case could have been made for any of the women in the Best Pop Solo…
It’s time to have uncomfortable conversations. It’s taken me a long time to come to this. I’ve been living in the rage for so long that when it finally started to chafe, I didn’t recognize myself. And it’s not just my own rage, either. I have reveled in the fiery rants of John Stewart and…
[Trigger warning: rape, sexual assault, sexual abuse] In this week’s Vegas Seven I wrote about Sexual Assault Awareness Month and the good work happening at the Rape Crisis Center. One program in particular, the Enough Abuse Campaign, resonates with me personally as a survivor of sexual abuse. The program is designed to teach adults how…
[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…
It’s been quite a year on The Sin City Siren. Here’s the first post, of two, featuring the top 10 SCS posts of 2013. Enjoy, and catch numbers 5-10 tomorrow! 1. When anti-choice terrorists tried to silence an assemblywoman, #fierceflores was born: It’s not surprising that one of the biggest stories of a surprisingly controversy-packed…
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and survivors are waiting in limbo as the landmark Violence Against Women Act awaits congressional reauthorization. It’s been 18 years since then-Senator Joe Biden drafted VAWA and it was signed into law by President Bill Clinton. Since its inception, the law has enjoyed bipartisan support — something many are…
When news broke yesterday about Paul Ryan’s new comments about rape, I was just finishing a new post for the Independent Voter Network about the Todd Akin news cycle and what it showed us about media bias (and our own biases). Wait. You didn’t hear about the new Paul Ryan rape comment? The one where…
Where do I begin? Where do I begin? Okay, so by now, I’m sure you’ve heard about Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s “ill-conceived” comments about, well, conception. Do you think Akin knows the irony of using the phrase “ill-conceived”? Friends, I think we should look at this not as a mean-spirited criticism of any woman who…
Vigilante justice on twitter? In these modern times of social media available with the flick of a thumb across a smart-phone screen, it was inevitable that a survivor of sexual violence would name their attacker(s) in a public forum. World, meet 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich of Kentucky. She’s got ovaries of steel: “There you go, lock…
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