I know I used my woman’s card last week, but I’m not going to let today go by without saying something here.

Today rapist Brock Turner is getting released from prison. He’s served 3 months of his 6 month sentence- he’s being released on “good behavior.” (I can only take that to mean he refrained from raping any women for the last three months.) If you’ve forgotten, Brock was convicted of three felony assault charges.

I’m livid. I believe pure liquid anger has replaced the blood in my veins and it’s pumping throughout my body. How do I send my future daughter(s) to college knowing that they have a 20% chance of being sexually assaulted? On top of that, if they are assaulted and they have the superhuman strength to press charges and their attacker is actually convicted, he might serve a sentence shorter than my daughter’s fall semester. I can’t even process this. What. The. F*ck.

HOW IS THIS OUR COUNTRY? How is anyone ok with this? I don’t mean you and me- I assume everyone here is freaking pissed. Nationwide, though, there are some people who think like Brock and his p.o.s. father and the judge. Those are the people that make me afraid to walk my dogs. Those are the people who stare at me or my cousins way too long in the grocery store. Those are the people that colleges tell you to use the buddy system to avoid. Because heaven forbid we do something about it- we just have to learn to live with them.

I don’t get it. I really don’t. I’m so sad that this is our reality. It makes me mad. It makes me carry pepper spray. I makes me want to carry a knife so I have a weapon of my own when I’m trapped in a breezeway with a potential rapist.

I was in a public building the other day and when I went to the bathroom there was a man cleaning the windows just outside the entrance to the women’s room. It was after hours and the hallway was empty but for us. The man wasn’t threatening, but I locked my stall and did my business as fast as I could because my mind played the scenario where that man could’ve come in the bathroom and trapped me. I had my pepper spray in hand until I was out of the bathroom. How is this our reality? How.

I try to keep thing happy and airy on Fridays, but today is a big kick in the ovaries for all women, daughter, mothers, fathers, sons, men, and anyone else who loves and respects humanity. Screw you, justice system. Something needs to change.

-Audrey

* No comments today because I’m hopeful we’re all pretty pissed and in agreeance. Also, I am aware that California has changed the laws on rape because of this case. I guess that’s the one thin faded silver grey lining in this situation.