After the appalling reports about the actions of some boys during Wednesday’s sexual assault assembly, my English class had a 45-minute discussion dedicated to talking about opinions of their behavior during the assembly and the power than men can hold over women.

Many boys kept their mouths shut–and granted there are only about 10 boys in my class–but some voiced their opinions about the assembly and the reasons for the actions of the select group of boys who disrupted the assembly.

The girls’ assembly focused on the vulnerability of women. When you’re walking with headphones in, you’re vulnerable. When you’re sleeping, you’re vulnerable. When you’re drinking, you’re vulnerable. It seems that women are always vulnerable.

We heard stories of women who were sexually assaulted and then stories of men who prevented assaults. We were taught that girls need to stick together, protect one another, and be careful in situations with drugs and alcohol. Throughout the crowd there seemed to be an overwhelming sense of openness, comfort and understanding.

Now, I completely understand why boys felt they were being attacked during their portion of the assembly. Sitting in a room filled with guys and having a woman talking to them about rape may have made them feel as if they were being blamed or even yelled at for things they hadn’t done or even thought about doing.

I also understand it isn’t easy for an audience member to stand up in front of hundreds of their classmates and tell them to stop what they are doing and be respectful.

At the same time, we must consider all the girls who have been through experiences like this, and how such a reaction impacts them.

By applauding and laughing about this serious topic, some boys may have given off the idea that they find sexual assault to be a joke. I overheard a girl say she now feels uncomfortable and unsafe in school. How has our society allowed this to continue, where some women may feel as if they aren’t in a safe environment?

I think that group of clapping boys needs to realize that sexual assault is a serious subject and not a matter to be laughed about. They need to think about the girl sitting across the room from them in their math class, or the girl walking through the hallway during lunch.

The CDC reported that about one in four girls is sexually abused before the age of 18. While we don’t have an exact statistic for Whitman–and it’s certainly less than the national average–we’re dealing with an issue that is regardless prevalent within our community.

When a girl overhears, “I learned from that assembly that I shouldn’t have sex with a girl or she’ll say you raped her,” as one girl did, imagine the insecurities that girl will now feel. Girls are simultaneously told to feel comfortable and confident in their own skin, but also that they’re always vulnerable and easily taken advantage of.

The point of the assembly was not to call out boys as rapists, or even to say any of you are rapists or sexual assaulters. It was to bring attention to the relatively common problem of sexual assault and to show men that they need to protect women, not abuse them.

Click here to read a news story about the assembly.
Click here to read an editorial about the assembly.