Rape

Rape is penetration of the mouth, anus, or vagina without consent. Penetration can be with a dildo, penis, fingers, tongue, bottle, gun, and more. The victim can be incapable of giving consent due to being unconscious or being a child. Consenting sex between an adult and a teenager under the legal age of consent is also considered a type of rape, called statutory rape. Statutory rape can occur without the adult’s knowledge that the teenager is under the legal age of consent. Rape falls under the category of sexual assault, which includes mutilation of the genitals, removing clothing without consent, and groping without penetration and without consent.
Rape can occur anywhere. Wealthy, poor, middle class, homeless all experience and commit rape. Males and females experience and commit rape. Infants, toddlers, children, teenagers, adults, and seniors all are victims of rape. Children, teenagers, adults, and seniors are all capable of rape. Rape occurs in developed countries, developing countries, and third world countries. Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, intersex, and transgender individuals are all victims of rape. It can occur in a bar, in a school, on a bus, in an alleyway, behind a building, or even in your own home. Rapists are often someone the victim knows and trusts. It is estimated that every family tree has at least one rapist and one victim. When a family member rapes another family member, it is called incest. It is more common for a family member to rape a child than for anyone else to do so.
It is estimated that one in four girls and one in five boys are raped as a child. It is also estimated that only 20% of victims report the attack. A high number of incestuous rapes result in victim blaming or disbelief by the rest of the family. Rapes in general often result in victim blaming or accusations of lying by society as a whole, especially when the victim is a male. Typically, rape isn’t solely about sex. Rape is about power or punishment. It is estimated that about 1% to 5% of rapists receive jail time for their crime. Most rape kits go uninvestigated, whether the victim wants it to be or not.
As many as 80% of rapes go unreported. There are many reasons not to report a rape. The rapist may have threatened to kill or injure the victim or their family. The victim may be so embarrassed and ashamed, he or she doesn’t want anyone to know. The victim may be afraid of the typical victim blaming response from society. Male victims may be afraid of appearing weak or being ridiculed by people who don’t believe male victims exist. The victim may love the rapist and not want the rapist to get into trouble, especially if the victim blames him/herself. The victim may be afraid to go to trial because of the tendency of the court to put the victim on trial instead of the rapist. The victim may want to forget it ever happened and move on with his or her life.
The process of healing psychologically from the rape can take a lifetime. While the physical wounds of the attack heal at a decent pace, the victim must live with the psychological wounds for a very long time. People who don’t understand often tell the survivor to get over it because it’s in the past. That just makes them feel worse and take longer to heal. The length of time required to heal has a lot in common with how much emotional support the survivor has from family, friends, and society. The more support the survivor receives, the faster he or she heals psychologically from the attack. A survivor may develop a psychological disorder (such as post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, phobias, clinical depression, and generalized anxiety disorder) that they also must work through. It is often helpful for the survivor to seek assistance from a mental healthcare professional with experience with rape victims. Medications may be prescribed to assist the survivor with coping with the disorders he or she has developed, if any. If you know someone who has claimed to have been raped, believe them and give them as much emotional support as you can. This may include bringing them food when they are too emotionally unstable to prepare anything. It may include spending a few nights with them until they feel safe overnight. Holding her hand during a rape kit (males typically don’t receive a rape kit due to disbelief) may help a lot. Whatever you do, do not pressure him or her to press charges or “get over it.” The victim needs to decide for him/herself when and if they want to press charges, as the trial process can be very traumatic to a rape victim. Telling a victim to get over it encourages the victim to withdraw from other people, which causes their psychological state to worsen. Your role as a friend or family member is to help him or her feel safe and heal psychologically from the damage of the attack.

Cancer

    Cancer is a group of diseases related to uncontrolled cell regeneration.  Cells divide uncontrollably and form tumors and may spread to other parts of the body, though not all tumors are cancerous (non-cancerous tumors are called “benign” and cancerous tumors are called “malignant” tumors).  Over 200 types of cancers affect humans.  Other animals are also affected by cancers, but this paper will focus on cancer in humans.
    Certain things are known to contribute to cancer development.  Included in these are tobacco, radiation, chemicals, poor diet, obesity, pollution, sun exposure, and lack of physical activity.  Many things are suspected of causing cancer but are not proven to cause it, causing panic in patients.  You are at increased risk of developing cancer if you have family members who have had cancer.  Cancer effects all ages.  An infant can even be born with it.
    Diagnostic measures depend on the type of cancer.  Observing certain symptoms (differing depending on type) may lead a physician to test for cancer.  Imaging tests (such as X-rays, bone scans, MRI’s, and CT’s) and certain other diagnostic tests may be used to detect cancer.  Once it has been detected, biopsies may be taken to examine in a hospital laboratory to determine which type of cancer it is.  The type of cancer determines how the cancer will be treated and monitored.  They may then check for metastasis (spreading of the cancer) with more tests, such as biopsies of common areas for the type of cancer to be located.
    Palliative care is aimed at making the cancer patient feel better physically, emotionally, spiritually, and psycho-socially.  This treatment focuses on improving quality of life.  It may be combined with other treatments that directly attack the cancer.  If the patient is not showing improvement and is in a hospice-level condition, the palliative may be the only care they receive.  Palliative care may be used to reduce nausea and vomiting, fatigue, pain, and other problems that arise from cancer attacking treatments.
    Surgery is cutting into the body in some way for a medical purpose.  If the cancer is in one small area in an operable location, it may be surgically removed.  This may negate any need for other treatments or may be used before other treatments.  Surgery may also be used to obtain biopsies or place devices used for other treatments (such as a catheter or shunt).
    Chemotherapy is literally chemical therapy.  It is a form of treatment made up of combining different toxic chemicals and entering them into the body to kill the cancer cells.  Chemotherapy can be administered orally or intravenously (in the vein, IV).  Not only does it attack cancer cells, but chemotherapy (also called chemo) attacks healthy, living cells in the patient’s body.  This causes side effects and can result in death if not carefully monitored, as well as cause other cancers.
    Radiation therapy is a form of treatment in which high doses of radiation are administered into the affected area of the body to kill the cancer.  Like chemotherapy, radiation also kills healthy, living cells in the patient and can cause side effects and other cancers.  It may be administered internally (through a device or pill) or externally (using a radiation machine).
    Alternative treatments refer to all treatments that are not listed above and are not in the general medical protocols for cancer treatments.  Alternative treatment remains highly contraversial.  Most alternative treatments have been studied and tested, though some have been proven inaffective.
    The prognosis (projected outcome) is different for each type of cancer.  About half (50%) of all patients with invasive cancers (including sarcomas) die from the cancer itself or treatment for the cancer.  Of course, survival is worse in less developed countries.  People who are unhealthy before the cancer tend to have higher risk of death.
    Side effects of treatments depend on the type of treatment utilized.  With surgery, possible side effects and complications include infection of the incision site, hemorrhaging, difficulty healing, and pain.  When chemotherapy is used, common side effects include nausea, vomiting, hair loss, loss of appetite, loss of weight, and fatigue.  Side effects of radiation include sunburn-like irritation in the area, sterilization, blisters, foul odor, and pain.

*Some information was gathered from Wikipedia.*

Male Circumcision

Male circumcision is the removal of the foreskin from the penis.  The word circumcision comes from the Latin circumcidere, which means to cut around.  It’s a common and very controversial surgery performed around the world.
    Circumcisions can be performed on males of all ages, but it is prefered to perform it on newborn infants.  On infants, there is no numbing agent or anesthesia given, so the baby feels all the pain under the assumption that the baby will eventually forget it.  In infants, the foreskin is still fused with the skin of the penis.  In the circumcision, clamps are used to pull the foreskin open, while slicing it away from the glans of the penis.  The foreskin is then cut off of the penis.  In adults, anesthesia is administered prior to the surgery and clamps are not needed since the foreskin is already separated from the glans and doesn’t need to be sliced away from it.  In the adult surgery, after the man is asleep, the foreskin is liften up and cut off.  In both cases, careful care is needed to prevent infection and irritation.
    Circumcision is usually chosen for infants for non-medical reasons.  It may be medically indicated in children whose foreskin cannot be fully retracted from the glans, inflammation of glans and foreskin, and chronic urinary tract infections.  The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests circumcision in areas with high HIV/AIDS rates.  (KEEP IN MIND THAT CIRCUMCISION DOES NOT PREVENT HIV/AIDS.  IF YOU ARE CIRCUMCISED, YOU STILL SHOULD USE PROTECTION.)  Circumcisions are also performed for religious reasons, due to social norms, and because the parents find a circumcised penis to be more attractive.  Some people believe that it helps prevent or does prevent sexually transmitted diseases.  Do not take this paper to mean you should not wear protection because you are circumcised.  Numerous circumcised males become infected.  Because of people who had problems with their penises and had their foreskins removed later in life, word gets spread and people think they should prevent this by removing it earlier.  Others think that the boy should have no say in whether he is circumcised and that it is solely the parents’ choice because it never affects the child.  Many people think that circumcision will always be society’s norm, so they try to make their child fit in.  Another reason for circumcision is that it has gone on a very long time, so they assume that it is good if it has been around that long.  People think that their doctor knows best.  Doctors are often not taught about the pros and cons of circumcision, only taught how to remove it.  Having grown up in a society that promotes circumcision, a circumcised doctor may promote circumcision.  Some doctors, out of ignorance, claim they need to perform a circumcision because the infant’s foreskin is fused to the glans of the penis.  Due to not having been educated on the topic, they do not know that it naturally remains fused for the first few years of the boy’s life.  Some parents believe that circumcision prevents penile cancers.  This is not the case.  A circumcised boy can get penile cancer at any point in his life, just like an uncircumcised boy.  It is also believed by some that circumcision cures hyperactivity and hyperactive disorders.  They often believe that circumcision provides greater pleasure during intercourse.  In some areas, it is thought that circumcision allows the conception of male offspring.
    Of course, there are side effects, as with any surgery.  In one Ontario study, 35 out of 100 boys experienced hemorrhage, 31 out of 100 boys experienced ulcers in the area, 8 out of 100 experienced infection, 1 out of 100 encountered stenosis (narrowing of the urethra).  Another complication is accumulation of smegma (a natural secretion used to clean under the foreskin once thought to cause penile cancer, but has since been disproven) on the glans.  Meatitis (inflammation of the opening of the urethra) can occur with or without infection.  Surgeons have a complication rate of almost 15%.  Surgical registrars have a complication rate of almost 18%.  Resident medical officers have a complication rate of 50%.  Hemorrhage is the most common complication, which can be mild, moderate, or severe.  Severe hemorrhaging can lead to blood transfusions or death.  Hemorrhaging can occur spontaniously after the circumcision site has begun healing.  Ulcers are the second most common complication.  The post-operative treatment appears to have no effect on whether the patient develops ulcers, and the age of the patient seemed to have no bearing either.  Just under 9% of patients need a “recircumcision” because the penis later appeared to have never been circumcised in the first place, in spite of the circumcision having taken place.  The recircumcision poses the same risks as the first circumcision.  It appears that the method of circumcision has no affect on the risk of complications.  In some cases, further surgery is required to widen the urethra, due to it closing up partially after the circumcision.  In one British study, 46 out of 140 children vomited within 24 hours of the circumcision and one was admitted into the hospital for profuse vomiting.  19 children were incapable of urinating for 12 hours after surgery.  Of those, 5 were incapable of urinating for 3 days.  One child was admitting into the hospital for urine retention.  36 children’s wounds oozed.  Of those, two were admitted for significant bleeding.  38 children were able to wear pants after 4 days.  26 were able to wear pants after 7 days or more.  22 children had persistent blood retention in the area.  12 children were prescribed antibiotics for infections.  2 children had antibiotics for recurring urinary tract infections.  1 child developed a chest infection.  The average length of time for healing was over 10 days.  76 patients were fully healed after 14 days.  2 boys required surgery to repair stenosis.  A New Zealand study of 635 boys revealed that 75% experienced penile inflammation.  The study also shows that infants who undergo circumcision are at higher risk of penile problems than older children who undergo the surgery.  Another British study, this one of 220 patients, found that 98% experienced serious bleeding, 39% experienced serious infection, 20% experienced necrosis (tissue death and decay), 8% experienced urinary retention, 8% experienced blood retention, 4% experienced “buried penis” (obstruction of the urinary stream), 3% needed a skin bridge due to improper healing, 3% experienced the lost of penile shaft skin, 2% experienced penile amputation, 2% experienced wound separation, 2% developed cysts, 2% experienced stenosis, 1% had lacerations (cuts) on their scrotums, and 1% had miscelanious complications.  In the United States alone, there are 131 to 2,744 deaths a year related to circumcision alone.

*Information gathered from Wikipedia, Circumstitions.com, CIRP.org, and NoHarmm.org.*

Female Circumcision

Female circumcision is also known as female genital mutilation and female genital cutting.  It consists of any harm performed to a female’s genital area for non-medical reasons (World Health Organization).  Many believe that there are medical reasons for such procedures.
    Female genital mutilation (FGM) is generally carried out between age four and puberty, although it can be carried out during any time in the female’s life.  It can take place in a hospital, but even then, it generally is performed without anesthesia.  WHO (World Health Organization) estimates that 140 million girls around the world have experienced it, including 101 million in Africa.  Countries in which it is still practiced outside of Africa include Indonesia, Malaysia, Iran, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, Australia, New Zealand, European countries, Scandinavia, the United States, and Canada.  In the last six, it is mainly performed by immigrant groups.  It is generally performed by a traditional circumciser with a knife, razor, or scissors.  Men and women support it in communities that practice FGM.
    The WHO offers four classifications of female circumcision.  Type one is removal of the clitoris and clitoral hood.  Type two is removal of the clitoris and inner labia.  With type three, part or all of the inner and outer labia and the clitoris are removed.  Then, the area is fused together, leaving a small opening for urine and menstrual blood.  The wound is reopened for intercourse and childbirth.  About 85% of women who undergo FGM experience types one and two.  Type three is most common in Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Mali.  Type four includes piercing of the clitoris or labia, cauterizing the clitoris, and widening the vagina by cutting.
    Of course, there are risks and side effects from FGM.  Frequent urinary tract infections and vaginal infections occur.  Chronic pain, infertility, fatal bleeding, and cysts also occur.  Female genital mutilation may cause complications with childbirth.  Generally, these procedures are carried out with unsterile instruments in an unsterile environment without anesthesia.  Cutting instruments can include knives, razors, scissors, cut glass, sharpened rocks, and fingernails with sutures made of things like agave or acacia thorns.  The procedure can rendure the woman incapable of passing urine.  Like all wounds, it may become infected, especially in such unsterile conditions.  Septis and tetanus aren’t unheard of.  HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus), leading to AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), and hepatitis may get into the blood stream.  Few records are kept and complications aren’t usually recognized, so there is no way of knowing how many fatalities result from such procedures.  In Lunsar, Sierra Leone, girls who bleed out are considered witches.  Scar tissue may obstruct the vagina or urethra (passage from the bladder to the outside of the body).  Damage to the urethra can result in incontinence.  Painful menstruation and intercourse are side effects.  Complete obstruction of the vagina results in a back up of menstrual blood in the reproductive tract.  Damage to the area could result in feces (“poop”) and urine entering the vagina, infecting it and putting any infants in danger.  FGM makes it more difficult to diagnose preeclampsia and perform cervical evaluations and also may prolong labor.  Emergency c-sections are more common in those who have undergone circumcision.  There is an increased risk of death of the infant during pregnancy and birth.  The risk is 15% higher for type one, 32% higher for type two, and 55% higher for type three.  Women who undergo FGM come to believe that mutilation is normal and acceptable.  They have psychological sexual disfunction and it does not destroy sexual desire in women (unlike is thought).
    There are numerous reasons that are given for performing female circumcision.  Many people believe that it will lower her libido, decrease her sexual drive, and keep her from losing her virginity before marriage or committing adultery when married.  In areas where it is tradition, it makes the women more beautiful in their view.  They believe it is better for her psychologically.  Some Christians, Jews, and Muslims believe that they have a religious obligation to perform routine female circumcisions.  It is also believed to increase her husband’s sexual pleasure during intercourse.  In some communities, circumcision is a ritual for a girl entering womanhood.  Many cultures believe that the clitoris is filthy, ugly, and bad for the hygeine, or even evil.  They believe it makes the woman more fertile and makes the child more likely to survive in the womb and after the birth.  It supposedly prevents vaginal odors, vaginal infections, urinary tract infections, overgrowth of the clitoris, pain during intercourse, and inflammation.  In some cultures, the woman cannot get married, make decisions, or participate in society if she is not circumcised.  Some think that removing the clitoris helps prevent cancer.  In some religious groups, they believe that an uncircumcised woman’s prayers will not be heard.  According to customs, an uncircumcised woman cannot bare a boy child.  If an infant touches the clitoris during birth, it is thought to have water on the brain or die and the mother’s milk is thought to become poisonous.  It is thought that if a man’s penis touches a woman’s clitoris, he will become impotent.  Some societies perform it to make the woman easier to tame and control so that she will be the perfect wife and mother.  With circumcision in infants, it is thought to allow them to walk and prevent stomach upset.  Many uncircumcised women believe that a clitoris will continue growing to incredible sizes if not cut.
    In 1982,  Sweden was the first Western country to outlaw female circumcision.  It is currently illegal in Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union.  FGM is included in section 268 in the Criminal Code of Canada.  In 1997, the Centers for Disease Control in the United States estimated that about 168,000 girls in the country had undergone female circumcision or were about to.  In 1996, the United States offered safety to a 19-year-old Togo tribe member to avoid circumcision and a forced marriage, setting a precedence.  It became illegal to perform such a procedure on someone under the age of 18.  As of January 2013, it is illegal to send a girl out of the country for a circumcision.  A man in Atlanta, Georgia from Ethiopia became the first man convicted of the crime in 2006 when he cut off his two-year-old daughter’s clitoris, earning him ten years in jail.  In 1985, female genital mutilation was outlawed in Britain.  In 2003, it became illegal to send a British citizen out of the country for a circumcision.  In 2005, it became illegal to send a Scottish citizen out of the country for a circumcision.  Some citizens get around the laws by sending their girls back to their home country to visit relatives, at which time they have the procedure performed before returning home.  In France, there have been 40 trials since the 1980’s.

*Information in this paper were gathered from Wikipedia and Circumstitions.com.*

Clothing Project

This post was shared by “Have A Gay Day” on Facebook (will include a link at the bottom).  It was written by a guy named Tommy.

Last week, as part of a cultural discovery project for one of my classes, I spent three days wearing ‘girls’’ clothes while going about my day.  I wanted to explore the general reaction and preconceptions that people in my city have to clothing, especially in regards to gender.  To me, the idea that a piece of fabric or accessory can be so intertwined with whom we are in our conscious is perplexing.  I didn’t want to show off or offend anyone by my act of curiosity.  Rather, I wanted to act as a meticulous observer of the times, to see if the community around me was really as open-minded as I wanted to believe that it was.  After all, if such things really only had a place in the realm of high-fashion and in Scottish tradition, then something bigger must be at work.

On the first day, I wore a long-sleeved pink top, cropped at the collarbone.  I received many compliments, a few glares, and even a free Venti gingerbread latte.  On the second day, I rocked a pink blouse with a high-waisted belt.  Again, the same amount of well-wishes, questions, and passing eye-rolls.  These things were to be expected, as it isn’t necessarily the norm to see someone like me wearing things like these.  I felt collected and confident in these modest outfits, seemingly convinced that the world around me could care less about the clothes someone wore.  Most affirming was the response to my nails, which were almost always met with a cheerful grin, a high-five, and a few words of encouragement.

What happened on the third day changed my perspective on humanity forever.  I dressed myself as I normally would:  band t-shirt, cardigan, plain Vans, etc.  However, instead of black jeans, I complimented the outfit with a plain black skirt and matching set of tights.  For me, this was a huge step in self-image.  Years ago, I was barely confident enough to leave the house for school.  These days, the opposite couldn’t be more true.  As I set off about my day, the absolute worst in people came out in a full-force flurry of expletives and discomfort.  I was ridiculed in whispers.  I was mocked in glances.  I was obnoxiously and filthily cat-called by a construction crew who, from behind, couldn’t tell that I was a man.  Stopping by a bathroom before a lecture, a frat-bro went out of his way to shove me into the adjacent wall after eyeing me up and down on his way out.  Expletives and names that might induce me to vomit were I to repeat them were casually thrown in my direction with almost zero passing thought.  By day’s end, I feared a full-on breakdown, unable to stand up for myself or what I believed in to maintain the integrity of the observer’s perspective.  In a way, I had no right to feel that way, mostly because of the realization that this is the way that many have to live their lives.  I fought back tears as every stare and ill-formed word engrained themselves in my sub-conscious.

Though I may not know you, I think that it’s important that we all come to understand why these things happen.  In my book, cat-calling, shaming and harassment are among the worst actions we can engage in.  As a heterosexual male, I will never truly know the fear that women may experience while walking home from work, going to see a friend for lunch, or being sized-up in public based on their clothing.  I will never truly know the gut-rot that a transgender individual may feel while being eyed up and down at the store or in class, strangers seeming to think as if the clothing they see before them begs a legal invitation of ridicule.  I will never truly know the plights of these people, but as an ally and a human being invested in true equality, it is now my obligation to stand up for them as if I did.

What scares me the most is not the glances, mixed emotions, or 10-page paper that will inevitably come as a by-product of this project.  No, what scares me is that this is the world we live in.  We exist in a place where individuals living their truths can be subjected, directly or otherwise, to fear simply for living those truths.  We live in an age where feeling ‘normal’ in your own clothing can create unfathomable contention with strangers, despite them having zero investment in their lives.  We live in a world where the material, the fabric, the pieces that adorn you are somehow allowed to say more about who you are than the convictions in your heart and the sincerity in your deeds.

I don’t know about you, but I refuse that world.  I refuse to let these things overcome the passion and genuine honesty that I’ve been so fortunate to bear witness to in my time.  I refuse to let backwards, unprogressive mindsets stifle the glow and drive of those who are undeservingly robbed of it.  Don’t say it can’t happen to you.  If it happened to me, under the most average of circumstances on the streets in a progressive-leaning city, it could happen to anyone, and that is something I truly do not understand.

After all, it’s just a skirt.

What is it about a piece of inanimate, plain fabric that scares you so much?

-Tommy

https://www.facebook.com/MyGayDay