'That Test Just Raped Me'

I am repulsed by sexual assault remarks. I was 14 when I was sexually assaulted and I repressed it until I was a junior in high school. Confronting my assault was by far the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Because of this I am personally offended when I hear my peers use the words "rape" or "sexual assault" out of context. I cannot believe the disrespect people have. I am a victim of sexual assault and I do not find it humorous when people scream "Rape!" when someone jokingly touches them. Or because a test was really hard people may say, "That test just raped me." I understand that exams can be really challenging, but so can overcoming a sexual assault or rape.


The entitlement people have truly astounds me. Using rape out of context is disgusting. Think about what rape and sexual assault is. It is horrific. Now think about how the victim feels. I am a victim, and to know that my biggest life obstacle is used as a joke or a parallelism to the difficulty of an exam sickens me.

"When people say anything like that, it brings up bad feelings and memories," said Kathleen Geraghty '14. "Although people say it is a joke it is the complete opposite. It makes people sound ignorant."

Sex crimes are serious and should not be used as a joke. I was once told that rape is the most serious crime that a victim will live through and I believe it.

Victims do not wear their sexual assault on their sleeves. It is a personal and life-changing event in our lives. Sexual assault permanently alters a life. It affects who they are, and who they are meant to become. I can truly say my strength grew because of my assault and I have been proactive about it, but there was a period in time where I let my assault define me. So when people use rape or sexual assault inappropriately, I feel uncomfortable. While everyone is laughing at the joke, I'm sitting there remembering everything I had to endure.

I was forced to grow up much faster than a high school girl should have to, and I have come to terms with that. I am recovered from my situation, but I urge all of you to remove these highly offensive jokes out of your daily conversations. I will never forget my sexual assault and I know for a fact that any other victim will never forget theirs either. You never know who's sitting next to you and what their life story is.

Watch what you say. Entitlement and ignorance are ugly traits. Stop the sex crime jokes and refrain from laughing. Realize that sexual assault is a crime taken very seriously. The next time you want to laugh, think about the victim first.