Blog / Women’s Groups and Advocates for Sexual Assault Survivors call on New York State Assembly Members to Uphold the Ban against Professional Cage Fighting Events

*Note: This is not a Culinary Union press release.*

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For Immediate Release

April 23, 2013

Christina Walsh:  512.407.9020

Albany, N.Y. –  Today, leaders of New York women’s groups, state legislators and advocates for sexual and domestic assault survivors will call on the New York State Assembly to uphold the ban against professional human cage fighting events and to vote against Assembly Bill 6506, which would legalize these events.

Fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and others associated with cage fighting, also known as “mixed-martial arts,” have joked about rape in public and made sexually explicit remarks that are demeaning towards women.

“New York Deserves better,” said Connie Neal, Executive Director of the New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “Our elected leaders should not condone the negative attitudes and beliefs about violence against women that are glorified in professional human cage fighting. We strongly urge the Assembly to vote `No’ on Assembly Bill 6506 and uphold the ban.”

“Cage fighting has no place in a civilized society,” said Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee. “Except for those who stand to profit from this barbaric entertainment masquerading as sport, cage fighting causes great harm. It harms the fighters who risk their very lives and are sometimes killed. It harms women who are victimized by the glorification of distorted masculinity that cage fighting represents. It harms impressionable children as well as young people who are taught to believe that human brutality is a spectator sport.”

State and national organizations that support the existing ban against human cage fighting include the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NYSCASA), the National Organization for Women (NOW)-New York State, End Violence Against Women International, and the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS), among others. (You can read their March 15^th letter to State Assembly members here: http://bit.ly/ZJ9i1r)

“Mixed Martial Arts is a great marketing ploy,” said Assemblywoman Deborah J. Glick. “It is really ultimate fighting, which runs counter to all our efforts to reduce the impulse among people -- especially young people -- to resort to violent interaction.  Society needs to send better messages to young people encouraging non-violent games of sport.”

Last year, UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson appeared in an online video in which he pretends to attempt to rape a woman in a parking garage using chloroform and zip ties. Another UFC cage fighter Forrest Griffin wrote the following message on his Twitter account: "Man that bitch is so tough she uses a wooden dildo because she likes the splinters!"

Earlier this month, Joe Rogan, who does commentary for UFC televised events, posted the following messages on Twitter: “I view women that don’t like children the same way I view dogs that like to eat their own shit,” and “To the white knights coming to the defense of women who hate kids—they’re still not going to fuck you weak bitches.”

Despite public criticism for tolerating such offensive language, the UFC recently released a “Fighter Conduct Policy” that does not expressly prohibit obscene language and is more tolerant of misconduct than similar codes used by other professional sports organizations. The UFC policy gives the UFC discretion in deciding whether to impose discipline and what discipline to impose. The policy does not apply to people associated with the UFC who are not fighters.

“The UFC Fighter Conduct Policy does not come close to ensuring that the offensive language and jokes will change,” said Deborah Tucker, Executive Director of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence.