Latest Musings
Why I Used the Word “Incest” in the Title of She’s Such a Liar
Statue of Millicent Fawcett, political activist and writer, 1847-1929. Speaking Truth to Power It’s true that some people become uncomfortable when they hear the word “incest” or use the word “incest.” I’ve heard it described as “icky” and “nasty-sounding,” as...
The Machinery of Disbelief: My Journey Uncovering the Systems That Silence Incest
Image Source: Unsplash When I started writing She’s Such a Liar, many people—in fact, most people I talked to—told me not to waste my time. They warned me that my topic was too controversial, too uncomfortable, not likely to be taken seriously. “Nobody’s going to...
Incest as Systemic Sexual Violence: Why My Book Is a Manifesto
Confronting Family Sexual Abuse “Why did you use the word ‘manifesto’ in the title of She’s Such a Liar?” This question was recently put to me by a friend. I wrote She’s Such a Liar in the hope that it would serve as a clarion call, I explained, a plea that we change...
What Makes for Good Governance?
Accountability, Transparency, Objectivity—and Victim Shaming. When the Epstein victims told their stories of sexual violence—publicly, forcefully, and with documentation—they were met with skepticism, character attacks, and efforts to rewrite their narratives....
Patriarchal Gatekeeping and the Media’s Failure to Report Violence Against Women and Girls, Part 2
The Human Rights Crisis the Headlines Ignore. This is the second of a two-part post that forms a call to action to feminists; anti-sexual violence and anti-incest activists; social justice activists; anti-sexists; sexual violence prevention advocates; and all who are...
Patriarchal Gatekeeping and the Media’s Suppression of Violence Against Women and Girls, Part 1
This is the first of a two-part post that forms a call to action to feminists, anti-sexual violence and anti-incest activists, social justice activists, anti-sexists, sexual violence prevention advocates, feminist journalists, and all who are simply fed up with our...
The Long Shadow of “Male Standards”
Pete Hegseth’s call for “male standards” in the military echoes a far older code—one built on domination, denial, and silence. Image: Andrew Geddes in the late 1870s. From Louise Barnett, Ungentlemanly Acts: The Army’s Notorious Incest Trial (Hill and Wang,...
Incest: A (Forgotten) Feminist Issue, Part 2
This is the last of a two-part post that forms an appeal to feminists; anti-sexual violence and anti-incest activists; social justice activists; anti-sexists; sexual violence prevention advocates; and all who are simply fed up with our culture’s indifference to sexual...
Incest: A (Forgotten) Feminist Issue, Part 1
This is the first of a two-part post that forms an appeal to feminists; anti-sexual violence and anti-incest activists; social justice activists; anti-sexists; sexual violence prevention advocates; and all who are simply fed up with with our culture’s indifference to...
Penis Envy
In midlife, I became a beer drinker. This choice approved of by both my health-conscious children and even my gynecologist: “After all, it's fermented!" But after years of pints, I explained to my children that there were some nights when I just didn't want a beer; it...
“Make Yourself Smell Nice”
More than anything, my mother wanted me to be the Breck girl. Blonde, diaphanous, non-threatening, and docile; the epitome of feminine beauty. But I was dark, and so when I showed my first pimple, she rushed me to a dermatologist. He dismissed her concern about...
“Uterine Melancholy” and Other Medical Conceits
Here's a fun story you can tell at parties. One gloomy afternoon in the mythological kingdom of Argos, the virgins felt they had just had enough, enough of men's laws and their sexist attitudes, enough of their sexual violence. So they fled to the mountains and hid in...