In this week's less than shocking news, another white, privileged college kid with an all American name has been convicted of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman and will not face time in prison.
Former University of Colorado student Austin Wilkerson took it upon himself to look after a half-conscious girl at a St. Patrick's Day party this past March; or at least that's what he told one of girl's friends before he took her home to penetrate her and ejaculate on her stomach when she reportedly "wasn't very responsive." Wilkerson faced four to 12 years in prison but received exactly none and was sentenced instead to two years of a jail work-release program which allows him to go to school during the day. The case bears an eerie resemblance to that of Brock Turner, the former Stanford star swimmer who was convicted of raping a woman behind a dumpster and whose punishment of six months in jail sparked international controversy. Obviously not enough controversy, however, as young men are still being saved from the consequences of being rapists by the media's "promising futures" narrative.
Brock Turner's lenient sentence was given by Judge Aaron Persky who worried that a tougher sentence would have a "severe impact on (Turner)." That sentence drew harsh criticism from prosecutors and prompted Turner's father to write a letter explaining why he thinks his son only deserves probation for his crime. As you may have heard, the impossibly offensive letter states “That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life." It goes on to describe his son's easygoing personality and stellar GPA, concluding with the lame explanation “In hindsight, it’s clear that Brock was desperately trying to fit in at Stanford and fell into the culture of alcohol consumption and partying.” Turner never once apologized for or admitted to his actions, and yet he is being defended as if he is a victim himself. Turner's father exemplifies exactly what we're doing wrong when we teach our sons that they somehow transcend the punishment required for such a crime by being a "good kid." 20 minutes of action for Turner was 20 minutes of forceful and emotionally debilitating sex that has entirely altered the course of a woman's life. A much better way to spend 20 minutes would be to teach your son that women are people and you cannot senselessly violate them, regardless of whether or not there will be repercussions. It is clear that Turner's father loves his son and wishes to defend him, but he should love him enough to teach him that he is wrong for the terrible decisions he's made and that he has to pay his debt to society.
In the cases of both Wilkerson and Turner the verdict has boiled down to human error and the common tendency to blame the victim. Women in college, including myself, are led to believe that the consequence of getting drunk is sometimes getting raped. We are constantly warned by family and friends and professors to never walk alone, always carry pepper spray, never drink too much, never leave drinks unattended, etc. We are taught that sexual violence is always our fault, and when it happens we're berated with questions about what we were wearing, if we have a history of cheating, if we had been drinking or doing drugs. In a powerful letter from Turner's victim detailing the severe impact of the incident she said "I was pummeled with narrowed, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, past life, family life, inane questions, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who had me half naked before even bothering to ask for my name." The contributions of societal misogyny, stereotypes about male and female sexuality ("she was asking for it" and "he can't help it"), and the policing of victim's behavior all must be considered as we try to educate people about rape in order to make lasting progress towards prevention.
"Boys will be boys" just isn't cutting it anymore. No woman should ever have to begin a letter with "You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today," as Turner's victim did. No woman should ever have to beg a courtroom to “have as much mercy for the rapist as he did for me the night of the sexual assault, which was none," as Wilkerson's victim did. These women have received no justice for the heinous and unwarranted crimes committed against them. It's about time that men are held accountable for these atrocities and that we stop asking questions that turn rapists into victims. To all the girls who have to try to convince people of the validity of their trauma, I am sorry. To all the girls who have felt powerless, worthless, used, and alone, I am sorry. To all the girls who blame themselves for the way others have hurt you, know that you did not deserve it. And to all the people who think that their sons don't deserve to pay the consequences of emotionally and physically violating another human, well you can go screw yourselves.
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault you can reach your local RAINN affiliate at any time, 24/7, by calling the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE
