Sexual Violence

Convo-graphic: The Truth About Men and Sexual Violence

As someone who was sexually abused by both men and women and who has very close relationships with male survivors of sexual violence, I am both fascinated and troubled by the themes about gender and sexual violence in traditional media, blogs, and general conversation. All too often, sexual violence is viewed as something that takes place between men […]

By |April 30th, 2013|Sexual Violence|3 Comments

7 Pitfalls to Avoid When Dating a Sexual Assault Survivor

As a survivor of sexual violence, I always found it challenging to “come out” to a potential love interest about my history.  It never seemed to come up naturally in conversation on a date.

There is no right or wrong approach to telling a date that you are a survivor of sexual violence. It’s a […]

By |April 30th, 2013|Sexual Violence|Comments Off on 7 Pitfalls to Avoid When Dating a Sexual Assault Survivor

The Truth About Men and Sexual Violence

Data Breakdown:  The Truth About Men and Sexual Violence

(You can view the graphic here.)

This convo-graphic is designed to spark conversations and dialogue about men and sexual violence. As with the Truth About False Accusation graphic, this graphic reflects data from multiple sources and required us to make some choices about how to present it […]

By |April 8th, 2013|Sexual Violence|4 Comments

A small step toward ending sexual violence

I walk because I’m a survivor of sexual violence.  I walk in solidarity with other survivors of sexual violence. I walk to raise awareness. I walk so that survivors here in Boston and across the country have access to justice and healing.

 

On Sunday, April 7, I will be Walking for Change with the Boston […]

By |March 31st, 2013|Sexual Violence|Comments Off on A small step toward ending sexual violence

How the nice guy/evil rapist debate misses the point

Consider this: Can you kill someone without being a murderer?  Of course you can. You can kill someone by accident or by being careless. You can kill someone on purpose, either in the heat of the moment, under the influence, or with premeditation. The law allows for these differences, and the crimes are treated […]

By |February 8th, 2013|Sexual Violence|Comments Off on How the nice guy/evil rapist debate misses the point

The Super Bowl statistic we aren’t talking about

We are all talking about the Super Bowl.  We are ranting and raving about the Ravens and the 49ers and the fact that their coaches are brothers.  Every imaginable statistic about the teams, the players, and the coaches is available on every major news site.  We are eagerly anticipating the commercials, planning our menus […]

By |January 27th, 2013|Sexual Violence|1 Comment

Welcome to the Conversation

Welcome to the conversation.  It’s so nice that we are finally having one.

Before this week, I was just a woman with a regular day job, a wife, a mom, a friend, and a casual writer on a blog that I shared with my friends.  But I believed deeply that the world needed to have […]

By |January 13th, 2013|Enlivening, Sexual Violence|Comments Off on Welcome to the Conversation

The Story Behind the Infographic

As a wife, mom, survivor, and regular person until Monday morning, I am overwhelmed and astounded by the reaction and response to the “Truth About False Accusation” infographic, and encouraged by the dialogue that has emerged as a result of it.  Thank you to each and every person who shared it, debated it, loved […]

By |January 11th, 2013|Sexual Violence|24 Comments

The Challenge of Data

One of the key challenges about sexual assault statistics is that it’s nearly impossible to gather accurate and consistent data about incidence and prevalence.  This infographic doesn’t do a perfect job, but it combines data from several sources, both domestic and international.

Particularly with sexual violence, the shame and stigma associated with the issue is so […]

By |January 7th, 2013|Sexual Violence|35 Comments

The truth about false accusation

The fear of getting falsely accused of rape just doesn’t compare to the fear of an actual rapist getting away with his or her crime.  Statistics from Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey: 2006-2010 and FBI reports.  NOTE (2/6/13):  As so many people continue to visit this site and share this convo-graphic, we’ve updated this […]

By |December 1st, 2012|Sexual Violence|120 Comments