Posts Written by Katherine
By Katherine Mullen • 11 years ago

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community: Let’s take a stand against rape

by Rachel Piazza, BJJ purple belt

As a woman, a Jiu-Jitsu practitioner and a feminist, I was horrified to learn that two high profile male Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors repeatedly raped their female teammate after offering to drive her home on New Year’s Eve. This story from Washington, D.C. has shocked the close-knit Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) community, many of whom are connected in some way to those involved in this gut-wrenching crime. As BJJ practitioners, we know the bond that teammates share and the trust we put in one another every time we step on the mat. As a BJJ community, we are disgusted at our association with these monsters. When those two men raped their teammate, they betrayed us all. As women, this crime reminds us of our own vulnerability to sexual assault and rape.

While we cringe because we know the trust that is shared among teammates, this scenario is unfortunately all too common. According to the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), approximately two-thirds of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. The rape of a female BJJ competitor by her teammates reminds us that our community does not exist outside the misogynistic culture that fuels these attacks.

For me, BJJ is a way I resist this culture. When I put my gi on and grapple with men, I am refusing to listen to messages that tell me to be quiet, polite and docile. But this act of ...
By Katherine Mullen • 12 years ago

National feminist organizing at Hilton Crystal City is a problem

Question: Does it matter that a national feminist organization chose to locate its young feminist leadership conference in a hotel that labor activists and consumers boycott because of the hotel’s unfair labor practices and treatment of its workers?

Answer: 100% yes.

This weekend, young feminist activists will gather in Washington, D.C. for Feminist Majority’s National Young Feminist Leadership Conference and spend three days in workshops and training on perennial feminist issues such as abortion access, reproductive health rights, global women’s rights and mobilizing the youth vote. The conference appears to be a good opportunity to network with other young feminists across the country, share information and reenergize feminist commitments. I’ve been thinking of attending the conference for weeks, although now I’m conflicted about pulling ...

Question: Does it matter that a national feminist organization chose to locate its young feminist leadership conference in a hotel that labor activists and consumers boycott because of the hotel’s unfair labor practices and treatment of its ...
By Katherine Mullen • 12 years ago

Lana Del Rey – Born to Fail?

Lana Del Rey – heard of her? If you haven’t, you will because “Born to Die,” Del Rey’s first full-length album was released today following nearly six months of Internet buzz and an ongoing wave of hatred or fawning adoration from bloggers.

It seems as if everyone has an opinion on Lana Del Rey’s physical, pop-star transformation from Lizzie Grant to Lana Del Rey, the “gangsta Nancy Sinatra.” As if she’s the first woman in music to craft a specific image, name and sound, by herself and/or with the slick management of studios and handlers and go from obscurity to fame in 60 seconds. There’s been plenty of handwringing over her musical credibility and authenticity – as if her past as ...

Lana Del Rey – heard of her? If you haven’t, you will because “Born to Die,” Del Rey’s first full-length album was released today following nearly six months of Internet buzz and an ongoing wave of hatred ...
By Katherine Mullen • 12 years ago

Social Media Pregnancies – Where to Draw the Line?

If you’re like me, chances are by the age of 28 that you’ve had a few female friends announce on Facebook that they’re pregnant by posting early sonograms, a progression of baby bump photos and enthusiastic updates for nine months. And let’s not forget about the eery 3-D sonograms showing a nearly full-term baby weeks away from being born.

It’s been almost a year since three fuzzy-looking sonograms from three different female friends appeared unsolicited on my Facebook NewsFeed within a week, generating a strong response from me that was somewhere between sincere congratulations and “This is too much to share on Facebook” and “I really don’t want to see her unborn fetus and into her uterus.” I hadn’t seen or spoken ...

If you’re like me, chances are by the age of 28 that you’ve had a few female friends announce on Facebook that they’re pregnant by posting early sonograms, a progression of baby bump photos and enthusiastic updates ...
By Katherine Mullen • 12 years ago

Social Media Pregnancies – Where to Draw the Line?

If you’re like me, chances are by the age of 28 that you’ve had a few female friends announce on Facebook that they’re pregnant by posting early sonograms, a progression of baby bump photos and enthusiastic updates for nine months. And let’s not forget about the eery 3-D sonograms showing a nearly full-term baby weeks away from being born.

It’s been almost a year since three fuzzy-looking sonograms from three different female friends appeared unsolicited on my Facebook NewsFeed within a week, generating a strong response from me that was somewhere between sincere congratulations and “This is too much to share on Facebook” and “I really don’t want to see her unborn fetus and into her uterus.” I hadn’t seen or spoken ...

If you’re like me, chances are by the age of 28 that you’ve had a few female friends announce on Facebook that they’re pregnant by posting early sonograms, a progression of baby bump photos and enthusiastic updates ...