I had friends that didn't want me to go hear him speak because he is a Democrat and friends that cheered me on when I said I was going to hear him speak because he's a Democrat. To me, it's not about what party he affiliates with. Going to hear Biden speak was about being a citizen. As a citizen of this country, it is my duty to know what my government is doing and saying. It is my duty to know these things so that if I don't agree with them, I can act.
The 2 were at UNH to announce the Dear Colleague Letter based on Sexual Violence and Title IX. I didn't know Title IX was about anything more than equal funding in sports so I actually learned a lot by going. Title IX is actually about sexual discrimination in education programs and activities.
What I learned:
- If a school receives national funding, it is required to have someone on campus that is designated to handle all cases of sexual discrimination.
- Even if a student/parents don't make a complaint about sexual harassment or discrimination, the school still has a duty to act. The school must work to eliminate the cause of the situation.
- 85% of rape victims know their attacker and because they know the person, they think it is not rape.
- What a woman is wearing and past proclivities are not admissible in a court of law.
- Abuse is a learned behavior. Most people in prison for abuse have witnessed someone they love repeatedly abused.
Amongst all those facts, there's a good discussion to be had. It takes gumption to stand up and speak out against abuse. It is a measure of our country, how we respond to sexual violence (think about how we judge countries when we hear they allow stoning of women, the selling of child brides, and genital mutilation).
Twenty, thirty years ago, the battle surrounded privacy. Some people thought that abusing your wife was a private, family matter. Thankfully, that notion has been changed and people know it's a crime. Unfortunately, it's seldom witnessed and in the United States, you're not guilty until proven.
Finally, all these cultural norms exist about who is at fault (ever heard anybody say "You should have known better?" We all make judgment mistakes from time to time!). You are never at fault when you are the victim of abuse!
Biden was obviously passionate about this topic (he talked for almost an hour with no notes!) and he was impressive to listen to. He's a talented public speaker to say the least. He ended by remind the audience that the people this law is about, those are our friends and our classmates. We have to look out for each other.
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