As most of you may know, the Stanford rapist was released September 2, 2016, three months shy of his original six-month sentence. Brock Turner sexually assaulted an unconscious woman (though his actions more closely mirrored rape) behind a dumpster after a party in 2015.
Turner, who blamed “party culture” for his decision to sexually assault a fellow student, was sentenced to six months in protective isolation and had the possibility of early release with good behavior in June, 2016. As the basis for his lenient sentencing, Judge Persky said he considered the “severe impact” a state prison sentence would have on a boy Turner’s age and Turner’s personal testimony got to him.
My question is when did the justice system start feeling bad for rapists? If he can get off this easy, imagine what other rapists are thinking? Rape culture is not okay, and the justice system seems to simply give a slap on the wrist because he’s young and swims for Stanford.
People know that this is wrong. Peers of Turner protested his lenient sentencing at Stanford’s June graduation. When he was released last week, he was greeted by protesters outside of the prison, as well at his home in Ohio.
What makes this terrible situation worse is the new alcohol policy at Stanford University. This new rule follows the rapist-defense narrative that blames the victim instead of the rapist. The policy doesn’t apply to graduate students or staff events, insinuating that sexual assault is only a problem among underclassmen.
The university has banned all “large containers of hard alcohol” from campus undergraduate events and even goes as far as telling women to be careful how they are perceived by men when they drink. Stanford’s homepage had a new website, titled “Female Bodies and Alcohol.” The page originally had a section specifically addressing alcohol and sex, but administrators have since deleted it. However, an archived version of the site still remains. The page begins with,
“We like to think men and women are equal in all things, right? When it comes to most of the A-words (like academics, athletics, arts), women and men are equal. Not so with alcohol.”
The site listed biological reasons why men can drink more than women and have less side effects, and then adds,
“All of this means women will experience greater impairment after drinking less alcohol than men. With that greater impairment comes an increased risk for harm, including hangovers, nausea and vomiting, memory loss and blackouts, and other regretted behavior.”
Then it goes on to warn women that any time they drink, they could be sexually assaulted based off “research.”
“Research tells us that women who are seen drinking alcohol are perceived to be more sexually available than they may actually be. Therefore, women can be targeted with unwanted attentions due to that misperception. One study found that, for women, the odds of experiencing sexual aggression were 9 times higher on days of heavy drinking compared to days when the women did not drink. Individuals who are even a little intoxicated are more likely to be victimized than those who are not drinking.”
“Other research studies have shown that men who think they have been drinking alcohol—even when they have only consumed a placebo—feel sexually aroused and are more responsive to erotic stimuli, including rape scenarios. For some, being drunk serves as a justification for behavior that is demeaning or insulting, including the use of others as sexual objects.”
These policies and sexist research are disturbing for a such a well-known university. Rape culture is becoming the norm and it’s not okay. Instead of having an entire page lecturing women on the dangers of drinking, why aren’t we lecturing these young men who over-sexualize women and feel compelled to rape when drinking? That seems to be the real problem at hand. Women can’t have a girls’ night out without fears of being dosed with a date rape drug or kissing someone without them taking it too far.
What Brock Turner did was not okay, and he deserves to be rightfully punished for his violent crime. He went to a smaller jail, was in protective custody, and only for half of his sentence. Why are we protecting rapists and not the victims? Turner is a registered sex offender and will be for the rest of his life, but that is not enough for the girl who had to endure this nightmare. Read the victim’s letter here.
Going forward remember to be alert, be careful and be safe. Not because you drink alcohol, but because rape culture is becoming the norm in college, and the justice system is still blaming the victim.