Anita Sarkeesian explains the most "radical" way to support women online

The founder of Feminist Frequency uses her own harassment to dissect the way women are harassed online

Published October 7, 2014 10:47PM (EDT)

Anita Sarkeesian at XOXO Festival    (screenshot/XOXO Festival)
Anita Sarkeesian at XOXO Festival (screenshot/XOXO Festival)

Last month founder of Feminist Frequency, Anita Sarkeesian, gave a talk at XOXO Festival about harassment online -- especially in niche communities like tech and gaming.

At XOXO Festival, Sarkeesian used her own experiences with terrible online harassment and vicious threats to dissect some of the worst ways to that women are attacked online. (Some of those threats, which happened after an episode of her series "Tropes vs. Women," are being investigated by law enforcement.) 

Two of the worst online attacks, according to Sarkeesian, include impersonation and conspiracy theories -- both used to defame and discredit women.

At the end of her talk, Sarkeesian gave simple and powerful advice on how to combat these attacks and support women online: "One of the most radical things you can do is to actually believe women when they talk about their experiences."

Watch the whole talk below:

h/t the Verge, XOXO Festival


By Sarah Gray

Sarah Gray is an assistant editor at Salon, focusing on innovation. Follow @sarahhhgray or email sgray@salon.com.

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Anita Sarkeesian Feminist Frequency Gamergate Sexism Video Video Games Women Online Xoxo Festival