In Seattle, four womyn have come forward saying they have been sexually assaulted and the assaults have occurred in a bus stop. As the police describe the attacker as growing more and more bold – he first began touching woman and is now grabbing them and forcing them to the ground – they are cautioning women in certain areas who use the bus to be extra weary. All of the survivors are Asian American womyn.
My beef, once again, with sexual assault is that law enforcement and media always end with a Be Careful Ladies! message. What if these womyn – Asian or not – do not have the luxury of options or trying to be more careful than they already are? Or maybe this is an assault on the rights of womyn – Asian or not – to use public transportation without fear of being raped or her body being violated? How about, instead, the message be
How about we write, “We will not silence or persuade women into altering their lives out of fear of a sexual predator,” instead of spreading cautionary tales and hoping more womyn come forward?
We will not be silent. We will not be afraid.