After over a month of stewing in silence, I feel like I should say something. The idea that a “potential” rapist is sitting on the Supreme Court is really horrible. We as a nation have never been more divided than we are now (except maybe during the Civil War, but I don’t want to get into that). We choose our friends based on if we can have a conversation that doesn’t offend them. This terrifying state isn’t gonna get worse unless we agree to do something about it. (No, I’m not saying a revolution… Or am I?)

But for real: what does Kavanaugh’s seat on the Supreme Court mean for high school students? By giving him the seat, it’s saying what he may, or may not, have done in the past doesn’t matter and that boys will be boys. So when I ask, will those “boys” grow into men, old enough to realize what no means and that their actions have consequences? Our society is telling young girls not to come forward right away, and then we tell women that it was so long ago to forget about it and move on.

We dismiss this issue as another part of the #metoo movement, but when is a person actually held accountable? Everyone in high school makes mistakes and does things they aren’t proud of. The difference between most mistakes is that they don’t weigh over a person for the rest of their life. Rape and sexual assault aren’t things a people can just forgive and forget, and it is our job to bring these issues to light.