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

[Hannah Lindsay <>]

I think one of the problems with Sex Signals is that it is very victim 
blaming. If it's all about miscommunication then the victim is told that they 
just didn't speak clearly what they wanted, or that they didn't speak loud 
enough, or that they didn't speak up enough. Or maybe they would believe that 
they said "no" but that their body language, dress, etc. said "yes". As 
advocates, we know this is not the case, but when we say that rape is about 
miscommunication, we not only send this message to the victims, but we give 
an excuse to the perpetrators ("well, I thought she was just playing"). I 
think this is a dangerous program to introduce.

Hannah Lindsay

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

Date: Friday, March 2, 2007 2:14 pm
Subject: Re:  Sex Signals

> Hi All,
> 
> You are entitled to your critique of any program, but I think 
> there is  
> another way of looking at the Sex Signals program.  Not  being 
> focused overtly on 
> control and power can be strategic.  You have  to lay a foundation 
> of education 
> with students before they may be ready for  sophisticated dialogue 
> of that 
> nature.  And, I think that while Sex Signals  may not make those 
> concepts overt, 
> they are clearly there for those who are  sensitive to them, 
> especially in 
> the manner in which the male character is  particularly blind to 
> clear 
> disinterest from the woman.
> 
> Sex Signals does not, in my view, reduce sexual assault to  
> miscommunication. 
> It recognizes that failure of communication is an  element in 
> some sexual 
> assaults.  If most men who rape are serial offenders  (and they 
> are), then your 
> perspective only addresses them.  And most is not  all.  Some 
> percentage of 
> men, according to the research, rape only  once.  Even if they are 
> not a 
> majority, our programming cannot ignore  them.  We have a better 
> chance at education 
> with them than we ever will  with a sociopath.  
> 
> And, please keep in mind that the sex/power construct can put men 
> on the  
> defensive in educational efforts, so that they never hear the 
> important points  
> being made.  One of the best things that Sex Signals does, in my 
> opinion,  is 
> open men to a non-adversarial dialogue.  Once they are open, we 
> ought to  
> strategically follow-up with efforts at programming on gender  
> constructs, 
> hypermasculinity and other contributing factors to rape.
> 
> Nothing is right for every campus, but I just wanted to add my two 
> cents.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Brett A. Sokolow, JD
> Special Counsel to  the President, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
> Special Counsel for Student  Conduct Issues, Warren Wilson College
> Special Advisor to the Dean of Campus  Life, Univ. of the 
> Incarnate Word
> 
> President, The National Center for  
> Higher Education Risk Management, Ltd.
> "Best Practices for Student  Health and Safety"
> 
> (a not-for-profit  corporation)
> 20 Callery Way
> Malvern, PA  19355-2969
> Tel. (610) 993-0229
> Fax (610)  993-0228
> www.ncherm.org
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