#stanfordrape

[amanduhworld-blog]

Title IX: Stanford Rape Case

    Coming from Northern California, I remembered the day when the news first came out about the Stanford rape case.  Brock Turner, Stanford swimmer,  sexually assaulted a woman late at night and only sentenced six months prison due to sex crimes along as being called a sex offender for the rest of his life. The audience were shocked with the decision made by the judge for Brock Turner’s sentences. Instead of fifteen years in jail, he only got to spent only a few months, all thanks to his father. Mr. Turner, the offender’s father, has spoken about his son’s miserable life after proven guilty for his action. One of his sayings that changed everyone’s mind was “That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life.” It results that the offender gained the ability to reduce time, meanwhile, the victim does not receive anything, but continuous nightmares.

    However, rape situations happened a lot in college, but nobody have the courage to fight except for this, meaning people of California were upset with outrage, and protest against rape. Title IX is a serious policy that all colleges should make it as priority. In my opinion, I take Title IX in serious matter too, because I am a female.  I am furious and now careful about my surroundings. Although, now I am in college. No man should touch woman without consent, and it gives disrespect, fear, and social breakdown. Why taking the time to hurt someone else when you have no relation with them? Nobody can overpower others.

[smallamounts87]

Sexual abusers will not prevail. Pictured left: Elwood Anthony Morris III/ “ElwoodSound” on social media. 

[spectrum-of-boldness]

I am unsure if any of you have heard about the recent news explosion of the Stanford University Rape Trial, that just announced the rapist, Brock Turner's sentence. But this quote is an excerpt from the VICTIM directly addressing Turner in front of the court. I have the link at the bottom that has the full speech. Please read. No matter who you are, an adult, a teenager, a middle schooler, a parent, a sister, a brother, an aunt, an uncle, a coworker, a human being, please read this. Rape and sexual assault have widely been "accepted" and "unnoticed" in our society. This case in particular had a 100% unanimous decision that the rapist was GUILTY on three different felony charges, yet was only sentenced to six months in a county jail. Now that has its own injustice in itself, but I am hoping that what you take away from my post is information, conversation, and awareness. Too often the victims of rape and sexual assault are treated as the problem, whereas the actual rapist can go freely. I urge each and every one of you to be aware of this injustice and work unitedly to stop this unfairness in the court room and in a mindset. We need to always reiterate the purpose of consent, what drinking does and can do, and how we ALL need to own up to our own responsibilities. This is only one story that is actually being heard throughout our nation. On college campuses, 11.2% of all students experience rape or sexual assault. This includes men and women (From RAINN.org). Let's not forget to think about the incidents where the victims are too afraid to speak out about their assault. So my final point here is please take this time to be aware of what is currently happening in our world. Be an advocate and a voice for those who are never listened or respected to. Stand in support and always never stop metaphorically fighting this injustice. #StanfordRape #BrockTurner #rapeawareness https://www.buzzfeed.com/katiejmbaker/heres-the-powerful-letter-the-stanford-victim-read-to-her-ra?utm_term=.gaK260gK3#.bfoqADr8M

[ungodly-youth-blog]

ATTENTION!!!!!

Everyone please show your support for the victim of the Stanford rape by signing the petition to have the sentencing judge removed for giving a rapist such an easy sentence.

Change.org petition ⬇️⬇ https://www.change.org/p/california-state-house-recall-judge-aaron-persky/h/share?recruiter=545555462&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=mob-xs-no_src-reason_msg&recruit_variation=share

California legal complaint form⬇️⬇️ http://cjp.ca.gov/res/docs/appendix/complaintform%20fillable.pdf

Theres even a Facebook page for more information⬇️⬇️ Brock Turner for Prison 2016/Facebook

[nicoleleeannmader]

The Stanford rape case..

So here’s the deal, I know more than likely that no one will ever see or read this, I know I’m just one small person. However since the sentencing came out for Brock Turner and there has been outrage all over social media I can’t shake some thoughts from my head. First of all, my entire heart and soul go out to his victim, she went out one night to have fun expecting nothing other than a hangover the next morning, only to have her life changed forever. This strikes a nerve in me. You see, I lost my virginity to rape. I was young, and dumb, and reckless and one night got just a little too fucked up and was sexually assaulted while I was blacked out laying in bed. I had no choice, I had no say, I wasn’t even conscious enough to give consent, but that didn’t matter, my rapist didn’t care and neither did hers. There is never an acceptable time to touch a woman without her consent, ever. Secondly I’d like to say a thank you to the two men who saved her, who found her and protected her when she couldn’t protect herself. Those men saved her, those men cared, those men gave me hope that there’s still good people out there. Their lives were forever changed to, an image they are never going to be able to get out of their head, I wish I had people who did that for me on that night. Thirdly id like to address Brock’s sentencing and in relation to it his fathers statements. Six months in jail, is nothing compared to the years of PTSD that girl now faces, scared to meet new people, to go out and have a drink, scared of every corner and of what’s around it. A six month sentence is a joke for the amount of damage you have done, your life deserves to be ruined because you ruined a life, as simple as that. He made a decision and his father should be supporting his punishment rather than trying to get his son off. It is absolutely disgusting that you are raising your child to believe that it is okay to do any sort of malicious action because of his rich, white family privilege and you are everything that is wrong with this world. And lastly, from one survivor of rape to another, please don’t give up. Do not ever give up, there is always hope. You are beautiful, and loved and have more people standing behind you than you could ever know. You did not deserve this, you did nothing to make this happen. You are SO MUCH MORE than just a girl who was raped behind a dumpster. This one incident in your life DOES NOT DEFINE YOU. It does not make you any less of a woman, it does not devalue you. You are not disgusting and untouchable because someone put their hands on you. You are worth the world and more, do not let this tear you down, go through the motions of the storm and come out a fucking SURVIVOR, because that’s what you are. You are a bad ass bitch and don’t ever forget that, you can do and have anything you desire and this will only make you stronger. Your rape is not who you are. Take control of your life and get back to yourself, love yourself and if you can’t do that yet, I will send you all the love I have until you can. From one rape SURVIVOR to another. Never give up, there is ALWAYS hope.

[slowlivinginthecity]

lighthouse

I’m feeling grief and anger this week. Another horrific mass shooting. 49 innocent lives lost. Among those, I keep thinking of two men that I read about– in love-- who were killed. And now their families are planning a joint funeral instead of a wedding. Unbearable.

This piling on top of last week–the Stanford rape case and the primary results. And now that the primaries are dying down, it’s sinking in that Trump- who stands for more hate, more greed, misogyny, racism and violence– is the Republican nominee. What. the. fuck.

I am overwhelmed.

The Stanford rape survivor quoted Anne Lamott in her letter: “Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” Even though she can't save every victim, by reading the letter, they could see her light and might be encouraged by her words. And wow, I’m sure so many more people than she could have imagined have seen that light shining. The letter has been read by millions of people and is even being read in Congress this coming week.

I’m clinging to her quote today. I can’t run around like crazy saving everyone affected by homophobia, racism, violence, rape, hatred and greed. And I can’t force my fellow Americans to vote for the person I think will fight the hardest against these things. But I can start by turning up the light in my own lighthouse.

I can write this blog post. I can ask my LBGTQ friends how I can support them. I can sign a petition to ban assault weapons. I can call my senators. I can attend vigils and rallies. And I can raise my daughter with respect and empathy so that she will not learn to live by domination and fear in this family but live by compassion and love.

[narwhalsaregod]

Recall Judge Aaron Persky

6 months is no where near justice for what Brock Turner did, and he needs to be held accountable for his despicable actions. Please sign the petition to remove the judge that decided to forgive a rapist.

https://www.change.org/p/california-state-house-recall-judge-aaron-persky?recruiter=553842059&utm_source=petitions_share&utm_medium=copylink 

[bibliophile2089]

Lack of Response isn't Consent

I recently re-joined a social media page called "MeetMe". It's just as horrible as it used to be. On it for shits and giggles. Mainly, lately, it's just been pissing me off to no end. I digress...

A few days ago I read about a Stanford student receiving 6 months with Probation for 3 felony counts, unanimously guilty, of rape. He received this because the Judge said it would "have a severe impact on him" for him to have gone to prison for the MINIMUM 6 years that was recommended. Clearly, the Judge didn't listen to what happened that night, from what the victim could remember, to what the witnesses said, to what the defense claimed happened (none of which was true based on hard evidence from the hospital and other people seen that night).

--

A man, if you can call him that, Matt on MeetMe said in response to a post of mine regarding the rape, "

“Except he will be in papers too and have to register for life. Won’t be able to go online schools parks malls or even church for that matter, won’t be able to have any contact with anyone under 18 even if it’s his family. Wint (sic) be able to find damn near anywhere to live or work besides shit like fast food… but I totally agree with u, cuz those people get shit so easy in life HAHA smdh who u kidding that lasting impact means his life’s fucked. If he don’t go back to jail he’s gonna be miserable (?) hate life.”

--

This is part of what's wrong with society today. They victim shame. They slut shame. They do everything they can to not place the victim on a white, cis gender male, who has a swimming scholarship to a good school.

--

The Judge wanted society to believe that the male involved was truly a victim as well. No, he was never a victim. He was and always will be a suspect. And in 6 months, he'll be a free rapist, on Probation.

--

He raped an unconscious woman. He did this. There cannot be consent without a Yes. Being unable to speak because your are under the influence and blackout drunk is NOT consent. Her choice of clothing (which was of moderate dress) is NEVER consent. Her "rubbing his back" at one point in the evening is NOT consent. A Yes is Consent. Her being raped and left in an alley is what happens when someone doesn't take no for an answer.

--

People wonder why women are so upset when men catcall them or when the women deny wanting a date or anything of the like. It's because we know "Well you're a fucking bitch" is on the tip of their tongue. Because we know if we deny a date to a person once, or multiple times, our lives could be at risk. Consent is a must.

--

Consent is NOT being unconscious in an alley. One cannot express consent in that state of being. Lack of Consent doesn't mean there's consent.

--

Stop the victim shaming. Her clothing is not an invitation for you to touch her without her consent. The way she dances isn't an invitation for you to touch her without her consent. Her walking home along in the middle of the night isn't an invitation for you to touch her without her consent. The way she speaks to you, if there's no explicit consent, is not an invitation to try harder to see if she'll break and it's not an invitation to touch her without her consent. It's never the victim's fault.

--

The rapist is going to rape. The victim's are victim's.

[someoldbones]

what really fucks me up about the Brock Turner case is not so much that it was a male judge and i’m siding with the “oh yea of course a male judge is going to go easy on another male” because i try really hard not to generalize and i don’t think that all male judges would have made the same call as Persky. I think that what fucks me up more than anything, not just about the judge, but about Brock’s parents probably more so. Is that THEY HAVE A DAUGHTER. BROCK HAS A SISTER. IT COULD HAVE BEEN HIS SISTER. IT STILL CAN BE HIS SISTER. (I am not saying that I think Brock would rape/molest his own sister, but my point is that another male very well could) and if his family is fine with Brock doing it to someone, they should damn well sit down and shut up and look at any other male who has committed the same crime with the same eyes they’ve looked at their son. If someone were to touch Brock’s mom, I doubt her husband would tolerate sitting in a court room listening to how the accused was a yale grad, discovered the cure for AIDS, and has been a stand up guy who’s donated a solid portion of his life savings to charity. FUCK THAT. I don’t care, a crime is a crime and the lack of looking at the bigger picture here makes my stomach hurt. My skin is crawling, reading all these letters of praise, while a 23 year old woman has to hide in her own body because someone couldn’t handle being insanely intoxicated and HAD to shove their grimey hands and pine cones into an innocent females body? fuck that. fuck that a thousand times over. I know plenty of people who go to college, get arguably too involved with the party scene, and do some stupid shit. every night of the week for four years or better. but they don’t go around raping people and calling it part of a drunken stupor. (yes college rapes/assaults happen, and more often then statistics can even illustrate because of lack of reporting) but some of them happen while the rapist are completely sober. alcohol does not rape people. the same way guns do not kill people. there’s always a human connection between the two. fucking own your shitty actions and the fact that you ruined someone else’s life because you couldn’t knock back as many shots as you thought you could and still find some level of self control. her body was not for you, Brock. And you ruined it. I can’t fathom how a man with a wife and daughter (Dan Turner) could find so many excuses as to how the “20 minutes of action” should be brushed off the shoulder.

Fuck this entire situation.

I stand with Emily Doe, and I stand with the thousands of people throwing rocks at Judge Persky’s window. You suck. You’re inhuman, and frankly a fucking shitty person.

[morethanamum]

An open letter to Dan A Turner

The past few days the phrase “a steep price to pay for twenty minutes of action” has followed me everywhere. It is on my social media news feeds, it is in every second or third headline I see, I hear it on the radio, see it on the news..I overhear colleagues and peers quoting it. And every time, it gets me mad.

Really mad.

I struggle to understand how that sentence seemed like a good one at any point when you decided to pen a letter defending the undefendable, but I do understand you wanted to defend your son, Perhaps you wanted to talk down the impact of his crime to help yourself understand it, perhaps you wanted to try to get people to see beyond the crime, to the boy you knew, i don’t know.

But I do know this.

What you term twenty minutes of action, was not action for all involved. The young woman, his victim,  was not active. She was unconscious. To term the act of rape “twenty minutes of action” shows you do not understand (or perhaps do not wish to confront) the fact this young woman was not only incapacitated at the point of the attack, but sadly, will find herself experiencing many more “twenty minutes of inaction” in the course of her life to come.

I know this, because once I was her.

That “twenty minutes of action” for your son will see his victim face many many minutes of inaction in her life.

She will freeze inwardly when the word rape is mentioned, On the news, in a book, in a lecture. The context will not matter, her brain will hear the word rape and stop processing for a while. I have found myself frozen to the spot when a mention of rape comes on the radio, pouring milk into my tea until the cup overflows and a friend takes it off me.

She will freeze when she and a future partner are kissing, because something, a noise, a smell, a taste or a feel reminds her of something she wants to forget.

She will freeze when dancing with friends at a club because she catches a glimpse of someone who looks like her attacker.

She will freeze out in the middle of a conversation with a work colleague because something they said made her suffer a flashback.

She will freeze when undergoing a pap smear, because lying in a drs room with her legs apart doesn’t make her think happy thoughts. I hope she is braver than I, and will actually still faithfully go for her checkups, I often don’t. Because I can’t face the inevitable twenty minutes or more of stress, of panic attacks, of once again having to fight to claw back the survivor I knows lies hidden inside of me.

She will freeze and miss out on some of the best moments of her life. Instead of an active birth, she may experience an inactive one. I hope not. Again I hope she is stronger than I, and can birth naturally, enjoying the experience. For me though, I was not strong. I lay back and had my precious children delivered by surgery rather than have a panic attack as I lay on a bed with my body exposed to many. While I should have been holding them, enjoying watching their first breaths, instead I was lying in surgery, being stitched up. Each time I lost far more than the first twenty minutes of holding my baby.

In your letter, you talk of your son having struggled to fit in at college. Trust me, it is far harder to fit in anywhere in life once your body has been degraded, eabused, raped and treated like garbage, than when you are a freshman at college.

You talk of your son falling into a culture of alcohol consumption. He didn’t fall, he walked willingly. Unlike his victim. She was not a willing participant in “twenty minutes of action” yet she is the one who will lose the most.

Your son may be locked up for a few months, but she will forever be partly locked away. She will experience many twenty minutes of inaction in her life to come. She is the one paying a steep price.

All because your son had “twenty minutes of action”.

[westsociety-blog]

A California Rape Story

Here it is, this is the story everyone wants to talk about but no one wants to hear. The story of a rape victim and the Stanford Swimmer who ruined her life. If you've only scrolled past the articles and news stories at this point, you might be wondering what all the hype is about. After all, this isn't the first college rape story to hit the headlines. What makes this stand out above the rest resides in (at least) two things: the boy was given a jaw-dropping-ly light sentence (6 months + parole to be exact) and the victim (who was found unconscious) wrote an intensely moving letter to her attacker that could and should move even the toughest soul to tears. You can read the letter to yourself on Buzzfeed, or you could listen to CNN's Ashleigh Banfield read it aloud (warning: this letter includes graphic details of the attack and examination afterwards). 

Judge Aaron Persky explained the reason Brock Turner was given such a "pass" was because he believed, "a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him... I think he will not be a severe danger to others." A great deal of this leniency has been attributed to convincing done by the attacker's father who emphasized the consequences these "20 minutes of action" have already had on his son. This decision by Judge Persky and the influence of Brock Turner's father caused a storm of outrage on the internet as men, women, mothers, fathers, and rape victims alike have voiced their displeasure with this light (but legal) sentence. Fathers have written letters to the father of the attacker, Vice President Joe Biden wrote an open letter to the 23-year-old victim... everyone has their piece to say (including a few sarcastic and hilarious videos by YouTuber, Philip DeFranco, posted on his Facebook page).

Many are demanding justice after such a decision and the current pledge to remove Judge Persky from the bench is gaining steam, receiving almost a million signatures. In light of all the disgust aimed towards Brock Turner, Brock Turner's father, Judge Persky, and (for some) the entire justice system, many have flocked to the aid of the anonymous victim. This includes the cast of GIRLS whose viral video gives a powerful message about assault.

Some have been rejoicing in the recent news that this former Stanford swimmer will, in fact, receive some "real world consequences" as he has just been banned for life by USA Swimming. This means that he will not be eligible to compete in any sanctioned events, including the Olympic Trials. Perhaps some justice will be seen after all as the overemphasis on this student's swimming ability has, from the beginning, been repulsively misplaced. 

Instead of letting this story be about Brock Tuner more than it already has, we should turn our eyes to the sobering fact that this 23-year-old victim was not the first, or the last, to be placed in a situation that compromised both their dignity and sense of worth. Now that this one incident has captured the world's attention, we have the opportunity to give voice and recognition to the other victims of rape that have before been silent. 

Every 2 minutes, an American is sexually assaulted while only 6 out of every 1,000 perpetrators end up in prison. Women 18-24 experience an elevated risk of sexual violence, but they often do not report to law enforcement.

According to a 2014 report released by the U.S. government, one in five college students experience sexual assault during their college years. Here's a few more campus trends discovered by Princeton Review and College Navigator. The data sets may be discovered on edsmart.org. 

Party schools experience 600% more on-campus sexual assaults than stone-cold-sober schools. 

The least religious schools experience 3400% more on-campus sexual assaults than the most religious schools.

The most liberal student schools experience 1800% more on-campus sexual assaults than the most conservative schools.

These facts may or may not surprise you. Statistically speaking, the bravery of this 23-year-old women is rare. But, if the victim was not assaulted in public and discovered by two witnesses, would she have reported it in the first place? Would the world ever have the opportunity to hear her letter and speak out against this unjust? Or, would she end up being another generic number found somewhere on the internet, posted somewhere in an article, that a handful of people might read?

No matter the events that lead up to this tragedy-turned-internet-controversy, lives were permanently altered on that day in 2014. And if there is any lingering confusion about sexual consent, maybe you will find this British Tea video helpful. 

Image Credit for Header: Flickr/Jason Rogers *B&W edits applied*

[kjdakin]

A bit of a flashback to 2011 and an image I was honoured to take of a strong young woman confronting her trauma. At this time, when we see the response to the #stanfordrape case it is important to remember a person who has been made a victim of rape or any sexual assault, is strong, curageous and beautiful. Katie's story was told by Danielle Pope @thestorymidwife for Monday Magazine in #victoria . #noshame #noexcuseforabuse #sexualassault

[venusinorbit]

Rape destroys lives || #SaveYazidiWomen by @lexibellaart @daniellebknyc and fresh piece #TheThirdEyeOfDuality by @pyramidoracle at @wellingcourtmuralproject in Astoria, Queens, NYC.

In Northern Iraq, girls from the ethnic minority group, Yazidi, are kidnapped by ISIS and forced to serve as their sex slaves. If they refuse, they are killed, some burned in cages while hundreds watch.

The sad thing is that even in a country like the U.S., women are still raped. And similar to ISIS, people who wield power escape punishment. In @stanford, #BrockTurner raped a girl behind a dumpster. He faced a maximum of 14 years in state prison. Because he was a champion swimmer who once aspired to compete in the Olympics and had wealthy parents who hired a powerful attorney, expert witnesses and private investigators, Turner was sentenced to 6 months in county jail and probation. In a matter of months, Turner will be free, whereas his victim may never be free of the psychological trauma of being raped. #6monthsisnothingcomparedtoherlifetime #stanfordrape UDATE: According to @mic_news, Turner will only serve three months of the 6-month sentence. He will be released on Sept. 2, 2016. Http://bit.ly/stanfordrape. #wellingcourtmuralproject #pyramidoracle #daniellemastrion #lexibella #streetart #art #mural #streetartnyc #graffiti #queens #nyc #rsa_streetview #rsa_graffiti #tv_streetart #venusinorbit (at Welling Court Mural Project)