Hello, again! Week three of public protesting Georgia's sexual assault laws went well. As always, I'd encourage others to do the same for whatever facet of MR they find important. I made a thread for the first protest as well that has previous discussion and definitions of the laws in GA. In short, GA rape law only recognizes forceful rape of women by men. Not only does it ignore female offenders, it doesn't recognize instances of non-physical coercion as rape specifically.

I spoke briefly with someone passing on the bike path near my protest spot. They were in complete agreement with my opposition to the law, but she also added "You must have been raped, huh?" I had considered people might think that the case, but I had not been told so until then. I clarified I had not been because I don't want to lie about something so serious. However, it got me thinking about whether I had unintentionally given confidence to people who have had that experience to see someone talking about it in public.

So don't forget, policy change and legal equality is extremely important but holding public protests and speaking out can also help others on a personal level who feel invisible because their issues aren't being discussed.

Next week I will be demonstrating to raise awareness of domestic violence against men. The next legislative session in GA is next year, so I'd like to change gears every so often to address other issues. I've been doing searching and making phone calls to local DV groups and the response has been disappointing so far, if unsurprising.

But seriously, go protest! It only takes an hour of your time to reach a hundred or more people at a busy intersection. And not just likes/retweets/reblogs/upvotes! These people will stare and they will remember that you were there to oppose unequal treatment. They take video, they take photos, and spread the word further.

Thanks for reading, and good luck out there!