LETTERS: A night reserved for all survivors

To the Editor: I spoke at previous events not to hold someone elses hand, but as a survivor of a violent rape. Melissa Goldate stated in her letter ("All sexes can support women's rights," DP, 4/7/97) that the "crimes that we are fighting in the event are perpetrated by males," but my attacker was a woman. The event was originally meant to give a voice to survivors and to give them the support they need to continue their personal fight. No gender attached, just survivor. Litty Paxton ("Students gather to take back the night," DP, 4/4/97) states the event was "designed by women with intention of helping other women." As for two of the organizations involved, I doubt this was the case. STAAR is committed to the fight against aquaintenance rape, not empowerment of women. As for the Penn's Women's Center, I owe my life to the center. As a survivor of sexual violence, they offered to me support, counseling and acted as an advocate for my behalf. The PWC is committed to equality for women and protection for all survivors of any sex crime. My hope is the above statements were taken out of context, or even misquotes, but I sense this is not the case. I sense some people need to be educated about sexual violence and about surviving, even organizers of this event. I fear this last forum for all survivors to speak out, is forever lost to the male survivors of rape, incest, etc? "Take Back the Night" is an event where every ounce of support is needed -- female or male. Only as a unified front can progress be made in the fight against violence in any form. "Take Back the Night" is the one night a year that survivors like me can get the support they need to continue to struggle for their own lives. Thanks for taking that away from some of us who need it the most. Craig Abbs College '98 Medical School, Admin. Asst. u To the Editor: This letter is in response to the comments made by Litty Paxton as appeared in the DP's article "Students gather to take back the night," (DP, 4/4/97). I have personally considered rape to be the greatest violation anyone can force upon a woman and have never ever condoned it in my life. However, extremist views like those of Paxton will do little to gain support and awareness to the true seriousness of the problem. To spew such extremist remarks, such as asking me -- as a man -- "to shut up and listen," Paxton is assuming that because I am male, any comments I may have to speak may be those which condone violence against women. Paxton also claims that by depicting women in magazines as Sports Illustrated, the cries of protest against aggression upon women are being ignored. This is an absurd statement. The fact that a person may find Tyra Banks in a bikini attractive does not in any way condone the act of rape. Those who commit this crime should be punished to the furthest extent of the law, but to condemn those who find women on magazine covers attractive and have never committed any wrongdoing is outrageous. Rape is a serious problem that needs to be combatted by society as a whole, and not as individuals. By preaching such extremist views, Paxton is succeeding more in segregating our society than she is in fighting the horrible crimes of violence against women. Paxton seems so blinded by her aggressions, she is refusing the additional aid of men who want to aid her in her struggle. Paxton may very well "not need [men] to be here," but for the good of the struggle, she should welcome the support of anyone who wishes to fight along side of her. Joseph Gentile Engineering graduate student u To the Editor: I was extremely disturbed when I saw the article covering "Take Back the Night" on Friday and the accompanying photograph ("Students gather to take back the night," DP, 4/4/97). As I recall, pictures were not to be taken of the survivors. I certainly hope that the survivor whose picture was displayed on the front page gave her permission for it to be used and for her story to be repeated. I urge those at the DP to respect the privacy of those who are courageous enough to share their experiences, and hope that you did in fact take their wishes into consideration when writing the article and choosing the photograph. Catharine Frazier College '99