If you have a Facebook or have looked at the headlines recently then you have to have heard about the Stanford sexual assault case. This case has been circulating around the internet (especially on Facebook) throughout the country, rape on college campuses is finally getting the coverage it deserves. I first heard about this case on Facebook from this BuzzFeed link, and after I read this article it became clear to me that this was not just a typical college campus sexual assault story. This article not only included what had happened on the night of the rape but also a letter that was written and read by the victim to her rapist (Brock Turner) in court. This letter described in detail everything the girl endured not only on the night of the rape but after she was raped as well….but sadly Brock’s swimming career overshadowed the severity of the rape. In other words, it took more than a year for the court to decide that the many years he should be spending behind bars should be minimized to six months, even though he was found guilty by the entire jury of all charges. Instead of repeating everything I have attached the article from Buzzfeed towards the beginning of this article, and I strongly believe that you should read every word of that article and victim’s letter (even though it is kind of long) because I promise that it is worth reading every word.

Also if the victim’s letter was already enough of an eye opener, the rapist’s (Brock Turner’s) father wrote a letter that was addressed to the judge. This letter not only defended his son’s actions but also insisted that his son should get a lesser, more lenient punishment.

This letter (in my opinion) should open your eyes and upset you as much as it upset me and here is why:

The first three sentences of this letter talk about the emotional and mental trauma Brock is going through. But, I find it funny that he talks about that because the girl he raped, the victim, is going through all of that too. But the difference between him and the victim is that Brock had a choice and he chose to rape her. Nobody made Brock rape that girl, he chose to and he did this to himself. His dad writes in the letter that, “His every waking minute is consumed with worry, anxiety, fear, and depression." But his father forgot a word, and that word is guilt, and probably regret too. Brock made the decision to rape that girl and now he has to live with that regret and guilt.

Next, Brock’s dad talks about his son’s poor appetite. Let me start by saying that I am SO sorry that because your son decided to rape an innocent girl that you can’t "buy him a big ribeye steak to grill or get his favorite snack for him"anymore. Because THIS is what the most troubling part of the entire rape case is- Brock's loss of appetite. Apparently it does not matter to him that the girl his son decided to rape will forever be haunted by Brock assaulting and violating her behind a dumpster while she was unconscious. No, really, let's go back to talking about how Brock’s appetite will never be the same again-because that is what really matters.

"His life will never be the one he dreamed about and worked so hard to achieve."

Are you f*cking kidding me? I don't care that your son was an All American Athlete, a swimmer at Stanford, or that he was trying to make it to the Olympics. I wouldn't even care if he won a Nobel Peace Prize, ended world hunger, cured cancer, etc. What about her life? Have you even thought about how your son raping her will affect her future? Did you know that she can't even go to work for an hour without breaking down in tears in a corner? Did you know that she will never be able to live a normal life without carrying this incident, your son raping her, with her wherever she goes. Just because she's not an athlete does not mean her life is less important than his.

"That is a steep price to pay for 20 minutes of action out of his 20 plus years of life."

Again, are you f*cking kidding me. It absolutely disgusts me that he thinks a time stamp is relevant to the rape his son committed. It could be ten minutes or it could be five seconds. The amount of time does not change the fact that rape is rape and that a punishment is a punishment. We should not and will not bend the law just for your son (a rapist).

"The fact that he now has to register as a sexual offender for the rest of his life forever alters where he can live, visit, work, and how he will be able to interact with people and organizations."

Yes, he is now registered as a sexual offender but she may as well have been registered as a sexual victim. These organizations should see him for who he really is, a rapist, and what he is capable of, sexual assault. This is a serious crime that should not be taken lightly, sexual assault cannot and will not be excluded from athletes. Without having these measures, what would stop him from doing it again? Nothing.

"What I know as his father is that incarceration is not the appropriate punishment for Brock. He has no prior criminal history and has never been violent to anyone including his actions on the night of Jan 17th 2015."

What I know, is that as his father it seems to me like you know absolutely nothing, other than protecting your son. What I know, is that it seems to me like all you know and care about is that his swimming career is on the line and you will go to any despicable lengths to allow him to be the person he was before he chose to rape that girl, but that is not possible. What bothers and upsets me the most about this particular statement by Brock’s father is that not only does he mention his son’s past clean record as a weak defense, but the fact that he has the audacity to say that Brock "wasn't violent"on the night of Jan 17th, even though it was clearly found that the victim was bruised and injured in her genitals. Please explain to me how he does not think that his son raping an innocent girl is not violent. Brock's actions were without a doubt violent because newsflash: rape is a violent act that his son committed that night.

"Brock can do so many positive things as a contributor to society and is totally committed to educating other college age students about the dangers of alcohol consumption and sexual promiscuity. By having people like Brock educate others on college campuses is how society can begin to break the cycle of binge drinking and its unfortunate results. Probation is the best answer for Brock in this situation and allows him to give back to society in a net positive way."

So, you want to talk about positive things Brock can do? How about admitting that he raped this girl? Even though he has been found guilty on all three charges, Brock has still not confessed to what he did wrong just so he can protect his reputation. Another newsflash: his reputation is already ruined not only because he chose to rape an innocent girl and refuses to own up to the choice he made that night. This is not a case about alcohol consumption. This is not a case about sexual promiscuity. This is not about your son having the potential to change America's drinking culture one college at a time. This is about your son owning up to the choice he made that night to rape that girl and he needs to take responsibility for that choice that he made. You can pretend that your son was brainwashed from the alcohol he chose to consume that night, but really he was brainwashed with poor judgment on what he thought he could get away with it.

After reading this father’s letter I am absolutely disgusted, it is pathetic excuse of a defense, I can only imagine what kind of a role model Brock's father is. He wants his son to go back to his successful life of attending Stanford and swimming, but we and the victim want justice for the horrible crime Brock chose to commit.

Also, what if instead of being Brock’s father, he was the father of the victim? What if it was his daughter who was sexually assaulted? Would he want his daughter to live in a world where she could be raped and instead of knowing justice would be served, she would be told that she was not as important as the rapist’s athletic career? Would he tell his daughter that if she did not go to the party in the first place that it would not have happened? Would he tell his daughter that she asked for it by drinking too much that night? Would he tell his daughter that it is her fault for being “sexually promiscuous”? What would he do if the tables were turned?

Mentioned in the BuzzFeed article, the victim said,“Even if the sentence is light, hopefully this will wake people up. I want the judge to know that he ignited a tiny fire. If anything, this is a reason for all of us to speak even louder.”

And I believe that she could not be any more right. This case has not only sparked a tiny fire inside of me but inside of all of us as well. This case has opened up our eyes to the reality we're living in and reminding us that sharing her story is how each of us can make our own difference in this world. Even though Brock was found guilty of the charges and given jail time, it will never be a happily ever after for her. She will never be the same person she was, she will never get the closure of his confession, and she will never know how this case would have been handled differently had he not been an athlete. But for now, we must keep on fighting so that rapists are properly punished and victim's voices are heard, and so every single person understands that college rape is unacceptable.