Etsy Sells Rape Congratulations Cards

by Roxann MtJoy · 2010-12-22 06:00:00 UTC
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Update: Victory! Just under two months and 17,000 signatures after Change.org began covering the rape congratulations card for sale online at Etsy, the card (as well as ones mocking breast cancer and Down Syndrome) has finally been removed. Moreover, Etsy has changed its items policy, ensuring that similar products do not pop up on the site in the future.

"Congratulations. You Got Bad Touched."

That's the message printed on cards for sale on Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage items. The description reads "Get creeped on, get raped? Know someone that has? Then this card is for them." The cards currently sell for $2.50 each and are made by a person using the name "youstupidbitch." I kid you not.

So, what exactly are you getting for your two-and-a-half dollars? An offensive card featuring a drawing of a naked sexual assault victim curled up on the floor of a shower stall "printed on heavy duty white cardstock" complete with "red accents and matching envelope." Thank god for the matching envelope. I'd hate to clash when I traumatized and/or mocked a rape victim. Oh, and don't worry, your card will be "delivered to your door fast."

Etsy's official policy is to take no responsibility for the products sold on its site. Etsy's official Terms of Use state that it "has no control over the quality, safety, morality or legality of any aspect of the items listed." However, in the list of prohibited items, Etsy says that it does not allow items that harass others or that are deemed obscene. I think a strong case can be made that this card fits both categories.

Etsy may not have a legal obligation to remove the card in question from its site, but it does have, in my opinion, a moral imperative. Does the company really want to be known as the go-to website for cards that harass, offend, and traumatize survivors of sexual assault? Do they really want to open the doors for sellers like youstupidbitch to peddle the wares unimpeded? I hope not. Ask Etsy to remove this card from their website and send a message that this type of product is unwelcome on their website.

Photo credit: Charles & Hudson

Roxann MtJoy is a freelance writer who previously worked as a case manager at a domestic violence shelter. She is currently attending graduate school for theater in Mount Vernon, N.Y.
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