On July ninth, President Trump announced his nomination for the empty seat on the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, an attorney and jurist who serves as a United States Circuit Court Judge. A few months after Kavanaugh's nomination, Palo Alto University professor Christine Blasey Ford came forward, stating that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her at a house party when they were in high school, her being fifteen at the time of the assault, and Kavanaugh being seventeen.

Soon after Ford's story was made public, numerous Republican supporters and spokespeople struck back, claiming either that Ford was lying, or that Kavanaugh's actions were just "youthful indiscretions"-- essentially saying "boys will be boys" and "this is just something that 17-year-old boys may do". However, sexually assaulting a girl at a party is absolutely not something that a seventeen-year-old boy should be allowed to get away with. What are some examples of real youthful indiscretions? I'm glad you asked.

1. Dying your hair a crazy color.

2. Failing a test you didn't study for.

3. Missing curfew.

4. Sneaking out to go to a party.

5. Lying to your parents about your grades.

6. Letting your friend pierce your ears at sleep-away camp.

7. "Sassing back" a parent or a teacher.

8. Underage drinking.

9. "Forgetting" to do your homework.

10. Throwing a party when your parents are out of town.

11. Speeding when you first get your license.

12. Dating someone your parents don't approve of.

13. Smoking.

14. Telling a secret your friend made you promise not to tell.

15. Cheating on a test then denying it when you get caught.

16. Pretending to be sick in order to miss school.

17. Spreading rumors about someone.

While some items on this list can definitely be seen as cruel and some may be illegal, none of them involve sexually assaulting another person. Because sexual assault is not a youthful indiscretion. Yes, youthful indiscretions are regrettable, but they're the "I was such a dumb and cringy teenager-- why on earth did I think doing that was a good idea?" sort of regrettable. Everyone messes up at some point when they're a teen, but if your "teenage mess-up" is an assault, that's not okay. By the time you're in high school, you should fully understand the concepts of right and wrong, and understand that sexual assault is extremely wrong. And if someone still doesn't seem to understand that, can we trust them to serve on the highest court in our country?