Guest Commentary: Patriarchy reinforced by Take Back the Night
Apr. 10, 2013Take Back the Night has a rich history, and it provides a therapeutic outlet for a lot of the women I know who participate, be they survivor or ally. However, the very basis of the event recalls an era of heteronormativity and gender binarism. This event makes many assumptions about men and women, and it erases the gender identities of people like me, who identify as neither male nor female. The scene depicted in Take Back the Night is a woman walking home at night who is jumped by a man and subsequently assaulted, even though we know that more than 75 percent of people who are assaulted are attacked by someone they know and often trust (National Institute of Justice Violence Against Women Survey, 2000). An event centered on sexual-assault prevention should discuss acquaintance rape, which is the most common kind of sexual assault. An event centered on ending rape culture that focuses only on women is outdated and defunct.
