"They were asking for it."

We have all heard that line somewhere when the topic of sexual assault comes up. It is disgusting, yet it happens so normally.

Recently, a case from 2002 came back into the news about a rape victim named Lindsay Armstrong, when a case similar to hers took place in court. The newest case involved a young woman who was sexually assaulted by a man whose attorney claimed it was justified, because "she was wearing a thong with a lace front."

In this case, the victim was only told that her "choice of underwear [means] she consented to sex," whereas in 2002, 17-year-old Lindsay Armstrong was forced to hold her underwear up multiple times in court. Both of these victims were humiliated in front of everyone, and the events of Armstrong's case made her take her own life.

Let's set the record straight: rape is never a justified thing. It is extremely messed up to tell a rape victim that their clothes are the reason they were raped. That their clothes consented to be violated. Neither of the attackers would have ever seen the underwear, had they not ripped their way to them.

Predators are predators. It does NOT matter who you are or what the situation is.

People who side with them are also at a fault of their own. How can you tell someone that they dressed a certain way in order to be raped? It is ridiculous, and all you are doing is humiliating that person. When has midriff said yes? When have shoulders, shorts, or even cleavage ever said yes?

The last time I checked, my clothes have never uttered a word, let alone gave someone the permission to touch me when it was unwanted. No one's clothes have EVER answered "yes" to a situation where the mouth screamed "no." It does not matter if someone's underwear is cute or their shoulders are exposed, if you touch someone without their say so, you should not be let off the hook.

Why do we need movements and protests in order to show you how messed up sexual assault is? That should be common sense by now!

This isn't just a rant on how rape is wrong, but it is an apology to anyone out there who has had their dignity stripped from them involuntarily. I am so sorry that it has happened to each and every one of you, and from the bottom of my heart, I support you. You all matter.