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Trump is bragging about positive coverage for his tactful approach to Kavanaugh's accuser, sources say September 20, 2018
White House aides who steeled themselves for what President Donald Trump would say when he finally addressed the sexual assault allegation against his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh were quietly stunned when Trump said the process should be followed and the accuser should be heard.
GOP voter: What boy hasn't done this in high school? September 21, 2018
CNN's Randi Kaye speaks to Republican women in Florida about Christine Blasey Ford's sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
Ford lawyers say she is open to testifying, but not Monday September 21, 2018
Christine Blasey Ford opened the possibility she would testify before Congress about her accusation of sexual assault against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.
See Republican lawmaker's crude joke mocking accuser September 21, 2018
Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) made a crude joke about the sexual assault allegation made against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh has denied the allegation.
Clarence Thomas hearing witness: Let's not do 1991 all over again September 20, 2018
A Supreme Court nominee with an abysmal record on protecting women's and civil rights stands poised to be confirmed by the Senate. Women's and civil society organizations have loudly declared that his confirmation would be detrimental to working people and the economically vulnerable. His record on a woman's right to abortion and on agency over […]

What is Digital Abuse? Signs to Watch For and How to Get Help
Joyful Heart Foundation In the age of smartphones and smart homes, using technology to harass and abuse has become increasingly common.EducationOur IssuesDomestic ViolenceTeen Dating Violence
Blogger Beth Manos Brickey on Food, Wellness, and Her #MeToo Moment
Joyful Heart Foundation Beth Manos Brickey is a Certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, a yoga instructor, and a blogger with a love for food and wellness. She was chosen as one of four bloggers to compete in the Canyon Bakehouse Sammie Smackdown, a challenge to create the tastiest gluten-free sandwich. Canyon Bakehouse will donate $10,000 to […]
New State Laws To End The Untested Rape Kit Backlog
Joyful Heart Foundation During its second year, Joyful Heart’s national campaign to pass comprehensive rape kit reform continued to build momentum. Since January, an exceptional 46 rape kit reform bills were introduced in 24 states. We worked with partners in 11 states and helped lawmakers amend several drafts of legislation. As a result, we celebrate […]
Working With LGBTQ Survivors of Sexual Violence
Joyful Heart Foundation Lyzanne Malfitano has been a hotline shift supervisor at the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline for five years. She is the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) staff trainer for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago 40-Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Training. She is also a mental health counselor and provides counseling to women […]
5 Facts About Sexual and Domestic Violence in LGBTQ Communities
Joyful Heart Foundation June is LGBTQ Pride Month, when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning people and their allies celebrate diversity, progress, and pride. This month Joyful Heart reaffirms our support for survivors of all sexual orientations and gender identities or expressions.Sexual and domestic violence can happen in all different relationships and to anyone, and […]

What is Digital Abuse? Signs to Watch For and How to Get Help
In the age of smartphones and smart homes, using technology to harass and abuse has become increasingly common.Digital abuse, or the use of technology to harass or intimidate someone, can take many forms. It can occur at any stage of a relationship and to people of all ages, though it is especially common among teens […]
Working With LGBTQ Survivors of Sexual Violence
Lyzanne Malfitano has been a hotline shift supervisor at the Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline for five years. She is the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning) staff trainer for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago 40-Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention Training. She is also a mental health counselor and provides counseling to women and LGBTQ adults […]
5 Facts About Sexual and Domestic Violence in LGBTQ Communities
June is LGBTQ Pride Month, when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning people and their allies celebrate diversity, progress, and pride. This month Joyful Heart reaffirms our support for survivors of all sexual orientations and gender identities or expressions.Sexual and domestic violence can happen in all different relationships and to anyone, and respecting survivors’ diverse […]
The Intersections of Disability and Violence
NPR called it the “assault epidemic no one talks about.” Each year, people with disabilities—physical, mental, intellectual, and others—face disproportionate rates of sexual and domestic violence. And too often, they do not receive the support they need.As many as 1 in 2 disabled women have experienced domestic violence—twice the rate of non-disabled women. People with […]
Introducing Joyful Heart en Español
Joyful Heart’s website now offers Spanish-language resources to make our educational materials about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse accessible to those who speak Spanish, including the more than 40 million Spanish speakers in the United States.One in three Hispanic women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and one […]

A Conversation with Jennifer Fox on her HBO film, The Tale
Jennifer Fox is an internationally acclaimed producer, director, writer, and camerawoman. The Tale is Fox’s first fiction feature film, which she wrote, directed, and produced. The HBO film is based on Fox’s own life story as the main character, portrayed by Emmy award-winning actress Laura Dern, re-examines her first sexual relationship and the stories we […]
Healing as a Family After Child Sexual Abuse
Nancy Nesbitt is the parent representative on the Connecticut Governor’s Task Force on Justice for Abused Children. She applies her perspective and experiences as a mother of children who were sexually abused at a young age to her work. The task force serves to coordinate agencies in the investigation, intervention, and prosecution of child sexual […]
The Intersections of Disability and Violence
NPR called it the “assault epidemic no one talks about.” Each year, people with disabilities—physical, mental, intellectual, and others—face disproportionate rates of sexual and domestic violence. And too often, they do not receive the support they need.As many as 1 in 2 disabled women have experienced domestic violence—twice the rate of non-disabled women. People with […]
Introducing Joyful Heart en Español
Joyful Heart’s website now offers Spanish-language resources to make our educational materials about sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse accessible to those who speak Spanish, including the more than 40 million Spanish speakers in the United States.One in three Hispanic women has experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime, and one […]
6 Tips for Parents Talking About Dating Abuse
Parents who suspect their child is in an unhealthy relationship may not know how to help. Parents can begin discussing healthy relationships and signs of dating abuse with their children before they even begin dating. Here are six tips on how parents can navigate having conversations about dating violence with their children.1. Educate yourself.Learn warning […]

Keeping Our Healing Practices Survivor-centered
Healing from trauma looks different for every survivor. At Joyful Heart, our healing programs are based on honoring each survivor’s journey.We recently expanded the core of this work as participants in Blue Shield Foundation of California’s Learning Circle Project, a collaborative learning experience with seven other leading organizations serving domestic violence survivors. The learning circle’s […]
TALK LA: Supporting Survivors' Healing though our Signature Retreat Program
Thursday, 10 March 2016TALK EventsLos Angeles, CA On Thursday, March 10th, Joyful Heart board members Jenny Belushi and Heather Mnuchin hosted a TALK event in Los Angeles at the Belushi home. Over 30 guests gathered with our Los Angeles Committee for a presentation and conversation centered on Joyful Heart's survivor retreat research project with Georgetown […]
April: A Month of Healing, Education and Advocacy
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and National Child Abuse Prevention Month. For many of us, it will be marked by awareness-raising efforts, days of remembrance and calls to action. It will be a month, though, unchanged by the staggering facts:Every two minutes in the United States, someone is sexually assaulted.One in five women and […]
LA2050: We need your vote
Big news. This year, We are competing in this year's LA2050 Challenge to win $100,000 to support our holistic healing programs that help survivors heal from sexual assault, domestic violence and child abuse.With your support, we will evaluate and document our retreat model and create a replication plan for agencies in Los Angeles and beyond […]

Senate bill requiring prompt rape kit tests heads to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk
September 4, 2018The Daily CalifornianJenny Weng A bill requiring law enforcement agencies and laboratories to promptly analyze all newly collected rape kit evidence advanced to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk Friday.The state Senate and Assembly unanimously approved SB 1449 authored by Sen. Connie Leyva, D-Chino, according to a press release provided by Leyva’s office.Under the legislation, […]
DA pledged to test 1,000 rape kits, but lab’s pace is testing critics’ patience
August 30, 2018Times of San DiegoKen Stone In late April, at the height of her successful campaign for district attorney, interim DA Summer Stephan announced she would spend $1 million to test 1,000 rape kits.By the end of August, only 200 kits will have been tested by Bode Cellmark Forensics, a private lab in Virginia, […]
California bill to count rape kit backlog won’t impact SFPD
August 29, 2018SF WeeklyIda Mojadad Through public records requests, End the Backlog estimates that more than 13,000 kits are sitting untested on the shelves of California law enforcement—but it still won’t have a complete number unless jurisdictions are mandated to have them. Read the original versionTags: Rape Kitsuntested rape kitsCalifornia
The Me Too movement has changed our culture. Now it’s changing our laws.
July 31, 2018HuffPostRebecca Beitsch The Me Too movement has touched almost every industry in the past year, and state legislatures have been under growing pressure to curb sexual assault and harassment in private workplaces and within their own chambers. But has the reckoning had an impact on the law?Early signs point to yes.Pushed by survivors […]
New State Laws To End The Untested Rape Kit Backlog
During its second year, Joyful Heart’s national campaign to pass comprehensive rape kit reform continued to build momentum. Since January, an exceptional 46 rape kit reform bills were introduced in 24 states. We worked with partners in 11 states and helped lawmakers amend several drafts of legislation. As a result, we celebrate 15 states passing […]