When thinking of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, few cases have received widespread media attention. However, one case has received attention from mainstream media sources like its own episode of the popular true crime podcast Crime Junkie as well as a standalone episode on the Showtime special “Murder in Big Horn.”

In 2018, the Associated Press conducted an investigation which found that Indigenous Women make up .7% of all open missing person cases in the United States while only making up .4% of the total population.

It is estimated that out of these people, approximately 26,000 have been victim to unwanted sexual touches.

Last week, many of our staff members were able to attend the “Women Are Sacred” conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Last week, members of our team were able to provide advocacy to families and survivors of those effected by the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person crisis. As part of our work, we attended the Not Invisible Act Commission Hearing hosted by the Blue Lake Rancheria on their Tribal lands.

Spanish philosopher George Santayana is credited as saying “Those who cannot remember the past, are condemned to repeat it.” As we are well into the month of June, which is annually used as a month to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, current news articles and political debates in the country seem to feel like we are repeating parts of history. Therefore, it is important we learn the history of the LGBTQ+ community and how this history shaped the community today.

According to sources, the rule of thumb describes a husband's ability to inflict beatings on his wife if the item used for the violence is no longer than the width of his thumb. As shocking as the rule is, there is also a legal basis in the United States.

The threat of posting non-consensual sexually explicit photos and videos is often a tool that perpetrators utilize to exert power and control over their victims. Often, that threat becomes a reality. Current estimates show approximately 1 in 8 people over the age of 18 have had their sexually explicit images released without their consent.