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Take Back the Night newspaper editorials and articles, 1982
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Take Back the Night The Take Back the Night rally planned for Saturday night at College Green Park is intended to focus on the problem of sexual assault against women. Unfortunately it appears likely that the event's theme will be obscured by the unwise politics surrounding the organization of the rally. The word is going out that men will not be welcomed at the convocation; leafleters have even been instructed not to give handbills regarding Take Back the Night to men. And the local press is being asked not to cover the rally itself - instead, a press conference will be given. It all sounds too much like the Take Back the Night rally held at the same site in September 1979. That event was marred by a great deal of misunderstanding and hostility because of the same sort of banishments. Press coverage on the 1979 rally focused heavily on its exclusion of men, detracting from its avowed purpose. The fact that the same tactics - and the same arguments to justify them - are being employed for this year's rally points to the same bad taste in everyone's mouths. Men and many women won't like it because they will feel insulted, and the rally's organizers and participants won't like it because they will feel misunderstood - again. This is not to say the intent of Take Back the Night's organizers is not valid. They want women to "speak out" about violence directed against them and the presence of men would likely inhibit such openness. But the place for such activities is at private meetings, not at ones payed for by the UI Student Senate and held in a public park. Beyond that, there is still the question of the role of men in reducing rape and other types of sexual assault. In Iowa City, where the occurrence of reported sexual assaults has consistently been above the national rate, there is much sensitivity to the problem among men. The student senate and other groups such as New Wave, with the full participation of their male members, have this year and in the past demonstrated their concern about rape and their support for women in both word and deed. Form men to be told their support is not welcome is divisive, and does not contribute to responsible discussion of the issue or to any possible solution. The rally's organizers, when requesting money from the senate for the event, did not mention that men, the press and the general public would not be allowed to participate. Perhaps they should be asked to justify the use of students' money for such a limited exercise in consciousness-raising. Derek Maurer Staff Writer
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Take Back the Night The Take Back the Night rally planned for Saturday night at College Green Park is intended to focus on the problem of sexual assault against women. Unfortunately it appears likely that the event's theme will be obscured by the unwise politics surrounding the organization of the rally. The word is going out that men will not be welcomed at the convocation; leafleters have even been instructed not to give handbills regarding Take Back the Night to men. And the local press is being asked not to cover the rally itself - instead, a press conference will be given. It all sounds too much like the Take Back the Night rally held at the same site in September 1979. That event was marred by a great deal of misunderstanding and hostility because of the same sort of banishments. Press coverage on the 1979 rally focused heavily on its exclusion of men, detracting from its avowed purpose. The fact that the same tactics - and the same arguments to justify them - are being employed for this year's rally points to the same bad taste in everyone's mouths. Men and many women won't like it because they will feel insulted, and the rally's organizers and participants won't like it because they will feel misunderstood - again. This is not to say the intent of Take Back the Night's organizers is not valid. They want women to "speak out" about violence directed against them and the presence of men would likely inhibit such openness. But the place for such activities is at private meetings, not at ones payed for by the UI Student Senate and held in a public park. Beyond that, there is still the question of the role of men in reducing rape and other types of sexual assault. In Iowa City, where the occurrence of reported sexual assaults has consistently been above the national rate, there is much sensitivity to the problem among men. The student senate and other groups such as New Wave, with the full participation of their male members, have this year and in the past demonstrated their concern about rape and their support for women in both word and deed. Form men to be told their support is not welcome is divisive, and does not contribute to responsible discussion of the issue or to any possible solution. The rally's organizers, when requesting money from the senate for the event, did not mention that men, the press and the general public would not be allowed to participate. Perhaps they should be asked to justify the use of students' money for such a limited exercise in consciousness-raising. Derek Maurer Staff Writer
Campus Culture
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