A Manifesto for ALL Sexual Assault Survivors

We declare that ALL sexual assault survivors ARE survivors, but NOT BROKEN or DAMAGED individuals. They are HUMANS, individuals who need you to rise up with the feminist movement that fights for all individuals and protects survivors against society viewing them as invisible, discarded, unattractive, inferior, or worthless. We declare that this is not a radical movement, but rather a movement that supports a basic right: the right to be a citizen and actively participate as a member of a true society. 

We acknowledge that sexual assault survivors on college campuses don’t have to identify as being female to be a survivor. We recognize that as a society, we tell the version of the story as being predominantly female victimization. 

CHANGE THE NARRATIVE. TAKE ACTION. 

1. We will change the narrative. The social narrative or what scholars call the “secondary victimization” is when a survivor is exposed to survivor-blaming attitudes and will be akin to a second rape, which promotes survivors as being in the wrong. Media and entertainment industries have capitalized off of this version of the story, and it has forced everyone to see this issue as an only female issue when in reality, it is an issue for all genders. 
2. We recognize the disturbing rate of cases on college campuses. 13% of all students experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation, and 23.1% of TGQN (transgender, genderqueer, nonconforming) college students have been sexually assaulted. However, only 20% of female student victims of the age 18-24 report to law enforcement, and even less for non-female student victims.  
3. We voice that women, non-binary people, transgender individuals, and all non-hetero sexualities are to be respected, regardless if they’re survivors of sexual assault. They are equal to everyone and continue to thrive as intellectual, radical, and profound people.
4. We speak up against the silence on sexual assault and the accusations that it could be false when “there is no evidence.” We believe all sexual assault survivors have a right to a trial if they decide to testify against an alleged perpetrator, and they also have the right not to if it places them in a position of insecurity. 

HOLD PERPETRATORS AND ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE.

1. We will take sexual assault reports on campus seriously. According to the University’s recently published data, there has been a 129 percent increase in report sexual violence at UR. 142 incidents were reported to the Title X office in 2019 compared with 62 percent, according to the state. While it is the right of the survivor to go through with an investigation, it is the administration’s responsibility to take each situation seriously.  
2. We affirm that rape culture in colleges SHOULD NOT EXIST. The way that rape is portrayed encourages harassment and a culture that does not value survivors. We also affirm that objectification of the body types of these individuals in magazines, films, social media, etc. is MORALLY WRONG and does NOT define the VALUE of these individuals. The trend of rape in porn should also be ERADICATED, for it promotes rape in real life, and encourages viewers to contribute to non-consensual sexual acts of the actors, who though they may be acting, are still affected. These portrayals in our culture normalize rape, assault, and harassment.   

MENTAL HEALTH  ADVOCACY  

1. We believe all survivors of sexual assault should have the right to FREE HEALTH CARE and MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES. 
2. We demand abortion rights for all, NOT just women. Additionally, we fight for abortion rights not just because everyone deserves to have control over their body, but because survivors of rape have a right to make that decision. HEALTH SERVICES SHOULD BE FREE FOR ALL STUDENTS. 

LOVE 

1. We attribute love and affection to those who have survived an attack. They are still worthy of healthy, consensual sex, love, relationships, vulnerability, intimacy, and a life outside of their attack. Being a sexual assault survivor doesn’t have to be a part of their identity. It is NOT WHO THEY ARE OR WHAT THEY REPRESENT. 
2. We call for social change in the way we perceive survivors. Their voices are meant to be heard as people who aren’t separate from society, but who have a say in their own narrative. 
3. We demand that sexual assault survivors be free of their trauma, their victimization, and stigmatization. We are all human. We are all meant to be loved.