Sexual Assault and the U.S. Military

Today I was driving home from a meeting for my internship and I happened to hear this story on NPR:

Sexual Assault and the U.S. Military

It's about a lawsuit seventeen veterans and active-duty service members filed against the Pentagon for permitting a culture conducive to sexual assault in the military. Toward the end of the segment, a male caller from Florida weighed in saying it is important for women in the military to understand that men have more testosterone and naturally need sex more. In other words, women unrealistically expect to be "charmed and seduced" into sex, especially in a male-heavy military environment.

These offensive remarks are the caller's constitutional right to free speech, I'll give him that. But clearly he is uneducated and, well, just plain wrong. Men don't have the right to rape just because they are men. Testosterone or not, people must be accountable for their actions. And the fact that not all men are rapists is evidence of this fact.

My colleagues and I in rape crisis centers around the country have a lot of work to do to educate the public and reform these caveman attitudes. We all have a lot of work to do. When you hear something like this, please speak up and educate those around you. Policy change and legal avenues are important, but if the people don't revise their way of thinking, they will be largely ineffective. That's how we can make social change.

Tonight marks the beginning of the Vagina Monologues performances at Miami University in Oxford. Women stand up in a series of rehearsed monologues to celebrate women's sexuality and strength, while also addressing women's rights, including issues of sexual assault. Proceeds will go to the Butler County Rape Crisis Program, and I would highly encourage you to check it out--consider it homework in your quest to cultivate a more educated public.