Students take a stand against rape culture
Courtesy of Christopher Toalson for Youth Against Rape Culture club
Free State teachers pose to demonstrate what a feminist looks like.
When junior Becca Moran started hearing and seeing the rampant effects of rape culture, she and her friends decided to do something about it. Moran’s brainchild helped create Youth Against Rape Culture Club (YARC) as a way to spread awareness of what rape culture is along with advocating for a decrease in misogynistic mindsets in the schools.
Currently YARC is working on a campaign to decrease the stigma of the word “feminist.”
“[YARC is] having teachers and students take a picture with a sign that says ‘This is what a feminist looks like,’” Moran said. “And then we’re going to print all the pictures out and put them in a collage on the walls and below that we’re going to have the actual definition of feminism.”
Junior Chritter Toalson joined YARC after hearing about it from a friend and it has since become an eye opening experience. After just one club meeting he became more informed about feminism and rape culture and hopes to continue to educate himself and others.
“Letting people know [about feminism] is a beginning step kind of like a stepping stone to educating people on rape culture,” Toalson said.
Letting people know [about feminism] is a beginning step kind of like a stepping stone to educating people on rape culture.
— Junior Chritter Toalson
Moran believes the word “feminism” goes beyond the typical dictionary definition.
“To me feminism just means honestly what the definition says,” Moran said. “But for me it takes on a more active meaning. Feminism is actively trying to make all sexes equal.”
Senior Elyse Boxberger considers YARC a great place to come together with friends and work towards a common goal.
“[Our goal is] just to make more people aware of what we’re about and break down all the prejudices that people have about different groups of people,” Boxberger said.
In the future,YARC plans on moving towards more service oriented activities such as raising funds and supplies along with educating teenagers about what domestic violence entails.
“We hope to do more service things in the future like drives and even writing letters to some of the victims of domestic violence who are currently at the Willow [Domestic Violence Center],” Moran said. “The Willow [Domestic Violence Center] right now is working on a youth education program,so … hopefully our members can be trained in teen dating violence prevention.”
