Abuse can be difficult to see or name from the inside. If we suspect or believe someone we care about to be in an abusive relationship, confronting them about it in a way that may feel accusatory has the potential to push them closer to their abuser. The realities of domestic violence are often confusing…
Empowering children with information and knowledge is one of the most effective means of protecting them from sexual abuse and at the same time fostering empathy and consent-based relationships. In the United States, we often want to shelter children from sex and sexuality, which tends to create a culture of shame and confusion around our…
We still have far to go in our understanding and discussion of the violences of men in the United States and abroad. Domestically, there has been increasing recognition in the wake of acts of mass violence in schools that a common trait in each of the perpetrators–who are predominantly young white men–is a history of violence…
Shame and misinformation, along with antiquated and toxic ideals of manhood and masculinity, feed a culture of silence surrounding men as victims of sexual violence. In a powerful and devastating personal history written for the New Yorker, acclaimed writer Junot Díaz reveals that he was raped as a child. Diaz then details years of struggles, with…
Author’s Note: This editorial is rooted in my personal experience, and my interpretation of the television series, 13 Reasons Why. I am not a professional/expert on suicide or depression, nor am I a clinical psychologist, therapist, or psychiatrist. As a certified Advocate for victim/survivors of sexual violence, I have training and experience in trauma counseling.…
Silence is perhaps the greatest threat to the safety and well-being of children. It is often thought that trying to “protect” children from adult themes or topics means pretending they do not exist, ignoring them, or talking about them in coded ways. But by sheltering children from the realities of sex and of violence, we…
The assumption that all men and boys are sexual beings–that they crave sex, require it even, and are always at the ready to have it–not only removes an individual’s agency and right to affirm or deny consent. It also invalidates the specific emotional experience one has connected to sexual experience. Believing that the conquest associated…