If you read this blog regularly, or at all, I think you may also already have heard of the “Rape Survey” story at the Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Chapter on UVM’s (University of Vermont) campus in Burlington, Vermont. In case you haven’t, here’s a rundown of what’s going on: last weekend, a student went to university campus life administrators with information about a survey that originated in and was circulating through the frat house - one of the questions on the survey blankly asked “If you could rape someone, who would it be?”. University administrators subsequently notified Sigma Phi Epsilon’s national representatives (the fraternity has 240 chapters nationwide) and campus police, suspended the UVM campus chapter and launched an investigation into the origins of the survey and whether or not it is linked with any criminal acts on campus.

It’s rare that such an explicit symptom of deeply embedded rape culture surfaces in such a public way, but I have to say that I’m not surprised that this happened, especially on a college campus and behind the walls of a fraternity. Due to the newness of this investigation, it’s difficult to determine the context of the specific question - whether it was asked with specific, criminal intent or in the spirit of the “rape is funny” attitude that permeates everyday exchanges, sitcom banter, and woefully ignorant/insensitive/cheap/unfunny online humor forums. Either way, consider the facts: this “rape survey” was created by young people during a time in which:

- one in five women at college will be sexually assaulted; 
- a victim-blaming lens continues to frame dominant discourse on sexual violence in the media - take, for instance, the Pennsylvania Control Liquor Board’s newest ad targeting teen drinking (TRIGGER WARNING); 
- the language used to describe sexual violence and survivors across media frequently omits the use of the word “rape” or “assault” and is often confounded with language used to described consensual sexual encounters;
- law enforcement officials feel it’s excusable to neglect to investigate over 400 cases of alleged sexual assault to focus on enforcing other laws; and
- college students riot when a beloved football coach is fired for his role in not preventing child rape.

This list could go on for miles, of course. The point is, this specific incident is but one highly visible tree on a broader cultural landscape that tolerates, and even encourages, the act of rape.

With all of that being said - and hear me now, rape culture is still alive and thriving - I am surprised by the gravity of the consequences for the Sigma Phi men thus far, and how this deplorable act is being handled by university administrators, law enforcement, and the national headquarters for the fraternity. We’ve all heard about the tepid, inadequate responses college administrators have had to allegations of sexual assault on their campuses in the past. So, the fact that the UVM Sigma Phi Epsilon members have been indefinitely suspended by UVM administrators and subjected to investigations of the university, campus police and the fraternity’s headquarters is, to me, an important first step and one that defies my conditioned expectations of how these institutions normally deal with rape culture on campus. Additionally, it’s important to note that a student felt empowered to come forward with this information to college administrators, and that this survey, in and of itself, was deemed enough of a threat to campus life and security to require redress. Beyond the UVM campus, this story has also quickly generated a firestorm of media coverage and pushback, echoing across national headlines and prompting a number of responses from UVM professors, students and even a petition created by “Feminists at UVM” to shut down the UVM Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. 

I’m sort of in awe of how much attention this survey has generated I can’t help but feel like the visibility of anti-rape activism and dialogue throughout 2011, from the NPR investigation of rape on college campuses that spurred a response from the Obama administration, to conversations for and against SlutWalk, drew enough attention to assault on college campuses to at least keep these UVM administrators vigilant and ready to act quickly. I think that suspending these fraternity members and launching an investigation about the origins and intent of the survey is a crucial first step in addressing such a heinous symptom of deeply embedded rape culture within fraternities, and on college campuses more generally. However, it’s definitely not a 100% “win” for the anti-rape movement, and I’d argue that all the collective steps that it took for the rape survey backlash to get to this point - the courage of a student to come forward, how this information was received by UVM administrators, the proportionate media coverage it’s generated, and the fervor with which the investigation is being carried out - would not be possible without consistent, vigilant, mindful advocacy, activism, and pushback. This is why it’s critical to continue to demand accountability - not only when someone is raped or assaulted, but when there are elements of rape culture staring us squarely in the eye.

Written by: Tierney,  Development Associate

NOTE: this blog post is about a particular type of male-to-female sexual assault. In it, I explore why societal messages directed mostly at straight, cisgendered men and women are one of the most effective tools for promoting this kind of assault. By it’s nature then, this is a pretty heteronormative post, so please treat this as full disclosure, and feel free to add your own voices and perspectives to the conversation below.

Buzzfeed recently posted a list of 7 popular songs that are “too rapey”.  There are several classic choices listed - Lionel Ritchie’s stalker anthem, “Hello”, as well as the cheery-yet-undeniably-date-rapish holiday tune, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”. Buzzfeed is a pop culture criticism website, so it’s nice to see them unabashedly approaching the issue of rape culture, and doing it with a sense of humor. But what really stuck out to me were the comments below (I know, I know. I should stop reading comments if I want to maintain some semblance of faith in humanity, but alas, I always end up reading them anyway, like a moth to a patriarchal flame). While many of the commenters got into the spirit of the post, offering up their own examples of disturbing pop songs celebrating various forms of rape and sexual assault, there were also some who took issue with the assertion that songs like Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It On The Alcohol” had anything wrong with it. “Girls play hard to get…The ‘too rapey’ thing is too harsh,” says one commenter. Another: “Brown Sugar, Little Girls, and Hello are the only 3 you can say something about…the other ones have absolutely nothing perverted about them”. As internet commentary about issues of rape and sexual assault goes, this is actually pretty tame. Despite that, I found it interesting that what most people took issue with were the songs that refer to (and glorify) what is commonly known as “date rape”.

During my training as a BARCC CAPS volunteer, a group of fellow volunteers did a presentation on popular songs that deal with the issue of rape and sexual assault. One of those mentioned was Jamie Foxx’s “Blame It On The Alcohol”. Full disclosure: I hated this song before I knew the lyrics; autotune is not my thing. But reading the lyrics at that presentation shed a whole new light on my dislike. Lyrics like “Just one more round and you’re down”, “couple more shots you open up like a book”, and “Shawty got drunk thought it all was a dream”, are so blatantly celebratory of rape that it’s almost shocking how much play this song gets in clubs (or not, depending on your familiarity with the pervasiveness of rape culture). Two of the other songs on the list deal with similar themes, namely “Tell Me More” from Grease (“tell me more, tell me more, did she put up a fight?”) and “Baby It’s Cold Outside” (notably “say, what’s in this drink”, and “the answer is no”, followed by more pressure and pouring of alcohol from the man in question). And while some people - i.e. commenters on websites like Buzzfeed - insist that we’‘e reading too much into these lyrics, they shed light on an incredibly prevalent theme in our society. Namely, women don’t want sex (“girls play hard to get”), and have to be persuaded into it by any means necessary.

The blatancy of this message varies across cultural touch-points. I went to a Southern Baptist high school, where the sex ed consisted of analogizing sexually active females to dirty lollipops, and the directives we received were less about using condoms and other forms of birth control, and more about women a) not dressing in sexually suggestive clothing, so as not to tempt men, and b) not allowing ourselves to get into any remotely sexual situations with men, because “they have a harder time controlling themselves”. The message was clear: women were not inherently sexual beings, and were therefore in charge of keeping men’s sexual impulses under control. In other forms of media, this message is perhaps a little less blatant but still unmistakable: in the song “Blame It On The Alcohol”, for instance, you can find the following lyrics: “She say she usually don’t, but I know that she front cause shawty know what she want, but she don’t wanna seem like she easy”. The implication being: of course she wants sex, but she doesn’t want to seem like a slut, so you have to get her drunk first to get rid of those pesky inhibitions. After which point, “no telling what I’m gonna do” (seriously, this song should be put on the sexual predator watch list). You find the same message in multiple films and television shows - women must be convinced into sex, any way possible. The message this reinforces with young men is, don’t look for a yes, because you’ll never get it. Just try to get past a no, whether by dulling a woman’s ability to voice “no” with drugs and alcohol, or just ignoring her because let’s be honest, you know what she wants better than she does.

Here’s why I reject those notions, besides the obvious reason that women have their own sexual agency and should be allowed to exercise it how they see fit: perhaps less obviously, I reject these messages because what they say about men. I don’t believe my Southern Baptist school when they say that men are no better than beasts, unable to control their basest impulses. I don’t believe Jamie Foxx when he asserts that the best way to get a girl into bed is to get her drunk. I have more faith in men than that. The men I know and love are able to treat the women around them with respect. They treat sex not as a power struggle but as a consensual act that both partners should be enthusiastic about (hence the term “enthusiastic consent”). These men (including many of those with whom I volunteer with at BARCC) give me hope that together we can continue to combat rape culture in our communities.

Just one more note: it’s not a crime to have enjoyed any of the songs listed here. I myself am still somewhat heartbroken about the barely hidden messages in “Baby, It’s Cold Outside”, mostly because Zooey Deschanel’s version is so adorable it makes my teeth hurt. Rape culture has become so pervasive in our society that it is barely noticeable to many people. So this holiday season, don’t condemn your friends and family if “Baby It’s Cold Outside” is featured on their playlist; use it as an opportunity to start a conversation (because who doesn’t want to discuss rape and sexual assault at a holiday party!).   

Any thoughts on messages you’ve been receiving lately from pop cultural mediums about rape culture, whether positive or negative? Leave them below.

Written by: Alison, a CAPS volunteer

According to reports by the Department of Defense (DoD)‘s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO), sexual assault and rape are extremely prevalent for service women and men.  According to surveys, almost 1/3 of women in the service will experience rape or sexual assault and almost 90% of women experience sexual harassment.  Statistics about men are harder to come by, but the Veteran’s Affairs surveys have found that almost 60,000 men have experienced rape or sexual assault during their time in the military.  It is harrowing to think that while these women and men are putting their lives on the line for their country that they also have to worry about being assaulted by their fellow service members; the very same service members who are supposed to have their back in case a situation gets hot.

Despite the high stats of how many women and men are affected, the reporting statistics are much much smaller.  According to statistics, there were approximately 19,000 incidents in 2010.  However, only 3,158 were reported and of those only 529 were prosecuted.  That means that approximately 16,000 survivors of sexual assault are not receiving the assistance that they need and deserve.  These statistics need to change.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) introduced a new bill to Congress on November 16, 2011 titled the Sexual Assault Training Oversight and Protection Act (STOP Act for short) in order to present a better model to address the many reports of sexual assault in the military that do not reach prosecution and the many more incidents of military sexual assault which are not reported at all.  (Bill here: http://www.speier.house.gov/images/stopactsummary.pdf).  According to the bill, the following changes would be made:

• The creation of an autonomous Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office that is staffed by both military and civilian personnel.
• The creation of a sexual assault database within DoD that is required to share information with Department of Justice (DoJ) civilian sexual offender database
• Ensure all victims are provided safety and security
• Have authority to reassign a victim to separate them from assailant
• Create new method of reporting rather than having the report go through the Chain of Command (CoC)
• Work with Military investigative organizations
• Work with different branches of the military to provide contact info for Sexual Assault Grievance Board

There are a couple of problems with the STOP Act that will hopefully be sorted out before it passes into law.  First off, an established protocol and procedure needs to be made for those serving in remote and isolated locations, such as Afghanistan.  These individuals and locations typically do not have a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) or Victim Advocate readily available.  Therefore, it is fair to assume that it would also be difficult for them to be able to easily access the Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office.  It is imperative that these service members have the same access to services that their comrades do.  Secondly, the Act gives the Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office the power to reassign the victim in order to separate them from the assailant.  This can be very detrimental for the survivor as all of her/his friends may be in the original unit and it is very important for a survivor to have a support network in order to start the recovery path.  I would hope that this decision would be made in conjunction with what the survivor wants or the language could change so that it is the assailant who is removed.

However, if properly implemented, the STOP Act has the potential to remove many barriers to reporting a sexual assault and can be a great step towards providing better and much needed services for military members.  It would create an autonomous Sexual Assault Oversight and Response Office that is staffed by both military and civilian personnel.  Military personnel would be able to provide their expertise on the many barriers that exist for service members to report and the proper language to use with which service members would identify.  Civilian personnel would be able to ensure that the military CoC is not overpowering service members who want to make a report.  It would be a sort of checks and balances in addition to a combination of a variety of different knowledge bases and points of views.

  It would also create the possibility for people to report outside of their CoC. According to SAPRO, the majority of survivors (71%) are under 24 years old and are in the lower ranks; whereas the majority of assailants (59.5%) are between 20 and 34 and a higher rank than the survivor.  Oftentimes they work in the same unit and therefore the survivor may feel that if a report is made through the CoC it could get back to the assailant.  Additionally, survivors may be scared that their actions, such as underage drinking or fraternization, may be cause for punishment.  The threat or fear of being reprimanded is enough to silence many survivors or have them recant their stories.  The creation of an independent office would remove the necessity of informing the CoC and could assist in removing these barriers to reporting.

Military groups are extremely small communities and it is impossible to guarantee that confidential information will only stay with those who have a ‘need-to-know’.  Either through rumors started by fellow service members or the assailant or because of a change in behavior in the survivor, a confidential report can quickly become common knowledge within a command.  Therefore, handling these cases within a separate office could be an added layer of protection against fellow service members from learning and gossiping about the assault or survivor.

The STOP Act would prohibit non-judicial punishments (NJP) from being used for those who are charged with sexual assault.  Much like in civilian court, military members are able to plead guilty to lesser charges and therefore receive an NJP (such as demotion, a dock in pay, covering night shifts, etc) rather than have to be processed through a Court Martial and be charged with a sexual offense.  It may appeal to offenders more to have a lesser offense on record then chance a Court Martial and being convicted as a sex offender.  Hopefully the STOP Act would enable more cases to be processed through as what they are - sexual assault and rape - rather than plead down to lesser crimes.

Continue to follow this bill as it goes through the House and Senate (H.R. 3435).  Our service members deserve to have the proper options and resources after a sexual assault.

Sometimes I feel that it is futile to fight back against the street harassment that I and many women experience on daily basis.  There are the direct comments, the overly-loud remarks to friends that are meant for me to hear, the snide remarks about my body, roaming eyes or the lewd gestures suggesting what some man wants to do.  It feels that I can’t walk down the street from my house to the T or from one office building to the next without feeling that my body is on display for the men around me. 

I do not walk down the street hoping that some man is going to shower me with references to my body or some sexual act.  Men need to understand that their comments and gestures are not compliments.  I do not need strangers commenting on my body in order to make me feel good about myself or to have a happy and complete day.  In fact it’s the exact opposite, these comments can ruin a perfectly good morning, afternoon, or day depending on the extent of the harassment.  Sexual and street harassment is an objectification of the woman.  She is no longer an entire person.  Instead, she is an object for the sexual pleasure and viewing of men. 

It can be completely exhausting to try and address each incident, but how do we decide which ones are worthy of our attention?  Should it be the ones that are verbal and said directly to us?  Should we ignore the physical gestures without verbal comments because, honestly, how does one address that without being told the movement was misinterpreted?  Should it depend on how many harassers there are - one is okay to address but if he’s with three friends maybe we should stand down?  Should it be like a random scientific experiment in which we do every third harasser?

And how should women be addressing it?  I’ve employed a variety of methods that don’t seem to be terribly effective.  I have ignored it and this only inflicts a barrage of insults thrown at me since I am not giving the harasser the attention he wants and thinks he deserves.  I have told harassers to shove off (but with a couple of other choice words) and this creates either laughter or insults from the harasser.  I have directly address the harasser and informed him that his behavior is sexual harassment, that is it unwanted, and then an explanation of how it makes not just me, but women in general feel.  This option always takes the longest and sometimes I just don’t have the time or energy for it.  While running to catch the train or make a meeting on time, I just don’t have the time to stop and engage in a ‘teachable moment’ with every other man on the street.  Therefore this harassment is left unchecked which is a form of quiet acquiescence on my part even though it leaves me seething as I quickly move to where I need to go. 

This is why I am so excited to know about Luce Tomlin-Brenner’s stand-up comedy.  She takes her experiences of street harassment and turns them into hilarious and educational sets.  It is so refreshing to see this new approach to addressing the problem.  Instead of addressing individuals after an episode of harassment, she tries to educate an entire room of people about how often women experience harassment and how degrading it is.  Comedy can be an excellent way to address issues as it offers the ability to talk about high-charged topics in a fun, safe, and humorous way.  Oftentimes women are told to lighten up or to get a sense of humor when they negatively react to street harassment.  When Tomlin-Brenner uses comedy, it cancels out that argument as she is relying on a light and comedic atmosphere to present this heavy material.  Using this format can help to defuse some of the defensiveness which typically arises when talking about street harassment in other forums.  In previous interviews about her comedy, she states that she has had men approach her after shows and comment that they never knew that street harassment had such an upsetting effect on women.  Her comedy has been able to reach scores of people who may have never thought of street harassment as a dangerous activity.  The first steps to shifting cultural norms is recognizing, naming, and acknowledging the problem.  Tomlin-Brenner’s comedy is able to do this.  See the clips below and be sure to check her out if she comes to a town near you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMQAIVAPRtY Oversharing by Luce Tomlin-Brenner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQQwQp4mBtw Luce Tomlin-Brenner at SlutWalk DC 2011

Written by: Stacey

Despite the unseasonably warm weather, the holidays are fast approaching.  Many positive emotions and memories accompany these upcoming weeks as family and friends will be reunited, delicious food will be prepared, and kind words, stories, and even gifts will be exchanged.  The next seven weeks, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s, is full of excitement and pressure as people plan for holiday travel and brace themselves for long lines at the airports, in the stores, and on the roads. However, the stress of cooking, shopping, traveling, and everything else seems to melt away as people are able to come together after potentially not seeing each other since last holiday season.

While many people often look forward to the holidays every year and take the impending stress as a small cost for being with loved ones, I also know that many do not look forward to the holidays and in fact dread their upcoming arrival.  The holidays can be an extremely stressful and difficult time for many survivors of sexual assault and rape.  In addition to all the previously mentioned stressors of the holidays, they can face many more barriers and anxieties while trying to get through the upcoming holiday heavy weeks. 

How might a survivor see and experience the holidays differently?

1. A survivor may have never told family members about an assault or act of incest that happened between them and a family member or family friend.  Alternatively, a survivor’s family may not have believed them or decided it was best to ‘sweep it under the rug’ and not address it.  The survivor is therefore left each holiday with a horrible choice: return home and celebrate the holidays with the perpetrator and people who either don’t know or were hostile towards the report or to stay away and miss being with their family.
2. A survivor may have told family members about the assault and been positively supported.  However, they are constantly reminded of the perpetrator each time they return home because of pictures, stories, or people.
3. Work colleagues and acquaintances frequently bring up the holidays as an easy conversation topic.  A survivor may not feel comfortable talking about why they are not going home or anywhere else for the holidays nor might they be comfortable lying about their plans.  Therefore, they could face a numerous questions about their choices with no real way to answer them.  Considering the number of acquaintances people interact with, this conversation can happen multiple times per day.
4. Alcohol is frequently used at holiday events: corporate parties, family gatherings, and celebrations with friends.  If the assault involved alcohol, then the survivor may be stressed about being involved in so many events where drinking is taking place with people that the survivor may or may not know very well.  The survivor may feel that they lose control of a lot of factors when alcohol is brought into the environment.
5. Airport security screenings are becoming increasingly invasive.  The new x-ray machine can cause fear that guards are able to see them naked.  Alternatively, the survivor can choose to be screened by a guard but that involves being touched, which could be even more triggering or traumatizing for the survivor.
6. Media, stores, and consumer areas are inundated with ‘happy people’, ‘happy families’, and repetitive holiday themed music and decorations.  This serves as a constant reminder to survivors that it is holiday season and while the majority of people are excited and happy, they are not feeling a similar way.  It could leave them feeling further disconnected from society or guilty for not being able to take part in the holiday festivities.
7. The assault may have happened around the holidays and many aspects about preparing for the holiday season can be triggering.
8. Survivors may have a lot of anxiety being around large crowds and strangers.  The frequency of these occurrences will increase with daily activities as more people are out and about getting shopping or decorating done.  There will be bigger crowds on the sidewalk, longer lines in the supermarket and other stores and in public transit stations.  This will also occur during travel: airports, gas stations, roads, bus and train stations are all going to be more and more crowded.
9. Holidays are a time when many people celebrate religion and make a better effort to go to the religious institution of their choice.  Survivors may feel betrayed by their religion or spiritual beliefs because of the assault. Frequent invitations to religious ceremonies and increased advertising by religious institutions can serve to be a reminder of these feelings of betrayal. 

CAN YOU THINK OF ANY OTHERS?

It is not always possible to know the reasons why people seem overly-stressed or anxious during the holiday season.  Although someone’s actions may not make sense to you, it is always a good idea to keep in mind that they could be dealing with a personal traumatic event, whether that is a sexual assault or not.  Acknowledge that these next several weeks have different meanings for everyone and that some people are just focused on surviving.  Be open and non-judgmental to the diverse reactions that people may have.  Know the proper resources where you can refer survivors.  (BARCC has a great 24-7 hotline!)  Most of all, be ready to listen and support friends, family, or colleagues who may reach out to you for help.