MIKE CHIEN/Daily Bruin Richie Wong (left), third-year psychology
student, and Maurine Tohe, third-year electrical engineering
student hold candles for "Take Back the Night."
By Noah Grand
DAILY BRUIN REPORTER
[email protected]
Several hundred people came together for remembrance and healing
during “Take Back the Night” on Thursday.
The annual vigil, sponsored by the UCLA Clothesline Project,
involved participants talking about how either they or loved ones
had been victims of sexual violence.
“You don’t think you know a survivor, but you
probably do,” said Stephanie Toby, co-organizer of this
year’s event.
Speakers emphasized that this is a problem that cuts across
different ethnicites, social classes, sexual orientations and
genders.
Most members in the audience indicated that they knew a victim
of sexual assault.
About one in six women will be the victim of a rape or sexual
assault at some point in their life, said Mara Green, a worker at
UCLA’s rape treatment center.
This shows that it is a problem for everyone, said Ta’shia
Asanti, a performer who has appeared at every “Take Back the
Night.”
“This is not a woman problem, this is not a man
problem,” Asanti said. “This is an “˜us’
problem.”
Multiple men came forward to let the audience know that men
““ including heterosexual men ““ can also be the victims
of sexual assault.
This is one of the reasons men should be more involved in this
event, said David Sloane Rider, national coordinator of the
national “Men Can Stop Rape” organization.
He said the department of justice estimates between 10 to 20
percent of men have been sexually assaulted at some point, based on
survey data.
This survey involved men of all sexual orientations. However,
this is not a safe campus for homosexual, bisexual or transexual
students yet, said Ronni Sanlo, director of UCLA’s Lesbian
Gay Bisexual Transgender center.
She said that people are not born to be homophobic, but they
learn to act that way from watching people who are homophibic.
“My God loves everyone just the way we are,” Sanlo
said.
Asanti also said societal images ““ specifically images
that portray women as sexual objects instead of people ““ are
one of the causes of sexual assault.
But men are also victims of this societal image, Rider said.
“Society enslaves men by objectifying women and saying
that men need to have power and dominance over women,” Rider
said.
Speaking out about their experiences in events such as this one
is often a time of healing for victims, as they often feel they can
take more control over their lives by making their voices
heard.
The majority of women do not report sexual assaults to police,
however. Despite this, a rape is reported once every five minutes
nationwide.
Prosecuting offenders can be very difficult in criminal
proceedings, but Mark Kellegian, a civil lawyer specializing in
rape cases, encouraged victims to sue offenders.
“I have the best job in the world, because I get to sue
the SOBs,” Kelligan said.
He said no amount of money could make up for the lifetime
suffering that most rape victims feel, but the financial
settlements could be enough to stop some offenders.
One student mentioned during the event that she had been raped
at a fraternity party.
However Lazlo Kupar, a third-year student and member of the
Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, said not all fraternity members
want to take advantage of women.
He added that his fraternity educates all new members and
pledges that sexual assault is not acceptable.
“I never want a woman to feel uncomfortable,” Kupar
said. “I hope that one day it will be that way.”