After hearing the results of the Stanford rape case, my heart has been very heavy ever since. I tried to place myself in the young boy's shoes and figure out just how he fell into this position, but every time I have wound up feeling more like the victim who was referred to as "20 minutes of action."

As a young female in college, it's hard not to relate these kinds of stories. It's terrifying that I can even say I can relate to a rape story. Why is it as women we are always told not to wear too much make up or dress in a way that may show our curves? Why am I always told to not walk around at night alone? Why are we always taught to watch how much we drink and who hands us a drink, while boys are off pounding twelve packs of beer without caution? As a female, if I choose to drink, wear pounds of make up, wear flattering clothes or choose to go out at night, NONE of these things should be an excuse for anyone to disrespect my space or my body.

6 months.. 6 months (according to the rapist's father and the judge on the case) is a fair amount of time for him to suffer in jail because anything longer would leave a severe impact on him. Isn't that what is suppose to happen when you make a mistake and need punishment? It is suppose to have an impact on you so that you don't fall into the same habits once again. They can't understand how 20 minutes of his action is worth punishing.. Why? If someone were to shoot someone and it last less than a second, they are going to jail. No questions asked. Why is it that his twenty minutes of harm is to be looked over? Just because his "20 minutes of action" was less than his favorite television show, doesn't mean that those 20 minutes to the victim won't stick with her for a lifetime.

I'd like to say that this is not an anti-boy thing. If you are unaware or have forgotten, two young men were the ones to find the victim behind that dumpster and chase down the rapist. I am not here to say all men are pigs because I know many well behaved ones. I'm scared of what would have happened if these two boys hadn't been out that night. I believe she would have been left there to wake in the morning in an unfamiliar place with her clothes torn off, scars on her body, and dirt inside of her because the boy admitted to never having intentions of taking her back to his place.

I think the scariest part for me is that I have a younger sister at home. A younger sister who is very bright, very beautiful, and still has her innocence about the world. A younger sister who is two hours from my protection. I don't know what I would do if anything were to happen to her. If one night, her taking a wrong turn could lead to someone else's "20 minutes of action" or even 10. That even if I prepared her and wrapped her in bubble wrap every time she left the house, there is still a chance of something happening to her.

I pray many things are learned from stories like this. I pray the men are the heroes instead of the villains in stories like this. I pray women never have to become victims to stories like this. I pray the most that America will learn from stories like this.