UK students rally against sexual violence

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ)-

The event is called take back the night and it’s where students come together with community members to discuss sexual violence and ways that they can end rape culture.
Dozens of UK students, faculty and community members met outside UK’s Memorial Hall to create a safe space for victims of sexual violence and provide services and information to the community.

“We have a lot of discourse in this country surrounding sexual assault but there seems to be a lot of myth mixed into that and people are still unsure about what sexual assault really counts as and who it actually affects and who can actually be raped or sexually assaulted and in that sense I feel like events like this bring a lot of visibility to the issue and makes it very tangible for people to be able to connect with,” said Rory Barron, a UK student.

The event’s keynote speaker was a student and sexual assault survivor from the University of Cincinnati who shared her story and encouraged others to do the same.

“Sexual assault is an issue that people tend not to talk about. We live in a society complicit in rape culture and survivors face a lot of stigma and silence. They’re met with victim blaming and questions about what they’re wearing or what they’re drinking and survivors deserve so much better than that,” said Grace Cunningham, a student at the University of Cincinnati.

To try and help survivors, UK has asked students to become a part of a new committee that will be revising the university’s policies on sexual violence.

“So I’ve been fortunate enough to be asked to be on that committee. So I’ve been able to sit there and give my opinion. Kind of represent the student body as to what we think is best in dealing with those kinds of allegations,” said William Bell, a UK student.

Still, many students say there’s a long way to go in ending sexual violence on campuses.

“There’s a lot of dialogue happening about it but the statistics don’t seem to be going down any. So figuring out solutions to that problem is what we need to be doing from here,” said Barron.

In addition to this rally participants encourage people to stay active in the fight against sexual violence by not being afraid to speak about the subject and also getting involved in local organizations.