The Daily Tar Heel
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The Daily Tar Heel

Inebriated sex can have very serious consequences

TO THE EDITOR:

Austin Capobianco’s letter to the editor (“If it feels good, it must be wrong — sex included,” Sept. 2) makes a joke of a situation which is very serious to many, especially to survivors and secondary survivors. It also downplays the importance of many who work tirelessly to end sexual violence.

Never has it been stated that inebriated sex is bad. What has been stated is that legal consent cannot be given by a person who is inebriated.

Capobianco jokingly calls alcohol “a crutch for the weak;” if it is not this, what is it? I think alcohol is mainly considered a fun and enjoyable social aid. But sometimes, it can become a tool for the powerful. Just like violence, emotional abuse and social pressure, alcohol can be used to gain sex from an unwilling partner.

Only able to have sex with drunk people? I will try to add some sobriety to your life.

One out of every six women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime. College-aged women are four times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault. About 70 percent of sexual assault survivors know their attacker.

Look around you. This isn’t about the occasional slip up, these things happen every day. Inebriated sex may feel better, but know that inebriated consent can cause so much more pain.


Chelsea Cook
Junior
Public Policy, Women’s Studies

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