In August 2012, Emma Sulkowicz, a student at Columbia University, claimed that she was raped in her dorm room by a male student. When both a police investigation and a campus tribunal at Columbia found the male student not guilty, Sulkowicz decided to project her message in a different way. As part of an art project, which she named “Carry That Weight,” she decided to carry her mattress around campus until action was brought against her alleged rapist.
Now, in January 2015, Sulkowicz’s story is still relevant. Upon hearing about Sulkowicz’s campus campaign, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York decided to invite Sulkowicz to attend the State of the Union address as a guest of the Senator. Gillibrand hoped that Sulkowicz’s presence would incite a response from President Obama about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses across the country.
In response to Gillibrand’s invitation to Sulkowicz, many critics of Sulkowicz have emerged from the framework. Was she really raped? Why is she still accusing a man of rape who has been found innocent? Why has she gained national attention for her art stunt? And, why is Senator Gillibrand promoting this witch-hunt for the young, allegedly innocent man?
To those critics that have hopped on the victim-blaming trail- were you present in that dorm room? Are you absolutely positive that you know the alleged rapist is innocent? Emma Sulkowicz is one of the few victims who wasn’t afraid to stand up and make her message known. If anything, her presence at the State of the Union address is helping to address an issue that many people are afraid to talk about. Her free expression to carry her mattress around campus is her right of free expression.
So, some may still be thinking, what if the alleged rapist actually isn’t a rapist at all?
Emma Sulkowicz’s alleged attacker had also been accused of sexually assaulting two students and inappropriately touching a third student at a party. If these questions of “What if?” are continuing to be used in relation to campus sexual assault cases, the system will never improve. Too many cases are being swept under the rug at universities all over the country, and Senator Gillibrand’s bold move is one small step for women everywhere.
All opinions are that of the writer.