Video here. Descriptive excerpt:

'The important conversation about the realities of sexual assault in America hit the stage this year with "SLUT: The Play," which follows the tale of a 16-year-old girl who is raped by three friends. The play lands in Washington, D.C., on May 19, and two of its biggest supporters -- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and "House of Cards" creator Beau Willimon -- talked with HuffPost Live on Monday about the necessity of tackling the rape taboo.

During a conversation with host Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani, Gillibrand and Willimon responded to a viewer question about society's biggest misconceptions about sexual assault and how to shift the paradigm that often mischaracterizes rape as "a college prank or boys being boys."

Story here. Excerpt:

'Emma Sulkowicz, the Columbia University student who carried a mattress around the school all year to raise awareness of campus sexual assault, attended her college graduation ceremony on Tuesday while carrying the mattress.

Ms. Sulkowicz, who graduated magna cum laude, brought her mattress with her as she walked across the stage in the processional, to cheers from audience members. Multiple friends helped her carry the mattress as she walked across the stage.

On Tuesday, she brought it with her to her graduation ceremony, and walked with it during the processional. Four fellow female graduates helped her carry the mattress as she walked across the stage to cheers from the audience.'

Story here. Excerpt:

'As the video above shows, images on these “Violent Coasters” were created with a special thermochemical ink. When patrons set their ice-filled drinks down on one of the squares, the cold temperature of the glass causes the picture of a woman to transform, with cuts and bruises appearing on her face.

Accompanying the image are the words, “Don’t let excessive drinking end in domestic violence.” That will be a welcome message to the roughly 33 percent of women and 17 percent of men in Japan who have experienced some kind of domestic violence, according to a 2006 survey from Japan’s Gender Equality Bureau. 

Whether drink coasters in a bar are effective in addressing such a serious and significant problem remains to be seen. But the guys in the video certainly seem shocked by the coasters’ change, so let’s hope these coasters spark conversations that raise awareness and change behavior.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has tweeted the following:

"From a wmn carrying a mattress on her campus to Afghanistan’s Wmn’s Nat Cycling Team, reaching true equality req showing change is possible."

The woman with a mattress is, as Katie Pavlich explains, a reference to Emma Sulkowicz. She is the Columbia University student who carried a mattress around the campus as part of her “carry that weight campaign.” Her goal was to show how heavy the burden of rape is on a woman. Sulkowicz said she had been raped and would follow her rapist with the mattress until he was brought to justice.

But from all that appears, Sulkowicz wasn’t raped:

Story here. Excerpt:

"Chantae Marie Gilman a West Seattle, Washington mother of three has pled guilty to breaking into a man’s apartment and raping him whilst he slept.

As part of her plea deal, Chantae Gilman will be required to serve nine months jail, serve a two year probation as well as register as a sex offender.

Originally charged with second degree rape, charges against the woman for reasons not necessarily understood were amended leading to a reduced criminal count.

At the time of the June 2013 rape, her victim a 31 year old man testified that he ‘recognized Gilman as a drug user in the area’ and had woken up to find her on top of him, pinning his hands down over his hands.

According to court papers the victim demanded his attacker get off him but she refused telling him ‘to be quiet.’"

Essays here. Excerpt from the third installment:

'A great deal of women's self-indulgence is based on their victimization. Women gain much power by being victims. Feminism insists that women are always victims, in every endeavor, and that men are always the victimizers and are never victims themselves.

Link here. Excerpt:

'Headteacher Sarah Pashley says all pupils will now be expected to wear approved trousers bearing the school logo bought from designated suppliers.
...
Ms Pashley said: “We have a very simple school uniform, which we enforce strictly.

“On one occasion when a male member of staff challenged a female student on her skirt length, she retorted, ‘You shouldn’t be looking at my legs’.

“The male member of staff was understandably uncomfortable with this and reported it to me immediately. Male staff asked me to share this incident with the governing body when uniform was reviewed.”
...
Another parent claimed that female staff at the school fail to set a good example. She said: “Some female staff wear high heels, short skirts and low-cut blouses.

Link here. Excerpt:

'Harry, 30, fifth in line to the throne, told The Sunday Times that his 10-year career in the British Army had done "amazing things" for him.

"Bring back national service," Harry said.

"I dread to think where I'd be without the army...And more importantly to me, what I've seen the army do to other young guys."
...
Harry is due to quit the army next month, having said earlier in the year that he is at a crossroads in life and explaining that taking on more royal duties he would not have the time to focus on his army job.
...
He was speaking to the newspaper in New Zealand, where he has spent the last week on a tour, after previously completing a month-long secondment to the Australian Defence Force.
...
Under Britain's unwritten constitution, the royal family is supposed to remain above politics, and Queen Elizabeth has kept her opinions to herself during her 63-year reign.

Story here. Excerpt:

'Students at the University of Tennessee could soon see a new kind of punishment.

In 2013, a team of people from UT and other institutions reviewed the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and the punishment process.
...
The team made 39 recommendations at the conclusion of the review, and 35 of those are up for approval for the 2015-2016 school year.

"I think that when, decades ago, when student codes of conduct were developed, they were really modeled after the legalistic or the criminal process that's used," Carilli said. "Clearly, from an educational perspective, that's not the way to involve education or infuse education into the process."

Moving forward, Carilli said the university is looking to adopt an educational or developmental judicial process so students can better learn from their mistakes, as opposed to simply receiving a punitive punishment.

Article here. Excerpt:

'"I remember three or four years ago being interviewed and saying, ‘Men aren’t doing this on purpose. It’s not their fault. Nobody’s trying to keep women down.’ But something I’ve recognized over the past few years is, I’ve really begun to listen to conversations about implicit bias and privilege.

It very simply makes the world easier for white cis [cisgender, a non-Trans individual] males to have entertainment written by white cis males, where white cis males are the protagonists and the world revolves around them. That’s privilege. Writing is propaganda for the self."
...
“Let’s sue Hollywood! Sue the motherf*ckers. Sue all of them! It’s been a big week–women speaking up and holding hands,” she said in reference to an announcement that the ACLU has launched an investigation to target gender discrimination in Hollywood.

“Yes...things are changing,” she added.

Furthermore, Soloway believes in affirmative action, a formula is very simple to her:

Story here. Excerpt:

'Police say a Pennsylvania woman fatally shot her husband hours after he got a restraining order from her.

Allegheny County police say 55-year-old Patricia Katchur shot her husband after returning to their home Wednesday evening. They say she had been living with her sister since the couple fought Saturday, and she had returned to get some belongings earlier Wednesday.

McKeesport police allowed her into the home after 52-year-old Christopher Katchur refused. After she left with her belongings, police advised him to get a protection-from-abuse order.

Police say Patricia Katchur returned to the home by removing a window air conditioner and fell asleep there. Police say her husband returned and woke her up, and she shot him as they walked onto the front porch.'

Article here. Excerpt:

'What can men at Troy University do to help stop sexual violence? According to a university pamphlet, simply be secure in themselves.

A pamphlet on sexual violence at Troy—obtained by Campus Reform—lists seven things students can do to “stop sexual violence,” including, “be secure.”

Article here. Excerpt:

'It's no secret that Congress is dominated by men, but as women work to make inroads in the congressional boys club, some female staffers face a huge impediment to moving up: They're not allowed to spend one-on-one time with their male bosses.

In an anonymous survey of female staffers conducted by National Journal in order to gather information on the difficulties they face in a male-dominated industry, several female aides reported that they have been barred from staffing their male bosses at evening events, driving alone with their congressman or senator, or even sitting down one-on-one in his office for fear that others would get the wrong impression.
...
Male staffers said they'd also seen some female aides barred from solo meetings with the boss, and that they benefited in some instances from the exclusion of their female colleagues in high-level meetings, at receptions with major Washington powerbrokers, and just in earning a little more face time with their bosses.

Article here. Excerpt:

'Like many domestic violence victims, Keith Peterson put off getting help, over and over again.

That all changed after he found himself lying in a Fargo hospital bed last July, covered in gashes and stitches from 13 stab wounds suffered in a knife attack at the hands of his then-girlfriend Carly Ann Lacey at a Minnesota campsite.

The 10-month road to help hasn't been easy.

"I lost everything," said Peterson, including his health, his job, his home and his relationship with Lacey, whom he almost married several months before the slashing. "But I've gained so much more. I got everything back."

Story here. Excerpt:

'A public Facebook post from Leesburg Town Council member Kelly Burk implying white men shouldn't serve on the town's new Diversity Commission is stirring both anger and debate on social media.

Town Council on Tuesday night appointed seven members to the newly created Diversity Commission, this despite council member's Tom Dunn abstention from the vote to finalize the membership.

On Wednesday, Burk, the nonpartisan council's vice chair, wrote: “Last Night at the Leesburg Town Council meeting, the council nominated their appointees for the newly formed Diversity Commission. I have no doubt that each nominee will be an important member of the commission but I did find it somewhat ironic that two Republicans council members appointed white men to the diversity council.”