TRIGGER WARNING

It's not because... (218 words)

It's not because of what she wore,

Or where she walked.

It's not because she walked alone,

Or forgot her pepper spray.

It's not because she had both headphones in,

Or she was "asking for it".

It's not because she didn't fight back hard enough,

Or she shouldn't have hung out with that crowd.

It's not because she didn't explicitly say no,

Or she drank too much.

It's not because she was out to late,

Or she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It's not because of how she looks,

Or how she walks, or what she says, or how she says it.

NO.

It's because he wasn't taught how to respect women/femininity.

He wasn't taught about consent vs coercion or stats on domestic violence.

He wasn't taught rape statistics,

Or about the violence against women's act and why it exists.

He wasn't taught the history of gendered systemic oppression,

Or how women have been treated for centuries.

He wasn't taught the millions of 1st hand stories about the trauma women have faced at the hands of men,

Usually men they both loved and trusted.

He wasn't taught about street harassment or how common and terrifying it actually is.

He wasn't taught accountability or how not holding your friends accountable makes you part of the problem too.

He wasn't taught about the patriarchy or that it still exists today.

HE WASN'T TAUGHT.

He wasn't taught.

He was taught boys will be boys.