Caitlyn
Posts By: Caitlyn Martin
Another Reason Why We Should Ditch Toxic Masculinity
A high school student in Mesa, Arizona has been making headlines for a photo that appeared in the yearbook that has resulted in “69 misdemeanor counts of indecent exposure and one felony count of furnishing harmful items to minors.” Hunter Osborn, in response to a dare, “exposed himself in the varsity football team picture.” Yes; the then eighteen-year-old exposed his genitals in a photo he knew would appear in the yearbook and would ultimately be distributed to his classmates. There are a lot of angles I could choose to look at this story. How did nobody on the yearbook committee notice this—or the photographer, for that matter? Did Osborn not for a second consider the fact that one of the thousands of students at his school might see it and… Read more »
Content Warnings: Compassion, Not Coddling
Content warning: rape, sexual assault, violence, self-injury, eating disorders It happens every once in a while, more often than I’d like for it to. I’ll be watching a movie or a TV show and it just comes out of nowhere. One of the most recent examples I can think of is Grey’s Anatomy, of which I spent a few weeks watching every episode not too long ago. There’s an episode where a ferry crashes and the doctors and residents go to the scene to help people. Meredith slips and falls into the water and slowly goes under, and as I watched I started gasping for air until I ultimately had to fast forward. I have aquaphobia, the fear of water. It varies in intensity depending on the situation and what kind… Read more »
Alabama’s SB 205: a New Spin on TRAP Laws?
As of 2014, Alabama has five abortion clinics. Today, the House Health Committee is having a public hearing on Senate Bill 205, which could force clinics to relocate or ultimately shut down, further decreasing our already limited access to abortion providers. SB 205 would prohibit the renewal of licenses for abortion clinics within 2,000 feet of a school—the same distance required of sex offenders. Not only does this distance and the association with sex crimes make obtaining an abortion seem like an illicit act—Senator Paul Sanford, who proposed the bill, even stated that if they can limit a pedophile’s proximity to a school, they should be able to do the same with the clinics—but it also comes across like yet another law imposed in the hopes of shutting down clinics… Read more »
When it Comes to Consent, There is No Gray Area
I intended to write this post and have it up last week so it would be more timely, but due to a death in the family, I was unable to and had to save it for this week. This past weekend, Auburn University’s chapter of Alpha Psi hosted their annual Rodeo, an outdoor country concert held each spring. It is not university-sponsored, but it still remains something of an Auburn tradition. In the week leading up, the campus Walmart is rearranged so the essentials are up by the cash register: cowboy hats, denim, and cheap beer. People come from all over the southeast to experience the atmosphere and excitement. As luck has it, it typically rains the days preceding Rodeo, which means that everyone who attends is standing in the… Read more »
Let’s Shout About Birth Control!
Today, the Supreme Court will hear the oral arguments in Zubik v. Burwell, yet another case involving reproductive health. The case is comprised of seven lawsuits, with religiously-affiliated nonprofits arguing against the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Sylvia Burwell. This issue has already made its way through appellate courts, with eight ruling in favor of the government and one ruling in favor of employers. This case is another challenge to the Affordable Care Act—“the fourth time in four years that the justices have taken up a challenge to the law.” Specifically, this deals with the ACA’s guarantee that birth control, among other preventative health measures, will be covered by insurance at no additional cost. This includes all birth control measures, not just the pill; IUDs… Read more »
What to Do When Your Fave is Problematic
There are certain celebrities who I simply don’t like for one reason or another. Maybe they said something once that completely changed the way I look at them. Maybe they just rub me the wrong way. Maybe I don’t even know why I don’t like them. But I have to admit I get the tiniest sense of satisfaction or joy whenever one of them gets called out for saying or doing something problematic. This works both ways though. There are celebrities who I love that are problematic. The most obvious is Taylor Swift. I’ve been a fan since her early days, since the first time I heard Tim McGraw. It’s been said time and time again in what ways she has been problematic, especially in recent years, so I won’t… Read more »
The Night I Realized How Much I Benefit from White Privilege
Trigger warnings: police brutality, racism, violence I have a 20-year-old hand-me-down car that I absolutely love. Its name is Flacco, after my NFL team’s quarterback, and it’s a ’95 purple Ford Thunderbird with a V8 engine that I might get a little carried away with on long, empty roads sometimes. Like any older car, it requires a bit of extra maintenance. Shortly before my grandparents gave it to me, they had a new engine put in. Fairly recently, I replaced the battery. Even more recently, one of my headlights went out. Unaware of this fact, I drove to the gas station about a mile down the road one night. On the way back, I saw the lights start flashing and heard the siren and for the first—and so far, the… Read more »
It’s Long Past Time to Stop Favoring Athletics Over Justice
[Trigger warning: rape, sexual assault] Bodda getta, bodda getta, bodda getta, bah! Rah, rah, rah! Sis-boom-bah! Weagle, weagle, war damn eagle! Kick ‘em in the butt, big blue! If you don’t understand what any of that meant, don’t worry. It’s an Auburn University thing. I go to a school that loves football and tradition just as much as—okay, probably a little more than—the education of its students. This doesn’t bother me, because I love sports and I love the traditions that go with them (throwing my hat onto the ice at a hockey game is on my bucket list). What does bother me is when college athletics are valued over the safety of other students. It seems that every few months, another university is coming under fire for sweeping sexual… Read more »
The Best Rape Joke I Ever Heard
Trigger warning: rape, violent language Yes, you read that title correctly. But let me explain. I couldn’t sleep a few weeks ago and was looking through videos on one of my favorite websites, Everyday Feminism, when I stumbled across this slam poem that absolutely took my breath away. I can’t tell you exactly how many times I’ve watched it since first discovering it, but the number is in the dozens. The poets call out many of the worst aspects of rape culture. For instance: “Don’t worry, we’re good victims. We won’t cry too loud, or demand your attention, or ask for trigger warnings.” I personally think trigger warnings are wonderful, and as someone who is triggered by certain things, I find them incredibly helpful sometimes. Unfortunately, there are many who… Read more »
It’s a TRAP!
Every year, hundreds of abortion restrictions are proposed in the United States. The most popular forms of laws include mandatory counseling at least 24 hours and up to 72 hours before the abortion, banning the use of telemedicine for medication abortion, requiring providers to perform an ultrasound, and limiting public funding for the procedure. Personhood laws are also being introduced at alarming rates, as state legislators attempt to undo the progress Roe v. Wade. There are other laws, far more sneaky, that slip through frequently because they are disguised as laws that protect women’s medical safety. These are known as TRAP laws: Targeted Regulations of Abortion Providers. According to an article in the LA Times, “Unlike personhood initiatives, TRAP laws are designed to fly under the radar, by mimicking ordinary health regulations.” These laws are… Read more »
