Join Michael Kimmel, world-renown expert on american masculinity (and Paradigm Shift featured speaker) & Michael Kaufman, co-founder of the White Ribbon Campaign, the largest effort the world of men working to end violence against women, for their NYC book launch! GuysGuideToFeminism.com
I wanted to drop you a note to ask for your help with a day of action, 11/2, to pressure Facebook to take down pages that promote rape, sexual violence, and violence against women and declare these pages a violation of their Terms of Service.
A petition on Change.org, started a few months ago by Florida activist John Raines, has over 180,000 signatures; similar campaigns launched in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand bring the total number up to 200,000. In addition, Sprint, Blackberry, PBS, and other companies have insisted that their ads be taken off pages that activists have flagged as promoting rape and violence.
Facebook’s Terms of Service already ban content that is “hateful, threatening,” or contains “graphic or gratuitous violence,” and the site has also removed inoffensive content such as photos of breastfeeding mothers. However, Facebook is standing firm in their refusal to remove the pages under fire for supporting sexual violence, going so far as to say, “It is very important to point out that what one person finds offensive another can find entertaining – just as telling a rude joke won’t get you thrown out of your local pub, it won’t get you thrown off Facebook.”
Since Facebook finds pages like “Riding You Girlfriend Softly So She Doesn’t Wake Up” entertaining, we’re upping the ante. Tomorrow we’re asking people to tweet at Facebook the names of real pages that promote rape, sexual violence, and violence against women with the hashtag #notfunnyfacebook. The idea is that if more people — and yes, the media — see the bile Facebook is protecting, the site will have to cave to the pressure.
Here is a link to a post Alex DiBranco wrote for Women’s Views on News, who are leading a UK campaign, about the day of action: http://www.womensviewsonnews.org/2011/11/notfunnyfacebook-join-the-twitter-day-of-action/
And here are some sample tweets:
We’d appreciate tweets, Facebook posts, and blog posts. Please let me know if you need a quote from us or any of the partner orgs. Thanks for all your help and all the work you do!
Shelby Knox
Take out the trash,
Foolish, fresh
newspapers, she
tucked around
to keep you
warm
Covered by clouds
too quickly
crafted drafts
word storms
crash into
the sky
No one likes the rain but
you are sorry, a saturated
umbrella apology
underneath your
impenetrable
raincoat
You keep
life contained
in coffin planter boxes
in worn pictures
with smiling edges
taped to
industrial
walls
Barefoot proud, shady man
she’s under your
numb thumb
drop her out
before the
kick off
You would have
never wanted
to keep
her
for
long
A message from :
Hello Organizers, Supporters, Allies and Friends!
What an amazing experience we’ve been having. Our vision has become more obvious and more tangible. We have the potential to make significant and lasting change. We have now held our second meeting (and impromptu participation in the Washington Square General Assembly). We have some concrete needs to attend to. The first goal is to plan for Day of Solidarity to Amplify All Marginalized and Underrepresented.
Apologies to anyone who came to Liberty Square and was unable to find the group. There was some confusion due to a scheduling conflict with the group Women Occupying Wall Street and being asked by police to relocate from the Red Cube. So far it seems that there is consensus about meeting on Sundays.
For our next Sunday meeting (Oct 30th), we have decided to meet at 2pm. Location 60 Wall St.
Proposed Agenda for Next Meeting (Sunday. 2 pm at 60 Wall St.)
NEEDS: We’d like to find an indoor space where we can host these weekly meetings. Please be in touch if you can offer space. Concerns about accessibility and relocating beyond the Liberty Plaza region were discussed as a possibility.
We would like to secure interest from someone/some people) who would like to help facilitate, take notes, report to the GA (at Liberty Plaza and perhaps additionally to Washington Square Park) and do outreach. One or many can do all of this so long as we work together and remain transparent.
The following are notes from the meetings thus far. We look forward to your participation! See you Sunday
MEETING 2
Sunday Oct. 23rd: Planning for Day to Amplify All Marginalized and Underrepresented
MEETING 1
Open Letter and abridged minutes from Oct. 16th meeting with Eve Ensler:
PS: For those who do not know, there are also gatherings happening in Washington Square Park. Right now, it is not an occupation, but that is an ongoing discussion. On Oct 23rd, it was decided to hold General Assemblies three times per week in this space.
A few of us went from our Sunday afternoon meeting to Washington Square and participated in that night’s GA. We were invited to create small group discussions to dream and state visions. We mentioned the intentions of the group meeting to amplify all voices and invited people to join. Also discussed in the small group were the following:
For more information, and to see the visions discussed in all the small groups, please see http://www.occupywashingtonsquare.org/.
In solidarity,
Arielle Cohen
TellArielle@gmail.com
@ariellecohen
ariellecohen.org
Hi all,
On behalf of Trust Women, I would like to personally invite you to come out the night of October 27th from 6-8pm and join us Gallery Bar, NYC, for drinks, networking, and prochoice shenanigans. As some of you know, Trust Women is working in Wichita, KS, to offer comprehensive reproductive services to women who have been without them since the death of Dr. George Tiller two years ago. Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum, and we want our friends on the east coast to know more about what we do, and why support from the blue states is so essential. We’ll be livetweeting and asking attendees to livetweet with the hashtag #TWHH, to connect to the women out in the Midwest who will benefit directly from our work.
Now, the important things: The event is free, with cheap cocktails and beer and wine, so do please come and feel free to tell everyone you know! More info about the event here: http://itrustwomen.org/invitation.html
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
All the best,
Kaitlyn Soligan
Trust Women East Coast Representative
Let us know if you will be able to make it on Wednesday 10/26 and if you know anyone in particular who would like to talk at the speakout against the Wall Street controlled healthcare system. Any support you can provide only makes the fight stronger.
CONNECT is dedicated to the preventing interpersonal violence and promoting gender justice.
Understanding Domestic Violence:
Essentials and Intersections
Fridays, 9:30am-5pm
10/7/11, 10/14/11, 10/21/11, and 10/28/11
Register today for this four-day intensive course on the fundamentals of domestic violence (also
known as Intimate Partner Violence). Learn about the types, tactics, dynamics of abuse and the
intersections between intimate violence and the many health and social justice issues affecting
New York City’s communities. Topics include:
Presented by CONNECT’s Community Empowerment Program Violence Prevention Educators
and featuring guest speakers in the fields of trauma, HIV/AIDS, cultural identity, LGBTQ and
substance abuse. Materials fee is $200 per participant. Sliding scale is available, organizational
budget will be required for sliding scale eligibility. For more information or to register go to
www.connectnyc.org or call (212) 683-0015 ext.215.
Understanding Domestic Violence is the prerequisite course for all CONNECT Training
Institute courses. Participants who have completed a previous cycle of Understanding
Domestic Violence or DV101 are not required to take this class before registering for other CTI
courses.
P.O. BOX 20217
New York City, New York 10001
www.connectnyc.org
Legal Advocacy Helpline
212-683-0605
