Brock Turner is a rapist. It's literally that simple. It does not matter that he can swim. I'm sure that the woman that he raped was great at things as well. Did that keep her from getting raped? No, so that should not keep him from being punished. I find it absolutely insane that the fact that he can swim played a part in the trial. Did the fact that the woman he raped get to list out her positive attributes? Did that play any role in the trial? She was someone's sister, someone's daughter, someone's friend, and, more importantly, she was someone, regardless of what she wore that night. Regardless of how much she had to drink. If not her, Brock Turner would have raped someone else. All of those precautions that we are taught at a young age, are just to make sure that another person gets raped instead of you. One person who just wasn't as cautious as the others and that's ridiculous.
Brock Turner took away a part of a woman's identity and people are sad for him? What about everything that woman had to go through day after day and is still going through? You don't just wake up the day after being raped and suddenly feel as though everything is okay. You cannot suddenly forget what happened. It follows you. You can be triggered just by going to the grocery store or getting a milkshake with a friend. Anything can bring it back. She will never be her old self again. She's lost the sparkle in her eyes. She's lost her sense of security. How is she supposed to ever feel safe again? Brock Turner stole all of that from her, so serving 3 months in prison? That's nothing compared to what she's going through. Being listed as a sex offender? Nothing compares to her pain. He will never be able to understand just what exactly he has put her through.
It's cases like this that keep people from reporting the fact that they have been sexually assaulted or raped. Why would these victims want to speak out when the attacker doesn't get the appropriate punishment? If they even get punished at all. Men and women alike refuse to admit that they have been attacked in fear of how people will see them. Would you want to be the one to put the star athlete out of commission? What about that one teacher that everyone loves? Plus there's then the fear that they will speak out and then nothing will happen. Everyone will be angry that they brought all of this onto their attacker when it was just a simple 'misunderstanding'. When in reality, the evidence just wasn't there because these types of attacks do not always leave a sufficient amount of evidence. It's even worse when the people that the victim's confide in tell them that they shouldn't report it because they're also more concerned about the attacker.
It's so sickening that we live in a society were we are more concerned with the attacker's reputation than we are with the mental state of the person that he hurt. Why does he matter so much? Is it because he's a man? Is it because he's an athlete? When did all of that matter more than the victim? When did status and reputation begin to matter more than hurting another person? What kind of society are we? Is this who we want to be?
It doesn't matter if it was the first time or not. You only have to kill someone once to be considered a murderer. You only have to rape someone once to be considered a rapist. Brock Turner is a rapist who got less than he deserved. He is a man who took a light out of a once bright woman.
One day, I pray that she will heal from this. I pray that one day she will get back an even brighter light. I pray that one day her eyes will sparkle more than they ever have. I pray that she doesn't let Brock Turner define her life because she is more than him. She is the daughter of a King. She is loved so much more than anyone could ever fathom and this is just a mere bump in her journey. I am praying for you ever single day. You are never alone. Thank you for being so brave and attempting to give this man what he deserved, even if the judge would not. I will always stand with you.
