We all have heard the story, the unconscious college girl gets raped by the all-American swim team athlete. The more we hear about what happened the worse it gets, even when you think it can’t get worse. Now they say he took her picture as she lay unconscious, naked and sent them to his swim teammates. Why wasn’t there one young man in that group that had that tug of conscious that said, “this is wrong, I need to do something about this.” But there wasn’t one, not one. What is wrong with our world?

I can’t help but think what else would have happened to this young lady if it hadn’t been for her two heroes who happened to be riding by on their bikes and noticed something wasn’t right. They didn’t just ride on by, thinking it wasn’t their business, no, they knew something was wrong and stopped to see what they could do to help. Those two men have no idea what they did I don’t think. They not only stopped the rape of this girl, but they reaffirmed to many of us who have been raped, who lived this nightmare that there are men who don’t look the other way, they take action. If it wasn’t for these two heroes there might be a very different ending to this story.

Carl-Fredik Arndt and Peter Jonsson, the Heroes 

The father of this rapist wrote a letter explaining away his sons actions and how he shouldn’t have to suffer for his 20 minutes of action. I pray he does not have any daughters and God help them if he does. This father has failed his son, as I believe his father failed him. Actions are taught, behaviors are learned, and ignorance must be hereditary. Boys will be boys. Well, what about boys being men? There was so much concern about the rapists future, his swimming career as an Olympic hopeful, etc. but there was not a word mentioned about the young lady who he raped, left laying unconscious in an alley and her future and how this would affect her.

Then his mother writes a letter complaining that she hasn’t been able to decorate their home since they got the phone call. I mean, isn’t that horrible for her, she hasn’t been able to hang pictures on the wall. My lord, her world must be ending. She also states that now her precious son will have to register as a Tier 3 sex offender, which means he is on the same level as a pedophile/child molester. There is no differentiation,” she wrote. “The public records will reflect a Tier 3 so people will wrongly assume he is a child molester. I fear for his lifelong safety.” Really lady? How about the fact your son raped someone and you fail to see the tragedy of that!

And then the rapist himself writes a letter, one excusing his actions to peer pressure, to his inexperience with alcohol, coming from a small town, his team captain had told him to have fun, that she said she wanted it. She gave a ‘positive response’ when he asked her if she was enjoying it. Even saying he knows he never raped anyone. Everyone else’s fault but his own.

Now I don’t have a psychology or law degree but I can even see that this family needs some major therapy and the judge sitting on the bench for this trial failed miserably, family counseling should have been mandatory!

But the one letter that was written that actually has a message is the one by the young lady who was the victim of Brock Turner and she did something that many rape victims do not get to do, she was able to look at him eye to eye and tell him everything she needed to say to him, and she did so with the strength of a bear. In a 12 page letter she laid it all out, not mincing words so that it was understood that she was not a mere little mouse, that though she was a victim of a violent crime and though it hurt her, it didn’t break her. She was a survivor and because of it she is now a hero to many, like me. In her own words I close this as she says it best:

‘And finally, to girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought everyday for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you. Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining. Although I can’t save every boat, I hope that by speaking today, you absorbed a small amount of light, a small knowing that you can’t be silenced, a small satisfaction that justice was served, a small assurance that we are getting somewhere, and a big, big knowing that you are important, unquestionably, you are untouchable, you are beautiful, you are to be valued, respected, undeniably, every minute of every day, you are powerful and nobody can take that away from you. To girls everywhere, I am with you. Thank you.’