The National Women’s Law Center and Know Your IX are proud to present Survivors Speaking Out: A Toolkit About Defamation Lawsuits and Other Retaliation by and for People Speaking Out About Sex-Based Harassment. This toolkit was written by students, survivors, and advocates, many of whom have spoken out about sex-based harassment and then faced defamation lawsuits and other retaliation. Our goal in writing this toolkit is to help survivors understand their rights, risks, and options when deciding whether to speak out and, if so, how to do it as safely as possible. If you have faced sex-based harassment at school, work, or anywhere else, and you are thinking about speaking out (or already have spoken out), then this toolkit is for you.
Click here to read the Toolkit and Appendix.
The Toolkit includes the following parts:
- Part A: Ways to Speak Out
- Part B: Things to Keep in Mind When Speaking Out
- Part C: Speaking Out as a Student
- Part D: Speaking Out as a Worker
- Part E: Responding to a Defamation Lawsuit
- Glossary
Use the Appendix to find out if your state has an anti-SLAPP law that can protect you if you are sued for defamation. A SLAPP (“strategic lawsuit against public participation”) is an abusive lawsuit filed to silence people who speak out about misconduct, including sex-based harassment. Some states have passed anti-SLAPP laws to protect people who speak out and are targeted by defamation lawsuits as a result.
Accessibility: These are printer-friendly, screen-reader accessible, and Spanish versions of the Toolkit and Appendix:
- Toolkit – Printer Friendly (PDF)
- Toolkit – English (Word)
- Toolkit – Spanish (Word)
- Appendix – English (Excel)
- Appendix – Spanish (Excel)
Read our blog to learn more about this toolkit.