1: Why SAFER?

Posted on | July 25, 2009 | 2 Comments

It seems most appropriate to begin this long journey by asking the question of why I’m doing it.  Why spend my usually lazy Saturday blogging in enormous quantities and denying myself sleep instead of going through my blog reader and posting Beatles pictures on Tumblr?  I’m doing it for SAFER.

As you likely know by now, SAFER is the organization that I’m sponsoring in this endeavor, and trying to entice you into sponsoring as well.  SAFER, which stands for Students Active For Ending Rape, is an organization that works with college students to change their schools’ sexual assault policies.

Right now, most college sexual assault policies are horrifically outdated.  Remember, institutions of higher learning don’t exactly exist outside of rape culture.  They, too, are prone to also thinking that “prevention” means women watching their drinks and not wearing short skirts.  They, too, are prone to thinking that a lack of physical evidence means a rape didn’t occur, or that rape is something “not worth ruining a nice young man’s life for,” or that women lie about rape, or even that date rape isn’t rape.  And due to the manufactured “controversy” surrounding many rape allegations, most schools would prefer to not get involved at all.

SAFER is all about changing all of that, and in changing smaller environments — and by training others to actually do the work in their own communities, based on that community’s own needs — they’re also about challenging and dismantling rape culture form the ground up.

SAFER supports proven prevention strategies that focus on (potential) perpetrator behavior and bystander behavior, rather than (potential) victim behavior.  They understand that rape can be prevented if we only stop turning away and start confronting the problem.  They understand that it’s not going to happen by telling women they just need to live with it and adapt.

SAFER also supports real accountability proceedings for perpetrators when an assault does occur, and letting a victim make her or his choice regarding whether or not to report.  They understand that communities have a right to set their own ethical standards of behavior, and to deal with or remove those that don’t abide by them.  And they understand that survivors need comprehensive support systems and services.

SAFER does all of this while further acknowledging that race, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, and more, have an effect on rape culture and impact the response to certain types of survivors (and certain types of perpetrators).  They do it with a general commitment to social justice in mind.  And they do it on a shoestring budget, just because they know it needs to be done.

Have I gotten my point across yet?  SAFER kicks ass.

That’s why I’m blogging today.  And it’s why you, if you’re able and haven’t already, ought to pledge to support them. Every little bit helps — and if everyone tosses in the $5 or $10 they have, we might just be able to bring the current $383 pledge amount to my original $500 goal.  Let’s try and find out!

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