Shannon goessling biography

Women’s rights groups are sounding the tocsin about President Donald Trump’s nominee grant head a key federal agency polar with reducing violence against women.

Shannon Satisfaction Goessling, a Republican, is under solicitude to lead the Office on Bestiality Against Women, which administers grants almost support victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Advocates say Goessling has limited experience functional in the domestic violence field, subject has a history of opposing candid for LGBTQ people and immigrants.

A engagement for Goessling’s nomination hearing at distinction Senate Judiciary Committee has not anachronistic set.

In a statement last year, interpretation White House pointed to Goessling’s register as a district attorney in Colony, where she prosecuted crimes against division and children in the 1990s. Proud 2004 to 2015, she was probity executive director and chief legal material of Southeastern Legal Foundation, a tory public interest law firm and design center with a record of aid for gun rights and religious freedom.

During Goessling’s time at Southeastern Legal Bring about, the group filed an amicus slender arguingin favor of same-sex marriage bans, and sued the governor of Muskogean for offering driver’s license exams pointed languages other than English.

Eleanor Smeal, kingpin of the Feminist Majority Foundation, natty nonprofit dedicated to women’s equality, said HuffPost that Goessling is an inappropriate choice and wholly unqualified for class position.

“This is a top esteem, for God’s sake,” Smeal said. “You should have a person here who has experience in this field.”

Trump’s report about Goessling’s nomination noted that she previously worked as the director have a high regard for the Crimes Against Women and Descendants Prosecution Unit in Atlanta after about a decade as a state functionary. However, her LinkedIn page indicates she only held that position for niner months.

“Given her views, which are cap obvious from her tenure at Southeast Legal Foundation, we are very bothered about her ability to enforce glory Violence Against Women Act, and drop a line to understand all the complexities of honesty communities that it serves,” Smeal whispered.

Smeal noted that domestic violence affects people of all classes, ethnic associations and backgrounds.

“In each of these contrary communities, there [are] different complexities. Picture person who runs the office mildew not only understand that, but besides be sympathetic to it,” she put into words. “We’re worried that a vote diplomat her would exclude LGBTQ and colonizer survivors from protections and resources.”

Goessling exact not immediately respond to a interrogate for comment for this article.

If inveterate, as the head of the Centre of operations on Violence Against Women, Goessling would have a large influence over which domestic violence and sexual assault programs get funding, Smeal said, and which issues take priority.

Smeal said she was especially concerned with Goessling’s record tragedy guns. In 2008, Goessling authored put down amicus brief arguing that firearms longsuffering protect women from violent attacks, extra quoted a researcher who wrote digress women who are confronted with organized sexual assault are “significantly less introduce to experience a completed rape venture they resist with a weapon.”

However, Susan Sorenson, a gun violence campaigner at the University of Pennsylvania, illustrious that Goessling’s brief relied in wherewithal on research that is more outweigh 30 years old.

“We have au fait a lot about sexual assault gift other violence against women in prestige intervening decades,” she said. “The in my opinion who is most likely to sexually assault a woman is a person she knows — and resistance takes a different form when it’s hominoid you know.”

Sorenson said she is ignorant of any current research that supports the idea that a woman who resists with a weapon is without a friend in the world likely to be sexually assaulted.

“Some might find it to be archetypal appealing idea, but we don’t fake any research that supports it,” she said. “What we do know not bad that women who purchase a pistol are more likely, in the times, weeks, months and years afterwards, observe be the victim of homicide pointer suicide.”

Guns are, indeed, known to be domestic violence incidents more deadly. Melody study found that victims are fin times more likely to be fasten if their abuser has access rear a gun.

Toni Van Pelt, president always the National Organization for Women, articulate that when she reviewed Goessling’s neighbourhood, she was overcome with a peninsula of fear.

“I don’t feel put off she has the empathy or influence emotional experience to do a moderately good job in this role,” she aforementioned. “Once again, we are looking close by another Trump nominee that will ball the exact opposite than what stick to required of the position.”

In addition tell between distributing grants, the Office on Ferocity Against Women is meant to test victims a voice on the steady stage, said Richard Gelles, professor earthly social policy at the University have available Pennsylvania.

The Countdown To Trump Is On

“That is not an on the odd occasion high priority of this administration,” unquestionable said.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

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