NM Daily Lobo 102617

Page 1

DAILY LOBO new mexico

The Independent Student Voice of UNM since 1895

dailylobo.com Available on the

GET IT ON

Google play

App Store

Thursday, O c tober 26, 2017 | Vo l u m e 1 2 2 | I s s u e 2 1

Kat Blaque visits UNM to share her experiences By Rebecca Brusseau @r_brusseau Of the many events put on by the Student Alliance for Reproductive Justice during Sex Week, the Women’s Resource Center sponsored a lecture Tuesday night from Kat Blaque, a well-known YouTube personality and transgender rights activist. Her lecture in Keller Hall was titled, “True Tea with Kat Blaque,” a reference to her YouTube video blogs. This talk featured many anecdotal elements, aiming to encourage the audience members to stay strong through life’s many trials and tribulations, especially focused on living as a transgender individual. Blaque explained she found her self identity when she was in elementary school, but she began to make YouTube videos as a teen. This was a time of discovery for Blaque, as she created a new identity for herself by initially wearing a wig found in her grandmother’s closet, creating the character, “Daphne the Destroyer,” in her YouTube videos. Blaque eventually went on to attend California Institute for the Arts to pursue a career in animation. During the lecture, Blaque described her experience being a

see

Blaque page 3

Brontë Procell / Daily Lobo / @dailylobo

Kat Blaque speaks in Keller Hall on Oct. 24, 2017 about her struggles through life as a transgender woman.

Students advocate for the unborn Clery Report releases UNM sex assault data By Madison Spratto @Madi_Spratto

Students for Life, a University of New Mexico pro-life student organization, invited another pro-life group, Justice for All, to campus on Monday and Tuesday to help put on a display that aimed to educate students on abortion. The Students for Life organization advocates for the lives of unborn babies and tries to provide education and opportunities for mothers in difficult situations, especially on UNM’s campus, said Kassidy Steckbeck, a sophomore majoring in environmental science who has been a part of the group for over six months. Justice for All travels across the country to college campuses to talk with students about abortion. “(Our mission is to) train thousands to make abortion unthinkable for millions, one person at a time,”

By Tom Hanlon @TomHanlonNM

Celia Raney / Daily Lobo / @Celia_Raney

Raneen Khweis, UNM junior (left), and Grace Fontenot of the group, Justice for All, discuss women’s rights and the legality of abortion at a Students for Life of America event near the Duck Pond on Oct. 24, 2017 as part of UNM’s annual Sex Week.

said Jon Wagner, who has been working with Justice for All for over 10 years. “Essentially, we want to respond to abortion with both urgency

and compassion and help others do the same.” Susanna Buckely, an intern for

On the Daily Lobo website GRIJALVA: Multimedia package — “Paint the Campus Purple” event hopes to spread awareness about domestic violence

see

Abortion page 3

The 2017 release of the Clery Report revealed that the University of New Mexico is plagued by issues including sexual assault, dating violence and domestic violence. However, while the increase in numbers is eye-catching, it may not be wholly negative. According to the Clery Report, reports of rape on campus property rose from 12 to 14 from 2015 to 2016. Whereas, dating violence had the highest rise in reports with 23 incidents in 2016, compared to just five in 2015. The Clery Report defines dating violence as “violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic

or intimate nature with the victim.” Lt. Tim Stump of the UNM Police Department said defining and reporting dating violence in the Clery Report is new. “Just recently, we started reporting on dating violence, so it became part of the Clery Act. Back in 2014, it wasn’t in the spotlight,” Stump said. The drastic spike in the number of dating violence reports, Stump said, could be explained simply by the fact that it is now an option for people to report. “Sometimes, just knowing it’s available to report, I think that’s why the numbers have gone up,” Stump said. Stump also said he thinks the 2016 U.S. Department of Justice agreement with UNM has helped

see

Assault page 2

RIVERA: Recognizing early signs of an abusive relationship SPRATTO: Column — Are dating apps destroying the dating world?


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.