Society at large disparages people who can be classified as obese or even overweight, and within smaller social circles, the “fat” friend (by comparison) suffers the stigma. Behaviors and other factors influenced by society's attitudes towards fat individuals are explored.

We invite you to join us, many voices as one, to challenge those systems that oppress us all. In this work we aim to discuss the place that we hold within our community, focusing on identity, choice, ownership, and the mass media. Let us dissent against the social limitations and expectations and raise awareness of the intersectional ties that connect all people. Through our own feminist research, we use Dissenting Voices to highlight the social issues of today.

I am a survivor of domestic violence. I also am Deaf. Domestic violence is an aggressive behavior within the home, typically involving the violent abuse of a spouse or partner. It can come in many forms: physical, mental, verbal, and emotional abuse. Most commonly, domestic violence is targeted against women. I am sharing my story as a survivor because of my time in Vera House, which is a shelter for battered women. My time at Vera House fired my passion to correlate my personal experience and informative research to raise awareness by educating others about the unique needs of Deaf domestic violence survivors. I hope that my story will awaken the hearing community to the fact that Deaf victims need allies on their side to make a change for Deaf domestic violence survivors.

Sex education is a subject that all adolescents inevitably encounter. Abstinence-only and comprehensive sex educations are the two core foundational curricula that are being taught to most high school students in the United States. On the surface, both of these methodologies teach conflicting information about sex which perpetuates gender inequality and rape culture. Abstinence-only programs’ emphasis on women’s purity stigmatizes teens through heterosexual normative teachings and misleads teens and young people on the logistics of sexual health. Conversely, comprehensive sex education does not teach “real” sex education because it includes very basic understandings of human sexuality rather than teaching about men’s and women’s sexuality equally. Analyzing the flaws in both teachings can be a step forward in decreasing adolescences’ pregnancy rates, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, rape culture, and gender inequality.

If the strong Black woman is to ever gain visibility, then we need to be strong enough to allow ourselves the opportunity to rest. The implications that we are insurmountable beings have meant that Black women are routinely denied considerations by society. A host of Black feminist thinkers have indicated the unique spaces of oppression which the Black woman has occupied and continues to struggle within because of this institutional neglect. Black women have been the bridge which, not only supports the change that we wish to see, but also maintains the disparaging stereotypes which obstructs our efforts towards self-definition. The frustrations weigh heavily upon Black women, as they are forced to surrender need and charity in order to protect the utility of our families and communities. It is my belief that Black women need to lay down this burden of being everything to everyone, if we have any hope of experiencing the kind of freedom which have been liberally extended to others. Cast-off the shame that has silenced the strong Black woman; there is power to be gained when we stop allowing others to determine our worth.

The poem, "Silence because of Fear", expresses the poet's own experiences with domestic violence. Domestic violence occurs in varied contexts and degrees of severity. Victims of domestic violence are not the only ones affected or caught in a cycle of abuse. Family, friends and children also are greatly impacted.

Table of Contents: Opening Voices - Our Voices: Celeste Cooper, Michele Haddad, Kelsey Mahoney, Andrea Moore, ’Lucienne Nicholson, Ben Roberts, Cherrie Watson, i - Note from the Editor Barbara LeSavoy, ii - Gay New York: From Bars to Bathhouses Ben Roberts, p. 1 - Lay down Your Cross Celeste Cooper, p. 19 - Microcredit: A Model of Empowerment for Women? Kelsey Mahoney, p. 33 - Reframing Sexual Responsibility: Hooking Up Andrea Moore, p. 51 - Peppermint Patty: A Mint or a Vagina Michele Haddad, p. 65 - Violence in Deaf Culture: My Story, My Voice Cherrie Watson, p. 81 - Pink Transgressions: Black Girl and the Intra-feminist Politics of Place Lucienne Nicholson, p. 81 - WMS 421 Spring 2014 Activism Photo Essay , p. 119

One Billion Rising: V-Day Stop Violence Against Women; Love Your Body Day; International Women’s Day; The Clothesline Project.

In much of the media found in the United States today, women are often portrayed in these very ways: being raped tortured and even the suggestion of murder, all for the sake of capitalism. The images found throughout this paper are actual advertisements that can be found both online and in a variety of magazines, many of which portray these situations. Advertising that simulates pornographic scenes and gang rape is problematic to everyone, but these violent and forceful sexual situations become especially problematic for women who have been sexually assaulted.