Sexual Assault Awareness Month: Resources

Both a guidebook and a call for people to respond to suffering in a thoughtful, intentional way—not by hardening our hearts or by internalizing others’ struggles as our own but by developing a quality of compassionate presence.

We all know the world isn't perfect. Cars sometimes crash, thieves break in and steal, kids are bullied at school, and sexual predators prowl the Internet. But that's no reason to hide in your room and worry. You can stay safe if you use some safety smarts.

Street harassment is generally dismissed as harmless, but in reality, it causes women to feel unsafe in public. This book makes clear how women experience street harassment―how they feel about and respond to it―and the ways it negatively impacts their lives.

Robinson walks readers through the ways survivors can achieve emotional, physical, sexual, and spiritual healing, reflecting her firsthand insight into the particular difficulties African-Americans face on their journey toward recovery. Examining the issue of sexual assault in African-American communities, she discusses why African-American women are more likely than white women to experience sexual crimes--an insightful discussion framed in the context of the American slavery system and modern institutionalized racism.

This book explores the legal regulation of young women’s sexuality in the United States. By looking at five different time periods, the author captures the complex and dynamic nature of the relationship between the state and the female body.

A guide for psychotherapy and sexology clinicians on how to treat clients who grew up in a conservative faith, experienced sexual shame and dysfunction, and who desire to both heal and hold on to their faith. The author critiques the conservative Christian Church and its bearing on intimate partnerships and sexuality, and advocates a paradigm shift.

For too long, Black women have suffered the effects of violence in painful silence. With moving case studies, in-depth discussions of activism and resistance, and helpful suggestions for treatment and intervention, this book will help you understand the impact of violence on the lives of Black women.

Drawing from numerous mass media and scholarly sources and using a theoretical framework grounded in social constructionism, this text chronicles how four groups of activists, college student advocates, feminists, victims and their families, and public health experts used a variety of tactics and strategies to convince the public and Congress that campus crime posed a new danger to the safety and security of college students and the ivory tower itself, while simultaneously convincing policymakers to take action against the problem.

In this revolutionary text, prominent Native American scholar and activist Andrea Smith reveals the connections between different forms of violence--perpetrated by the state and by society at large--and documents their impact on Native women.

Harding explores how rape culture manifests itself via media narratives about sexual assault victims and perpetrators--and how those change, depending on the age, race, sexual orientation, gender identity and fame of both victim and offender.

Covering all the dangerous situations people typically face -- street crime, domestic abuse, violence in the workplace -- de Becker provides real-life examples and offers specific advice on restraining orders, self-defense, and more. But the key to self-protection, he demonstrates, is learning how to trust -- and act on -- our own intuitions.

ulia Serano returns with a groundbreaking exploration of what it means to be sexualized. We tend to think of sexualization-that is, when people are reduced to their sexual bodies-as an issue that only affects women. But, as Serano deftly reveals, society sexualizes everyone along dehumanizing double standards, to disastrous effects. She shows how a predator-and-prey dynamic leads straight men to both admire and deride their partners, how bisexuals are stereotyped as "greedy," and how trans people are maligned as "entrappers" of cisgender people. Along the way, she unpacks why queerness is thought of as contagious, how people of color are sexualized to justify violence against them, and more broadly, how sexualization harms us all. Julia Serano confronts these arbitrary social rules, showing us that they're not natural or innate but instead are constructed. She then reveals powerful new ways to resist, by affirming consent and redefining courtship, so that we can forge life-affirming values for future generations.

At cheerleading camp, Hermione is drugged and raped, but she is not sure whether it was one of her teammates or a boy on another team. In the aftermath she has to deal with rumors, the reactions of her classmates, rejection, and above all the need to remember what happened so that the guilty boy can be brought to justice.

The author's account of a relationship gone bad, and a bold dissection of the mechanisms and cultural representations of psychological abuse. Tracing the full arc of a harrowing relationship with a charismatic but volatile woman, Machado struggles to make sense of how what happened to her shaped the person she was becoming. Machado uses a series of narrative tropes--including classic horror themes--to tackle a dark and difficult subject with wit, inventiveness, and an inquiring spirit.

When Rose’s 18-year relationship ends in the most shocking and unexpected way, she emerges from the breakup to the realization that she was being emotionally manipulated and controlled. While trying to pick up the pieces of her shattered life, she meets a charming and elusive new man.

After her anonymous impact statement regarding her sexual assault went viral on BuzzFeed in 2015, Chanel Miller reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words.

When Grace meets Ian, she's afraid of rejection. Since she accused Zac, the town golden boy, of rape, everyone else turned against her. Ian wouldn't be the first to call her a slut and a liar. But Ian looks past the taunts and the names and the tough-girl act to see the real Grace. He's the one who gives her the courage to fight back. He's also Zac's best friend.

The night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. What was simple is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought to be true is now a lie. She knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. Eden's story reveals the deep cuts of trauma as well as a power for survival she never knew was hidden in her heart.

Donna Freitas delivers an examination of the years she spent stalked by her professor, and uses her nightmarish experience to examine the ways in which we stigmatize, debate, and attempt to understand consent today.

Following the sexual assault of a classmate, a group of teenage girls find themselves discussing the term consent, what it actually means for them in their current relationships, and how they act and make decisions with peer influence. Joined by their male friends who offer another perspective, this rich graphic novel uncovers the need for more informed conversations with young people around consent and healthy relationships.

This book focuses on the post–sexual assault experiences of twenty-six college women. The author looks at how these individuals responded to attacks, as well as at how and why peers, family members, and school, medical, and civil authorities were (or were not) engaged in addressing the crimes.

Violating consent isn’t limited to sexual relationships. Consent can empower individuals outside the bedroom, whether it’s at the doctor’s office, interacting with law enforcement, or confronting financial abuse in institutions. This book examines how individuals can reclaim power from institutions by shifting the cultural meaning of consent.

An in-depth look at the realities of relationships and sexual intimacy. Domitrz's candid advice, real-life scenarios, and helpful strategies will revolutionize your approach to relationships while adding romance and building respect for all partners.