3/28 #AbleistRapeCulture Twitter Chat

You are invited to participate in the #AbleistRapeCulture Twitter chat co-hosted by Liliana Palacios of San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR), Patty Berne of Sins Invalid, and Alice Wong of the Disability Visibility Project® on March 28, 2019, 4 pm Pacific.

This Twitter chat will discuss the intersections of ableism, institutions of power, and rape culture. We welcome all people to participate and will center the conversation on disabled people, in particular disabled people of color.

Please note: Alice Wong is a paid consultant for this chat.

Content warnings: sexual assault, child sexual abuse, violence, sexual violence, rape culture, institutionalization, and abuse by institutions of power and public officials.

About

 

San Francisco Women Against Rape (SFWAR) is a women of color led, volunteer-based organization that has provided rape crisis services to survivors of sexual assault for over 40 years. SFWAR has a long history of recognizing rape and sexual assault as an issue that also affects people with disabilities and has provided services to people with disabilities since its inception.  In 2017, SFWAR launched its Department of Disability and D/deaf Services as a way to provide community informed services for all people with disabilities.

SFWAR’s Hotline: (415) 647-7273

Business number: (415) 861-2024

Email: info@sfwar.org

Website: sfwar.org

Sins Invalid is a disability justice based performance project that celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ and gender-variant artists.  Led by disabled people of color, Sins Invalid’s performance work explores the themes of sexuality, embodiment and the disabled body, developing provocative work where paradigms of “normal” and “sexy” are challenged, offering instead a vision of beauty and sexuality inclusive of all bodies and communities. In its 13th year, Sins Invalid is seen as a thought leader in Disability Justice and continues to alter the cultural context in which people with disabilities are seen and experienced, nurturing an aesthetic vision in which all bodies are recognized as valuable and beautiful.

Website: https://www.sinsinvalid.org/

Additional Links

 

“As historic summit on church sex abuse begins, critics say pope’s credibility is at risk.” PBS Newshour, February 20, 2019.

“Disability Should Be Integral to the #MeToo Conversation.” s.e. smith, Rewire News, November 1, 2017.

“The abuse of disabled people is a hidden crime we must face up to.” Frances Ryan, Guardian, May 18, 2015.

“The Sexual Assault Epidemic No One Talks About.” Joseph Shapiro, NPR, January 8, 2018.

How to Participate

 

Follow @DisVisibility, @SF_WAR and @SinsInvalid on Twitter for updates.

When it’s time, search #AbleistRapeCulture on Twitter for the series of live tweets under the ‘Latest’ tab for the full conversation.

If you might be overwhelmed by the volume of tweets and only want to see the chat’s questions so you can respond to them, check @DisVisibility’s account. Each question will tweeted 6-7 minutes apart.

Another way to participate in the chat is to use this app that allows you to pause the chat if the Tweets are coming at you too fast: http://www.tchat.io/

Here is a link for people who are new to Twitter on starting an account and how to use it: https://help.twitter.com/en/new-user-faq

Here’s an article about how to participate in a Twitter chat: https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/how-to-participate-in-a-twitter-chat/546805/

Check out this captioned explanation in ASL (American Sign Language) of how to participate in a chat by @behearddc

https://www.facebook.com/HEARDDC/videos/1181213075257528/

Introductory Tweets and Questions for Chat

 

Welcome to the #AbleistRapeCulture chat on Ableism, Rape Culture, and Institutions of Power. This chat is co-hosted by @SF_WAR, @SinsInvalid & @DisVisibility. For more on SFWAR: http://www.sfwar.org Sins Invalid: https://www.sinsinvalid.org/index.html

Remember to use the hashtag when you tweet. If you respond to a question such as Q1, your tweet should follow this format: “A1 [your message] #AbleistRapeCulture” Full disclosure: @DisVisibility is a paid consultant for this chat.

Content warnings: sexual assault, child sexual abuse, violence, sexual violence, rape culture, institutionalization, and abuse by institutions and people in power. Please mute this hashtag or particular words if you need to: https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/advanced-twitter-mute-options

This chat may trigger traumatic memories. Please take care of yourself. You are welcome to take breaks or leave the chat. If you need help, you can contact @RAINN online or by phone https://hotline.rainn.org/online/ 800.656.4673 #AbleistRapeCulture

Q1 Please introduce yourself and if you are comfortable, share what brought you to this chat today. #AbleistRapeCulture

Q2 What your lived experience of rape culture (microaggressions, harassment, sexual assault) as a disabled, D/deaf, sick, Mad, or neurodivergent person? If you haven’t been impacted personally, what have you observed? #AbleistRapeCulture

Q3 How does ableism play into the power dynamics of rape culture? If you are comfortable, please share some examples you noticed or experienced. #AbleistRapeCulture

Q4 Please describe some institutions of power that exploit and abuse disabled, D/deaf, sick, Mad, and neurodivergent people currently and historically? #AbleistRapeCulture

Q5 What systems, policies, and cultures are complicit in allowing abusive institutions (and the people leading them) to act without consequences? How does this put marginalized communities at risk? #AbleistRapeCulture

Q6 What are some models of behavior and accountability you want to see from institutions of power and public officials who abuse their positions? #AbleistRapeCulture

Q7 How do we change institutions and other systems that marginalize and harm disabled people physically, emotionally, and socially? #AbleistRapeCulture

Q8  What are the first steps toward justice for survivors harmed by institutions of power? What kinds of community-based supports and care are needed to help people? #AbleistRapeCulture

Thank you for joining our #AbleistRapeCulture chat. Please continue the convo! Many thanks to @SF_WAR and @SinsInvalid for joining us today. A recap of today’s chat will be up tomorrow. Check the #AbleistRapeCulture hashtag.