CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses sexual assault. If you would like to talk to a counsellor about rape, sexual assault or domestic violence, give the people over at 1800 RESPECT a call on 1800 737 732.
The Stanford rape case – and the pitifully short sentence given to perpetrator Brock Turner – has gripped public interest ever since the survivor’s letter went viral. And while it’s now reaching that questionable stage where various celebrities and organisations are leaping on the widespread reach of that letter to further their own self interests, this feels absolutely nothing like that.
In response to this huge conversation about rape culture, the cast of ‘Girls‘ – Lena Dunham, Allison Williams, Jemima Kirke and Zosia Mamet – have released a powerful PSA about sexual assault and society’s default reaction to disbelieve, silence, or shame those who speak out.
They dedicated it to “the brave survivor in the Stanford case,” whom Dunham wrote “has given so much to change the conversation.”
It brings up some extremely confronting statistics, like that 1 in 5 women will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime, and in 80% of those cases, she will already know the perpetrator. (So maybe it’s time to retire that false stereotype of rapists being strangers in a dark alley for good, yeah?)
But it also ends on a powerful message, which is basically a fuck you to the argument that women shouldn’t be sexually assaulted because of their relationship to a man.
“So please, support, listen, take action,” they say, in that multi-person PSA speak where everyone says a couple words. “Not because she is someone’s daughter, or someone’s girlfriend, or someone’s sister, but because she is someone.”
I dedicate this to the brave survivor in the Stanford case who has given so much to change the conversation. https://t.co/KMOJUxvPu0
— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) June 8, 2016
Photo: Twitter / @lenadunham.
