To the men falsely accused of being a rapist, I don’t blame you. It’s awful in a society that falsely accuses anyone of anything. And it’s awful when men like you are being punished while others who wrongly participate in the awful act never come to see the inside of a courtroom; what is more daunting is the fact that so many go free or are just not reported for fear of safety and humiliation.

To the women falsely accusing men of this act, you are a major reason as to why victims of sexual assault have no basis to their experiences. No one believes a woman is assaulted because there are people out there (even just the few) going around lying. Those cases are more memorable to society’s eyes because they disprove an act as debilitating as this. No one wants to believe this happens. Because it does every day. Everywhere. And to anyone.

With that, we do this little thing called “victim blaming” and it has become a disease. Ignoring facts and statistics, finding any inkling of a reason that it happens because the person wasn’t safe or careful “enough.” That is easier to accept than the fact that it could happen just by knowing someone. Unfortunately, victim blaming is not a small act, it is one that crushes someone deeper than they deserve. Being raped is not just a punch to the mind, but a grenade to the soul — you are reduced to nothing. And to be told what happened to you is justifiable isn’t like being told your opinion was wrong, because this is not an opinion. It is cutting down a person’s deepest courage to be able to say or describe what has happened to them, reducing the honest truth to nothing. Worse than nothing: it is a joke.

So when listening to some people who cry rape, in your minds you know the truth. If it never happened, why would you use this injury as a crutch to whatever you needed it to be?

There are people who embrace this agony to the sense of power, giving them a reason to believe that they are strong. Which they are; to conquer this feat is awe-inspiring. Amazing women and men have stood with smiles on their faces, whether they believe it or not, because they see the new day.

It is incredible to me that there are people accused of being rapists when falsely incriminated, but more so amazing is the amount of them who have done such a crime and walk free.

*This article had been inspired by the case of Brian Banks. I do not justify those who have lied about events such as rape, but I do not think that any accusation should be overlooked without proper review.