GLAAD has joined the White House in support of the "It's On Us" campaign, an initiative to address the culture of sexual violence and bring awareness to sexual assault. The campaign is a pledge to hold others accountable for their behavior, be respectful of other peoples right to consent or not and to intervene before it happens. Scores of media conglomerates, organizations and celebrities have signed on to promote the pledge including Kerry Washington, VH1 and the NCAA to name a few.
The initial incarnation of this campaign focued on campus violence and harm reduction among college aged students. It's estimated that one in five women have been sexaully assaulted during her college years and only 12 percent get reported. However, this statistic is only referencing sexual assault against straight identified cisgender women who have been to college. The rate of sexual assault for LGBT people is substantially higher . Non consensual sex and violence manifests in various ways and effects people differently depending on intersecting issues and stigmas. A staggering 64% of transgender people report being sexually assaulted during their lifetime and nearly half of bisexual woman have experienced rape in theirs.
Hate crimes in the form of sexual assault are a reality for many LGBT people including gay men. We are slowly starting to de-stimatize male victims of sexual violence as more and more men, straight and gay, are finding support around their experiences. Sexual violence against gay and transgender people within the prison population is also a concern for the LGBT community. GLAAD recently raised awareness for Marichuy Gamino, a transgender woman who was sexually assaulted while in an immigration detention center. Gay, transgender, and gender non-conforming people often times are blamed for their own assault or given no voice or support to defend themselves. GLAAD is proud to partner with the White House and other media and entertainment professionals on an issue that is so significant to the community we work for and live in.