What happened when I tried to live up to that “ideal” — Older feminists have pride in surviving a spectrum of offenses because there was little other choice. You either got a thick skin or you laughed it off. It’s the whole “not-that-bad thing.” The elasticity required to pull that off became a badge of honor. ~Rebecca Solnit He made fun of…

Expressions that help maintain socio-cultural inequities — Changes due to Covid-19 reach far and wide, into corners of our life that we most likely don’t even consider — for example, the current ubiquity of the expression “conspiracy theory.” Language is complex. It both reflects and shapes experience. Different uses of the word “theory” provide an illustration of…

Tips for reading, writing, and talking about sexual violence — The journalists thanked me for my courage. What they really should have thanked me for was my naivete, for trusting that, given the topical salience of the #MeToo Movement, they would cover the full extent of corruption, complicity, and bystanderism. …

When it comes to supporting victims of sexual assault, belief is only the beginning — Over 30 years ago, I was held up at gunpoint in New York City while working as an ice cream vendor. Once the thief was 20 feet away from me, I pointed at him and shouted, “That man has a gun and he just stole my money!” as I had…

It took me 20 years to reclaim my agency and overturn the shame — [Content warning: This post contains photographs of sexual assault, published with consent from the victim.] When the stories about Brett Kavanaugh emerged, there were photos of him everywhere. I wondered how this impacted the women who came forward. Would seeing all those photos — not to mention live televised testimony…