Sexual Health Rankings™ presents Sex Stories, a weekly roundup of sexual health news from around the country.
Federal Task Force to Target Campus Sexual Assaults (LA Times)
A new White House report concludes that college women have the highest risk of being sexually assaulted. The report prompted President Obama to create a federal task force to address the issue. The announcement comes at a time when there has been an increase in both federal complaints under Title IX and the Clery Act as well as in student activism encouraging survivors to speak out.
VA Republicans Ready to Defend Same-Sex Marriage Ban (Washington Post)
Some Virginia legislators are angry with Mark Herring, their Attorney General, for filing a lawsuit to declare the state’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Herring does not feel comfortable upholding a law he says “violates Virginians’ fundamental constitutional rights.” Many worry this recent announcement will make it hard for the bipartisan government to get much done during this term.
State Takes Aim at Sex Trafficking of Minors (The Courant)
Connecticut child-protection, law-enforcement, health, and school officials are working on a more cohesive response to combat sex trafficking in the state. In addition to new laws that toughen penalties and expand the definition of trafficking, the state will hold its first major conference on the topic next week.
Female Inmates at Alabama prison Forced to Have Sex with Guards (Mail Online)
Another report by the US Department of Justice shows systematic and widespread sexual violence occurring in Alabama’s Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women. The report, based on dozens of interviews and hundreds of letters, found that a quarter of inmates had been abused, a third of employees had sex with an inmate, and incidents go unreported for fear of retaliation. State officials were not surprised by the results.
NIH Research Network Finds Many Youth Have High Levels of HIV (National Institutes of Health)
A new study of over 800 youth in 14 cities found that young men who have sex with men have the highest levels of HIV. The youth all were part of a government treatment and research network. The study concludes that it is important to get individuals into treatment early both for their own health and to avoid unknowingly sharing the virus.