Saying no is hard sometimes. If someone asks you for a favor and you simply can not perform it, you don’t want to let them down by saying no. But what about the thousands of females who say no to men? Or the men who say no to women? Sexual assault is a serious issue and yet it is still prevalent on thousands of college campuses.
“1 in every 6 women has been the victim of an attempted rape or a complete rape.”
“Every two minutes an American is sexually assaulted.”
“54 percent of sexual assault victims are ages 18-34.”
“Females ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault.”
“1 in every 10 rape victims are male.”
These are the facts. One of my best friends has been at college for three months, and she has been a victim of sexual assault. She was at a party dancing with this guy, and he put his hand down her pants with his other hand roughly grasping her arm. She couldn’t just walk away in the situation because he was holding her in place. She was able to get away, and she’s doing well, but it still happened. These things happen, and they can’t be ignored.
The Brock Turner rape case took social media by storm. Brock Turner’s own father said it was a “steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action.” But in those twenty minutes, 10 more Americans were being sexually assaulted. Bill Cosby was accused of sexual assault by over 50 women. It took more than 10 years for those allegations to finally go to court.
Why are we letting rape pass through our society as if it's nothing? Why do people choose to be so unaware of sexual assault when it's right in front of them? How come we don't allow our voices to be heard?
Why is saying no not enough?
I didn’t originally want this piece to turn into a political statement, but how am I supposed to feel when Donald Trump is currently being accused of rape? Rape culture is all too real and what will stop people from thinking, “If the President can get away with it I can too”?
For all the men out there, what if it were your mother? Or sister? Or cousin? Or niece? Or daughter? Or friend? Will you really think that it was her fault? That she was “asking for it”? No one is ever asking for it. And I know that men are not the cause of this problem, and men get sexually assaulted as well, but as a female I am at a higher risk to be sexually attacked. And that's a fact.
I've been trying to come to terms with how I can speak my mind while respecting those around me at a time when everyone is screaming and pledging hate. I say no — I will not scream, I will not pledge to discredit your views because they differ from mine. I will say no to policies that I believe will hurt my friends, family and future generations. I will not only say no, but I will explain why I say no. I will ask questions about what others think and why they feel differently from me. I will say no in the face of oppression and degradation.
Saying no is powerful, but knowing why someone says no is even more powerful. Ask questions, be curious because according to our society, saying no is not enough.
