TRIGGER WARNING - Themes of rape, sexual harassment and suicide. Be advised.
Please share this petition on social media. Repashy Ventures Inc. is a company in California that makes pet food and products for pet fish and reptiles. Tell them to change the name of its offensive product, "Morning Wood", and its description promoting sexual harassment and drugging of women -- 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.
"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
"Herpetology has historically had a 'macho, bro culture'... [one female scientist] 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 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/
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. 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.