Applying Psychological Science, Benefiting Society
November 20 is the Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR). To date, in 2019, at least 19 transgender women and two additional transgender/gender-diverse people have been killed as targets of anti-transgender violence. Here are several tips for how to support and advocate for transgender people and transgender women of color in particular.
Native American people are often overlooked, considered extinct, romanticized, forgotten, ignored and bear the burden of negative stereotypes. Belonging to a socially invisible community has consequences beyond being misunderstood and stereotyped. It can lead to much more dire outcomes – specifically, the public disregard of the epidemic of violence against Native American women and girls reflects passive cultural genocide.
The #MeToo movement has elevated the conversation about women and violence. However, there is one population that often gets neglected from that conversation: women with disabilities. How prevalent is interpersonal violence in women with disabilities?
Women with disabilities have higher rates of experiencing interpersonal violence (e.g., physical violence, rape/sexual violence, stalking, psychological aggression, and control of sexual/reproductive health) than women without disabilities.
While many points of intervention exist, given our national elected leaders’ incapacity, or refusal, to work together, intervention at state level has immediate prospect of success. Real progress has already been achieved by some states to impose “red flag” laws that allow suspending rights to gun ownership where a significant risk to self or others is shown.
Feminist pathways theorists argue that women and girls have different risk factors then men for entry into the criminal justice system. In particular, there is growing recognition that incarcerated women experience high rates of interpersonal violence (IPV) and that their exposure is often repeated and includes multiple forms of violence.
From 2001 to 2015, the suicide risk for Black boys between the ages of 5 and 11 was two to three times higher than that of White boys, according to a new research letter in JAMA Pediatrics (Bridge, 2018). This concerning trend continues through adolescence as reported by the Nationwide Youth Risk Behavior Survey (Kann et al., 2017). The rates of attempted suicide, including attempts that resulted in an injury, poisoning, or overdose, are 1.2x higher among Black males compared to White males.
Today, we remember the 49 people lost two years ago on this day in a senseless act of gun violence during the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Most of those lost that night were young, Latinx members of the LGBTQ community simply enjoying a night out with their friends and loved ones, and yet, somehow there are still conversations going on across America questioning whether gun control should be an LGBTQ priority.
After every mass shooting, politicians mindlessly follow the lead of the NRA and call for mental health reform as a panacea for gun violence. This approach to reducing gun deaths is based on the assertion that people with serious mental illness (SMI) pose a special risk of gun violence. This inaccurate myth has serious harmful consequences, as it contributes mightily to the stigma already endured by people with SMI in America.
Every day now in the news, we learn of various actions taken by those facing allegations of sexual assault and harassment. One set of actions has to do with their reported sexual harassment and/or assaults. Another set of actions has to do with how they respond when accused. Both types of action are crucially important. A good response can at least do some good (sincere apologies can be healing). But a bad response not only exacerbates the harm of the first injury, it also inflicts new injury, and does so in ways that are usually public and ongoing (well past the media moving on).
Say Something Week empowers children to help others and prevent tragedies. They are taught to ‘Say Something’ to a trusted adult to prevent a friend from harming themselves or others. This programing has the potential to save lives in the communities it reaches. Though it is a daunting task to ensure that no student ever has to go to school in fear, campaigns such as Say Something Week can work with schools and youth programs to maximize their safety, learning, and potential.
Psychology Benefits Society 