Brock,

You don't know me, but I sure do know you. For the last few months, your name has been a constant on news channels, social media networks, and in every day conversations. People have gone into a frenzy over you- but not for the right reasons.

Let me just take a second and say this- I don't know everything about your case. I haven't spent hours on the internet, researching the exact timeline of the night that the assault happened. I wasn't there- I don't know how drunk you were, how drunk she was. Besides the basics, your case is a bit foreign to me. But there is one thing that I do know:

You raped someone that night.

It doesn't matter if she was drunk. It doesn't matter if she seemed to be enjoying it. The second that someone is under the influence and is not fully able to give you consent, it's assault. It's rape. I understand that this is hard for you- how can a "drunken mistake" have cost you so much? Well, it didn't cost you as much as it should have, and I'm pretty sure that the majority of people in our country believe the same thing.

I have been on the other side of this equation. I have been sexually assaulted, and yes, this is the first time I have ever put it in writing for the whole world to see. It was scary for me. It took my trust in people from one level to a completely nonexistent one. I pushed people away, and to this day, I have had trouble even wanting relationships. When you have experiences like this, it changes your life forever. So, when your father said “His life will never be the one that he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve. That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.”, I can admit that I was infuriated. Yes, you will be paying the price your whole life, but so will the girl you assaulted. Her life will never be the same. Her sense of hope and belonging has gone down the drain. Your 20 minutes of action will result in a lifetime of pain. Yes, time heals. But it will take a pretty long time for her to get over the actions of that night. It definitely has taken me a long time- years later, I remember it vividly. I don't know if it's better or worse that I have complete recollection. Nevertheless, if the person remembers it or not, it's still just as painful and as difficult of a moment to process.

Brock, I've looked up your family. This morning, before I even started writing this letter, I googled "Does Brock Turner have a sister", and behold... you do.

The fact that you have a sister baffles me. If someone did what you did to that girl, to your sister, how do you think you would react? Would you not be outraged? Any brother would be. Any family member would be. Any friend who cares about someone deeply would be. Did you ever consider that you have a sister in your life who this has a chance of happening to? Having a brother myself, I know that if I was in the position your sister is in, I would be numb. I wouldn't know how to react. You love your sister. Of course you do. You respect her, I'm sure. If you respect and love your sister, respect and love your mother, how could you do something to another woman? How could you commit an act that you would be outraged to see committed against your sister? I have no idea. And that's what really confuses me about you.

I have people in my life who will side with you, Brock. Who will say,

"he was drunk too!"

"she is just as much to blame as he is!"

But I'm not looking to play the blame game here. I just know, as someone who has experienced an assault myself, how much pain, guilt, and shame is involved. We do blame ourselves. We think it's our fault. That we should have been more careful. It's something we have to live with too. It's damaging on both sides, and I think you need to recognize that, along with your parents.

The people who threw the Brock Turner comments my way, teasing me that I looked mad when they took your side? They don't know what happened to me my junior year of high school. That has been reserved for the closest people in my life. Now, whoever reads this article knows what happened to me, to an extent. And that's why I'm writing this to you, Brock. I wasn't in the same exact position as the girl you raped. I thank the Lord every day that I was not in that position. But I was close. And that hurts just as much. You have hurt people. And yes, I believe your jail sentence was too short- three months? For blatant rape? It should have been longer. But I think the punishment of knowing you did something so wrong- that will last a lifetime. Although your jail time was cut short, you will be haunted by your actions every day for the rest of your life. That is punishment, although it may not be sufficient. As a human being, you will have to live with your "20 minutes of action", and I think that's 110 percent fair.

Just a piece of advice for you- don't duck out. Do not avoid taking responsibility for your actions. Don't let your family take the fall for you. This cannot be reversed- it was done, and there is nothing that you can do about it but own up to it. Your conduct is no one's fault but your own. Rape culture nowadays has these sick stereotypes that if a girl has consumed a drink or is dressed a certain way, they "asked for it" and that cannot be more false. I am disgusted by how far we have went in the wrong direction, and hopefully your case will change someone's view. It didn't change mine- it just validated it.

- A girl who knows