This can't Be About Feminism

I have all my experiences about feminism and my thoughts and what I read and ways in which I reap the benefits of the movement and I can get annoyed at how slow things move in some segments of our society, but stuff like what is happening to Zerlina Maxwell can not be lumped into a feminist rubric, in my opinion. It is about hate crime. Why is there so much of an uptick in hate these days? Why is so much of it arriving in our houses through Fox news? Why are any Christians behind it? What is happening in the world?

When a brave, smart, beautiful woman says a simple truth, why does she get death threats? This issue is about everyone or anyone who dares to speak their truth. Why do these Second Amendment people hate Free Speech so much? I am frightened for this trend in our country.
 
Dear Julie,
"We need to tell men to stop raping women."
That is what Zerlina Maxwell--the latest target of right-wing media--is being visciously attacked for saying since she appeared on Fox News last week.¹
We all know the kind of sexist treatment major female political leaders, like Hillary Clinton, face.² And last year we saw just how vitriolic the right-wing media could be when Rush Limbaugh repeatedly attacked Sandra Fluke for speaking out on birth control.³
Zerlina Maxwell, their latest target, is a rape survivor, a progressive, an African-American writer and a frequent guest on political talk shows. But most importantly to them: She had the nerve to suggest that rape is the responsibility of rapists, not their targets. That instead of arming women with assault rifles to protect them from rape, we should as a society teach men not to rape and address the culture that makes rape so pervasive in our country.⁴ And the response has been ugly.
This is hardly a controversial position to take--there are already men's groups like Ring the Bell and Men Can Stop Rape who are working to change rape culture.⁵ But ever since that appearance Maxwell has faced heavy harassment. People have posted on the internet that she should be raped and murdered, called her horrible, racist epithets and more.⁶
But she's not backing down. And she deserves our thanks. All too often women are shouted down and harassed for speaking out--a cynical attempt to silence them. And if we want women to keep speaking out and standing up, we need to thank them and let them know that there are tens of thousands of us who have their backs. Can you sign the petition and leave a note for Zerlina, thanking her for her bravery? We will send her every last signature and comment we gather this week.
Add your thanks to Zerlina Maxwell right away.
The things that have been said about Zerlina Maxwell since her comment on Fox News last week are shocking and disgusting. Her common-sense approach to addressing our country's pervasive problem with sexual assault was called "bizarre" by the Blaze⁷, was completely mischaracterized by the Washington Times⁸, and she's been attacked with disguising insults on blog after blog.
But some of the worst attacks have come on social media, where her Facebook and Twitter accounts have been inundated with hundreds of people have calling for her to be raped, killed, and more. The attacks are blatantly racist and horribly misogynist. One person tweeted to her "I hope you get raped and your throat slit. May be then you understand why white women have to be armed. DIE B----!" Another said on Facebook "Ur what's wrong with America. I hope you get raped. And killed. By an out of control black man."⁹
Zerlina was right: the extreme right-wing message that was promoted on Fox News, in Congressional hearings, and elsewhere recently--that women should arm themselves with assault rifles to protect themselves from potential attackers--puts the responsibility for preventing violence against women on women, not on the perpetrator.¹⁰ We should be teaching men not to rape, and that a rapist is the only person who is responsible for the crime they commit. And studies show she is right: anti-rape campaigns that have targeted men have shown great results in reducing sexual assault.¹¹
It was courageous of Zerlina to speak out on Fox News, and it's important that we don't let these racist, misogynist attacks be the loudest response to her message. We need women like her to keep speaking up--and when they do, we need to support them. Can you sign the petition and leave a note to thank her for speaking out? We'll send your message of support to her this week.