Beyond the Headlines: Preventing and Addressing Violence Against Transgender Women

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.

Layers and Layers of Grief upon Grief: The Epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

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. 

How Psychologists and Peer Mentors Can Work Together to Fight Human Trafficking in the United States

In this blog post, two psychologists draw insights from a peer mentor on the real world experiences of survivors of sex trafficking and discuss ways in which psychologists and peer mentors can partner in the fight against human trafficking.

Stop the Abuse: Why We Can’t Neglect Women with Disabilities When We Talk about Interpersonal Violence

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.

How to Listen When Someone You Know Discloses Sexual Harassment or Assault

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).

In Case You Missed It

Rachel Dolezal, Poverty and the Young Brain, Flawed Humans and Flawed Justice – In Case You Missed It – June 15, 2015

In this week’s In Case You Missed It (a roundup of articles touching on psychology, health, mental health and social justice issues that we collate from multiple news and commentary websites), we cover the Rachel Dolezal case, the impact of poverty on the young brain, how an evidence-based approach could fix a flawed criminal justice system and more. How scientists […]

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Black (Women’s?) Lives Matter: Microaggression and the Erasure of Violence Against Women of Color

This is part of our ongoing series of blog posts about race, racism and law enforcement in communities of color. By LisaLyn Jacobs, JD (Vice President for Government Relations, Legal Momentum) On a recent December Saturday, I hurried from the Metro train with my 6 year-old son trailing behind. We were joining friends and colleagues at the Justice […]

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#YesAllWomen: Going Beyond Hashtag Activism to Action

By Efua Andoh (APA Public Interest Directorate Communications Staff) The horrific shootings in Isla Vista, California on May 23 have given rise to a complex conversation on social media. The shooter’s disturbing YouTube videos and manifesto contained racist and misogynist rants revealing an attitude of male sexual entitlement and white male supremacy. Shockingly, after they came […]