Hi, I'm Kristine! I'm a PhD student at UCSD in Communication and my focus is on cultural representations and discourses of sexual assault.

I worked for 2.5 years as a sexual assault victim advocate and continue to work on a rape crisis and domestic violence hotline. Through that work I have seen not only how rape culture is enacted directly but also how cultural messages negatively contribute to survivors' experiences in healing from sexual assault. I also think that these cultural messages have much larger implications as they perpetuate stereotypes that lead to, for example, District Attorneys rejecting cases they know jury cultural attitudes will not support thus enabling rapists to not be held accountable for their actions. I am working to change that.

If you are looking for someone to talk to, need advice, or have questions please feel free to reach out to me. I have a lot of experience working with victims/survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Let me know whether or not you feel comfortable with me posting my response publicly or if you'd prefer it remain private. You can also email me at letstalkaboutrape@gmail.com

I blog over at letstalkaboutrape.com.