It's so easy being a Latino.

Because there is no such thing as a structure of power and privilege, and Rosie Pérez is here to enlighten us.

Maricopa County Elections Department admits error on date of general election on voter ID cards

VOTER ALERT! If you live in AZ you need to check your forms - In the corner of the document, it says November 6th in English but in Spanish it reads 8 de Noviembre, the 8th of November.
Election day is November 6th, not November 8th. Please make sure to share this with everyone you know.

Because THIS is what voter suppression looks like.

Vice President Joe Biden, in a speech launching the federal government’s campaign to fight sexual violence on college campuses.

NPR Story

"ELAINE GRANT: Last year, a college freshman was raped. Vice President Biden told her story but didn't use her real name. He called her Jenny. He said she'd been drinking at a party. And when she sought justice through the school, she was asked what she was wearing, how she was dancing, and whether she was sober.

Vice President JOE BIDEN: The student judicial panel said that they didn't find Jenny credible because she had been drinking. They decided her rapist was a nice kid and didn't deserve the punishment under the circumstances.

GRANT: In a speech to 600 students and faculty, Biden illustrated one of the most common scenarios on college campuses today. A Justice Department study says one out of five female students will be sexually assaulted or raped, and many times alcohol is involved. But whether someone is drunk or sober doesn't matter. As Biden put it...

Mr. BIDEN: Look, folks, rape is rape is rape.

GRANT: Biden spoke at the University of New Hampshire because it's considered a leader in research on and prevention of campus sexual violence. One of its innovative programs is a marketing blitz called Know Your Power. Last year, students couldn't escape ads plastered on buses, bathroom stalls, computer welcome screens and cafeteria tables. The ads show how to intervene to prevent friends from raping - or being raped."

More Here. 

Rape Culture

Rape Culture

What is the “Rape Culture?”

Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.  Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.

Rape Culture affects every woman.  The rape of one woman is a degradation, terror, and limitation to all women. Most women and girls limit their behavior because of the existence of rape. Most women and girls live in fear of rape. Men, in general, do not. That’s how rape functions as a powerful means by which the whole female population is held in a subordinate position to the whole male population, even though many men don’t rape, and many women are never victims of rape.  This cycle of fear is the legacy of Rape Culture.

Examples of Rape Culture:

• Blaming the victim (“She asked for it!”)
• Trivializing sexual assault (“Boys will be boys!”)
• Sexually explicit jokes
• Tolerance of sexual harassment
• Inflating false rape report statistics
• Publicly scrutinizing a victim’s dress, mental state, motives, and history
• Gratuitous gendered violence in movies and television
• Defining “manhood” as dominant and sexually aggressive
• Defining “womanhood” as submissive and sexually passive
• Pressure on men to “score”
• Pressure on women to not appear “cold”
• Assuming only promiscuous women get raped
• Assuming that men don’t get raped or that only “weak” men get raped
• Refusing to take rape accusations seriously
• Teaching women to avoid getting raped instead of teaching men not to rape

How can men and women combat Rape Culture?

• Avoid using language that objectifies or degrades women
• Speak out if you hear someone else making an offensive joke or trivializing rape
• If a friend says she has been raped, take her seriously and be supportive
• Think critically about the media’s messages about women, men, relationships, and violence 
• Be respectful of others’ physical space even in casual situations
• Always communicate with sexual partners and do not assume consent
• Define your own manhood or womanhood.  Do not let stereotypes shape your actions.
• Get involved! Join a student or community group working to end violence against women.

Credit to Marshal University

Chick-fil-A Says 'Fruitcake' Remark Was Not A Gay Slur | Advocate.com

Any thought on the matter? Last time I was at a Holiday party inanimate objects weren't given personality characteristics unless we meant to use them as euphemism for a person we didn't want to hear our disparagement. Then again my family was a simple traditional hispanic one. You know, the ones that respect others rights.

Chick-fil-A Says 'Fruitcake' Remark Was Not A Gay Slur | Advocate.com

Who are the Victims? | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network

Who are the Victims? | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network

Op-ed: Can You Spare a Minute? | Advocate.com

Op-ed: Can You Spare a Minute? | Advocate.com

"What can you do in 25 minutes?

Twenty-five minutes isn’t long enough to run the dishwasher, play a game of Scrabble, or bake a birthday cake. Twenty-five minutes isn’t long enough to do a load of laundry, shovel the driveway after a snowstorm, or listen to a CD. And yet, in a mere 25 minutes, the life of a 21-year-old man was completely destroyed. Why? Because two people hated him for being gay."