U.S. Border Patrol officer Esteban Manzanares was recently found dead after kidnapping, raping, and stabbing several women who were attempting to cross into the United States. While the full story may seem exceptionally shocking to many, those working in the anti-violence field know that the targeted abuse of immigrant women in the US has become a far-too common occurrence. PBS FRONTLINE has a great documentary about sexual violence committed against immigrant farmworkers, Rape in the Fields (Violación de un Sueño).
I have very mixed feelings about Chelsea Handler but wow, bless her for dressing down Piers Morgan on live television. She actually told him, “You’re a terrible interviewer.” It is so satisfying to see him nervously laughing because even he knows it’s true. (I mentioned Piers Morgan last month when this went down.)
Internet celebrity Tom Milsom is now facing rape allegations from a former girlfriend. He’s only the latest in a recent string of internet famous guys who have exploited their fame to get sexual attention and favors from their very young fans. The upside of this is that it’s bringing about an important discussion about fandom, abuse, and the relationships between stars and fans.
Galveston police are currently investigating the deaths of Crystal Jackson and Britney Cosby, a lesbian couple. This story is horrifying, especially considering that Britney’s father was just arrested in connection with the murder. Unsurprisingly, the mainstream media is not covering this crime — they haven’t historically been interested in the deaths of black lesbian women. But one thing we can do is commit their names to memory, to remind ourselves how much Crystal and Britney’s lives mattered.
If you’re a UNC student you should apply for an internship at the the Southern Oral History Program! It’s an incredible organization doing very interesting work in the community. Queer folks and people of color are especially encouraged to apply.
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Alice Wilder is our Social Media Intern. She works on a variety of outreach projects for education and advocacy.
