Just last week, the name Brock Turner became a name that swept the nation, and not for a good reason either. Brock Turner, to some, is being seen as a college athlete who just so happened to rape a woman, but to others he is known as just being a rapist. When the 20-year-old former Stanford University student received his jail sentence for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman on the school’s campus, two letters related to the case and made public have been widely read: one by the victim, and one by the offender’s father.
In the victim's letter, she describes the dreadful rape and how she is struggling to find out how to survive with the rest of her life. Immediately, the victim had thousands talking about her letter saying that she was courageous for speaking out against this and how it was a truly powerful message that told other's whenever they are raped or placed in any situation in which they are not comfortable, they should reach out for help. With so much positivity floating around the victim's courage, there was outrage due to Turner's sentence and what his father stated in his letter regarding his son. Dan Turner's letter is being pilloried for saying his son wants to educate other college-age students “about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity” and for not acknowledging he committed a crime, instead boiling down what happened to “20 minutes of action.” Meanwhile,Turner faced up to 14 years in state prison when he was convicted in March of three felonies—assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated woman, sexually penetrating an intoxicated person with a foreign object, and sexually penetrating an unconscious person with a foreign object—and prosecutors had asked for six years. But the judge had ordered much less, saying a harsher sentence would have a “severe impact” on Turner. Once this decision was released, an uproar occurred. What also occurred was people reaching out to others and teaching them about consent.
For example, an educator of mine shared with a group of us that are leaders in this organization, a video titled, "Tea and Consent." In this video by the Thames Valley Police in the UK, a stick figure animation is used in order to explain to viewers about consent. If a person were to say yes to the tea and they drink the tea the entire time, they have consented to the tea. If a person were to say yes to the tea, but then when it comes to the time of drinking the tea, they say no, then that is not consent. If a person says no to the tea and you force them to drink the tea, that is not consent. At the end of the video, the voice over states, "This goes for sex, too." It is quite honestly one of the most powerful, yet simple videos I have ever seen and I can thank an educator of mine for showing me that.
With the struggling understanding of consent in our heinous world, there are people who are trying to educate their students about this matter. Therefore, I believe that all educators must show this video. Whether you teach Algebra, English, Music, or Sex Ed, I believe all educators should have the right to show their students this video. This video might just stick out to one person who doesn't grasp the idea of consent. It might stick out to someone who was a victim but didn't even know they were one, because he or she is taught that if the opposite sex is giving them attention, then it is something good. If this video cannot be shown, I wish that educators, students, whoever would have a conversation with their peers, students, or even just the people who are surrounding them. While it may seem impossible to actually stop the crime of rape, it is possible to educate those on what rape is and how to understand the value of consent.
____________________________________________________________________
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, please reach out to: https://rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
