BREAKING: Bill to stop military rape hits strong opposition

Senator Gillibrand's legislation to stop military rape has just hit a roadblock. We need your input to overcome it.   Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services committee, has over-ruled a majority vote and dumped key provisions removing prosecutions from the military chain of command from the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The obstruction is cowardly and unacceptable from a Senator who claims to hold progressive values. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) said she was "stunned" and said that "the committee is largely embracing the status quo."   

Now the fight moves to the full Senate for a vote, with the outcome very much up in the air. Our job is to make sure that reform passes -- we need YOUR input to do that.   Courage Campaign is member driven, and that means that we need you to help us decide how to best utilize our resources to get this legislation passed. So far, you've sent emails, made phone calls, and you've flown survivors of military sexual assault to DC to tell their stories.    Here are our best ideas on what we should do next. Tell us what you think:

• Organize, train, and fly survivors and Courage members to lobby their representatives in the House and Senate before the vote.
• Take out a billboard in Sen. Levin's hometown to educate him on the reality of the problem and hold him accountable.
• Send rape whistles to Senators to bring home exactly what a violent and despicable problem this is.
• Buy newspaper ads in strategic swing vote districts to influence Senators. 
• YOUR idea.

We're determined to win protection for the countless women and men who want to serve their country, not face the horrors of sexual assault. Please weigh in on what you think would be most effective.   

Together, we can win this.   

Caitlin, along with Adam, Aidan, Annie, Anthony, Christian, Eddie, Gabe, Jacob, Dan, Kristin, Michael, Rick, Sarah, and Scottie (the Courage team)