Recently, there has been uproar over the conviction of Brock Turner, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting, with intent to rape a 23-year-old woman at a fraternity party at Stanford University. Turner was given a light six-month jail term in a county jail with three years of probation. With the release of the victim's powerful letter to Turner, which recently went viral, has ignited public outcry against Turner's sentencing. Brock Turner's father, Dan Turner, has released his own letter pleading that a prison sentence "is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action." Personally, I am not surprised that the former Stanford swimmer has a light sentence. I am not surprised that the victim has been publicly shamed, discredited in court, and has been dismissed because she was just another drunk girl at a college party with no memory of the assault.
How dare he. How dare his father. A woman is assaulted behind a dumpster, her body violated and the right to her body taken by an inebriated college freshman. Brock Turner had a jury unanimously decide that he was guilty of sexual assault, with the intent to rape, the intent to further harm an unconscious woman, and yet he walks away with six months of jail time with the possibility of being released earlier due to good behavior. I am not only angry. I am not only disgusted. I am infuriated. I am infuriated that the justice system has turned another sexual assault case into a joke. I am enraged that a woman has lost the ability to feel safe, secure in her surroundings. I am disgusted that another woman has lost her right to her body because she was violated against her will, without proper consent. I am angry that the victim has been left without proper justice for the crime that she has endured. But one thing that I am not, is shocked. I am not shocked that another white, male athlete, with undeniable privilege has been granted a light sentence. I am not shocked that the court system has failed, yet another, victim.
To Brock Turner -- why? Why did you think it was a good idea to drunkenly assault a woman, who was unconscious, clearly under the influence of alcohol, behind a dumpster? Who do you think you are? Do you believe that you are someone who has the power, the status to violate someone who was in no condition to give you their consent? I do not care if you are a decorated swimmer. I do not care if you were an easy going person, or what your favorite foods are, according to your father. I do not care if you live with worry or that you have lost your appetite. Do you think your victim left this unfortunate encounter with you unscathed? Are you really that naive to think that a woman who has endured a sexual assault, a rape, a woman who has had to relive it for the past year in court, walked away without any emotional and physical damage? You had no right. You really had no right to lay a finger on this woman. If she was drunk to the point that she was unconscious while you decided you were granted permission to assault her, she did not give you her consent. You rewrote the narrative of that night and magically created the part where your victim gave her full consent to being sexually penetrated by foreign objects, and you. If your victim is so drunk that she cannot remember the events of that night, it is safe to say that she was under the influence of alcohol to the point where she could not have uttered coherent sentences -- especially sentences that gave you permission to touch her body.
I am appalled at the light sentence that Turner received, but I am even more disturbed by the fact that women are not safe walking home at night. Women cannot let loose and enjoy a night out without being criticized by people with no right to voice their judgements. I am furious at the thought of some men believing they have power over women and a right to a woman's body. The news coverage surrounding Brock Turner, his father's ignorance, the victim's ongoing battle, and et cetera is one major story that mimics sexual assault cases around this country. It is an injustice to ignore the severity of Brock Turner's crimes. It is a wake-up call to everyone to challenge what society believes and understands about sexual assault and violence against women. It should also be a wake-up call to understand that these cases don't always involve a female victim. Sexual assault can happen to anyone of any gender or sexual orientation and it's about damn time we reevaluate how cases like these are handled in the courts, on college campuses, in small towns, and big cities.
Brock Turner will not be remembered for his swimming career, or his short stint at Stanford University. He will not be remembered as the kid who liked steak and stealing his dad's favorite snacks. Brock Turner will be remembered as a boy who used alcohol and the college party culture as an excuse to rape an intoxicated, unconscious woman by a dumpster. Brock Turner is only one of the many criminals who have committed sexual assault and have not been dealt their fair share of justice. It is time we make them face the music.
