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We live in a world of media (a lot of which can be sexist and harmful!), but much of which can be harnessed for good! Fan activists — activists united in their pop culture interests — have done amazing work around the globe to further sexual violence prevention measures.


Award-winning transgender actress 
Laverne Cox has been an outspoken advocate for transgender people’s rights and protection. Her popularity, due to her amazing performance on the TV show, Orange Is the New Black, gives her a platform and helps amplify her voice – a rarely heard voice of a transwoman of color.

Lady Gaga’s Born this Way Foundation harnesses the energy and power of her self-proclaimed “Little Monsters” to bring social change. One of her campaigns, “Hack Harassment,” targets online harassment, which often takes the form of sexual harassment.

Punk music fans who formed No! to Rape Culture have an important mission: “to rebuild space for women, femmes and non-binary folks in the hyper-masculine scene from which they’d often been alienated.” Their efforts take the shape of workshops, tabling at concerts, and casual meet-ups. No! to Rape Culture is a great example of fan activism moving offline to real person meet-ups and public protest.

Though she is a pretty controversial figure, Taylor Swift is still one of the biggest pop stars in the industry. When she bravely testified against her sexual assailant, it prompted an outpouring of support from her fans. Her actions and the actions of her fans provide an important model of speaking out and standing up for one another:

“For young fans of Swift’s, hearing a beloved artist speak candidly about the emotional damage of sexual assault and stand up to a courtroom of men trying to prove her wrong could be a formative moment for their developing ideas of gender, sex, and accountability.” (Slate)

The Harry Potter Alliance focused a campaign on girls’ education globally and created the hashtag #WithoutHermione, inspiring fans to finish this sentence, “Without Hermione…” and acknowledge the important contributions girls make to their school community.

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