Donny the Punk, July 1995

Stephen Donaldson (July 27, 1946 – July 18, 1996), born Robert Anthony Martin, Jr and better known by his nickname Donny the Punk, was an American political activist and the founder of Stop Prisoner Rape, Inc.. He is best known for his work on prison reform and his participation in the punk subculture. Image File history File links Image-Donny_the_Punk. ... Image File history File links Image-Donny_the_Punk. ... July 27 is the 208th day (209th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 157 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... July 18 is the 199th day (200th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 166 days remaining. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... // A nickname is a short, clever, cute, derogatory, or otherwise substitute name for a person or things real name (for example, Bob, Rob, Robby, Robbie, Robi, Bobby, Rab, Bert, Bertie, Butch, Bobbers, Bobert, Beto, Bobadito, and Robban (in Sweden), are all short for Robert). ... Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change. ... Stop Prisoner Rape (SPR) is a national 501(c)(3) human rights organization that seeks to end all sexual violence against men, women, and youth in detention. ... Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

Early life

Donaldson was the son of a Navy officer and himself became a sailor. He took the name Stephen Donaldson after graduating from high school. The multinational Combined Task Force One Five Zero (CTF-150) The British Grand Fleet, the supreme naval force of World War I A rare occurrence of a 5-country multinational fleet, during Operation Enduring Freedom in the Oman Sea. ... High school - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...

Early activism and jail experiences

After having been active in gay and student organizing at Columbia University[1], Donaldson became involved with activism in protests against the Vietnam War. In a 1973 Quaker peace rally at the White House, several demonstrators were arrested by police. Most of those arrested were released on $10 bail, but Donaldson refused to pay out of principle. Columbia University is a private university whose main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City. ... Demonstrators march in the street while protesting the World Bank and International Monetary Fund on April 16, 2005. ... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam People’s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... The Religious Society of Friends (commonly known as Quakers or Friends) began in England in the 17th century by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity. ... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ...

On orders from the jailhouse warden, Donaldson was moved into a wing full of hardened criminals. That night, Donaldson was anally and orally raped dozens of times by an estimated 45 African-American males. [2] He had injuries to his rectum so severe that they required surgery, and he had to spend weeks in hospital after the attack. After his recovery, Donaldson called a press conference, and recounted the gang rape to reporters. He was acquitted of all charges. The posterior aspect of the rectum exposed by removing the lower part of the sacrum and the coccyx. ...

Donaldson went on to have severe emotional problems, landing back in jail several times, but also taking a number of graduate school classes at Columbia University to study religion. During his subsequent incarcerations, he would 'hook up' with powerful male inmates to keep from being beaten and attacked again; although, he would have to have sex in exchange for this protection. This is where the word "punk" in his nickname comes from. A jail house punk is the term used to refer to the inmates who trade sex for inclusion into a group that ensures their physical safety. An explanation of Donny's theory of being a punk appears as a letter in the book We're All Doing Time by Bo Lozoff. The Human Kindness Foundation, founded by Bo and Sita Lozoff, is a non-profit organization which stresses a way of life based upon three common principles taught by the great sages of all religions: simple living a dedication to service a commitment to personal spiritual practice. ...

Later activism, writing, and death

He founded Stop Prisoner Rape, Inc, an organization which helps prisoners deal with the psychological and physical trauma of rape, and works to prevent it happening. He was perhaps the first anti-male-rape activist with any amount of public attention in the United States. Stop Prisoner Rape, or SPR, is an organization that seeks to end sexual violence committed against men, women, and youth in all forms of detention. ...

As Donny the Punk, he was also a respected writer and personality in the punk and anti-racist skinhead movements and was published in punk zines such as Maximum RocknRoll, Flipside and J.D.s. In the mid-1980's, Donny was the chief organizer of The Alternative Press & Radio Council, which brought together members of the punk community (fanzine editors, college radio DJ's, and others) from New York City, New Jersey, and Connecticut. This co-operative effort met on Sundays before the weekly CBGB Sunday hardcore matinees and organized several benefit concerts. The group also published a newsletter and in 1986 released a compilation LP entitled "Mutiny On The Bowery" on Mystic Records, composed of live tracks recorded at the group's benefits. Among other active members of the APRC were WFMU-FM deejay Pat Duncan, MaximumRockNRoll columnist Mykel Board, and Jersey Beat fanzine editor Jim Testa. Skinheads, named after their shaven heads, are members of a subculture that originated in Britain in the 1960s, where they were closely tied to the Rude Boys of the West Indies and the Mods of the UK. Skinhead with scooter // Categories There are several different types of skinheads, in terms... A punk zine (or punkzine) is a zine devoted to punk culture, most often punk rock music, bands, or the DIY punk ethic. ... Maximum Rocknroll Issue #1 Maximum Rocknroll (also known as MRR) is a a widely distributed, monthly underground punk rock and punk culture fanzine based in San Francisco, USA. Featuring interviews, columns and reviews from international contributors, Maximum RocknRoll could be thought of as one of the most important presences in... Flipside was a punk rock fanzine published in Los Angeles, California from 1977 - 2001. ... J.D.s is a queer punk zine founded in Toronto by G.B. Jones and co-published with Bruce LaBruce, that ran for eight issues from 1985 to 1991. ...

He was assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of Homosexuality (Garland Publishing, 1990) and was editor-in-chief of a concise edition of the Encyclopedia, which remains unpublished.

In 1996, he died from AIDS. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS or Aids) is a collection of symptoms and infections in humans resulting from the specific damage to the immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). ...

Quotes

• "I've gotten into Shiva Hinduism from Buddhism, in part because there's a very strong phallic-worship tradition there. And I can relate to that. I can relate to the phallus as the symbol of total power, of creativity, and see how it emanates a sense of awe, which is the basic feeling of religion. You know, the uncanny. The awesome. The hallowed. All the feelings that have nothing to do with good and evil. Just this sense of incredible power, this overwhelming energy that is so other, so totally other, and yet it touches you so closely inside. That's religion."

References

• Stop Prisoner Rape, Inc.
• Writings by and about Stephen Donaldson at SPR website
• Stephen Donaldson papers at the New York Public Library (pdf)
• Goad, Jim (1994). "The Punk Who Wouldn't Shut Up". Answer Me!: 26-30. (pdf)