After the craziness of finals season, it’s time to catch up on some of the headlines we’ve missed: a case of alleged rape in a CA middle school is being referred to as a case of hormones gone wild, charges have been dropped against a 9-year-old defendant in this past summer’s Phoenix gang rape case, new statistics regarding sexual harassment at work have us scared to graduate, Uganda has taken a big step by finally banning female circumcision, and a sexually-frustrated husband in New Zealand intentionally infected his wife with HIV.

Following the arrest of the seventh suspect in the CA homecoming gang rape incident, the 15-year-old victim has spoken out. Her message is one calling for peace. In her message, she recognizes the anger of the public concerning her rape, but she asserts that violence is never the answer, even in cases of retribution or revenge. [via CBS]

A few days ago, we blogged about the atrocious gang rape of a 15-year-old high school student outside of a California homecoming dance. Rightfully so, the incident has garnered national media attention, and many writers, journalists, and news hubs are calling for immediate action, particularly in regards to the bystanders who silently watched as a young girl was brutally attacked.

In a story that is horrifically reminiscent of last week’s UK-rape-at-a-school-dance post, CNN has reported that a California high school student was gang raped–in an attack that lasted over two hours from beginning to end–outside a homecoming dance over the weekend. According to witnesses, physical evidence, and police reports, she was assaulted by at least four individuals, while a crowd as large as 15 looked on.

For the past few weeks, the media has been in a frenzy over various spectacular headlines, including President Barack Obama’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize and the now-infamous Balloon Boy hoax. So, it’s not hard to imagine how the recent passage of Senator Al Franken’s amendment to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010 on October 7 was overlooked… along with the 30 senators who voted against it.