It’s clearly not festive to talk about date rape, but I would rather you be safe and educated this holiday season, given the relentless current cultural and political swirl. This month alone I have been witness to an unprecedented number of people breaking the cultural trance of female sexual objectification and abuse, divulging their debilitating traumatic stories of rape and beyond. You might also find yourself in the position of being another's confidant, witness to one or more of the droves of victims finally coming forward to share the burden of sexual assault and worse. Today we will address the young people on college campuses struggling to cope.

The latest research reports 1 in 5 females will experience sexual assault, attempted or completed rape. The definition of rape being “sex you don’t agree to, including forcing a body part or object into your vagina, rectum (bottom), or mouth. Date rape is when you are raped by someone you know.” Given there are currently 19.9 million students enrolled in colleges today, this means just this year more than 2.4 million students have been assaulted. Title 9, the federal civil rights law passed in 1972, was created to ensure that male and female students and employees in educational settings are treated equally and fairly, yet here we are situated within a culture that has normalized rape. This month's newsletter is dedicated to a deeper inquiry hoping to help finding solutions for addressing and healing this pandemic social atrocity for all concerned. Please tune in here to my podcast interviewing two young people living on campus who courageously share their experience about what it is like for them navigating relationships in this rape culture.

The Stranger You Know Maryanne Comaroto