Article here. Excerpt:

'The first rule of a North American debate tournament to be held in Vermont this weekend: No men allowed.

Some 150 debaters from 18 schools across the U.S. and Canada will compete in the special tournament, which is designed to be a safe space for women who complain of bias when they debate against men.

Although some men will be allowed to serve as judges, organizers say the tournament at the University of Vermont offers women a chance to hone their speaking and arguing skills and gain confidence and friends without being subject to sexism.

"There is also a lot of sexual predation that happens in the debate community," said UVM debate director Helen Morgan-Parmett. "The tournament, I think, provides a safe space where people feel they are debating other women, and their bodies aren't necessarily on display."'

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'The fact that the average American working woman earns only about 8o% of what the average American working man earns has been something of a festering sore for at least half the population for several decades. And despite many programs and analyses and hand-wringing and badges and even some legislation, the figure hasn't budged much in the past five years.

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'Ulster and Ireland rugby players Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding are to pursue a privacy lawsuit against the BBC following their acquittal at Belfast Crown Court.

The action, initiated in 2016, had been put on hold pending the outcome of the rape trial.

Following yesterday's verdict, a solicitor representing Mr Jackson confirmed the action would now go ahead.

The civil suit was filed after the identities of the two rugby players were reported prior to them being charged.

Both men issued writs against the BBC seeking damages for misuse of private information after details were published in an online news article on November 1, 2016, months before charges were brought against them.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Joe McVeigh, who acted for Paddy Jackson in the case, said there were a number of legal issues that need to be addressed.

These included more protections to stop the complainant being identified.
...
"It's impossible to do that when you have got an open court filled to the brim with members of the public for nine solid weeks, where her name is used openly throughout the trial.

"Our system here in the north currently pays lip service to those types of protections. The system in the south is the way it should go at the very least."

Meanwhile, Mr Olding's solicitor said there needed to be better legal protections for defendants in rape cases, as well as for those making the allegations against them.

Paul Dougan told BBC News NI there should be a public debate about granting anonymity during trials to those accused of rape. They would only be named if found guilty.

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'A lawsuit was filed against Illinois State University in federal district court Tuesday seeking in excess of $1 million for a male ex-student who says his rights were violated by the way the university handles cases involving allegations of sexual misconduct.

The lawsuit was filed by Johnson Law Group, a Bloomington law firm, identifying the former ISU student only as John Doe, to protect his privacy and reputation.

According to the lawsuit, John Doe was initially restricted from parts of campus and ordered not to contact the female student who alleged they had non-consensual intercourse in November 2016 and he was later suspended — all before a hearing took place.

No criminal charges were filed.

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'On Thursday, Thee Parkside will look different than most nights. The dive bar and music venue on San Francisco's 17th Street will be filled with women, femmes and non-binary folks.

The organizers of "No Apologies Fest," a one-night festival and benefit headlined by Oakland-based performer Ah Mer Ah Su, have a simple ask: "Men, sit this one out."

"Music events have always been major opportunities for predatory behavior," said Lauren Espina, one-half of the San Francisco-based Sea Witch Productions, who is hosting the festival with hello, cheetle. and BFF.fm.

"Every single woman I know has experienced harassment at a show," Espina continued. She includes herself – even at shows she and Sea Witch partner, Haley Scofield, booked.'

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'A woman with whom an Ohio state lawmaker exchanged sexual text messages has launched a campaign to unseat him and threatened to release more details about their relationship if he doesn’t resign.

The unusual faceoff between Republican Rep. Rick Perales, of Beavercreek, and nurse Jocelyn Smith, of Fairborn, has exploded out of nowhere just weeks before a May 8 primary.

Perales acknowledges exchanging texts with Smith in 2015 that he describes as “flirtatious.” He has said they included topless photos of Smith and sexually-tinged messages. The two met when Smith came to Perales as his constituent with an idea for a license plate to raise money for cancer research.
...
Smith has since escalated her claims, alleging that Perales forcibly kissed and choked her as they were leaving their first meeting in public. Perales denies having any physical contact with Smith, including kissing.

Rosenberger’s spokesman Brad Miller said the kissing and choking allegations were new and that Rosenberger is investigating.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Convincing Sergio Lazarovich he’s the beneficiary of white-male privilege is going to be a tough sell.

So tough, he has legally changed his gender, reported the Daily Mail.

According to a relative identified as Enzo, reported Informate Salta, the 60-year-old Argentinian tax worker – now known as Sergia – didn’t make the change because of some long-simmering psychological turmoil about his identity, but instead switched so he could retire five years earlier, a move he has been contemplating for three years.

Argentina sets the retirement age at 60 for female state workers and 65 for males.

“His conviction is that it is unfair that, because he is a man, he has to work five years more than a woman,” Enzo told the paper.'

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'Despite its enormous influence on domestic violence policy, most persons have never heard of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. So what is this group’s mission, who are its leaders, and how does it operate?

Secret Organization

The mission of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, known as the “NTF,” is reflected in its website address: www.4vawa.org, “For VAWA.” Its website modestly states, “The NTF was critical in the passage and continues to mobilize for reauthorizations of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).”'

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'Women in the military should be recognized for their inherent roles as "protectors" to boost their advancement in the ranks and enhance their recruitment and retention, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said Tuesday.

"If I asked everyone in this room to think, just close your eyes for a second and think about the most protective person you know in your life, someone who would do anything to keep you safe -- half the people in this room are thinking about their moms," she said.

"We are the protectors," Wilson said in making the case for valuing women's contribution to the military's mission.

"That's what the military does. We serve to protect the rest of you, and that's a very natural place for a woman to be," she said in testimony with the two other service secretaries at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the budget.'

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'Women are working harder than men and now appear to be the driving force behind corporate performance, according to Aaron McEwan, HR advisory leader at Gartner.

“Gender differences in the workplace have long been a topic of intense focus and speculation, but the data is clear,” he said.

McEwan’s comments following new research from Gartner which shows more female employees are willing to go above and beyond at work compared to their male counterparts.

Indeed, data from the Gartner Global Talent Monitor reveals that effort among Australian female employees is almost 7% higher than their male colleagues.'

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'Officials are investigating whether or not a women-only co-working club, the Wing, has violated the city’s Human Rights Law.

The New York City Commission on Human Rights has opened a “commission-initiated investigation,” into whether the Wing has violated the law, Jezebel reported. The city bars “businesses that furnish public accommodation, including most private clubs” from discriminating against customers based on gender.

“All that’s happened is that the Wing and the commission have agreed, mutually, to sit down and have a conversation,” said Karen Dunn of Boies Schiller Flexner, who is representing the Wing.'

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'A transgender waiter has been given a suspended sentence for falsely accusing a gay co-worker of rape - and putting his penis in his letterbox.

Lottie Harris, 23, made life 'hell' for victim Ali Malik after becoming 'infatuated' with him when they worked together at a restaurant.

Between September 18, 2016 and July 23 last year Harris made 23 fake allegations of rape and assaults against Mr Malik who was arrested on two occasions.

Harris even claimed Mr Malik shoved his penis inside the letterbox of his front door and threatened to slit his throat.'

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'A Soshanguve woman has been arrested for laying a false rape claim against her boyfriend.

Police spokesperson Constable Zanele Mtsweni said the 24-year-old woman from block UU Soshanguve came to the police on Thursday and alleged that her boyfriend had raped her the previous night.

“The police opened a case against her boyfriend and arranged for her to receive a medical examination from the clinic as per procedure,” said Mtsweni.'

Article here.

'A woman who claimed she was raped on Delta College’s campus has pleaded guilty to filing a false report.

Mary Zolkowski, 21, pleaded guilty Tuesday, March 27, to one count of filing a false report of a felony.

Zolkowski first told police she was raped on Feb. 22 in the east parking lot of the main campus. She said she was grabbed from behind as she was getting into her vehicle.

While the charge against Zolkowski is punishable by up to four years in prison and a $2,000 fine, Bay County Circuit Court Judge Joseph K. Sheeran has already indicated he will sentence her to probation.

A sentencing date has been scheduled for May 7th.'