ROGERS PARK — If you've gotten a bad taste in your mouth reading about the anti-women rally set for this Saturday, you're not alone.
The now-canceled plans for a meet-up between followers of the Return of Kings blog left an alderman "very disturbed" and activists looking to defuse the event with tuba songs.
Counter protests and ways to avoid feeding the trolls have popped up, along with calls for readers to #ClickSomethingElse.
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The hashtag has spread on social media as feminists encourage people to steer the conversation (and clicks) away from Roosh V's blog, and toward a discussion on work being done at organizations like Rape Victim Advocates, who are struggling amid the state budget impasse.
Sharmili Majmudar, executive director of Rape Victim Advocates, a Chicago-based organization who helps victims of gender-based violence, said her organization was up for the fight when it came to countering "evil" messages that she said people who were sexual assault survivors were faced with daily.
"I think it's absolutely necessary that the last word be of the people who believe in safety and justice and compassion," Majmudar said.
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Donations made to the group go toward supporting all survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, including offering crisis intervention, counseling, legal services, support groups and more.
In the meantime, she said groups like Return of Kings shouldn't be entirely dismissed as "fringe" extremists.
Their rhetoric, though sensational, can be used to shine a serious light on the problematic mindset behind "men's rights" movements.
"This is about how our society continues to view the issue of sexual violence, and I think it's important to raise that so we don't just dismiss this as a one-off, out-of-control fringe group, but rather really think about what are pieces we need to address to confront gender-based violence in our own home."
Majmudar said she believed the time was ripe for organizations to bring attention to their causes and encourage advocacy, while also educating the public on the realities of violence and trauma.
Here's a list of organizations in Chicago, what they do and how you can help them help women:
• Mujeres Latinas en Acción: This bilingual Pilsen agency offers programs and resources focused on advocacy, Latina leadership and child care. Mujeres assists survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault with legal advocacy and crisis intervention and counseling. Donating $25 helps train volunteers for a 24-hour bilingual crisis hotline, while larger donations cover educational workshops, crisis housing, counselors and transportation costs. Volunteers work in afterschool programs, help with voting campaigns and help with child visitation sessions.
• WINGS: The WINGS program began in 1985 as a grassroots church organization geared toward helping homeless women and children in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. It's now one of the largest domestic violence service and housing providers in the state, with a new domestic violence shelter on the Southwest Side opening this month — the first to open the city in a decade. The program provides services from an emergency safe house to career services and a food pantry. WINGS cites an "urgent need" for shelter beds in the city, saying the Chicago Police Department receives an average of 500 domestic violence calls each day, but only 112 beds for victims in the city. Those who wish to donate can designate how the money is spent, from adding more shelter beds to paying for transportation for women living in a safe house.
• Chicago Women's Health Center: People pay what they can afford at the Chicago Women's Health Center, which offers primary care, gynecology, trans health services, alternative insemination and counseling. The Uptown center serves about 2,000 people each year, 26 percent of whom identify as LGBT. Ninety percent of the center's $410,000 budget goes toward program services, with 7 percent spent on fundraising and the remainder on management and general costs.
• Chicago Foundation for Women: Last year, the Chicago Foundation for Women awarded $1.24 million in grants to 33 local organizations that support equal opportunities for women and girls. Recipients included Chicago Women in Trades, Women Employed and The Night Ministry. While working across industries, the foundation also launched the 100% Project last year. The survey and resulting plan are an "all-out, all-in, coordinated effort to increase women's economic security and put an end to gender bias in metropolitan Chicago by 2030."
• Between Friends: What began as a grant-writing group for domestic violence programs in 1986 has expanded to include its own direct crisis intervention services like counseling, healthcare education and teen dating violence prevention. The Rogers Park nonprofit stresses that it supports everyone, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, age or gender expression. Even if you can't donate money, Between Friends has a wish list for clients that includes diapers, canned food, school supplies and children's toys and books. Volunteer opportunities are also available.
• Apna Ghar: Focusing on gender violence in immigrant communities, Apna Ghar provides intervention and prevention services, in addition to training and community education. The Uptown agency has a 24-hour crisis line and an around-the-clock emergency shelter that offers a "culturally appropriate environment" and legal advocacy. Volunteers help with child care, interpreting, fundraising and administrative duties. Donations and wish list items such as cleaning supplies and CTA passes help families affected by gender violence.
• Connections for Abused Women and their Children: Based in Humboldt Park, the agency provides empowerment services and counseling as part of its commitment to ending domestic violence. In 1992, it launched the Hospital Crisis Intervention Project, training clinicians on the public health impact of abuse. Its outreach programs range from enhanced children's therapeutic services to an intervention program for men who batter. Its shelter services are desperately needed: Each month, Greenhouse Shelter turns away 600 women and children due to lack of space. The nonprofit says a $50 donation buys food for one day at the shelter, while $100 helps cover counseling for a mother and child. The agency also has an extensive wish list and direct service volunteer opportunities.
• Family Rescue: The South Chicago-based Family Rescue offers shelter, support and advocacy to victims of domestic violence. The wide-ranging services include after-school care, substance abuse recovery support, affordable housing and parenting skills. Donations and volunteers can make "an immediate difference."
• Rape Victim Advocates: RVA is a nonprofit organization that works with sexual assault survivors, offering them counseling, legal help and access to medical treatment. They also help women who need immediate assistance with clothing, shelter, medical costs or police reports. You can donate to them here.
• The Chicago Rape Crisis Hotline, 888-293-2080, operates 24 hours daily.
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