Reminder: Clinic Escort Training this Saturday!

Becoming a clinic escort at a women’s health clinic is a great way to get directly involved in protecting reproductive rights in your own neighborhood.

Join us on Saturday, October 20 at 1:00 p.m. to learn the skills necessary to become a clinic escort with WACDTF, an organization dedicated to protecting access to women’s health clinic across the region.

The training will take place in ICC 208A. You can RSVP on Facebook or by e-mailing us at gtownoutrage@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

Home HIV Test Debuts in DC

The 20-minute home HIV test approved by the FDA in July is available today at major retailers across the United States, including the Connecticut Avenue CVS in D.C.

The OraQuick Home HIV Test detects the presence of HIV antibodies using a mouth swab and returns a result in 20 to 40 minutes. Users can administer the test and view the results in the privacy of their own homes.

Reminder: OUTRAGE General Meeting

Get read to kick off a great year of radical feminist and LGBT+ activism at our General Meeting (link)! Assemble at 4:00 p.m. today at the clock tower in front of the Leavey Center. Refreshments will be served.

You can RSVP to our Facebook event here. And, while you’re at it, like us and follow @gtownoutrage on Twitter! If you have any questions or need to come late to the meeting, just shoot us a quick e-mail at gtownoutrage@gmail.com.

Clinic Escorts: Defenders of Choice

On September 15, the Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force (WACDTF) will host a training for a new batch of prospective clinic escorts.

Every week, dozens of clinic escorts throughout the D.C. metropolitan area are securing a woman’s right to choose a safe, legal abortion against the intimidation of anti-abortion protestors.

Join us for our OUTRAGEous General Meeting!

Come learn about OUTRAGE, a coalition of feminists organizing, uniting and training for radical activism and gender equality at our General Meeting (link)!

We’re meeting at a board member’s home on campus. Assemble at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 15 at the clock tower in front of the Leavey Center. Refreshments will be served.

The State of the District: HIV & STD’s

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Talking about condoms and sex all the time may seem a little silly, but it’s serious business. Using a condom is the best way to prevent a sexually transmitted infection or disease (STI/STD), including HIV, all of which are extremely prevalent in the District of Columbia.

The World Health Organization defines generalized HIV epidemics as those in which more than one percent of the population has the virus. As of December 31, 2010, 14,465 District of Columbia residents, or 2.7 percent of the population over age 13, were infected with HIV according to a D.C. government annual report [PDF] from 2011. That’s higher than in many poor developing nations like Haiti and Burundi.

New Provisions for Students under VAWA

[Content Note: Rape Culture, Violence]

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 was a landmark that put $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic restitution on those convicted, and allowed federal civil redress (later overturned) in cases prosecutors chose not to pursue.

Both the House and Senate versions of the 2011 reuathorization include provisions expanding protections for college women, as many as 25 percent of whom will experience sexual assault.

Congress, through the Jeanne Clery Act, already requires campuses to publish regular crime logs and public safety alerts. The new provisions would increase funding and training for campus police to combat sexual violence (and maybe stop blaming the victim); set certain standards for university disciplinary hearings; and require universities to provide sexual assault and bystander training as well as compile annual reports of incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

The measure is not without its detractors, however. Wendy Kaminer criticizes the bill’s strict definition of consent and low standard of proof (i.e. “a preponderance of evidence”).

An Ode to the Female Condom

Female condom on top.

Despite their unusual, lampshade-like appearance, female condoms have a lot of great perks for women (and men!) looking to take charge of their sexuality and prevent HIV/AIDS or STD infection.

• The condom is highly lubricated and durable.
• It won’t “constrain” a partner like a male condom.
• FC2’s are made of polyurethane (great for latex allergies!).
• You can insert the female condom up to 8 hours before sex – no erect penis needed!
• If put it in ahead of time, the condom warms up and you forget it’s even there.
• You don’t have to remove the condom immediately after sex.

You can find the FC2 at any CVS/Pharmacy in the District or at one of the locations here.

Another benefit is that the female condom puts women in charge of their sexuality. And it’s not just for vaginal sex, either; the female condom is also a great, durable alternative to the male condom for anal sex! See here for instructions on how to use a female condom (it’s easy!).

HIPS, HIPS, Hooray! Reach Out to a Sex Worker

People enter sex work for a variety of reasons. Transwomen, for example, face intense discrimination [PDF] in the traditional workforce.

Meanwhile, prohibitionist techniques, such as D.C.’s “prostitution free zones,” usually disenfranchise rather than empower and uplift the sex worker population.

The safety and well-being of sex workers is a feminist issue precisely because the negative social mores surrounding sex work have such a devastating effect on this mostly (cis/trans) female and gay male workforce. Sex workers also disproportionally carry the burden of D.C.’s HIV/AIDS epidemic.

On Sunday, September 9, HIPS (Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive) will host their Fall Volunteer Orientation. This is a great opportunity to get involved in feminist activism and sex worker advocacy. HIPS is a well-known D.C. non-profit that promotes harm reduction and self-advocacy among the sex worker community. From their website:

Free Condoms by Mail

UPDATE: We fixed the broken link.

The D.C. HIV/AIDS, STD, and TB Administration (HAHSTA) has an awesome program where you can get ten free condoms delivered by mail. All you have to do is fill out this form here. All D.C. residents, including Georgetown students, are eligible!