April is sexual assault awareness month in the United States. One of my core beliefs is the right to bodily integrity; therefore, I’m signal boosting some resources on sexual assault.
- Male Sexual Assault by RAINN – information on sexual assaults against men
- National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) – campaign information and educational resources
- Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (RAINN) – national rape hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE
- Sexual Assault and College Campuses: Statistics by Sarah Lawrence College – short bullet-point list of statistics with source information
- Sexual Assault Fact Sheet by womenshealth.gov – definitions and how to get help
In addition, let me quote two extremely important points from one of author Jim C. Hines‘s past posts on Livejournal:
“1. Ever notice how often we talk about how someone was raped? When was the last time you heard it phrased, ‘Someone raped her.’ Because of course, the latter construction puts the responsibility on the rapist. It isn’t something that just happens. It’s something a person chose to do.
2. Rapists choose to rape. Nothing you do — nothing you wear, nothing you drink, nothing you say — nothing makes that choice for them. If someone raped you, it wasn’t your fault. End of story.”
