On October 2, 2018, President Donald Trump told a group of reporters that it a "very scary time to be a young man." The President was referring to young men wrongly accused of sexual assault, surely in wake of the Kavanaugh hearing and investigation.

If I was the artist P!nk, and could write a song questioning the President (i.s Dear Mr. President, a song directed towards the second Bush), I would. But sadly, my musical talent is not that skillful, and I am not a singer. What I can do, is discuss why we need to be open about this very real topic, Sexual Assault. And that's what I'm going to do.

My second week of college, I went to a frat party with a group of friends. My friend group here is mostly guys, and the other girl in the group had gone home for the weekend.

So, my boys and I went to this party. We all know how college parties are, I don't need to explain that. My friends and I made our way to the back of the frat basement, and this kid (I will NEVER forget his face) started talking to us and began to focus on me.

He had obviously been drinking and kept telling me how cute it was that it was my first frat party. He was much bigger than me and kept leaning over to get closer to me.

My friends had moved over to talk to one of their mutual friends, but stayed in eyesight. It was very clear that I was with these boys. The boy who had been talking to me began to become more flirty. He began to touch me, and like I always do when I don't want to be touched, I backed away. He then asked me if I wanted to dance, and I told him no.

He moved closer, towering over me and kept hitting on me. Finally, he asked:

"Do you want to go back to my place?"

I told him no. He asked me why, and I said I didn't want to. He told me he had weed and alcohol there, and I still said no. He kept pressuring me, asking me over and over again. He then suggested we ask my friends. I agreed.

We walk over to my friends, all guys mind you, and he asked if I could go with him. I made eye contact with one of my friends, who I am closest with, and tried to let him know how much I did not want to go. All the boys got the message

"No, I think she's going to stay with us" They said

"No, I really think she wants to go with me. I'll bring her back" He said

"No, she's staying"

"Come on guys, I'll give you my address"

"Dude, I really don't think she wants to go!"

"Come on, guys. Look, I'll give you my phone!" He then proceeds to shove his phone into my friend's hand, trying to trade me for a phone. To him, I was tradable for his iPhone.

"She's not going, look at her face!"

"Come on, who's making the decisions around here?"

"She is, and she's scared shitless look at her!" And I was. I was terrified.

At this point, I was able to move away from the guy, and moved closer to my friends. They put me in between them (there were six of us total) and got me out of there quickly.

I was not sexually assaulted. I would never say I was. But, in that moment I felt hopeless for multiple reasons.

1. My no was not enough. I was asked multiple times, and my no still wasn't enough

2. He thought that I needed my guy friends permission to leave. In his mind, I was under their control and he wanted that power transferred to him

3. He thought that his phone was equal to me. I know we idolize phones, and they are important in our lives. But he thought that my GOOD FRIENDS would put me in danger just to have a phone. Even if I wasn't like that, I was something he could bargain for. Like I wasn't a person with feelings.

Luckily, that is the extent of my story. Nothing, other than the fear it left me with, happened. I am lucky.

However, many girls are not.

That frat party taught me something. It is so so easy for this to happen. Never once did I think I was dressed too sexually. I was dressed exactly like all the other girls in the room. I wasn't asking for it. I was being polite and just talking to this boy. If that is leading him on, I must lead every male I encounter on. I did nothing wrong.

It is the idea that my very presence was an open invention for him. My no didn't matter, the only people who mattered where the guys I came with. I somehow belonged to them, in his eyes.

That night, I walked myself home, after countlessly refusing the offer from my friends to walk me back. I needed to get my head together. No, I was not assaulted, but I easily could have been.

These past few weeks, I have been very open about my experience, especially with the pending Supreme Court nomination. I am 100% willing and able to talk about my experience. When my younger brothers are older, I will sit down with them and explain to them how I felt that night. I felt helpless and worthless. I can only imagine how survivors must feel.

So, Mr. President, only 2% of accused men are innocent of sexual assault. Have you been to a college campus? Have you walked down the street and seen the way women are looked at? Have you ever been catcalled?

I can almost guarantee you that I, a 19-year-old college freshman, am more experienced with the reality of rape culture. It is painfully shown to me every day.

It is not scary to be a young man today. My heart truly does go out to the few men who are wrongfully accused. But what about all the women who can't talk about what happened to them that one night at a party? Or those who shiver at that one name? These women deserve justice. And if they can't speak out, then I, someone was lucky enough to get out of a very bad situation, will.