April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Today is April 30th, the last day of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. SAAM is a time to raise awareness of the prevalence of sexual violence and harm, and it is also a time to reaffirm efforts to stop sexual violence and harm. Preventing sexual violence can take many forms: from engaging in training on how to be an active bystander, to examining media and culture to see how sexual violence is portrayed and the myths that surround it, to pursuing comprehensive sex education, and doing self reflective work on your own understanding of consent, boundaries, and relationships. But these are merely the tip of the iceberg, because sexual violence is all too common and it is connected to other systems of oppression. There is no one thing that needs to be done to stop sexual violence because there causes of it are interlocking systems of oppression that are deeply rooted in our society.  In order to end sexual violence, we must uproot systems of racial and gender oppression, homophobia and transphobia, ableism, and classism. 

There have been many great strides made this year to raise awareness of sexual violence as well as prevent it. 

Here as some highlights: 

• CW&GE hosted our annual Clothesline Project in Sykes Student Union.
• Our Peer Educator led podcast, Exploring Entanglements, continued with an episode exploring sexual geographies. 
• WCU It's On Us hosted their spring Week of Action, which included two IN PERSON events (our first since March 2020) to encourage folks to sign the It's On Us pledge, mask up, and play a game of Sexy Bingo. 
• Finally, our Peer Educator led series, Looking Through the Lens, debuted on IGTV to discuss media portrayal of sexual violence through the HBO limited series, I May Destroy You. 

Outside of West Chester we saw some other moves toward dismantling oppression, including: 

• In Manhattan, the District Attorney announced they will stop prosecuting sex work. Many of the laws currently on the books disproportionately impact trans women and women of color. 
• Derek Chauvin was convicted of George Floyd's murder, the first time a Minnesota police officer has been convincted for the killing of a Black person. 
• Willow Smith spoke publicly on Red Table Talk about polyamory, giving visibility to a community that is often stigmatized. 
• The president of the United States reversed bans on pride flags being flown at U.S. embassies and affirmed trans youth at his first address to a joint session of congress. 

As we acknowledge and honor all of the great work that has taken place in this month and all year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the work still to be done. There have been strides toward justice and liberation, but have also been continued examples of pervasive oppression across the U.S. 

• The Violence Against Women Act has been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, but still has not been passed in the Senate. 
• Many anti-trans legislations have popped up across the country, predominately targeting transgender youth access to affirming health care and playing on gender segregated sports teams. 
• There has been continued police violence against Black people, such as the recent and tragic murder of Ma'khia Bryant. 
• There has been many recently reported cases of trans people, particularly trans women of color, being murdered across the U.S. 

Ram Step Up Skill Building: Delay

• Ask the person who was harmed or targeted if they are okay. Let them know you witnessed what happened and you're sorry it happened to them. 
• Offer to accompany them to a new location or sit with them for awhile.
• Offer them water or a snack if you can. 
• Affirm how they are feeling. 
• If you’ve documented the incident, ask them if they want you to send it to them or share it somewhere. 

Advocacy in Action: Microaggressions & Microresistance

• Using the chat function to affirm someome's name or pronouns if they are misgendered or deadnamed. 
• Attribute credit accurately through chat encouragement. 
• Direct or private message someone if you notice they were impacted by a microagression and ask if they feel comfortable with you saying something. 
• Raise your hand or speak aloud to acknowledge a microaggression in the space. 

Caregiving Survey

The President’s Commission on the Status of Women needs your input – all faculty and staff parents and caregivers are invited to complete the WCU Employee Parenting and Caregiving survey any time between April 19 – May 14. To participate, click this link. Parents and Caregivers include employees who care for children, elderly, or individuals with physical, mental, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or developmental challenges; we want all perspectives! Confidential data gathered through the survey will inform support services and policies to meet caregivers’ needs. Questions about the survey? Contact cwge@wcupa.edu. IRB Approval #IRB-FY2021-106

Please note that this survey is only for current WCU faculty and staff. For student parents and caregivers, please check out this student survey. 

Program Videos:

Spring 2021 has been a busy time for the Center for Women & Gender Equity. Missed one of our awesome programs? Never fear: many of our Spring 2021 programs have been recorded and archived for you to go back and watch anytime. 

On IGTV: 


Center for Women & Gender Equity Bookclub


Breakthrough: How Feminists Changed Therapy


Looking Through the Lens

On YouTube: 




2021 Gender Justice Conference 


EqualiTea Speaker: Anti-Rape Activism at the Crossroads of Gender and Racial Justice


Making Social Media Work for Your Job & Internship Search

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