Laci Green visits WCSU to discuss rape culture
On Thursday, Oct. 8, YouTuber Laci Green came to Western Connecticut State University to hold a program called “Taking Down Rape Culture.” The program was held in the Ives Concert Hall as part of Operation Jungle Red.
Laci Green is a sex activist who educates people about comprehensive sex education. She wants people to adopt healthy, realistic attitudes about sexuality. Green runs her own YouTube channel "Sex Plus", a biweekly video series.
The program started off with a video, which included news stories of rape, interviews with men and why they catcall women, and other emotionally invoking media as examples of rape culture in the United States. Green used a slide show along with her lecture to provide statistics of sexual assault. One statistics include one in four female students and one in six male students are sexually violated while earning their degree.
The program is meant to educate people on what rape culture is, by using current examples in news and in pop culture. Multiple videos of rape victims talking about how their case was brushed aside by their college or university were shown, as well as the music video “Blurred Lines,” by Robin Thicke. Green also showed many comments from social media of rape cases where the victim was the butt of the joke about the incident.
These examples were meant to stress how society sees rape as something that will inevitably happen and can’t be controlled. Green stresses how inaccurate that view about rape is and how people should not take rape as something to joke about. Joking about rape makes it seem like a lighter issue that doesn’t need to be taken seriously.
Green aims to educate students on how they can help prevent rape, whether someone is a bystander who intervenes in a sketchy situation or someone who speaks up when a rape joke is told.
Green also mentions how some politicians are “rape apologists,” meaning they make rape seem like it isn’t that big of an issue. Voting these politicians out of office is another step anyone can take to help stop rape culture.
More information about Laci Green can be found at her website: http://www.lacigreen.tv.
Resources on sexual assaults at Western Connecticut can be found at the Campus Resource Team (CaRT) website where one can find information about on and off campus reporting procedures, learn where to receive support and services, review the campus disciplinary procedures, find assistance to change living arrangements, classes, or campus work schedules following an assault, and other information regarding interpersonal violence.
