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I've been meaning for a long time to write something coherent about some of the stuff I've been reading about harassment and rape and related issues. But I don't know when or if that'll happen, and in the meantime the awful stuff keeps happening. Yesterday, when I saw most of the below items in one day, I figured it was time to post some links.

Trigger warning for the below quotes and for the linked-to pieces they're quoted from.

Stop Telling Women to Smile

Rosie writes about street harassment. “'Smile!' they cry. 'Smile!' they exhort. 'Smile!' they command, as though our faces are theirs to mold. As though our faces don't please them as they are. As though it is our duty to paste fake grins upon them on demand even though all we really want to do is get past this fucking gauntlet and get to work.”

[Link removed in 2019]

[This item used to be a link to a friend’s public FB post, but as of 2019, that post appears to no longer be available, so I’m removing this link rather than continue to quote from the post.]

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

Meagan Marie on defending other women but not defending herself. (Page now starts with an extensive update; to see the original entry, scroll down from there.) “Each time, I laughed it off and internalized my embarrassment, cementing a fixed smile on my face while fighting back tears. Why? Because I was afraid to rock the boat. I was afraid to perpetuate rumors that I was uptight, difficult, or had no sense of humor. I was afraid of what I'd heard being said about other women being said about me. So I would stick up for others, but never for myself.”

When Professionals Aren't: The PAX East Tomb Raider Cosplay Harassment Story

More, from others, about the incident that sparked Meagan Marie's above post. “I've been victimized before and none of the times have I ever reacted immediately. I don't know if it's the way I'm programmed to just smile and accept or if it's just a fear of making a scene.”

Trigger Warning

Sarah McCarry discusses reactions to a novel called Uses for Boys, and her own life and history. “I don't want to write about rape anymore. But here we are.”

Adria Richards' Story Shows How Sexual Harassment Endures in Tech Community

Valerie Aurora on Adria Richards. “Reasonable people can disagree about whether Richards should have called out the two jokesters publicly or who, if anyone, should have been fired as a result. But one thing we can agree on is that the massive onslaught of rape and death threats that followed was wrong.”

The Biggest Problem in Technology

Matt Buchanan in a similar vein. “and most of all, horrible people should not have bombarded Richards with threats of death and rape.”

Steubenville: this is rape culture's Abu Ghraib moment

Laurie Penny on Steubenville. “The pictures from Steubenville don't just show a girl being raped. They show that rape being condoned, encouraged, celebrated. What type of culture could possibly produce such pictures?”

Algorithmic Rape Jokes in the Library of Babel

“A T-shirt company called Solid Gold Bomb was caught selling shirts with the slogan 'KEEP CALM and RAPE A LOT' on them.” (This page seems to be temporarily unavailable, so I'm linking to Google's cached copy for now. I'll try to remember to replace the link later.) (Added in 2019: Original page is back, so I’ve restored the original URL.)

Why I Won't Publish Your Comments About False Rape Accusations

Lauren Nelson provides a thorough discussion of statistics, and then a statement on compassionate grounds. “this comparison has struck fear into the hearts of sexual violence victims for decades. It makes victims feel as though they won't be believed if they do come forward. It gives rape culture perpetrators the 'backing' to say a victim 'wanted' it, or changed their mind because they were embarrassed.”