Sexual Assault

When most people think about adult movies being filmed, they assume that all the actors have given consent to engage in every sex act that goes on. That’s no more the case than if a company executive were to sexually assault a personal assistant. Adult film is big business and just like in any other…

All movements for social justice start out small. Back in 1990, women at Brown University began writing the names of their rapists on the walls of bathroom cubicles in the Rockefeller Library. Every time the names were erased, the women would simply write them again. This ever-growing list became known across the country as the…

Just four months after being charged with sexually assaulting four women, Hollywood producer David Guillod was arrested on October 28 in connection with another sexual assault in Sherman Oaks, California. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, a Jane Doe reported being raped by Guillod during an evening meeting on October 21, and he was…

If you have been sexually assaulted by prison staff or officials, you have a right to pursue both a criminal case to punish your abusers and a civil claim for the damages inflicted on you. The harmful psychological effects of rape can take years to move past, even with proper treatment. How big of a…

The last few years have forced a reckoning in Hollywood. Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby have stood trial, and countless others – Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., Matt Lauer, etc. – have been exposed for their years of abuse and sexual assault. Danny Masterson’s time may finally be at an end, too. He has been charged…

Two female veterans of the military who suffered sexual harassment and assault during the time of their service have called upon leaders in the House of Representatives to pursue legislation that protects service members. Their efforts are in the aftermath of the tragic disappearance and killing of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillen at Fort Hood, TX.…

Governor of New Hampshire Chris Sununu recently signed the nation’s first student-written campus sexual assault legislation into law. Passing the NH House with bipartisan support, proponents of the bill are not only calling it a victory for New Hampshire, but a victory for college students all over the country. Survivor and advocate groups are hoping…

An advocate for sex abuse victims who became the subject of a celebrated Netflix documentary died by suicide on August 4, 2020. Daisy Coleman starred in the 2016 Netflix film “Audrie & Daisy,” which followed her and her family as they dealt with the aftermath of her assault, and the hostile reaction of her town…

One of the most important steps a survivor of sexual assault or rape can take is undergoing the forensic exam, so that evidence of the attack can be preserved. That evidence becomes part of the “rape kit,” a collection of DNA samples and documentation that outlines what happened during the attack. Medical professionals handle the…

The passage of the Educational Amendments Act in 1972 also ushered in Title IX, which helped change the way sexual misconduct and harassment are handled in American higher education. Title IX prohibits sex and gender discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recently announced some new rules to this…