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Like many countries, France has a protective privacy act guaranteeing anonymity for crime victims. Gisèle’s lawyers warned what would happen in a public trial—the intense media attention that would surely follow every development in the case, the probable attacks on her testimony in court and possible threats to her life. Undaunted, Gisèle chose to waive her right to anonymity.

“When you’re raped, there is shame, and it’s not for us to have shame,” she told the court. “It’s for them.”

Her insistence that her trial be public surprised both her lawyers and the presiding judge—and transformed Gisèle into a feminist hero and icon.

The post ‘No More Shame!’ The Transformative Lesson of Gisèle Pelicot, the French Survivor of Mass Rape appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

An excerpt from I'll Never Call Him Dad Again, Darian’s new memoir: "Our family has been torn in two. ... I’ve heard nothing from Mum since Christmas. I miss her. I decide to give her a call. When I hear her voice, I start crying. She soon follows suit. Tears have become our default language, because what we’re going through is beyond words. Eventually, I manage to express myself: I want to be with her, to stand by her. We talk for the next two hours. At the end, we promise each other we’ll stick together from now on. And that neither will sit in judgement of the other."

The post ‘I’ll Never Call Him Dad Again’: From the Daughter of Gisèle Pelicot, a New Memoir on Surviving Private Rape and a Public Rape Trial appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

The film highlights the global reach of the #MeToo movement and the stark realities of patriarchal impunity, culminating in a historic victory: the 2023 inclusion of consent in Japan’s rape law.

The post And the Oscar for Best Documentary Should Go to … ‘Black Box Diaries’ appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

This week: Getting pregnant doubles the risk of dying by homicide for women under 25; Biden has appointed a record 40 Black women to federal judgeships; Louisiana's abortion ban has a chilling effect on maternal healthcare and miscarriage treatment; N.C. Republicans try to overturn the fair election of a Democratic justice; the psychological toll on children in Gaza is severe; Biden's Title IX protections struck down; Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against actor and director Justin Baldoni for repeated sexual harassment and retaliation; Trump’s Cabinet will be the wealthiest in American history; and more.

The post Keeping Score: Senators Grill Hegseth, Call Trump Pick Unfit to Lead DOD; Pregnancy Doubles Homicide Risk for Women; Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden Title IX Rules appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

"I want all women who have been raped to say: Madame Pelicot did it, I can too."

"Our ability to end a pregnancy with just a few pills—safely, privately, at home and without shame—was too much for them to take."

"The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact check."

"Birth control really screws up female brains."

A collection of this year's most inspiring and infuriating things said by and about women.

The post Feminist Roundup: The Best and Worst Quotes of 2024 appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

This week: Women stockpile emergency contraception and medication abortion after the election; one in five Americans gets news from social media influencers; House Republicans Nancy Mace and Speaker Mike Johnson harass incoming trans Representative Sarah McBride; Michelle Obama explains the double standards Kamala Harris faced; childcare costs more than rent for many families; Trump's Cabinet picks spread sexist messages; Rep. Erica Lee Carter (D-Texas) became the 95th member of the Democratic Women’s Caucus after winning a special election to replace her late mother Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee; acknowledging Native Women's Equal Pay Day; Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman was finally recognized for her military service; Trump’s margin over Harris will be about 1.5 points, the fifth-smallest gap since 1900; and more.

The post Keeping Score: Women Stockpile Plan B Post-Election; Feminists React to Trump’s Cabinet Picks; Harriet Tubman Finally Recognized for Military Service appeared first on Ms. Magazine.

Halfway through the mass rape trial in France that has been shocking the world and brewing feminist rage since September, survivor Gisèle Pelicot took the stand for the first time on Wednesday to share her nightmarish story.

On why she's taking a stand: "I wanted all woman victims of rape—not just when they have been drugged, rape exists at all levels—I want those woman to say: Mrs. Pelicot did it, we can do it too."

The post Gisèle Pelicot, the Woman at the Center of France’s Mass Rape Trial, ‘Never Regretted’ Making the Decision to Go Public appeared first on Ms. Magazine.