Where do I even begin? Sexual assault is something that is taken way too lightly, and it needs to be addressed much more seriously than it has in the past. This isn't just a response to your article, George Lawson, but more of an attempt to wake up our society. Because the issue of sexual assault should never be taken lightly.
When I first read your article, I actually agreed with you. I agreed when you said, "do you really think the kind of person who lacks empathy, respect and human decency to the point where they’d violate someone’s body is really going to turn up to a consent lesson on a university campus?" I agreed with you when you said the answer was no, that anyone who would truly need a consent class would not attend.
But then I did some research, I looked into organizations like RAINN: The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. I learned so much just from researching for a short amount of time. So this is my attempt to tell anyone and everyone what I have learned.
I could never fully explain how wrong that article was. How wrong it is to post a picture saying: "This is not what a rapist looks like." Because really, what does a rapist look like? What I think maybe people do not understand is that there is no distinct look of a rapist. It's not that creepy person hiding in the bushes wearing a black hoodie.
In fact, according to RAINN, 82% of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a non stranger. Perpetrators are more likely than not to be a friend, acquaintance, and sometimes even a family member.
I think we can all to some extent say that we agree: yes means yes, and no means no. But there is so much more to consider. What if the person is intoxicated? What if they are unconscious? What if they said yes, but then changed their minds later? What is consent in those cases? That is something everyone needs to learn and understand.
We live in a time and place where Rape Culture is a very real thing. Rape Culture is the state in which rape is persuasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. In fact, according to a survey, 31.7% of men said that they had intentions to force a woman to sexual intercourse. However, when men were asked if they would rape a woman, the percentage dropped to 13.6%.
There are two things that shocked me about these statistics. One, forcing a woman to have sexual intercourse is the same thing as rape. However, when not using the word rape, men seemed to think it was more acceptable. Two, 13.6% of men said they would rape a woman. How can you stop and think about that statistic and say that we don't need consent classes? This survey was only conducted with a few participants, but either way it is something to be concerned about.
Victims of sexual assault are 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol, 26 times more likely to abuse drugs, and 4 times more likely to contemplate suicide. And our society thinks we don't need consent classes. Women enrolled in college are four times more likely than women in general to suffer from sexual violence. And our society thinks we don't need consent classes. Male college aged students are 78% more likely than non-students to be a victim of rape or sexual assault. And our society thinks we don't need consent classes.
Sexual assault is a major concern that should never be taken lightly. But where do we start? Consent classes may not be as effective as they are intended to be, but they are sure as hell better than nothing. We need to start taking steps in the right direction, in the direction that ends sexual assault. And I hope most people agree when I say: a simple consent class is the right direction, because it is better than no direction at all.
