The Stanford Sexual Assault Survivor Speaks Out Again
Sexual assault is a crime that happens every day. But this summer, one particular case changed the national conversation surrounding assault and rape forever.
You know the story by now: When Stanford University student Brock Turner sexually assaulted an unconscious girl in front of witnesses, he served just three months in prison for his crime. Everyone thought that was outrageous, but the one sliver of justice was Emily Doe's groundbreaking court statement (published on BuzzFeed) that gave a voice to sexual assault survivors everywhere. Her letter was electric, sparking 11 million views in just four days, a letter from Vice President Joe Biden himself, and an outpouring of similar tales from other survivors.
This month, Glamour is honoring Emily Doe as a Woman of the Year for the crucial spotlight she has shone on the issue of sexual assault. Her statement made serious waves - in the following months, California (where Stanford is located) closed the loophole that had allowed for lighter sentences in cases where the victim was unconscious or severely intoxicated.
Emily wrote an essay for Glamour about what happened in the aftermath of the trial.
On the moment she learned that Turner was sentenced to just six months in prison: "I was struck silent. Immediately I felt embarrassed for trying, for being led to believe I had any influence. The violation of my body and my being added up to a few months out of his summer... If this case was meant to set the bar, the bar had been set on the floor."
When Vice President Joe Biden wrote her a letter: "When I received an e-mail that Joe Biden had written me a letter I was sitting in my pajamas eating some cantaloupe. You are a warrior. I looked around my room, who is he talking to. You have a steel spine, I touched my spine. I printed his letter out and ran around the house flapping it in the air."
When photos of her leaked online: "Some photos of me leaked and someone said, 'She's not pretty enough to have been raped.' In response I say, damn I wish the world could see me. I wish you could see my big, beautiful head and huge eyes. Perhaps now you are at home imagining me looking like some sort of bloated owl. That's all right."
Much like her statement on BuzzFeed, Emily's essay for Glamour is both heartbreaking and inspiring. In a world where one in six women will be raped (or experience an attempted rape) in her lifetime, it's crucial. Emily is a survivor, and her essay reminds us that we all have the inner strength to overcome challenges. You can read it here.
Hannah Orenstein is a writer at Seventeen.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
You Might Also Like
