Dear readers,
It's sad that we live in a day and age in which rape and sexual violence has become normalized and common. Rape culture is a society in which people don't listen, value, or respect people who have been sexually assaulted and instead side with or support the perpetrators.
I'm going to be talking about rape of women in this article, and I acknowledge that trans people and men do get raped as well but I'm choosing to talk about women because they are most commonly raped.
There are some seriously pathetic excuses for standing with rapists. I'm sure you've heard some of them. For example, people argue that if a woman is wearing something revealing, like a short dress, that she's practically asking for it. Guys. Listen. It doesn't matter what the fuck a woman is wearing. Let her wear what she wants to wear. If she feels confident and sexy in a short dress, let her wear a short dress. No, she isn't asking for you to come up and touch her inappropriately, and no, she isn't looking for attention. It's seriously demented and horrifying that people actually think that it's the woman's fault for getting raped. Rape still happens when a women is wearing "sensible clothing". It doesn't matter what the woman is wearing, it's the rapist's fault for raping the woman in the first place.
There are tons of misconceptions about rape, too. When the average person thinks of rape, they might think of a woman walking down a dark alley way and getting jumped after going to a night club. Although this can happen, acquaintance rape is far more common. Acquaintance rape is when the victim knows the perpetrator. For example, they could be their brother's friend, their uncle, a distant friend, or a co-worker. Because of the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator (meaning that they might have to see the perpetrator regularly at work or at home), it makes it even more difficult than it already was for the victim to come forward.
Some people choose to disregard victim's stories because they are old claims, in a sense. For example, a girl got sexually assaulted when she was sixteen years old but only came forward when she was twenty. In order to properly recognize how hard it is to come forward about sexual assault, you have to realize how tramautic and awful rape is. It often leaves not only physical, but physcological and emotional impacts on the victim. And imagine being only sixteen years old when it happened! You're still in high school, you're only a kid, you are young and immature and you have no idea what to do. If you come forward about the assault, what's to say that anyone will even believe you? It's sad, but you could get tormented and bullied at school, slut-shamed as if you were actually asking to get raped, or threatened by the perpetrator. Furthermore, most rape cases aren't taken seriously and the perpetrator won't even get a real punishment and probably won't go to jail. So if a woman doesn't come forward right away after getting raped, it isn't her fault. She's brave for coming forward, period.
Let me get something really fucking straight here. It is always, and I repeat ALWAYS the perpetrator's fault. They raped the woman, and she didn't want it, so it is their fault. No question about it.
I can't even believe that I'm having to write this. Not that many people will even see it but I shouldn't have to worry about getting raped as I walk home from work or school. I shouldn't have to one day talk to my daughter and tell her what could happen to her. I shouldn't have to walk down the street and get cat-called by a random man. It's not a compliment and it doesn't make me feel pretty or wanted. It makes me feel gross and insecure. Forcing somebody into sex is simply not right. It's digustingly horrible, immoral, and devestating toward the victim. And it's too common. Way too common.
Rape is so common that 20%, one fifth or one in five, of women in America have been raped and 58%, more than half of women in America have been sexually assualted or sexually harrassed. 653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVaoGKTnGw
Why is it that our current president, Donald Trump, has 25 rape/sexual misconduct allegations against him and remains in office? 25 women have come forward about sexual harrassment/assualt from him, and yet he is allowed to run our country. He has no respect for women's rights, let alone rights for people of color or minorities.
Stand up for women's rights. You can help. Be part of the change, be part of the solution. Protests, petitions, and phone calls can do more than you would think. Even being an ally of women is better than doing nothing. Give your daughter the same chances in life as society has automatically given your son. Raise your son to respect women and to respect their bodies. Raise your son to be a feminist, because there is nothing more inspiring than seeing people other than women fighting for our rights, because YES, we actually do matter.653Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxmY0G0OkE
Sincerely, Blue
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