Author: Catherine Thurmond

I am a Master of Liberal Arts student minoring in Women's and Gender Studies at LSU. During the Fall 2014 semester, I will begin to write her thesis on queer oppression through a philosophical Marxist feminist lens. My academic interests include second wave feminism, queer theory, queer Marxist feminism, feminist philosophy, Simone de Beauvoir, and Monique Wittig. I have been politically active since 2010, fighting for an end to oppression under capitalism. I was involved in Occupy NOLA, bringing in members of The Kasama Project, a national communist project in the United States. I was also active in student organizations at Southeastern Louisiana University where I organized many speaker events for activists such as Jordan Flaherty, Richard Becker, The Beehive Design Collective, Jed Brandt and Eric Ribellarsi, and Malik Rahim. More recently, I began volunteering for STAR, Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response, in 2013 as a hospital advocate where I supported sexual assault survivors. I later joined the Louisiana Delta Service Corps, often described as the Domestic Peace Corps, where I interviewed to be placed at STAR as their Outreach Coordinator. I am also the founder of a Feminist Consciousness Raising Group in Baton Rouge which uses feminist theory to discuss personal experiences under patriarchal oppression. Check it out here for more info about the group: http://brfeminist.wix.com/consciousnessraising

12/19/13 Weekly Media Update

Local News Baton Rouge The East Baton Rouge Parish sheriff’s deputies issued an additional warrant last week to a teen accused of standing watch outside a high school bathroom while another boy raped a teen girl. After the incident, the victim says the three walked out of the stall and other boys began grabbing her… Read More

12/11/13 Weekly Media Update

Local News Baton Rouge In last week’s media update, there were many articles about several men being charged in the rape of a 12 year old girl in Port Allen. We’ve now learned that two of the men’s bail amounts were increased, see here. In another article, we hear from Racheal Hebert, our executive director at STAR.… Read More

Child sexual abuse victims need our support, not blame

Written by Racheal Hebert, LMSW Executive Director at STAR According to local news sources, last week five men and one woman were arrested in connection to the multiple rapes of a 12-year-old girl in Port Allen, LA.  WBRZ reported that Ivy Martin, a registered sex offender, began raping the young girl after a period of grooming, where… Read More

Weekly Media Update

Local News STAR’s Executive Director appointed to LA Women’s State Commission  RACHEAL Hebert, our Executive Director here at STAR, was appointed to the Louisiana Women’s Policy and Research Commission on Thursday, November 7, 2013.  In the past, the Commission’s Report to the Governor has not reported on the impact of sexual violence on Louisiana women because… Read More

Blog Submission Guidelines

If anyone in our community of Baton Rouge is interested in submitting a post to our blog, please see below for our submission guidelines:   All guest posts must be related to STAR’s mission and/or vision. Mission: To provide support, education and advocacy to empower all individuals and families affected by sexual trauma, and engage and… Read More

Weekly Media Update

Local News Baton Rouge St. Bernard Parish President David Peralta said Tuesday that his wife has withdrawn a sexual assault complaint against him, a day after State Police revealed they are investigating an allegation against the first-term parish leader.  See more here. Man from Baker kidnaps, rapes and robs a woman at knife point on Friday,… Read More