I recently finished reading Perversion of Justice: the Jeffrey Epstein Story by Julie K. Brown. What still blows me away is how, even after his conviction for soliciting a minor, he was still treated as “respectable” among the elite of academia, business and politics. Politicians from both parties flew on his plane. He had an office at Harvard, and was involved with MIT’s media lab. He hosted salons for executives to debate current issues. the girls were viewed as...what? Expendable?
When #MeToo came along, I lost count of the articles fretting about how the merest hint of an accusation would “ruin a man’s life.” As Amanda Marcotte has observed, even when accusations are proven true, they barely make a dent in careers.
Those girls’ lives were a whole other story, of course. They were abused, exploited, stigmatized, and called “whores.” Most of them still don’t want their names known. What would the world look like if we treated Epstein’s enablers that way instead?
As always, this diary is a group effort. Thanks to elenacarlena, Angmar, officebss, mettle fatigue, SandraLLAP, and the WOW crew or links and discussion.
Reproductive Rights:
Mexico’s Supreme Court just decriminalized abortion.
The TX informant website (for reporting suspected violators of the extreme anti-abortion law) is down again. First booted from GoDaddy, now from Epik.
UN human rights monitors condemn Texas abortion ban as a violation of international law.
Fetal deaths appear more common in unvaccinated women. [Can we sue the anti-vax disinformation merchants like Fox for that?]
If Roe is overturned, Michigan has a 90-year-old abortion ban on the books.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem issues executive order to block telemedicine abortions.
Appeals court blocks strict Tennessee abortion law, upholding district court.
Texas Gov. Abbott claims the abortion vigilante law won’t affect sexual assault victims, because he’s going to “eliminate rapists”….somehow?
Salesforce billionaire Marc Benioff offered to move any employees who wish to leave Texas over the new abortion law.
Violence and Harassment:
Time’s Up was an organization created in the wake of #MeToo, and was supposed to be dedicated to fighting harassment. After it was revealed that two of it Board members helped Andrew Cuomo try to discredit his accusers, the entire Board has now resigned.
A UK man who strangled a vulnerable woman during sex after drinking 24 bottles of beer has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
In India, Muslim women fight back against online harassment.
Australia: National Summit on Women's Safety ends in stoush, with federal government criticised for 'platitudes'. (Stoush apparently is Australian for brawl, although in this case figuratively.)
Loveland, Colorado apologizes and agrees to pay $3 million to Karen Garner, a 73-year-old woman with dementia, after she was injured in a brutal arrest last year. three police officers have resigned.
California moves to outlaw “stealthing” (removing a condom during sex, without the partner’s knowledge & consent.)
Intersectionality:
The UN notes that Indigenous women play a vital role in fighting climate change.
The Texas anti-abortion law particularly undermines health care for Native women.
Afghanistan:
“Nations that fail women, fail.”
Women protest Taliban rule on the streets of Kabul.
The Taliban uses whips on female protesters.
The New Yorker: The Other Afghan Women: In the countryside, the endless killing of civilians turned women against the occupiers who claimed to be helping them.
The Taliban is bringing back its feared Ministry of Vice and Virtue.
The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, morality police roamed the streets, implementing the group’s austere interpretation of Islamic law — with harsh restrictions on women, strictly enforced prayer times and even bans on kite-flying and chess.
Economics:
Women’s employment is especially vulnerable to COVID surges.
Under 12% of new jobs in August went to women.
Uncategorizable:
Woman reports she was harassed by staff, then removed from a flight because her outfit showed her stomach.
Action Item:
October 2 rally for reproductive rights.
Amnesty International: demand justice for sexual violence survivors in Tigray.
Tell Congress: Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act.