Collective Shout has called on Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to revoke a visa given to US recording artist Tyler the Creator for a September all-ages tour.

In a letter to the Minister, Collective Shout argues Tyler’s promotion of violence against women and his behavior on a July 2013 tour disqualify him for entry.

The rapper’s lyrics describe raping women, mutilating their genitals, chopping up their bodies and raping their corpses. Activist Talitha Stone, who led the campaign against his earlier tour, was subjected to an onslaught of rape and death threats from Tyler’s fans after he targeted her on twitter.

Ms Stone attended the Sydney concert undercover where the rapper, unaware she was present, proceeded to verbally abuse her from the stage, whipping the crowd into a frenzy. (Police also investigated the alleged sexual assault of a woman during the concert).

Ms Stone recorded and uploaded footage of her vilification to YouTube, which contributed to NZ banning his entry last year. Twitter also implementing a ‘report abuse’ button as a result of the online vilification Stone received.

Collective Shout co-founder Melinda Tankard Reist said granting a visa to an artist who advocates raping and murdering women contradicted the Government National Plan of Action to Reduce Violence Against Women and their Children.

“You can’t have a national plan of action to reduce violence at the same time as rolling out the red carpet to an artist who eroticizes and glamourizes it,” Tankard Reist said.

Minister Dutton has the opportunity to send a strong message about the seriousness of violence against women.

“On behalf of women and girls, and all who care about them, we are asking the Minster to place the safety of our female citizens before a recording artist who helps fuel a hostile culture environment for all of them.”

June 14 2015

Marketing coordinator for a non-profit organization, Laura Pintur, 23, has  launched a Change.org petition directed at the CEO’s of Woolworths and Coles, Grant O’Brien and John Durkan, calling on the big two supermarket chains to stop selling Zoo Weekly.

Ms Pintur said the so called ‘lads mag’ encouraged the sexual exploitation of women and girls.

“Zoo contributes to a culture that is hostile and threatening to women”,” she says.

”When big supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths sell Zoo it normalizes harmful attitudes to women.

The petition refers to a 2011 study comparing lads mags’ (including Zoo) and statements from convicted rapists. It found many people could not distinguish the source of the quotes.

“Zoo Weekly uses the same language as rapists in its magazines,” said Ms Pintur.

Zoo also gives tips to young readers on how to coerce drunk women into sex.

Sexually objectifying imagery and demeaning content feature on Zoo’s social media. This has included an image Zoo shared with its Facebook supporters of a woman’s body cut in two with the question, “Which half do you prefer?” Young readers described their various pornographic uses for the woman’s top half and/or her bottom half.

Zoo magazine is unrestricted, meaning there are no age restrictions on who can purchase the magazine. Bauer’s statistics indicate that 36,000 boys aged 14-17 read Zoo.

“Zoo teaches boys that women should submit to their demands. Do Coles and Woolworths, which pride themselves on their corporate ethics and support for communities, share this view? If not why spread it?” Ms Pintur said.

“I have seen and experienced first hand the detrimental costs of what this magazine endorses, not only in my life but the lives of other young people.

“What chance does my generation, and those younger than me have when such major corporations help groom boys to treat us badly?”

“It’s time for these company’s to stand up for the wellbeing of women and girls and against discrimination, harassment and violence.

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/coles-and-woolworths-stop-promoting-rape-culture-bin-zoo-mag

Graphic adult content from inside Zoo magazine: http://www.collectiveshout.org/zoo_weekly

Released May 10, 2015

Media Release

Spotlight latest addition to anti-sexploitation movement’s blacklist of corporate offenders

Collective Shout: for a world free of sexploitation, a grassroots campaigning movement is calling on Switchfoot to withdraw from a planned live performance at City Beach surf store on Queen Street, Brisbane this Thursday afternoon (23rd February).

*Trigger warning - sexual violence*