10/09/2026
There has been a lot of discourse surrounding the sexual assault case at Cornell University. Sexual violence is much more common than many of us understand. Survivors are NEVER responsible for the harm that is perpetrated onto them. We need to come together to stop victim blaming and holding the people causing harm accountable.
[Video Description:] Video opens with a white individual sitting in front of a tan background facing the camera signing. They have shoulder length blond hair. They have facial piercings, are wearing a blue t-shirt, earrings, and a necklace with a lock on it. Throughout the video there are captions at the bottom of the video in black. The video ends on a blue screen with DWAVE’s contact information, “DWAVE Deaf World Against Violence Everywhere. Website: www.dwaveohio.org. VP: 614.678.5476. text: 614.887.7233. email: [email protected].”
[Transcript:] We continue hearing and seeing the stories and the statistics. But statistics are more than their numbers. The CDC reports nearly half of women and 1 in 6 men experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. The CDC also reports, 1out of 5 women and 1 out of 31 men have experienced completed or attempted r**e in their lifetimes. The statistics are higher for individuals with disabilities. These are not just statistics. Behind every number is a human being, a person. A statistic cannot show each individual person’s pain, trauma, or fear. It can’t show you what it takes for a survivor to finally tell someone what happened and then not be believed. This person, this survivor, their life is now forever changed. How do we break r**e culture? We need to stop asking, “Why were you there?” “Why didn’t you just leave?” “Why didn’t you fight back?” “Why didn’t you report?” We need to start asking, “Why did that person choose to harm someone else?” “Why do we excuse harmful behavior?” “Why do we value and protect reputations?” For example, the rich, well-known, family and friends rather than protecting the people harmed? “Why must survivors prove their pain, before we will believe them?” Breaking r**e culture means teaching consent. It means challenging the victim blaming mindset. It means speaking up when someone makes jokes or minimizing sexual violence, sexual harassment, “locker room talk”, “Boys will be boys” thinking or dark humor that directly oppresses women and marginalized groups . To survivors, we are with you, we support you. You deserve support, to feel safe, to receive access, and to be heard. Together we can end r**e culture.
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