Editor,
The targeted mass shooting of schoolgirls in Arkansas, like so many
other
massacres and mass mayhem of the last decade, was driven by sexism. Too
many
men and boys feel entitled to rage and revenge against females who act
independently or who move into what males believe to be =93their=94
exclusive
territory. The 1989 Montreal massacre of 14 female engineering students
by
Mark Lepine, who said as he shot, "You=92re all a bunch of f...ing
feminists," the 1990 Happy Land New York killing of 80 because the
perpetrator
was angry his girlfriend left him, the 1991 killing of 19 and rape of 71
Kenyan schoolgirls by schoolboys, the systematic rape of military women
at Aberdeen and other bases, the 1997 targeted killing of women
activists in Chiapas, Mexico, and
more, were all driven by males' sense of entitlement to female
subservience.
Here in Sonoma County since mid-January, Women Against Rape has 15 new
cases of school girls who have been forcibly raped with use of beatings,
screwdrivers, rope, guns, knives, drugs, instruments of torture,
handcuffs,
and almost always, threats to kill. About a third of these rapes were
done by schoolboyswho were angry at their girlfriends.
There is a way you can help now. You can become a volunteer sexual
assault
victim advocate and help stand beside these girls and women, fight for
their
rights, and help shield them from the unforgivable ostracizing that
almost
always occurs following the rape. Call Women Against Rape at
707-545-7270 for more
information.
Sincerely,
Marie De Santis
Community Services Coordinator
Sonoma County Women Against Rape