Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Here at LPJL we’re throwing back shots of… coffee! Seriously, it’s before noon and we have jobs. But as we type away with thoughts of green beer dancing in our heads, we can’t help but wonder…what the fuck is up with all the sexual assaults on St. Patrick’s Day?
Past years have brought us shitshows like Bud Light encouraging men to pinch women that aren’t “#UpForWhatever” (whatever the fuck that means). Hoboken, NJ had to cancel their annual parade because the city could no longer protect it’s citizens or parade attendees.
But that’s all in the past!
*Record Scratch* Oh wait, Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys was seen trying to pull a woman’s top down at a parade in TX last weekend? Ok, we need to talk.
Statistics show that out of incapacitated sexual assault survivors “(89 percent) reported drinking alcohol and being drunk (82 percent) before their victimization,” so today we’re celebrating the patron saint of consent, Saint Biden. The kickass org It’s On Us (Thanks, Obama) has tips and reminders of what consent means and how to be part of the fight against sexual assault:
- Consent is voluntary and mutual and can be withdrawn at any time.
- Past consent does not mean current or future consent.
- There is no consent when there is force, coercion, or intimidation.
- One cannot always consent when under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
- Talk to your friends honestly and openly about sexual assault.
- Don't just be a bystander — if you see something, intervene in any way you can.
- Trust your gut. If something looks like it might be a bad situation, it probably is.
- Be direct. Ask someone who looks like they may need help if they're ok.
- Get someone to help you if you see something — enlist a friend, RA, bartender, or host to help step in.
- Keep an eye on someone who has had too much to drink.
- If you see someone who is too intoxicated to consent, enlist their friends to help them leave safely.
- Recognize the potential danger of someone who talks about planning to target another person at a party.
- Be aware if someone is deliberately trying to intoxicate, isolate, or corner someone else.
- Get in the way by creating a distraction, drawing attention to the situation, or separating them.
- Understand that if someone does not or cannot consent to sex, it's rape.
- Never blame the victim.
Head over to ItsOnUs.org to take their pledge and have a safe and consensual St. Patrick’s Biden’s Day!