So... Brock Turner is out of jail. In case you have been living under a rock the past year and a half, Brock Turner sexually assaulted a girl behind a dumpster on the night of January 18, 2015. Three months ago was the beginning of his six month sentence to jail but he was promised he would be out sooner if he "behaved well." Fast forward three months. September 2, 2016 he was released from prison.
Sure, it was an exciting day for his family. Woo hoo. However, what does this news say to the girl he assaulted? What does that say to all of the other girls and boys that have been assaulted or raped? The ones that have been too scared to say something? Do you think this makes them any more confident to stand up for themselves and say something? No. Not at all. Why? Because of the outcome of this case. Yes, it will push some people to tell someone, but seeing how this specific case turned out really isn't helping much.
While Brock Turner's case is one being highlighted in the media a lot, it is NOT the only case. There are so many other girls, boys, men, and women that are being sexually assaulted and raped. Every. Single. Day. So many that are afraid to say something. That have been shamed to silence. That when they finally DO decide to tell someone what they have been through are asked things like "well what were you wearing?" "were your actions suggesting you approved of this behavior?" "did you try to stop him/her?" Instead, let's start asking "are you okay?" "do you need someone to talk to?" "how can I help you?"
When will this shaming end? When will we stop accusing the victims? When will we open our eyes and realize that this is not okay? Just because someone is a "promising athlete" or "great student" does not mean they should be let off easy. Just the other day, I saw another case where the guy convicted of raping someone got away with it because his parents didn't want to see him go through the trouble and heartache of registering as a sex offender. Because he's "such a nice boy" and they didn't want him to emotionally suffer from that. Seriously? Maybe he should have thought about how he was going to emotionally damage the person he raped. Same for Brock Turner. What he has put this girl through is something no one should ever have to go through. If you haven't, take a minute to read her letter to him. To see that he could do that to someone and then just pretty much get away with it is beyond my belief. Just because he is a young boy shouldn't excuse anything. We can't keep taking the side of the ones who committed the crime, people. We can't keep letting these people get away with it. I have no doubt that if it were an older man, we wouldn't think twice about locking him up forever. So why is it so different when it is a young person? When it happens on a college campus?
It is NEVER the victims fault. They didn't ask for it. If they are unconscious, they didn't ask for it. If they are intoxicated, they can't give clear consent and therefore didn't ask for it. If they said yes but changed their mind, they didn't ask for it. If they said yes but passed out, they didn't ask for it. If they are dressed a certain way, they didn't ask for it. If they are acting a certain way, they didn't ask for it. THEY DID NOT ASK FOR IT. NO MEANS NO. So I say we take a stand to STOP all of this. STOP the shaming. STOP the name calling. STOP any other men, women, boys, girls, anyone from getting raped or assaulted.
Thank you.
