TRIGGER WARNING - Themes of rape, sexual harassment and suicide. Be advised.
We have passed 500 signatures! Thank you to each and every person who has signed this petition for making that happen. Repashy Ventures Inc. is a company in California that makes pet food and products for pet fish and reptiles. Let's keep telling Repashy Ventures Inc. to change the name and description of its offensive product -- its suggestive language sells Rape Culture. Tell Repashy that we don't want kids and teens and families and everybody else normalizing language that promotes sexual harassment and Rape Culture. Please share this petition on social media. We can do this!
It's not a big deal making sexist jokes, you ask?
YES IT IS! Read what The Equality Institute has to say:
"Rape doesn't happen in isolation -- it's the manifestation of gender inequality in a society. It all starts with unequal attitudes and behaviors, so don't ever say 'it was just a joke'." -- from The Equality Institute https://mobile.twitter.com/theeqi/status/961838320681615360
Surely, you ask, real professionals don't behave this way?
YES THEY DO! And it's the reason why female scientists studying reptiles and amphibians leave their professions. Read below:
"Herpetology has historically had a 'macho, bro culture'," says the article, and one female scientist who was interviewed said, "she had routinely witnessed obscene photographs and sexual innuendos in herpetology talks, though she said it had become less common in recent years. Still, she said that culture had made her less inclined to attend professional herpetology conferences. Others who spoke out on social media said they, too, avoided such meetings or switched career paths." -- from the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/us/turtle-researcher-women-bikinis-richard-vogt.html
"Misogynistic culture at conferences jeopardizes TSA’s (Turtle Survival Alliance) core mission of promoting global conservation of turtles and tortoises; this culture has driven numerous women from herpetology." -- from Inclusive Herpetology https://inclusiveherpetology.wordpress.com/
Does all of this really lead to rape, you ask?
YES IT DOES! Please watch the testimony given by Charlie Coleman in the YouTube link below. Commenting on rape culture, Coleman talks about his sister, Daisy Coleman, and her rape at age 14 (that trauma eventually led to her suicide in 2020, followed by the suicide of their mother four months later). Coleman says in the video, "We see comments being made about women, saying, ‘Oh, it’s just locker room talk -- boys will be boys.’ That’s accepting the culture as it is and allowing it to grow. ...If the kid comes home at thirteen years old and talking with his friends about, 'Oh my God! Did you see her butt today in social studies?', or the volleyball team will go on their daily run past the field and they'll be like, 'Oh my gosh! Those spandex!', kind of thing, it's...it's... People talk like that. It's actually more disgusting than we see it as. And it happens all too often because we haven't been taught. It is up to the parents, the role models, the older brothers, the older sisters to start putting these ideas in kids' heads that THIS IS NOT A THING THAT'S OKAY." -- from Teen Vogue https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=VzC_Ss5oO4Q
By stopping locker room talk and demeaning and degrading language towards women and girls in advertising, we can help stop Rape Culture, and we can build a safer world for everyone. Normalizing sexually aggressive language towards women and girls is NOT okay. Even in something as seemingly harmless as a jar of fish food...
Let's get Repashy to rename that fish food. Thank you for your support and for your 500 signatures. Please share this petition. Safety and respect for all.
CC Teal
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can seek help by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE (4673). For more resources on sexual assault, visit RAINN, End Rape on Campus, Know Your IX, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
If you or someone you care about is thinking about suicide there are ways to get help. For immediate assistance call 911. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.TALK (8255) or chat online using the Lifeline Crisis Chat anytime, 24/7.