Despite the petition for the recall of Judge Aaron Persky, and widespread protests against his light sentence for Brock Turner who was caught in the act of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, he has been released and put on probation as of Friday, September 2, after only three months-- half of his original sentence.

If that wasn't enough, a week before the announcement of his release, the story of David Becker came to light. David Becker is an 18-year-old white male athlete accused of raping two women. Judge Thomas Estes gave Becker a lousy two-year probation, and Becker's defense attorney, Thomas Rookes spoke words that ring similarly to Judge Aaron Persky's idea that, "Obviously, a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him."

“He can now look forward to a productive life without being burdened with the stigma of having to register as a sex offender. The goal of this sentence was not to impede this individual from graduating high school and to go onto the next step of his life, which is a college experience.
We all made mistakes when we were 17, 18, 19 years old, and we shouldn’t be branded for life with a felony offense and branded a sex offender. Putting this kid in jail for two years would have destroyed this kid’s life.
Labeling him ‘David the Rapist’ is truly an unjust character assassination of what this individual has accomplished in the past.”

In both these cases, the male rapists were supported by the idea that prison sentencing would have too much of a negative life-changing impact on these young men with supposedly bright futures. These ideas completely undermine the fact that the victims' futures are undeniably tainted by the assault done to them.

Ultimately, these ideas perpetuate the idea that the victim's side does not matter. Victims are told, and subject to believe, that the assault done to them is their fault.

Thankfully, in light of all these events, California has passed a landmark sexual assault bill in response to Brock Turner's case. It outlines mandatory sentencing for "the sexual assault of an unconscious person, closing a loophole that allowed rapists to be sentenced to probation." Better yet, another California bill centering on unlawful penetration is awaiting governor Brown's signature. Both are expected to pass and become law.

And thankfully, these decisions in law are the first steps toward true justice in the sphere of sexual assault cases. Most importantly, these strides forward give power back to the victims of rape. Victims who have been told by widespread and unjust law cases that their experience

But this is only the beginning. Now more than ever, we must stand together to protect the rights of victims of sexual assault. And ultimately, it is up to us who realize the importance of fighting against rape culture to make any choice that aids the fight to justice.

Stanford's graduation ceremony looked different this year as students chose to stand up against the university's response to rape and alcohol abuse.

As Stanford's students made a visible stand, we can also ask ourselves what stand we can make. Each contribution and outcry for justice has allowed for lawmakers to see and fight for the necessary change.

Though this is only the beginning, and although we have a long way to go, a change in our culture is tangible.