Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Molly Dragiewicz" <>]

I have seen speakouts work and run them myself a few different ways but
I wanted to echo this below...I know several students who never sought
counseling or in some cases never told anyone before taking part
spontaneously or as part of a planned speaker list in a speakout. I
don't know of any students I have worked with who regretted speaking
out. For most it kick started the healing process and they went either
to on campus counseling or the community rape crisis for the first time.

I don't believe that survivors are delicate flowers who need to be
protected from speaking about their experiences. I would hate for a TBTN
to eliminate speakouts because they are "depressing". They should be
infuriating and inspiring as well as depressing because it is depressing
that so many women are still being raped on campus. Not hearing about it
from survivors is not going to fix that.

I would also hate to see survivors getting the message that talking
about their experiences is harmful to them. How many more ways can we
find to silence women? From what I have seen the students (and others)
who name it rape are more likely to put responsibility on the
perpetrator and not blame themselves and get on the road to healing more
quickly by seeking out counseling and other forms of support. Research
confirms these personal observations. Is there any research at all that
indicates that speaking out about rape is harmful to survivors in this
context? 

In addition, according to our assessments, the speakouts are the single
most powerful educational piece of this event for audience members.
Students and others in the audience realize they know survivors and that
in many cases they also know perpetrators. They cannot identify either
by looking at them and may not know about the rape even if the person is
someone they consider to be fairly close with them. This is a life
changing opportunity for non-survivors as well, and one of a handful of
educational approaches that we know from students to be effective.

Molly Dragiewicz
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Criminology, Justice, and Policy Studies
University of Ontario Institute of Technology

-----Original Message-----
From: 

[mailto:]
 On Behalf Of Garrett, Robin
Sent: Monday, October 30, 2006 6:30 PM
To: 

Subject: TBtN speakouts

...I do know that we have had students
who sought assistance only after they had spoken at the open forum
spontaneously. The way our speakout is organized, it is very intimate
and supportive. I'll keep thinking about this. It is not a simple
question to answer.


Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.
Robin Garrett,
Women's Center Director