- Russian feminist blogger Lyubov Kalugina has been criminally charged with “inciting hatred” against men on social media. The maximum punishment for someone found guilty of violating Article 282 of the Russian Criminal Code is five years in jail. Newsweek reports:
“Some of the posts on Kalugina’s [social media] include online campaigns calling for women’s rights, including petitions that call for authorities to free women who have been imprisoned for defending themselves against abusive partners. Some posts also urge an end to persecution of feminist activists.”
- Karen White, a trans-identified male, was accused of sexually assaulting four female inmates within days of being sent to a women’s prison in the UK. White, who pled guilty to raping two women in 2016, admitted to two of the assaults but denied the other two and has since been transferred to a men’s prison.
- In India, the Supreme Court has struck down a law criminalizing gay and lesbian sex, ruling it as unconstitutional and discriminatory. The law banning sex “against the order of nature” was in place for 160 years.
- Five faculty members at the University of Manitoba are currently under investigation for sexual harassment and assault.
- The results of a survey conducted by the American Bar Association reveal that sexism and racism are rife in the legal profession. About 70 per cent of lawyers surveyed reported hearing sexist comments, stories, or jokes while at work. About one in eight white women, and one in 10 women of colour, said they had lost opportunities after rejecting the sexual advances of their male colleagues.