“I hear things like this every day – jokes about rape and sexual assault everywhere, in class, as I walk to my locker, in the cafeteria.” In her disheartening, but true story, “It’s Not Funny,” Amy, a rape victim herself, anonymously shares this daily experience. Unfortunately, I can relate to this and you probably can, too.

My close friend was molested by her best friend’s father when she was at a sleepover. She endured a lawsuit, psychiatry appointments, and soon after the incident, her parents divorced. I don’t know what happened to her or where she is now. I don’t keep in touch with her and although our families were intimate, our most recent get-together occurred a few years ago. Because of her, I am extremely sensitive to alleged “jokes” pertaining to molestation or sexual harassment.

One time, my friend repeatedly put his feet under my desk, distracting me from copying my notes for that particular class. After several desperate attempts to get him to discontinue this behavior, I demanded him to stop annoying me. His exact response was, “I’m not annoying you; I’m molesting you,” followed by a snicker. I looked at him, my mind and expression blank. Thirty seconds passed and my head was flooded with an overwhelming variety of emotions. Reluctantly, I returned to solving my quadratic-linear system. However, his words wouldn't leave me.

Additionally, one of my “friends” tosses around the word “rape” as if it’s the word “the.” Almost every day, he feels the unnecessary urge to squeal in a high-pitched voice, “Rape me.” Most of his buddies chuckle along, only encouraging and justifying his horrific behavior. I constantly yell at him to stop saying things as inappropriate as that, but my voice is always drowned out by the sound of immature laughter.

So, Amy, I’m deeply sorry for what happened to you. Although I have not been sexually harassed, I still feel strongly about people joking about this touchy subject because honestly, it’s not funny.