On Saturday, May 8, around 8:15 p.m., my husband and I were walking along East State Street toward Casa Nueva.
Two college-aged guys approached us walking in the opposite direction. One was completely nondescript, but the other, not so much. The other carried the standard 12-pack of low-grade swill and a beer gut.
He caught my attention only because as he drew near to us, he beckoned, unabashedly, to some other guys who were sitting on the porch of one of the houses lining East State, “Hey, are there any bitches in there I can rape?” They responded, somewhat apprehensively, in the affirmative.
My husband and I both fought powerful urges to unleash on this loser and his porch buddies. Two days later, his remark continues to recycle through my mind, as do the numerous things I’d like to have said and done in return.
I can’t help but recall the faces of intoxicated young women who were out that night, completely unaware that some of their peers would seek to do them harm and regard them as nothing more than objects to be had, nothing more than “bitches” to be raped.
This was my experience as I walked through downtown Athens, but everyone should be concerned.
I hope Ohio University and the city of Athens take this letter seriously and work together to educate the student body on the devastation caused by attitudes that debase women, and how women and men can work together to change these attitudes.
Kimberly White resides in Barboursville, W. Va.
