Content Warning: This letter contains discussion of rape culture, online harassment, victim blaming and rape apologism/denialism.

Dear community members:

The Oberlin College Republicans and Libertarians are bringing Christina Hoff Sommers to speak on Monday, April 20. This Monday happens to be a part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which makes the timing of this talk particularly objectionable. Though OCRL advertised Christina Hoff Sommers as a feminist with a “perspective that differs from the general Oberlin population,” they failed to mention that she is a rape denialist. A rape denialist is someone who denies the prevalence of rape and denies known causes of it. Christina Hoff Sommers believes that rape occurs less often than statistics (those which actually leave out a plethora of unreported rapes) suggest. She also believes that false rape accusations are a rampant issue and that intoxication and coercion cannot rightly be considered barriers to consent. OCRL additionally failed to mention that she participates in violent movements such as GamerGate, a campaign that threatened feminists advocating against sexism in video games via threats of death and rape. If you need proof, examples or explanation of that, just Google her. Better yet, look at her Twitter. Here are some examples:

On April 13, Sommers tweeted: “The wage gap is a myth. So is ‘rape culture’ & claims of gender bias in science. But women’s grievance industry goes on.”

On April 15, Sommers retweeted Adrian Chmielarz’s tweet: “Thanks for showing how trolls exploit #GamerGate. This account has NEVER used the tag before.” Chmielarz was referring to a tweet by Feminist Frequency, in which Anita Sarkeesian publicized an offensive tweet from @ cox4vox. The tweet contained a misogynistic, anti-Semitic rape threat that used the hashtag #GamerGate. “Reminder: I’ve been bombarded with messages like this one on a daily basis since GamerGate began,” Sarkeesian wrote.

On April 15, Sommers also tweeted: “Looking forward to visiting Oberlin next week. I see my talk is already the focus of a lively campus discussion.” She shared OCRL’s event page with all of her followers on Twitter, after which many of them flocked to the page to defend her viewpoint.

By denying rape culture, she’s creating exactly the cycle of victim/survivor blame, where victims are responsible for the violence that was forced upon them and the subsequent shame that occurs when survivors share their stories, whose existence she denies. This is how rape culture flourishes. By bringing her to a college campus laden with trauma and sexualized violence and full of victims/survivors, OCRL is choosing to reinforce this climate of denial/blame/shame that ultimately has real life consequences on the well-being of people who have experienced sexualized violence. We could spend all of our time and energy explaining all of the ways she’s harmful. But why should we?

Anger is productive, and critiques are necessary. At this point, though, why don’t we stop spinning our wheels and burning ourselves out on conversations with Christina Hoff Sommers’ Twitter followers? We need to let survivors lead the conversation: to let them define their experience for themselves and to let them tell us what they need. We’re never going to get what we need from Christina Hoff Sommers or her Twitter followers, so let’s pull together and take care of each other. She can prioritize debunking statistics on sexualized violence; let’s prioritize each other healing from and refusing to tolerate violence. Her talk is happening, so let’s pull together in the face of this violence and make our own space to support each other. She exists, but so do we.

From centering survivors, their needs and community support, there are so many ways to engage. It is valid and necessary to both create alternative spaces for healing and to directly challenge the violence that is happening.

A few concrete examples of ways to engage:

1. Listening to your friends who’ve been harmed
2. Using your social and financial capital
3. Challenging violence and harm
4. Participating in actions and conversations in response to the event
5. Recognizing and prioritizing intersectional feminism and survivor support
6. Genuinely caring for one another
7. Educating yourself on the impacts of trauma and symptoms of post-traumatic stress/reactions
8. Silence

While navigating these many forms of support, it is important to underscore both that safety is a priority and that it’s not possible to be neutral about rape culture. A decision not to support survivors/victims is a decision to permit the actions of the perpetrators.

So let’s engage in some radical, beautiful community care, support and love. Let’s make space for everyone to engage at whichever level they want/need. Let’s come through for each other, both now and in the future. Trauma is an experience that threatens a person’s bodily, spiritual and emotional integrity. The psychological, emotional and somatic impacts extend beyond the experience of trauma. Healing is a process that looks different for each person. Let’s make space to care for all experiences of trauma and to respect those we care for. Let’s focus our energy on taking care of each other and ourselves. Let’s make her talk irrelevant in the face of our love, passion and power.

Alternate Event: We’re Still Here Monday, April 20, 7:30–9:00 p.m. Shiperd Lounge, Asia House

Direct Action (occurring prior to and at the event)

Monday, April 20, 7:00–9:30 p.m. Hallock Auditorium, AJLC

Love,

– Sarah MacFadden, College senior

– Sophie Meade, College senior

– Tanya Stickles, College sophomore

– Akane Little, College sophomore

– Juliana Ruoff, College senior

– Anna Field, College senior

– Lydia Smith

– Oberlin Students United for Reproductive Freedom (SURF)

– Gabriella Hakim

– Sasha Solov, College sophomore

– Elliot Ezcurra, College senior

– Kye Campbell-Fox, College senior

– Jolie De Feis, College senior

– HIV Peer Testers Oberlin

– Emily D’Angelo, junior

– Sreyashi Bhattacharyya

– Zoe Braunstein, College junior

– Felicia Heiney, College

– Kelsey Weber

– Talia Nadel, College sophomore

– Clara Lincoln, College sophomore

– Frances Casey, College sophomore

– Emanne Saleh, College senior

– Elizabeth Gobbo, College sophomore

– Augie Blackman

– Maya Gillett, College sophomore

– Kepler Mears, College sophomore

– Olivia Harris

– Bryn Whitney-Blum, College sophomore

– Preventing and Responding to Sexual Misconduct (PRSM)

– Rebecca Newman, College first-year

– Anna Menta, College senior

– Stevie Kelly, senior

– Maya Wergeles, College junior

– Jasmine Eshkar, College

– Annie Peskoe

– Kaïa Austin, College junior

– Dana Kurzer-Yashin

– Ellie Tremayne, College sophomore

– Anya Katz, College sophomore

– Zachariah Claypole White, College sophomore

– Gracie Freeman Lifschutz, College sophomore

– Sarah Johnson, senior

– EMB

– Alison Cameron, College first-year

– Tori Willbanks-Roos, College sophomore

– Isabel Boratav

– Edmund Metzold, senior

– Rose Murphree Gamble, College sophomore

– Megs Gisela Bautista, College

– Sage Mitchell-Sparke

– Amethyst Carey

– Jason Freedman

– Oberlin Men’s Ultimate team

– OC Club Sports Council

– Oberlin Nu Rho Psi – Neuroscience Honors Society

– Chelsea de Souza

– Chris Gould, senior

– Nothing But Treble, all-female a cappella group

– Margaret Miller, senior

– Bryn Weiler, first-year

– Haley Jones, College sophomore

– Sky Kalfus, College senior

– Matt Simon, College sophomore

– Maggie Ritten, sophomore

– Sarah Snider, double-degree sophomore

– Emma Nash, first-year

– Arturo Octavio, College sophomore

– Hannah Grandine

– Mavis Corrigan

– Leah Awkward-Rich, sophomore

– Louisa Liles, first-year

– Tory Sparks, College sophomore

– Sujoy Bhattacharyya

– Patrick Ellsworth, sophomore

– Elka Lee-Shapiro

– David Lawrence, College senior

– Kristine Chiu, College junior

– Olivia Menzer, College sophomore

– Maddie Bishop

– Megan Orticelli, Conservatory

– Della Kurzer-Zlotnick, first-year

– Cole Blouin, College sophomore

– Jenny Kneebone, College sophomore

– Gabi Bembry

– Shining Hope for Communities- Oberlin Chapter

– Emma Keeshin, senior

– Ellie Lindberg, first-year

– Emily Kuhn 

– Madeline Peltz

– Ronni Getz, senior

– Benjamin Biffis, College sophomore

– Maya Martin, College sophomore

– Rory O’Donoghue, double-degree first-year

– Jordan Ecker

– Abby Cali

– Olivia Fountain, College sophomore

– Dylan McDonnell, senior

– The Oberlin Sexual Information Center (SIC)

– Carmen Wolcott, College first-year

– Sage Jenson 

– Abby Singer, College junior

– Diana Dover, College

– Gabriel Smith, College

– Mia Russell

– Galen Landsberg, sophomore

– Kai Shinbrough, College sophomore

– Olivia Roak

– Kevin G. Gilfether, OC ’13

– Camille Sacristan

– Preying Manti (Women’s Ultimate Team)

– Athena Pult, sophomore

– Rachel Maclean 

–Eliza Edwards, College first-year

– Han Taub, College

– Katie Leader, College sophomore

– Sabrina Paskewitz, senior

– Emily Wilkerson, senior

– Rob Jamnerb, sophomore

– Emma Lehmann, College

– Odette Chalandon

– Julia Sheppard, senior

– Judith Jackson, double-degree sophomore

– Claire Kotarski, first-year

– Tali Levy-Bernstein, College sophomore

– Kathryn Spurgin, College senior

– Carolyn Holt, College senior

– Sarah Minion, College sophomore

– Lisa Minkoff, College sophomore

– Caroline Philo, College junior

– Charlotte Ahlin

– Rachel Webberman, senior

– Serena Creary, double-degree sophomore

– Sophie Weinstein, College junior

– Franklin Sussman

– Tyler Sloan, College sophomore

– Emily Edelstein, Conservatory first-year

– Emily Rizzo, junior

– Keenan DuBois, double-degree

– Peter Schalch

– Dorothy Klement

– Isabella McKnight

– Molly Copeland, College

– Oberlin Bike Co-op

– Julianne Hussman, first-year

– Delia Scoville, junior

– Sela Miller, College senior

– Daniel Miller-Medzon, College senior

– Kaeli C. Mogg

– Sarah Lewinger

– Henrietta Key

– Kyle Neal

– Sophie Kemp, College first-year

– Victoria Velasco

– Sophia Yapalater, OC ’13

– Dana Fang

– Anika Burg

– J Street U Oberlin

The complete list of signees as on Friday, April 17 at noon.