Arranging to meet and sleep with strangers is not an activity with any guarantees of safety. I accepted the risk and did my best to minimise it. What little vetting I did (and I didn't always) was based around principles of respect. I had a one-strike policy for any sign of disrespect, which tended to fall into three red flag categories...
Hello and welcome to the weekly round-up and open thread! Below are some recent news stories that caught the attention of The F Word Collective this week (linking does not imply endorsement or agreement). Please note that these links range from "ooh yay!" to "very interesting" to *headdesk, to rage-enducing, and some articles may be triggering. Want to discuss these topics or add your own? Please comment below!
D H Kelly examines a recent BBC Article entitled, "Should you ask someone's permission to kiss them?" and argues that a greater emphasis on full consent makes sex much simpler, as well as safer
Caroline Criado-Perez describes learning self-defence as "a solution" to rape, until we're able to stop people raping. D H Kelly argues this is no solution to the vast majority of rapes.
Guest blogger Sarah writes about the upcoming release of footballer Ched Evans from prison after his rape conviction, discussing whether or not he should be given his old job back at Sheffield United Football Club
Rape survivors looking for help to cope with their bodies and sex after rape face a vacuum in the information and services available. Pavan Amara speaks to survivors who all wish they had known they weren't the only ones
Melanie Newman responds to the view that the media's focus on rape investigation failures and low conviction rates is unhelpful to victims, arguing that with fatalism setting in over rape conviction rates, more media scrutiny is essential to prove that improvements can still be made
In this specially extended blog post for International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, Molly, a member of the Sex Worker Open University, argues against feminist rhetoric, campaigns and legal policies that threaten sex workers' safety worldwide
At the British Museum's shunga exhibition, Sarah Jackson discovers that the fantasy world of Japanese erotic art has a more relatable sense of fun than modern pornography
Annie Moran shares her anger at the use of rape as a plot device in the latest episode of ITV's hit show, arguing that the storyline has no place in an escapist Sunday night drama and perpetuates harmful stereotypes