No Es Justo! #NoJusticeNoEnlistments
On Thursday, February 18, a friend tagged me in a video of a young Marine who was inconsolable because the Marine Corps had wronged her. This isn't a case of he said she said. This Marine's abuser admitted to sexually abusing her. Still, the commanding general of the unit she fell under decided to retain him instead of prosecuting him for the crime of sexual abuse.
This shit is nothing new. Time and time again, we have seen how the injustices that sexual victims face have created a vicious cycle in the military. So who's watching? Who's listening? And who's going to act? WHERE THE F*CK IS CONGRESS? It is on them to investigate these allegations. So why has nothing been done? The answer is usually about some bureaucratic sh*t that has to happen so they can investigate. All the while, more and more women and men are falling victim to sexual crimes inside the military. So when is Congress going to stand with us, the victims and survivors? This is why victims don't come forward because the ones with power aren't fighting for us.
The unjust system within the military is just as perverse as the civilian system. The crazy thing is that none of these so-called "I support the troops" people are speaking out against the military. They're words are nothing but Plastic Patriotism, as my girl Pam says. How many more have the fall victim before this country realizes what the fuck is going on inside the military and being covered up by military leadership?
Silence is complicity; inaction is complicity; diversion is complicity. Who will speak up? Who will take action? Who will face off against the system? I'm asking so many f*cking questions because no one ever gives any answers when something like this happens. And survivors end up hurt again.
Those of us who have survived a sexual crime are forced to relive our own trauma when we help victims. We relive our trauma when we learn that yet another military member has been wronged unjustly by the military. And we relive our trauma when cowards think that they can set an expiration date on when we should have come out with our experience—the f*cking nerve of these cowards.
We must uplift the voices of those speaking out by sharing social media posts or media. I also recommend getting involved with organizations like Vet for the People, Not in my Marine Corps, and Not My Reality. Call your representatives. Register to vote and make a plan to vote. And vote for candidates like Britany Ramos DeBarros that are taking a bold position on this issue.
We deserve better!