Eliminating Victim Blaming in the Cedar Valley (Blog)

04/10/2013, CEDAR FALLS, Iowa – In honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, UNI Feminist Action League will be hosting a Rape is the Fault of the RAPIST Teach-In.  The event is being hosted in to respond to the Sunday, April 7, opinion piece “Be smart when going out” printed in the Waterloo Courier by Josephine Boykin. Feminist Action Leagues believes that it is vital to women’s rights that we address the rape myths her piece comprises. Boykin’s arguments re-victimize rape survivors by perpetuating myths that surround rape.  Boykin wrote the following advice for young women:

“I get so frustrated with women who go out alone, drink more alcohol than a safe amount, then complain that some guy raped them.

That is sheer stupidity to me. Alcohol affects women more than it does men. That fact might help women realize when it’s time to quit. Another piece of advice is that women need to travel with one or two other women, with the understanding they will stay together. Have you ever heard of safety in numbers?

A woman alone at a bar may give the impression that she is looking for a man. And the later it gets the more trouble could be in store.

So wake up, ladies, don’t put yourself in a compromising position. It might be too late to say no.”

On the surface, Boykin’s words may seem like pragmatic advice.  However, Boykin’s advice defers the responsibility of rape from the rapist to the victim.  As a result, beliefs of this nature undermine women’s safety and legal rights.  It is legal for women to be out alone at night and to drink alcohol after the age of twenty-one.  Rape is not. Boykin’s vantage point is contributing to and perpetuating the rape culture in which we currently live, which destroys the  autonomy and power of women.  Instead of telling men to police their behavior, the onus is placed on women to limit their freedom and live less fulfilled and autonomous lives.

Rape is never justified in any context. However, Boykin gives the impression that rape happens to irresponsible, intoxicated women at night. This is one of many examples of the myths surrounding rape.  Here are some additional rape myths:

Myth: Women cry rape because they had sex and changed their minds.

Fact: Rape is the most underreported crime in the country. Only 16% are ever reported to the police.

Myth: Rape only happens to women dressed promiscuously who are on the streets late at night.

Fact: Rape happens everywhere. It happens on the job, in our homes, in parking lots, and at schools.

Myth: Rape only happens to attractive, young women who dress and behave promiscuously.

Fact: Rape can and does happen to women and men of all walks of life regardless of dress or behavior. Rapists look for easy targets, which often include children, the elderly, and people with mental or physical disabilities.

Myth: Real rapes are only committed by strangers.

Fact: As many as 80% of victims will at least be acquainted with their attacker and many attackers are people the victim trusts, such as boyfriends, friends, or family members.

Unfortunately, Boykin is not alone in her perception of rape. All too often scenarios of women acting in ways deemed inappropriate by society are used to justify the violence against them.  No one who is raped “was just asking for it”. No one asks to be violated emotionally and physically, despite what the “Be smart when going out” opinion piece would lead you to believe.

Rape happens everywhere, and the heartbreaking truth is that it is all too often perpetrated by those we love and trust the most.

UNI Feminist Action League finds it unacceptable that these rape myths are still widely believed and circulated in publications like the Courier, in essence justifying violence against women. 

Because of this demonstrated lack of knowledge about victim blaming, rape culture, and women's rights in our community, we feel it is incumbent upon us to inform the people of the Cedar Valley about these issues. On Friday, April 12th, Feminist Action League will hold a Rape is the Fault of the RAPIST Teach-In outside the Courier from 12:30-2:00 p.m.  We hope other members of the UNI and Cedar Valley community will take a stand with us. By educating the people of the Cedar Valley about the detrimental effects of rape myths, we hope to come one step closer to a world in which both victim-blaming and rape itself are completely unfathomable.