Are You Shielding an Abuser? Victims Deserve to be Believed

 

Sadly, the allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of everyone’s favorite TV dad of the 80s and 90s, Bill Cosby, makes the following in-depth essay written in the wake of the allegations against Woody Allen timely and relevant again.  Different celebrity, different allegations, same old bull from small-minded people who say the predictable type of things small-minded people say when a victim comes forward: she wasn’t actually raped, she’s only after his money or out to ruin his reputation or to make a name for herself, and if she took so long to come forward it can’t be true because all real rape victims report their rape immediately.

Below is my essay, “What Would You Say if I Told You? Talking About Sexual Abuse,” that covers sexual abuse from allegations against Woody Allen to sexual abusers who prey on those in their own families to a case where I represented a teenage girl for an injunction for protection against her mother’s husband.  What is “real” evidence?  If charges aren’t filed against an accused rapist, does that mean police and prosecutors don’t believe he did?  Read on for answers.  

 

Are You Shielding an Abuser? Victims Deserve to be Believed.

An FSU Student Writes About the School Shooting This Morning

Catherine Frederick is a former student of Siren Susan Lilley, and she’s a student at FSU. Here, she shares her story of the shooting that occurred in the early hours of morning. She makes some very strong points. One of them: “We shouldn’t even feel lucky if twenty years goes by without another school shooting. Because to feel lucky that it hasn’t happened, means that we anticipated that it would.”

 

It Can Happen Anywhere. It DOES Happen Anywhere..

Sweet Melissa

Sweet Melissa.

 

Speaking of Gluttony, Siren Susan Lilley shares the SIN FINALE featuring Avarice and Pride with a side order of Lust in this tale of debauchery that took place in sweet little ol’ College Park.

“Instructions,” a poem by Tria Wood

Katie Riegel shares a poem by Tria Wood on The Gloria Sirens, and here it is for all of you. If we all printed it out and taped it on our refrigerators, we’d get tired of it being there, just as we are tired of living the truth of the poem.

Sisterhood is Necessary

My friend Julia Connolly on the subject of sisterhood. Let’s hear it for my sistah!

My Psycho Valentine

If you’re already grateful for your Valentine, you’ll be much more grateful after you read what happened to my friend Julia Connolly on the night before Valentine’s Day, 1974.  Feel free to share, repost, reblog, and print out and mail to your daughter/niece/granddaughter.

An Ideal Husband? My May-December Romance

I did something I never thought I’d do, and I wrote about it on The Gloria Sirens.

The last thing I thought I would ever do is get romantically entangled with a man 25 years older than me. But here I am.  Here we are.  I used to think of it as “sick” when I saw couples like us together.  I’m sure I said that word.  I’m sure there are those who’ve said it of us.

Read the rest here.