On October 6, 2018, Brett Kavanaugh, previous judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was confirmed as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Prior to his success in obtaining one of the most influential titles within our entire judiciary system, Kavanaugh was accused of sexually assaulting Dr. Christine Blasely Ford along with two other women, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swentick. After his Senate committee hearing, where he and Dr. Ford both testified, he was acquitted of all charges with no impact to his career. Dr. Ford on the other hand, was demonized and tortured on social media, the news, and by the Republican Party for her attempt to stand up and save the nation from the long term impact a predator like Kavanagh could have on our country.
This is not an isolated incident. Kavanaugh, as we know, was nominated by President Donald Trump who, since 1970, has been accused of sexually assaulting 25 separate women. These allegations have ranged from harassment, rape, groping, and more. The man who confidently and proudly declared that it was more than okay to grab a woman “by the pussy” has been Commander-in-Chief of our country for almost three years now with no political backlash and little social repercussions from his constituents.
These cases are the most public examples of the absence of validation and concern our government and country has for survivors of sexual assault. These are the cases that sit with us and remind us every day how our system continues to fail us and familiarizes us with the lack of sincerity and understanding given to survivors during these processes. Our democracy has failed us. Our leaders have failed us. The generation leading the tirade against a woman’s right to protect her own body from the cruelty of others has absolutely and entirely failed us in every possible way. And our fellow Americans that refuse to believe our claims, convict the guilty, and reserve not an ounce of compassion fail us every single day.
Rape culture has become an American ideology; we continue to blatantly trivialize, normalize, and discount the suffering of victims. According to RAINN, somebody in the United States is sexually assaulted every 73 seconds. 1 in every 6 women will be the victim of rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes, 1 out of every 10 rape victims are male, and 21 percent of students belonging to the TGQN (Transgender, Genderqueer, Nonconforming) will be sexually assaulted during their time in college. We are living and growing in a society that fosters the idea that our bodies are not our own, especially if we are feminine.
We must ask ourselves, does this condone our behavior here at St. Lawrence? The answer is no. It should not be acceptable for a student to physically assault another student on our campus, without any social or legal repercussions. Our St. Lawrence community as a whole, has failed to hold accountability and serve punishment for student’s actions, time and time again. When did our university attain the right to tell the young women that they weren’t hurt? When did it become okay to absolve rapists and abusers of any blame and responsibility? These students are known and yet still accepted by their peers, continue to be a part of their extracurricular organizations, and for some, walk at graduation with not one, but several Title IX cases pending against them. I know this isn’t what I stand for, what you stand for, or what our campus should stand for. We are built on community, and our strength to accept and support one another. We must remember that, within this brutal fight for our own autonomy, we have our own voice. We have learned the power of understanding and listening, and to value being brought together to empower those who have been hurt in order to inspire change not only through our words, but our actions. We have learned to take our fire, our anger, and our outrage into our own hands.
Take Back the Night is an event designed to help victims of sexual assault and domestic violence share their stories among their peers and their Lauretian community. Hosted by the Women’s Resource Center and the Advocates, there is a space offered for all to come and hear the importance of standing in solidarity with our peers. We must collectively raise our standards on how survivors are viewed and treated. We must understand the amount of courage it takes for someone to tell their story to even one single person, let alone an entire room filled with people.
While we are not seeing the change we need on a national scale, we can foster a shift in our culture here on campus when it comes to supporting and believing survivors. We design our own environment. We choose how we treat our peers and to give our support to those who have suffered at the hand of others. On October 22 at 7 p.m., brave and resilient speakers will share their experiences with our student community at Atwood Chapel. Come. Find a seat. Listen. Be there and be present. Show everyone that you, too, stand with us.