Fraternities at Northwestern University have apologized for hanging anti-sexual assault banners on their houses because feminists on campus got offended.
Yes — anti-sexual assault.
The banners, featuring statements such as “This is everyone’s problem” and “(fraternity name) supports survivors,” had been hung on the houses for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, which was in April.
According to an article in the Daily Northwestern, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) soon “faced criticism over the banners,” with some students saying they were “in poor taste due to the pervasiveness of sexual assault in fraternities” and others arguing that simply putting up banners was not enough to stop sexual assault and therefore doing so was offensive.
The IFC issued the following apology on Friday:
We recognize now how this campaign may have been emotionally triggering for survivors, and we want to make a deep, genuine apology for anyone that may have been affected. This was not our intent, but it is our fault for not being cognizant enough and not considering how it might affect others in our community.
The IFC also announced that it would implement a four-year anti-sexual-assault program.
Look, I would 100 percent agree with anyone who says that a banner is not going to make a huge difference when it comes to sexual assault. But should we really be slamming people for trying? What the hell good does that do?
As crazy as this is, it’s not the first time something like this has happened. For example, in 2014, an Arizona State University rally against rape culture was accused of actually promoting rape culture because it encouraged men to respect women — and that shouldn’t have to be encouraged.