Vortrag „Sexualized, Targeted, and Blamed: Queer Women’s Experiences of Sexual Violence“ (Dr. Nicole Bedera)
Lecture by Dr. Nicole Bedera „Sexualized, Targeted, and Blamed: Queer Women’s Experiences of Sexual Violence“ on February 21, 2023 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (online and in English). The lecture will take place as part of the „Science and beλond“ network for the month of action for the exhibition „What were you wearing?“ at Campus Bahrenfeld – but is open to all members of the University of Hamburg.
Abstract
Queer women are sexually assaulted at one of the highest rates. In the past, researchers have blamed queer women’s “risky behaviors” for their unique vulnerability to violence. But what if it is our eagerness to victim-blame that is truly at fault? In this talk, Dr. Bedera explores how stereotypes of queer women’s hyper-sexualization are invoked to justify (and encourage) violence—by perpetrators during violent attacks and by communities who view those attacks as an acceptable punishment for queer women’s “failure” to conform to a heterosexual feminine ideal.
Bio
Dr. Nicole Bedera is a sociologist and author of the forthcoming book On the Wrong Side: How Universities Betray Survivors to Protect Perpetrators of Sexual Assault. Her research broadly focuses on how our social structures and cultural norms contribute to survivors’ trauma and make sexual violence more likely to occur in the future. Her scholarship has influenced sexual violence prevention programming across the United States and her work has been featured in many popular outlets, including The New York Times, NPR, BBC, and Teen Vogue. Nicole is on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism and she is an affiliated educator with the Center for Institutional Courage.
