Today's update image shows men on social media "getting the joke" on Repashy's "Morning Wood" (tag line: "Our Super Firm Long-Lasting Formula for Fish that Like to Suck Hard Wood". We "get" it too -- misogyny, sexism, and rape culture. Women and girls don't deserve this. Please share our petition and get Repashy Ventures Inc. to stop using language that promotes sexual harassment in its products: https://www.change.org/p/repashy-ventures-inc-demand-that-repashy-change-the-name-of-its-fish-food-morning-wood-it-promotes-sexism-sexual-harassment-and-rape-culture
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 by dialing 988 or chat online using the Lifeline Crisis Chat anytime, 24/7.
What is "Rape Culture"? Please read the following resources to learn more:
"Rape culture is the social environment that allows sexual violence to be normalized and justified, fueled by the persistent gender inequalities and attitudes about gender and sexuality. Naming it is the first step to dismantling rape culture. Every day we have the opportunity to examine our behaviours and beliefs for biases that permit rape culture to continue. From the attitudes we have about gender identities to the policies we support in our communities, we can all take action to stand against rape culture." -- from U.N. Women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2019/11/compilation-ways-you-can-stand-against-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 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/
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