"Girls can rape girls. Best friends can rape best friends. Friendship doesn’t equal consent,” Heller wrote.

If you haven't heard already, "The Voice"alum Melanie Martinez, has been accused of sexual assault.This may not come as a shock to you, as most of the news recently has been talk about people coming forward about sexual assaults from past and present. What is surprising most people about the Martinez case is that Martinez is accused of raping a WOMAN. Yes, that's right. A same-sex assault was possibly committed. On December 4, 2017, Timothy Heller, a rising star in her own right came out on Twitter with a strong accusation against her former best friend.

In part of the long tweet she says, “I said no. For two nights straight. It doesn’t matter that I didn’t resist during the action,” Heller wrote on Twitter. “I had been broken down. She knew I didn’t want to, I made that clear. I didn’t scream at her, I didn’t force her off of me, 1, because I loved her. 2, because I just wanted it to be over.”

The duo was deemed codependent by Heller, and Heller loved Melanie. But, that loved turned dark. Right now, there seem to be accusations every day in the media. It's hard to follow what to believe and what not to. Fake news has gotten to be indistinguishable. Upon first reading the accusation, it's a hard pill to swallow. That's what makes Melanie Martinez's response so interesting...and passive. Martinez responds to Heller's accusation with really nothing in her own defense.

Honestly, I'm outraged by her response. Consent is simple. If it's not YES, it's NO. End of story. Point blank. Period. Martinez's only defense is that Heller didn't say no? She didn't say stop it enough? I don't care when it happened, and I don't care when it happened....the answer was clear. She. Said. No. Whether it was verbal or by action, the answer was No. Stop. Martinez's response is pretty passive victim blaming, "she never said no to what we chose to do together." Sorry Melanie, but if Heller didn't say yes....then her answer was no.

I have never loved Melanie Martinez as an artist, I have never hated her as an artist. I've even seen her in a concert where she was the opening act. I found her character odd, but I thought it was all an act and she's just making her way as an artist. Yet, maybe the reason why Martinez plays a secretive and strange persona so well is because MAYBE, just MAYBE....she's hiding something in real life, not just on stage when she's acting.

Honestly, I want to believe Martinez is innocent. I want to believe that people aren't capable of these things. I want to believe there was a misunderstanding somewhere down the road of their friendship.I want to believe that there is good out there in the world. But, looking at the facts, then Martinez's passive defense, and Heller's heartache, it's hard to believe that Heller isn't spilling her guts and the truth out to the world via Twitter. Martinez isn't the first to be accused, and she won't be the last.

So, this poses the question: What do YOU believe? No matter what you may believe, or what you may read, or who ends up being right in the end...please remember this: IF IT'S NOT A YES, IT'S A NO. Assault is sad and it is REAL. It DOES happen. And it can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter what sex you are, it doesn't matter your preference, and it doesn't matter your race. Sexual assault is a growing problem. Whether it's same-sex assault or not-- it happens, and it's time it stopped. With all of the victims coming forward, I hope that this is a chance for a revolution and change. I hope that the truth comes to light, whether it starts with this case, or another. Support victims, because Melanie Martinez won't be the first, and she won't be the last. It's time for it to end.

On behalf of one fan to another, I'm sorry too.

-A
https://www.buzzfeed.com/krishrach/this-is-what-ha...

https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/806...

https://twitter.com/timethyheller/status/937817806...