Intersections of Sexual Violence

What is Transphobia?

Transphobia “is the hatred of transgender people… typically accompanied by the belief that trans people don’t deserve respect or rights.” It can encompass fear or hatred towards transgender people, or the belief or idea that transgender people aren’t real or are somehow not valid in their own identity. Transphobia is deeply institutionalized and causes direct harm and loss of life for transgender people.  

What is Language Access?

The first American school to teach American Sign Language (ASL) was the Hartford-based Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons in 1817 (renamed the American School for the Deaf). While the focus on educating persons with disabilities was groundbreaking at the time, it is clear from the institution’s name alone that there was an implicit, audist prejudice in its perception and approach to its students.

A recent Mother Jones article discussed what many have known to be true for a long time: that racism - Anti-Blackness, specifically - exists and persists in our movement to end sexual violence. The article, How the Mainstream Movement Against Gender-Based Violence Fails Black Workers and Survivors, written by Madison Pauly, captures the lived experiences of several Black colleagues.