Raliance Issues Statement on Sports Culture as an Opportunity to Prevent Sexual Violence

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Audio footage of comments made in 2005 by now Presidential candidate and Republican nominee Donald Trump was released last Friday, which has sparked a national conversation about sexual assault and rape culture. His comments have been condemned in the media, by politicians, and, more broadly, the public.

Raliance recognizes this moment as a pivotal opportunity to elevate sports culture as a platform to prevent sexual assault. No longer can we accept "locker room talk" as an excuse to normalize and perpetuate rape culture.

With its research partner, the Center on Gender Equity and Health of the University of California, San Diego, Raliance has identified that sports culture has the opportunity to shape and transmit values and, thus, can be used as a means to dismantle rape culture and prevent sexual violence. The sports system and structure are well positioned to instill attitudes of respect for women and intolerance of sexual violence to challenge the cultural norms that accept sexual violence in American society.

"We see that everyone, from professional athletes to elected officials, has a role to interrupt and not perpetuate the attitudes that contribute to a culture that considers rape inevitable and makes it acceptable," said Sandra Henriquez, Managing Partner of Raliance and Executive Director of the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA).

To describe and dismiss comments such as these as simply "locker room talk" diminishes the severity of the issues of sexual assault and rape culture and demonstrates the need for a change in discourse so that such language is not tolerated in our society, locker rooms or otherwise.

For more information about this research, please view the Raliance policy brief.

Raliance is a collaborative initiative dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation. As the go-to resource for policymakers, advocates, service providers, prevention practitioners and the media, Raliance boldly and innovatively advances the field nationally. Raliance is comprised of three national sexual violence prevention organizations – the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CALCASA)-PreventConnect and the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence (NAESV) - with over 70 years of anti sexual violence activism. Raliance – be the generation that ends sexual violence.

Contact: Sandra Henriquez   
Cell: 925-209-6293
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Raliance