All posts tagged: sexual

Trumpists Don’t Seem to Mind Claims of Sexual Assault

Trumpists Don’t Seem to Mind Claims of Sexual Assault

Published by José

Donald Trump is most likely not trying to intentionally assemble a Cabinet chock-full of people accused either of sexual assault or of enabling it, but if he were, he’d be killing it. Former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida, who has been accused of “sexual encounters” with a minor and paying women for sex, withdrew his nomination for attorney general last month. Gaetz, who has denied the allegations, was in no way qualified for the position, but he met Trump’s main criterion of being likely to comply with the president-elect’s every decree. (In Gaetz’s stead, Trump has nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who faces claims of more pedestrian political corruption.) Read: Either way, Matt Gaetz wins Trump’s nominee to lead the Pentagon, the former Fox News host Pete Hegseth, has a military background, but he holds extreme views and beyond being another Trump toady is similarly unqualified to lead America’s large, complicated military bureaucracy. A 22-page police report describes an alleged sexual assault in California seven years ago—Hegseth has insisted that the encounter was …

Kanye West accused of sexual assault on set of music video in new lawsuit | Ents & Arts News

Kanye West accused of sexual assault on set of music video in new lawsuit | Ents & Arts News

Published by skeptic

Rapper Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – has been accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit that alleges he strangled a model on the set of a music video. Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing The lawsuit alleges the musician shoved his fingers in the claimant’s mouth at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City in 2010, in what it refers to as “pornographic gagging”, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported. The model who brought the case – which was filed on Friday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York – was a background actor for another musician’s music video that Ye was guest-starring in, NBC said, citing the lawsuit. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against the 47-year-old. A representative for Ye was approached for comment by NBC News on Saturday. The New York City Police Department said it took “sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a police …

Pornography’s role in shaping risky sexual norms in young adults

Pornography’s role in shaping risky sexual norms in young adults

Published by José

A new longitudinal study published in Psychology of Popular Media has found that increased pornography consumption among university students in Germany is associated with adopting risky sexual scripts and behaviors. The study, which followed participants over nearly two years, provides a comprehensive examination of the temporal link between pornography use and sexual scripts and behaviors. The global accessibility of pornography has sparked ongoing debate about its potential impact on users’ attitudes and behaviors regarding sex. Pornographic content is consumed by a significant proportion of adults worldwide. Recent data suggest that major pornographic websites receive more traffic than many popular platforms like Amazon and TikTok. While some research suggests that pornography can provide educational benefits, the focus of the new study was on its potential negative influences, particularly on fostering risky sexual behaviors and beliefs. Theories like cultivation theory and social learning theory posit that media can shape individuals’ views of what is typical and desirable. Pornographic content often normalizes behaviors that are risky with regard to sexual aggression perpetration and victimization, such as casual sexual …

Trump Defense Department pick Pete Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017

Trump Defense Department pick Pete Hegseth was accused of sexual assault in 2017

Published by Sam

Fox News host turned Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth faced an investigation over a sexual assault allegation, blindsiding President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team, according to news reports. Officials in Monterey, California, confirmed Friday that Hegeth was investigated for sexual assault in 2017 following an incident in the city that left a victim with “contusions to [their] right thigh.” Hegseth was not charged. “The City of Monterey will not be making any other remarks related to this inquiry,” the confirmation read. The allegations came to the attention of Trump’s incoming Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Wednesday night, a day after Trump announced the pick, with one Trump team source telling Vanity Fair that Hegseth “wasn’t vetted.” Another transition high-up told the publication Hegseth “was vetted, but this alleged incident didn’t come up.” Wiles and Trump’s attorneys met with Hegseth on Thursday to discuss the allegations, a transition team source told Vanity Fair. Hegseth’s attorney denied the allegation and said the Monterey police department “found no evidence for it.” Wiles has reportedly already been kept …

Sexual Ethics, Andréa Daventry | Blog of the APA

Sexual Ethics, Andréa Daventry | Blog of the APA

Published by skeptic

As an undergraduate, I took an applied ethics course that included Lois Pineau’s paper, “Date Rape: A Feminist Analysis.” Pineau discusses our society’s conception of what normal sex looks like—namely, a male person aggressively pursuing sex with an at-least-somewhat-reluctant female person who eventually acquiesces if the male person’s advances are successful. She argues that, given that this is what we think normal sex looks like, it is very difficult for us to recognize date rape when it occurs. Not only is it difficult for us to see it from the outside, but it can also be difficult for those who experience it to recognize it for what it is. Reading this paper led to a kind of paradigm shift in my own thinking, and I was sure to include it in the applied ethics courses that I had the opportunity to teach as a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. However, a common question students would bring up during our conversations in class is: If she doesn’t want to be there, why doesn’t …

Faith school stopped Ofsted asking pupils about sexual abuse

Faith school stopped Ofsted asking pupils about sexual abuse

Published by skeptic

An independent faith school prevented Ofsted asking pupils questions about “sexual harassment and sexual violence” during an inspection, a new report has revealed. Ateres High School for Girls requested inspectors not ask pupils “directly” about sexual abuse, or the personal characteristics of sexual orientation and gender reassignment, which are protected under equality law. Teaching about these topics is a required part of Relationships and Sex Education (RSE). When discussing these aspects of personal development, inspectors instead used language that was suggested by the school such as ‘lifestyle choices’, ‘different tendencies’ and ‘unacceptable touch’. In its report, Ofsted said this “limited the nature of the evidence inspectors could gather” from pupils with regard to what they were taught, knew and understood about these aspects of personal development. Ofsted found pupils “do not learn in enough depth about important issues, such as sexual harassment, sexual violence and coercive and controlling behaviour”. Despite this, Ofsted found the arrangements for safeguarding at the school to be “effective”. Ofsted also said the school does not teach pupils about the protected …

Using AI to Care for Sexual Assault Survivors

Using AI to Care for Sexual Assault Survivors

Published by skeptic

As survivors explain, the trauma resulting from sexual assault is a unique experience that negatively impacts all aspects of life. As victims struggle to maintain daily responsibilities both familial and financial, the aftermath of an assault can be enormously disruptive both physically and emotionally, personally and professionally. Because many victims do not involve law enforcement, especially if they are acquainted with the perpetrator, they need someone to talk to. Unlike decades past, where reporting options were limited by time and location, modern victims have the option of sharing trauma with technology, at any time of the night or day. Why choose to confide in artificial intelligence (AI)? Depending on the details, some victims would rather share anonymously with an artificial ear that will listen without interrupting, judging, stigmatizing, lecturing, or signaling disapproval or blame. Yet, as helpful as artificial assistance can be to a survivor who is reluctant to share the emotional and often shameful details of a sexual assault, AI cannot replace the human element of treating trauma, research explains. Source: Image by Pexels …

Femtech startup Perelel is acquiring Founders Fund-backed sexual health startup LOOM

Femtech startup Perelel is acquiring Founders Fund-backed sexual health startup LOOM

Published by skeptic

Women’s health company Perelel announced on Wednesday the acquisition of LOOM a women’s educational health platform, for an undisclosed amount. LOOM’s founder Erica Chidi will join Perelel as a strategic advisor.  Chidi co-launched LOOM in 2017 as an in-person experience, offering women educational content about reproductive and sexual health education. By 2020, it expanded into an online subscription digital platform, providing courses, content, and community support to women. It raised a total of $6.5 million from investors like Slow Ventures, and Founders Fund, as well as celebrities such as actress Tessa Thompson and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow.  “I was like, the 34th Black woman to raise over a million dollars in venture capital,” Chidi recalled to TechCrunch, adding that she didn’t expect she would raise the nearly $3 million in three months back in late 2019. “At the moment, there was just a new interest in women’s health.”  Meanwhile, Alex Taylor, Dr. Banafsheh Bayati, and Victoria Thain Gioia launched Perelel in 2020 to offer clinically-backed vitamins to support women’s hormonal health. The company says it …

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: Woman accuses rapper of further sexual assault allegations in new lawsuit | US News

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs: Woman accuses rapper of further sexual assault allegations in new lawsuit | US News

Published by skeptic

Sean “Diddy” Combs was hit with further sexual assault allegations after a woman filed a lawsuit in New York. In the fresh civil case, the woman – identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe – claims she was repeatedly raped and drugged at the music mogul’s homes and became pregnant after one of the encounters. It follows a series of similar legal cases brought by women against Combs, 54, who was arrested at a hotel in New York last week on sex trafficking, drug possession and firearms offences. The latest lawsuit was filed on Friday against Combs, his companies and several associates, and seeks undisclosed damages for physical injuries, severe emotional distress, humiliation, anxiety and other harm. The woman claims she met Combs abroad in 2020 and that the assaults and harassment continued through to July this year. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:37 Rappers dodge Diddy question She says she was often coerced and harassed into travelling to Combs’ homes in New York, Los Angeles and Miami and other cities, …

How sexual expression influences long-term marital satisfaction in older couples

How sexual expression influences long-term marital satisfaction in older couples

Published by José

A new study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior has found that older couples who experience more agreement in their sexual expression, and engage in frequent sexual activity, report better marital quality over time. The research emphasizes the link between sexual behaviors, attitudes, and desires—collectively referred to as “sexual expression”—and their role in shaping both positive and negative aspects of marital quality. As people age, their sexual activity typically declines, but intimacy and sexual expression can still be important components of marital satisfaction. While previous research has demonstrated a connection between sexual activity and relationship quality in younger couples, there has been less attention given to older adults. With life expectancy increasing, the dynamics of long-term relationships, especially in terms of intimacy, warrant deeper exploration. “We are interested in researching the sexual expression of older adults because this area remains stigmatized and underexplored despite its importance to the overall well-being of older individuals,” said study author Heidi A. Lyons, an associate professor of sociology at Oakland University. “Society often overlooks or dismisses the sexual …