Greetings!
The recent investigation into Spc. Vanessa Guillén's death and the subsequent call for justice under the hashtag #IamVanessaGuillen has empowered many active service members and veterans to share their personal stories of sexual assault and harassment in the U.S. military.
For many, it has been a time to introduce the #MeToo movement into the military, where many incidents of sexual assault and harassment have gone unreported or suppressed.
According to a
recent poll by
Smithsonian magazine, two-thirds of women in the U.S. military report having been sexually harassed or assaulted. Protect our Defenders, an organization dedicated to ending the epidemic of rape and sexual assault in the military,
reports that 76.1% of sexual assault victims did not report the crime in 2018.
In light of this present reality, the BC WGS team offers below a collection of links to videos, articles, and audio recordings that have educated us on this matter.
We dedicate this week's newsletter to women who serve, locally, nationally, and globally. As always, we stand with all victims of sexual assault, including those who choose to speak out publicly and bring to light their lived experiences as victims and survivors.
In solidarity,
Boston College Women's and Gender Studies
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WOMEN AT WAR:
SPEAKING OUT
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Playlist: The conversation around sexual assault
TED, 2012-2017
These insightful talks boldly tackle the hard and very necessary conversations surrounding sexual assault.
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Sexual Assault Survivors Are Pushing The Military To Have Its #MeToo Moment
VICE News, May 14, 2018
VICE News spoke with retired Staff Sgt. Merci McKinley about her own experience with sexual assault, as well as Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who has been pushing for legislative reform to the military justice system for years.
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WOMEN AT WAR:
ON THE FRONT LINES
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What I Wish I'd Known About Sexual Assault in the Military
The Atlantic, October 2019 Issue
By Sandra Sidi
Sandra Sidi recalls the rampant sexual assault and harassment she and other female colleagues experienced when she worked as a civilian public affairs analyst for the military in Iraq in 2007.
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Summer Taylor and Vanessa Guillen's Deaths Are Reminders That Death, Not Life, Is a U.S. Guarantee
Teen Vogue, July 6, 2020
By Lucy Diavolo
In this op-ed, politics editor Lucy Diavolo reflects on the deaths of Summer Taylor and Vanessa Guillen, arguing they are connected through a uniquely American emphasis on death rather than life.
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Women on the front lines: Military service, combat and gender
Oxford University Press Blog, January 10, 2020
By Ayelet Harel-Shalev and Shir Daphna-Tekoah
Conversations with women veterans reveal multiple levels of oppressions and various difficulties for women in combat – the women often reflect about what it means to be a woman in the military and what it means to be feminine in the military.
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Women, Regardless: Understanding Gender Bias in U.S. Military Integration
Joint Force Quarterly 88, January 9, 2018
By Elizabeth M. Trobaugh
Over the last 70 years, women’s roles in the Army have morphed as fast as—or in some cases faster—than society has changed.
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WOMEN AT WAR:
LOOKING BACK
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How Can We Protect Women In The Military From Sexual Misconduct? | 1a
NPR, May 27, 2019
Produced by Kathryn Fink
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Why are misogyny and sexual misconduct so rampant in the armed forces? What's protecting this behavior? And what can be done to end it? NPR speaks with Anuradha Bhagwati, a former U.S. Marine Captain and the author of
Unbecoming: A Memoir of Disobedience, about her experience in the armed forces.
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Surviving Domestic Violence, Military Sexual Assault, and Reclaiming Our Right to Live Life Moving Forward
I'll Go First with Jessica Minhas, June 23, 2020
Hosted by Jessica Minhas
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Merci McKinley is a Veteran Advocate, Military Sexual Trauma, and Domestic Violence Survivor, author, and poet. She speaks candidly about her experience of military sexual assault and domestic violence, fighting for justice against her perpetrators, advocating for justice reform, and what healing has looked like for her.
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If you are a victim of sexual harassment or assault or know someone who is, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at
online.rainn.org
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FEATURED COURSE:
GLOBAL JUSTICE AND COSMOPOLITANISM
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Global Justice and Cosmopolitanism | PHIL5199
Taught by Stephen Hudson
When:
MWF 11:00-11:50 A.M.
Where:
Campion Hall 300
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In this course, we will analyze how virtue can be applied to the local and global community for the creation of global justice.
We will first briefly look at the ancient world and how virtue appears in the political community as civic solidarity. We will then analyze various theories of cosmopolitanism. Finally, we will spend significant time on the theme of global justice. We will apply the previous themes of the course to issues such as global poverty, the environment, global peace, human rights, gender, immigration, global health, and forms of global governance.
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PROGRAM NEWS:
HOW TO ENROLL
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Step 1: Visit our website at
bc.edu/wgs. While you're there, read about our minor requirements, program overview, course offerings, graduate certificate, and featured speaker and film series events.
Step 2: Click on the gold button at the top right of the page ("Become a Minor") to access our program registration form.
Step 3: Fill out the registration form with your information and submit. (Note that for questions relating to your interest in the Women's and Gender Studies program, your words may be shared for future marketing purposes. You retain the option to opt out.)
The minor should appear in your portal when you receive our official welcome email. Please contact us at
gender@bc.edu
if the minor has not appeared in your portal or if you filled out the registration form recently and have not heard back from us yet.
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PROGRAM NEWS:
COMMUNITY EVENTS
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Virtual Film Screening + Panel on Voting Rights
Thursday, July 16, 6:00 P.M. ET
Join
Ms
. magazine, Feminist Majority Foundation, Girls Learn International and The Civics Center for a special, virtual screening of
Capturing the Flag
, a documentary that shares the story of three activists who worked to combat voter suppression in Cumberland County, N.C. in 2016.
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Girl Rising Webinar
Tuesday, July 28, 3:00 P.M. GMT
Join Girl Rising on July 28th at 3pm GMT for a global conversation on the impact of Covid-19 on girls' lives.
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Want your event to be featured on our newsletter? Email us at
gender@bc.edu
.
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Summer Series courtesy of Boston College Women's and Gender Studies
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