2007 2007 Holiday Special Handbag designer Jenny Yuen is generously donating 25% of the sales of her Cleo clutch in garnet and sapphire to Take Back The News. Get a head start on holiday shopping and support Take Back The News in the process! Happy Holidays! 2007 Annual Art Benefit This Sunday, July 22, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m., at Stain Bar at 766 Grand Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn Join us and M.C. Scout Durwood for spirits at Krista Madsen’s Stain Bar, for live music by Anais Alonso of Etro Anime, and for massages by Nancy Kelly! Plus, enjoy the excitement of bidding in our silent auction where you’ll find compelling original works of art, crafts, and gift certificates including: Photos by Zeina Assaf, Nicole Goksel, Eric Pitra and Elena Stohr Illustrations and woodcuts by Ron Brandt Blown and cast glass works by Danny O'Shea Paintings by Jo Ann Brandt, Elizabeth Grutzner, and Sam Thorp Prints by Anne Byrer and Jason Paradis Handcrafted jewelry by Danielle Kramer and Pat Murphy Handbags by Jenny Yuen Pottery by Julia Wey Skateboards and t-shirts by Raised Fist Productions Comics by Sarah Glidden Golf passes for Rock Hill Golf and Country Club Individual yoga instruction with Ashleigh Beyer Interior decorating consultation with Rose Meechan Passes to the workshop of your choice at Toys In Babeland One month of life and business coaching with Alexia Vernon And more! 11-July-07 MaleSurvivor’s Fall Conference This October 25 - 29 MaleSurvivor, the National Organization against Male Sexual Victimization, is holding its eleventh International Conference at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. This conference is unique not only because it addresses male survivor issues, but because it includes male survivors as a vital part of its organizational structure and activities. Clinicians and survivors both come together to advance the understanding and the healing of abuse as well as to learn about methods of prevention and about scientific research in this understudied area. The theme of this year’s conference, Relief, Recovery and Restoration, carries forward their mission by offering opportunities for personal and professional growth and for networking in addition to the dissemination of new knowledge. Nearly all conferences concerning clinical work exclude patients from being an active part of the discussion and feedback of the topics at hand. Though at the MaleSurvivor conference there will be panels and presentations that will be open to therapists only or survivors only, others will be open to all the attendees. There will be opportunities to hear first-hand input from male survivors as well as discussions with psychotherapists, social service professionals, lawyers, law enforcement personnel, legal advocates, researchers, and educators. For a complete description of the Conference Program, visit malesurvivor.org. Almost the entire mid-town campus of John Jay College, located two blocks west of Columbus Circle and Central Park, will be dedicated to the conference, including the use of its beautiful theater where on Friday night, October 26, Martin Moran will perform his Obie-wining play, “The Tricky Part,” based on his own childhood abuse experience. Numerous organizations have agreed to be Affiliate Sponsors of the conference, including co-sponsor John Jay College; the Ambrose Foundation; the Advocate Web; the American Association of Sexuality Educator, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT); The Awareness Center; the Belgian Association for Psychological Services; the Gay Men's Health Crisis; Gregory Gianforcaro, JD; The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy / Gay Lesbian Affirmative Psychotherapy Services; The Men's Center; The Men's Project; the New Jersey Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (NJATSA); The Sidran Institute; the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP); Spotlight on Recovery Magazine; Take Back the News, and the William Alanson White Institute of Psychoanalysis and several hospital-based rape intervention programs. About MaleSurvivor: the National Organization against Male Sexual Victimization MaleSurvivor is the only non-profit national organization with tax exempt status that specifically addresses male sexual victimization. Our mission statement is: “Dedicated to a safe world, we are an organization of diverse individuals, committed through research, education, advocacy and activism to the prevention, treatment and elimination of all forms of sexual victimization of boys and men.” Our motto is “Overcoming sexual abuse of men and boys.” Since 1998, we have maintained an important website (www.malesurvivor.org) with bibliography and bookstore, a very active discussion forum, a monitored chat room, a resource directory, and an information base. MaleSurvivor’s aim is to educate about, advocate for, and insure proper treatment is available to sexually victimized boys and men. Formally organized in 1994, MaleSurvivor’s history goes back to 1988. Since then, national conferences have been held almost every other year in cities throughout the United States: Minneapolis, Atlanta, Portland, Phoenix, Columbus, San Francisco, New York, and Washington. These conferences have drawn up to 800 participants. In 1998, MaleSurvivor also began to organize and support regional healing Weekends of Recovery for sexually abused men. Both the conferences and the Weekends of Recovery are needed resources to share practical information and ask questions as well as safe places for some men to acknowledge their own sexual victimization. About Male Sexual Victimization Concern about sexual abuse has nearly always emphasized the victimization of girls and women. This misleadingly implies that sexual abuse among boys and men is rare. Yet, as was stated in an article in the December 2, 1998 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, “the sexual abuse of boys is common, underreported, underrecognized, and undertreated.” The best research indicates that 17% of men were directly victimized sexually by age 16 (one in six boys), with another 14% reporting indirect sexual abuse (one in four) Often these incidents are misconstrued as “sexual initiation” or as events for which the boy is responsible. Sexual victimization of men is likewise often unacknowledged and misunderstood. To be identified as a sexual victim makes many boys and men question their masculinity and/or sexual orientation. The shame that accompanies such doubts silences many boys about their experiences. Yet if abuse remains unacknowledged and untreated, it may lead to such personal and societal consequences as depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems, in addition to self-destructive behaviors, substance abuse, and family dysfunction. Prevailing myths about the sexual abuse of boys often interfere with recognizing and treating the problem. A prime example is the preconception that all abused boys become perpetrators of abuse, when in fact the overwhelming majority of these boys never become sexual offenders. Because of the widespread belief in the myth, however, many men and boys are afraid they will become abusive and/or will be thought to be offenders should they talk about having been victimized. Another complicating myth is that boys sexually abused by men become homosexual. In fact, boys who are sexually abused may grow up to be heterosexual, gay, or bisexual. Most researchers believe that sexual orientation is rooted in factors having nothing to do with sexual victimization, and in most cases has already been well established before a boy is abused. But, while sexual abuse does not determine sexual orientation, many sexually abused boys and men become very confused or feel negatively about both their sexual orientation and their sexual functioning in general. For additional information, please visit our website at malesurvivor.org or contact us at admin@malesurvivor.org. 30-April-07 Congratulations to Kim Flournoy, a professional advisor to Take Back The News. Kim has recently been awarded the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance's Award for Outstanding Children's Advocate of the Year. We are proud to have Kim on our team! 03-March-07 Take Back the News is featured in the current issue of Girlistic Magazine! 2006 03-October-06 October marks the second month of the NYC Media Response Project, a collaborative effort between Take Back The News and NOT IN OUR CITY! to confront the misrepresentation of rape in New York City papers. This is a streamlined, volunteer run process of tracking and responding to articles that misrepresent rape in NYC papers. To find out more, visit NOT IN OUR CITY! and download a guidebook. If you'd like to volunteer, please email emily@takebackthenews.org. 08-August-06 Take Back The News hosted its second annual fundraising event this past Monday, August 7th, at Tiger Lily Cafe in Port Jefferson. Highlights from the event include a silent art auction, with original works of art donated by artists from Long Island, New York City, and outside of New York State, as well as a raffle, which featured items such as books and knit items. More than a hundred people showed up to bid on the art, take raffle chances, listen to live music, and enjoy refreshments offered by Tiger Lily. The funds raised will continue to support our mission, aiding in the distribution of Community Print Project Kits, the maintenance of the Take Back The News website, the purchase of advertisement space to reach more survivors, and the further development of our Media Response and College Writing Projects. To view photos of the event, click here. 28-July-06 Take Back The News officially welcomes Julia Wey to the Board of Directors. Julia has been a long-time ally of Take Back The News and we are thrilled to be working even more closely with her. Welcome Julia! 5-July-06 Join the Take Back The News Board at our 2006 Art Benefit on August 7, from 5:30-8:00 at Tiger Lily Cafe in Port Jefferson, NY. Paintings, photos and drawings for sale and silent auction. Handcrafted items and other goodies for raffle. Wine, food, music, and more! All are welcome! Contact emily@takebackthenews.org for more information or if you'd like to donate your own artwork. 21-April-06 This evening, Take Back The News hosted a segment of SaySO!, a 24-Speak Out for rape survivors hosted by the New York City Alliance Against Sexaul Assault. Thank you to all of those people who came out to support this amazing event! 14-February-06 Welcome to the new Take Back The News website! The project directors are proud to announce the launch of our Community Print Project Kits and our Media Response Project. The College Writing Workshops are also gearing up, and the Book Project is in its initial stages. Join our mailing list to receive updates about these and other exciting projects. 2005 11-December-05 Please take a few moments to complete this survivor survey which aims to evaluate the quality of rape crisis services for survivors in New York City. Survey responses will be collected through March 2006. 08-August-05 Take Back the News is now officially incorporated as a non-profit organization! 26-March-05 SAVE (Sexual Assault and Violence Ends) at La Salle University in Philadelphia has just published their third annual Take Back the News. Their Take Back the Night event is this coming Thursday. Keep up the wonderful work, SAVE! 2004 28-June-04 An interview with Emily, the founder of Take Back The News, is featured at Grrrlzines.net. 31-March-04 Congratulations and thanks to La Salle University for publishing their second edition of Take Back The News in conjunction with their annual Take Back The Night. According to the co-coordinators of SAVE (Sexual Assault and Violence Ends), they "continually get amazing feedback about both years' editions." Keep it up! 2003 30-April-03 This past Saturday, Emily spoke about Take Back the News and sexual violence in the media at SUNY New Paltz's Take Back the Night. Emily would like to thank Coveney and Danielle for inviting her and all the women and men for listening, marching, and sharing your stories. 2002 16-September-02 Take Back The News appears in this month's issue of The Student Underground. 22-April-02 Take Back The News was at SUNY New Paltz for their Take Back the Night. It was an amazing event, complete with music, fire-eating, and a march that nearly the whole town stepped outside to witness. Congratulations to all the organizers! 11-April-02 Take Back The News was at Harvard University's Take Back the Night tonight. We'd like to congratulate the organizers on an empowering event, and to thank all of the survivors who shared their stories. 25-March-02 Take Back The News has been selected as Grrl Activistas site of the month! Grrl Activistas is an online organization that campaigns against media misrepresentation of rape. 21-March-02 La Salle University is hosting their own print version of Take Back The News this spring. 01-March-02 The site is launched and the mission has officially begun... now, it's time for you to read and write. Take back the news!