Hi. My name is Jonny Childs, I am a male, and I'm also a victim of sexual assault. On March 3, 2017, I was invited to Unofficial. Just a background for some of you: Unofficial is the St. Patrick's Day celebration that some colleges host every year because the real holiday fell during their Spring Break. Therefore, they would celebrate it a couple weeks early.

The person who invited me was a fraternity brother. He invited me down there, but he had a concert so I thought I should walk around for a little bit, which I did. I was originally going to go to a common hangout, but then I got distracted by this house party that overflowed onto the sidewalk. I went to the party, of course, and had a couple. Then my "brother" messages me and gives me an address to one of the other houses. I go.

I make my way to the house and met him there, we knew who each other were because I saw him one other time before. What I had no idea about was his motives for the rest of the night. The party was great, I don't remember much, but somehow, we ended up at this other house. I sort of had an idea of what he was doing by the time we got there, but I wasn't so sure. It wasn't until he called me outside that the unspeakable happened.

This man that I called my brother, my friend, pinned me up against the side of the house and kissed me all while grabbing my crotch not once, but two times. The second time, I told him never to do that again. However, he kept trying to make advances all night. Then, the second guy we were hanging out with saved my life. He prevented him from making more advances and instead of staying at my assailant's dorm, I was very fortunate enough to stay at the house.

I woke up the next morning and I went for a little walk around the campus and ended up hanging out with the man who saved my life. We talked a lot about what happened and how I was going go to go about this going forward. We talked about the conversations that he and my assailant had, but there was one memory that will always stick with me forever. The conversation went like this, "You can never make a straight man bi, it doesn't work that way." My assailant told him, "that's never stopped me before." This means that my assailant has done this more than one time. This meant that there are other victims that have yet to stood up to him. During the course of our time there, I got a friend request from the chapter president and I picked it up. I messaged him and I was able to stay at his apartment for my last night there.

At his apartment, we talked about what happened that night. All I have to say is that he and the other brother that was there were very supportive and helpful along this journey. I couldn't have thanked them enough for it. My assailant got expelled from the fraternity and a big weight was lifted off of my shoulders. However, there's one thing I still can't shake.

In fraternities and sororities, you hear of hazing rituals and other drinking activities that pledges and actives partake in. However, how rare is it to hear about a brother being sexually assaulted by another brother who's older than his victim? You never hear about it.

Many don't realize it feels like to assaulted, so I'll tell you. Imagine being so incredibly numb and feeling so worthless, that's what it feels like. When you get assaulted, it's almost as if there's nothing you could've possibly done to prevent it from escalating to that point. In reality, there was nothing you could do at that moment. Your mind goes into flight or fight mode, but you do neither. As a guy, I found that embarrassing at first, but it is a reality, guys.

However, I believe that I'm not the first one. I say that if there are more people out there that suffered through what I have suffered in a fraternity setting, I invite you to speak up and say something. If you don't say it now, you'll instantly regret it. It took me a long time to finally gain full trust in my fraternity again because one, we have brothers who are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community, but two, I know they would never do that. However, my mind says (and is still telling me) to be aware, be awake, and be ready.

Being a victim of sexual assault is really eye opening. It really makes you more aware of how much of an issue this really is in today's society, not just for women, but for men as well. I feel like I might be one of few guys out there that experienced this, but I'm one of the few guys that have a voice and will continue to tell my story.

I have a new definition of brotherhood now. I made this to remind myself who my real brothers are and who I should put my trust to. I invite anybody looking for enlightenment to follow this quote:

"Brotherhood is when you hold the same values as one another and treat each other with the utmost kindness and respect. Brotherhood is when you put your full trust into a man and can rely on him in every possible situation. They will protect you, and they will love you. Your brother doesn't have to be blood, they can be 2,000 miles away, and they are willing to welcome you with open arms whenever you two meet. If a brother goes against these values, they are not your brother. They are not your friend. Protect yourselves and your fellow brethren, but do not take advantage of the fraternity name, or family name, for your own desires."