Women and the military draft

[boutons_deux]

Military Women Who Speak out About Sexual Assault Are Being Branded With 'Personality Disorder' and Pushed Out

Noxious stereotypes about women being nuts and liars are being used to silence military women who report rape.

Most rapists attack someone they know, which means that holding them accountable means tearing apart whatever community—school, work, friend group—that the accused and accuser belong in. Often, it feels just easier to pressure the accuser to shut up and go away so everything can return to normal, even though that often requires ignoring that there’s a sexual predator in your midst.

In a report released on Thursday, Human Rights Watch turned up alarming evidencethat, in the military, forces that want to shut accusers up and make them go away have found

a disturbingly potent weapon: Misogynist stereotypes.

By leaning on prejudiced beliefs that women, especially outspoken women, are either dishonest or crazy, the military was able to get rid of women who came forward with rape accusations.

The 124-page report, “Booted: Lack of Recourse for Wrongfully Discharged US Military Rape Survivors,” found that many rape victims suffering from trauma were unfairly discharged for a “personality disorder” or other mental health condition that makes them ineligible for benefits.

Others were given “Other Than Honorable” discharges for misconduct related to the assault that shut them out of the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system and a broad range of educational and financial assistance.

The consequences of having “bad paper”—any discharge other than “honorable”—or being labeled as having a “personality disorder” are far-reaching for veterans and their families, impacting employment, child custody, health care, disability payments, burial rights—virtually all aspects of life.

Dismissing women as crazy or liars or both is a long-standing tactic of rape denialists, who feed of false social beliefs about women being less mentally stable or straightforward than men. That’s how, for instance, Bill Cosby was able to coast so long, despite having settled a lawsuit out of court in which the plaintiff had 13 women ready and willing to speak out.

http://www.alternet.org/personal-hea...being-silenced

[rmt]

http://www.politico.com/story/2016/0...n-draft-224316

Do you remember "An Officer and a Gentleman" and the girl struggling to climb over the wall? That's what I think of when I see girls having to sign up for the draft.