Every day--the tyranny, violence and criminality of what rape is, it's very definition--is distorted. This results in making it harder for survivors to break their silence and for anti-violence advocates to operate change--while conversely making life easier for victim-blamers and rapists themselves.
Even though bringing the reality of rape into the spotlight makes some people uncomfortable, it's a necessary and important step. I believe that when we give in the world what we want most, which in this case is to stop sexual violence, we heal the broken part inside each of us.
This is my story...
On September 23, 2013, I was the keynote speaker for a sexual violence awareness panel at Butler University (Clowes Hall) - there were over 1,000 sorority members present. The link below will direct you to the online visual presentation. I will forewarn you that this presentation does contain content that is not easy for some to digest, however, I urge you to face the realities of the unfortunate rape culture that our society holds up.
There are two videos embedded in this presentation that may take some time to load (slides 4 and 109).